Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP Govt Wins Trust Vote with 54 MLAs Support
By : Avinash Prabhakar
Update: 2024-02-17 17:32 GMT
New Delhi: The Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government on Saturday won the motion of confidence through a voice vote, with a total of 54 MLAs of the party present during the voting in the ongoing budget session of the Delhi Assembly. The Opposition BJP said that the "motion of confidence" was brought to divert attention from corruption. And the Kejriwal government has lost public faith.
Out of a total of 62 AAP MLAs, only 54 were present in the House during the voting on the motion of confidence, as its two MLAs are in jail, two were unwell, three were out of station and one was absent because of family reasons.
Claiming that no AAP MLAs defected, Mr Kejriwal said, "The AAP is the biggest challenger to the BJP and that is why it is under attack from all sides."
The Delhi chief minister said that despite the AAP government's majority in the House, it brought a motion of confidence because the BJP was trying to poach party MLAs and topple his government.
Speaking during the debate, Mr Kejriwal said that even if the BJP wins this year's Lok Sabha polls, the AAP will "liberate" the country from the saffron party in the 2029 elections.
The chief minister said that the BJP thought it could finish the AAP by arresting him. "You may arrest me, but how will you finish Kejriwal's thoughts?" he asked.
He also alleged that the BJP, through its control over the services department and the bureaucracy, was obstructing the work of his government.
"They claim to be Ram Bhakt, but they stopped medicines for the poor people in our hospitals. Did Lord Ram ask for stopping medicines for the poor people?" he said.
Mr Kejriwal said he has faced attacks in the past, been slapped, had ink thrown at him and now the BJP wants him to be arrested. "There are many Abhimanyus here who will come out of their chakravuh of deceit," he said.
Since seven of the eight BJP legislators were suspended for the remainder of the session for allegedly interfering during the lieutenant-governor's address on Thursday, Leader of Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri was the only Opposition MLA who was present in the House during the trust vote.
He said there was no need for the confidence motion as the AAP government enjoys a majority in the House. "But the chief minister has lost the confidence of the people of Delhi," Mr Bidhuri said.
"There are many serious allegations of corruption against the government and it has failed on many fronts," said the Leader of the Opposition, calling Mr Kejriwal and his minister Atishi's non-cooperation with a police enquiry on the BJP's complaint over their MLA poaching allegations ridiculous.