K.V. Seetharamaiah
Defeat of the no-confidence motion was not unanticipated. The motion was defeated through voice vote. It ended up as just an event for mutual recrimination. Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury stooped to a new low. He compared Narendra Modi to the fugitive business tycoon Nirav Modi and blind king Dhritarashtra in Mahabharatha leading for his suspension. Words can make or mar. Former Prime Minister H.D. Devegowda has lamented for the chaotic conditions in Lok Sabha when the debate was going on. Dignity and decorum of the House was thrown into winds. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tore into opposition in his reply to the opposition charges against the government. Modi reminded the Congress that Jawaharlal Nehru betrayed Asam in 1962. Congress has been displaced in Tripura for the last 35 years, does not have a single MLA in Delhi, lost the ground in Nagaland for 25 years and has no place for 30 years in West Bengal. The event also provided Modi to list the achievements of his government and indict the opposition ruled states. Modi is hopeful that the country will be among top three economies globally by the time on-confidence motion is moved in 2028. He expected the opposition to ask how? Instead, the opposition said that no work needs to be done to be third among top three economies. The opposition parties are disappointed at the LIC progressing well and the banking sector performing well. They are more interested in the Modi government getting bad name than the progress of the nation. The profits in public sector banks have doubled much against the wishes of the opposition parties. Modi pointed out that the exports reaching new heights. In the last 5 years, people have come out of poverty line, according to th NITI Ayog. The opposition parties were longing for and hell-bent on Modi’s statement on the floor of the House. Surprisingly, during the Prime Minister’s address Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi left the Parliament when the opposition parties staged a walk out. Modi covered Manipur aspects also. But the opposition parties were in no mood to listen. Modi pointed out that the people of Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, UP, Gujarat, Bihar, Tripura and Odisha have expressed lack of confidence in Congress. The no-confidence motion moved by the Congress was like giving rope to the government to have the hands of opposition tied. People were reminded that Congress did not trust the Indian vaccine. It was also recalled by Modi that the opposition parties did not believe the Indian armed forces when they conducted surgical strikes. They were more willing to believe Pakistan than the Indian army. Congress-led UPA was cremated in Bengaluru giving birth to I.N.D.I.A. I.N.D.I.A. minus two ‘I’s makes NDA. Ideologically different parties perish as early as they come. Janata Party, Janata Dal, National Front governments did not sustain for long due to internal contradictions. I.N.D.I.A. may meet the same fate by the time 2029 Lok Sabha election comes. The policies and programmes of the Modi government have been hailed by World Health Organisation. World believes Modi but not Congress. If the opposition parties can think that the non-confidence motion compelled Modi to come to House and speak, by the same yardstick it provided an opportunity to Modi to expose I.N.D.I.A. in general and Congress in particular.