India's lower house of parliament discusses no-confidence motion against Modi gov't

NEW DELHI, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- India's lower house of parliament (locally called Lok Sabha) is scheduled to discuss a no-confidence motion Tuesday that opposition parties have brought against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

"The Lok Sabha is scheduled to take up the discussion on the no-confidence motion today. It has been listed as a business of the house," the state-run broadcaster - All India Radio (AIR) said on Tuesday.

The debate on the no-confidence motion is expected to last two days till Wednesday, following which lawmakers will vote on the motion on Thursday.

The no-confidence motion was moved by the deputy leader of the opposition Indian National Congress (INC) in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi last month. It was approved for discussion on July 26 by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

INC's prominent leader Rahul Gandhi, who was reinstated as a lawmaker of Lok Sabha on Monday, will open the debate on behalf of the opposition.

Modi's government, which enjoys the majority in Lok Sabha, faces virtually no threat from the no-confidence motion.

It is rather a move to compel Modi to speak on the ongoing violence in the northeastern state of Manipur.

While the opposition lawmakers in both houses wanted all business to be suspended and a full discussion on Manipur, the government, however, was ready for a debate on the topic for a short duration and had made it clear that Modi will not address the parliament on the issue.

Manipur is on edge since May 3 when large-scale violence broke out in the state during a tribal protest over the inclusion of the non-tribal Meiteis community for a scheduled tribe status - designated for disadvantaged socio-economic groups which gives them reservations in education and government jobs.

The ongoing violence has so far killed over 150 people in the northeastern state. The ethnic clashes between the majority Meitei group and the tribal Kuki minority have displaced 60,000. The mobs in the state have been resorting to vandalism and arson during which hundreds of houses and shops were gutted.

This is the second no-confidence motion against the Modi government. The first one was moved by the Telugu Desam Party in 2018 over the non-allocation of adequate funds to Andhra Pradesh.