Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the Opposition brought the no-confidence motion against his government to test the confidence of its own alliance since the INDIA bloc is marked by distrust among its constituents.
In his address to BJP MPs at a closed-door meeting of its parliamentary party, he described the Opposition alliance as “ghamandia” (marked by arrogance) and congratulated his party’s Rajya Sabha members for the “semi-final” win in voting on the Delhi Services Bill, those who attended the meeting said. Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal quoted the Prime Minister as saying that the Opposition brought the no-confidence motion despite the fact that the government enjoyed a strong majority as its members wanted to see if they were united or not. “Even in the voting on the Delhi Services Bill in Rajya Sabha, the government got more votes than expected as the debate showed that its Bill was guided by the Constitution,” PM Modi had said. The Prime Minister, sources said, noted that some Opposition members had described the voting in the Upper House as a “semi-final” before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as he exuded confidence about the BJP’s prospects in the general elections.
The Delhi Services Bill secured parliamentary approval on Monday after the Rajya Sabha passed it with the support of 131 MPs while 101 of them voted against the legislation that will give the Centre control over bureaucracy in the national capital. Expressing confidence about his return to power following next year’s elections, PM Modi told party MPs that they will not have to push for railway ministry-related works during his third term after Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw made a presentation, indicating that the ongoing development projects will take care of their demands.
The Modi government is now in its second term, even as Opposition parties formed the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) last month to prevent the ruling BJP-led NDA from coming to power for a third term under the Prime Minister. With the ruling party certain to defeat the no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha, where it enjoys a strong majority, PM Modi told party MPs to hit “sixers” on the last ball before the 2024 polls. He also referred to his 2018 speech in which he had wryly wished the opposition to bring a no-confidence motion against his government in 2023.
In another swipe at the Opposition, Prime Minister Modi said [INDIA bloc] leaders speak of social justice but harmed it the most with their dynastic, appeasement and corrupt politics. He reiterated his call for corruption and dynastic and appeasement politics to “Quit India.” Union Minister Meghwal told reporters that the PM also asked MPs to join the party’s programme on 9 August.
