Gujarat: No-confidence motion submitted by Congress against BJP govt admitted but no discussion held

Gandhinagar: A no-confidence motion submitted by the Congress against the BJP government in Gujarat was admitted on Wednesday, though it could not be taken up for discussion with the monsoon session ending. Congress’s chief whip Shailesh Parmar tabled the motion and Speaker Rajendra Trivedi admitted it since it had the support of more than 17 MLAs, as required by the rules. However, this was preceded by heated exchanges between the Opposition and the ruling party MLAs. [caption id=“attachment_5131671” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] As per the Assembly rules, the Speaker has to take up a no-confidence motion for discussion after three days, but as the two-day session ended Wednesday, the present motion will not be discussed. Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel raised objection after the motion was admitted, saying that under rule 106, discussion can be held between three to seven days after a notice for no-confidence motion is given, not immediately. However, Parmar said there were instances where discussion on a no-confidence motion was held on the same day it was moved. Leader of Opposition Paresh Dhanani said Chief Minister Vijay Rupani should show magnanimity and allow discussion on Wednesday itself. When he tried to state reasons for bringing in the motion, Rupani said, “Congress does not have the numbers, nor does it have issues to have no confidence in the government. “This government has been elected by the people of Gujarat. The election was held only eight months ago and the people have given us the mandate to form the government. You cannot decide how long we can rule. It is for the people to take that decision,” he said. “This motion is just a result of opposition’s hunger for power, as they are restless being out of power for so many years,” Rupani said, refusing to agree to a discussion. Some Congress MLAs then rushed into the well of the House and staged a sit-in, while others started shouting slogans. Speaker Trivedi ordered eviction of around a dozen MLAs who had rushed into the well. As marshals escorted them out, remaining Congress MLAs also walked out. They gathered in the lobby of the Assembly and shouted slogans against the government. In its notice of the motion, the Congress cited issues of farmers, rising cost of education, inflation and corruption as the reasons. The government did not offer a loan waiver to farmers, did not ensure irrigation and offer good support prices for crops, the Opposition party said in the notice. It also alleged that the BJP government failed to control the fees of private schools despite enacting a fee regulation act that turned out to be a failure.