New Delhi: In a surprise move, the Opposition on August 14 tabled a no-confidence motion against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government following a week-long stand off over the its refusal to part with a Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) report to Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament to probe defence purchases during the Kargil conflict.

A day after almost the entire Opposition decided to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), leader of the Opposition and Congress president Sonia Gandhi gave notice of the motion against the Vajpayee Ministry after consultations with other Opposition parties.

The one-line motion expressing no confidence in the NDA government is expected to be taken up for a two-day debate on August 18. However, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj expressed confidence of "a hundred per cent victory" for the government.

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee will respond to the discussion at 17.00 hours (IST) on August 19 followed by reply by Gandhi. The voting will take place at around 18.00 hours (IST), Swaraj told reporters.

This would be the first no-confidence motion being faced by the Vajpayee government in its four-year tenure in the 13th Lok Sabha.

In a parallel development, the Opposition also announced boycott of the Rajya Sabha from August 18 for the rest of the session in protest against the government's attitude on the PAC issue.

PTI