No-confidence motion: Shatrughan Sinha to back BJP

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shatrughan Sinha who is known for making anti-government remarks, will vote against the Telugu Desam Party's (TDP)no-confidence motion.

On the first day of the Monsoon Session of the Parliament on Wednesday, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan accepted TDP's no-confidence motion and scheduled it for discussion on Friday.

"The House will take up the debate (on the motion) on Friday, July 20th. The discussion will be held for the full day, followed by voting on it," Mahajan said.

Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday announced that all opposition parties have come to a consensus to move the Vote of No Confidence Motion in the Monsoon Session.

Before that, on Sunday TDP President and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu wrote letters to non-BJP, non-Congress parties' presidents and Parliamentary party leaders seeking support on a no-confidence motion against the Centre over demand for special category status to Andhra Pradesh.

Following that, the TDP made six-subgroups of the party leaders, who met and handover Chandrababu Naidu's letter and a booklet explaining the injustice done to the state and seek the support of various parties.

A TDP delegation met Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at his residence on Thursday for the same.

TDP has issued a three-line whip to its Members of Parliament in Lok Sabha, to be present in Parliament on July 19 and 20.

The party, through an official communication issued by TDP Chief Whip (Loksabha), K.Narayana Rao, asked the leaders to be present and show their support to the no-confidence motion against the council of leaders.

"All members of the TDP in Lok Sabha are requested to be positively present in the House throughout two days from Thursday, the 19th July to Friday, the 20th July 2018 and support the "No-Confidence Motion "against the Council of Ministers," the note read.

However, TDP MP from Andhra Pradesh's Anantapur constituency has decided to not attend the session as he is "fed up" of his party and the Centre.

"I am not going to attend the Parliament session. You can say that I violated the party whip instructions. I am fed up with Centre and our TDP government. And I am fed up with whole political system. Right now I am in my native place in Anantapur and will come in front of the media with my logics within a week," Reddy told ANI.

Meanwhile, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has said that Congress is confident and not worried about numbers ahead of the trust vote.

--ANI