Opposition brought no-confidence motion to test its own unity: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the opposition brought the no-confidence motion against his government to test the confidence of its own alliance members in each other as the INDIA bloc is marked by distrust among its constituents.

In his address to BJP MPs at a closed-door meeting of its parliamentary party, he described the opposition alliance as ghamandia (marked by arrogance) and congratulated the party's Rajya Sabha members for the semi-final win in voting on the Delhi services bill, some of those present inside said.

Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal quoted Modi as saying that the opposition brought the no-confidence motion despite the fact that the government enjoyed a strong majority as its members wanted to see if they were united or not. Even in the voting on the Delhi services bill in Rajya Sabha, the government got more votes than expected as the debate showed that its bill was guided by the Constitution, the prime minister said.

Modi, sources said, noted that some opposition members had described the voting in Rajya Sabha as a semi-final before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as he exuded confidence about the BJP's prospects in the national elections. Delhi services bill secured parliamentary approval on Monday after the Rajya Sabha passed it with the support of 131 MPs while 101 of them voted against the legislation that will give the Centre control over bureaucracy in the national capital.