The no-confidence motion moved by the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against the Congress

government in Chhattisgarh was defeated by voice vote in Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly in the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.

The debate over the no confidence motion was held till over 13 hours. The debate began at around 12.10 pm on Wednesday and it concluded at 1:27 pm on Thursday after which Speaker Dr Charan Das Mahant adjourned the House sine die. Leader of Opposition in Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly Dharamlal Kaushik presented charge-sheet as part of no confidence motion against Baghel-led Government. The Opposition BJP presented an 84-point charge-sheet against the Congress Government.

The House witnessed a stormy debate over the motion as the opposition BJP and Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (Jogi) targeted the Congress government over its alleged corruption, non-fulfilment of its poll promises and ‘infighting in the Congress government while the ruling Congress party rejected the charges claiming the opposition BJP has no issue to raise. The proceedings of the House were suspended at least three times during the debate on the no confidence motion.

Speaking at the Assembly, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said that the Congress government has worked for the welfare of labourers, farmers, tribals, women and common people. Leader of Opposition Dharamlal Kaushik said that corruption and crime was at peak in the Congress rule in the state and the Congress government failed on all fronts.

Initiating the debate, Raipur South BJP MLA Brijmohan Agrawal pulled up the Congress government and said the no-trust motion was brought as a Cabinet Minister had himself expressed no confidence in Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. Neither the Chief Minister has confidence in his cabinet colleagues, nor the administration has faith in the government, he claimed. “Why didn’t the chief minister expel that minister? The Chief Minister does not have the courage. Even the minister did not have courage and wanted to stick to the cabinet,” Agrawal claimed.

Agrawal also levelled allegations against the government on several fronts.

Amid interruptions by the ruling party MLAs, the BJP said he has been a member of the assembly for the last 33 years and had participated in at least 10 debates on the no-confidence motion although he had never faced this kind of disruption. Refuting the charges, Chhattisgarh Congress Chief and Kondagaon MLA Mohan Markam said the state government has fulfilled 30 out of its 36 poll promises in the last three-and-a-half years. He highlighted the government’s achievements and said the Congress government had waived the loans of farmers, provided Rs 2,500 per quintal to farmers against procuring their paddy on support price. The Congress said in the House that the unemployment rate has significantly declined in Chhattisgarh. The BJP in its charge-sheet alleged that the Income Tax Department had conducted raids at the premises of a coal trader, who is close to the ruling Congress party and other persons, and unearthed illegal money collection on coal transportation in State. The BJP also claimed scams in different schemes and departments in the state government. Kurud BJP MLA Ajay Chandrakar’s remark that the holiday declared on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples was politically motivated, drew criticism from the tribal MLAs of the Congress party. The tribal Congress MLAs demanded an apology from Chandrakar claiming his remarks as insult to the tribals. On the direction of the Chair, Ajay Chandrakar said if his statement given inside or outside the House has hurt anyone, he wholeheartedly apologise for it. BJP MLAs Punnulal Mohile, Ranjana Dipendra Sahu, Shivratan Sharma, Ajay Chandrakar, JCC (Jogi) MLA Dharamjeet Singh and other MLAS of the opposition parties also participated in the debate and accused Bhupesh Baghel government. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ravindra Choubey, Culture Minister Amarjeet Bhagat, Congress MLAs Dhanendra Sahu, Shailesh Pandey, Culture Minister Amarjeet Bhagat and other MLAs of the ruling party highlighted the achievements of the Congress government within three and a half years in the state participating in the debate. The Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly has 71 Congress MLAs, 14 BJP MLAs, 3 JCC (Jogi) MLAs and two Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLAs.