The much-awaited debate on the no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government began today with both the opposition parties and the ruling NDA coalition putting forward their arguments for and against the motion.
 
The debate on the trust motion will continue for the next three days and it will culminate with a reply by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expected to be given on Thursday.
 
Initiating the debate, Congress Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, who moved the motion, accused Prime Minister Modi of taking a "vow of silence" on issues such as the ethnic violence in Manipur and Chinese incursions, and said opposition parties were forced to bring a no-confidence motion against the government to make him speak up.
 
Gogoi posed of three questions focused on Manipur — why the prime minister had not visited Manipur, why it took 80 days to break the silence on the state and why he had not sacked Chief Minister N Biren Singh.
 
Gogoi also put forward three demands, saying the opposition wanted Modi to visit Manipur, lead an all-party delegation to the north-eastern state and make sincere efforts to restore peace by meeting various organisations there.
 
Gogoi gave a list of the reasons for Modi's silence. He alleged, "It was because the state government failed to deal with the ethnic violence in Manipur and the Home Department and the National Security Advisor failed to handle the situation.
 
"The third reason for the prime minister's silence is that he does not like to accept his mistakes. He will never accept publicly that his state government has failed. He prefers to remain silent than accept mistakes."
 
Parties of the opposition grouping Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance were forced to bring the no-confidence motion as this was never about numbers but about justice for Manipur, he said.
 
"If Manipur is burning, entire India is burning, if Manipur is divided, the country is divided. It was our demand that as the leader of the country, Prime Minister Modi should come to the House and speak about Manipur. However, he kept a 'maun vrat' (vow of silence) that he will neither speak in the Lok Sabha nor in the Rajya Sabha," the Congress MP from Assam said. 
 
"Through the no-confidence motion we want to break his vow of silence," he said.
 
Gogoi said he would like to ask the prime minister why he had not gone to Manipur, when Rahul Gandhi had gone as had Home Minister Amit Shah and the minister of state for home (Nityanand Rai).
 
Participating in the debate, Nishikant Dubey of BJP slammed the opposition parties for bringing a no-confidence motion against the government, saying this is a no-trust vote against a "poor person's son" who has worked for the welfare of the people.
 
Dubey said Prime Minister Modi has stated that this is not a no-confidence motion against the government but it has been brought by the opposition to test the confidence of its own alliance members in each other.
 
Dubey took a swipe at the opposition parties, saying they were fighting among themselves and called themselves INDIA.
 
In a dig at Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, who were both present in the House, Dubey said she was following the traditional Indian woman's way of "Bete ko set karna hai, damaad ko bhent karna hai (Has to establish her son, and gift to her son-in-law)".
 
In another dig at Rahul Gandhi, Dubey also said that the former Congress president was expected to initiate the debate but did not do so last minute as "probably he got up late".
 
The BJP MP said when the prime minister talks about 'parivaarvaad' it does not mean that someone cannot take up the profession of his or her parents but about dynastic approach.
   
Saugata Roy of Trinamool Congress charged that Prime Minister Modi is destroying federalism in the country.
 
He claimed that the NDA government is of the "heartless". Supriya Sule of NCP also demanded the resignation of Chief Minister N Biren Singh.
 
Congress's Gaurav Gogoi also wondered why the Manipur chief minister has not been replaced so far. He said while chief ministers of BJP-ruled Gujarat and Tripura were changed, no such thing has happened in Manipur.
 
BJP ally Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) MP Shrikant Shinde tore into the Uddhav Thackeray faction for "abandoning" Hindutva and Bal Thackeray's ideology and even recited the Hanuman Chalisa in Lok Sabha as his party opposed the no-confidence motion against the Modi government.
 
Participating in the debate, Shinde said the Uddhav Thackrey faction of Shiv Sena "cheated" voters as they had gone to polls with the BJP in 2019 but later the alliance was broken.
 
Shinde said that the opposition brought the no-confidence motion against the government in 2018 but the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) came back with more Members. "Today once again the Opposition has brought a no-confidence motion, this time NDA will cross 400," he said.
 
Opposition DMK member TR Baalu invoked BJP veteran Atal Bihari Vajpayee to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi and reminded him of 'rajdharma', as it accused him of taking a "vow of silence" over crucial issues such as the ethnic violence in Manipur.
   
The DMK leader said he is supporting the no-confidence motion because "we want to kill evil".
 
The Biju Janata Dal of Odisha has opposed the no-confidence motion against the Modi government, saying what happened in Manipur is due to "legacy issues" running back several decades and not something that happened in the last 10 years.
 
Participating in the debate, BJD MP Pinaki Misra said any motion brought by the Congress goes without saying that the BJD cannot support it.
 
"So let me make it clear we oppose this motion because of the fact that it has been brought by the Congress party. But there are many other compelling reasons. This is a misplaced motion," he said.
 
He also said that it is not clear how useful a step to impose president's rule in Manipur would be.
 
"If the president's rule was imposed there I am not sure if it would have worked too. So the central government was confronted with a hobson's choice and all political parties should have considered it. The need of the hour is to speak in one voice and not fractious tone," he said.
 
Misra also said that what happened in Manipur is seen everywhere where there is strife and conflict.
 
Intervening in the debate, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Congress and other opposition parties have brought the no-confidence motion against the Modi Government at a "wrong time and in a wrong manner."
 
The Minister said at a time when Prime Minister Modi has emerged as the world leader and the country was marching ahead to become a developed nation by 2047 and there was no need for such a motion against the government.
 
Instead, he said, the opposition should join hands with the government to celebrate 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' and work towards achieving the target set by the Prime Minister for the next 25 years.
 
"Congress and opposition parties will regret for bringing in no-confidence motion at a wrong time and in a wrong manner," the minister said.
 
He urged the opposition parties to be "a part of this great journey to make India a developed country," as he recalled the achievements of the Modi government in various fields including economy, sports and space technology.
 
The Minister further said that Chandrayan-3 is in its final stages and will land on the south pole of the moon on August 23.
 
Rijiju also urged the members not to speak against the country in foreign universities as it only supports the domestic eco-system which is against India.
 
Talking about the European Parliament resolution on developments in Manipur, the minister said India is strong enough to deal with domestic issues and no foreign power needs to interfere in the affairs of the country. 
 
Referring to the issues facing the North-East, Rijiju said it was the Modi government which paid special focus in the region and today rail lines are being laid in several parts of the region. The prime minister wants the north-east to become an engine of growth, he added. <><>                                           
Parliament has approved the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023, and the National Dental Commission Bill, 2023, which are aimed at further improving the quality of education in the healthcare sector.
   
Lok Sabha had passed these two bills on July 28. With Rajya Sabha's approval, the parliamentary process regarding the proposed legislations has been completed.
   
The two bills piloted by Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya were passed by voice vote after a brief discussion.
   
The National Dental Commission Bill seeks to repeal the Dentists Act, 1948, and proposes to set up the National Dental Commission to regulate dental education and the profession. It also aims at making dental education affordable and quality oral healthcare accessible.
   
The National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023, aims at setting up the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission (NNMC) and repealing the Indian Nursing Council Act, 1947.
   
The Bill provides for regulation and maintenance of standards of education and services by nursing and midwifery professionals, assessment of institutions, maintenance of a national register as well as state registers.
   
Replying to the discussion, the health minister said these legislations are aimed at meeting the present and future domestic as well as global requirements in the health sector.
   
The Minister also announced that the government would soon be coming out with a pharmacy commission.
   
He also highlighted the steps taken by the Narendra Modi government in the last nine years for the holistic growth of the health sector. Mandaviya said the number of MBBS seats have increased from 54,000 to 1.07 lakh in the last nine years. Number of MBBS colleges too have significantly increased, he said.
   
The Minister said this year, 54 medical colleges in the private and public sectors have been approved.
   
He said informed that the government has decided to establish a nursing college along with each medical college. For this, the government would provide 10 crore rupees, Mandaviya said.
   
With the growing demand for Indian nurses in foreign countries, he said nursing students will also be taught a foreign language as a second language so that their employability prospects will improve.
   
Parliament also passed the Interservices Organisations (Command, Control and Discipline) Bill, 2023, which seeks to provide the commander-in-chief and officer-in-command of inter-services organisations disciplinary and administrative powers over personnel from other forces serving in such establishments.
   
The Bill was cleared in Rajya Sabha by a voice vote. Lok Sabha had passed it on 4th of August.
   
In reply to the discussion on the Bill, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said India is fully prepared to face any type of warfare and the country's defence spending can be increased to 5 to 6 per cent of GDP if needed.
   
Singh also said filling vacancies in the armed forces is a continuous process. The country's maritime interest is fully protected and there is no reason for the house to worry about it, he said. He also assured the house by saying the country is fully prepared for any type of warfare."
   
This preparedness will continue going forward, Singh asserted: On low defence spending and vacancies in armed forces, he reiterated that for India's security and to protect the country's pride, all efforts have been made to ensure there are no shortcomings in any form.
   
Singh also said defence spending need not be capped at only 3 to 4 per cent of GDP, if needed 5 to 6 per cent of GDP can be spent on defence.
   
Discussion on the Bill continued in the absence of the opposition members who staged a walkout.
   
Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, Lt Gen D P Vats and Ashok Bajpai all BJP, Sujeet Kumar of BJD, Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar of TDP, M Thambidurai of AIADMK, V Vijayasai Reddy of YSR Congress Party and GK Vasan of TMC-M took part in the discussion.
   
Parliament also passed the Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which seeks to entrust the management accountability of the IIMs with the President, who will be the Visitor to the premier B-schools and have powers to audit their functioning and remove or appoint directors.
   
The Rajya Sabha cleared the Bill, which aims at strengthening the governance and oversight of the prestigious institutions while preserving their academic autonomy, by a voice vote. Lok Sabha had already cleared the bill on August 4.
   
Replying to a debate on the Bill in Rajya Sabha, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the government has no intention to take away the academic accountability from the institute but the Bill will only ensure its management accountability. He noted that the Centre has spent more than 6,000 crore rupees in setting up the IIMs.
   
Under the IIM Act, which came into force in January 2018 and granted the premier B-schools greater autonomy, the board of governors of each institute has 19 members, including just one representative each from the central and state governments.
   
The board nominates its remaining 17 members from among eminent personalities, faculty and alumni. The board also appoints the search panels for the appointment of new directors and chairpersons, and later makes the appointments if it agrees with the search panels' recommendations.
   
With opposition members staging a walkout from the House. Anil Agrawal of BJP, Masthan Rao Beeda of YSRCP, M Thambidurai of AIADMK and Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar of TDP, participated in the discussion.
   
Rajya Sabha today witnessed high drama over the suspension of Derek O'Brien of Trinamool Congress with the Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar first announcing that he has to withdraw from the House, but later said the motion to suspend him was not put to vote and hence he could continue to attend the proceedings.
   
O'Brien was allowed to attend the House proceedings after Rajya Sabha Chairman said he has taken a far-sighted decision to not allow voting on the motion to suspend him which did not fructify. 
   
The Chairman had earlier in the day announced the suspension of the TMC leader for his unruly behaviour in the House after the leader of the house Piyush Goyal moved a motion in this regard.
   
Several members, including Pramod Tiwari of Congress, urged the Chair to take a lenient view on O'Brien, but the Chairman asked why he should show leniency. 
   
Earlier in the day, the Chairman asked Goyal to move the motion against the TMC MP. Goyal said he wished to move a motion for the suspension of Derek O'Brien for the remainder of the session for continuously disrupting the proceedings of the House and disobeying the Chair.
   
The Chairman then announced, Derek O'Brien is directed to leave the House. He is suspended for the rest of the session", as he announced adjournment of the House till 12 noon.
   
When the Upper House met again, he sought views of the members on whether they approved the behaviour of Derek O'Brien.
   
Goyal later said he regretted on behalf of the member and urged the TMC member concerned to also express regret.
   
Mukul Wasnik and Jairam Ramesh of Congress raised the issue of Manipur, saying the government has not found a middle path on the matter.
   
The Chairman asked members to reflect on the "indecorous" behaviour of the TMC MP in the House.
   
When asked to reflect on O'Brien's behaviour, Ramesh said the Chair is supreme and he is the custodian of the House. Senior Congress leader Digivijaya Singh used the words of former leader of opposition Arun Jaitley and said going in the well was stated as a legitimate opposition strategy and the right of the opposition to protest.
   
The Chairman replied, "… after deep immediate deliberation, I did not take the sense of the House earlier. If I had really fructified the process, Derek O'Brien would have been out of the House. In my wisdom, I thought I must not take to that conclusion at that point of time. But when I gave him an opportunity here again, the conduct is for all of you to see and I need your guidance."
   
Goyal said this is not the first instance that such behaviour of O'Brien has been seen in the House and he has been requested several times that whatever he wants to say he can do so in a more courteous manner.
   
The Chairman said the situation is being watched by everyone and asked K C Venugopal of Congress to guide the House. The Chairman said he least expected him of such behaviour.
   
Venugopal said the anger was not aimed at him but came out of the mental pain in the House.
   
The Rajya Sabha was adjourned twice today in the pre-lunch period amid uproar in the House over a media report on Chinese funding to a news portal to spread propaganda against India.
   
Sudhanshu Trivedi of BJP raised the issue and questioned the Congress party for its alleged links with the portal. He raised the matter of a US media report alleging that web portal "NewsClick" received Chinese funding to spread propaganda against India.
   
Trivedi asked the Congress about its alleged links with the portal, saying the party supported it when the Enforcement Directorate conducted raids on it.
   
Amid the din created by opposition members over the charge, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar adjourned the house till 12.45 pm.
   
Trivedi said there are certain things which have come in The New York Times about propaganda spread against India. Leader of the House Piyush Goyal alleged that they are indulging in a conspiracy against India and there should be a discussion on this.