Page 3 - Opposition Parties

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

First JAC meet on Delimitation begins under Stalin; BJP calls it 'cover up'

The first Joint Action Committee (JAC) meeting on delimitation commenced here on Saturday with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M K Stalin in the chair. The meeting witness the participation of 14 leaders from at least five states and they would deliberate on the 'threat' posed by the Lok Sabha seats delimitation exercise to states with high economic growth and literacy. The opposition BJP, which staged a black flag protest, slammed Stalin for not convening similar meetings on the Cauvery and Mullaiperiar water-sharing disputes with Karnataka and Kerala, respectively. BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan described the meeting as "corruption hiding meeting" by the respective leaders. Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar said, "at any cost, we cannot let down our country and our seats to be reduced." He claimed South India had always upheld the census regulations and family planning policies, making it a progressive region. "Economically and in terms of literacy, we have ...

Oppn alleges energy projects along Indo-Pak border compromise security

Opposition members, mainly from the Congress and DMK, on Wednesday held a noisy protest in the Lok Sabha over clearance granted to a renewable energy project near the India-Pakistan border. Asking a supplementary during Question Hour, Manish Tewari of the Congress said national security and energy security have to go hand in hand. He claimed the mixed renewable energy project will run up to one kilometer of the International Border (IB) and noted that as per security protocol, any big infrastructure project should be at least 10 km away from the IB. He asked whether any relaxation was granted to the proposed project. The government asserted that nods and licences to any proposal are granted after obtaining clearances from the Centre, the state and relevant agencies. New and Renewable Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi said the government is keen to produce renewable energy in the country. He said clearances are sought from the central, state government and relevant agencies before lic

Speaker urges smooth functioning of Question Hour as Budget session resumes

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present a statement of Manipur's estimated receipts and expenditures for the year 2025-26

Ruling, opposition parties prepare for Jharkhand assembly face-off

The budget session of the Jharkhand Assembly is set to commence on Monday, as the opposition gears up in its efforts to corner the state government over issues around alleged examination paper leaks, claims of corruption and unemployment. The assembly session will conclude on March 27. The state budget for the 2025-26 fiscal will be tabled on March 3. BJP's Hatia MLA Naveen Jaiswal, after a legislature party meeting here, said, "The people gave their mandate to the JMM-Congress- RJD alliance, but that is being disrespected now. The state government forgot all the promises made to the people of Jharkhand after winning the election. Jharkhand BJP president Babulal Marandi chaired the meeting. "We have decided to question the government on several public issues such as paper leak, rising corruption and unemployment," said Jaiswal. He also alleged that incidents of paper leaks were earlier confined to recruitment tests only, but now it is happening even in board examinations. "This .

Kapil Sibal asks INDIA bloc to 'sit and work things out' after Delhi mess

As the BJP has clinched victory in recent Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana assembly elections, Sibal pointed out that the BJP has advantage that they fight elections under single command