Page 12 - Opposition

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

Oppn convinced of loss in 2024 Lok Sabha polls, thus abuses me: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed on Tuesday that the opposition, convinced it won't win the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, resorts to abusing him as it allegedly lacks a roadmap for the nation's progress. Modi, speaking at the conclusion ceremony of the BJP state unit's padayatra at the Central Stadium here, urged Kerala's people to bless the saffron party with seats in double digits in the 2024 LS polls. He further said the BJP never sees a state from the perspective of vote-bank. Modi claimed that over the last 10 years, Kerala has benefited from development like other BJP-ruled states. He said it was his guarantee to make all possible efforts to realise the dreams and expectations of the people of Kerala. The PM said it was 'Modiyude guarantee' (Modi's guarantee) to make India the third largest economy in the world as well as eradicate poverty and corruption from the country.

Assam Cabinet's nod to repeal Muslim Marriage Act welcomed by BJP

The Assam cabinet's decision to repeal the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935 has been welcomed by the ruling BJP, while opposition parties claimed that the move, which was 'discriminatory against Muslims', was made to polarise voters in the election year. The state cabinet on Friday night approved the decision to repeal the Act in a bid to end the social menace of child marriage as it contained provisions allowing registration of marriages even if the bride and groom had not reached the legal ages of 18 and 21 respectively, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. AIUDF Chief Badruddin Ajmal claimed that the repeal of the Act was the first step to bring in the Unified Civil Code (UCC) in Assam, but it will sound the death knell of the BJP government in the state. 'They are trying to provoke the Muslims and polarise voters in their favour,' Ajmal told reporters on the sidelines of a programme here. Congress MLA Abdul Rashid Mandal claimed that the decision i

Mamata Banerjee announces alternate Aadhaar card upon deactivation

UIDAI has declared that no Aadhaar number has been cancelled; BJP leaders assure that deactivated cards would be reactivated within 24 hour

Haven't joined INDIA, will support anyone with 'selfless' thought: Haasan

Actor-politician Kamal Haasan on Wednesday said discussions were on for his party MNM's political alliance and stressed it would support any bloc that would "selflessly" think about the nation but desist from being part of "feudal politics." Addressing reporters here after leading the 7th anniversary celebrations of his Makkal Needhi Maiam, Haasan also welcomed the recent political entry of top Tamil actor Vijay. Asked if MNM will join the multi-party opposition INDIA bloc, he said, "I have already told, this is the time when you have to blur party politics and think about the nation. Anybody who thinks selflessly about the nation, my MNM will be part of it." However, MNM won't join hands with those doing "local feudal politics," he said. Asked if he has joined the INDIA grouping, he said, "no, I haven't." On his party's possible political alliance, he said "discussions are on," and that any "good news" in this regard will be communicated to the media. The question was asked in t

Differences among INDIA allies in some states, to be resolved: Sharad Pawar

Rajya Sabha member Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said there are differences among some of the opposition INDIA bloc parties in a couple of states over issues including seat-sharing which senior leaders from other states would try to resolve. Speaking to reporters in Kolhapur, the senior politician said a meeting of the INDIA alliance, formed by several opposition parties to take on the ruling BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, has not been convened of late. A decision was taken earlier that all the parties of the opposition bloc will work together, he said. "But majority of the parties in the alliance are limited to their states, so it was decided that all these parties will sit with other allied parties in their respective states and that process is going on," Pawar said. He noted there are differences among some the opposition alliance parties in a couple of states like Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. "In Uttar Pradesh, there is an absence of a common understanding over the ...

ED being used for character assassination of Opposition leaders: Pilot

Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Tuesday alleged the Centre was using probe agencies like ED for "character assassination" of opposition leaders and crushing their voices. He also attacked the government over unemployment in the country. "95 per cent of cases the ED has registered are against Opposition leaders but the conviction rate is just one per cent. This means the ED (Enforcement Directorate) is being used for character assassination and crushing the voice of Opposition," the former Rajasthan deputy chief minister told reporters. He said protests by farmers in north India underline the problem of policy and intention of the government. "Country's assets have gone into the hands of select people because of the policies of the government," Pilot added.

People must be careful of rumours: Mayawati as she rejects alliance reports

Earlier, Mayawati reiterated her party's stand for the 2024 Lok Sabha election and said that her party will contest the polls alone

Country has made up its mind that PM Modi to be at helm for 3rd term: Shah

Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday likened the upcoming Lok Sabha polls to the Mahabharata war, asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leading the BJP-led camp working for the country's development while "INDI alliance" under the Congress is full of family-run parties and corruption. In his address at the BJP's national convention here, Shah lashed out at the opposition INDIA bloc for its promotion of dynastic and appeasement politics. He was speaking on the resolution "BJP: Desh ki aasha, vipaksha ki hatasha" (BJP: Country's hope, opposition's despair). He said the opposition is full of "2G, 3G and 4G" parties, a reference to the second, third and fourth generation of families running these parties. He said the prime minister has worked for the development of all sections of society and enhanced the country's global standing. Shah asserted there is no doubt in people's mind that the prime minister will retain power for a third term. While PM Modi thinks of the poor and the

Spoke to PM on BJP 'poaching' Oppn leaders by 'scaring' them: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday said he had recently spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the BJP's "poaching" of leaders from the opposition ranks and asserted it was being done by "scaring" them. Against the backdrop of former chief minister Ashok Chavan joining the BJP recently, Kharge said such switching of sides was an act of "cowardice". He was speaking after inaugurating a two-day state level training camp in Lonavala here for Congress functionaries. "During a tea meeting in Parliament where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present, I asked him how many people are you (BJP) going to poach as ministers and ex-chief ministers are joining your fold. I asked him about the appetite (to take leaders from opposition ranks into the ruling party)," Kharge told the gathering. "He (PM) said what could he do if people want to join the BJP. I told him they (BJP) are carrying out this work (poaching) by scaring people. He said these people want to join because of .

We will continue to remain in INDIA bloc, says AAP MP Sandeep Pathak

Amid a rift with Congress in the INDIA bloc, Aam Aadmi Party MP Sandeep Pathak on Wednesday said that the party will continue to remain in the alliance as winning the election is more important.AAP MP said "We will continue to remain in the alliance. We are not in the alliance for our benefit. We are here because we have to win. Winning is important. All our strategies and decisions are targeted towards victory...""In Punjab, local units of both AAP and Congress said they wanted to contest independently. We are contesting together in Delhi. I hope that seat-sharing discussions happen soon, and I hope they are productive... The basis of seat sharing should be the stronghold of candidates on their constituency," Sandeep Pathak added.Earlier, on Tuesday the Aam Aadmi Party offered the Congress Party a single Lok Sabha seat in Delhi. This is contrary to earlier reports that had suggested a 3-4 formula between Congress and AAP in Delhi.Further, AAP MP Sandeep Pathak said that even though ..

Oppn walks out of RS; CPI(M) refuses participation in Ram Temple discussion

Opposition parties on Saturday walked out of the Rajya Sabha opposing the BJP government's white paper on the economy, with the CPI(M) also refusing to participate in the discussion on the Ram temple in the House. The Left party said it will not become "party to communalise the political situation". Both Houses of Parliament -- the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha -- are holding a discussion on "the construction of historic Shri Ram Temple and Pran Pratishtha of Shri Ramlala". Members of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) were among those who walked out over the white paper brought by the government in Parliament to compare the state of the economy during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regimes. Participating in the discussion on the white paper in the Rajya Sabha, CPI(M) member John Brittas said, "Protesting against the discrimination shown to Kerala, we are walking out. "We are also n

Centre waging war against opposition govt: Arvind Kejriwal at Jantar Mantar

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday hit out at the BJP-led Centre, accusing it of waging a war against state governments led by opposition parties. Leaders and lawmakers from the Left Democratic Front of Kerala, led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, staged a protest against the Union government at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Thursday. Kejriwal participated in the protest. "Opposition parties represent 70 crore people in the country. The BJP has waged a war against the opposition-ruled states. The Centre is using all the tactics to harass the opposition governments," Kejriwal said at the protest. He added, "It is depriving them of valid funds, obstructs work through Governors and LGs. They are also harassing them by using central agencies to arrest opposition leaders." He said the protesters were not "here to beg or ask for anything for our families." "I have come here to ask for the right of 2 crore people. If you do not give us funds how will we build roads, provide .