CHANDIGARH, Dec. 20 -- The much-touted no-confidence motion brought by the Congress against chief minister Nayab Singh Saini-led BJP government in Haryana was defeated through a voice vote on Friday after the principal Opposition party MLAs walked out of the House following an acrimonious debate that continued beyond 10pm. The Congress motion was set to fall as in the 90-member House, the BJP has 48 MLAs, including the Speaker, while three Independents are also supporting the ruling party. The Congress has 37 members, while the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has two. The heated debate on the no-confidence motion, during which members across the aisle took potshots at each other, began at 5.23pm. Members spoke till 8.23pm, after which chief minister Nayab Singh Saini took the floor and began his reply, which continued till 10.10pm. Saini's floor strategy was to tire the Opposition through his lengthy reply, forcing Congress MLAs to ask him to complete his address. "Baat karo matlab ki," Hooda said, asking the CM to conclude his speech. Alleging that the CM was "giving a vague reply" to the issues raised in the motion, Congress members, led by leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda, walked out of the House at 10pm. Parliamentary affairs minister Mahipal Dhanda then said the motion should be rejected unanimously. Speaker Harvinder Kalyan put the motion to vote, which was rejected through a voice vote, and the House was adjourned at 10.13pm. Earlier, the Congress had moved the no-confidence motion against the BJP government, which came to power for a third consecutive term in October 2024. At the core of the Congress' accusations were allegations that the BJP came to power through "vote chori", deteriorating law and order, anti-people policies and weak governance. 'Our vision not narrow': Saini In a reply peppered with humour and digs at the Congress, Saini said the no-confidence motion had been drafted in haste and panic. He repeatedly asked the Congress who had authored the notice. "Our vision is not narrow, as the Congress has alleged. Our focus is like that of Arjun in the Mahabharata. Our vision is 'sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas, sabka prayas'," Saini said, taking a swipe at Raghuvir Singh Kadian, who had initiated the debate. "We have been continuously working to uplift every section of society. We are burning the midnight oil to fulfil the aspirations of the people, ensuring last-mile delivery and smiles on the faces of those standing last in the queue," Saini said, reeling out statistics to counter the Congress' contention of deteriorating law and order. "We are taking very tough action against those involved in crime," Saini said Earlier, Congress leader Kadian kicked off the debate, while Hooda and several other Congress leaders who spoke on the motion stated that the Saini government had lost the trust of every section of the people of the state. CLP leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda alleged that through mismanagement, the government had transformed "loktantra" into "tantralok". "An atmosphere of fear and corruption prevails in the state. Murder, rape, extortion and dacoity have become commonplace. The police are helpless. The suicides of senior police officers expose the gravity of the situation," Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal said. The Congress said that due to unemployment, youths were risking their lives and migrating abroad, while government recruitments were not taking place. The BJP fielded its top leaders to launch a counterattack. Parliamentary affairs minister Mahipal Dhanda recounted the achievements of the government and described the Congress' no-confidence motion as an eyewash and an attempt to mislead people. "Our performance speaks for itself and people are rewarding us for our performance," Dhanda said, countering the Congress' "vote chori" allegations. "This government enjoys the absolute confidence of the House and the people of the state," irrigation minister Shruti Choudhry said, questioning the relevance of the no-confidence motion....