MOTIONS STILLBORN , TDP POINTS FINGERS

The no-confidence motions against the Modi government remained in the limbo in the Lok Sabha for the second day on Monday.

Three motions sponsored by the two rival Andhra parties got the backing of all the opposition parties, barring the Biju Janata Dal. But Speaker Sumitra Mahajan refused to take them up for discussion because of the ruckus by 15 AIADMK and Telangana Rashtra Samithi members.

While AIADMK, which is agitating on the Cauvery waters, is a government ally, the TRS, which is the ruling party in Telangana, is trying to block any move to give special status to Andhra Pradesh.

In the din, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, confident of the numbers, threw a challenge to the Opposition, demanding a discussion on the motions and pointed out that the government was ready to discuss all issues agitating the members.

The Speaker, however, adjourned the House for the day at noon, saying it was not in order and she won't be able to take up the notices.

The miffed TDP members later boycotted a lunch hosted by the Speaker in Parliament House on the occasion of "Gudi Padwa" to protest against her refusal to do a head count of 50 MPs, which is a must for admitting the no-confidence motion. MP J C Divakar Reddy said the Speaker's role was unfortunate as she could have ordered removal of the agitating members instead of adjourning the House.

"If no-trust motion cannot be taken up due to pandemonium and slogan shouting, no such motion will be ever taken up in the House. It is a black day and totally undemocratic," he said, asserting

that Sumitra Mahajan's predecessor Meira Kumar was also wrong in 2013 when she refused to take up their no-confidence motion due to the ruckus.

He said: "If such an argument is accepted, then every time a no-confidence motion is to come, the ruling side or others could create a pandemonium in the House to block it."

The Rajya Sabha was also adjourned for the day within ten minutes due to the noisy scenes by the AIADMK and TDP members in the well. Chairman Venkaiah Naidu was angry at the ruckus and wondered: "Where is the problem" when he was willing to allow discussion on all the issues and the government was also willing for the discussion. "How long will this continue? People have already started criticising (Parliament functioning)," he said before adjourning the proceedings for the day.