Congress calculation wrong yet again: Ananth Kumar

A day ahead of the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Ananth Kumar on Thursday said just like in 1996, the Congress party will be proven wrong yet again in the trust vote in Parliament.

"Sonia ji's maths is weak. They had calculated similarly in 1996. We know what happened then. Their calculation is wrong yet again. The Narendra Modi government has majority, both, inside and outside Parliament. NDA will vote against the no-confidence motion. NDA+ will also support us," Kumar said while citing the example of the no-confidence motion against Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 1996.

His comment comes after United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday said that the Congress is confident and not worried about numbers ahead of the trust vote.

When asked about the trust vote, Sonia Gandhi told media: "Who says we don't have the numbers?"
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said on the first day of the monsoon session that the discussion on the motion on Friday will be followed by voting on the same.

"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.

On Tuesday, senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge announced that all opposition parties have come to a consensus to move the vote of no confidence motion in the monsoon session.

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.

"In view of the continued adamant attitude of BJP-led NDA government, TDP has moved No-Confidence Motion against them. I appeal to you to support the motion moved by our MPs," Naidu wrote in the letter.

--ANI