This story is from July 20, 2018

No trust motion: BJD asks MPs to participate in debate

Though the Naveen Patnaik-led party has decided to participate in the debate, it has not announced whether it will support the motion, oppose it or abstain from voting.
No trust motion: BJD asks MPs to participate in debate
BHUBANESWAR: The BJD on Thursday issued whip to all its 19 MPs in the Lok Sabha to be present in the house without fail from 11 am onwards on Friday when the LS is scheduled to debate the no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government.
Though the Naveen Patnaik-led party has decided to participate in the debate, it has not announced whether it will support the motion, oppose it or abstain from voting.

"Our stand on the no-confidence motion will be cleared on the floor of the house depending on the situation at that time," said BJD parliamentary party spokesperson Kalikesh Singh Deo.
He said the party would raise issues pertaining to Odisha during the no-trust debate. Top party sources said it may walk out if there will be voting after the debate to maintain its equidistance policy from Congress and BJP. Sources said the party has been given 15 minutes to speak during the debate. Puri MP and Supreme Court lawyer Pinaki Mishra will speak on BJD's behalf.
As the TDP has served the no-confidence motion against the NDA government protesting against the Centre not giving a special status to Andhra Pradesh, BJD also said that it would justify its demand for special status and special package for Odisha.
"Successive governments at the Centre have done historical injustice to Odisha. The state is also a victim of natural disasters almost every year. We demand special package or special status to improve the fiscal status of the state. It will be our major concern during the debate," said Singh Deo.

The BJD leader said the party would also raise issues like illegal constructions by Chhattisgarh government on Mahanadi upstream resulting in reduction of flow into Odisha and Centre's biased attitude towards Odisha on the issue.
Singh Deo said the party will also demand to stop construction of the Polavaram project in Andhra Pradesh as the project would submerge 25 villages in Motu tehsil in Malkangiri district and inundate around 7,656 hectares of agriculture and forest land in the district.
"We would also raise the how the Centre has failed to implement the MS Swaminathan Committee recommendations for farmers' welfare, meagre Rs 200 hike per quintal in the support price of paddy despite its promise to hike it one and half-time of the production cost," said Kalikesh.
Increase in the prices of essential commodities, petrol and diesel, ignoring Odisha in railway sector and revision of coal royalty are some of the other issues the BJD plans to raise during the no-confidence debate, he said.
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