Page 12 - Opposition Parties

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

We will continue to remain in INDIA bloc, says AAP MP Sandeep Pathak

Amid a rift with Congress in the INDIA bloc, Aam Aadmi Party MP Sandeep Pathak on Wednesday said that the party will continue to remain in the alliance as winning the election is more important.AAP MP said "We will continue to remain in the alliance. We are not in the alliance for our benefit. We are here because we have to win. Winning is important. All our strategies and decisions are targeted towards victory...""In Punjab, local units of both AAP and Congress said they wanted to contest independently. We are contesting together in Delhi. I hope that seat-sharing discussions happen soon, and I hope they are productive... The basis of seat sharing should be the stronghold of candidates on their constituency," Sandeep Pathak added.Earlier, on Tuesday the Aam Aadmi Party offered the Congress Party a single Lok Sabha seat in Delhi. This is contrary to earlier reports that had suggested a 3-4 formula between Congress and AAP in Delhi.Further, AAP MP Sandeep Pathak said that even though ..

Final decision on South Goa LS seat candidate after INDIA bloc meet: Cong

A day after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced its MLA as the INDIA alliance nominee for the South Goa Lok Sabha seat, the Congress on Thursday said a final decision on the candidate will be taken after the opposition bloc's meeting in Delhi. The AAP and Congress have been on a collision course over the sharing of seats for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, with the Arvind Kejriwal-led party on Tuesday deciding to field Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas from South Goa and seeking to blame the Congress for the apparent delay in picking a candidate. South Goa is one of the two Lok Sabha seats in Goa currently represented by Francisco Sardinha of the Congress. Asked about AAP's announcement of the South Goa Lok Sabha seat candidate, state Congress president Amit Patkar on Wednesday said the opposition INDIA alliance is yet to decide the candidate. "We have eight aspirants each for the North Goa and South Goa seats from the Congress party itself. The AAP has shortlisted Venzy Viegas. The final ..

Farmers' Protest: Opposition tears into Centre, BJP appeals for peace

The Congress slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Centre stating that the "dictatorial Modi government" is hell-bent on curbing the voice of farmers"

BJP govt preparing to blackmail Cong leaders, says LoP Umang Singhar

Meanwhile, deputy leader of opposition Hemant Katare also reacted over the IT notices served to Congress leaders

UP leg of Rahul Gandhi's Nyay yatra cut short due to state board exams

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has decided to reduce the duration of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Uttar Pradesh in view of the state board examinations for Classes 10 and 12, party members said on Monday. "Setting an example of sensitivity, Rahul Gandhi ji has given public interest a priority on many occasions. Keeping in mind the UP Board examinations starting from February 22, the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will remain in Uttar Pradesh from February 16 to February 21," state Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi said in a statement issued here. The yatra was earlier scheduled to remain in Uttar Pradesh till February 26. "Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had cancelled his rallies in Bengal out of concern for the people during the COVID-19 period," the spokesperson said. Elaborating on the schedule of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Uttar Pradesh, Awasthi said it will enter the state through Varanasi on February 16, and then reach Amethi on February 19 via Bhadohi, Prayagraj and Pratapgarh. On

Switching sides won't impact INDIA; Mamata still part of alliance: Pilot

Amid some INDIA bloc constituents switching sides to the NDA, Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Sunday said the opposition alliance is "strong" and the BJP is attempting a "frantic rejig" of the political landscape as it is worried over the collective strength of the coalition. In an interview with PTI, Pilot also said West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee is very much part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), and expressed confidence that a way forward will be found in seat-sharing talks with her party. He also said the BJP talking about 370 seats for itself and 400-plus for the NDA was more of "bravado and rhetoric" than a practical assessment on the ground. As the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra travels through Chhattisgarh, the AICC general secretary in-charge of the state dismissed suggestions that the yatra was adversely affecting the poll preparations of the party and asserted that talks for seat-sharing with allies were ..

We've support of 225 MLAs: Ajit Pawar on Oppn's demand to dismiss Maha govt

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has said the state government has the backing of 225 MLAs in the 288-member assembly, amid the opposition's demand to dismiss the Eknath Shinde-led government over the law and order situation. Speaking at an event on Saturday in Mumbai where Congress leader Baba Siddique joined the Nationalist Congress Party led by him, Pawar said no such demand was made after the 26/11 terrorist attacks here, when a Congress-led coalition was in power in Maharashtra. "The opposition today demanded dismissal of the government. Our Mahayuti (BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP alliance) has the support of 225 MLAs," he said. "Attempts are being made by some people to create an atmosphere of fear that there is a breakdown of law and order in the state....when the 26/11 terrorist attacks took place, no such demand was made," Pawar said. He, however, also said that he was not defending or justifying the recent incidents of violence over which the opposition has trained its gu

'Cannot afford any further delays in decision-making': AAP to INDIA bloc

AAP MP Sandeep Pathak expressed impatience with ongoing talks within the INDIA bloc, saying that he hopes the alliance will support the three candidates announced by the party

PM Modi speaks as if he's in Oppn, Congress the ruling party: CM Stalin

The ruling DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of speaking the language of the opposition and targeting the Congress party as though it was the ruling party at the Centre and this was a puzzle that could not be understood. On his arrival here from Spain, completing his foreign tour to attract investments, Stalin said investment commitments to the tune of Rs 3,440 crore have been made by several companies during his visit abroad and that showed the confidence of multinational firms in Tamil Nadu and the DMK regime. The Chief Minister exuded confidence that more investors would come forward to choose Tamil Nadu as their investment destination. Speaking to reporters, he said the 'Lok Sabha election is round the corner and further visits to attract investments may be scheduled only following the polls.' Asked about Prime Minister Modi's address in Parliament, Stalin said he 'saw, read, enjoyed and laughed' at it. Modi

Rahul affirms INDIA bloc unity amid political shifts ahead of LS polls

"Mamata (Banerjee) is very much part of the INDIA alliance and most of the other members who are part of the INDIA alliance are still members of the INDIA alliance," Rahul Gandhi said

Alliance ka hi alignment bigad gya: PM Modi mocks cracks in INDIA bloc

The Prime Minister further said that Congress has recently learnt the work of an auto mechanic, so they should by now know what alignment is

Nyay Yatra resumes Jharkhand-leg, Rahul to address public rally in Ranchi

Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh said that the public rally in Ranchi is the main focus of yatra, being spearheaded by Rahul Gandhi, today

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