No-Confidence Motion Against Modi Government

Relevance: GS2 - Polity and Governance; Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure; Prelims

(Source: The Hindu, 07/27/2023)

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Why in the news?

• Recently, No-Confidence Motion was moved against the Narendra Modi government by the Congress Party to exert pressure over the Manipur issue.
• This will be the 28th no-confidence motion in the history of independent India.

What is a No-Confidence motion?

• A no-confidence motion is a formal process in which a legislature expresses its lack of confidence in the government.
• Article 75(3) of the Constitution embodies the rule by specifying that the Council of Ministers are collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha.
• In India, the no-confidence motion can be moved only in the Lok Sabha, which is the lower house of the Parliament.

Procedure for moving a No-Confidence Motion

• The procedure for moving a no-confidence motion is mentioned in Rule 198 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Lok Sabha.
• To move a no-confidence motion, a member of the Lok Sabha must give a written notice of the motion which must be signed by at least 50 members of the House.
• Once the notice is received, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha will decide whether to admit the motion for discussion.
• If the motion is admitted, it will be debated in the House and a vote will be taken. If the government loses the vote, it will be forced to resign.
• Opposition parties also use it as a tool to put pressure on the government to hold a debate on issues of critical national importance.
• A "No Confidence Motion" becomes a vehicle in and of itself, establishing unity in the opposition.

Highlights of Previous No-Confidence Motions

• In August 1963, Parliament witnessed the first "No Confidence Motion" against then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's government.
• Indira Gandhi’s government has faced the highest ever No Confidence Motion i.e.,15 times.
• Morarji Desai's government was the first to succumb to the No-Confidence Motion in 1979. In the Lok Sabha, the No-Confidence Motion was moved twice against his government.
• The Atal Bihari Vajpayee government barely lost the no-confidence motion by a margin of one vote (269–270) in April 1999.
• In July 2008, the nuclear agreement with the United States led to a motion of no confidence against the Congress government. Despite the challenge, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh narrowly retained his majority in the Lok Sabha and survived the No-Confidence Motion.
• The most recent no-confidence motion was moved against the Nareendra Modi government in 2018. The motion was defeated by a vote of 325 to 126.

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FAQs

MCQ

Question: Consider the following statements regarding a No-Confidence Motion in India: (UPSC 2014)

1. There is no mention of a No-Confidence Motion in the Constitution of India.
2. A Motion of No-Confidence can be introduced in the Lok Sabha only.

Which of the statements given above is/ are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2