Page 10 - Opposition

After 'derailment min' jibe, Vaishnaw says focus is on railways, not reels

Ashwini Vaishnaw's strong response came after Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi criticised him for not taking moral responsibility for train accidents and called him the 'derailment minister'

Lok Sabha debate: Opposition MPs express concern over train accidents

Opposition MPs in Lok Sabha on Wednesday expressed concern over the "increase" in number of train accidents in the country, while those of the treasury benches lauded the government's efforts to expand the railway network. Several members also put forth their demands for railway lines in their areas as the Lower House discussed the Demand for Grants for the railways ministry. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP from Aurangabad Abhay Kumar Sinha said the recent train accidents indicate there are many shortcomings in the functioning of the railways that need to be addressed. "Since Independence, only 18 per cent of new railway tracks have been laid. Every year, 275 km expansion has happened, which is very little," he said. "It should be increased, more railway tracks should be laid down, and old tracks should be repaired so that accidents can be stopped," he said. Sinha also said during the tenure of Lalu Prasad as the railways minister, the Indian Railways was earning profits and "the wh

MSP legal guarantee issue rocks Rajya Sabha; Cong-led Oppn stages protest

Opposition parties led by the Congress on Friday created a ruckus and obstructed proceedings in the Rajya Sabha, as they were not satisfied with Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's reply on providing a legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP) to farmers. The trouble began during Question Hour when Chouhan listed steps taken by the government for the welfare of farmers and spoke about the committee looking into strengthening the MSP system but stopped short of talking about a legal guarantee for crop support prices. Following the minister's remark, Congress MPs, including Randeep Surjewala and Jairam Ramesh, protested, saying that Chouhan's reply was incomplete. Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar tried to diffuse the situation, saying the minister had given a detailed reply and if the members were not satisfied, they should use available avenues to seek answers. Dhankhar repeatedly asked the members to allow the proceedings to continue and also threatened to name .

Niti Aayog meeting faces boycott from opposition leaders over budget woes

Chief ministers from Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Punjab, Jharkhand, and Kerala will be skipping the Niti Aayog meeting

Oppn indulged in politics during discussion on Union Budget. says Rijiju

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday hit out at opposition leaders, contending they had resorted to abusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the debate on the Union Budget in Parliament instead of speaking on the finer aspects of the document. Addressing a press conference here, he said the manner in which some opposition leaders made their speeches amounted to insulting the House and lowering the dignity of the Budget session. "Let us respect the mandate of the people. They have given the mandate to Prime Minister Modi for the third consecutive term. If anybody tries to insult the verdict of the people, they will be punished in the elections," Rijiju told reporters here. His remarks came a day after the Opposition claimed the Union Budget was "discriminatory" against non-NDA-ruled states and accused the prime minister of running a "shaky and vulnerable" coalition government. During the general discussion on the budget for 2024-25 in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday

INDIA bloc MPs protest in Parliament for discrimination in Union Budget

INDIA bloc MPs, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, staged a protest in Parliament premises on Wednesday over the alleged discrimination against opposition-ruled states in the Union Budget. Besides Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, several MPs of the Congress, TMC, Samajwadi Party, DMK and the Left joined the protest held on the steps leading up to the Makar Dwar of Parliament. Protesting against the budget, Kharge said, "This Budget is anti-people, no one has got justice. They have talked about special package but special status has not been given. This is a deceptive budget and injustice to the people." The MPs raised placards such as 'We want India budget not NDA budget' and 'NDA betrays India in Budget'. "Yesterday, through the budget, the government of India violated all the principles to keep the federal system," Congress general secretary, organisation, K

Opposition MPs stage walkout to protest Union Budget 2024 in Parliament

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman responds by saying it was not feasible to mention every state in the Budget

Oppn tried to create anarchy over NEET, SC verdict upholds truth: Pradhan

The revised final results of the exam will be announced taking into account marks of a physics question, which the NTA said had two correct answers

Cong hits back at PM, says Modi suppressed voice of country for 10 years

The Congress hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday over his remarks criticising the opposition, alleging that it was he who "suppressed the voice" of the country for 10 years and for which people "punished" him in the Lok Sabha polls. Talking to reporters ahead of the start of a Parliament session, Modi said in the first session of this Lok Sabha, "an undemocratic attempt was made to scuttle the voice of the government that had been ordered by 140 crore Indians to serve". "For two-and-a-half hours, attempts were made to scuttle the voice of the prime minister and such a thing has no place in democratic traditions. They (opposition) has no remorse over it," he said. Hitting back at Modi over his remarks, Congress's media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said the person who "throttled the country and suppressed its voice" for 10 years, today looked "very weak and was seen weeping" when the opposition raised its voice. The prime minister started the Monsoon sessi

Monsoon session: Parliament not for 'dal' but 'desh', PM Modi tells Oppn

PM Modi says Budget will be crucial for Amrit Kaal, accuses Opposition parties of 'scuttling his voice' in last Parliament session

Post LS polls victory, TMC gears up for Martyrs' Day rally on July 21

The Trinamool Congress, fresh from its victory in the Lok Sabha polls, is gearing up for its Martyrs' Day rally on Sunday, aiming to highlight its role in strengthening nationwide opposition unity and countering the BJP in West Bengal. According to TMC sources, the party leadership, which is part of the national opposition alliance INDIA bloc, is expected to outline its strategy for the national stage. Abhishek Banerjee, TMC's national general secretary, is slated to join the rally after a brief hiatus due to medical reasons. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav will also take part in the rally, senior TMC leader Kunal Ghosh posted on X. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the Martyrs' Day rally would commemorate the TMC's electoral victories in the state. "Tomorrow marks another 21st July! This day holds deep significance in Bengal's history. On this day in 1993, the repressive CPI(M) regime brutally took the lives of 13 of our comrades. It remains a poignant milestone for us, ..

Centre amends rules to give more power to J-K Lt Guv, Opposition slams move

The Centre has significantly strengthened the authority of the lieutenant governor in Jammu and Kashmir, empowering him to make decisions on crucial matters such as police and all-India services officers and granting sanctions for prosecution in various cases. The opposition slammed the Union government's move and termed it a step towards "disempowering" the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Official sources, however, said the notification does not in any sense alter the balance of powers as enshrined in the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. The Union home ministry gave more powers to the lieutenant governor on Friday by amending the transaction rules framed under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. This Act, passed alongside the abrogation of Article 370, bifurcated the erstwhile state into two Union territories -- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The sources said that with the amendments to the transaction rules, the powers of the legislative assembly and the functi

Leader of Oppn not just a post; it is my duty to raise issues: Rahul Gandhi

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said it is his duty to raise the issues of people of the country with full devotion and added he will not stop until people get their rights and justice. In a post on his WhatsApp channel, the Congress leader said the Leader of Opposition is not just a post and shared a video of his meetings with different citizen groups. "For me, Leader of the Opposition is not just a post.? It is my duty to know the problems of the people of this country and raise them with full devotion in Parliament... I will not stop until the people of India get their rights and justice," he said in his post. The video showed a clip of Gandhi taking oath as an MP and his speech in the Lok Sabha on July 1. It also showed a clip of Gandhi interacting with workers at the GTB Nagar labour chowk, his meeting with victims of the Hathras stampede and a meeting with loco pilots of the Indian Railways. It also showed a clip of the Congress leader from his

Congress, INDIA bloc to raise Manipur issue in Parliament: Rahul Gandhi

The Congress and the INDIA bloc will raise the need for peace in Manipur with full force in Parliament to put pressure on the government to end this tragedy, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said on Thursday, days after his visit to the violence-hit state. He also reiterated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should personally visit Manipur, listen to the problems of the people of the state and appeal for peace. Gandhi made the remarks in a post in Hindi on X as he shared a video of his interactions with the people of Manipur during his day-long visit to the violence-hit state on Monday. "I have visited Manipur three times since violence broke out there, but unfortunately there is no improvement in the situation -- even today the state is divided into two parts. Houses are burning, innocent lives are in danger and thousands of families are forced to live in relief camps," the former Congress chief said. The prime minister should personally visit Manipur, listen to

Who insults parliamentary procedures on daily basis?: Sibal to Dhankhar

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Sunday hit out at Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar over his criticism of Congress leader P Chidambaram's remarks on the new criminal laws, and said it was not the opposition that insults parliamentary procedures on a daily basis. Sibal's remarks came a day after Dhankhar lashed out at Chidambaram over his comment that the three new criminal laws were "drafted by part-timers", terming it as "inexcusable" and urging him to withdraw his "derogatory, defamatory and insulting" observation. Dhankhar had said he was "shocked beyond words" when he read Chidambaram's interview to a leading national daily wherein he had said that "the new laws were drafted by part-timers". In a post on X, Sibal said Sunday, "Dhankar: Criticised Chidambaram's statement that part-timers drafted the three criminal laws was an 'inexcusable insult to the wisdom of Parliament'. We are all part-timers Dhankar ji!" "And who insults parliamentary procedures on a daily basis? Not us!" said

PM Modi breaks silence on Manipur: 'Leave behind politics, restore peace'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi makes his first remarks on Manipur in Rajya Sabha today, assures Parliament of decline in violence and schools reopening

Key INDIA bloc meeting begins in Jharkhand amid guard change speculations

A crucial meeting of INDIA bloc legislators began here on Wednesday, amid speculations of a change of guard in the state, MLAs of the alliance said. The meeting has been convened by former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, who is also the executive president of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). Soren was released from jail on June 28 after nearly five months, as the high court granted him bail in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. "A change of guard in the state is possible... This meeting is crucial. All the legislators of the ruling alliance assembled here at 11 am," a party source told PTI. The speculations were fuelled by the sudden cancellation of all important programmes of Chief Minister Champai Soren, including distribution of appointment letters to 1,500 selected teachers on Wednesday. On Tuesday, too, all public programmes of Champai Soren, who had taken oath as the 12th CM of Jharkhand on February 2 after Hemant Soren's arrest, stood ...

Ready to meet Opposition MPs over new criminal laws, says Amit Shah

Shah rejected criticism that the three new criminal laws were draconian and repressive

'Aap Hindu ho hi nahi': Rahul Gandhi attacks Modi govt in Lok Sabha

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi criticises Modi government's Hindu stance, Agniveer scheme, and misuse of agencies such as the ED in Lok Sabha

Rahul Gandhi seeks discussion on NEET in Lok Sabha, Opposition walks out

Opposition members on Monday demanded a separate one-day discussion on the NEET paper leak issue in the Lok Sabha and staged a walkout after they sought a clear assurance from the government on the issue. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi raised the issue of irregularities in NEET soon after the Lok Sabha assembled for the day, prompting Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to assert that a separate discussion cannot be held till the House finishes with the motion of thanks on the president's address. "We wanted a one day discussion on NEET. It is an important issue. More than two crore students have been affected. Paper leaks have happened on 70 occasions. We would be happy if you allow a separate discussion on the issue," Gandhi said. Singh, deputy leader of the Lok Sabha, said the House has certain rules and procedures and also on healthy tradition, which are a strength of this House "In my decades-long tenure as a parliamentarian, never has any other issue been taken up during the ..