Telangana row: 6 Cong MPs, TDP, YSRCP move for no-confidence against Manmohan govt
New Delhi: In an embarrassment to Congress, six of its MPs from Seemandhra on Monday gave notice for a no-confidence motion against Manmohan Singh Government to protest creation of Telangana issue and were joined by TDP and YSR Congress Party in this endeavour.
The Seemandhra MPs, four TDP members of Lok Sabha and three members of YSR Congress Party led by Jaganmohan Reddy gave separate notices to Speaker Meira Kumar for moving the no-trust motion.
In their letter to Kumar, the Congress MPs from Seemandhra sought permission to move a motion expressing no-confidence in the Union Council of Ministers under Rule 198 of the Rules of Procedures and Conduct of Business in the Lok Sabha.
The MPs have been strongly opposing division of Andhra Pradesh and have submitted their resignations from Lok Sabha which have not been accepted.
Soon after, four TDP members also shot off an identical letter to the Speaker, seeking permission to move no-confidence motion. Sources claimed that the Congress MPs from Seemandhra took TDP into confidence on the matter and they acted on the same lines.
"We may be rivals in our State. But, we are joining hands for the cause of United Andhra," one of the Seemandhra MPs told PTI. The MP claimed that they were in talks with other parties as well, for pulling down the Government, which is pushing for dividing Andhra Pradesh against the wishes of Seemandhra people.
"If the Government is not there, the bill would not come to the Parliament," the MP said. YSRCP also gave notice for the no-trust motion. Any move to bring a no-confidence motion requires the support of some 50 odd members, ten per cent of the membership of the House.
The 15th Lok Sabha has not seen any no-confidence motion. A plan by Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress to bring it over a year back came a cropper as it failed to find the requisite support. Trinamool has 19 members in Lok Sabha.
The plan of the Congress MPs appears to be to embarrass the government on the Telangana issue by seeking support of those opposed to the division of Andhra Pradesh or creation of smaller states. The Congress MPs, who signed the joint letter to the Speaker, were R Sambasiva Rao, Sabbam Hari, V Arun Kumar, A Saiprathap, L Rajagopal and G V Harshakumar.
The TDP MPs to sign the letter were K Narayana Rao, N Sivaprasad, Nimmala Kristappa and Venugopala Reddy. TDP has five members in the Lok Sabha and one of them did not sign the letter.
The three members of YSR Congress who sent the joint letter to the Speaker were Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy and S.P.Y. Reddy. A Congress MP from Seemandhra said they are working to muster the support of requisite MPs and some other political parties were ready to extend support in their mission to bring down the UPA government.
TDP leaders said they had opened talks with various 'anti-Congress' parties, in their attempt to dislodge the government. TDP MP Venugopala Reddy said his party gave the notice as the government did not have the moral right to continue and has lost credibility after the humiliating defeat in four states.
"We are coordinating with all political parties. Shiv Sena, JD(U), AIADMK, DMK, TMC and all like minded parties," he claimed.
Earlier, Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy had given indications of the move. "We will certainly defeat the draft Bill when it is referred to the Assembly. We will see how Parliament passes it," the Chief Minister, who has been vehemently opposing the state's bifurcation, told a public meeting at Vijayawada after the inauguration of Pulichintala irrigation project on river Krishna.
Throwing a direct challenge at the Congress high command, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Saturday said that he would ensure the defeat of the AP Reorganisation Bill 2013 when it comes up for passage in the state Assembly.
Recalling how in 1972 the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had opposed bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh while addressing Parliament, Reddy asked, "How can the present Congress high command deviate from Indira Gandhi's policies?"
He went on to allege that the party leadership had "hatched a conspiracy" with TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao and YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy to split the state for political gains.
"The high command followed the advise of K Chandrasekhar Rao and Jaganmohan Reddy, but not the Congress leaders from Seemandhra," he said. The chief minister also said that bifurcation would ultimately be a loss for Telangana in terms of water and power availability.
