The Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government in Chhattisgarh on Saturday survived a no-confidence motion moved by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on the last day of the monsoon session of the state assembly. The motion fell by a voice vote after 13 hours of debate late at 1 a.m.
The Congress has 71 members in the 90-member assembly, while the BJP has 13 MLAs in the house.
stormy debate
The debate, which began soon after noon on Friday, saw the BJP present a 109-point “charge sheet” against the Baghel government, accusing it of corruption and failure to fulfill poll promises.
On Friday, the proceedings of the House began in the afternoon, in which there was a stormy debate. BJP presented a 109-point ‘charge sheet’ against the Baghel government. Opposition members hit out at the Congress government over alleged scams, non-fulfilment of its election promises and the “deteriorating” law and order situation.
The Treasury Bench dismissed the allegations, claiming that the opposition failed to come up with any concrete issue and its chargesheet lacked facts.
‘Lack of facts in opposition charge sheet’
Reacting to the heated debate on the no-confidence motion in the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said that there is a lack of facts in the charge sheet of the opposition. He said in a democracy, the opposition has the “right to express no confidence” in the government while the ruling party has the opportunity to highlight its achievements. The Chief Minister said, “The opposition has made 109 allegations and has not given any facts.”
The CM said, “Five years ago when Singh Deo brought the no-confidence motion, he had mentioned the facts.” He said that the opposition lacks people to mention facts. Further attacking the BJP, Baghel said that the world’s largest party, as they claim, does not have any person to cite facts in the charge sheet.
Shortly before the CM concluded his speech, BJP members started raising slogans against the government claiming that it had failed to respond to the opposition’s allegations and walked out of the House.
Criticizing the Centre, Baghel said that the Enforcement Directorate has been given enormous powers which is not in the interest of the country. “I strongly oppose the move to give powers to the ED to investigate matters related to GST,” he said.
‘The Baghel government has become deaf and dumb’
Initiating the debate, BJP MLA Brijmohan Agarwal hit out at the Congress and said the no-confidence motion has been brought because this government has become “deaf and dumb” and a “murderer of democracy”. He said that the atrocities committed by the Baghel government on the youth have gone beyond even the British rulers.
He referred to the removal of Mohan Markam as the chief of the Chhattisgarh unit of the Congress, inducting him into the Baghel-led cabinet, and the removal of minister Premsai Singh Tekam from the cabinet.
(with inputs from agencies)