The no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government was defeated in the Lok Sabha on Friday with the NDA securing 325 votes and the Mahaghatbandhan bagging 126 votes.

The voting took place after a 12-hour heated debate which saw the government and opposition trade charges and a moment of drama when Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, after a blistering speech, walked over to hug the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Modi mocked Rahul Gandhi for hugging him in the Lok Sabha, saying the Congress President was actually dreaming to be the next Prime Minister and had asked him to get up from his seat in the Lok Sabha.

The no confidence motion has exposed how the opposition is hungry for power, he added.

"What we saw among members of the Opposition was sheer arrogance. The only thing they have to say - remove Modi. Today the nation has seen the negativity expressed by some members. They are playing negative politics. India saw how some people are so deeply opposed to development."

Maharashtra-based Shiv Sena, which is still a part of the ruling NDA on papers with its 18 MPs in Lok Sabha, abstained from the vote. The party has been a vocal critic of the Modi government over the last few years.

In an editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamna, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thakrey said, "The BJP has the numbers to sail through the no-confidence motion. But the purpose of the motion is not to pull down the ruling government but thrash them publicly over its wrongdoings."

First Published:Jul 21, 2018 12:05 AM IST