Modi faces...

“The government, which led farmers to commit suicide, under whose regime women are being raped everyday...we move a no-confidence motion against you,” Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia said during question hour on Wednesday.

When asked about the opposition’s chances of emerging victorious, United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi asked reporters, “Who says we don’t have the numbers?” The list of speakers representing the Congress is to be decided at the party’s parliamentary meet on Friday. Party president Rahul Gandhi is among the likely speakers. Leaders said that they will use the opportunity to attack the government on issues such as mob lynching, jobs, agrarian crisis, price rise, demonetisation, bank frauds, and alleged atroci- ties on Dalits. The government said it was confident of its numbers and was looking forward to a debate in which it can showcase its achievements.

“We are ready for a vote. The entire country has confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar said in the house after the TDP notice was admitted. “This government enjoys a two-thirds majority.” He claimed that the government would get the backing of not just the National Democratic Alliance constituents, but ‘NDA plus’, which would include other friendly forces . The TDP and other opposition parties had moved a notice of no confidence motion against the government during the budget session, too, but it could not be taken up for debate because proceedings were hit by numerous disruptions On Wednesday, there was a different dynamic in the house. Six ordinances were promulgated after the budget session, and they have to be replaced with legislation in the monsoon session. They include The Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, which provides for seizure of the properties of economic offenders who have fled overseas to avoid prosecution, and the Criminal Law Amendment Bill, which provides the death penalty for rape of minor girls below the age of 12 years. A second BJP leader said on condition of anonymity that before the next round of state elections in November and December, the government will attempt to take the fizz out of the opposition’s campaign, which has centred on special category status , and issues such as mob lynchings and a farm crisis. “Issues raised through no-confidence motion cannot be raised again in that session,” a union minister said. But while confident that the NDA government will make it, a BJP leader admitted that some disgruntled MPS, who have spoken out against the government, may cross over during the vote. “But if they do that, they will lose their membership as well,” the leader said.

The government, for its part, has taken credit for putting the economy back on the path of growth, boosting minimum support prices for farmers’ produce to ensure they get remunerative returns, and implementing the Goods and Services Tax, among others.“the Modi government has enough to speak about achievements of last four years. The Prime Minister alone can demolish the opposition during the debate,” BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said.

Neelanjan Sircar, senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, said: “Getting opposition unity in 2019 will be a difficult job. The big take away from the no-confidence motion is that there is an exercise before the 2019 for coordination, behavioural changes and a greater ability to forge an alliance in next election.” laws should also apply to women, she said. CJI Misra said, “If a man who is not a trustee or poojari can enter, then a woman can also. The only grounds on which entry can be prohibited are health, morality and public order.” The CJI said the court will only examine if the ban, based on custom and tradition, clashed with the constitutional provisions. “We also want to know whether tradition and faith can override the constitution.” Customs, which are integral to a religion are, however, protected. “If it is a place of public worship, you can go..she can go,” CJI clarified. “One section of Hindus cannot say that their right to worship will be taken away if right is given to another,” justice Chandrachud added. Justice RF Nariman agreed. “The right under Article 26 (freedom to manage religious affairs) of the Constitution has to be harmonized. There cannot be any untrammelled restriction on this right.” The judge said the age restrictions “were arbitrary on the face of it” because they presume that women below the age of 10 or above 50 do not menstruate.the arguments in the case continue on Thursday.

The apex court and the government have been sparring over the selection of judges to the higher judiciary. The NDA government tried to set up a commission, NJAC, to do this, but the Supreme Court scrapped this law. The court and the government agreed to come up with a Memorandum of Procedure on appointments to the higher judiciary but there has been no progress on that. Senior SC advocate Sanjay Hegde lauded the collegium for withstanding the government pressure over Joseph. “One expected nothing less from the senior most judges of India. The proposed addition of justice Indira Banerjee is greatly welcome as she has proved to be a very fine judge in the high court,’’ he said. “It is refreshing that an increased number of women judges are being proposed to be appointed in the higher echelons of judiciary...”