The Leader of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi, replying to the debate on the no-confidence motion she moved in the Lok Sabha against the government on Monday, said the motion was aimed at exposing the failures of the government.
Complete coverage of the no-confidence motion debate
"This motion was not aimed at bringing the government down. That is not always the aim of a no-confidence motion," Gandhi said.
Responding to the points raised by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, his deputy Lal Kishenchand Advani and other ruling National Democratic Alliance leaders, she asked why the government took so long to condemn the US attack on Iraq if it was not bothered about foreign pressure.
She also wanted to know why the government had hemmed and hawed over sending Indian peacekeeping troops to Iraq.
Gandhi reminded the prime minister that although he had taken exception to the wording of the no-confidence motion, such motions are generally worded according to the opposition's liking.
She wanted Vajpayee to clarify that if everything was well with the economy, why the GDP growth had dipped to below 4 per cent.
On defence matters, Gandhi asserted that the opposition became apprehensive of the government's preparedness after going through its reports on national security. "If the government had gone through them, it would have agreed with us a little more," she said.
Gandhi welcomed prime minister's China visit, but reminded him that while he was still there Chinese troops had intruded into Indian territory in Arunachal Pradesh.
She regretted that none of the National Democratic Alliance members had given any satisfactory answers to the charges made by the opposition.
Accusing the government of all-round failure, she asked: "Wasn't the foundation of [your government's] present achievements in atomic science, space and information technology laid by former Congress governments?"