NDA to back Left in Parliament over price rise

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is likely to back a Left-sponsored adjournment motion over price rise, instead of pursuing its earlier plan to unveil a no-confidence motion against the government, NDA sources say.

"Price rise and inflation are issues on which all opposition parties agree. The matter will appeal to the public. A no-confidence motion would have been viewed only as a political move," a senior BJP leader told on condition of anonymity.

An NDA no-confidence motion may not get the backing of some opposition parties because of their reluctance to be identified with the BJP.

"All opposition parties have great concern over price rise," Communist Party of India's Gurudas Dasgupta, who will move the adjournment motion on the day parliament's winter session opens on Tuesday, told.

The Lok Sabha now has a strength of 543, excluding the speaker and with one vacancy.

A no-confidence will need a simple majority of 272, an impossible task for the opposition to muster.

"But if an adjournment motion on price rise comes up with a provision for voting, it may win 250 plus votes," the BJP leader added.

Such a motion can draw the support of the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which together have 43 members.

The admission of a no-confidence motion needs the support of at least 50 MPs but not so for an adjournment motion.

If an adjournment motion is passed, it is considered a censure of the government.

According to Javed Raza, general secretary of the Janata Dal-United (JD-U), the adjournment motion is likely to win the support of the 151 members of NDA.

The Left has 24 members. Non-UPA, non-NDA parties like the Biju Janata Dal (14 MPs), AIADMK (9) and Asom Gana Parishad's lone member may also back it.

But all eyes will be on the Samajwadi Party, BSP and Lalu Yadav's RJD (4 MPs).

A Congress leader told that the UPA managers were confident of overcoming any challenge.

"Nobody, including the BJP, wants an election now. That is our biggest advantage," he said.