No confidence motion against Modi government rejected in Indian Parliament

REUTERS - After 12-hour-long debate, the motion of no-confidence against Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi's government moved by the opposition was defeated by voice and division vote on Friday (July 20). Speaker of the Indian Parliament, Sumitra Mahajan tabled the motion for a voice vote first, after which she ruled that the treasury benches have won the poll. Following this, the division vote was recorded with the help of automatic vote recording system. The Modi government sailed through the vote with 325 votes. The Opposition gathered 126 votes against the government. The heated debate saw much of the drama as the opposition parties surrounded the ruling party from all sides. Earlier in the day, Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi created a flutter in parliament on Friday, giving Prime Minister Narendra Modi a surprise hug during a heated debate and said he had nothing but love for his bitter political foe. During his speech, Modi attacked the opposition and said that in reality, it was Gandhi's 'trial' for support from his allies in the opposition for 2019 nation-wide elections, in the guise of the no-confidence motion. The ruling BJP is setting up next year's vote as a presidential-style contest between the experienced Modi with long years of service in government against Gandhi, portrayed as a political novice handed the reins of his Congress party because of the accident of birth.