Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday questioned the character of the opposition alliance, saying its true face was seen when it indulged in corruption to save its governments.
Intervening in the debate on the no-confidence motion against the government, Mr Shah in Lok Sabha said when the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee faced a no-trust vote in 1999, he chose to step down instead of indulging in corruption to save his government.
"The character of political parties and alliances is revealed in such times of crises. UPA's character is to indulge in corruption to save the government by hook or by crook, while the BJP-led NDA's character is to stand up to the principles," Shah said.
He said the then prime minister P V Narasimha Rao had faced a no-confidence motion in 1993 and the Congress then chose to remain in power by hook or by crook.
"Narasimha Rao won the trust vote, but Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) members had to go to jail. Later, Narasimha Rao also went to jail... today, the Congress and the JMM are sitting in the opposition in the Lok Sabha," he said.
"In 2008, Manmohan (Singh) ji brought the confidence motion, this House saw its most disgraceful moments when MPs were bribed in crores of rupees and the government was saved. This is the character of the UPA," the BJP leader said.
Mr Shah said opposition parties do not have confidence in the government, but the people of the nation think otherwise.
"Post independence, if the nation has confidence in any leader, it is Narendra Modi who was elected twice with complete majority. After 30 years, people elected a full majority government," the minister said.
Mr Shah said he had heard the speeches of opposition leaders and has reached the conclusion that this no-confidence motion was brought in the House only to create confusion.
On the Quit India movement's anniversary, the prime minister has given the slogan -- 'Corruption Quit India, Dynasty Quit India and Appeasement Quit India', he said.
"Modi has ushered in a new era of politics since 2014, that of development which will lead to the creation of India of the dreams of our freedom fighters much before 2047," the home minister said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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