Modi faces a no-confidence vote on Friday as the opposition ramps up pressure and challenges his administration ahead of general...
Indian Prime Minister Modi maybe a famous hugger during meetings with international dignitaries but he must have not seen this one coming. During a session of the Parliament today (Friday), Congress leader and opponent Rahul Gandhi gave an emotional (well, not really) speech about his lack of hatred for the Indian PM before proceeding to walk towards his seat and hugging him.
“You can abuse me, you can call me Pappu, but I don’t have a speck of hatred against you. I will take out this hatred out of you and turn it into love. I am the Congress,” said Gandhi, while the MPs, including Modi and the speaker, could be seen breaking into laughter.
But Modi’s laughter vanished soon, after Rahul proceeded to give Modi a bear hug. Awkward.
Modi faces a no-confidence vote on Friday as the opposition ramps up pressure and challenges his administration ahead of general elections early next year.
Modi’s government has a clear majority in the 545-member lower house of parliament, but the opposition is hoping to make political gains by focusing attention on slow job growth and deteriorating law and order.
The opposition, including the Congress party led by Rahul Gandhi, will use the debate to pressure Modi on issues including women’s safety, mob lynchings and the restive state of Jammu and Kashmir.
This would be Modi government's first no-confidence motion in past four years.
Since December, Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has faced a number of challenges after a relatively smooth first couple of years in office. He narrowly won his home state of Gujarat in December with a thin majority, lost crucial by-elections in some states and failed to form the government after winning the most seats in Karnataka’s state election in May.