Page 11 - Opposition

People being jailed without investigation: Mehbooba Mufti at 'INDIA' rally

Opposition leaders came together in a show of strength at the capital's Ramlila Maidan on Sunday to protest against the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi liquor policy case

Tyranny won't work, can't keep CM behind bars for long: Sunita Kejriwal

Mother India is in pain and this tyranny won't work, said Sunita Kejriwal, reading out her jailed husband Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's message at the INDIA bloc rally here on Sunday. As top opposition leaders gathered at Ramlila Maidan for the 'Loktantra Bachao' rally, Sunita Kejriwal said, "The people of Delhi have faced injustice in last 75 years. We will make Delhi a full state if the INDIA bloc comes to power." NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI general secretary D Raja, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren were among the first to reach the Ramlila Maidan. Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, AAP leader and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav are also expected to join. Kejriwal's wife Sunita also joined the INDIA bloc leaders on stage. She read out a ...

Cong gets I-T notice of over Rs 1,745 cr, total tax demand at Rs 3,567 cr

In mounting trouble for the Congress, sources in the party said it has received fresh notices from the Income Tax department, raising a tax demand of Rs 1,745 crore for the assessment years 2014-15 to 2016-17. With this latest notice, the Income Tax department has raised a total demand of Rs 3,567 crore from the Congress. According to sources, the fresh tax notices relate to 2014-15 (Rs 663 crore), 2015-16 (around Rs 664 crore) and 2016-17 (around Rs 417 crore). The authorities have ended the tax exemption available to political parties and have taxed the party for the entire collections, they added. The Congress has also been taxed for "third-party entries" made in diaries seized from some of its leaders by probe agencies during raids, the sources said. The main opposition party on Friday said that it has received notices from the I-T department, asking it to pay around Rs 1,823 crore. The tax authorities have already withdrawn Rs 135 crore from the party's accounts for a tax dema

Not 'save democracy' but 'save family', hide corruption: BJP on Oppn rally

The BJP on Sunday slammed the opposition INDIA bloc's rally at Ramlila ground here, saying it is not a "save democracy" meeting as projected but a "save family" and "hide corruption" rally. BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi cited corruption cases of a host of leaders, including those from the Congress, DMK and the RJD, to assert that all these charges date back to pre-2014 period amid the opposition's accusation that the Modi government is implicating them in graft probes due to its political vendetta. Ramlila ground once hosted "India against corruption" movement under the leadership of Anna Hazare, Trivedi said, adding that it is hosting on Sunday a rally for "everybody with corruption". People who trashed many leaders as thieves and crooks have joined hands with them, and it is a strange and startling sight, he said, in an apparent reference to the coming together of the Aam Aadmi Party with other opposition parties. Their leader is now Lalu Prasad Yadav, a convict in several .

Oppn to protest against Kejriwal's arrest, security tightened in Delhi

Multiple layers of barricades have been set up and a large number of police personnel deployed on roads leading to the BJP headquarters here in view of opposition INDIA bloc's protest on Friday against the arrest of AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Besides police personnel, those of paramilitary forces have also been stationed at many places in Central Delhi, including on the DDU Marg and around the ITO area. Kejriwal, who is in the Enforcement Directorate's custody, was arrested by the agency on March 21 in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday had said members of the bloc will demonstrate against Kejriwal's arrest as well as on the electoral bonds issue at the BJP headquarters on DDU Marg. The INDIA bloc has been formed by some opposition parties, including the AAP, the TMC, the Congress, the DMK and the SP, to counter the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls. The Delhi Police said prohibitory orders under Section

Kerala Oppn urges action to bring back youth forced into Russia-Ukraine war

Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly V D Satheesan sent a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday seeking immediate intervention of the central government to ensure the safe return of youths recruited by private agencies to the Russian army. In the letter, the Congress leader demanded measures for the safe return of the three youths from Kerala trapped in the war zone and an investigation against the recruitment agencies that are a part of the human trafficking network. "I urge your good self to make every effort to bring back all of those who are stuck in the combat zone and to initiate a comprehensive investigation against these recruitment agencies that form part of a large illegal trafficking network," he said in the letter. Satheesan termed as shocking the "revelation" that some private recruitment companies in Kerala have been recruiting young people to go to war-battered Ukraine after tempting them with the prospect of lucrative employment in ...

Direct contest between 'INDIA' and NDA in Varanasi: Cong UP chief Ajay Rai

Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai, who has once again been named as the party candidate from Varanasi against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said on Sunday there will be a direct contest between the INDIA bloc and the NDA, and the issue of "local versus outsider" will also figure prominently in the Lok Sabha polls on the seat. "This time the Lok Sabha elections will be held directly between the INDIA block and the NDA. Due to this, the equations have changed and the electoral environment has also changed completely. The people are facing unemployment, inflation and corruption, and are fed up with the BJP's false claims of development. They have made up their mind to change (the winner) this time," Rai said while talking to PTI. In the past several elections, along with the BJP and the main opposition party, a third strong candidate also used to be fielded, which would divide the votes, Rai said. But this time, there is a direct contest between the INDIA bloc and the NDA, he

'INDIA' intact, will cross 272, PM's corruption pitch hollow: Jairam Ramesh

The INDIA bloc is intact despite Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's "somersault" and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee deciding to be Mamata Banerjee, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has said, rejecting as "hollow" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pitch against the opposition on corruption. In an interaction with PTI editors at the news agency's headquarters here, Ramesh also said the opposition will unitedly cross the halfway mark of 272 in the elections and oust the BJP from power. He spoke on a range of issues including electoral bonds, the arrests of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and JMM leader Hemant Soren, who resigned as Jharkhand CM, and also addressed speculations around Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra potentially contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Amethi and Raebareli, respectively. "Look at the way the electoral bonds scheme has worked. Rs 4,000-crore of bonds are directly linked with Rs 4-lakh crore of contracts. There is a clear correlation between the ...

Here's a look at top Opposition leaders challenging PM Modi in LS polls

Known by its acronym I.N.D.I.A. - or Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance - the coalition of more than 20 parties has been beset by defections to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party

'Shakti' remarks: Opposition alliance only targets Hinduism, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday kept up the attack on the INDIA bloc over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 'Shakti' remark, saying the opposition alliance displayed its "ill-intention" by declaring to destroy it. The opposition alliance, of which the Congress and the DMK are key constituents, repeatedly insults Hinduism but never targets any other faith, he said, addressing a BJP rally here. "INDI alliance people repeatedly deliberately insult Hindu faith; every statement made by them against it is well thought out," he said. In Hinduism, Shakthi means "Matru shakthi, naari shakti," he said, referring to women power. "INDI alliance which has the Congress and the DMK says they will destroy this." Shakti refers to the divine and manifests in the form of various deities in the state like Mariamman, Madurai Meenakshiamman and Kanchi Kamakshiamma, he said. National poet Subramania Bharathi worshipped mother India as 'Shakti,' he said. "Tamil Nadu will punish those who talk of .

Oppn asks EC to act against PM Modi's Whatsapp message on 'Viksit Bharat'

Raising the issue of people receiving Prime Minister Narendra Modi's letter on WhatsApp seeking support in building a 'Viksit Bharat', opposition leaders on Monday called on the Election Commission to act against what they said was a "blatant violation" of the model code of conduct. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor tagged a post of a person raising the issue of privacy over the prime minister's letter being received by persons living abroad. "Will the @ECISVEEP take note of such a blatant misuse of government machinery and government data to serve the partisan political interests of the ruling party?" Tharoor said on X. Another Congress MP Manish Tewari also posted on X the WhatsApp message which had the letter attached, as received by him on his phone. "This unsolicited WhatsApp message came at 12.09 AM today . It seems to be from @GoI_MeitY (Ministry of Electronics & IT). Is this not a blatant violation of the both Model Code of Conduct & Right to Privacy," Tewari said. "Where ...

INDIA bloc's manifesto talks about finishing 'Shakti': PM Modi in Telangana

Alleging that the INDIA bloc's manifesto talks about finishing 'Shakti', Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the fight is between those who want to destroy 'Shakti' and those who worship them. Addressing a rally here, Modi said, for him, every mother and every daughter is a form of 'Shakti' and that he worships them. He said the nation dedicated 'Chandrayaan's' success to 'Shiv Shakti' and the opposition parties are talking of destroying 'Shakti'. "On Sunday in Mumbai, there was an INDI alliance rally after the announcement of the schedule for elections. They announced their manifesto in the rally. In Mumbai's Shivaji Park, they said their fight was against 'Shakti'. For me, every mother, every daughter is a form of 'Shakti'. Mothers and sisters, I worship you as 'Shakti'. I am Bharat Maa's 'pujari', he said. "INDI alliance in its manifesto announced to finish/destroy Shakti. I accept their challenge. I will sacrifice my life for the security of mothers and sisters," he ...

Elections 2024: Electoral bonds may not be Opposition's core campaign issue

Without establishing quid pro quo and given their own handicaps, it is unlikely the Opposition parties can present an effective narrative about 'corruption' involving electoral bonds to the voters

Strong anti-incumbency in UP, situation very good for INDIA: SP's Ram Gopal

Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav Sunday claimed there is strong anti-incumbency in Uttar Pradesh and the INDIA bloc will defeat the BJP in at least 40 seats the ruling party won last time. Uttar Pradesh goes to the polls on all seven phases of the Lok Sabha elections, beginning on April 19 and ending on June 1. The BJP-led ruling coalition won 64 seats -- BJP 62, Apna Da(S) 2 -- out of the total 80 constituencies in 2019. "There is a strong anti-incumbency in Uttar Pradesh against both the state and the central governments. The situation of the alliance will be very good in UP and we will win in at least 40 seats the BJP won (last time)," Yadav said to reporters here. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party were in alliance. While the SP secured victory on five seats, the BSP won 10. This time, the SP has joined the opposition INDIA grouping to fight the BJP-led NDA. On the electoral bonds issue, the Rajya Sabha member said, "People s

'INDIA' bloc parties will fight in West Bengal to defeat BJP, TMC: Yechury

Trinamool Congress announcing its candidates for all seats in West Bengal means the other INDIA bloc parties will have to sit together and decide how to go about the polls, Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said, adding that they will fight to defeat the "BJP and TMC". Asked about the TMC's decision to go solo in West Bengal, Yechury said, "Every party has the right to take decisions. If TMC has announced, it is a clear indication that rest of the parties will have to sit together and decide how to proceed in fighting these elections in Bengal." "Our line has always been very clear. We are asking all secular forces in Bengal to come together to defeat the BJP and the TMC, which actually has taken such unilateral decisions... CPI(M)'s appeal has always been to defeat BJP and defeat TMC in order to save democracy in India and Bengal," he said. The TMC has stepped away from the INDIA bloc, the mega opposition alliance against the BJP which includes th

BJP govt 'misusing' ED to create fear among Oppn leaders: Sharad Pawar

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Monday alleged the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government was misusing agencies like the Enforcement Directorate to create fear among opposition leaders and called the ED "supporting party" of the BJP. Speaking to reporters in Pune, Pawar cited figures of the ED's actions between 2005 and 2023, claiming it registered 5,806 cases and only 25 of them have been disposed of. "The disposal rate is 0.42 per cent and the conviction rate is just 0.40 per cent. The ED's budget has gone up from Rs 300 crore in 2022 to Rs 404 crore," the former Union minister further claimed. "Between 2005 and 2023, two governments were in power, including the UPA of which we were also a part. During the UPA regime, the ED investigated 26 leaders, of whom five were from the Congress and three from the BJP. It shows that during the UPA regime ED's action was not politically motivated, but after 2014, not a single BJP leader has been questioned," Pawar said. These figures raise a .

Oppn parties stage protest against CAA ahead of PM's visit to Assam

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's arrival in Assam on Friday on a two-day visit, opposition parties staged a protest in Kaliabor in Nagaon district against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). The sit-in by the 16-member United Opposition Forum, Assam (UOFA) was held near Kaziranga, where the PM is scheduled to spend the night after reaching the state in the afternoon. UOFA spokesperson and Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi said the protest was initially slated for Saturday but was held a day before at the request of Ahom community organisations. "The prime minister will be unveiling a statue of Ahom general Lachit Borphukan. As such, the community requested us to change the date of the protest. Hence, we organised it a day earlier," Gogoi told reporters at the demonstration site. He maintained that the CAA is a threat to the identity of the Assamese people, and they will continue protesting it. State Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah, participating in the protest, said, "T

Rahul's Bharat Jodo yatra to pause for day in MP due to Oppn rally in Patna

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday spoke to Agniveers and ex-servicemen in Gwalior city of Madhya Pradesh on the 50th day of his 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra', a party functionary said. The yatra will take a pause on Sunday as Gandhi will participate in the opposition INDIA bloc's rally in Bihar capital Patna later in the day, he said. Gandhi will leave for Patna to take part in the opposition's rally there, Congress state media cell chief KK Mishra said. The yatra will resume in MP on Monday, he said. Earlier, the yatra, a mass outreach programme led by Gandhi ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, entered MP in Morena district on Saturday afternoon. It will pass through Shivpuri, Guna, Rajgarh, Shajapur, Ujjain, Dhar and Ratlam districts of MP, as per the schedule. The east-to-west Manipur-Mumbai yatra is scheduled to traverse 6,700 kilometres through 15 states. It aims at highlighting the message of 'nyay' (justice) while meeting common people on the way.

LoP Bhupinder Hooda seeks compensation for crops damaged due to hailstorms

Former Haryana chief minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Saturday demanded compensation for the farmers, who suffered damage to crops due to hailstorms. He said that hailstorms damaged crops in many areas, including Rohtak, Jhajjar, Rewari, Bhiwani, Ambala, Kurukshetra Sirsa, Sonipat, Yamunanagar, Karnal Fatehabad, Hisar, Jind and Charkhi Dadri. In a statement, Hooda demanded that the state government should get 'girdawari' (survey to assess loss) done at the earliest and compensate the farmers. He said that unseasonal rains and hailstorms have caused huge damage to the standing crops of wheat and mustard, adding the extent of damage was aggravated due to strong winds. Hooda said this has led to a situation where the farmers fear that production would decrease. He alleged that for the last several seasons, the BJP-JJP government in the state is not giving any compensation to the farmers for their losses. "Even after so many months, the flood affected farmer

Unlike 2019, Oppn offers strong alternative to BJP in 2024: Binoy Viswam

As the parties gear up for the Lok Sabha polls, Binoy Viswam, the Kerala state secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI), has asserted that opposition forces now have the confidence to present the INDIA formation as a compelling alternative to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). This confidence, he notes, was lacking during the 2019 elections. In an interview with PTI, Viswam, who is also a member of the Rajya Sabha, elaborated on the potential of the INDIA formation, which comprises anti-BJP parties. He highlighted the necessity for unity among opposition forces to counter the ruling coalition effectively. However, Viswam criticised the Congress party's move to field Rahul Gandhi from the Wayanad constituency, terming it as a "strategic misstep." "During 2019, people demanded an answer to the question of an effective alternative to the BJP, but we had no answer. This time, I am confident that people now have a hope of having an alternative with the INDIA formatio