In the first BJP parliamentary party meeting during the ongoing Monsoon Session, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on Tuesday said he was “thankful” to the party as it allowed him to expose the opposition’s hollowness. The meeting also included top BJP leaders including Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Sushma Swaraj, besides BJP president Amit Shah who facilitated the PM and shared their opinions.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar told reporters the PM said the motion brought by the opposition underscored its political immaturity and lack of understanding and substance.
NDTV stated Mr Shah stated that such a motion is brought when a government loses its majority or there is unrest in the country, but there was no reason for it to sponsor such a move, which was comprehensively defeated with 326 members voting against it and only 126 supporting.
The PM commended Union Home Minister of India Rajnath Singh’s speech on the motion and asked party members to take it to the masses, Mr Kumar said.
PM Modi was told by people during his recent tour to the African countries about the motion against his government, Mr Kumar said.
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Earlier, a no-confidence motion was accepted by the Speaker, Sumitra Mahajan. The motions were moved by the Congress and other opposition members such as Mallikarjun Kharge, K. C. Venugopal, Tariq Anwar as well as the TDP members. Rajya Sabha also resumed after brief adjournment over protests on special status to Andhra Pradesh.
However, Narendra Modi, while being hopeful of a peaceful session said that the government is ready for any kind of debate in the parliament.
“Any party wants to raise any issue, this government is ready for a discussion,” he told reporters just before the beginning of the session.
For the first time since 2003, a no confidence motion has been accepted against the government.
In 2003, then leader of opposition Sonia Gandhi had moved a no-confidence motion against the BJP government of Atal Behari Vajpayee. The motion, moved ahead of elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi, was defeated by a mile.
The no-trust motion does not endanger the BJP-led government, which has 273 members in the Lok Sabha, far over the half-way mark. And then, there are its allies.
However, the motion is seen as an opportunity to make a point and possibly nudge fence sitters such as the Biju Janata Dal to choose a side.