Jagan Reddy led no-confidence motion generates little confidence across parties

NEW DELHI: A Jagan Reddy-led move to table a no-confidence motion against the Congress-led UPA government is, as of now, gaining little confidence across the political class. Senior Congress leaders tasked with managing parliamentary strategy say they are confident UPA will comfortably survive this parliamentary session. The session ends on December 20.

But, and amid political leaders' predictions that Parliament is unlikely to function in a stable manner, activity around the no-confidence motion - first proposed by 13 Andhra Pradesh MPs last Tuesday - is "keeping all those who want to bother Congress happy", a senior leader of a Congress partner in UPA said.

Friday saw Samajwadi Party's Ramgopal Yadav say his party will "consider backing the no confidence motion". With 13 anti-Telangana Andhra MPs - six from Congress, four from Telugu Desam Party and three from YSR Congress - already signed on, aides close to Reddy told reporters they "are now confident". SP has 22 MPs. The motion needs 54 MPs to sign on before it's tabled. Reddy himself was not available for comment. A senior Congress leader, however, told ET the ruling party "has been in regular touch with Mulayam Singh Yadav" and that "there was very little possibility of SP helping to vote out UPA".

In Parliament on Friday, normal proceedings were disrupted in the Lok Sabha as various regional parties like SP, Biju Janata Dal and Bahujan Samaj Party raised a variety of issues and lodged noisy protests. Speaker Meira Kumar adjourned the House till Monday.

Andhra MPs for the no confidence motion said disruptions were part of the treasury's plan to not allow the motion to be tabled. Congress MPs said there's little evidence that the motion has enough support. BJD (14 MPs) has said it will support a no confidence motion. But neither BHD nor SP had, till Friday evening, procedurally moved on signing on for such a motion.

Reddy's aides claimed Shiv Sena (11 MPs) and Akalis (4 MPs) as well as JD (U) () are considering supporting the move. But none of the parties as of now has openly supported Reddy-led efforts.

Reddy, his aides said, has spoken to JD (U) leader and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on the issue. A senior JD (U) leader told ET his party wasn't "interested in toppling UPA" and that JD (U) "was not in favour of such moves".

Trinamool's Mamata Banerjee has also made a statement saying she will vote with UPA in the event of a motion.

Sena and Akalis, both NDA allies, will, Congress leaders said, also see BJP's views. BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said at press conference yesterday that since her party was in favour of Telangana, it can't support a no-confidence motion brought by anti-Telangana MPs.

A senior BJP leader said the party did not want a fight over no confidence to give Congress an opportunity to "look brave". "We are on a high and they are down", the leader said, "a no confidence motion will change the conversation".

This leader also said it is in "no one's serious interest to pull the government down now".

A leader from a Congress coalition partner in UPA said "all the activity and statements on the no confidence motion are an useful way of keeping Congress on its toes". "It suits BJP, it even suits some Congress allies".

The Reddy camp said when Parliament resumes on Monday, attempts will be made to table the motion. But New Delhi's political class, as of now, seems to have little confidence that anti-Telangana MPs will create anything more than low decibel political noise.