On a day when two notices for a no-confidence motion against the government were submitted in parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comment from 2019 has gone viral, with many in the ruling BJP considering it a "prediction."
In a video dated 7th February 2019, during a debate on the President's speech in the Budget session, the Prime Minister can be heard saying that the opposition should be prepared for another no-confidence motion in 2023. He was referring to his government's successful defeat of a similar motion the previous year.
PM Modi said in Lok Sabha, "I want to offer my best wishes... prepare so much that you get a chance to bring a no-confidence motion again in 2023," which garnered laughter and applause from the ruling party MPs.
Taking a jibe at the opposition, he continued, "This is Samarpan Bhav (service) that from two (MPs) we are sitting here (in power). And the result of ahankar (arrogance) is that from 400, you have come down to 40. Look where you are today..." Although he did not explicitly mention the Congress, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and other senior party leaders were present when PM Modi made these comments.
In 2018, the government won a no-confidence vote moved by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) of N Chandrababu Naidu and backed by several opposition parties.
Government sources shared a video of PM Modi's statement, calling it his "prediction."
Now, the Congress has once again filed a no-confidence motion against the Modi government amid an ongoing deadlock over Manipur. Although the motion, supported by the INDIA coalition of opposition parties, is likely to be defeated in Lok Sabha, where the government holds a significant majority, leaders state that the move is aimed at compelling PM Modi to address the situation in Manipur.
The current ethnic clashes in Manipur have been a crucial reason for the continuous logjam in Parliament since the Monsoon Session began on July 20. Just a day before the session, a horrifying video of two women paraded naked by a mob in Manipur went viral, sparking nationwide outrage.
Additionally, a separate no-confidence motion has been filed by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), which is not part of the 'I.N.D.I.A' coalition.