Chandigarh: The Manohar Lal Khattar government in Haryana Wednesday defeated the no-confidence motion brought by the Congress, 55 to 32. Although some MLAs of the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), a partner in the ruling alliance, have spoken against the government on the farmers’ issue, all 10 voted in favour of it Wednesday.
The BJP has 40 members in the assembly, of which 39 voted (excluding Speaker). It also had the support of five Independents and the lone MLA of the Haryana Lokhit Party. The Congress, meanwhile, could only muster 32 votes — 30 from its MLAs, and two from Independents. These two Independents, Balraj Kundu and Sombir Sangwan, had earlier withdrawn their support from the government over the farmers’ agitation.
The effective strength of the assembly is currently 88 as two seats are vacant.
Voting was held by headcount.
At least six JJP MLAs have been publicly speaking in favour of the farmers’ agitation but chose to toe the party line in the assembly. Deputy Chief Minister and JJP leader Dushyant Chautala said in the House that the alliance government is going to run its full course of five years with “greater strength”.
During the six-hour discussion on the no-confidence motion, the Chief Minister said the three central farm acts will not be repealed at any cost. He alleged that the Congress was misleading and instigating the farmers to agitate.
“My government has shown extraordinary restraint in dealing with the agitators. We used water cannons, tear gas shells, put barricades, dug up roads but not a single bullet was fired. We did not use any force at all,” he told the House.
Meanwhile, Congress leader and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda claimed in a statement after the defeat of the no-confidence motion that “his party had achieved what it had aimed for”.
“The whole idea was to expose before the public, especially the farmers, the real face of those who called themselves pro-farmers,” he said. “Every BJP and JJP MLA had an opportunity today to stand with the farmers but they did not. We had demanded secret voting on the motion that was declined by the Speaker. Had that been allowed, many ministers in the government also would have voted in favour of the no-confidence motion.”
Also Read: ‘China hand’, SYL protest, death remark — how Haryana agri minister loves to target farmers
The debate
There was 100 per cent attendance in the House Wednesday, with all 88 incumbent MLAs showing up. Two seats in the assembly have been vacant since Abhay Chautala of the Indian National Lok Dal resigned from the House and Congress legislator Pradeep Chaudhari was disqualified in January this year following his conviction in a rioting case.
All the three parties — BJP, JJP and Congress — had issued a whip Tuesday to ensure that their members are present in the House. The parties had made it clear that defiance of the whip would result in action against MLAs.
None of the JJP MLAs who have been vocal about the farmers’ protest voted against the party, including Ram Kumar Gautam, who had raised the banner of revolt against Dushyant within days of JJP allying with the BJP. Davinder Babli, another JJP MLA who had spoken out in favour of the farmers’ agitation in the assembly Tuesday, also decided not to break ranks. Jogi Ram Sihag, another strong voice within the JJP favouring the farmers, did not vote in favour of the no-confidence motion.
None of these MLAs was among those listed to participate on behalf of the JJP in the discussion on the no-confidence motion. Apart from Dushyant Chautala, Anoop Dhanak and Ishwar Singh of the JJP spoke in favour of the Khattar government.
On the other side, apart from Congress MLAs, Kundu and Sangwan spoke in favour of the no-confidence motion, and asked everyone in the House to “listen to your conscience” and vote accordingly.
While moving the motion, Hooda said many ministers were in favour of the farmers’ agitation.
“You (BJP- JJP MLAs) cannot enter your own constituencies (because of the farmers’ agitation). If you really think you’ve done something for the state, please go to your own constituencies and talk about your achievements,” said Hooda.
Congress MLA Dr Raghbir Kadyan said (JJP MLAs led by) Deputy Chief Minister (Dushyant Chautala) should vote keeping in front (of them) a mental picture of Chaudhary Devi Lal. “They should see on their chairs the blood of the 250 farmers who have died in the agitation,” he added.
Education Minister and BJP MLA Kanwal Pal demanded medical proof of “(even a single) person lathicharged (by the government) during the farmers agitation”. “Also tell us the name of (even) one leader who called farmers Khalistanis.”
Gopal Kanda, a former minister in the Congress government who now represents the Haryana Lokhit Party, spoke against the no-confidence motion, and sought to thank the CM for fulfilling several demands of his constituency, including the setting up of a medical college in Sirsa.
Also Read: How farmers’ protest has made Haryana khaps, infamous for honour-killing diktats, relevant again
It was Hooda who brought contract farming in Haryana years ago. Hypocrite.
If the farmers in Haryana sitting on the border for 100 days for rolling back of the farm laws, the displeasure should have reflected in the vote of no confidence. The pro-roll back is now opposing the direct payment to farmers by FCI as was evident in the LS.
Amazing how we have allowed to degenerate ourselves into a society of dalals.
A brokering a respectable business so long as both the buyer and seller is agreeable to an identified percentage of fees for the services. In the transaction the broker has no stake and liability hence his brokerage is limited and commensurate to the service rendered and is different from the dalali practiced in the country..