"You May Call Me Pappu, I Don't Hate You": Rahul Gandhi Hugs PM Narendra Modi

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi ended his sharpest-ever attack on Narendra Modi from the floor of parliament today by walking over to the Prime Minister and hugging him. "You can abuse me, you can call me Pappu, but I don't have a speck of hatred against you. This is what it means to be a Hindu," he said at the end of his hour-long attack, much of it personal. As the debate started on the no-confidence motion, the numbers in parliament dropped rapidly, bringing the government's goal of getting two-third votes within striking distance. Naveen Patnaik's BJD walked out, and in a last-minute twist, ally Shiv Sena stayed away.

Here are the top 10 updates in this big story:

1. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi attacked Narendra Modi on multiple issuesincluding the Rafale deal, saying the Prime Minister is not a "chowkidaar (guard)" but a "bhagidaar" (participant). "Everybody understands the relationship the PM has with certain business people. The Rafale deal was given to one such person and he benefitted thousands of crores... I can see he (PM) is smiling but there is a touch of nervousness. And now he cannot look me in the eye".
2. Mr Gandhi also spoke of a "political weapon" called "jumla strike". "The symptoms are a great sense of happiness, a feeling shock and then 8-hour-long speeches," he said. His scathing speech was punctuated by deafening protests the BJP members and the Speaker had to adjourn the house for several minutes.
3. The BJP has the numbers to sail through the no-trust motion. But the party hopes to make a splash with two-thirds majority when votes are counted at the end of the marathon debate, that is widely seen as a launch pad for its campaign for the 2019 general elections.
4. The total number in Lok Sabha has shrunk to 495 as the BJD walked out and the Shiv Sena stayed away. The majority mark is at 249. The government is expecting 330 votes, counting in the support of AIADMK. The parties opposing the government are expected to muster 154 votes.
5. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will reply to the debate, tweeted this morning,calling for a "constructive, comprehensive and disruption free" debate on what he said was an important day in India's parliamentary democracy. "We owe this to the people & the makers of our Constitution. India will be watching us closely," he wrote.
6. Despite BJP claims about Shiv Sena backing the government, the upset ally stayed away from parliament after last-minute instructions from party chief Uddhav Thackeray. "We are boycotting parliamentary work today and haven't signed attendance," said party lawmaker Anandrao Adsul. Mr Thackeray was on Amit Shah's call list yesterday.
7. "This is a vote of no-confidence... Half an hour should be given to speak on every such big issue," said Congress's Mallikarjun Kharge.
8. "I hope the opposition will have patience to hear us out too," countered Union minister Ananth Kumar. "Rahul-ji had promised an earthquake when he speaks... It certainly will come, but in the Congress party, in the coalition that they are trying to stitch," he added.
9. The no-confidence motion -- an extension of Andhra Pradesh's demand for special status that would involve extensive financial benefits for the state -- was moved on Wednesday.
10. The BJP, which was accused of stalling the no-trust move last time, is seen as changing its approach. Sources said it was because the party felt that once the no-trust vote is debated and defeated, the opposition would not have any excuse to disrupt proceedings in parliament.