A floor test must for UPA: Constitutional expert

PRESIDENTIAL POWERS: President can tell UPA they have the option of bringing about a no-confidence motion.

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Keywords: Pratibha Patil, Manmohan Singh

New Delhi: The Left has made it official. They have formally informed President Pratibha Patil that they are withdrawing support to the Government, in wake of the Prime Minister going ahead with the Indo-US Nuclear Deal - something that is strictly against Left ideology.

Constitutional Expert Subhash Kashyap says, "Whether UPA is reduced to the minority, they have to be tested on the floor of the house. We cannot say that it is a minority Government till there is a floor test."

He adds, "So far as the options with the President are concerned, there are two. The President can tell the UPA that they have the option of bringing a motion of no-confidence and defeat the Government. If that happens, then the Government goes."

Kashyap said that another option was that if the President feels that there is a bonafide doubt about the Government continuing to command the confidence of the House, then she may ask them to have an early session of the House and have the method tested on the floor of the House.

He said there was no time frame in which the President was supposed to ask the Government to convene the House.

The President has discretionary powers regarding this, Kashyap stated.