Page 5 - Opposition

Venezuela's Oppn supporters fight hope, distress after Maduro sworn in

The inauguration of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro left his opponents to grapple with with conflicting feelings of hope and disappointment on Saturday, pondering why the self-described socialist leader could not be stopped despite credible evidence that he had lost the election last year. Some described their mood after Friday's ceremony at the legislative palace in Caracas, Venezuela's capital, like an emotional hangover while others said they feel abandoned. Many expressed cautious optimism, finding a measure of comfort in the social media videos released by two opposition leaders popular former lawmaker Mara Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez, the opposition's candidate in the vote who had promised to topple Maduro. In the end, it feels as if the soup got cold, college professor Nelson Perez said. We've been on the subject of not losing hope for a while. ... But then you realize it's more of the same. That realization is hard to process for millions of Venezuelans who, l

Venezuela's Oppn leader defies Maduro to lead protests, claims arrest later

Venezuela opposition leader Mara Corina Machado's aides said she was detained Thursday, followed moments later by official denials of her arrest, in a confusing episode that capped a day of protests seeking to block President Nicols Maduro from clinging to power. It remained unclear what exactly happened after Machado bid farewell to hundreds of supporters, hopped on a motorcycle and raced with her security convoy down a main Caracas avenue. At 3:21 pm local time, Machado's press team said in a social media post that security forces violently intercepted her convoy. Her aides later told The Associated Press that she had been detained, and international condemnation poured in from leaders in Latin America and beyond, demanding her release. But about an hour later, a proof-of-life, 20-second video of Machado emerged online in which she says she was followed after leaving the wonderful rally and had dropped her purse. Her aides later claimed in a social media post that the video messag

Venezuelan Oppn leader Maria Machado arrested after anti-govt protest

Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was arrested Thursday when her motorcycle convoy was fired upon by security forces as it departed an anti-government protest in Caracas, according to aides. Machado emerged from months of hiding earlier Thursday to reappear in public as part of a last-ditch attempt to block President Nicols Maduro from clinging to power. Machado's press team said in a social media post that security forces violently intercepted the convoy as it was leaving eastern Caracas. There were no immediate details on her whereabouts and Maduro's government has yet to comment. They wanted us to fight each other, but Venezuela is united, we are not afraid, Machado shouted to a few hundred protesters from atop a truck in the capital moments before her arrest. The protests are taking place a day before the ruling party-controlled National Assembly is scheduled to swear in Maduro to a third six-year term despite credible evidence that he lost the presidential ...

RaGa visits Delhi market, interacts with vendors over rising food prices

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi spoke to people at a neighbourhood market in Delhi on how the price of items, like garlic, peas, etc are straining household budgets

Ambedkar row: Opposition MPs hold protest against Amit Shah at Vijay Chowk

Opposition MPs staged a protest at Vijay Chowk here on Friday demanding Home Minister Amit Shah's apology and resignation for allegedly "insulting" BR Ambedkar. They also carried out a protest march from Vijay Chowk to Parliament. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also slammed the BJP over the FIR filed against the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, saying it "shows their desperation level". "The entire country is watching, they have slapped several cases on Rahul Gandhi. They bring in new FIRs and lie...This shows their desperation level," she told reporters. Priyanka Gandhi joined several other INDIA bloc MPs at Vijay Chowk to protest against Shah's remarks as they demanded Shah's apology and resignation over the issue. She was seen carrying a placard which read 'Babasaheb ka apman nahi sahega Hindustan'. The MPs raised slogans such as 'Jai Bhim' 'Amit Shah Maafi Mango' and 'istifa do'. The protest comes a day after separate marches by oppositio

Fadnavis hits out at Oppn, accuses it of not believing in Constitution

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday slammed the opposition parties, accusing them of not believing in the Constitution. Fadnavis landed in Nagpur to a grand welcome from party workers and people. Talking to reporters at Nagpur airport, Fadnavis said, "It is a joyous moment that after becoming the chief minister, I have come to my janmabhoomi and karmabhoomi (birthplace and workplace). Nagpur is my family, and it is welcome by my family." Fadnavis took oath as the chief minister for the third time on December 5 after the Mahayuti combine swept the November 20 Maharashtra elections, winning 230 out of 288 seats. The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, which managed just 46 seats, has been alleging irregularities in electronic voting machines (EVMs). Asked about the Opposition aggressively taking up the issue of EVMs, Fadnavis said, "These people (opponents) are disappointed. They don't have faith in democracy and the Election Commission. They don't have faith in the Supr

55 Opposition MPs file impeachment motion against Justice Shekhar Yadav

During a Vishwa Hindu Parishad event on Sunday, Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav expressed support for a Uniform Civil Code and suggested that laws should reflect the majority's preferences

S Korean Oppn submits new motion to impeach President Yoon over martial law

South Korea's parliament says the country's six opposition parties have submitted a new joint motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his declaration of martial law. The National Assembly said the main opposition Democratic Party and five smaller opposition parties submitted the impeachment motion on Thursday afternoon. The parties say they aim put the motion to a floor vote on Saturday. Yoon's short-lived Dec. 3 martial law declaration has triggered political chaos and large protests calling for his ouster. The Democratic Party has argued that Yoon's decree amounted to rebellion. Earlier Thursday, Yoon defended his decree as an act of governance and denied rebellion charges.

Opposition calls Assam 'banana republic' over NRC-Aadhaar linkage decision

Opposition Congress and Trinamool Congress on Thursday criticised the Assam government's decision to make NRC application a pre-condition for obtaining an Aadhaar card, stating the state has turned into a "banana republic" under CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and BJP. In an effort to link the Aadhaar card with the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the Assam government on Wednesday decided that all applications for the unique identity card will be rejected if the applicant or their family had not applied for the NRC. The decision was taken in view of infiltration attempts by citizens of trouble-hit Bangladesh, Sarma said at a press conference. "The problem of fake beneficiaries is huge in Assam. Government data itself shows how crores of public funds was wasted in the implementation of PM Kisan," deputy leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi said in a post on X. Sharing a news link of PTI on the Aadhaar-NRC decision by Assam Cabinet, he said people in the state are paying GST, cess

Ruling NDA MPs term notice against VP Dhankhar politically motivated

Opposition parties on Tuesday submitted a notice to move a motion for removing Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar for allegedly conducting the House in a partisan manner. Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Naseer Hussain submitted the notice to Rajya Sabha Secretary General P C Mody. The vice president is the ex-officio chairman of Rajya Sabha. The sources said about 60 opposition MPs -- including from the Congress, RJD, TMC, CPI, CPI-M, JMM, AAP, DMK -- have signed the notice. However, they said top Congress leaders who hold Constitutional posts have not signed the notice. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and the floor leaders of various opposition parties are also not among the signatories, the sources said. The notice, spearheaded by the Congress, comes in the wake of turbulent ties between opposition parties and the Rajya Sabha chairman. "ALL parties belonging to the INDIA group have had no option but to formally submi

Rift in Opposition as Lalu Yadav backs Mamata Banerjee to lead INDIA bloc

Lalu Prasad Yadav has backed Mamata Banerjee to lead the INDIA bloc, intensifying the rift in the Opposition, as Congress continues to oppose her leadership bid

INDIA bloc leadership is open question, indicates Shiv Sena (UBT)

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday indicated that his party was open to discuss if someone outside the Congress should lead the Opposition's INDIA bloc. All constituents of the alliance are willing to have a discussion on the issue, he told reporters. Raut was reacting to Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad's comment that West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee should be allowed to lead the INDIA bloc. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is at present the chairman of the Opposition grouping, formed before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Talking to reporters in Delhi, Raut, a Rajya Sabha member, said his party's ties with the Congress leadership including Kharge and Rahul Gandhi were excellent. Congress is a national party and has the highest number of MPs among the INDIA allies, he noted. "Still, if the INDIA bloc is to be strengthened again, everyone wishes to discuss (issues related to) leadership, who can give time to the ...

Oppn may move to impeach Jagdeep Dhankhar: Can a Vice-President be removed?

According to reports, the INDIA bloc MPs are considering to move a no-confidence motion against Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, which would be the first ever in India's parliamentary history

Opposition protests disrupt Lok Sabha; House adjourned for the day

Lok Sabha proceedings were on Monday adjourned for the day after the opposition's protests over allegations of George Soros-Congress link and Adani issue led to repeated disruptions. When the House met at 11 am after the weekend, the opposition members were on their feet, trying to raise their issues. A visibly agitated Speaker Om Birla asked the MPs to go back to their seats and allow the House to function. "Question Hour is significant. Allow the House to function properly. But you don't want to allow the House to run. The country wants the House to run. You are disrupting the proceedings of the House," he told the protesting members and adjourned the House till 12 noon. The noisy protests again forced an adjournment till 2 pm and then till 3 pm, before the proceedings were wrapped for the day. As soon as the House re-convened at noon, Congress members trooped into the well of the Lok Sabha raising slogans against the government. They were soon joined by Samajwadi Party ...

Farmers unhappy with both INDIA bloc and BJP govt, says Sarwan Singh

Tensions escalated at the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu border, where police used tear gas to block farmers attempting to march to Delhi

Ghana's ruling party candidate concedes presidential election to oppn rival

Ghana's vice president and ruling party candidate, Mahamudu Bawumia, on Sunday conceded defeat to opposition candidate and former President John Dramani Mahama in the West African nation's tightly contested presidential election. Ahead of the official announcement, Bawumia told a press briefing that the people of Ghana voted for change, and he respects that decision with all humility. I've just called His Excellency John Mahama to congratulate him as president-elect of the Republic of Ghana, he said. Bawumia was running as the flagbearer of the ruling New Patriotic Party, or NPP, which has struggled to resolve the economic crisis under outgoing President Nana Akufo-Addo.

Willing to lead INDIA bloc if I get opportunity: WB CM Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday expressed dissatisfaction with the functioning of the opposition INDIA bloc, signaling her intent to take charge of the alliance if given the opportunity. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo said she could manage the dual responsibility of running the opposition front while continuing her role as the chief minister of Bengal. "I had formed the INDIA bloc, now it is up to those leading the front to manage it. If they can't run the show, what can I do? I would just say that everyone needs to be taken along," she said in an interview with Bengali news channel News 18 Bangla. Asked why she is not taking the charge of the bloc, given her credentials as a strong anti-BJP force, Banerjee said, "If given the opportunity I would ensure its smooth functioning." "I don't want to go outside Bengal, but I can run it from here," she said. The INDIA bloc, formed to counter the BJP, comprises over two dozen opposition parties. However, interna

Several Oppn MPs take out protest march in Parliament on Adani issue

Several Opposition MPs led by the Congress on Friday held a protest march inside Parliament complex on the Adani issue, wearing black masks that read "Modi Adani bhai bhai". The protest saw several leaders from some of the INDIA bloc parties marching, holding a copy of the Constitution and raising slogans against industrialist Gautam Adani. RJD, JMM and left parties' MPs were among those who joined the protest. TMC and Samajwadi Party, which did not participate in demonstration, have so far stayed away from any such denunciation of Adani. The decision has been seen by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as a "division" in the opposition bloc. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the newly elected MP from Wayanad , were among those present in the march. Priyanka later alleged that the government was scared of holding a discussion on the Adani issue and wondered why was it so. The Congress and several other opposition parties hav

Lok Sabha adjourned till 12 noon amid protests over Adani, Sambhal issues

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 12 noon on Thursday amid protests by Opposition members over the Adani issue, violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal and other issues. As soon as the House met for the day, Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who was elected from Kerala's Wayanad in the recent bypoll, and Ravindra Vasantrao Chavan, who was elected from Maharashtra's Nanded, took oath as Lok Sabha MPs. Immediately after the oath taking of the two new members, many Opposition members, including from the Congress, were on their feet as they sought to raise issues related to the allegations against the Adani Group and other issues. Some members from the Congress and Samajwadi Party were in the Well while other Opposition members stood in the aisle and shouted slogans. Speaker Om Birla asked the Opposition members to allow the Question Hour and said they can take up their issues later. "I have been giving you enough opportunities to raise your issues and will continue to do so

Parliament Session: Unfortunate that Opposition is not letting Parliament function; Piyush Goyal

Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said it was 'unfortunate' that Opposition parties were not letting Parliament function and are trying to defame India abroad