 "Opposition's no-confidence motion defeated in Lok Sabha by voice vote")
The INDIA bloc’s no-confidence motion was defeated in the Lok Sabha on Thursday following a walkout by the Opposition parties during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech.
PM Modi, during his two-hour speech, said that the motion has always proven to be lucky for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.
"No-confidence motions have proven to be lucky for us, and this one will also ensure we return with a record-breaking mandate," PM Modi said in the Lok Sabha.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha. https://t.co/FVFoofiMkA
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 10, 2023
PM Modi on no-confidence motion
Taking a dig at the Opposition, PM Modi said, "In the no-confidence motion of 2018, they did not even get as many votes as their strength. This is not a floor test for the government but for the Opposition. When the Opposition went to the public, the public gave them a low confidence score. In the election, the BJP got more votes. The BJP will return with a full majority, with the people's blessings."
He further said the Opposition is only concerned with its "political future" and not India's future.
"You [Opposition] are not worried about the hunger of the poor; you are only worried about power. You are not worried about the youth's future, but only about your future," he said.
"We have given the youth a corruption-free government. We have given them an opportunity to fly high. And what did our Opposition do this time? They unsuccessfully tried to break the people's confidence with this non-confidence motion," the Prime Minister said.
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PM Modi's kala teeka jibe
Calling the Opposition's approach like that of an ostrich, PM Modi said the abuse of the Opposition is like the 'kala teeka' in the country's development.
"Suspicion is embedded in their blood and bones. When something nice happens, we put kala teeka. But the Opposition wears kala kapda and becomes the kala teeka for the country and brings mangal," he said, adding that the Opposition has a big problem as "they cannot hear anything good about the country."
Commenting on the earlier no-confidence motions and how the leader of the House spoke prominently in the debate, PM Modi said, "I don't know what was the compulsion of Congress for sidelining Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury; maybe the call was made from Kolkata. The tallest leader in the Opposition did not rank in the list of speakers."
"It was Amit Shah's magnanimity that he promised time to Chowdhury. The Opposition could not prepare for debate on the no-confidence motion despite so much time in hand... Even its sympathisers are disappointed," he said.
Further slamming the Opposition, the Prime Minister said, "Their favourite slogan is "Modi teri kabr khudegi. But for me, their abuse and unparliamentary words are like a tonic. Why do they do this? I believe the Opposition has a secret vardaan [boon]- anyone they speak against ends up flourishing. I am an example. They spoke against the banking sector. They got experts from outside. They spread rumours. The state banks' profits doubled."
"They made so many allegations. They said HAL [Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd] is finished. They took videos of HAL workers and scared them by saying HAL was going down. All they wanted was the downfall of HAL. They said the Life Insurance Corporation [LIC] is also over and that the money of the poor has been wasted. But today, LIC is becoming stronger and stronger," he said.
He added, "The country was on the verge of bankruptcy in 1991. But after 2014, India secured a spot in the top five. The Congress may think it happened with the touch of a wand. But it happened through 'reform, perform and extreme hard work."
'Congress has no faith in India'
Attacking the grand old party, PM Modi said, "The Congress and its friends have a history of doubting India's capabilities and prowess. Pakistan used to attack our borders and send terrorists into our country. It used to deny its role, and the Congress used to believe it. The Congress used to believe in Hurriyat and other separatists. We carried out surgical strikes and air strikes."
"Today, whenever someone says anything ill about India, they believe in it. Congress takes pride in amplifying the false propaganda of any global survey tarnishing India's image," PM Modi said.
Hitting out at the Congress party and the Gandhi family, PM Modi stated their ego has brought them from 400 to 40 seats in elections.
"People are like Lord Rama… that’s why Congress has come down from 400 to 40," he said, adding, "is Darbar system ne kai wicket liye hain… Kitnon ka hak mara hai inhone."
On Rahul Gandhi’s "Mohabbat ki dukaan" remark, PM Modi said it was ‘loot ki dukaan, jhooth ka bazaar,’ which was full of hate, scams, and dishonesty. This dukaan led to emergencies, partition, and Sikh riots, among other things, PM Modi said.
Slamming the Congress leader, he said, "Those who have commented on Bharat Maa [Mother India] in the Parliament have hurt the sentiments of every Indian. I don't understand what has happened... They can't live without power. I don't know why people are wishing for Bharat Maa's death. What can be more unfortunate than this?"
On Rahul Gandhi’s "Mohabbat ki dukaan" remark, PM Modi said it was ‘loot ki dukaan, jhooth ka bazaar,’ which was full of hate, scams, and dishonesty. This dukaan led to emergencies, partition, and Sikh riots, among other things, PM Modi said.
Slamming the Congress leader, he said, "Those who have commented on Bharat Maa [Mother India] in the Parliament have hurt the sentiments of every Indian. I don't understand what has happened... They can't live without power. I don't know why people are wishing for Bharat Maa's death. What can be more unfortunate than this?"
On INDIA alliance
"The United Progressive Alliance [UPA] thinks it can reverse its fortune by changing its name to INDIA... The Congress is so blinded by arrogance that it cannot see the ground reality; people have a deep lack of confidence in it. The people of Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, UP, Gujarat, Bihar, Tripura, and Odisha have been declaring no confidence in Congress for years," said PM Modi.
"You are trying to pass off an old vehicle as an electric one just by applying new paint. The Opposition needed 'NDA' to stay alive; they just added two 'I's to it due to their arrogance," he said.
He added, "It thinks it can increase its credibility by using INDIA name for alliance. Nothing is Congress' own; from its poll symbol to its ideas, everything has been borrowed from someone else. Congress adopted a flag similar to the national tricolour to add credibility; they also 'stole' Gandhi's surname for gains."
"This is not INDIA but 'Ghamandia' alliance; everyone there wants to be 'groom', be the PM. Whenever circumstances will change, knives will be out in the alliance," the Prime Minister said.
PM Modi on Manipur violence
Speaking on the Manipur issue, PM Modi assured the people of the ethnic violence-hit state that the country is with them and everyone, together, will work to ensure peace returns soon.
"The Centre is working hard to give the harshest punishment to those involved in crimes in the Manipur violence. I request the people of Manipur - mothers, sisters, daughters - that the country is with you. Together, we will face this difficulty and ensure peace returns. I promise the people of Manipur that the state will once again take the development journey," PM Modi said.
Blaming the previous successive Congress governments in Manipur and the northeast for leaving behind an extremely unstable situation, PM Modi said, "The northeast has suffered the most under the long rule of the Congress. Manipur, which has sacrificed so much for the country, never got its due from the Congress. There was a time in Manipur when everything used to be run by insurgents. Whose government was it at that time?"
The Prime Minister further cited examples from history - the bombing of India's own citizens using air force planes in Mizoram in 1966 and former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's comment that appeared to surrender Assam to advancing Chinese forces in the 1962 war - in his criticism of the Congress.
Adhir Chowdhury suspended from Lok Sabha
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was suspended from Lok Sabha for ‘unruly’ conduct. The suspension movement was brought to Parliament by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi.
Pralhad Joshi accused Chowdhury of constantly causing disruptions and even demeaning the country and its image during the Parliamentary proceedings. "It has become habitual. Despite getting repeated warnings, he hasn’t improved himself. He always makes baseless charges in his debates. He demeans the country and its image and never apologises," Joshi said.
The suspension will be in place till the Privileges Committee submits its report.