NEW DELHI, August 10. /TASS/. Deputies of the lower house of the Indian Parliament (Lok Sabha) voted on Thursday against a motion of no confidence in the government, which was initiated by the opposition because of the authorities' alleged inaction to resolve inter-ethnic unrest in the northeastern state of Manipur.

The parliament session was broadcast live by local TV channels. "The motion of no confidence in the government was not supported during the vote," Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said.

The result of the vote was expected since the ruling People's Democratic Alliance led by the Indian People's Party has 366 of the 539 seats in the House. The I.N.D.I.A. (Indian national developmental inclusive alliance) opposition bloc has just 143 seats.

The opposition’s proposal has been a topic of debate in parliament since Tuesday. Several ministers from the ruling party spoke and Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a speech at today's session before the vote, which lasted more than two hours.

He accused the opposition of putting the interests of their political parties ahead of the country's. "We have improved India's image in the international arena. The opposition is putting out a failed product," Modi pointed out. Moreover, he did not rule out that in 2028, the opposition would again find a reason to put forward a motion of no confidence in the government - "even when India becomes the world's third largest economy."

Commenting on the inter-ethnic clashes in Manipur that triggered the no-confidence motion, Modi said "peace will come there soon." He also accused his rivals of taking advantage of the situation in Manipur.

More than an hour and a half into the prime minister's speech, opposition MPs began to leave the session hall in protest against it.

Opposition parties introduced a no confidence motion in the Lok Sabha on July 26. The reason was disagreement over the unrest in the state of Manipur, which has claimed the lives of over 100 people since early May, forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes. The opposition believes that the central government led by the ruling Indian People’s Party (BJP) has not done enough to normalize the situation in the state.

This is the second time in the Modi administration’s nine years in power that it has faced a motion of no confidence. In 2018, it was introduced in parliament by a regional party, with a vote by lawmakers rejecting its proposal.