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BJP coalition woes mount

No-Trust motions linger; More allies raise voice

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AIADMK protests meant no-trust moves could not be taken up in Lok Sabha even on Monday
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Two no-confidence motions brought by TDP and YSRCP against the Narendra Modi government again could not be taken up in the Lok Sabha by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan because of ruckus in the House on Monday.

But more voices within ruling coalition NDA joined anti-government chorus. Ally Shiv Sena said the motions signal an end to the "myth" of BJP's invincibility.

"In 2019, there will be a blast of resentment that is prevailing among masses today. A no-confidence motion will be passed then with a complete majority," the party said.

TDP exited from the Modi government and moved a no-confidence motion against it in the Lok Sabha on Friday. The blow to ruling coalition NDA ahead of next year's national elections came a day after another party from Andhra Pradesh, YSRCP, made a similar move.

On Friday, Mahajan took up both notices amid protests but deferred any decision on them till Monday, saying the "House is not in order". But chaos again rocked Parliament for the 10th consecutive day on Monday.

The anti-government mood swelled even before Parliament could meet as members from Andhra Pradesh parties aided by Congress staged a protest against the Modi government for not according special status to the state.

Immediately after the Question Hour, members from the Opposition parties marched into the Well, shouting slogans and carrying placards, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House till 12 pm.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh tried to placate the Opposition, appealing for cooperation and said, "the government is ready for discussion on any issue, including the no-confidence motion."

As the protesting members refused to listen, Mahajan said she was duty-bound to take up the notices for no-confidence but could not as the House was not in order.

"Since the House is not in order, I will not be able to bring it… I am sorry," she said, adjourning the Lok Sabha for the day.

The Rajya Sabha was even more short-lived. The Andhra issue dominated the House as soon as it met. The Opposition members entered the Well, raising slogans despite Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu showing his clear displeasure.

"This is not in the interest of the country or Parliament.... How long should we continue like this? People have already started criticising us," said a visibly upset Naidu before adjourning the House.

Congress has criticised Mahajan's decisions, accusing the government of staging protests to save itself from embarrassment.

Bihar CM and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar also warned on Monday that his party will not compromise with forces that divide the society, in what was seen as a veiled attack on ally BJP whose leaders have been seen making communally controversial remarks.

He also strongly pitched for special category status for Bihar. A similar demand for Andhra Pradesh saw TDP pull out of the BJP-led government at the Centre last week.

The Yogi Adityanath-led government in UP also faced coalition troubles on Monday when senior Cabinet Minister and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) president Om Prakash Rajbhar accused ruling BJP of being "drunk on power and losing its mental balance." He also threatened not to back BJP's Rajya Sabha nominees from UP.

Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, an erstwhile constituent of the BJP-led NDA, also announced that it would work with Congress on issues concerning farmers, hinting at a possible electoral alliance ahead of the 2019 general elections.

The Maharashtra-based party's leader and MP Raju Shetti met Congress president Rahul Gandhi to invite him for a convention of farmers to be held on March 29.

TDP has 16 MPs in the Lok Sabha, while YSRCP has nine. A no-confidence motion can be accepted only if it has the support of at least 50 members in the House. Congress, CPM, TMC and some other Opposition parties have said they will support the move against the government.

Both Union ministers from Andhra Pradesh's ruling TDP quit last week to protest the Centre's refusal to grant the southern state special category status. The two no-confidence motions target voters in Andhra Pradesh ahead of next year's state elections.

The BJP-led NDA government still has a comfortable majority in the current 539-member Lok Sabha, and the motion, if accepted, is likely to be defeated.

BJP alone has the support of 274 MPs. Its 41 allies take the number to 315 — well above the current halfway mark of 270. But these 41 include 18 from sulking Shiv Sena that has still not said which way it will vote.

Sena has already announced it would not run in next year's national elections in alliance with BJP. The party said on Friday that "the Modi wave is over".

AIADMK, which had contested the 2014 Lok Sabha polls against BJP but is generally seen to be its ally, has 37 MPs.

Shiv Sena, AIADMK and TRS are expected to be neutral and may abstain from voting.

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