No Confidence and Censure Motion

Both No Confidence and Censure Motion are passed by the opposition parties against the government to show the short comings of the ruling party dissolve the Lok Sabha

No Confidence Motion

No-confidence motion is one of the motions passed by the legislature. This only operates in a Parliamentary form of government like the ones at work in India and UK where the executive is a part of the legislature and is directly accountable to them.

This happens when the Prime Minister and his Council of Ministers have lose the support of the lower house. When such a motion is passed, the entire Council has to resign.However, there are some other situations that are equivalent to a no-confidence motion.

 If the lower house rejects a bill proposed by a member of the Council of Ministers, it is equivalent to a no-confidence motion. Even if changes in the bill are suggested, it is equivalent to a no-confidence motion. A money bill, which must only be proposed by a Cabinet minister (Finance Minister), also comes under this rule. It must be passed in entirety without changes.For ordinary bills to be passed in the legislature, a simple majority of all the members present and voting is sufficient. 

Hence, when the PM and his Cabinet is unable to gather this basic support, it is a definite indicator that they have lost support, and must resign. Censure motion is moved against the Council of Ministers, a group of ministers or as individual Minister for the failure to perform duties. The censure motion is usually moved by the opposition party against the ruling party or any of its ministers for failure to act in certain matter.

Censure Motion 

Censure motion is moved to seek the disapproval of certain policy of the government in power. This motion seeks to censure the government for its ‘lapses’. The motion must clearly specify the charges against the government. In case the censure motion is passed, the government has to seek the confidence of the house, immediately after it is passed in the house. 

Censure motion must be specific and self- explanatory, stating the reasons for its adoption. It can be moved only in the Lok Sabha and not in the Rajya Sabha. No leave of the House is required for moving a censure motion but it must specify the charges against the government for which it is moved. If the censure motion is passed, the Council of ministers is bound to seek the confidence of the Lok Sabha as early as possible.
 
Difference between Censure Motion and Motion of No Confidence

 In case of censure motion, reasons must be stated for its adoption in the Lok Sabha while in case of motion of no confidence no such reasons for its adoption are required to be stated in the Lok Sabha. No confidence motion can only be moved against the entire council of ministers while censure motion can be moved against an individual minister, a group of ministers and the entire council of ministers. 

Censure motion is moved for censuring the council of ministers for specific policies and action and no confidence motion on the otherhand, is moved for ascertaining the confidence of Lok Sabha in the council of ministers. 

The council of ministers need not resign from the office if censure motion is passed in the Lok Sabha while in case of motion of no confidence, the council of minister must resign from office if the motion is passed.