Laloo wins trust vote
The Laloo Prasad Yadav government won the crucial vote of confidence in the Bihar assembly on Tuesday, with the
opposition abstaining.
The trust motion was supported by 168 members, five more than
required for a majority in the 325-member House.
The Congress did not participate in the voting while the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (Soren), the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (Mardi) and the Jharkhand Peoples' Party voted in favour of the motion.
The debate on the motion, moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister
Raghunath Jha, was taken up amid noisy scenes in the post-lunch
session.
Earlier, the House was adjourned till lunch, minutes after it
met for the day, as the opposition parties except the Congress and
the JMM stalled the proceedings demanding the resignation of Laloo Yadav.
The post-lunch session also began on a stormy note and, as
Speaker Deo Narayan Yadav put the motion for debate, the situation deteriorated.
The break-up of the voting was as follows: RJD-136, JMM (S)-16,
JMM (M)-two, JPP-one, Bahujan Samaj Party-two and independents-11.
Earlier, the chief minister urged the chair to take up the confidence motion in the post-lunch session. Laloo Yadav said he sought the confidence of the House ''as a wrong message was being sent to the masses that his government had been reduced to a minority''.
Coming down heavily on the BJP and the Left parties, Laloo Yadav
said they were stalling the proceedings of the House as they have no faith in democracy.
Speaking in favour of the confidence motion, JMM (S) leader Tek Lal Mahato claimed that the government had conceded the long-pending demands of the Jharkhand region. He said due to this his party had decided to support the confidence motion.
Speaking against the motion, Congress Legislature Party leader Ramashray Prasad Singh alleged that the present government had failed on every front and hence the party was boycotting the vote of
confidence.
However, leader of the Opposition Sushil Kumar Modi and leaders
of other Opposition groups refused to speak after their names were
called by the speaker.
In the Legislative Council also, the Opposition, barring the
Congress, forced adjournment for the day.
UNI
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