TRS' no-confidence motion admitted for debate in Andhra assembly

The no-confidence motion moved by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in the Andhra Pradesh assembly against the Congress government was Friday admitted for debate.

Speaker N. Manohar granted "leave of the house" to the TRS motion for no-confidence in the council of ministers after 45 members supported it. Manohar adjourned the house to enable the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) to meet and decide the modalities for debate and voting on the motion.

YSR Congress party, which had given a separate notice to move a no-confidence motion, supported the motion moved by TRS leader E. Rajender.

The sub-regional party accused the Congress government of all-round failure.

All 17 members of TRS, YSR Congress (18), Bharatiya Janata Party (3), Communist Party of India (3), Communist Party of India-Marxist (1) and Lok Satta (1) stood in support of the motion.

Independent legislator N. Janardhan Reddy also supported the motion.

The main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) had asked its members to remain neutral. However, defying the party diktat, one member, Harishwar Reddy, supported the no-confidence motion.

Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), which has seven legislators and recently withdrew support to the government, did not back the TRS motion.

Congress has 146 members in 295-member assembly. However, TDP, which has 77 legislators, has so far refused to back the motion by TRS or YSR Congress, saying it would not fall in their trap.

TDP leaders alleged that the two small parties moved the no-confidence motion for vested interests.