The Manohar Lal Khattar government on Wednesday comfortably defeated the no-confidence motion brought by the Congress, as expected, after the Speaker disallowed the Opposition’s appeal for a secret ballot.
While moving the motion, in the backdrop of the farmers’ protests that the BJP-JJP government in Haryana has tried its best to thwart, the Congress had said its aim was to “expose” the MLAs who are not standing with farmers.
“The government has been exposed. I had said they would get majority as they had issued a whip.… Had there been secret voting, the results would have been different,” former Congress chief minister and incumbent leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda said.
The government secured 55 votes and the Opposition 32. The BJP has 40 MLAs, including the Speaker, and ally JJP has 10. Five Independents and the lone Haryana Lokhit Party MLA voted with the government.
Two Independents who had withdrawn support to the government on the farmers’ issue voted for the no-confidence motion. As did all 30 of the Congress MLAs.
The current strength of the Assembly is 88.
The BJP had been confident of sailing through because MLAs would not dare to risk disqualification by violating the party whip. Further, most MLAs had been promised posts helming various boards and corporations, sources said. Since ministerial berths are limited, boards and corporations are used to check defections by MLAs.
One JJP MLA who had before the voting called on his party to quit the alliance, Devender Babli, protested because he was not allowed to speak during the debate.
He, however, voted with his party.
Khattar brought up the strikes against Pakistan, the border face-off with China and Rahul Gandhi’s recent statement about politics in Kerala being centred on issues. He claimed his government had been retrained in its handling of the farmers’ protests.
Farmers resolute
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), which is spearheading the farmers’ movement against the three new laws, said in a statement: “The anti-farmer face of the JJP, which describes themselves as a party belonging to the farming community, has been completely exposed.”
Earlier, addressing a media conference at the Singhu border soon after the Khattar government survived the no-confidence vote, Vikas Sisar of the Bharatiya Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, Haryana, condemned the BJP and JJP MLAs for their doublespeak and said the farmers of the state would step up their boycott of these legislators.
“As it is many of them were unable to move around the state; we will make it even more difficult for them,” he said, urging people to ensure that the leaders cannot enter villages.
While the Haryana farmers had been hopeful of being able to force some JJP MLAs to cross over, many in the SKM leadership were not surprised by the result. Buta Singh Burjgill said farmers were prepared for the long haul.
The SKM has given a call for a Bharat Bandh on March 26 to mark four months of their protest at Delhi’s borders, followed by the burning of copies of the three farm laws for Holika Dahan to symbolise the victory of good over evil.
