Page 11 - Opposition Parties

Railways' policies being framed keeping only rich in mind: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday alleged that policies for Indian Railways were being framed by the government keeping only the rich in mind, and claimed that trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a "guarantee of betrayal". In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi alleged that by showing the dream of making those wearing "hawai chappal" (slippers) travel by "hawai jahaz" (airplane), Prime Minister Modi is even distancing them from "gareebon ki sawari" (vehicle of the poor) railways. "Amidst a 10 per cent increase in fare every year, loot in the name of dynamic fare, rising cancellation charges and expensive platform tickets, people are being lured by showing them a picture of an 'elite train' that the poor cannot even set foot on," the former Congress chief said. The government has collected Rs 3,700 crore from senior citizens in the last three years by "snatching away" the exemptions given to them, he claimed. Common persons' trains are made to languish to give precedence to the .

Cong unable to keep its flock together, is disintegrating, says Amit Shah

Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday that disintegration is afflicting the Congress and the opposition bloc INDIA as they are unable to keep their flock together. He made the remarks in an interview at the News9 Global Summit soon after the BJP inflicted a stunning loss on the Congress in Himachal Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha election due to cross-voting by several MLAs of the state's governing party. Shah also underlined Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's commitment to "one nation one election" and said the committee headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind will soon submit its report on the issue. The home minister is a member of the committee. Asked about the roll-out of the Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand and whether it will be implemented across the country, he called it a big social reform but added a comprehensive discussion should take place before its nationwide implementation. Social, judicial and constitutional scrutiny of the measure in the hilly state

Oppn convinced of loss in 2024 Lok Sabha polls, thus abuses me: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed on Tuesday that the opposition, convinced it won't win the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, resorts to abusing him as it allegedly lacks a roadmap for the nation's progress. Modi, speaking at the conclusion ceremony of the BJP state unit's padayatra at the Central Stadium here, urged Kerala's people to bless the saffron party with seats in double digits in the 2024 LS polls. He further said the BJP never sees a state from the perspective of vote-bank. Modi claimed that over the last 10 years, Kerala has benefited from development like other BJP-ruled states. He said it was his guarantee to make all possible efforts to realise the dreams and expectations of the people of Kerala. The PM said it was 'Modiyude guarantee' (Modi's guarantee) to make India the third largest economy in the world as well as eradicate poverty and corruption from the country.

AAP-Congress alliance: Faisal Patel firm on contesting Bharuch Seat

Patel stated that he has no intention of exploring parties outside the Congress and hopes the party will reconsider the seat, which has been allocated to the AAP

There is strong opposition to BJP: Cong MP Gaurav Gogoi lauds 'Nyay Yatra'

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said that the party's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra-led by Rahul Gandhi, has given confidence that there is strong opposition to the Bharatiya Janata Party."Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra has given confidence that there is a strong opposition to the BJP. If there is anyone who is playing the role of opposition, it is Rahul Gandhi. The way BJP is targeting the opposition with IT & CBI, many opposition leaders are not able to do their work..." Gogoi said on Sunday.Yesterday, Rahul Gandhi resumed the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Agra which was also attended by Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi.Meawnhile, Rahul Gandhi assured the farmers that if the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc comes into power at the Centre after the Lok Sabha elections this year, then it won't take "more than a minute" to implement legislation on the Minimum Support Price (MSP).Addressing a public rally in the Yatra, ...

BJP spokesperson criticises Oppn for 'politics' over murder of INDL chief

Jawahar Yadav said that the government understands the seriousness of the matter and is taking the appropriate actions

AAP-Cong alliance in different states likely be officially announced today

An alliance between the AAP and the Congress in Delhi and in different states, including Gujarat and Haryana, for the Lok Sabha polls may be officially announced on Saturday, sources in the AAP said. The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are constituents of the INDIA bloc, formed by opposition parties to take on the BJP in the upcoming general elections. The announcement of alliance and seat-sharing arrangements for Delhi, Gujarat, Goa, Chandigarh and Haryana could be made at a joint press conference at 11.30 am, the sources said. In Delhi, the AAP will contest four of the seven Lok Sabha seats -- West Delhi, South Delhi, New Delhi and East Delhi -- and the Congress will get Chandani Chowk, North East Delhi and North West Delhi, they said. The AAP has already announced its candidates on two Lok Sabha seats -- Bharuch and Bhavnagar -- in Gujarat and the South Goa seat. It is also likely to get one seat -- Faridabad or Gurugram -- in Haryana, the sources added.

India moving towards development by adopting messages of Sant Ravidas: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said India is moving rapidly on the path of development by adopting the messages of Sant Ravidas. Modi was speaking at a function here to commemorate the 647th birth anniversary of Sant Ravidas. Varanasi is Modi's parliamentary constituency. "On the pious occasion of the birth anniversary of Sant Ravidas, I welcome you all to his birthplace. You have come from far-off places on this occasion, especially my brothers and sisters from Punjab... Varanasi seems to have become a mini-Punjab," he said. In his address, the prime minister also hit out at the opposition 'INDIA' bloc, claiming that its members were exploiting people in the name of casteism. "They care for the well-being of their families, cannot think about the welfare of Dalits and tribals," Modi added. Earlier, the prime minister inaugurated a newly installed statue of Sant Ravidas in Varanasi.

Assam Min lashes out at Cong, AIUDF for walking out together from Assembly

'My question is whether both parties are against each other or in alliance,' Assam's Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pijush Hazarika said

Nuh violence: Haryana Police puts UAPA charges on Congress MLA Mamman Khan

Police have slapped charges under the stringent UAPA against opposition Congress MLA Mamman Khan in the Nuh violence case. The charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) have been imposed against Khan, the MLA from Ferozpur Jhirka, in a case registered at Nagina police station here. Police have added charges under the UAPA to the FIR, Khan's counsel said on Wednesday. The police had earlier accused Khan of inciting violence and being in contact with suspects involved in sharing provocative posts on social media. Besides, he also faces some other charges in the FIR. Khan was last year arrested in connection with the Nuh violence case and granted bail by the court later. Advocate Tahir Hussain Rupariya, counsel of the accused, said that he sought a status report from the court in which it came to light that UAPA section has also been added to the FIR registered at Nagina police station. Six people, including two home guards and a cleric, died in the clashes that

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Congress to fight on 17 seats in UP, SP on 63

Earlier, the Samajwadi Party's chief spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary, said that the Congress had been given a final offer of 17 seats in the 80 Lok Sabha seats

Cong hails SC's forest definition order, says INDIA to protect environment

The Congress on Tuesday hailed the Supreme Court's interim order asking the states and Union Territories to act as per the definition of "forest" laid down by the top court in a 1996 judgment and said it is committed to protecting forests and environment when an INDIA bloc government is formed. Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said that after the "electoral bonds scam", the Supreme Court has stopped another set of "blatantly illegal and disastrous" Modi government schemes. Former environment minister Ramesh also tagged a media report on the Supreme Court directing that the dictionary meaning of "forest" be applied. He also shared another media report on the amnesty window opened for just six months in March 2017 to clear projects in a novel "violation category" that became routine through a Union Environment Ministry notification in July 2021, and provided ex-post facto approval to over 100 projects till the Supreme Court stayed the notification in January this year. "The .

Remain committed to INDIA bloc: PDP amid reports of party quitting alliance

The PDP on Monday rubbished reports about the party considering leaving the opposition INDIA bloc and said it remains committed to the unity of the alliance. In a post on its official handle on X, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) said, "Disregard the fabricated news about @jkpdp considering breaking ties with the INDIA alliance. We stand firm in our commitment to unity and our alliance. Don't be misled by this malicious misinformation!" The party's reaction came after reports in a section of the media claimed that the PDP had left the INDIA bloc and decided to contest the Lok Sabha elections on its own. A similar controversy broke out last week when National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah said the party would contest the Lok Sabha polls on its own. However, Omar Abdullah -- Farooq Abdullah's son and the party vice-president -- hurriedly convened a press conference to dismiss the suggestions, saying the National Conference remained committed to the INDIA bloc. He, however, rul

INDIA bloc's doors 'open' for BSP, says Cong's UP in-charge Avinash Pande

INDIA bloc's doors are "open" for the BSP and it is up to Mayawati to decide if she wants to join the united fight against the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls or not, Congress' Uttar Pradesh in-charge Avinash Pande said on Sunday. The Congress general secretary said the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) very much wanted the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to join the bloc but Mayawati has already declared that she will go it alone in the Lok Sabha polls. In an interview with PTI during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in the politically-crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, Pande said the Congress is "wholeheartedly" supporting the Samajwadi Party and expressed confidence that a seat-sharing deal for the Lok Sabha polls in the state will be finalised "very soon" with remaining "confusions" dispelled. He said the Congress-SP combine is in talks with small parties in Uttar Pradesh who would also be joining the INDIA bloc to take on the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls, and asserted

Cong leader Rahul meets families of elephant attack victims in Wayanad

Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi on Sunday visited the houses of two victims of the recent wild elephant attacks in this high range district, and consoled their family members. Gandhi reached neighbouring Kannur district on Saturday night after halting his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Varanasi abruptly in the wake of intense protests by locals seeking solutions to the human-animal conflicts in his constituency. From Kannur, he proceeded to Wayanad by road and was accompanied by AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal and other local leaders. He spent over 20 minutes at the house of Aji (42), who was trampled to death by a radio-collared elephant in the Mananthavady area of Wayanad district triggering massive protests last week. Later, he visited the residence of Paul, an eco-tourism guide of the forest department who was killed by a wild tusker near Kuruva island on Friday and spent some time there. The MP is also expected to visit the house of Prajeesh who was killed in a ti

Spoke to PM on BJP 'poaching' Oppn leaders by 'scaring' them: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday said he had recently spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the BJP's "poaching" of leaders from the opposition ranks and asserted it was being done by "scaring" them. Against the backdrop of former chief minister Ashok Chavan joining the BJP recently, Kharge said such switching of sides was an act of "cowardice". He was speaking after inaugurating a two-day state level training camp in Lonavala here for Congress functionaries. "During a tea meeting in Parliament where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present, I asked him how many people are you (BJP) going to poach as ministers and ex-chief ministers are joining your fold. I asked him about the appetite (to take leaders from opposition ranks into the ruling party)," Kharge told the gathering. "He (PM) said what could he do if people want to join the BJP. I told him they (BJP) are carrying out this work (poaching) by scaring people. He said these people want to join because of .

Everyone leaving Cong as it's trapped in vicious circle of nepotism: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hit out at the Congress, saying that everyone is leaving the party as it is trapped in the vicious circle of nepotism and dynastic politics. He said the Congress' sole agenda is to oppose Modi. The prime minister was virtually addressing an event, 'Viksit Bharat, Viksit Rajasthan', in Jaipur. He also laid the foundation stones of projects worth about Rs 17,000 crore and inaugurated various development works. "The Congress has only one agenda, anti-Modi. It spreads such things against Modi which divide society. This is what happens to a party when it gets trapped in the vicious circle of nepotism and dynastic politics. Today everyone is leaving the Congress and only one family is seen there," Modi said. A big problem with the Congress is that it lacks the farsightedness to frame positive policies. Neither can the Congress foresee the future nor does it have any road map for it, he said. To make India a developed country, the prime minister sai

Rajasthan Cong MLA Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya likely to join BJP: Report

Malviya currently represents the Bagidora Assembly seat in the Banswara district

Electoral bonds: SC verdict will set level playing field, cheers Opposition

Electoral bonds: The Supreme Court delivered a landmark judgement on Thursday, annulling the electoral bonds scheme for political funding

West Bengal CM Mamata may visit Punjab on Feb 21; to meet Kejriwal, Mann

West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee may visit Punjab on February 21 and meet her Delhi and Punjab counterparts, Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann respectively, an official source said on Thursday. The Trinamool Congress supremo is expected to offer prayers at the Golden Temple also, he said. "The chief minister is likely to visit Punjab on February 21. During her visit, she will offer prayers at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. There is a high possibility of her meeting, Delhi Chief Minister and Punjab Chief Minister during this visit," the senior official, told PTI. Banerjee's meeting with the top leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is considered crucial in the backdrop of the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections and the formation of an opposition coalition. The possible visit of West Bengal chief minister to Punjab comes at a time when farmers are demanding minimum support price for their crops. Banerjee has already extended her support to the farmers and condemned the attack