Why in the News?
The
alliance of 26 opposition parties (I.N.D.I.A) moved a no-confidence motion in
the Lok Sabha in order to make Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak in the
Parliament on the Manipur violence, which has been accepted by the Speaker for
its adoption.
What is a No-confidence motion?
1.
Article 75 of the
Constitution - Council of Ministers shall be collectively responsible to the
Lok Sabha.
2.
This means that the
ministry stays in office as long as it enjoys the confidence of the lower
house.
3.
This effectively
gives power to the Lok Sabha to remove the ministry from the office by passing
No-confidence motion.
4.
Therefore, it has
been used as a tool for ascertaining the confidence of Lok Sabha in the council
of ministers by proving their majority on the floor of the House.
5.
Lately, it has been
used as a tool by the opposition to force the ruling party into a discussion in
the House on significant issues.
6.
The term
'No-confidence' Motion is not mentioned in the Constitution of India but
mentioned in the Rules of Lok Sabha (Rule 198).
Who can move a no-confidence motion?
1.
Any member of the
Lok Sabha can move the no-trust motion, provided it has the support of at least
50 members of the House
2.
The motion can be
moved only in the Lok Sabha and not in Rajya Sabha.
Procedure adopted in the house:
1.
A no-confidence
motion must be signed by the member moving it and submitted to the Speaker of
the Lok Sabha.
2.
The no-trust motion
has to be mandatorily backed by at least 50 MPs for its adoption in the house.
3.
The Speaker can
admit or reject the adoption of No-confidence motion in the house.
4.
If admitted, the
Speaker has 10 days to decide on the date and time of the debate/discussion to
be held, which is often done in consultation with the other parties.
5.
After the debate,
the Lok Sabha will vote on the no-confidence motion.
6.
If it is passed in the Lok Sabha with the
majority support, the entire ministry has to resign.
7.
The speaker may
allow the ousted prime minister to head a transitional or caretaker government
until the Parliament elects a new Prime Minister.
8.
If the government
wins, theno-trust motion gets defeated and the ruling party will continue to
remain in power.
No-Confidence motion in the past:
1.
The no-confidence
motion has been passed in the Lok Sabha for 27 times in the past, with PM
Indira Gandhi subjected to the motion 15 times.
2.
However, only three
Prime Ministers have lost the motion so far. They include,
a)
VP Singh (PM from
1989 to 1990)
·
Member of the
Janata Dal who led a coalition government called the National Front.
·
His government lost
a no-confidence motion following withdrawal of support by the BJP over the Ram
Temple issue.
b)
HD Deve Gowda (PM
in 1996)
·
Member of Janata
Dal who led the coalition - United Front with the support of Congress.
·
The Congress
withdrew its support and subsequently the government lost in a no-confidence
motion.
c)
Atal Bihari
Vajpayee (PM in 1996)
·
The BJP stalwart,
faced no-confidence motion twice.
·
Vajpayee lost the
first no-trust motion by just a single vote in 1999 after the Jayalalithaa-led
AIADMK withdrew its support.
· Again, a no-confidence motion in 2003 against his government, was defeated by an overwhelming majority.
|
Confidence motion: 1.
Used by a
government to prove its majority in the house by moving a confidence motion
to counter opposition parties. 2.
Often used in
situations of hung parliament, minority government and coalition governments. 3.
The president may
also call upon the newly formed government with wafer-thin majority to prove
their majority on the floor of the House. 4.
If the Confidence
motion fails to get majority voting, then the government has to resign. |
