Page 14 - Opposition Parties

Doesn't happen so quickly in alliance: Lalu on seat sharing in INDIA bloc

Earlier on January 15, RJD leader and Bihar Deputy CM Tejashvi Yadav said that the BJP had become nervous after the formation of the INDIA bloc

Presenting alternative vision with Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra: Rahul Gandhi

The Congress leader said said that the idea of his Yatra is to make sure that even if people are from a small state, they should feel equal to all people in the country

With Ram temple in front and centre, BJP expects rich political dividends

As it reckons Opposition's rejection of invites to the temple consecration ceremony may polarise electorate again

Will welcome Milind Deora if he joins Shiv Sena, says Maha CM Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday was evasive on former Union minister Milind Deora, who quit the Congress earlier in the day, joining the Shiv Sena but said his party will welcome him if he chooses to do so. "I have heard about his move. If he is joining the party, I will welcome him," Shinde said. In a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, earlier in the day Deora said, "Today marks the conclusion of a significant chapter in my political journey. I have tendered my resignation from the primary membership of the Congress, ending my family's 55 year relationship with the party. I am grateful to all leaders, colleagues and karyakartas for their unwavering support over the years." Speculation is rife in political circles over the past few days that he is likely to join the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

Senior Cong leader T H Mustafa dies at 82 due to age-related ailments

Senior Congress leader and former state minister T H Mustafa died on Sunday at a private hospital here due to multiple age-related ailments. He was 82 and is survived by wife and eight children, family sources said. Mustafa was a former Food Minister in the K Karunakaran cabinet and a five-time legislator. He was undergoing treatment for various ailments at the private hospital where he breathed his last at 5.43 AM, hospital sources told PTI. Leaders cutting across party lines condoled Mustafa's demise. Kerala Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Mustafa had left his mark on the public life of Kerala as a minister, a legislator and a Congress leader. Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, V D Satheesan, said Mustafa strengthened the Congress and led it well in Ernakulam district. KPCC chief K Sudhakaran termed Mustafa's demise as a 'great loss' to the party. "He has played a major role in strengthening the Congress party in Ernakulam District. He was a great orator and an .

Amid seat-sharing dispute, Mamata asserts TMC to stay with INDIA bloc

TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday asserted that it will remain part of the INDIA bloc in the fight against the BJP, days after fissures appeared in the alliance over seat-sharing disagreement between her party and the Congress in West Bengal. Banerjee conveyed her stance during a closed-door organisational meeting of the TMC's West Midnapore district unit. "Our party supremo clearly stated that the TMC would remain in the INDIA bloc in the fight against the BJP. Although critical of the CPI(M), she did not utter a single word against the Congress," said a senior TMC official present in the meeting, who did not wish to be named. The CPI(M), Congress and the TMC collectively constitute the 28-party strong INDIA bloc. However, in West Bengal, the CPI(M) and Congress have allied against the TMC and BJP. Banerjee's statement follows TMC's Lok Sabha Party leader Sudip Bandopadhyay's recent remark that the party has an "open heart" for the Congress regarding seat-sharing in West ..

INDIA parties should speed up seat-sharing in favourable states: Omar

INDIA bloc partners should speed up their seat-sharing talks for the Lok Sabha elections in states such as Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Punjab where their prospects are better, National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah said on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters here, he said such talks for the seats in Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh have not started yet. "We are a part of the INDIA alliance. We have a total of six seats including Ladakh and I do not think it will take us more than 15 minutes to take a decision on that. I want that wherever we have hopes of winning seats like in UP, WB, Maharashtra, Bihar, Punjab, Delhi, TN, and Kerala, we should speed up the process of seat-sharing discussions," he said. Abdullah said the National Conference has also not started intra-party talks on its candidates for the Lok Sabha polls, due in April-May. Asked whether he would contest the elections, he said, "I have not had the opportunity to discuss this....

SP chief should introspect before taking a jibe at BSP, says Mayawati

BSP chief Mayawati on Sunday asked her SP counterpart Akhilesh Yadav to introspect before making any unrestrained jibe at her party. Mayawati's comment comes a day after the Samajwadi Party (SP) chief took a jibe at the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) while speaking to reporters during an event in Ballia district. Asked whether the BSP would join the INDIA alliance, Yadav questioned in return, "Who will give an assurance after that?" In a post on X in Hindi, Mayawati said, "The SP chief who is helpless owing to his and his government's anti-Dalit policies, habits and style of working, should introspect before making any unrestrained comment on the BSP and check how tainted his reputation is in this strengthening the BJP and reconciling with them." "Also, who can forget the blessings given by the then SP chief to the BJP before and after winning the parliamentary elections. And then how can the public forget the meetings of the SP leadership with the BJP leadership after their government

INDIA bloc faces Trinamool Congress test over chairperson, convenor posts

According to sources in the Congress and other constituents of the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), the discussions on seat sharing have been smoother than expected

Congress to focus on just 255 seats in Lok Sabha elections, says report

2024 general elections: The Congress leadership stated that seat-sharing negotiations with INDIA partners would commence soon

Belarus' Prez gives himself immunity from prosecution, limits challengers

President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus signed a new law on Thursday that gives him lifelong immunity from criminal prosecution and prevents opposition leaders living abroad from running in future presidential elections. The law theoretically applies to any former president and members of his or her family. In reality, it only is relevant to the 69-year-old Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus with an iron fist for almost 30 years. The new measure appears aimed at further shoring up Lukashenko's power and eliminating potential challengers in the country's next presidential election, which is due to take place in 2025. The law significantly tightens requirements for presidential candidates and makes it impossible to elect opposition leaders who fled to neighboring countries in recent years. Only citizens of Belarus who have permanently resided in the country for at least 20 years and have never had a residence permit in another country are eligible to run. Belarus was rocked by mass

INDIA bloc all about infighting, says BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi

They (INDIA bloc) don't have a clue how to come together or who would lead or guide them going forward, says Naqvi

S Korean Oppn leader recovering well from surgery after stabbing attack

South Korea's main opposition leader is recovering well from surgery after being stabbed in the neck earlier this week, his doctor said Thursday, as police seek a formal arrest warrant to extend the suspect's custody. Lee Jae-myung, head of the liberal Democratic Party, South Korea's biggest political party, was stabbed by a knife-wielding man who approached him asking for his autograph at an event in the southeastern city of Busan on Tuesday. The man was immediately detained by police. The assault left Lee, 59, bleeding and slumped on the ground. After emergency treatment, he was flown to a Seoul hospital for an operation that lasted about 100 minutes. After the surgery, Lee was placed an an intensive care unit at Seoul National University Hospital and then transferred to an ordinary ward on Wednesday evening, according to party officials. In his first briefing since the surgery, Min Seung-kee, a vascular surgeon at the hospital who performed the operation, said Thursday that Lee i

Discussions started on next meeting of INDIA bloc, says Tejashwi Yadav

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday said that discussions were on among leaders of the INDIA bloc on the next meeting of the coalition, where some key decisions were expected. Yadav was approached with queries here by journalists who wanted his take on reports in a section of the media that a meeting was likely to be held in the virtual mode. The young RJD leader, who along with his father and party president Lalu Prasad, has been present at all meetings of the newly-formed coalition held so far, said, "There are discussions with regard to the date and the modalities. It will be made known to all when a headway is made." One of the key decisions expected at the meeting is defining the role of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the JD(U) president, who had junked the BJP around two years ago vowing to defeat the NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls by bringing the opposition together. The longest-serving chief minister of Bihar has been maintaining that he was past all ...

Digvijaya questions ECI's transparency, calls for release of source code

"Why is ECI stonewalling opposition meeting with them? How do we trust ECI who refuses to meet Principal Opposition Parties?" Singh said in a post on X

Congress writes to CEC, seeks time to share INDIA bloc's views on VVPATS

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has written to Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, requesting that a team of INDIA bloc leaders are provided an opportunity to meet him and his colleagues to put forward their point of view on VVPATS. In his letter to Kumar, Ramesh said that on December 20, 2023, INDIA parties' leaders had requested for an appointment with the ECI to "discuss and provide suggestions on the use of VVPATs" based on a resolution passed at meeting of leaders of the bloc held the previous day. "We have been trying to meet with the ECI to hand over a copy of this resolution and have a discussion but have not been successful so far in doing so," he said. "I once again make a request for an opportunity for a 3-4 member team of INDIA party leaders to meet with you and your colleagues and take a few minutes to put forward our point of view on VVPATS," Ramesh said. In his letter dated December 30, 2023, the Congress general secretary also pointed out that on August 9,

Govt wants Oppn to behave like Bidhuri to avoid suspension: Derek O'Brien

Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien on Tuesday said the government perhaps wants opposition members to behave like BJP lawmakers Ramesh Bidhuri and Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh -- both of whom are facing allegations of misconduct -- as 14 opposition MPs continue to remain suspended from Parliament. A hundred opposition MPs in the Lok Sabha and 46 in the Rajya Sabha were suspended during the recent Winter session of Parliament after they held protests in the two Houses to demand a discussion and a statement by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the December 13 security breach. In a post on X, O'Brien -- who was among the MPs to be suspended -- took a jibe at the government and mentioned Bidhuri, accused of using a communal slur in the Lok Sabha, and Singh, who is facing allegations of sexual harassment by six women wrestlers. The accusation against Bidhuri is being looked into by a privileges committee. "Two impeccably well-behaved Members of Parliament continue to grace the Lok Sabha --

Year in review: How India's political landscape transformed in 2023

With the end of another year, we take a look at the biggest headlines and stories from Indian politics that defined 2023

2023: Battle lines drawn in Indian politics and beyond - a year review

The Opposition bloc taking shape after a Congress push, BJP's sweep in the Hindi heartland, and suspension of MPs protesting over Parliament security breach set the stage for an intense 2024 showdown

Dhankhar-Kharge letter war: MPs suspension premeditated, alleges Cong chief

It was the mass suspension of MPs that was "premeditated" and "weaponised" by the ruling party to sabotage Parliamentary practices, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge alleged on Saturday, hitting back at Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar. Kharge was replying to a second letter on the disruption of parliamentary proceedings and the suspension of MPs by Vice President Dhankhar, who had alleged that the disorder by the Opposition in the House was deliberate and part of a strategy. In his letter on Saturday, Dhankar had also said, "We need to move ahead", and invited the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha for an interaction on December 25 "or a time of your convenience" at his official residence. The Congress president, in his reply, said that he agrees with the Chairman that they need to move ahead but stressed that the "answer may not lie in a discussion in the Chairman's chambers, if the government is not keen on running the House". The Congress chief said he is currently out of