The Opposition is planning to keep the government on tenterhooks by moving a no confidence motion against it during the Winter Session of Parliament to expose the “fence sitters” ahead of crucial Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.
The Winter Session will begin on November 22 and conclude on December 21, parliamentary sources said here on Monday.
The Samajwadi Party (22 members in the Lok Sabha) and the BSP (21) have been backing the government unconditionally despite they being the main target of the Congress party in the coming UP polls. On the other hand, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (five), another UP-based party, is said to have moved closer to the Congress while the JD-S (three) does not want to be seen backing the BJP-led NDA.
However, the Opposition divided between the BJP-led NDA and the Left-led front, have yet to formulate a strategy on it.
In fact, a section of the Opposition feels that moving a no confidence motion would not only consolidate the UPA and the supporting parties (SP, BSP, RJD) but even smaller parties and Independents too could back the government to ensure that there should be no mid term poll.
The ruling UPA has already kept the smaller parties and Independents (nine) in good humour by increasing the MPLADS fund.
But other Opposition MPs view that this would be right time to expose the Centre ahead of the crucial Assembly elections in about half a dozen states next year.
“This is the right time to move such a motion. It will expose the government facing scams, inflation and infighting between the top Congress ministers. Its allies are not comfortable in their respective states (West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir and Maharashtra),” they said.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj has not discussed this issue with the NDA leaders in Parliament so far. An NDA leader said, “We cannot move a no confidence motion simply because we do not have the requisite numbers and suggested only the BJP has to take a call.”