The Nayab Singh Saini-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Haryana comfortably defeated a no-confidence motion brought by the Congress on Friday. The motion was rejected through a voice vote in the state assembly's winter session after a debate lasting over five hours.
Third Consecutive Defeat for Congress
This was the third no-confidence motion moved by the Congress against the BJP government in Haryana since 2021. Similar motions in 2021 and February of last year also met the same fate. The Saini administration remains in a comfortable position with 51 MLAs supporting it, which includes 48 from the BJP and three independents. The Congress, with only 37 members, lacked the numbers to pose a serious threat.
Walkout and Voice Vote Seal the Fate
The proceedings took a familiar turn when, during Chief Minister Saini's detailed reply, Congress MLAs staged a walkout. This act effectively gave a walkover to the treasury benches. Following the walkout, Speaker Harvinder Kalyan conducted a voice vote, and the motion was unanimously rejected.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mahipal Dhanda had initially demanded a formal vote, but the speaker proceeded with the voice vote. An unimpressed CM Saini laid down his papers and criticized the opposition, stating that the "opposition has failed to honour its role" by walking out.
Debate Highlights: Allegations and Achievements
The discussion on the motion began with former Speaker and Congress MLA Raghubir Singh Kadian. He argued that the state government had lost the trust of farmers, labourers, and sportspersons due to its "anti-people policies." Kadian painted a grim picture, alleging an atmosphere of fear, corruption, and flourishing gang culture with 80 gangs operating, some led by figures sitting abroad.
Other Congress MLAs, including Geeta Bhukkal, Ashok Arora, and Induraj Narwal, supported the motion. Bhukkal specifically highlighted the suicide of IPS officer Y Puran Kumar and the worrying trend of industries migrating out of Haryana.
In his marathon reply, Chief Minister Saini launched a strong defence of his government's record. He listed out key achievements:
- Creating employment opportunities for youth.
- Arrest and deportation of gangsters based abroad.
- Providing regular and contractual government jobs.
- Welfare provisions for farmers.
- Significant infrastructure development.
Taking a dig at the Congress, Saini questioned which MLAs had actually scripted the motion and remarked that "labelling allegations is in the DNA of the Congress party." Five other BJP MLAs, including cabinet minister Krishna Bedi, also defended the government during the debate.
Interestingly, INLD MLA Aditya Devi Lal did not speak much on the motion itself but used the opportunity to criticize the past wrongdoings of Congress-led governments in the state.
The day's events underscored the BJP's firm grip on the Haryana assembly and the Congress's continued struggle to mount an effective legislative challenge, resorting once again to a walkout during the Chief Minister's address.
