Page 30 - Opposition

Oppn meet: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Kharge arrive in Bihar's Patna

Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting, Kharge said that the opposition parties' agenda is to remove the Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre and they all would fight together

Manipur issue to be discussed in Oppn meeting: NCP's Sharad Pawar

Pawar, who was accompanied by her daughter Supriya Sule, further added that "they are meeting to discuss some important issues of the country and decide the future course of action

Opposition parties to meet in Patna tomorrow; check who all are attending

The meeting is being seen as a starting point for the Opposition to come together to take on the Narendra Modi-led BJP

Oppn must move forward with common minimum programme: Bihar Congress chief

The issue of who would be the prime ministerial face of the Opposition alliance is not important as the leadership question can be tackled collectively after dislodging the BJP-RSS from power, Bihar Congress chief Akhilesh Prasad Singh said on Thursday, stressing the need for preparing a common minimum programme soon. Singh claimed that when Opposition parties unite and contest the general elections next year, the BJP will come down to less than 100 seats. His remarks come ahead of a crucial meeting on Friday of top leaders of Opposition parties to chart a roadmap for the formation of an anti-BJP front for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. In an interview with PTI, Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee president Singh said his party is the central pillar of Opposition unity and stressed that small differences between parties will be ironed out at meetings such as the one taking place here. "We hope that all will sit together and an amicable solution will be reached to move forward together," Si

Oppn to start 'Mission 2024' with Patna meet, chart course to take on BJP

Top leaders of Opposition parties will brainstorm at a meeting here on Friday to chalk out a roadmap for the formation of an anti-BJP front for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, with sources saying that they would look to avoid the prickly leadership question and emphasise on common ground. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party leader Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, her Delhi counterpart and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav, Maharashtra's former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and NCP president Sharad Pawar are among the leaders expected to attend the first high-level opposition meeting. It is being hosted by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav here. Sources said the meeting was being seen as a starting point for the Opposition to come together to take on the Narendra Modi-led BJP. Therefore, a basic outline and roadmap for Opposition unity are likely to be deliberated

Oppn uneasy over presence of Congress in Patna meet ahead of 2024 LS polls

A strong sense of unease seems to be emerging in opposition parties over the presence of Congress, ahead of the Patna conclave of non-BJP parties

Congress unleashes war against civilisational values: Himanta attacks Oppn

After senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh slammed the central govt for awarding the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 to Uttar Pradesh's Gita Press, Himanta Biswa Sarma launched a sharp attack

UPA-3 'very much possible' in 2024, Oppn must be ready to fight BJP: Sibal

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Sunday said a UPA-3 government coming to power in 2024 is very much possible provided the Opposition parties have a commonality of purpose, an agenda reflecting it and are ready for give and take when fielding candidates to take on the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls. Sibal, a prominent Opposition voice and a former Congress leader, also said that instead of a common minimum programme, the Opposition parties should talk about a "new vision for India". His remarks come days before a crucial meeting of Opposition parties, hosted by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna on June 23, where top Opposition leaders such as Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former AICC chief Rahul Gandhi, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, among others, are set to deliberate on the way forward for forming an anti-BJP coalition for the Lok Sabha polls next year. In an interview with PTI, Sibal said the Congress' win in Karnataka assembly polls was an

Bengal panchayat poll nomination peaceful: Mamata on Oppn's violence claims

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday asserted that the panchayat poll nomination process in Bengal is peaceful, while slamming opposition parties for trying to make an issue out of one or two stray incidents. Banerjee's comments come shortly after Governor C V Ananda Bose said that political violence in the state must come to an end, after visiting Bhangore, where supporters of two parties clashed a day before, leaving three dead. The Governor had said he has already discussed the situation with Banerjee. "There is no other state other than Bengal where the panchayat poll nomination process is so peaceful. The opposition parties - CPI(M), Congress, BJP and the ISF are trying to blame us over one or two incidents during the nomination exercise," the chief minister said. She was addressing the concluding session of the two-month-long Trinamool eh Nabojowar' (New Wave in Trinamool). Hitting out at the Congress for "allying with the BJP and CPI(M)", Banerjee also said

Sibal calls for opposition unity to save democracy, expose Modi government

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal on Sunday said that democracy and brotherhood in the country were in danger from the Modi government, which was doing 'whatever it liked'

Stringent action must be taken against those who defame Oppn leaders: Ajit

Senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar said on Friday that stringent action should be taken against those who try to defame Opposition leaders through social media and appealed to all political parties to desist from using foul language against one another. Speaking to reporters in Pune, Pawar said that he tried to reach Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis over the death threat issued to NCP president Sharad Pawar on social media. We got to know whose account it is. In the bio, it is mentioned that the person is a BJP worker. We do not know whether he is really a BJP worker or whether his party told him to say so. The ideological fight should be fought ideologically, he said. Everyone has freedom of expression but why misuse it, he said. Who gave them the right to write something defamatory about any political leader, he asked. Ajit Pawar said he tried to get in touch with Shinde but was told the CM is on a tour. I tried to reach deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis but could

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