With the opposition moving a no-confidence motion against his government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks in Lok Sabha in 2019 have gone viral in which he mockingly tells opposition parties to prepare hard to bring such a motion in 2023.
"I want to send you my good wishes that you prepare so much that you get a chance to bring a no-confidence again in 2023," he had said during his reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President's address -- his last major speech in the House ahead of the 2019 general elections.
The Bharatiya Janata Party went on to notch up a bigger win in the 2019 polls, bagging 303 seats compared to 282 in the 2014 general elections.
Government sources shared this part of Modi's speech to highlight his 'prediction'.
Responding to an opposition member, Modi said it was the consequence of arrogance that the Congress' tally fell from over 400 at one time to nearly 40 in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
It was due to the spirit of service that the BJP rose from two seats to winning power on its own, he had said.
The last time the Modi government faced a no-confidence motion was during its first term in 2018. The motion was defeated comprehensively as the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance enjoyed a strong majority in Lok Sabha. Even now, the NDA is placed comfortably in the Lower House.
Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday admitted a no-confidence motion moved by Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi against the Narendra Modi government, setting the stage for a showdown between the opposition and treasury benches over Manipur and other burning issues.
Birla said he will inform the members about the date for a discussion on the matter as per rules after discussing the same with leaders of all parties.
Lok Sabha currently has a strength of 543 and five seats are vacant.
The BJP-led NDA has more than 330 members and the opposition alliance Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) has over 140. More than 60 members belong to parties not aligned with any of the two groups.
