After a raging 12-hour debate on Friday, the Narendra Modi-led NDA government defeated the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha by 199 votes. While 126 members supported the motion, 325 MPs rejected it. The day-long session in the Lower House saw the government and the Opposition trade charges and a moment of drama when Congress president Rahul Gandhi, after a blistering speech, walk over to Prime Minister and embrace him in a hug.
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Terming the no-trust vote against his government a result of the Opposition’s “arrogance”, Modi had earlier called on all parties to dismiss the move and accused the Congress of working with the mindset of ‘Modi hatao’ (remove Modi). Responding to the debate on the motion, he said some people are indulging in “negative politics.” He also took a dig at Rahul Gandhi for asking him to stand up for a hug after walking across to his chair in the Lok Sabha, saying the Congress president appeared to be in a hurry to occupy his seat.
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“Only the electorate of the country can decide his fate and make him sit on his chair,” Modi said, before asking, “What is the hurry?” Gandhi was present in the House when the Prime Minister made the statement.
Friday’s no-confidence motion, the 27th in Parliamentary history, was the first to be admitted in 15 years. The last was in 2003 when the Congress party moved a no-confidence motion against prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
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Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill took a hit on Modi, "Mr Prime Minister, if you can accept hugs from (former) Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, why could you not show some grace to Rahul Gandhi against whom you hold perpetual grudges."
"The nation wants to know if the Prime Minister of this country is more affectionate and respectful towards Pakistan Prime Minister, ex-prime minister than his own countrymen and the president of India's oldest party," he said.
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BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey, Anurag Thakur Dushyant Singh and Prahalad Joshi have given the notice to the Speaker accusing Rahul Gandhi of 'misleading' Parliament by making 'false' allegations against Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
While speaking in the lower house during the debate on the no-confidence motion against the government, Gandhi had alleged that Sitharaman had lied to the nation claiming that India was bound by a secrecy clause in the Rafale fighter jet deal signed with France.
Pointing a finger at the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in Telangana, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president N Uttam Kumar Reddy said that TRS failed to raise important issues concerning the state during the Lok Sabha debate on the no-confidence motion.
"None of the promises made in the Telangana Bill (Andhra Pradesh Re-organisation Act) were fulfilled. But TRS MPs have failed to raise issues pertaining to Bayyaram steel plant, tribal university, rail coach factory and other failed assurances of the centre," said Reddy.
Communist Party of India leader D Raja slammed Odisha's ruling party Biju Janta Dal (BJD) for not participating in the no-confidence debate in the Lok Sabha and criticised it for losing out on the opportunity to highlight the alleged neglect of the state by the Centre.
"Friday's debate in Parliament had provided the BJD with a good chance to project its views in the interest of the state, but the party failed to do so. It is unfortunate that the regional political party chose to keep away from discussion," he said, adding that it could have raised issues related to Mahanadi, Polavaram project and its demand for grant of special category status.
Addressing party workers during a protest rally in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar took a jibe at Modi government and claimed that in the no-confidence debate in the Lok Sabha on Friday the "gimmickry of the Narendra Modi government was exposed".
"Through the no confidence motion, not only important issues came for discussion, but the gimmickry of Modi government was also exposed. All the promises of the Modi government have translated into gimmicks (jumlaa).
Aam Aadmi Party praised Rahul Gandhi's speech and the hug Gandhi gave to Modi on Friday during the Lok Sabha debate.
'They are fine with the PM hugging his then Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif, US President Donald Trump and other heads of state. What is their problem with Gandhi?” AAP spokesperson Sanjay Singh asked.
Commenting on the events of the Lok Sabha debate yesterday, BJP's national spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao told reporters on Friday that Rahul lacked capability, commitment, consistence, compassion, and credibility which are required in a political leader.
"Congress president Rahul Gandhi has showcased to the country that he is unequal to the task, he is not capable of leading the party. He lacks the gravitas, the seriousness and the kind of responsibility that comes with the political office," said Rao.
He counted Rahul Gandhi's virtues as "friability" and "flippancy" and said that Gandhi did not have the qualities to lead even a political party like the Indian National Congress.
Rao further said that the opposition's defeat in the lower house exposed the fissures in the grand alliance "that they were tom-toming" about and the opposition unity lay in "tatters" today.
Hearing the language used in Lok Sabha, made me sad. Prime Minister Modi is the biggest liar in the country, religion teaches us that he should also get a hug. This is why Rahul Ji gave him a hug because we do not hate anyone, said Congress member and Senior Advocate Kapil Sabil. ('Ye jo bhasha maine dekhi kal Lok Sabha mein, mujhe dukh laga. Pradhan Mantri Modi desh mein sabsa bada hai gappi, dharam hamein sikhata hai ki usko bhi laga do jhappi. Isliye Rahul Ji ne unko jhappi di, kyoki hum kisi se nafrat nahin karte hain.')
Chandrababu Naidu on Friday refused to join the NDA even if the BJP approaches it for the 2019 general elections.
"We waited four years for them (BJP government) to do justice to Andhra Pradesh, but they betrayed the people of the state. How can we be sure that they will not do it again," he said.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu told a press conference in Delhi on Friday that the TDP had joined the NDA in 2014 only to ensure justice to the people of the state. "We are not power hungry. We never aspired for cabinet berths," said Naidu.
Contesting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remark in the Lok Sabha that special status cannot be extended to the state "as the Fourteenth Finance Commission (FCC) does not allow it". the Andhra Pradesh chief minister claimed, "The FFC says it does not have any role in it... don't drag us into it. It is the government which has to take a call," as reported by PTI.
Referring to several opposition parties coming together in support of the no-confidence motion on Friday, Modi took a dig at the 'unwanted hug' received from Rahul Gandhi today and said that the many parties against the BJP will only help the 'lotus' bloom.
Addressing a Kisan Kalyan Rally in Shahjahanpur on Saturday, Modi said: “There is not just one ‘dal’ (political party) but dal over dal resulting in “dal-dal” (marshy land) which will only help the ‘lotus” bloom.”
Shiv Sena drew a parallel between the FIFA World Cup and the no-confidence motion on Friday, stating that Modi might have emerged victorious, however, Rahul Gandhi won may hearts like runners-up Croatia.
"In the football World Cup final, France won (the title), but Croatia is remembered for the manner in which they played. Rahul is now being talked in the same way. When one plays such politics, he moves four-five steps ahead," Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut said.
Raut said how both speeches delivered by BJP and the opposition party presidents' received the same amount of attention, however, it cannot be compared with "Modi Ji". "Modi's speech was like a prime minister's speech... Modi ji is Modi ji. It would not be right to compare Modi ji with anybody," said Raut.
Slamming PM Modi for promising special status to the state when he was contesting as Prime Minister candidate, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu during his live conference in Delhi said,
Talking about the no-confidence motion debate that happened in the Lok Sabha on Friday, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in a Facebook note called the process a 'serious business' and not an occasion of frivolity.
Read here | Frivolity and the No Confidence Motion
Former Minister of Finance and BJP party leader Yashwant Sinha tweeted out about Rahul Gandhi's publicised sudden hug-gesture for Modi taking a jibe at the latter in a tweet saying,
Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore hits out at Rahul Gandhi questioning the latter's audacity to call surgical strike, a 'Jumla strike' in his tweet
Rahul Gandhi tweets explaining the point of Friday's no-confidence motion debate and compares Modi's speech to that of Congress',
DMK working president M K Stalin slams AIADMK and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E. Palaniswami for siding with Modi government at the No-Confidence session on Friday in spite of a number of issues that the state is facing
Modi in a tweet mentions the popularity of phone bannking before net-banking and takes a dig at Congress and the party's bias
After the day-long debate in Lok Sabha on Friday, Congress spokesperson and Supreme Court advocate Brijesh Kalappa took to his Twitter to take a jibe at Modi
Modi in a tweet, a day after the no-confidence motion hitting out at Gandhi family says,
A day after no-confidence vote, Modi says,
After the day-long debate in the Lok Sabha on Friday, Congress chief Jyortiraditya Scindia says that Modi's government is on a back foot and adds that party leader Rahul Gandhi's speech was inspirational.
Read | No-confidence motion: Very clear Modi govt now on back foot, says Jyotiraditya Scindia
After the day long debate dujring the no-confidence motion on Friday, the front page of major newspapers of the country are filled with pictures of Rahul suddenly embracing Modi during the session.
Here's how the no-confidence motion against the Modi-led government unfolded in the Lok Sabha on Friday.
HOURS AFTER Congress president Rahul Gandhi said in Parliament that French President Emmanuel Macron told him there is no secrecy pact between India and France, the French government countered his claim with an official statement confirming that a secrecy pact exists between the two countries. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also contradicted Rahul and cited Article 10 of the Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) between the two countries on the purchase of Rafale aircraft, which calls for the protection of classified information and materials exchanged under the pact. READ MORE HERE
Singling out the BJP leadership of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Friday said they fear losing power because they know that “other processes will start against them” as soon as they are out of office. Leading the Opposition assault during the debate on the motion of no-confidence, Gandhi accused the Prime Minister of unleashing “jumla strikes” on the people, and of becoming a “bhagidar” (partner) in the Rafale fighter deal instead of acting as the “chowkidar” (watchman) he had promised the country during the 2014 election campaign. READ MORE HERE
When Congress president Rahul Gandhi began walking towards the well of the House after his sharpest attack on the Centre in Parliament Friday, members on the treasury benches looked on curiously. Rahul walked past the well and stopped only at the far end, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seated. There, he turned into the aisle, bent and spoke to Modi and both shook hands. MPs thought the gesture was a little unconventional but believed Rahul was done. He clearly was not. Rahul gestured to Modi to get up so they could hug, and the Prime Minister, visibly taken aback, stayed put in his seat. READ MORE HERE
The 2018 no-confidence motion debate in Lok Sabha Friday outlined the broad battlelines of the 2019 general elections. While Congress president Rahul Gandhi unveiled his narrative for the Opposition parties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi set the tone and tenor of the likely BJP electoral pitch. Speaking ahead of the Prime Minister, the Congress president refrained from referring to ‘secularism’, invoking instead the theme of protecting ‘Ambedkar’s Constitution’ as the main narrative to indicate his broad theme for the 2019 campaign.
Also Read | How PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi pitched their lines for 2019
Singh said his government has already asked states to take stringent action and make strict laws against incidents of lynching and vigilantism. “The biggest incident of mob lynching happened during 1984... and a big leader (a reference to Rajiv Gandhi) said when a big tree falls, the earth shakes. And they (Congress) are trying to give us lessons on mob lynching,” he said. Read more here
Even before Speaker Sumitra Mahajan called Jayadev Galla of the TDP to speak on the motion, BJD floor leader Bhartruhari Mahtab said: “During the last 14 years, BJD has witnessed that the UPA government’s rule of 10 years and four years of NDA have done injustice to the people of Odisha. So this discussion will not, in any way, be fruitful for the people of Odisha. Therefore, we are walking out. We are not participating in this discussion.”
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At a time when BJP governments in different states have faced criticism of failing to check attacks on people from Dalit communities, Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan, the chief of NDA ally Lok Janshakti Party, on Friday took on leaders of both the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and alleged that both parties are against the interests of Dalits.
Read Here | Maya, Mulayam no friend of Dalits, says Ram Vilas Paswan
A year after the Janata Dal (United) withdrew support from the Grand Alliance in Bihar and joined the NDA to form the government in the state with BJP, leaders of JD(U) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) used Friday’s no-confidence motion discussion as a platform to target each other on political developments in the state over the last one year.
Read Here | Rivals use debate for Bihar turf war
The AIADMK, which is said to have close ties with the BJP, refrained from expressing opposition or support for the government during the discussion on the no-trust motion on Friday and instead used the debate to raise state-specific demands to couch its stance. READ MORE HERE
In an embarrassment for the BJP-led government, NDA ally Shiv Sena on Friday boycotted the Lok Sabha discussion on motion of no-confidence against the Narendra Modi government. The Sena shares power with the BJP at both the Centre and in Maharashtra. Asked whether this could lead to a break-up, a source in the Sena said, “Let us see…. We are not worried.”
Read | After boycott, Shiv Sena leader says ‘lost people’s confidence’
Barely five minutes or so into Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech during the no-confidence motion debate, members of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), one of whom had moved the motion, came down to the Well of the House.
Modi continued his speech, he also said that unlike in Andhra Pradesh, the TRS in Telangana acted with “maturity” and started “working towards development”. At this, the TDP leaders returned to the Well with their slogans. Read more here
The TDP, which is scheduled to face an Assembly election along with the Lok Sabha polls early next year, used the no-confidence motion to take to the people the party’s demand for special category status for Andhra Pradesh. The party mounted a strong attack on the ruling BJP on the one hand, and disrupting the speech of Prime Minister Modi through sloganeering on the other. Read more
A total of 325 MPs opposed while 126 MPs supported the no trust motion moved by the TDP, a former BJP ally, during the division after a marathon 12-hour debate. A total of 451 MPs were present and voted in the House and the majority mark required in a House with an effective strength of 534 MPs came down to 226.
The basic message is that the journey is more important than the destination. The failures of the BJP govt were put before the nation. The outcome was predictable but the process was successful: Shashi Tharoor.
AIADMK supported the government, voted against the no-confidence motion: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar.
"The NDA government has proved once again that they don’t believe in democratic values. The Prime Minister was allowed to speak for more than an hour, whereas we were not given more than a few minutes to respond. #AgainBJPCheatedAP," the CM tweeted.
"It is very disappointing to see the country’s PM taking AP's wishes and sentiments for granted. Rejecting our demands just because we do not have a majority shows the insensitivity of the PM against our State. #AgainBJPCheatedAP," he added.
Expressing his determination to continue the fight against the Centre, Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu tweeted, "We moved the #NoConfidenceMotion against the Centre after all our efforts to seek the Centre’s support failed. The NDA govt has repeatedly neglected our state and its people’s sentiments. We will continue our fight. #AgainBJPCheatedAP."
Rahul Gandhi's hug to PM Modi has done him more harm than good. What he did was also against the Parliamentary decorum: Union Minister Jitendra Singh
Rahul Gandhi terms PM Modi's speech in Lok Sabha as "weak".
It is not about majority, it is about morality. Morality won today. We wanted to showcase the failures of the PM and his govt. You take unemployment, farmers distress, economic slowdown and more. He has failed on every aspect and has lost the trust of the people of the country: TDP MP K Srinivas.
"NDA has the confidence of the Lok Sabha and the 125 crore people of India. I thank all the parties that have supported us in the vote today. Our efforts to transform India and fulfil the dreams of our youth continue. Jai Hind!" PM Modi tweeted.
While 325 MPs voted ‘No’, 126 of them voted ‘Yes’.
The BJP-led government comfortably wins with 325 votes on opposition-backed no-confidence motion.
No-trust vote begins in Parliament.
I thought for one-and-a-half-hours if I was watching a Bollywood blockbuster film. I have no doubt that PM would have been the best actor in the world: TDP MP Kesineni Srinivas.
The trust vote is likely to be held shortly.
While the prime minister has concluded his speech, the TDP has sought 30 minutes from the Speaker to respond to Modi's allegations. The Speaker has given the Opposition some time to respond.
India is seeing the record pace at which roads are being built, villages are being connected, i-ways are being built, railways development is happening: PM Modi
I am 'chowkidar' and 'bhagidar', but not a 'saudagar' (trader) or 'thekedar' (contractor) like you: PM Modi's retort to Rahul Gandhi's jibe