DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Nayab Singh Saini-led BJP government in Haryana on Wednesday won the confidence motion by voice vote in the state assembly here, a day after he took oath as the new chief minister. Five of the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) MLAs left the House when the trust vote was taken up during the assembly's special session.

The JJP, which was part of the previous Khattar government, had issued a whip, asking its 10 legislators to remain absent from the Assembly during voting on the confidence motion. Speaker Gian Chand Gupta put the trust motion for voting by voice vote which the Saini government won. Former state home minister and senior BJP leader Anil Vij, who had left in a huff the party meeting where Saini was picked up chief minister on Tuesday, was present in the House.

During the voice vote, besides JJP's 10 MLAs, lone legislator of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) was also not present in the House.

JJP MLAs Devender Singh Babli, Ram Kumar Gautam, Ishwar Singh, Ram Niwas and Jogi Ram Sihag left the House when the trust vote was taken up. Congress members asked Speaker Gupta to conduct voting through secret ballot but he refused saying there was no provision in the rules for the same.

Earlier, Saini had moved a motion to seek a vote of confidence in the assembly. A two-hour discussion took place on the motion.

Speaking in the House, Saini said, "Our government not only has the trust of the MLAs, but we also have trust of the people of Haryana." The BJP having 41 MLAs on its own was comfortably placed even without support of the JJP. Besides JJP's 10 MLAs, INLD member and one Congress member were also not present which reduced the strength of the House to 78. In the 90-member state assembly, the BJP also enjoys the support of six of the seven independents as well as of lone Haryana Lokhit Party MLA Gopal Kanda. The main opposition Congress has 30 MLAs.

The BJP named Saini as Haryana's new chief minister on Tuesday, hours after the surprise resignation of Manohar Lal Khattar from the post along with his cabinet ministers.

During the discussion on the trust vote, Chief Minister Saini praised Khattar for the works undertaken during his nine-year-long tenure.

He said it is his first day in the House as Chief Minister and Leader of the House. Saini also recalled his days when he was a member of the House during 2014-2019. "During that time I was told that I had to contest Lok Sabha polls. At that time, I was a minister in the Haryana government. When the party desired that I contest LS polls, I abided by that.

"When the party entrusted me with the new responsibility, I am here to take up the latest assignment," he said.

The new chief minister said he comes from an ordinary background and no other member from his family is in politics. "The BJP gave me a great honour. The party made an ordinary member its state unit president and then entrusted with the responsibility of chief minister. This is possible only in the BJP," he said.

Before the chief minister moved the confidence motion, Congress MLAs sought to know from Speaker Gupta about the urgency of convening the Assembly session.

"There was no emergency," senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda said and claimed that proper time was not given to the MLAs. Party MLA B B Batra asked, "What was the urgency of convening the session?" On this, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kanwar Pal said the opposition should appreciate "our sincerity that we are seeking trust vote within 24 hours after the new CM took oath". Pointing towards opposition benches, he said there was a time when several days used to be given to prove majority which was a clear cut indication of then government indulging in horse trading.

On the leadership change, he said, "tyag ki rajneeti" is possible only in the BJP, not in the Congress.

Participating in the discussion, Hooda said it is for the first time that a party (JJP) is issuing whip to its members to remain absent from the House. "What does this mean? This shows that both BJP and JJP are hand-in-glove," he said.

The JJP members should have been present and voted against this government, but people know what they are doing, said Hooda.

This is a stop-gap arrangement, he said, while claiming Saini is playing the role of "night watchman".

Don't deceive the public, dissolve the House and seek fresh mandate, demanded Hooda.

Independent MLA Ranjit Singh Chautala, a minister in the Saini Cabinet, said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become 'Jannayak' (mass leader). The situation in the Congress is such that their leaders are disillusioned and are leaving the party." Independent MLA Nayan Pal Rawat said "yashvasi and tapsvi" former chief minister Khattar worked for welfare of various sections including the poor and downtrodden.
(editor@dailyworld.in)