No-confidence motion against Saini govt defeated after Cong stages walkout

The Congress motion was set to fall as in the 90-member House, the BJP has 48 MLAs, including the Speaker, while three Independents are also supporting the ruling party.

The much-touted no-confidence motion brought by the Congress against chief minister Nayab Singh Saini-led BJP government in Haryana was defeated through a voice vote on Friday after the principal Opposition party MLAs walked out of the House following an acrimonious debate that continued beyond 10pm.

Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini speaks during the proceedings of the second day of the Haryana Legislative Assembly Winter Session-2025, in Chandigarh on Friday. (ANI)

The Congress motion was set to fall as in the 90-member House, the BJP has 48 MLAs, including the Speaker, while three Independents are also supporting the ruling party. The Congress has 37 members, while the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has two.

The heated debate on the no-confidence motion, during which members across the aisle took potshots at each other, began at 5.23pm. Members spoke till 8.23pm, after which chief minister Nayab Singh Saini took the floor and began his reply, which continued till 10.10pm.

Saini’s floor strategy was to tire the Opposition through his lengthy reply, forcing Congress MLAs to ask him to complete his address. “Baat karo matlab ki,” Hooda said, asking the CM to conclude his speech.

Alleging that the CM was “giving a vague reply” to the issues raised in the motion, Congress members, led by leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda, walked out of the House at 10pm. Parliamentary affairs minister Mahipal Dhanda then said the motion should be rejected unanimously.

Speaker Harvinder Kalyan put the motion to vote, which was rejected through a voice vote, and the House was adjourned at 10.13pm.

Earlier, the Congress had moved the no-confidence motion against the BJP government, which came to power for a third consecutive term in October 2024.

Allegations of vote chori, law and order problem

At the core of the Congress’ accusations were allegations that the BJP came to power through “vote chori”, deteriorating law and order, anti-people policies and weak governance.

‘Our vision not narrow’: Saini

In a reply peppered with humour and digs at the Congress, Saini said the no-confidence motion had been drafted in haste and panic. He repeatedly asked the Congress who had authored the notice. “Our vision is not narrow, as the Congress has alleged. Our focus is like that of Arjun in the Mahabharata. Our vision is ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas, sabka prayas’,” Saini said, taking a swipe at Raghuvir Singh Kadian, who had initiated the debate.

“We have been continuously working to uplift every section of society. We are burning the midnight oil to fulfil the aspirations of the people, ensuring last-mile delivery and smiles on the faces of those standing last in the queue,” Saini said, reeling out statistics to counter the Congress’ contention of deteriorating law and order.

“We are taking very tough action against those involved in crime,” Saini said, adding that while the Congress claimed people were unhappy, the reality was that the party was frustrated over its failure to return to power. He reiterated the government’s resolve to provide jobs strictly on merit.

Earlier, Congress leader Kadian kicked off the debate, while Hooda and several other Congress leaders who spoke on the motion stated that the Saini government had lost the trust of every section of the people of the state. CLP leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda alleged that through mismanagement, the government had transformed “loktantra” into “tantralok”.

“An atmosphere of fear and corruption prevails in the state. Murder, rape, extortion and dacoity have become commonplace. The police are helpless. The suicides of senior police officers expose the gravity of the situation,” Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal said.

The Congress said that due to unemployment, youths were risking their lives and migrating abroad, while government recruitments were not taking place.

“The people of Haryana are exhausted by the system and want to get rid of this government. Hence, this no-confidence motion,” Congress leaders said. They alleged that during elections, fake ration cards were created to add beneficiaries and later cancelled. “Such tactics have led to the loss of public trust,” the Congress added.

The BJP fielded its top leaders to launch a counterattack. Parliamentary affairs minister Mahipal Dhanda recounted the achievements of the government and described the Congress’ no-confidence motion as an eyewash and an attempt to mislead people. “Our performance speaks for itself and people are rewarding us for our performance,” Dhanda said, countering the Congress’ “vote chori” allegations.

“This government enjoys the absolute confidence of the House and the people of the state,” irrigation minister Shruti Choudhry said, questioning the relevance of the no-confidence motion.

“I am unable to decipher the rationale behind this no-confidence motion against our 14-month-old government, which has a majority,” cabinet minister Rao Narbir Singh said, adding that people were fed up with Congress’ vote theft allegations.

INLD slams BJP, Cong

INLD legislator Aditya Devilal attacked both the ruling BJP and the Congress. “This is a no-confidence motion behind which is Hooda and not the Congress. By this motion, Hooda has attempted to wash his sins of helping the BJP form the government,” he said, questioning why the Congress did not seek the INLD’s support. Calling those behind the motion dishonest, he walked out of the House.

INLD member Arjun Chautala said those who had signed the no-confidence motion were absent. “That shows the seriousness of the motion,” he said.

Congress MLA Kuldeep Vats countered the INLD’s insinuations, saying the verbal attack on Hooda proved his strength and relevance, with 37 MLAs standing “like a rock” behind him.