No-trust vote against govt defeated
new delhi — The no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government was defeated in the Lok Sabha on Friday after a 12-hour heated debate which saw the government and opposition trade charges and a moment of drama when Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, after a blistering speech, walked over to hug the Prime Minister.
The government got the support of 325 members, compared to the 126 who supported the no-confidence motion.
The result indicated that parties not formally part of the BJP-led ruling coalition, the NDA, voted in the government’s favour.
Earlier opposition parties launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government over unfulfilled promises and the Rafale deal as the Lok Sabha took up for debate the no-trust vote against the government.
While the Telugu Desam Party’s (TDP) Jayadev Galla initiated the debate on the no-confidence motion and attacked the Narendar Modi government for ignoring the interests of Andhra Pradesh after Telangana was carved out of it, India’s main opposition Congress party President Rahul Gandhi raised the issue of Rafale fighter aircraft deal and making “tall’ promises without fulfilling them.
This was the first time that a noconfidence motion was moved in the Lok Sabha since the BJP-led dispensation came to power in 2014.
Responding to the criticism,
Rakesh Agarwal (BJP) said the opposition has no “concrete reason” to bring a no- confidence motion against the government.
“They are scared of Modi’s popularity and hence are trying to form a federal front top get to power .... Those standing with the Congress on this motion, have also earned the curse of the people,” Agarwal said.
Participating in the debate, the Congress president accused the government of making “tall promises” and fulfilling none.
“The TDP, like many others, is victim of BJP’s political weapon called “gimmick”, the Congress leader said.
Rahul Gandhi also accused the Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of speaking “untruth” over the Rafale fighter aircraft deal and demanded answers from her and the prime minister. He also asked why a businessman was allegedly favoured.
Earlier, TDP member Srinivas Kesineni moved the no-confidence motion in the House and urged the Speaker to allow his party colleague Galla initiate the debate.
Just before the debate began, Bhratruhari Mahtab of the BJD said the people of Odisha have witnessed “injustice by the UPA for 10 years and NDA for four.
“The debate would not be fruitful for Odisha ... we are walking out,” he said as members of his party walked out of the House.
Galla accused both the BJP and the Congress of crippling Andhra Pradesh by getting an “unscientific” bill passed to divide the state.
“In one of his election speeches, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had slammed the Congress for only saving the child (Telangana) and letting the mother (AP) die. He had said, had he been in power, he would have saved both... we were overwhelmed by his statement and decided to support him ... But nothing has happened till now, four years since he assumed office,” Galla said.
The TDP member said the struggle for a special category status for Andhra Pradesh has become a ‘dharma yudh’ between people of the state and the BJP-led government at the Centre. He said his “curse” is that the BJP would be defeated at the hustings. —