Page 28 - Opposition

Only heads of respective parties should be at oppn meet: Bihar CM Nitish

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said that he was insistent upon heads of respective parties attending the opposition meet, which was scheduled on June 12, but has been postponed. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function here, the JD(U) supreme leader said a new date for the much talked about meeting will be announced after consultation with all parties. We had to put off the June 12 meeting after the Congress and another party conveyed to me that they found the date inconvenient. I have therefore decided to postpone the meet and asked the Congress to suggest a new date after consultation with other parties. But I have made one thing very clear. All parties which agree to attend the meeting, must be represented by their respective heads, Kumar said. If any party insisted that it be represented by someone else, that would not be acceptable, he said. For example, there was an impression that the Congress may send someone else other than its president. This was

Road to 2024: BJP reaches out to allies amid Opposition's unity push

The BJP and the Congress understand that coalitions and alliances are not just about numbers but have symbolic value

Opposition parties continue attack on PM Modi over Parliament inauguration

Opposition parties on Thursday continued their attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over inauguration of the new Parliament building and accused him of being "megalomaniac" and the government of being "arrogant". Modi is slated to inaugurate the new building on May 28. As of now 21 opposition parties have said they will not be attending the ceremony. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the "arrogance" of the Modi government has "destroyed" the parliamentary system. "Mr. Modi, Parliament is the temple of democracy established by the people. The office of the President is the first part of Parliament. The arrogance of your government has destroyed the parliamentary system," he said in a tweet in Hindi. "140 crore Indians want to know what do you want to show by taking away the right of the President of India to inaugurate the Parliament House?" the Congress chief said. The Congress' attack comes a day after as many as 20 opposition parties announced their decision t

Oppn questions over Rs 2,000 note issue, Mamata calls it 'Tughlaqi drama'

Opposition leaders on Saturday attacked the government over the withdrawal of Rs 2000 currency notes from circulation with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee describing it as "Tughlaqi demonetisation drama" and Congress wondering if this was the second "notebandi" exercise. The BJP rejected this was any sort of demonetisation and instead reminded the Congress that even during the rule of Manmohan Singh, old currency notes were taken off circulation. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday made the surprise announcement but gave the public time till September 30 to either deposit Rs 2000 notes in accounts or exchange them at banks. It said it had asked banks to stop issuing Rs 2000 notes with immediate effect. Banerjee said this move would "hit common people hard once again". In a tweet, she said, "Another whimsical and Tughlaqi demonetisation drama of Rs 2,000 notes will hit the common people hard once again by subjecting them to massive harassment. These imperious measu

Naveen steers clear of Oppn unity; Cong says it's to keep agencies out

Whenever there is a move to form a Third Front or a common political platform of non-BJP or non-Congress parties, leaders start searching for Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik

Support strong regional parties in next Lok Sabha polls: Abdullah to Oppn

Veteran politician and former Union minister Farooq Abdullah on Sunday said the main opposition parties should support strong regional parties as he mooted a "one against one" strategy to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. "I am not so sure of the Opposition's unity but as far as Lok Sabha elections are concerned I think the states matter now and all the opposition parties must realise that," Abdullah, 85, said. Giving an example, he said that if in West Bengal Mamata Banerjee is strong, "we must make sure that she does well, rather than creating hurdles for the TMC leader. Similarly, in Bihar Nitish (Kumar's JDU) and RJD, if they are doing well, don't create hurdles for them. Similarly in Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh (Yadav of SP) is doing well so let us not create such a situation. "And I think one of the most important things is that if you really want to beat them (BJP), then there should be one against one. Where a Congress candidate can win, let not another one stand.

PM Modi slams past govts over delayed projects, vote-bank politics

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday targeted previous governments over delayed projects and vote-bank politics, and said his government has ushered in a "new work culture". He was speaking before a huge gathering at Silvassa in Dadra and Nagar Haveli district after inaugurating a hospital in the town and launching projects worth more than Rs 4,800 crore in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu. He inaugurated or laid the foundation stones for 96 projects including flyovers, health centres, schools, beach development, water supply, an auditorium and a sports complex. The centrally-funded 'NAMO Medical Education & Research Institute' in Silvassa which he inaugurated is the union territory's first medical college, built at a cost of Rs 203 crore. In his speech, Modi noted that he had laid the foundation stone for this medical college in 2019. "Earlier, government projects for which foundation stones were laid were delayed for years. But we brought .

Opposition leaders target UP govt as gangster Atiq Ahmad, brother shot dead

Opposition leaders on Saturday questioned the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh and demanded that the state government be dismissed after gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were shot dead in Prayagraj. The "cold-blooded" killings are the "height of anarchy" in Uttar Pradesh, BSP MP Danish Ali claimed. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said crime has reached its peak in Uttar Pradesh and criminals are unfazed. Ahmad (60) and Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists in the middle of a media interaction on Saturday night while police personnel were escorting them to a medical college here for a checkup. The brothers, both jailed in Prayagraj, were in handcuffs when they were killed in full view of camera crews around 10 pm. The horrifying visuals were circulated widely on social media platforms and television channels. Reacting to the incident, SP president Akhilesh Yadav said in a tweet in Hindi: "Crime has rea

Unity in futility

The pitch for 'Opposition unity' is back in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls. In the past, it has proven to be a bogus, defeatist idea, as elections are not just about arithmetic

Opposition leaders united on forming pre-poll alliance, talks on: Nitish

Asserting that leaders of most opposition parties are united on forging a pre-poll alliance against the BJP-led NDA before the 2024 general elections, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday said "talks are on". He told newspersons after arriving at Patna's Jayaprakash Narayan International (JPNI) Airport, that he had held talks with several opposition leaders on the issue during his recent Delhi visit. I met several opposition leaders during my stay in Delhi Sab log ek paksh mein hin bol rahein hain (All are speaking in one voice), he said. "We are working to forge an alliance against the BJP-led NDA before the 2024 general elections. Talks are on with other non-BJP leadersit will continue in future too, Kumar elaborated. He added that most leaders had conveyed to him that they were willing to join hands to fight BJP unitedly. This is not the first time I met non-BJP leaders in Delhi. Talks with other non-BJP leaders are onThey (leaders of opposition parties) have also ...

Will meet Opposition leaders in Delhi tomorrow: NCP's Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar said he would be meeting opposition leaders in Delhi on Friday to forge cooperation among them. Efforts by some opposition parties to forge an alliance against the Bharatiya Janata Party have begun over the past few days, with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar meeting Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday and Communist Party of India's D Raja on Thursday. Aam Aadmi Pary leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal too had met Kumar. who was accompanied by Bihar Deputy CM and RLD leader Tejashwi Yadav, on Wednesday. Queried about his absence from Wednesday's meeting, Pawar, a stalwart of the opposition, said he was asked to join the meeting in Delhi but was unable to do so as he had work in Pune. "I will meet all of them as I am travelling to Delhi tomorrow. We (opposition) will all cooperate and offer (each other) support," Pawar said. Pawar refused to answer questions on speculation about his party .

People of country want change of power, says SP chief Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said people of the country want change of power, but evaded a direct reply on whether his party would join an opposition alliance to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He was speaking to reporters here a day after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav met Congress chief Mallikarjaun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, who described the initiative as "historic". The meeting assumed significance as it is being viewed as the first major step in forging opposition unity and taking it forward ahead of the next Lok Sabha polls despite differences among some regional outfits. Akhilesh Yadav arrived in Indore on Thursday as part of his two-day visit to Madhya Pradesh. Responding to reporters' query whether his party would join the opposition alliance, Yadav avoided giving a direct answer and said, "This is a big question. What name are you giving to it (the grand alliance)? But I know one thing that people of Uttar

Can't lose democracy by allowing those in power to overrule opponents: SC

The country cannot afford to lose democracy by allowing parties in power to overrule the wisdom of their political opponents with the use of State machinery, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday as it reflected on the tussle between the successive DMK and AIADMK governments in Tamil Nadu over an employment scheme. The top court's remark came while setting aside an order of the Madras High Court which directed the Tamil Nadu government to create the posts under the designation Village Level Workers known as Makkal Nala Paniyalargal (MNP) and accommodate the persons who were on the rolls of MNP on the date of issuance of a government order dated November 8, 2011 against vacant posts. The Tamil Nadu government had introduced a scheme dated September 2, 1989 through the Rural Development Department providing employment to the educated youth in rural areas who had completed 10th standard for various items of work in the village panchayat. The DMK government led by M Karunanidhi launched the

Oppn slams Amul's entry in Karnataka, calls it attemp to finish off Nandini

A political slugfest broke out between the ruling BJP, and opposition Congress and JD(S) on Saturday over the "threat" to Karnataka Milk Federation's famed dairy brand 'Nandini' following Amul's entry to the state. Three days ago, Gujarat-based cooperative society Amul tweeted: "A new wave of freshness with milk and curd is coming to Bengaluru. More information coming soon. #LaunchAlert. From Kengeri to Whitefield, wishing everyone a Taaza day." In another tweet, the dairy brand said, "The #Amul family is bringing in some Taaza into #Bengaluru city. More updates coming in soon. #LaunchAlert. Taaza arriving soon in Bengaluru." While the opposition parties have charged that the BJP government was out to finish Nandini, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the government is clear on the issue of Amul. Accusing Congress of politicising Amul's entry to Karnataka, Bommai said: "We have absolute clarity with regard to Amul. Nandini is a national brand. It's not restricted to Karnataka. We

Opposition has to unite to win elections against BJP: Farooq Abdullah

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Saturday said opposition parties will have to unite if they want to win elections against the BJP. The Lok Sabha member from Srinagar also said that discussions are going on and "I can see good results coming on the unity front (at the national level)". "Alliance is the only thing which will unite us. We cannot fight individually. That is why even the opposition parties at the national level are trying to find ways to unite so that we can win the elections," Abdullah said in response to a question by reporters at Larnoo in Anantnag district. He had gone to Larnoo to attend a condolence meeting. Asked about the issue of removal of certain portions related to Mughals from textbooks, Abdullah said history cannot be erased. "How will they forget Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb, Akbar, Babar, Humayun and Jahangir? They ruled for 800 years. No Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian felt threatened. When they will show Taj Mahal, what will they say who bu

NCP may have its view but 19 Oppn convinced Adani issue real: Congress

With NCP supremo Sharad Pawar stating that the Adani Group was seemingly targeted by the US-based short-seller Hindenburg Research, the Congress on Friday said its ally NCP may have its view but 19 like-minded Opposition parties are convinced that the charges against the conglomerate are real and very serious. The Congress also said all 20 like-minded Opposition parties, including the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), are united and will be together in saving the Constitution and democracy from the "BJP's assaults". In an interview to NDTV, Pawar came out in support of the Adani Group and criticised the narrative around the Hindenburg Research's report on the conglomerate. "Such statements were given by other individuals too earlier and there was a ruckus in Parliament for a few days but this time out-of-proportion importance was given to the issue. "The issues that were kept, who kept them, we had never heard of these people who gave the statement, what is the background. When the

Opponents built 'wrong rumour-based image' of BJP in past 20-25 years: FM

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said BJP never discriminated against anyone and never endorsed vote-bank politics, while referring to the Padma Shri award given to Bidar-based craft artist Rasheed Ahmed Quadri. Quadri was among 91 people who received the Padma Shri award from President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday at Rashtrapati Bhavan. In a video that has gone viral on social media, Quadri is heard telling Prime Minister Narendra Modi after getting the award, I am from Bidar. I waited for five years during the UPA period but it did not happen (getting award). Then I gave up hopes thinking that the BJP will not give me any award but proving me wrong you selected me. For this, I thank you very much. Commenting on this incident, Sitharaman said a "wrong rumour-based image" has been built about BJP by opponents in the past 20 to 25 years. While the Prime Minister repeatedly says Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' and we too say that, we do not endorse vote bank politics. .

LS Budget session ends, House adjourned sine die following Oppn protest

Lok Sabha's Budget session ended as scheduled on Thursday after Speaker Om Birla announced that the House had been adjourned sine die (for indefinite period). As soon as the House met for the day, opposition members came to the well raising slogans and demanding a JPC probe into the Adani issue. They were also carrying placards with their demands written on them. The speaker said the behaviour of opposition members had lowered the dignity of the House and they had "systematically" disrupted proceedings. Such behaviour, he added, is against the parliamentary system and not good for the House or the country. However, opposition members ignored the speaker's pleas and continued their protests. Birla announced the adjournment of the House sine die after completing his customary valedictory speech.

Opposition parties to take out 'Tricolour March' from Parliament House

Several Opposition parties, including the Congress, will take out a 'Tricolour March' from Parliament House to Vijay Chowk on Thursday, alleging that "democracy is under attack" by the BJP. MPs of like-minded Opposition parties such as the DMK, the Samajwadi Party, the RJD and the NCP, and from the Left, besides the Congress, will begin their march at 11.30 am. Following the march, floor leaders of the parties will address a press conference at the Constitution Club. Opposition parties have been displaying coordination during the Budget Session of Parliament and have jointly held protests ever since it started on March 13. They have been unitedly demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Adani issue and have raised the matter both in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, leading to disruptions of proceedings. The BJP has been demanding an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his democracy remarks made in the UK. Gandhi was disqualified as member of Lok Sabha .

LS proceedings adjourned for the day as Opposition protests on Adani issue

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Wednesday after opposition parties staged a protest over the Adani issue. As the House reconvened at 2 PM, opposition members, many of them dressed in black to register their protest, came to the well raising slogans and demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Adani issue. Amid din, papers were laid on the table of the House and The Coastal Aquaculture Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2023, was introduced by Union minister Parshottam Khodabhai Rupala. Rama Devi, who was in the chair, requested protesting members to go back to their seats and allow the House to function but with the protests continuing, she adjourned the proceedings for the day. Earlier in the day, as soon the House met, Meerut MP Rajendra Agarwal, who was in the chair, appealed to the members to go to their seats and take part in the proceedings. "Question Hour is very important as many important issues will be discussed. Please go back to your .