New Delhi, July 20 (UNI) The Lok Sabha on Friday was in a serious and sincere mood right from the word go and members had started coming into the House well before the scheduled time.
Gearing up for the day-long debate on the first No Confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government, members including Union Ministers Prakash Javadekar, Gen V K Singh and members
Ashok Gajapati Raju and Jayadev Galla (both TDP), Saugata Roy (Trinamool) and Mulayam Singh Yadav (Samajwadi) were among the early comers.
The Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi also arrived before the proceedings began.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also came well in advance and walked to Congress President Sonia Gandhi with folded hands to exchange pleasantries.
TDP leader Raju, former Civil Aviation Minister who quit in March this year, was seen interacting with MoS Gen V K Singh and BJP MP from Uttarakhand Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
The seriousness of the occasion was well reflected in Rajya Sabha members taking their seats in the designated gallery for the members of the House of Elders well in advance.
Among others, GVL Narasimha Rao and Vinay Sasrabuddhe (both BJP) and Congress MP Rajeev Gowda were also seen seated.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted saying: "Today is an important day in our Parliamentary democracy".
"I am sure my fellow MP colleagues will rise to the occasion and ensure a constructive, comprehensive and disruption free debate. We owe this to the people and the makers of our Constitution. India will be watching us closely," Mr Modi wrote.
This is the first No Trust Motion against the central government in last 15 years.
Despite coming under severe attack, the Manmohan Singh government did not face this motion that can be moved in Lok Sabha under Rule 198 when 50 or more MPs can push for the same.
The NDA regime headed by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee faced the No Trust motion
last in 2003 which was moved by Sonia Gandhi, then Leader of the Opposition in the Lower House of Parliament.
After two-day debate, the House rejected it 312 to 186 votes in favour of the NDA dispensation.
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