Opposition

Govt ready for debate, Oppn must listen to Shah's reply peacefully: Rijiju

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday said the government is ready for a debate in the Lok Sabha on the student protests as well as police action, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will reply to the debate but the Opposition should given an assurance that they will not run away from it and listen peacefully. There has been a persistent demand from the Opposition for a statement from the home minister on the police action against students protesting in the city last month. Shah has not been seen in the House even though he has been regularly coming to Parliament House complex. Rijiju also said that since the government is ready for the debate on the student protests in different parts of the country, the Opposition can't create any turmoil and resort to any sloganeering during the discussion in the House as well as reply to the debate. "We have made it clear to the BAC (Business Advisory Committee) of the Lok Sabha that the government is ready for a detailed discussi

Opposition protests in Parliament, seek Shah's statement on police action

Opposition MPs took out a protest march in Parliament House complex on Wednesday, demanding Home Minister Amit Shah's statement on alleged police excesses on students, discussion on "misappropriation" of Ram temple donations and statehood for Jammu and Kashmir. Carrying placards and raising slogans against the government, the Opposition MPs, including Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, marched from the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Prerna Sthal to Makar Dwar. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also participated in the protest and demanded accountability from the government. Taking a swipe at Shah, Kharge asked why hasn't he been coming to the House. "They are disrespecting Parliament. It has been so many days but they don't want to step inside the House. What is the issue in coming to the House and giving a statement?" Kharge told reporters. Are they deaf and dumb, he asked. The MPs carried placards slamming

Best of BS Opinion: What the Gen Z protests tell us beyond the headlines

Today's Best of BS Opinion examines Gen Z protests, elite alienation, Krishna Byre Gowda's governance record in Karnataka, and the risks of performative brand activism

Rajya Sabha adjourned to meet again on Monday amid Opposition protests

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day on Friday, shortly after meeting at 11 am, amid sloganeering by Opposition MPs. As proceedings began, papers were laid on the table of the House and Opposition members demanded that Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge be allowed to speak. Chairman C P Radhakrishnan later permitted Kharge to speak, but ruled that no notices under Rule 267 will be admitted after the Leader of Opposition sought to raise some issues under the provision. Opposition members then raised slogans, including on the paper leaks issue, and on the alleged theft of donations from the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Amid the protests, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan accused the Opposition of indulging in "sadak-chhap" politics and "playing with the dignity of the House". "They're doing sadak-chhap politics, playing with the dignity of the House. Democracy is being destroyed," Chouhan said. As the sloganeering continued, the Chairman adjourned the House for the day. The

Lok Sabha adjourned again till 3 pm amid Opposition protests, sloganeering

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm on Thursday, minutes after the House convened, amid slogan-shouting by the Opposition over various issues. Speaker Om Birla urged the members to let the Question Hour continue, but faced with an unbudging Opposition, he adjourned the House till 2 pm. On Tuesday as well, the Question Hour could not function. However, the bill to amend the anti-paper leaks law, with provisions for stricter punishment of up to 10 years in jail and a Rs 50 lakh fine, was passed by voice vote.

RS adjourned as Oppn demands HM to address police action in Neet protest

Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned on Monday following protests from Opposition parties demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah over alleged police brutality against students protesting the NEET paper leak in the national capital. When the Upper House assembled at 5.15 pm after four successive adjournments since morning, Opposition parties led by the Congress continued their protest demanding a statement from the Home Minister. Parliament Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government is ready for discussions on the issue and appealed to the Congress leader to discuss the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026. "Such an important Bill has been brought forward. We appealed to Congress yesterday, we have been appealing to them since this morning, but they are not agreeing," said Rijiju. The government, which has moved the Bill in the Lok Sabha on Monday, has allotted time for discussions. "Here, too, as the Opposition party wanted, th

Congress protests in Parliament over police action on student protesters

Carrying placards and a large banner, the Congress MPs protested in front of the steps of the Makar Dwar of Parliament

PM should speak in Parliament, not deliver 'one-sided Mann Ki Baat': Cong

Opposition leaders criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he announced a Bill to curb paper leaks, saying he should discuss the issue in Parliament instead of speaking through a video message

Opposition MPs' delegation to meet Sonam Wangchuk at Medanta Hospital

A delegation of opposition MPs will visit Sonam Wangchuk at Gurugram's Medanta Hospital to persuade him to end his 25-day fast, and assure him that issues relating to the alleged irregularities in competitive examinations and accountability in the education sector will be raised in Parliament, sources said on Tuesday. The delegation will urge the activist, who has been on an indefinite hunger strike for the last 25 days, to end his fast after assuring him that the Opposition will take up the matter inside Parliament, the sources said. Congress Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose and CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas will be among those who meet Wangchuk, according to the sources. Earlier, Wangchuk said he would end his fast if Members of Parliament and leaders of political parties assured him that the issue of accountability in the education sector would be taken up during the Monsoon Session of Parliament. However, following the police crackdown on ...

Pawar, Kejriwal, other Oppn leaders visit Jantar Mantar after CJP crackdown

Several opposition leaders including NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal visited the Cockroach Janta Party's protest site at Jantar Mantar here on Tuesday, a day after the police crackdown on its 'Sansad Chalo' march, and extended support to the agitation over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations. Pawar, accompanied by party MP Supriya Sule, met injured protesters and members of the movement and condemned the police action during Monday's attempted march to Parliament. Among other political leaders who visited the protest site were Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs Sanjay Raut and Arvind Sawant, Rajya Sabha MP Mahua Maji, AAP leader Gopal Rai, Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani, and a delegation of parliamentarians from Left parties. According to a statement issued by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), Pawar said the voices of students demanding a fair and transparent examination system could not be silenced through force and assured that the NCP (SP) wou

Oppn MPs meet Birla, seek discussion on 'brutality' unleashed on students

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi along with some opposition MPs met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday and urged him to allow a discussion in the House on the "brutality unleashed" on students and the government's "complete lack of accountability" for the examination crisis. Besides Gandhi, SP's Dharmendra Yadav, Shiv Sena (UBT's) Arvind Savant, RSP's N K Premchandran, among others, met the Speaker in his office before the House proceedings began. In a post on X, Gandhi said, "Met the Hon'ble Lok Sabha Speaker today along with MPs of the Opposition. Our demand is simple: Parliament must have a detailed discussion on the brutality unleashed on students yesterday and on the government's complete lack of accountability for the examination crisis." Students were beaten for asking legitimate questions about their own future, Gandhi said. If Parliament cannot discuss the future of India's youth, what is it for, he asked. "The Opposition will not let this be buried. We will ensure th

Rebel TMC MPs announce merger with regional party NCPI, to back NDA

The crisis in the Trinamool Congress deepened on Sunday as dissident MPs announced their merger with the little-known Nationalist Citizens Party of India and met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking a separate seating arrangement in the House, even as TMC parliamentary party leader Abhishek Banerjee urged Birla not to accord any recognition to the breakaway faction. Lok Sabha MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay said the rebel faction would also fight in court to be recognised as the real TMC and will stake claim to its poll symbol. Speaking to reporters after their meeting with Birla, rebel MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said 20 TMC MPs had signed a representation submitted to the Speaker. "Two-thirds of TMC MPs have given a letter to the Speaker for a separate seating arrangement. We will merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party and support the NDA," she said. The Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) is a Tripura-based registered unrecognised party that does not enjoy any significant political

Kharge calls for unity in INDIA bloc to confront challenges facing country

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday urged opposition leaders to strengthen unity to confront the political, economic, social and foreign policy challenges facing the country due to the Modi government's "misgovernance". Addressing a meeting of the Opposition INDIA bloc here, Kharge charged that the assault on the Constitution continues and probe agencies are persistently being used as tools to harass, intimidate, and bully political opponents. He also highlighted that the economic environment is extremely negative and new investments are not coming in at the pace required to generate new jobs. The Congress chief also pointed out to the "complete mismanagement" of the examination system due to which the hopes and aspirations of lakhs of youth are being betrayed. Batting for unity among opposition leaders, he said, "On April 17, 2026, we demonstrated our unity and solidarity in the Lok Sabha in a very decisive manner, when we all came together firmly to defeat the Modi ..

INDIA bloc meets today amid strains over Congress ties and poll setbacks

With 23 parties confirming attendance, the INDIA bloc will review poll results and Parliament strategy amid tensions with key allies DMK and CPI(M)

CBSE OSM row: Cong seeks Education Minister Pradhan's resignation

Congress intensifies its attack on the government over the CBSE OSM controversy, demanding accountability and the resignation of the education minister

Anti-incumbency rising against BJP in Goa, opposition must unite: GFP chief

Goa Forward Party president Vijai Sardesai has claimed that anti-incumbency is building against the state BJP government and stressed the need for the Opposition parties to come together to defeat it in the 2027 assembly polls. In the 2022 elections to the 40-member Goa assembly, the GFP contested four seats in alliance with the Congress, winning only one, with Sardesai getting elected from his traditional Fatorda constituency. The Congress had won 11 seats. Speaking to reporters in Margao on Tuesday, Sardesai said, "Anti-incumbency sentiment defeated the DMK in Tamil Nadu. A similar sentiment is running high against the BJP government in Goa. To tap this, it is incumbent upon Opposition parties to come together and defeat the BJP." In the just-concluded elections to the 234-member Tamil Nadu assembly, Vijay-led TVK emerged as the single largest party by winning 108 seats, while the ruling DMK headed by M K Stalin got 59 seats. Sardesai also said his party has decided to take the h

Special session amid assembly elections draws Opposition criticism

While elections in Puducherry, Assam, and Kerala are scheduled for April 9, polls in West Bengal will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29. In Tamil Nadu, polls will be held on April 23

AAP accuses Chadha of indulging in 'soft PR', dodging key Parliament issues

The AAP on Friday hit back at party MP Raghav Chadha, accusing him of shying away from raising issues against the Centre in Parliament and instead engaging in "soft PR". Delhi Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) President Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that Chadha failed to toe the party's line on several matters in Parliament and did not join opposition walkouts on key issues. "We all are soldiers of Arvind Kejriwal, the Centre doesn't care about soft PR or talking about samosas at airport canteens when bigger issues are at stake," Bharadwaj said in a video posted on X. "Whenever the Opposition staged a walkout in Parliament, you (Chadha) did not participate. You did not raise issues concerning Punjab, from where you are elected, and you hid in a foreign country when former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal was arrested," he added. AAP national media in-charge Anurag Dhanda also criticised Chadha, questioning whether someone who "fears" Prime Minister Narendra Modi can fight for the country. "In West Bengal

Lok Sabha revokes suspension of 8 opposition MPs with immediate effect

The Lok Sabha on Tuesday revoked with immediate effect the suspension of eight opposition members, who were suspended from the House on February 3 for "unruly" behaviour, after Congress leader K Suresh requested the House to consider the matter. Following the submissions by several opposition members, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said there was a need to draw a 'Laxman Rekha' for the smooth functioning of the House, which both treasury and opposition benches agreed to. Speaker Om Birla said there is a need to ensure that no placards, posters, photos or AI-generated images are displayed in the House or inside the Parliament complex. Rijiju then moved a motion to remove the suspension of seven Congress MPs and one CPI-M member, which was adopted by a voice vote. The suspended MPs included Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Hibi Eden, C Kiran Kumar Reddy, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Tagore, Prashant Padole and Dean Kuriakose of the Congress, and S Ventakesan of the ...

Not allowed to speak; House doesn't represent one party: Rahul Gandhi

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said he was stopped from speaking in the Lok Sabha on multiple occasions and asserted that the House does not represent one party but the whole country. Interjecting in a debate in Lok Sabha on the resolution to remove Om Birla as speaker, Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi "has been compromised" and everybody knows the result of that. Responding to BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad, who cited parliamentary procedures to say that the leader of opposition should measure his words carefully, especially on issues of national security, Gandhi said that his name was being raised during the debate multiple times and "vile things" were being said about him. "The discussion here is about the democratic process and the role of the speaker. But multiple times, my name is being raised, vile things are being said about me. This House is the expression of people's will. This House does not represent one party; it represents the whole country,"