Chandigarh, Dec 19 (PTI) The no-confidence motion moved by the Congress against the BJP government in Haryana was defeated through a voice vote after a five-hour debate in the state assembly, with the opposition party MLAs staging a walkout.
On Friday, the Congress members, led by Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda, launched a blistering attack on the government over a slew of issues, including ‘vote theft’, law and order, unemployment and farmers’ plight.
The Congress alleged that Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini did not give a satisfactory reply to various issues.
All sections of society are fed up with this government, but “you are not giving any reply to that”, Hooda told the chief minister.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mahipal Dhanda said since the Congress members had walked out, the motion should be “rejected”.
Speaker Harvinder Kalyan had initially reserved two hours for discussions on the motion, taken up in the evening, but later extended the time as the debate continued.
This is the first no-confidence motion brought by the Congress against the present government, though the grand old party had twice brought the motion during the previous terms of the government led by then-chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, which were also defeated.
The Congress accused the Haryana government of failing on all fronts “due to its anti-people policies and weak management.
“The government has lost the trust of every section of the state’s population. Through its various systems, this government has transformed ‘Loktantra’ into ‘Tantralok’,” the Congress alleged.
It added that the “insensitive” and “unresponsive” government has lost people’s confidence.
“Due to the government’s tunnel vision, the state is rapidly and relentlessly hurtling towards a dark, hellish abyss of crime, drug abuse, unemployment, illiteracy, inequality, and environmental degradation,” the Congress claimed.
The BJP members, including Ministers Shruti Choudhry and Rao Narbir Singh, countered the Congress, saying there was no objective of bringing the no-confidence motion as the present government enjoys “absolute confidence” of the House and the people of Haryana.
Many BJP members dismissed Congress’ “vote theft” charge and said they are frustrated because of their third successive defeat in assembly polls. “People have rejected you,” Rao Narbir said.
The BJP has 48 MLAs in the House, including the speaker, the Congress 37, the INLD 2, while three Independents support the ruling party.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Saini took a swipe at the Congress, asking why its leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda did not sign the no-confidence motion, evoking a sharp reaction from the opposition members who rushed to the Well of the House, raising slogans.
He said even in February 2024, Congress staged a walkout after bringing a no-confidence motion. “They level allegations and then run away,” the chief minister said in the Assembly.
The Haryana Assembly took up the no-confidence motion around 5.20 pm. In the absence of Congress MLAs, the Speaker put the motion to vote which was rejected after a five-hour debate that continued till 10.15 pm.
The motion moved by the Congress alleged that the ruling party seized power through unconstitutional methods and by stealing votes through inducements. “This government was not formed with people’s trust,” it alleged.
The Congress also alleged that the state’s educated youth were suffering from unemployment and risking their lives by migrating abroad in search of livelihood.
The people of Haryana want to get rid of the current government immediately, the Congress claimed.
“You formed government through unconstitutional means,” said Senior Congress MLA Raghuvir Singh Kadian, who opened the discussion on the motion, as the opposition member levelled “vote theft” charge against the BJP.
Kadian also took on the government over many other issues and said the farmers’ plight under this regime was not hidden from anyone.
Minister Krishan Kumar Bedi took on the Congress over their “vote theft” charge, terming it baseless and said the grand old party must introspect and look inwards why they lost the 2024 assembly polls, as he took a jibe at the opposition’s “internal bickerings” in the past.
Attacking the BJP, Congress members questioned them on the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal and Chandigarh issues.
“What is the state of law and order, state of education, crime is rising, environmental pollution is increasing,” Congress’s Geeta Bhukkal said.
In his reply, Chief Minister Saini rejected Congress’s allegations, including the “vote theft” charge, saying the opposition has been left frustrated after having been rejected for the third consecutive time.
“Our vision is to realise the ‘Viksit Bharat’ resolve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We believe in ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’,” he said.
He said his government has given jobs purely on a merit basis as against “favouritism and corruption” which prevailed under Congress, and also said the unemployment rate has come down under the present dispensation.
“It is not people, but Congress, which is frustrated that they have not come to power,” said Saini, referring to the reason they brought this motion.
BJP members, including Ministers Shruti Choudhry and Rao Narbir Singh, countered the Congress, saying there was no objective of bringing the no-confidence motion as the present government enjoys “absolute confidence” of the House and the people of Haryana.
INLD members Arjun Chautala and Aditya Devi Lal took a dig at Congress and BJP, alleging that both were “hand-in-glove”.
He also took a swipe at Congress, saying their seriousness towards the no-confidence motion can be gauged from the fact that many signatories of the motion are “absent” from the House. PTI SUN VSD OZ OZ
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