No-confidence motion of Cong against Khattar govt taken up in Haryana Assembly

PTI, Mar 10, 2021, 2:12 PM IST

Chandigarh: The motion of no confidence against the BJP-JJP government, brought by main opposition Congress, was on Wednesday taken up in the Haryana Assembly, with Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda claiming the ruling dispensation has lost people’s trust.

After the end of the Question Hour, Speaker Gian Chand Gupta admitted the notice of no-confidence motion against the Council of Ministers and reserved two-hour for discussion on it.

“I have received a no confidence motion from the Leader of Opposition (Hooda) and 27 other Congress MLAs,” the Speaker said.

Moving the motion, Hooda, former chief minister and senior Congress leader, expressed want of confidence in the Haryana Ministry headed by Chief Minister M L Khattar.

He said in the House that the state government has “lost” trust of people.

Hooda requested the Chair that secret voting should be allowed on the no-confidence motion.

Touching upon the issue of farmers who are protesting against the Centre’s new farm laws, Hooda said the situation is such that ruling dispensation MLAs cannot even visit their constituencies.

“This government has lost the confidence of people. Their MLAs cannot go in their constituencies,” said Hooda, speaking on the motion.

On the farmers’ issue, Hooda demanded inclusion of nearly 250 farmers, who have died during their ongoing agitation, in the obituary references of the Haryana Assembly.

He said farmers from several states including Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are sitting on various border points of Delhi.

Hooda said it was the BJP-JJP government which stopped farmers, used water cannons and even dug roads so that they could not march towards Delhi in November.

“The government should know it cannot break farmers by such tactics,” he said.

Senior Congress leader Raghuvir Singh Kadian said this no-confidence motion will make it clear who stands with farmers and who is against them.

“Entry boards have been put up outside villages banning entry of BJP and JJP leaders while Khap Panchayats have given social boycott calls. Never before in history has it happened before that the chief minister and deputy CM’s helicopters are not being allowed to land in villages,” said Kadian.

“Farmers are sitting on borders, but the government is not inviting them for talks,” he alleged.

Kadian said MLAs of JJP, which had fought the 2019 assembly polls against the BJP before forging alliance with the saffron party, should look into their inner conscience and support the no-confidence motion.

Pointing towards JJP MLA Naina Chautala, who is also mother of Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, Kadian asked her to rise like “Jhansi ki Rani” for farmers’ cause and support the no-confidence motion.

“Chaudhary Devi Lal dedicated his entire life for farmers’ cause. The JJP leaders should look in their inner conscience before voting,” he said, adding that the Deputy CM should withdraw support from the government and stand with farmers.

Haryana’s Education and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kanwar Pal hit out at the Opposition, saying they were misleading farmers and doing politics in their name.

He gave details of several steps which have been taken by the government for the welfare of farmers.

JJP senior leader Ishwar Singh said the government has taken several steps for welfare of farmers and brought many schemes for them.

He said adequate arrangements are made by the government to ensure smooth procurement of farmers’ crops.

Taking a dig at Congress leaders, he said they were potraying themselves as if they were the only sympathisers of farmers.

Ishwar Singh’s speech was frequently interrupted by Congress members who asked him to make his stand clear whether he stood in support of farmers or was against them.

Independent MLA Nayan Pal Rawat, who is supporting the government, hit out at the Congress, alleging “everyone knows that in the name of Change of Land Use the land of farmers was snatched. They looted farmers with both hands. It is Narendra Modi and M L Khattar who took steps for peasants welfare and in this context these farm laws were brought.”

Congress MLA Jagbir Singh Malik sought an apology from Agriculture Minister J P Dalal over his alleged controversial remark over farmers’ death at various protest sites.

Dalal has already expressed regret over his remark.

In the 90-member Haryana Assembly, currently having an effective strength of 88 members, the ruling BJP has 40 members, the JJP 10 and the Congress 30. Seven are Independents, five of whom are supporting the government, while one member is of the Haryana Lokhit Party, who has also extended support to the government.

Talking to reporters after the day’s proceedings in the state assembly ended on Friday, Hooda had said, “The no-confidence motion will let people know which MLA stands with the government and which MLA stands with farmers.”

He said the party needed to move a no-confidence motion because the BJP-JJP government has “lost public confidence” and the coalition government, “betraying public opinion, is taking anti-people decisions one after the other”.