Rahul Gandhi To Lead No-Trust Vote Debate Today; Kiren Rijiju Says Opposition Will Regret

No-Trust Vote Debate: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday said the Congress and other opposition parties have brought the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha at a "wrong time and in a wrong manner."

New Delhi: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi is expected to lead the Opposition charge while participating in the no-confidence motion discussion in Lok Sabha on Wednesday. According to Congress sources, Rahul Gandhi sprung a surprise by choosing not to initiate the discussion in the Lower House on Tuesday. However, the Wayanad MP is likely to participate in the ongoing debate during the early afternoon hours on Wednesday. 

According to sources, Rahul Gandhi might be among the initial speakers to participate in the discussion on the no-confidence motion, when the House convenes. The discussion is expected to continue till August 10 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to reply to the motion on the same day.

Sources said that Gandhi's last-minute withdrawal was part of a strategy, as it was decided that he will speak after some big leaders from the BJP have spoken. They said that this decision was taken as part of a strategy of not exposing Rahul Gandhi to all the attacks, which he might have faced if he had spoken first.

The no-trust debate was initiated by Congress deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi who attacked PM Narendra Modi over his silence on the Manipur issue. after moving the motion, a move which surprised the treasury benches. 

No-Confidence Motion At Wrong Time: Kiren Rijiju

Defending the govt, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday said the Congress and other opposition parties have brought the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha at a "wrong time and in a wrong manner." The Union  Minister said that at a time when Prime Minister Modi has emerged as the world leader and the country was marching ahead to become a developed nation by 2047, there was no need for such a motion against the government.

Instead, he said, the opposition should join hands with the government to celebrate 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' and work towards achieving the target set by the prime minister for the next 25 years. "Congress and opposition parties will regret bringing in the no-confidence motion at the wrong time and in a wrong manner," the minister said.

Participating in the debate on the no-confidence motion, Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav asked why Prime Minister Modi was not present in Lok Sabha during the debate on the no-confidence motion, to which he has to respond. "Is it not the moral and political responsibility of the BJP? We requested the prime minister to come to the House but he is not present even today," she added.

On the other hand, Rijiju urged the opposition parties to be "a part of this great journey to make India a developed country," as he recalled the achievements of the Modi government in various fields, including economy, sports and space technology. "You may not like BJP or Modi, but you should support India," he said, adding, "You should not oppose India by assuming the name INDIA (opposition alliance)."

India, he said, has become the fastest-growing economy in the world because of the various initiatives taken by the government since 2014. Rijiju further said that Chandrayan-3 is in the final stages and will land on the south pole of the moon on August 23.

He also urged the members not to speak against the country in foreign universities as it only supports the domestic eco-system which is against India. Talking about the European Parliament resolution on developments in Manipur, the minister said India is strong enough to deal with domestic issues and no foreign power needs to interfere in the affairs of the country.

Referring to the issues facing the northeast, Rijiju said it was the Modi government which paid special focus on the region and today rail lines are being laid in several parts of the region. The prime minister wants the northeast to become an engine of growth, he added.

He regretted that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hardly met MPs from the northeastern states though he himself represented Assam in the Rajya Sabha. Rijiju attributed the current problems in Manipur to the negligent attitude of the previous Congress governments.

Under the current government, the coverage area under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act has been reduced by 75 per cent, he said. The minister also talked about the success of the Fit India programme of the Modi government and said even MPs on both sides are looking more fit now.

Dimple Yadav alleged that what is happening in Manipur is "state-sponsored ethnic violence" and blamed the BJP-led governments in the state and at the Centre for the situation there. "The incident of Manipur is not an ordinary incident and the government has had a very insensitive approach," she said.

Referring to a viral video of two women being stripped and paraded by a mob in Manipur on May 4, she said, "It was a complete violation of human rights. Using women as instruments of perpetrating violence is simply unacceptable. This incident has been condemned in the whole world."

"It is a state-sponsored ethnic violence. If the visuals would not come out on social media, no one would have known. Who is responsible? Women were paraded naked and raped... How many FIRs have been acted upon?" she said.