No-confidence motion: Why did Opposition disrupt Lok Sabha over Sansad TV tickers?

A debate on the no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi-led Central government is underway in Lok Sabha. The motion was moved by the Opposition INDIA grouping to press the prime minister to speak about the Manipur issue in Parliament. The no-trust motion debate is expected to continue till Thursday when Modi is likely to give his reply. Amid the debate today (8 August), a huge uproar broke out in Lok Sabha over tickers on the government-run Sansad TV, disrupting the proceedings. Let’s take a closer look at this row and what’s going on in Parliament. What’s the ticker row? The Opposition took objection to Sansad TV apparently running tickers on the development works of the Central government during the no-confidence motion debate. As per NDTV, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP Danish Ali said that the ticker on Sansad TV was exhibiting updates on the government’s achievements rather than the proceedings of the ongoing debate. This led to a huge ruckus by the Opposition MPs, who questioned these tickers. Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury reportedly alleged it was a pre-decided move. “They [government] thought Rahul Gandhi would move the motion on no confidence. This is why they scheduled such a ticker. This was only to belittle him. Gaurav Gogoi’s speech was a googly for them,” ABP News quoted the Congress leader as saying. As per multiple reports, Rahul Gandhi was expected to open the no-confidence motion debate in Lok Sabha. However, it was initiated by Congress’s deputy leader in the Lower House, Gaurav Gogoi. Taking note of the Opposition’s complaint, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, as per ABP News, said: “Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha together comprise the Sansad TV. Earlier, they would be shown separately. But since you have brought the matter [of the tickers] to my notice, I shall look into it… I have asked the relevant team to take the necessary action. It will be stopped in a few moments”. As the chaos ensued, Birla remarked, “Mere paas button nahi hai (I don’t have the button).” Parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi asked why the Opposition was “afraid”. As per the news agency PTI, he said, “Whenever Parliament is in session, such scrolling (of the tickers) goes on. Their speeches are already going live. What are they afraid of? Why there is so much intolerance?"

According to ABP News, the tickers were then halted and Parliament’s proceedings soon resumed after the brief disruption. ALSO READ: No-trust motion in Parliament: What’s Opposition’s motive if it doesn’t have the numbers? What’s happening in Lok Sabha? The debate around the no-trust motion started around 12 noon in Lok Sabha. As Birla called on Gogoi as the first speaker, Pralhad Joshi attacked Rahul Gandhi, asking why was he not opening the debate. Addressing the Lower House, Congress MP Gogoi said, as per PTI: “The INDIA alliance has moved this no-confidence motion for Manipur because Manipur demands justice. The incidents are not merely happening in a corner of Northeast, but are happening in India. If Manipur is burning, the entire India is burning”.

Hitting out at Modi, the leader said the prime minister has taken a ‘maun vrat’, so the Opposition had to bring the no-trust motion to “break his silence”. “We have three questions for him: Why did he not visit Manipur to date? Why did it take almost 80 days to finally speak on Manipur and when he did speak it was just for 30 seconds? Why has the PM not sacked the Manipur CM so far?" Gogoi asked, as per PTI. During the debate, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Supriya Sule called for the resignation of Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh.

Speaking for the government, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey took a dig at the Opposition and said, “The PM says that this is not a no-trust-vote, it is a ‘trust in Opposition vote. They want to see who supports them”. Targeting Sonia Gandhi, Dubey said the former Congress chief is following the “traditional Indian woman’s way” of “Bete ko set karna hai, damaad ko bhent karna hai (Has to set up her son, and gift to her son-in-law)”, reported Indian Express.

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Pinaki Misra said his party cannot support the no-confidence motion. “What has happened in Manipur today is heart-rending. What this Parliament can’t afford is a no-confidence motion against the Central government, because every political party must give their constructive suggestions, rather than blaming the Central government for a legacy issue that’s been running back for several decades,” he was quoted as saying by Indian Express. Addressing the Lok Sabha, Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav called the ongoing Manipur conflict a “state-sponsored ethnic violence”. “If the (state) government wanted, this violence could have been controlled within two days but the government’s intention was not right. Even today, it continues to be in deception mode”. Minister of Earth Sciences Kiren Rijiju said the Congress brought the no-trust motion at a “very wrong time”, adding the party will “regret it later”, reported PTI.  The no-confidence debate is likely to last for 16 hours, with 15 speakers participating in the debate. As per NDTV, besides 10 BJP MPs, five ministers, including Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman, Smriti Irani, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Rijiju, will also speak during the debate. With inputs from agencies