TDP no-confidence motion on July 20 in Lok Sabha

​New Delhi: The TDP scored a huge political point in forcing Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to accept the no-confidence motion moved by the party protesting against the betrayal of the BJP in denying the special category status to Andhra Pradesh here on Wednesday. 

Initially, the Speaker was reluctant to accept their demand amid ruckus. The Congress had also moved the same on Wednesday.

With the help of the Opposition voices in its favour, the TDP effectively silenced the BJP's protests against the same and got the motion accepted. 

Under the continued pressure of the TDP MPs, the Speaker informed the House that the no-trust motion brought by TDP member Kesineni Srinivas and others will be taken up on Friday. Question Hours and discussion on Private Member Bills will not be taken up on Friday, instead the whole day will be utilised to discuss the no-confidence motion.

This is the first time the ruling NDA is facing no-confidence motion in the last four years. The TDP, which failed to bring in the motion for discussion in its last attempt, was careful this time in securing the support of all anti-BJP parties by sending its delegations to them a couple of days in advance for the motion.

The strategy of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu worked well, and even smaller parties were not left untouched by the MPs. The systematic campaign set the mood of the House in favour of the motion on Wednesday.

Thus the monsoon session of Parliament began with the government gearing to face the no-trust motion moved by  the Telugu Desam Party, a former ally of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

The TDP's aim to expose the BJPs' faultlines and its untrustworthiness got a shot in the arm with this. Now the party stands the chance to shame Narendra Modi & Co in full public glare and at a national stage. The TDP has demanded at least two full hours for it to speak on the subject on Friday.

They told media that the approval of the motion for the debate mean a realization on part of the Speaker on the resoluteness of the TDP. They said they were prepared to make any sacrifices for the SCS under would continue their fight for the same.

Earlier, during the day, the party distributed booklets highlighting the betrayal of the BJP in implementing the AP Reorganization Act, 2014 translated into all south Indian languages.  Naidu held a teleconference with the MPs ahead of the session to tutor them on how to go about the motion and directed them not to relent cede ground to the BJP.

Later, the TDP MPs led by Y S Chowdary thanked the parties that stood by their demand. “This goes to prove that all Opposition trusts Chandrababu Naidu and is ready to work with him in taking on the BJP's anti-people and anti-national policies".

The MPs are of the opinion that the party would now play a key role in the future struggles against the BJP with its increased stature as it is the only party that could succeed in getting the no-trust move accepted. The TDP also set a record of sorts by introducing the no-trust move nearly 15 years after Congress's no-trust move against the then Vajpayee government which was lost 314-189 votes. Though later the Manmohan Singh Government too faced a similar situation, the CPM withdrew the same finally.