Page 32 - Opposition

Election on mind: Amid OPS push, bid to keep govt staff happy

Unimpressed Oppn says Budget has nothing for poor, unemployed

Parliament's Budget session from Tuesday, Congress yet to show its hand

MPs feel that for the first time, the Congress is playing its cards close to its chest as no party leader is likely to be present at the meeting (they are unable to return from the Bharat Jodo Yatra)

LIVE: Finance Minister Sitharaman gears up to present her 5th Budget

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Opposition should work in a coordinated manner for 2024: Rahul Gandhi

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said that the opposition should coordinate properly in order to fight against the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Oppn is going to target Maharashtra cabinet, not just few ministers: Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said the opposition would be cornering the entire Maharashtra cabinet over corruption and not just one or two ministers. He feels sympathy for deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who has to defend his "corrupt" colleagues, Raut said, speaking to reporters here. The opposition is not going to target only a couple of ministers in the Eknath Shinde-Fadnavis cabinet but the entire cabinet is going to be in trouble. I am sympathetic to Fadnavis because he has to defend those who are mired in corruption, the Rajya Sabha MP said. Earlier, Raut's comment that his party "would drop a couple of bomb-shells" during the ongoing winter session had gone viral. The opposition Sena (UBT), NCP and Congress targeted agriculture minister Abdul Sattar after the Bombay High Court last week issued him a notice over the transfer of 37 acres of common village land to a private person in Washim district. A similar allegation was also levelled against ...

Maharashtra legislature: Oppn members accuse Shinde govt of corruption

Opposition members staged a demonstration by taking out a foot march like 'warkaris' in the Maharashtra legislature complex on Tuesday and accused the Eknath Shinde-led state government of indulging in corruption. On Monday, both Houses of the Maharashtra legislature were adjourned for the day after the opposition stalled the proceedings demanding Agriculture Minister Abdul Sattar's resignation over a land 'regularisation' order passed by him when he was a minister in the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court last week issued a notice to Sattar who had ordered 'regularisation' of the possession of land reserved for public 'gairan' (grazing) in favour of a private person in the face of a civil court order. Earlier, the opposition members had also demanded Chief Minister Shinde's resignation after a Nagpur bench of the HC on December 14 ordered status quo on a decision taken by him of allotment of land meant for slum dwellers to private

Jai Ram Thakur recognised as Leader of Opposition in Himachal Assembly

Former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, named leader of the BJP legislative party in Himachal Pradesh, was on Monday recognised as the Leader of Opposition by Protem Speaker Chander Kumar. The Vidhan Sabha has already issued a notification in this regard. The Congress wrested Himachal Pradesh from the BJP in the November state polls winning 40 seats in the 68-member assembly. The saffron party won 25 seats while three went to Independents. Thakur, a six-time MLA, won from Seraj with the highest margin. The former chief minister was elected unanimously as all the 24 BJP MLAs proposed his name for the post on Sunday. A meeting of the BJP MLAs was held here and it was attended by Thakur, the party's state unit chief Suresh Kashyap, state unit in-charge and co-incharge Avinash Rai Khanna and Sanjay Tandon, respectively, and central observer Vinod Tawda. Later, Thakur submitted to the governor a memorandum opposing the new Congress government "de-notifying of functional institutions" op

Oppn floor leaders to meet today in Parl to discuss further strategies

Disappointed over not being allowed to take up the issue of Chinese transgression in Arunachal Pradesh border in Parliament, the Opposition floor leaders have decided to meet on Thursday

Maharashtra's Oppn leaders have lost mental balance: Karnataka CM Bommai

The statements being made by the opposition leaders in Maharashtra gives an impression that they have lost their mental balance, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said

Oppn to protest at Gandhi statue demanding debate on China's transgression

Opposition parties will on Wednesday stage a protest at the Gandhi statue in Parliament premises to demand a discussion on the latest Chinese transgressions in Arunachal Pradesh

Maha session: Oppn accuses govt of corruption, seeks Shinde's resignation

The Opposition members staged demonstrations in the Maharashtra legislature complex here on Tuesday accusing the government of being corrupt and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The demand for the CM's resignation comes against the backdrop of the Bombay High Court's Nagpur bench ordering status quo on a decision taken by Shinde when he was a minister in the previous Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of allotting land meant for slum dwellers to private persons. The HC bench was on December 14 informed by amicus curie advocate Anand Parchure that Shinde during his tenure as the urban development minister of the MVA government directed the NIT to give away land acquired for housing scheme for slum dwellers to 16 private persons. On the second day of the state legislature's winter session in Nagpur on Tuesday, Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly Ajit Pawar, Congress leaders Nana Patole, Prithiviraj Chavan, Balasaheb Thorat, Sh

Nitish Kumar needs glue that holds a divided Opposition together in Bihar

He has got the backing of his party to push ahead with Opposition unity. But that may not be enough

Nitish govt draws flak over refusal to compensate victims of hooch tragedy

The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar on Saturday drew flak, from adversaries as well as allies, over its adamant refusal to give compensation to family members of those who have died in the Saran hooch tragedy. The administration has confirmed only 30 deaths since Tuesday night, following suspected consumption of spurious liquor, making it the biggest hooch tragedy in the state since it went dry over six years ago. However, the opposition BJP has claimed, inside the state assembly as well as in a memorandum submitted to Governor Phagu Chauhan that the number of deaths was "more than 100", a view echoed by Chirag Paswan, an NDA sympathizer and strident critic of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. "I visited Saran today to meet the bereaved family members and was appalled to learn that the administration was putting pressure on them not to report deaths caused by hooch or attribute these to other causes so that the magnitude of the tragedy is downplayed. I am told that the number of those w

Centre never questioned intention of opposition leaders: Rajnath Singh

"We have never questioned the intention of leaders in the opposition, we have only debated on the basis of policies. Politics is done by speaking the truth," he said

Parliament winter session: Rajya Sabha adjourned twice amid uproar

Seven Opposition members had given notices to the chairman on various issues, but were not allowed

MVA cries foul as Shinde-Fadnavis govt slashes security of 25 oppn leaders

Amid stinging criticism over the state losing out mega-projects to Gujarat, the ruling govt of CM Eknath Shinde and Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis has slashed the protection accorded to 25 MVA leaders

Opposition slams govt over India's UNHRC move on China's Xinjiang

Opposition leaders on Friday criticised the government for abstaining from voting on a draft resolution in the UN Human Rights Council on holding a debate on the human rights situation in China's restive Xinjiang region, saying India should speak for what is right and should not be afraid of its neighbour. Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha member Manish Tewari wondered why there was "so much diffidence on China". "The Government of India will not agree to a Parliamentary debate on Chinese incursions. India will abstain at UNHRC on a resolution for debate on human rights in Xinjiang," he tweeted. He alleged that the Ministry of External Affairs does not accord political clearance to Parliamentarians to visit Taiwan. Trinamool Congress spokesperson Saket Gokhale tweeted, "Giving them our land and abstaining on holding them to account. What exactly is it that makes (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi so afraid of China?" AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi wanted to know from the prime minis

Yatra the only way of expression for silenced opposition: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday claimed that the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' was the only option left with the party to reach out to the masses as all other fora for expression are shut. His 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' entered Karnataka here in Chamarajanagar district from Gudalur in Tamil Nadu. "There are various institutions in democracy. There's media and Parliament too but all these have been shut for the opposition and media doesn't listen to us. There's total government control. Our mics are muted in Parliament, Assemblies are not allowed to function and opposition is harassed. In this situation, the only option left with us is 'Bharat Jodo Yata," Gandhi said at a public meeting here. Gandhi said no force in the country can stop this yatra because this is 'India's March'. "This is India's March and a march to hear India's voice, which no one can suppress," he added. The former Congress president said in the next 21 days during which the Yatra would cover 511 km passing through variou

ED cases against opposition candidates up four-fold under NDA government

Out of the total 121 cases against politicians under Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe currently, 115 or 95 per cent are against Opposition leaders

Oppn leaders under CBI scrutiny rise to 95% under NDA from 60% under UPA

Under the NDA government, since 2014, the number of political leaders facing investigation has gone up to 124 and 118 of them are Opposition leaders