Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday questioned why Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the Congress's leader of the house in Lok Sabha, was not named in party's list of speakers in the debate on the no-confidence motion. Modi wondered whether Chowdhury was sidelined due to a phone call from Kolkata—an apparent reference to Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, a known detractor of the Congress leader.
The prime minister noted that when the no-confidence motion was moved against the government in 1999, 2003 and 2018, then opposition leaders—Sharad Pawar, Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge respectively—led the debate.
“But this time, what has happened to you, Adhir Babu? His party did not give a chance to him to speak. It was Amit Shah who gave him a chance to speak and it was you (Speaker) who allowed him even after his time was passed,” Modi said.
"I don't know what your compulsion is? Why was Adhirbabu sidelined? Was it because of a phone call from Kolkata,?” he further asked.
The debate on no-confidence motion, moved by the opposition parties on the violence in Manipur, began on Tuesday. The debate was initiated by Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi.
In his address in the lower house, Modi hit out at the opposition for bringing in a no-confidence motion against his government, saying the NDA and the BJP will return to power breaking all previous records in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Replying to the debate on the motion in the Lok Sabha, the prime minister said it's a blessing of God that the opposition has brought in a no-confidence motion.
"People of the country have shown trust in our government again and again. I am here to show my gratitude to the crores of the people of the country," he said.
“Opposition brought such a motion in 2018 also. I had said it was their floor test, not of the government and I was proven right. No-confidence motion always lucky for us; this one also will ensure we will return with record-breaking mandate,” Modi said.
The prime minister also attacked the opposition parties for not letting discussion on a number of bills related to the country's development, saying they have shown that 'dal' (party) is bigger than 'desh' (country) for them.
