Opposition Parties

Handshake abroad, discord at home with Opposition in the spotlight

With some Oppn leaders earning acclaim overseas and winning govt's praise, internal party rifts are wide open, especially within Congress

Parliament's Monsoon session from July 21; Oppn demands special session

Govt announces Monsoon session from July 21 to August 12; Opposition says early announcement aims to dodge special session demand over Operation Sindoor and CDS remarks

Oppn parties demand special session of Parliament, write letter to PM

Leaders from 16 opposition parties demanded a special session of Parliament on Operation Sindoor in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as INDIA bloc parties held a meeting on the issue in the national capital on Tuesday. Leaders from several parties, including the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party, and Shiv Sena (UBT) were part of the meeting. INDIA bloc MPs have signed a letter addressed to the prime minister raising the demand for a special session of Parliament, opposition leaders said. Congress' Jairam Ramesh and Deependra Hooda, TMC leader Derek O'Brien, SP's Ramgopal Yadav, RJD's Manoj Jha, and Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Sanjay Raut attended the meeting. The DMK is also among the signatories, but could not join the meeting as it coincided with Karunanidhi's birth anniversary. National Conference, CPI(M), IUML, CPI, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Kerala Congress, MDMK, CPI(ML) Liberation are also among

Peace at time of conflict: Op Sindoor sees Oppn shed discord for solidarity

Instead, the Opposition is rallying behind the government to a man and pledging full support to Operation Sindoor

Caste census decision a victory for 'PDA' and INDIA bloc: Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday termed the Centre's decision to conduct a caste-based census as a "100 per cent victory" for the united strength of the PDA (Backwards, Dalits and minorities) and the INDIA bloc. Reacting to the announcement on social media platform X, the SP chief said, "The decision to conduct a caste census is a 100 per cent victory of the unity of 90 per cent PDA. Due to our collective pressure, the BJP government has been forced to take this decision. This is a crucial step forward in the PDA's fight for social justice." "This is a warning to the BJP government keep its electoral manipulation away from the caste census. Only an honest census can ensure that every caste receives its rightful share based on its population, which has so far been denied by the dominant forces," he said. Calling the move the beginning of a transformative movement, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister added, "This is the first stage of a positive democratic ..

PM should chair all-party meeting on Pahalgam terror attack: Congress

The Centre will brief leaders of various political parties on the Pahalgam terror attack and hear their views at an all-party meeting to be held on Thursday evening. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah are expected to brief the leaders, official sources said. Singh will chair the meeting. With the government announcing a host of measures targeting Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack where terrorists killed at least 26 persons, mostly tourists, on Tuesday, sources said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar may also speak at the meeting. The decision to call an all-party meeting was taken on Wednesday, with Singh and Shah reaching out to various parties. There has been a convention for calling an all-party meeting following an incident with serious repercussions related to national security, as was seen after the Pulwama terror attack in 2019 or during the India-China standoff in 2020. It helps present a picture of national unity in moments of cr

To beat Modi, Opposition needs new ideas-not nostalgia and caste math

Stuck in the past, the Opposition is recycling slogans while Modi scripts a new political grammar

Waqf Amendment Act in SC today: 73 petitions filed, 7 states defend law

The Supreme Court will hear 73 petitions today challenging the Waqf Amendment Act, as seven states defend its constitutionality and petitioners raise concerns over religious autonomy

Congress must talk about status of INDIA bloc, says Shiv Sena (UBT)

The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Saturday said the Congress must talk about the status of the INDIA bloc and should have addressed questions about the opposition alliance in the party's recent meeting in Ahmedabad. In an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana', the Sena (UBT) pointed out that the Congress only spoke about itself in the Ahmedabad meet, and INDIA or Bharat was nowhere in the discussion. "Questions are being raised about where the INDIA bloc stands after the Lok Sabha election. The Congress needed to address this in its Ahmedabad session," the editorial said. "What happened to the alliance? Did it get buried in the ground or vanish into thin air? The responsibility to answer this question lies with the Congress president," it said. The Congress held its session on April 8-9 in Gujarat, where it has been out of power for two decades. Senior Congress leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, addressed party workers. The Sena

PM takes dig at opposition parties, says they only promote family interests

In a swipe at opposition parties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said those hankering for power focus solely on promoting their own families, while his government works on the theme of inclusive development. Addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone of 44 projects worth Rs 3,880 crore here, he said, "Our guiding mantra in serving the nation has always been 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'. With this spirit, we continue to move forward for the betterment of every citizen". He said in contrast, those who are power hungry play political games day and night, driven not by national interest but by a single-minded focus on family-based support and family-centric development. "Those who play games day and night only to grab power, their principle is 'parivar ka saath parivar ka vikas' (family support, family development)," the prime minister said in his Parliamentary constituency. Among the projects inaugurated by Modi were schemes focused on rural development, including

Provision of DPDP Act weakens RTI: Opposition Members of Parliament

It won't restrict disclosure of personal information under RTI: Vaishnaw

RTI under threat? INDIA bloc urges repeal of DPDP Act's Section 44(3)

Opposition leaders say Section 44(3) of the DPDP Act strips the RTI Act of its public interest safeguard, shielding government data from scrutiny and threatening press freedom

Waqf Amendment Bill will aid underprivileged Muslims, says AIMJ chief

The national president of All-India Muslim Jamaat, Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi, on Thursday welcomed the passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha, expressing hope that it will bring significant economic relief to the underprivileged Muslims. "I extend my gratitude to all the Lok Sabha members who voted in favour of the Bill, and congratulate the government of India for taking this commendable step," Razvi said in a statement. He also said the proposed amendments would curb the alleged irregularities in Waqf properties, which, according to him, were previously being misused by vested interests in collusion with land mafias. "The original intent of Waqf was to support the poor, weak, and the orphans. But its revenues were instead being pocketed by a select few. Now, with this Bill, we hope to see positive changes and economic upliftment of the underprivileged Muslims," Rizvi added. Expressing confidence that the Bill would be passed in the Rajya Sabha as well

'Pasmanda Muslims will benefit,' says Waqf Bill JPC Chairman Jagdambika Pal

Labelling it as a "historic day", Pal said that the hard work of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), which took stakeholders in several states in confidence, has paid off

'Entire opposition is against Waqf Amendment Bill,' says Cong's K Suresh

The bill will be tabled after today's Question Hour for consideration and passing, after that, an 8-hour discussion will be held, which is also subject to an increase

Oppn warns JD(U), TDP over backing Waqf Bill, says 'blame will be on them'

JD(U) and TDP, on whose NDA government majority largely depends, have expressed their support for the bill

Oppn leaders write to Speaker over 'disregard' for Parliamentary procedure

Opposition leaders voiced their concerns in their letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker regarding what they described as the government's increasing disregard for parliamentary procedures & democratic norms

'It was Mrityunjay Mahakumbh, not Mrityu Kumbh', says UP CM Adityanath

UP CM claimed that the West Bengal government was intimidated by the massive influx of devotees from Bengal to Prayagraj, with 50,000 to 100,000 pilgrims arriving daily

INDIA bloc to decide on Prashant Kishore's inclusion: AICC's Allavaru

Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor had called for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to resign, stating that the Janata Dal (United) chief's ability to govern has been compromised

Naveen Patnaik calls for fair delimitation process in first JAC meet

Patnaik reiterated his party's stance, asserting that population should not be the sole criteria for determining the number of seats in the highest representative body of the country