11:05 AM: 'Congress steals time,' quips Speaker

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan initiates the business of the House, sanctioning the debate on no-confidence motion.

Congress leader in the House Mallikarjun Kharge raises the issue of 'too little time' allotted to speakers from the opposition parties to speak.

The Speaker says she is not God who has unlimited time, but she would try. Mahajan quips, "You would steal some time, anyway!"

BJD announces it will not participate in the debate. In effect, it means the party will abstain from voting.

From the TDP, Jayadev Galla begins the attack on the Narendra Modi government, first trying to impress upon all members that the issue of special status to Andhra Pradesh is not a State issue but a national one.

11:22 AM: 'Morality vs Majority'

TDP says it's a war between "morality and majority", effectively conceding that the side favouring the no-confidence motion would lose the vote at the end of the day.

11:33 AM: Janardhan Reddy 'corrupt'

Galla questions the BJP's decision to support a "corrupt" Janardhan Reddy.

11:33 AM

TDP says if a State is divided, it deserves a special category.

11:39 AM

TDP asks if the NITI Aayog cannot confer on a State the special status, and only the abolished Planning Commission could do that, how come several States have received the status since the shutting down of the commission.

11:40 AM: TDP demands more time

Speaker intervenes, asks how much more time the TDP MP would take. Galla says he needs half-an-hour more. Mahajan does not approve of it. Galla says the initiation of a debate on no-confidence motion has always been allotted more time in Parliament's history of trust votes.

11:47 AM

"Why are we given just 1/10th of what Bundelkhand was given on a per capita basis?" the TDP MP asks.

11:51 AM

Though not as vehemently as during the second minute of the TDP MP's speech, the treasury benches protest again. Galla goes on questioning the Union government undaunted.

11:52 AM: Cess pool?

TDP asks why the States are not getting a share from the huge collections from cess.

12:02 PM

TDP compares the Narendra Modi government with its predecessor and says the latter was better.

12:06 PM

The treasury benches protest as Galla shares statistics with the TDP perspective.

12:08 PM

TDP accuses the government of "colluding" with its rivals in Andhra Pradesh.

12:09 PM

"From a State of Andhra Pradesh, we have reduced to a residual State of Andhra Pradesh," says TDP MP Galla.

12:10 PM: 'Folly to ignore reality'

The TDP MP concludes by addressing BJP chief Amit Shah, saying that it would be a "folly to ignore the reality".

12:14 PM

Rakesh Singh of the BJP rises to defend the government in the debate on the no-confidence motion.

12:20 PM: 'UPA of scams, NDA of schemes'

Singh recalls the Manmohan Singh era and says the comparison of the current government with its predecessor is like a comparison between scams and schemes.

This government is dumdaar (strong); its predecessor was daagdaar (tainted), says Rakesh Singh.

12:33 PM

Singh reminds the House of the government's total electrification programme, life insurance for the poor and cleanliness drive through Swachh Bharat.

12:39 PM

The BJP MP seeks pride in India becoming the sixth largest economy in the world.

12:40 PM

Singh names Saudi Arabia instead of the UAE while saying that a Muslim country now pays obeisance to Lord Rama. Then stands corrected as other MPs protest.

The BJP MP says that the opposition is frustrated and the no-confidence motion is proof.

12:44 PM

Singh claims that the BJP government is the first to take care of farmers for which the previous governments merely shed a crocodile's tears.

The BJP MP draws attention to the infrastructure development in Rajasthan. Talking of various projects, Singh says that the files were not moving under the Congress-led UPA regime, which was why these projects took so long to take off.

12:50 PM

As Singh moves to Chhattisgarh, the opposition led by the Congress objects to the statistics of industrial production and people's income shared by the MP.

12:54 PM: 'MP no longer BIMARU'

Singh comes to describing his own State Madhya Pradesh finally. He hails the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government for extricating the State from BIMARU status.

12:58 PM

Uproar in Parliament. Proceedings disrupted.

1:02 PM: 'No change in Constitution'

'I'll take this noise for Congress's discomfiture with the statistics of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. So, I'll talk of issues that apply to the whole nation," Singh says.

Singh says it's strange that some opposition parties are uniting in the name of secularism whereas the BJP government has brought about no change in the fundamentals of the Constitution.

1:05 PM: 'Those synonymous with corruption have no confidence in this government'

Singh concludes his speech with this barb aimed at the Congress.

1:06 PM Rahul Gandhi rises

The Congress president begins speaking in English and is prompted to speak in Hindi. He says he will speak in Hindi as well.

Gandhi calls the TDP a "victim of a 21st-century political weapon." It's called the "jumla strike", he says.

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1:13 PM: 'Congress had wanted GST, then Gujarat chief minister did not allow it'

Explaining what he meant by the term, Gandhi repeats the allegation that the prime minister had promised that his government would deposit Rs 15 lakh in every Indian's pocket.

The Congress president says that the GST has inconvenienced small businesses. He says that the UPA government had wanted to bring in the goods and services tax, but the BJP governments in States in general and the then Modi government in Gujarat did not allow it. Gandhi also critiques demonetisation.

ANI reports

Gandhi questions the rise in income of BJP chief's son. The name is expunged from the record as the person named is not a Member of Parliament.

1:19 PM: Gandhi misleading House: Sitharaman

Gandhi questions the government-to-government Rafale deal and asks how the price of the aircraft increased from the rate the UPA government had fixed with France. He claims that the French president has confided in him that there is no such deal with India.

Nirmala Sitharaman protest, says, "He (Gandhi) is misleading the House."

News Flash

Message sent to all AIADMK Lok Sabha MPs to vote in support of the government in the no-confidence motion; floor leader from the party Venugopal to be the lone speaker on behalf of the party.

1:25 PM: Rahul's charges frivolous: Ananth Kumar

Gandhi insinuates that the prime minister's "marketing campaign" is sponsored by a businessman who was favoured against the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the Rafale contract.

Ananth Kumar rises from the BJP, cites rules of the House and calls Gandhi's charges "frivolous".

1:34: Speaker calls for decorum to be maintained 

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan asks all members to maintain the decorum of the House and members to control their tongue. The House descends into complete chaos as Rahul Gandhi's speech is interrupted.

1:38 PM: House adjourned

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourns the House. Proceedings to resume at 1:45 pm

1:50 PM

The Speaker appeals to all MPs to maintain the decorum of the House. She says that people who are not members of the House cannoyt be named in the course of the debate.

1:53 PM: Gandhi raises issue of 'atrocities against women'

Rahul Gandhi resumes his speech. He claims that the Karnataka government of the Congress has paid farmers more than the Centre.

The Congress president cites from an article in The Economist to claim that India is not able to keep its women safe. Opposition MPs exclaim, "Shame!"

Gandhi asks whether Dalits and women are not citizens of the country. He wants to know why the prime minister does not speak up against the alleged atrocities.

2:00 PM: 'Assault on Constitution'

"Main ne kaafi lamba bhaashan kiya hai. Khtam kar raha hoon (I have spoken long enough; now I conclude)," Gandhi says.

"Whenever someone is attacked, it's not an attack on the victim alone; it's an assault on the Constitution made by Ambedkar," the Congress president says.

2:01 PM: Modi and Shah can't afford to lose power

Gandhi alleges that the prime minister and the BJP chief cannot afford to lose power because legal proceedings would start against them.

The Congress president claims that some members of the government congratulated him for a "good speech" ("aap bahut achchha bole") during the adjournment of the House.

Gandhi congratulates the BJP for making him realise what being an Indian and being a Hindu meant.

2:06 PM: 'I am Pappu to you all'

"Aap ke liye main Pappu hoon," Rahul Gandhi says to the government. "I don't hate you. I will convert you all to Congress," the Congress president says.

2:10 PM

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman rises to speak. She says she is not privy to the alleged conversation between the French president and the head of the Congress. However, she says, the French president said to an Indian media house that the confidentiality of the Rafale deal must be maintained in view of the competition in the market. This, Sitharaman says, is a verifiable fact unlike the claim made by Gandhi.

2:23 PM

P Venugopal of the AIADMK begins his speech. The party is opposing the no-confidence motion as reported by MyNation earlier.

2:24 PM

The AIADMK MP raises issues of Tamil Nadu and reads out a list of development measures taken by the State government. He appeals to the Centre to release the grants meant for the State, citing the 14th Finance Commission.

2:33 PM: 'Reasons' for threat to women's safety identified

In an apparent reference to the Congress president's speech, the AIADMK MP says that "illiteracy, unemployment and drugs" are to blame for the threat to women's safety and security.

2:35 PM: Saugata Roy, TMC, accuses PM of lowering level of discourse

The TMC MP says that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a "travelling salesman" who went to address a meeting in a part of Bengal for no rhyme or reason. Roy quips that the prime minister lowered the level of discourse so much by talking of a "syndicate" of TMC that a part of the arena from where Modi was speaking collapsed, injuring 90 people.

Roy slams the economic policy of the government and blames it for the NPA situation that the banks face, naming Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, etc.

2:50 PM: Issue of lynching raised

Roy slams a minister of the government without naming him who garlanded some members of a lynch mob.

The TMC MP concludes by saying that his party wants a "bhai-mukt Bharat (fear-free India)".

2:54 PM: TRS's Boinapally speaks

Speaking on behalf of the Telangana Rashtriya Samiti, MP Vinod Kumar Boinapally says that the TDP was a party to the policies of the Centre that harmed the interests of Telangana. He urges the House to recall the first day of the current Lok Sabha when the TRS had objected to the 'inadequate' resource allocations to the new State.

3:13 PM: Samajwadi Party patriarch begins

Mulayam Singh Yadav raises the concern of rising input costs for farmers. He says that if the farmers of the country flourish, it will improve the whole economy.

The SP patriarch asks if there are 2 crore unemployed youth in the country, how the country can be said to be prospering.

Yadav claims that when he led the government of Uttar Pradesh, he had demonstrated how to run the economy.

"Koi aisa nahin hai jo dukhi na ho! (there's nobody who is happy)" Yadav claims, adding that some in the BJP have told him they are not happy either.

3:25 PM: Mulayam accuses Modi government of not keeping its promises

Mulayam asks PM Modi to give jobs to the unemployed as promised. He says there are more than 2 crore unemployed youth. 

Yadav says,"There's plenty of water and land in India, still, farmers are unhappy." The government should provide them with adequate facilities.

Yadav adds, there are many people who are tensed. He concludes by saying, "Meeting bula lo sab Mantriyo ki, or ve sab vyapariyo, kisano or berozgaro ki samasya ka hal kre."

3:35 PM: Mohammad Salim, CPI(M) begins

Salim blames the current government for economic gambling by implementing demonetisation.

He clarifies his stances and says I'm not here to blame anyone. He attacks government by saying,"You needed to stop farmers committing suicide. You had to protect the underprivileged, women and old. Life expectancy is increasing, but the quality of life is not there."

The CPM MP says that the government is proud of its power whereas his side stands for principles.

Salim slams BJP. He says that the ruler that cannot protect the women and the downtrodden has no right to rule.

3:55: Rajnath Singh questions opposition unity

The home minister begins by recalling the Lok Sabha during Rajiv Gandhi's era when the then prime minister had quipped that the BJP had just two MPs (Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani. He says that nobody should be vain in success as life sees ups and downs.

Singh says those who brought the no-confidence motion in the House do not have confidence in one another.

The MP from Uttar Pradesh says that the fact that the BJP won the Assembly election in his State is proof that the people wholeheartedly supported demonetisation despite momentary hardships.

The home minister expresses confidence in the projection by several economists that the country's GDP would soon grow at a rate of 7.8% or higher.

5:27 Union Minister Ramvilas Paswan speaks on Modi government schemes.

Underlines the poverty in the country and the schemes that are helping alleviate their plight. Underlines the significance of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan for villages. Lauds electrification of villages. By December this year, all households will get electricity. Paswan speaks on how food security has improved under PM Modi's regime.

6:15 Mallikarjun Kharge speaking in Lok Sabha. 

The Congress leader in Lok Sabha criticises Modi government over special status for Andhra Pradesh. 

6:24 French government debunks Rahul Gandhi's Rafale allegation

We have noted the statement of Rahul Gandhi before Indian Parliament. France and India concluded in 2008 a security agreement, which legally binds two States to protect the classified information provided by the partner, that could impact security and operational capabilities of the defence equipment of India or France. These provisions naturally apply to the IGA concluded on 23 September 2016 on the acquisition of 36 Rafale aircraft and their weapons.

As the President of the French Republic indicated publicly in an interview given to India Today on 9th March 2018, in India and in France, when a deal is very sensitive, we can’t reveal all details.

7:14 J Jayavardhan calls for federal features 

AIADMK MP J Jayavardhan says India’s government structure has to reflect more federal features.

7:29 TMC MP attacks government during no-confidence motion debate

TMC MP Dinesh Trivedi says Modi-led government has only one narrative: ‘Hindu-Muslim', 'India-Pakistan', 'Shamshaan-Kabristaan'.

7:37 Prem Singh Chandumajra speaks in Lok Sabha

General Secretary and spokesman of the Shiromani Akali Dal Prem Singh Chandumajra talks about the efforts taken by the government to help the farmers of the country.

7:55 Anupriya Patel praises Narendra Modi 

Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel says that every Indian believes in the leadership of Narendra Modi.

8:11 Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu talks about the failure of the ruling party 

Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu of Telugu Desam Party says that the government fails to give correct answers on anything, be it railway zone or special category status.

8:17 Bhagwant Mann attacks govt with poetry 

AAP’s Bhagwant Mann recites poem, says Modi should tell when will the ‘Achche Din’ come.

8:30 Badruddin Ajmal talks about mob lynching, crime against women 

Badruddin Ajmal of All India United Democratic Front says no arrests are being made for mob lynching. He also says that crime against women should also be addressed. 

8:41 Dushyant Chautala calls for 'Sachche Din'

Dushyant Chautala of Indian National Lok Dal says that people of the country are asking: Let alone 'Achche Din', when will 'Sachche Din' come?

8:54 Asaduddin Owaisi questions BJP's agenda 

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen’s Asaduddin Owaisi asks the ruling party if they want a ‘Congress-mukt Bharat’ or a ‘Muslim, Dalit-mukt Bharat’.

9:00 Farooq Abdullah calls for Hindu-Muslim harmony 

Former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Farooq Abdullah says, "I am an India, not a Pakistani. If I die, I will die on India’s soil." We will destroy our country if Hindus and Muslims do not accept each other.

9:07 Anurag Thakur calls rahul gandhi liar 

Anurag Thakur: Rahul has lied in front of the nation while talking about the Rafale aircraft issue. He should apologise. 

9:14 Prem Das Rai thanks Modi 

The prime minister led from the front to diffuse the Doklam crisis: Prem Das Rai of Sikkim Democratic Front.

9:17 PM Modi starts speaking in Lok Sabha, takes a swipe at Rahul Gandhi

Modi thanks the speaker for her patience and says this debate is a powerful feature of democracy.

He takes a dig at Rahul Gandhi over his "Bhookamp Aa Gaya" remark.

9:27 Prime minister lauds the work done by his govt

I am convinced about the work we have done in the past 4 years and don’t underestimate the blessings given to us by the public: Modi

9:31 Utter chaos in the House

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan finding it difficult to control proceedings as Modi's speech is interrupted by Opposition ruckus.

Opposition members shouting, "We want justice".

The doors of banks were closed for the poor under the previous (Congress) regime and says that, according to a report, in last two years, 5cr people have come out of poverty: Modi

9:40 PM lists his govt's achievements 

From Jan Dhan Yojana to Swachch Bharat, PM tells the House the achievements of his government amid strident din of "We want justice".

He also says that India has strengthen the economic growth of the entire world. Accuses the Opposition of not reposing faith in initiatives like Make In India and GST.

We have closed down more than 2.5 lakh shell companies, says Modi.

The Opposition doesn’t trust even the CJI, RBI, Election Commission because the Opposition doesn’t trust itself: Modi

9:49 PM Modi mocks the Opposition

PM tells Opposition: May Lord Shiva and the Indian public give you so much power that you bring a no-confidence motion even in 2024.

9:57 PM - Modi steps out of the crease and hits Opposition for a six 

Modi calls Rahul Gandhi’s behaviour “childish” and says that the Rafale deal is transparent. He also says that the language used against chief of Army staff was unthinkable. 

Modi snaps and tells the Opposition, “How dare you call surgical strike a jumla?” 

The PM also takes a dig at Sonia Gandhi over her claim that they have numbers. He resurrects Chaudhary Charan Singh.

10:03 PM - Modi tears into Rahul Gandhi

Modi brings up Rahul Gandhi’s “looking into the eye” comment and lists the leaders from Sardar Patel to Pranab Mukherjee who had paid for “looking into the eye”.  He says the entire country has seen the antics with the eye of those who speak about "looking into the eye".

We are Bhagidaars and Chowkidaars, but not Saudagars and Thekedaars like you, says Modi amidst "Modi, Modi" chants.  

He says Congress has only one mantra — either we would be there, or there would be anarchy. 

How can those who had disrespected BR Ambedkar lecture us on Ambedkar’s ideals? How can those who had misused Article 356 at the drop of a hat every time teach us about democracy? asks Modi.

He says Congress has been cut off from the grassroots and that Congress has failed to realise that the depressed class has been empowered.

Modi quotes former Union Home and Finance minister in the UPA regime, P Chidambaram to embarrass the Congress.

 

The House is being used by TDP for its politics in Andhra Pradesh. I told Chandrababu Naidu that you are getting trapped in YSR’s politics, Modi says.

In the meantime, "We want justice" slogans in the House from the Opposition benches. 

10:36 pm - Modi's latest salvo

I want to reveal the secret of NPA to the country where people in Congress govt made calls to banks to disburse loans to certain individuals to empty the coffer, says Modi

10:40 PM - CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury attacks Modi govt on Twitter

10:43 PM - Union Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore fights for the Modi govt

10:45 PM - Congress fires a counter-salvo

10:46 PM - Modi continues to list out the achievements of the government as the "We want justice" slogans are getting louder.

10:51 PM 

Prime Minister Modi ends his speech amidst “Modi, Modi” chants. 

11:16 PM No-confidence motion heavily defeated 

The no-confidence motion against the Modi govt is defeated by 191 votes. Ayes – 126, Noes – 325. Despite all speculation, there were no abstentions. The House is adjourned till Monday, 23 July, 11 am.