NEW DELHI: Congress president Rahul Gandhi is likely to lead the opposition charge in the debate on the no-trust motion which the party said would mark the start of the campaign to send PM Narendra Modi packing in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Rahul, along with Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Jyotiraditya Scindia, are slated to speak on the debate.

It is to be seen how much ground Congress can cover in the debate given that its meagre strength qualifies it for barely 40 minutes of speaking time.

Congress spokesman Anand Sharma said the opposition would expose the Modi government on its “allround failure” during the last four years and dubbed Modi a “demagogue”.

Read also: Why PM Modi has confidence in failure of no-confidence motion

Sharma said the debate around the no-trust vote was being dragged on the wrong course with a focus on whether the opposition had the numbers to topple the government.

“The no-confidence motion is not important for numbers in Lok Sabha but about issues concerning people and how the Modi government has failed to fulfil its promises,” he argued.

Sharma said the economy was in tatters with low growth rate while people had lost their faith in the banking system and didn’t consider their money safe in banks because of demonetisation and rising NPAs.

“Influential persons were protected by the government and they have fled the country after defaulting on huge loans,” he said, referring to Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya .

The deputy leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha said the government had failed to create employment. “The government should bring a white paper on economy and give details of jobs created.

The Centre has consistently refused to accept our demand,” he said.

Sharma said the country had got a bad name globally because of the new trend of mob violence and lynching and BJP governments in states were even releasing people who were caught on camera perpetrating violence.

Sharma said the BJP government had also failed on foreign policy and national security. “These issues will be raised in Parliament. We want to show a mirror to PM Modi and his ministers and party who are getting carried away by their own propaganda,” he said.

