Travesty to pass Bills when no-confidence motion is still pending, says Congress citing rules

Opposition bloc I.N.D.I.A wants the no-confidence motion moved by it in Lok Sabha to be taken up at the earliest as under rules and conventions, no legislative business can be transacted till such a motion is debated, the Congress said on Thursday.

It is a travesty to pass Bills when the no-confidence motion is still pending, it said.

Read | 2018 no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government: A flashback

A no-confidence motion by the Congress against the Narendra Modi government was admitted in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, setting the stage for a showdown between the Opposition and treasury benches amid concerted efforts by the anti-BJP bloc to force Prime Minister Modi to speak on the contentious Manipur issue in Parliament.

Proceedings continued to be disrupted in both Houses with repeated adjournments on Thursday as the Opposition and the government traded barbs over the Manipur issue and the no-confidence motion.

In a post on the platform formerly known as Twitter, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said there is absolute clarity in the stand of the Opposition coalition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A) in Parliament.

"We want the no-confidence motion moved by the parties in the Lok Sabha in the immediate context of Manipur, which has been accepted by the Speaker, to be taken up at the earliest.

There is absolute clarity in the stand of INDIA parties in Parliament.

1. We want the no-confidence motion moved by the parties in the Lok Sabha in the immediate context of Manipur, which has been accepted by the Speaker, to be taken up at the earliest. According to Rules and…

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) July 27, 2023

"According to Rules and Conventions, no legislative business can be transacted till the no-confidence motion is debated," he asserted.

"We want a statement by the PM in the Rajya Sabha on Manipur immediately followed thereafter by a discussion under Rule 267, which means that the issue being raised under this Rule takes precedence over all other issues," Ramesh said.

This is the "clear and consistent demand of I.ND.I.A parties so that a collective sense of anguish at what has happened in Manipur gets expressed and a collective resolve to promote peace, harmony and reconciliation in the state gets reinforced", the Congress general secretary said.

Congress MP Manish Tewari said it is unfortunate that Bill after Bill is being passed in the Lok Sabha in the din.

"Kaul & Shakhdar Page 772 Practice & Procedure of Parliament is very explicit. 'When the leave of the house to the moving of a motion of 'No confidence' has been granted no substantive motion on Policy matters is to be brought before the house by the government till the motion of no confidence is not disposed off'," Tewari tweeted.

"If any substantive motion of policy is barred, obviously legislation also cannot be brought which holds the field for 100 years or more," he said.

"I request Speaker Om Birla to start the discussion on the no-confidence motion without let or demur. It is a travesty to pass Bills when the no-confidence is still pending," the Congress MP said.

The Opposition has also been demanding that Modi make a statement on the Manipur issue in Parliament before a debate on the matter can be taken up, a demand not accepted by the government.

The logjam has been prevailing in both Houses since the start of the Monsoon session on July 20.

More than 160 people have lost their lives and several hundreds have been injured since ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3.