2018 no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government: A flashback

'Bhagidaar', 'thekedaar', and 'chowkidar' were some of the terms used when Modi-Rahul battled it out in Lok Sabha during the no-confidence debate in 2018.

The I.N.D.I.A Opposition bloc brought a no-confidence motion in the Parliament against the Narendra Modi government on July 26, which has been accepted by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

The motion was submitted by Gaurav Gogoi, Congress's deputy leader in the Lok Sabha.

However, this is not the first time the Modi government has faced a no-confidence motion in the Parliament, the earlier one was in 2018. Referring to the incident in 2019, the PM had said, "I pray to God to give you the strength to bring a no-confidence motion in 2023 also.”

'Bhagidaar', 'thekedaar', and 'chowkidar' were some of the terms used when Narendra Modi-Rahul Gandhi battled it out in Lok Sabha the last time a no-confidence motion was brought against the NDA government, according to an Indian Express report.

Read | Modi set to face his second no-confidence vote: List of previous no-trust motions

The motion was brought forward first by the Telugu Desam Party, which was a part of the NDA but had walked out of the alliance over his party's demand for special status to the then-newly-formed state.

Despite being in the Telangana Opposition, the YSRCP also followed suit.

However, neither of the motions was admitted by the then-Speaker, Sumitra Mahajan. Instead, it was during the Monsoon Session in the same year that TDP MP Srinivas Kesineni submitted a motion of no-confidence, which was finally accepted by the Speaker.

What followed was political drama of the highest order! While NDA ally Shiv Sena boycotted the ensuing discussion, the BJD walked out of the same.

Although the NDA won the no-confidence motion comfortably via a 126-325 margin, it was the 12-hour debate that became the highlight.

It began when TDP's Jaydev Galla termed the NDA government "a saga of false promises".

Taking a cue from the TDP MP, Rahul Gandhi followed by saying, “Heard Galla’s speech very carefully. In your speech, I sensed a certain anxiety, a deep feeling of pain and I want to tell you from here that you are the victim of a 21st Century political weapon. A fantastic weapon and you are not alone. There are many victims like you in the country. The weapon is called the ‘jhumla strike’. The Symptoms of the ‘jhumla strike’ are — Great sense of excitement, happiness; there is a feeling of shock; then there are 8-hour long speeches. Who else are victims? Farmers, youth, Dalits, tribals and women of the country.”

He went on to say that Modi and HM Amit Shah were afraid that if they are ousted from power, "other processes will start against them".

Rahul even alleged that the PM looked nervous and was not being able to look him in the eye because the latter "has not been truthful". He also attacked Modi over the alleged Rafale jet scam.

He also alleged that the PM was a 'bhagidaar' in the alleged Rafale jets scam instead of being the 'chowkidar' that he had promised.

In a move that took the nation aback, Gandhi, after his scathing attack on the PM, walked up towards him and shook his hands. He then went on to ask the PM to stand up so that the two of them can hug.

Read | No confidence motion will not bring solace to Manipur

However, when the surprised PM did not stand up, Gandhi himself hugged him and went back to his seat, with a wink at his UPA partners.

While Gandhi's hug and wink led to loud applause by the UPA MPs, Rajnath Singh criticised him for hugging the PM while the Speaker took objection to him winking within the House.

When it was the PM's time to speak, he too did not mince words and launched a scathing attack against the Opposition, especially the Congress.

In a direct attack on Gandhi's comments, the PM said that the Gandhi-Nehru family is a 'thekedar' (contractor) and 'saudagar' (trader). In a later address in the Parliament, Modi said, "I pray to God to give you the strength to bring a no-confidence motion in 2024 also.”

When talking about Rahul Gandhi's gesture to him to get up, Modi had also asked the former if he was in a hurry to occupy the PM's chair, going on to say, “Only the 125 crore people of this country” have a say on who will get to sit on the Prime Minister's chair.