PM returns 'compliment' after Rahul jhappi

NEW DELHI: The Narendra Modi government won the vote of confidence in Lok Sabha by a comfortable margin at the end of a marathon, 12-hour debate session that saw the Prime Minister tear into the Congress and its chief Rahul Gandhi.

Earlier, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday hugged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and later appeared to wink in some dramatic moments in the Lok Sabha, capping his blistering attack on the BJP mascot, accusing him of being a bhagidar' (collaborator) in corruption and not a 'chowkidar' and saying people were victims of his 'jumla' strikes.

Gandhi's no-holds-barred attack at Modi on a range of issues including the controversial Rafale jet deal in his hour-long speech during a debate on the no-confidence motion against the government often sparked loud protests from the treasury benches, but it was his walk across the green-carpeted Well of House at the end to hug Modi that left almost everyone, not the least the prime minister, surprised.

Modi shook Gandhi's hands but ignored his call to stand so that he could hug the BJP leader.

The Congress chief, however, embraced him as he remained seated.

Modi initially looked nonplussed and did not stand up to hug him, but recovered quickly and called Gandhi back and patted him on the back. He also appeared to say a few words, which were inaudible

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan later disapproved of his conduct, saying it was against the parliamentary decorum.

Mahajan said she was not opposed to Gandhi's hug but felt dignity must be

maintained when it involved the prime minister.

Later in the evening, PM Modi gave a point-by-point rebuttal to the attack. He also took on Rahul's mother Sonia Gandhi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, whose party had moved the no-confidence motion.

The government got the backing of 325 members, compared to the 126 who supported the motion. The halfway mark stood at 226 after Naveen Patnaik's BJD, Telangana Rashtra Samithi and BJP ally Shiv Sena skipped the voting.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi showcased the achievements of his government - electrification of 18,000 villages, healthcare for all, LPG for the poor, initiatives for farmers, One-rank one pension for soldiers, the flagship Goods and Services Tax and the strengthening of the economy.

Targetting Sonia Gandhi over her recent statement on the numerical strength of the parties supporting the no-confidence motion, PM Modi said he was reminded of 1999 when she joined other parties to challenge the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

"She stood outside Rashtrapati Bhavan and said, 'we have 272, and more are joining us'. She destabilised Atal-Ji's government and never formed one herself," he said.

Taking on Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on Rafale, PM Modi said, "They raised Rafale issue, and I was surprised... Due to one careless allegation in the House on Rafale, both nations had to release statements. Does this childish behaviour befit anybody?"

Before the no-trust debate started, there were many political twists for the BJP. The party had claimed the support of estranged ally Shiv Sena, which decided to stay away from the debate on chief Uddhav Thackeray's orders.Naveen Patnaik's BJD walked out, reducing the strength of the house and the majority mark.

PM Modi tweeted on Friday morning, calling for a "constructive, comprehensive and disruption-free" debate on what he said was an important day in India's parliamentary democracy. "India will be watching us closely," he wrote.

The no-confidence motion has been brought by Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party to push its demand for special status for Andhra Pradesh, which would involve extensive financial benefits. Naidu had quit the NDA earlier this year over this issue.