PARLIAMENTARY MOTIONS

What is a MOTION in Indian Parliament?

      

         A motion is a proposal by a member of the house for its opinion/decision. The person making the motion(except privileged motion), known as the mover, must first be recognized by the chairman as being entitled to speak; this is known as obtaining the floor.

       Soon the mover has obtained the floor, the mover states the motion, normally prefixed with the phrase "I move." Generally, if the motion has been proposed, consideration by the assembly occurs only if another member of the body immediately seconds the motion.

Types of Motions :

1.)Privilege Motion 

• The motion will be introduced by the opposition if a minister has mislead the house by providing wrong information.
• The member of Indian legislatures, either the federal Parliament of India or the Vidhan Sabha and Vidhan Parishad in the states and territories, may raise a question  involving a breach of privilege either of a member or of the Council or of a Committee with the consent of the Chairman.

example -- Recently BJP threathened Civil Aviation minister to bring a PRVILEGE motion against him against the remarks he made about AIR INDIA outside the Parliament .... !!!!

2.) Censure Motion

• This motion can be moved only in Lok Sabha and by the opposition of the house. 
• It can be moved against the ruling government or against any minister for the failure to act or seeking disapproval of their policy.
• No leave of the House is required for moving a censure motion but it must specify the charges against the government for which it is moved.
• If the censure motion is passed, the Council of ministers is bound to seek the confidence of the Lok Sabha as early as possible.

example - A Censure Motion was moved against Team Anna recently by Sharad Yadav for their derogatory remarks on the Parliamentarians 

3.) No Confidence Motion

• This can be moved only in Lok Sabha and by the opposition of the house. 
• Can be brought only against the Council of ministers and not against any individual minister. 
• Unlike censure motion, a no-confidence motion does not require any specific ground. 
• Once admitted in the House, it takes precedence over all the pending business of the House.
• Generally the PM answers the allegations after the members have spoken.  
• If the motion is adopted by the House, the Council of Ministers is bound to resign.

example - A no confidence motion was moved against the UPA in 2008 by the oppostion with respect to Nuclear deal which failed

4.) Call - Attention Motion

• A member (after permission from Speaker) calls the attention of the minister to any matter of ‘urgent public importance’. 
• There is no Call - Attention motion in the Rajya Sabha. Instead there exists a motion called ‘Motion for Papers’.

5.) Adjournment Motion

• Motion for an adjournment of the business of the House for the purpose of discussing a definite matter of urgent public importance may be made with the consent of the Speaker.

6.) Cut Motions

• The members of the Lok Sabha has a veto power to oppose a demand in the financial bill discussed by the government. 
• This is an effective tool to test the strength of the government. 
• If a cut motion is adopted by the House and the government does not have the numbers, it is obliged to resign.

       They are moved in the Lok Sabha only. They are part of the budgetary process which seeks to reduce the amounts for grants.

Cut Motions can be divided into three categories:

• Disapproval of Policy Cut: That the amount of the demand be reduced to Re.1/-' representing disapproval of the policy underlying the demand. A member giving notice of such a motion shall indicate in precise terms the particulars of the policy which he proposes to discuss. The discussion should be confined to the specific point or points mentioned in the notice and it shall be open to members to advocate an alternative policy.
• Economy Cut: The objective of the motion is to reduce the amount of die expenditure and the form of the motion is “The amount of the demand be reduced by Rupee… (a specified amount)”. Such specified amount may be either a lump sum reduction in the demand or omission or reduction of an item in the demand.
• Token Cut: The objective of the motion is to ventilate a specific grievance within the sphere of responsibility of the Government of India and its form is “The amount of the demand be reduced by Rupee 100″.