Page 5 - Opposition Parties

Willing to lead INDIA bloc if I get opportunity: WB CM Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday expressed dissatisfaction with the functioning of the opposition INDIA bloc, signaling her intent to take charge of the alliance if given the opportunity. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo said she could manage the dual responsibility of running the opposition front while continuing her role as the chief minister of Bengal. "I had formed the INDIA bloc, now it is up to those leading the front to manage it. If they can't run the show, what can I do? I would just say that everyone needs to be taken along," she said in an interview with Bengali news channel News 18 Bangla. Asked why she is not taking the charge of the bloc, given her credentials as a strong anti-BJP force, Banerjee said, "If given the opportunity I would ensure its smooth functioning." "I don't want to go outside Bengal, but I can run it from here," she said. The INDIA bloc, formed to counter the BJP, comprises over two dozen opposition parties. However, interna

Lok Sabha seat allotment sparks discontent; INDIA allies blame Congress

Members of Parliament from both NDA and Opposition parties have expressed dissatisfaction with the Lok Sabha seating arrangement, feeling that it does not reflect their seniority or political stature

Govt, Oppn work to break impasse in Parliament; Constitution debate likely

The government and opposition parties have come close to reaching an agreement to break the impasse in Parliament with a discussion on the Constitution to mark its 75th year of adoption likely to take place in the coming days, sources said. The Samajwadi Party may also be allowed to raise the Sambhal issue and the Trinamool Congress happenings in Bangladesh in the Lok Sabha, they said. The opposition wants an official announcement of dates for the discussion on the Constitution before agreeing to the resumption of regular parliamentary proceedings, they added. "We are hopeful that Parliament will begin its work from Tuesday. Positive talks have happened," a source said. However, there is little possibility of any specific discussion on the Adani issue, sources added, noting that opposition members may touch on it during other debates. The Congress has been persistent in raising the issue of the indictment of US prosecutors of Adani Group chairperson Gautam Adani and other company

Oppn wants discussion but govt running away: Cong amid Parliament deadlock

The Congress on Monday accused the treasury benches of "running away" from a discussion in Parliament on issues such as the Adani indictment and Sambhal violence, and said the government simply did not want Parliament to function. Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned on Monday amid continued protests by the opposition, which demanded a discussion on the indictment of industrialist Gautam Adani in a US court on bribery charges and the Sambhal violence, which claimed four lives. Congress general secretary in-charge, communications, Jairam Ramesh said, "Today too both Houses got adjourned. INDIA parties had given notices for an immediate discussion on Adani, Manipur, Sambhal, and Ajmer. These parties never agitated. There was hardly any sloganeering. But the Modi government simply did not want Parliament to function." "The situation is truly extraordinary. The Opposition wants a discussion but the government is running away from it," Ramesh said. He said opposition INDIA bloc part

Both Houses adjourned till afternoon amid ruckus over Adani issue

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 12 noon on Wednesday amid protests by Opposition members over the Adani controversy, recent violence in Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh and other issues. As soon as the House met for the day, many Opposition members, including from Congress, were on their feet as they sought to raise various issues. Some members from the Congress and Samajwadi Party were in the Well while other Opposition members stood in the aisle and shouted slogans. Speaker Om Birla asked the Opposition members to allow the Question Hour and said they can take up their issues later. Amid the din, one question was taken up. However, the protests continued and the proceedings, which went on for about six minutes, were adjourned till noon. The Opposition members wanted to discuss the Adani controversy and the recent violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal. The Adani Group said on Wednesday that Gautam Adani, and his nephew Sagar have not been charged with any violation of the US Fo

INDIA bloc meets to discuss unified strategy for Parliament winter session

Opposition is expected to raise the issue of Adani group's indictment, in an alleged bribery and fraud case, along with also pressing for a discussion on violence in Manipur

Maharashtra results: NDA leads comfortably in 229 seats - show 4 pm trends

At 9 am, counting trends showed the Mahayuti-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leading on more than 153 of the 288 seats. Meanwhile, the Opposition was ahead on 86 seats

Cong's samosa caucus has arrived in Maharashtra to trade lies: Smriti Irani

Former BJP MP Irani referred to the Congress group as the 'samosa caucus' and mocked them for their past actions and statements

Shivraj calls India bloc's election guarantees in Jharkhand as dud bombs

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday termed the INDIA bloc guarantees for the upcoming Jharkhand assembly elections as "lies" and "dud bombs". Talking to reporters here, Chouhan claimed the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress had made promises during the previous assembly elections also but none of them were fulfilled. "They (JMM and Congress) had said that they will provide five lakh government jobs. Not given. They promised to give Rs 2,000 monthly for chulha-kharch (domestic expenses). Not given. They brought a scheme to give Rs 1,000 just two months ahead of elections. They promised unemployment allowance to the jobless. Not given," Chouhan said. These parties had promised to purchase the paddy crop by giving bonus on the minimum support price (MSP), but it was also not given, the BJP leader said. "The JMM had made 117 promises (in the last assembly elections), Congress made 344 promises. Not even one of them was fulfilled in the last five years a

KTR accuses CM Reddy of phone tapping leaders of Congress, Opposition

BRS leader also alleged that Revanth Reddy was caught with a bag containing Rs 50 lakh in the past

Kejriwal likely to campaign for INDIA bloc in Maharashtra, Jharkhand polls

Arvind Kejriwal is likely to campaign on assembly seats where AAP has a volunteer base and where the MVA candidates don't have a controversial background

AAP unlikely to contest Maha, J'khand polls; looks to strengthen INDIA bloc

Our focus is Delhi and we don't want to create further confusion in minds of voters in Maharashtra which could lead to splitting anti-BJP votes, AAP sources said

Cong's maximum time goes into infighting, failed as opposition: PM Modi

The Congress spends most of its time infighting and every child in Haryana is aware of it, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday while asserting the people have decided to give one more chance to the BJP to serve the state. Interacting with Haryana BJP workers through the NaMo app, he discussed fieldwork at the booth level for the upcoming state polls and encouraged them to devise a strategy for the party to win the election. While alleging the Congress has failed as an opposition in the past 10 years, PM Modi claimed the grand old party's maximum time goes into infighting and taking on each other. Every child in Haryana is aware of the grand old party's internal strife, the prime minister said. Attacking the Congress, he said, "The entire basis of those fighting against us in the polls is lies. They repeatedly tell lies, their talks have no head and tail and they vitiate the atmosphere." These days, the Congress' loudspeakers which earlier were making big claims have fall

'If Bengal burns, Delhi will too': Mamata sparks row; INDIA bloc silent

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has heavily condemned Mamata Banerjee for her provocative and "hateful" comment saying that if violence spreads to Bengal, other states will be impacted

Opposition protests Himanta govt's failure to prevent crimes against women

The opposition parties in Assam on Tuesday held demonstrations in various parts of Guwahati, including the assembly complex, alleging the failure of the government to protect women and prevent crime against them. Congress MLAs led by Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia marched from inside the assembly building to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi within the compound, holding placards and shouting slogans demanding the safety of women and condemning the targeting of a particular community for all crimes against women. "The Dhing incident is not the only one. After that also, many such cases have taken place in different parts of the state," Saikia told reporters here. "The CM, who also holds the Home portfolio, is not at all serious and concerned about the situation. We discussed in the assembly about crimes against women with NCRB data and asked the government to take action," he said. Saikia claimed that the Home Department has asked the Assam Police not to register "some cases"

Shivaji Maharaj statue collapse: Raut seeks CM's resignation, alleges scam

A statue of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a fort in Maharashtra's coastal Sindhudurg district just eight months ago, collapsed on Monday, an official said, with the chief minister blaming "strong winds" for the cave in. As the incident caused an embarrassment to the state government and invited scathing criticism from the opposition, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde vowed to rebuild the structure, which he said, was designed and constructed by the Indian Navy. Asked about the collapse, Shinde told PTI, "The wind was blowing at a speed of 45km per hour, which caused the statue to fall. It is very unfortunate the statue has fallen as it was designed and built by the Navy. However, our guardian minister (Ravindra Chavan) has arrived at the spot to assess the situation, and we will rebuild this statue even stronger. Navy officials will also take part in the rebuilding efforts." Public Works Department (PWD) personnel will visit

BJP's Sudhanshu Trivedi attacks INDIA bloc for 'covering up' for criminals

The BJP alleged on Tuesday that the recent rise in the political strength of 'do ladke', a reference to Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, has resulted in criminals getting emboldened in Uttar Pradesh. BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi accused the Samajwadi Party of sheltering criminals, and targeted the Yadav-led party over the arrest of two persons allegedly associated with it on the charges of rape and attempt to rape. Not only the SP has been giving "cover fire" to criminals but the members of the opposition INDIA bloc are helping each other defend criminal elements of their alliance partners as well, he told reporters. "Those associated with two boys have been committing crimes. The audacity of criminals has been rising since the increase in the strength of these two boys," he said in an apparent reference to Congress leader Gandhi and Yadav, whose alliance outperformed the BJP-led NDA in Uttar Pradesh in the recent Lok Sabha polls. It is in the DNA of the Samajwadi Party to st

Opposition spreading rumours about 'Ladki Bahin' scheme: Maha CM Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde targeted the opposition parties, accusing them of spreading rumours about his government's flagship 'Ladki Bahin' scheme for women, and asked people to be cautious of such "stepbrothers". Speaking on Friday night in Thane, his home turf, Shinde said his government does not work keeping in mind the elections, but it works for the welfare of people. Assembly elections in Maharashtra are likely to be held in October this year. Months before the elections, his government announced 'Mukhymantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana', which literally means 'Chief Minister's My Beloved Sister Scheme', under which eligible women will be given a financial assistance of Rs 1,500 every month. "Citizens, especially women in the state, should be cautious of the 'savatra bhau' (stepbrothers) who spread all kinds of rumours about the Ladki Bahin scheme. So far, I had only one sister. Now, I have got lakhs of sisters across the state," CM Shinde said at Yeoor here durin

Dhankhar vs Jaya: Walkout over VP's tone, he says Constitution disrespected

Uneasy relations between Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and opposition parties on Friday erupted in a heated exchange between the chair and Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan, leading to a walkout by opposition parties and Dhankhar calling it "disrespect to democracy and constitution". The cine star objected to the "tone" in which Dhankhar addressed her as well as switching off the mike of Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, triggering a heated exchange. The Chairman, who is also the Vice President of India, said he can't be "schooled" and that Bachchan "may be anybody... a celebrity" but she has to observe decorum. As Dhankhar refused to allow her or any one from the opposition to speak, INDIA bloc parties staged a walkout, which was slammed both by the chair and the treasury benches. Leader of the House and Union Minister J P Nadda called the opposition behaviour "highly indecent and irresponsible". Trouble broke when the Congress MPs sought an apology from BJP memb

'Unacceptable tone': Jaya Bachchan demands apology from RS Chair Dhankhar

The Opposition staged a walkout on Friday after Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan accused Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar of using unacceptable' tone