Naveen Patnaik's Party On Why It Can't Support No-Confidence Motion

As a debate on the no-confidence motion against the BJP-led government brought by opposition alliance I.N.D.I.A started on Tuesday, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) did not support the motion, saying that it would be "resoundingly defeated".

BJD MP Pinaki Misra said that his party cannot support the no-trust motion as the Central government has done many things for Odisha.

"I cannot support a No-Confidence Motion against a Central Government today, even though we are against the BJP as a political party...I am grateful for the many things that the Central Government has done for Odisha which is why, in any case, I am unable to persuade myself on behalf of my party and leader to support a No Confidence Motion today which has been brought by the Congress party," BJP MP Misra said in Lok Sabha.

He further said that the motion which was brought by the Congress will not benefit the party.

“I have no doubt that the no-confidence motion against the PM Modi-led government will be resoundingly defeated and it will be rejected. I think it will not at all benefit the Congress to have brought this motion at this point of time," he added. 

The debate on the no-confidence motion was initiated by Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, with heated exchanges between the opposition and treasury benches.

Further, hitting out at the Congress party, BJP MP Pinaki Misra said that the grand old party is “adept” at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

"...I have always believed that the Congress party is adept at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. They are also very adept at cutting their nose to spite their face. They know that every time the PM has got up to speak on the Floor of this House, he has pushed the Congress party through the shredder...This defies common sense, logic, political sense,” he said.

As the Opposition parties are demanding a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Manipur issue inside the Parliament, Misra said, “People of this country will decide if the PM has chosen not to speak whether that was right or wrong. You have to take the case to the people.”

Notably, the motion was brought on July 26.

However, PM Modi's government won't lose the vote as his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies have a majority in parliament.

But opposition leaders say the debate will force PM Modi to speak on ongoing ethnic clashes in Manipur state.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)