Watch Live: No-confidence motion against Modi govt in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi speaks

Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who is addressing the Lok Sabha, targets PM Narendra Modi, and defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman over the Rafale deal, causing uproar in the House.

india Updated: Jul 20, 2018 13:57 IST
Congress president Rahul Gandhi addresses Lok Sabha during the no-confidence motion. (Lok Sabha TV screengrab)

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government over unfulfilled promises and “jumla strike” during the ongoing debate over the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha.

Gandhi’s sharp attack on Modi over Rafale deal, demonetisation, GST, farmer’s issues saw an angry treasury bench erupt in protests, leading to the first adjournment of the day.

As the debate over the no-confidence motion was underway in Parliament, Naveen Patnaik’s BJD walked out, bringing down the strength of the House. Shiv Sena, a BJP ally, too decided to boycott the no-trust motion, which will help the government during voting this evening. With the numbers heavily stacked against the opposition, PM Narendra Modi government is expected to sail smoothly through the no-confidence motion, the first in 15 years.

The AIADMK and Telangana’s TRS together have 48 MPs and both the parties have said they will not support the TDP motion. BJP hopes they will vote against the motion or at least abstain, helping bring its target down further.

The BJP has been allotted 3 hours 33 minutes in the debate, followed by the Congress with 38 minutes and the AIADMK with 29 minutes.

The TMC has been allotted 27 minutes, BJD 15 minutes, Shiv Sena 14 minutes, TDP 13 minutes and TRS 9 minutes. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) will get seven minutes in the debate, the Samajwadi Party and the NCP six minutes each and the LJSP five minutes.

The no-confidence motion against the NDA government has been brought by the Telugu Desam Party.

Watch the live proceedings here: