Page 9 - Opposition

PM Modi breaks silence on Manipur: 'Leave behind politics, restore peace'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi makes his first remarks on Manipur in Rajya Sabha today, assures Parliament of decline in violence and schools reopening

Key INDIA bloc meeting begins in Jharkhand amid guard change speculations

A crucial meeting of INDIA bloc legislators began here on Wednesday, amid speculations of a change of guard in the state, MLAs of the alliance said. The meeting has been convened by former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, who is also the executive president of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). Soren was released from jail on June 28 after nearly five months, as the high court granted him bail in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. "A change of guard in the state is possible... This meeting is crucial. All the legislators of the ruling alliance assembled here at 11 am," a party source told PTI. The speculations were fuelled by the sudden cancellation of all important programmes of Chief Minister Champai Soren, including distribution of appointment letters to 1,500 selected teachers on Wednesday. On Tuesday, too, all public programmes of Champai Soren, who had taken oath as the 12th CM of Jharkhand on February 2 after Hemant Soren's arrest, stood ...

Ready to meet Opposition MPs over new criminal laws, says Amit Shah

Shah rejected criticism that the three new criminal laws were draconian and repressive

'Aap Hindu ho hi nahi': Rahul Gandhi attacks Modi govt in Lok Sabha

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi criticises Modi government's Hindu stance, Agniveer scheme, and misuse of agencies such as the ED in Lok Sabha

Rahul Gandhi seeks discussion on NEET in Lok Sabha, Opposition walks out

Opposition members on Monday demanded a separate one-day discussion on the NEET paper leak issue in the Lok Sabha and staged a walkout after they sought a clear assurance from the government on the issue. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi raised the issue of irregularities in NEET soon after the Lok Sabha assembled for the day, prompting Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to assert that a separate discussion cannot be held till the House finishes with the motion of thanks on the president's address. "We wanted a one day discussion on NEET. It is an important issue. More than two crore students have been affected. Paper leaks have happened on 70 occasions. We would be happy if you allow a separate discussion on the issue," Gandhi said. Singh, deputy leader of the Lok Sabha, said the House has certain rules and procedures and also on healthy tradition, which are a strength of this House "In my decades-long tenure as a parliamentarian, never has any other issue been taken up during the ..

'Cut, copy, paste job': Opposition attacks Centre over new criminal laws

The three new criminal laws, passed in Parliament last December, have faced intense criticism from Opposition leaders

Stop misusing agencies to silence Oppn: INDIA bloc MPs protest against govt

Several INDIA bloc MPs staged a protest in Parliament premises on Monday against the alleged misuse of probe agencies by the government to "target" Opposition leaders. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and several leaders of the INDIA bloc, including those from the TMC and AAP, participated in the protest on the steps leading to the Makar Dwar in Parliament. The Opposition leaders carried placards which read "stop misusing agencies to silence opposition" and "BJP mein jao bhrashtachar ka licence pao (Join the BJP and get a licence for corruption)". Some AAP MPs also displayed posters of Delhi Chief Mijister Arvind Kejriwal standing behind bars. The Opposition protest comes days after a court here sent Kejriwal to judicial custody till July 12 in a corruption case related to the alleged excise scam. He was formally arrested by the CBI last week. Previously, he was arrested by the ED in a money-laundering case linked to the policy. He was recently granted bail by a .

Govt-scripted speech full of lies: Oppn leaders on Prez's address in House

Opposition leaders on Thursday dismissed the President's address to the joint sitting of Parliament as a "script given by the government" that was "full of lies" and also castigated the government over the repeated mention of the 1975 Emergency. They said there is an "undeclared emergency" in the country and the Constitution is being attacked under the Modi government. In her address, President Droupadi Murmu described the imposition of Emergency in 1975 as the "biggest and darkest chapter" of a direct attack on the Constitution and said the country emerged victorious over unconstitutional forces. Speaking to reporters after the President's address, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav punched holes in the government's claim of India being the fifth-largest economy in the world. "The story that is being told about India becoming the fifth-largest economy... has it made our farmers prosperous? If we are the fifth-largest economy, then why are so many youths unemployed? Why is th

Will protect Constitution, hold NDA govt accountable: LS LoP Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi won from both Raebareli and Wayanad Lok Sabha constituencies in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls

Speaker Om Birla recognises Rahul Gandhi as Leader of Oppn in Lok Sabha

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla recognised Rahul Gandhi as the leader of opposition on Wednesday, a day after the Congress communicated its decision to name him for the position to the Lok Sabha Secretariat. In a notification issued on Wednesday, the Lok Sabha Secretariat said Gandhi, leader of the Indian National Congress, had officially been recognised as the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha with effect from June 9. The Congress MP from Rai Bareli in Uttar Pradesh has been recognised as the leader of opposition under Section 2 of the Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977. Gandhi, who earlier in the day joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju in escorting the newly-elected Birla to the speaker's chair, thanked Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for his appointment to the role. "I thank Congress president @kharge ji, and all the Congress leaders and 'babbar sher' karyakartas from across the country for

'People want action, not drama, from Oppn': PM Modi ahead of 18th Lok Sabha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the people did not want drama or slogans being raised in the House, but substance

Wayanad or Rae Bareli? Cong to hold discussions to decide on Rahul's seat

Congress' top leadership on Monday held discussions on Monday at party chief Mallikarjun Kharge's residence here to decide whether Rahul Gandhi should vacate his Wayanad or Rae Bareli seat. The meeting also discussed whether Rahul Gandhi would take up the post of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, sources said. Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former party president Rahul Gandhi and party general secretaries K C Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were present during the discussions. Sources said the leaders are learnt to have held crucial discussions on which seat should Rahul Gandhi vacate or keep, and whether he should take up the position of Leader of Opposition. Rahul Gandhi had won both from Wayanad and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituencies and he has to vacate one of the seats within 14 days of the Lok Sabha results, which came out on June 4. The Congress Working Committee, the highest decision-making body of the party, has also urged Rahul Gandhi to tak

Here's why opposition in India must offer people a credible alternative

India's electorate has clearly tired of giving Modi a free hand. Voters reduced the BJP to a minority in Parliament in the recent elections

Here's what RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said in first comments on poll results

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, in his first comment after the Lok Sabha poll results, stressed the importance of moving past election rhetoric and prioritising the resolution of the Manipur conflict

CWC members urge Rahul Gandhi to take Leader of Oppn role: Venugopal

Congress Working Committee members on Saturday unanimously urged Rahul Gandhi to take the role of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, as it also credited his two Bharat Jodo Yatras for the party's performance in the general elections. At a press conference following the a meeting of the extended Congress Working Committee (CWC), party general secretary KC Venugopal said CWC members unanimously requested Gandhi to take the Leader of Opposition role. "Rahul Gandhi said he would take a decision on it very soon," Venugopal said. This will be the first time that the Congress, since its ouster from power in 2014, will get the post of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. It failed to get the position in the past 10 years as its tally was below the requisite 10 per cent of total seats in the House, both in 2014 and 2019. Venugopal also said the party's leaders and workers are charged up and asserted that the CWC sentiment is that the Congress' revival has begun. The CWC adopted two .

Lok Sabha: Which parties are members of the INDIA bloc & the seats they won

Lok Sabha elections 2024: The Congress party secured 99 seats in the general elections, while its allies won the remaining 135. See full list of INDIA bloc winners here

Will serve as active Oppn for Northeast Delhi: Cong's Kanhaiya Kumar

Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar on Tuesday congratulated his BJP rival Manoj Tiwari on his hat-trick win from the Northeast Delhi Lok Sabha seat and said the Congress will "play the role of an active and positive opposition" for the residents there. Tiwari defeated Kumar by a margin of 1,38,778 votes, according to the Election Commission. The BJP drew a clean sweep in all the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, forcing the INDIA bloc partners Congress and AAP to draw a blank. In a social media post on X, Kumar wrote in hindi, "Many congratulations and best wishes to my opposition candidate Manoj Tiwari for being elected MP for the third time. I hope that he will live up to the expectations of the people." "The people of North East Delhi have given INDIA bloc the mandate to play the role of opposition. We will follow their orders! We will play the role of an active and positive opposition for the people of the area and will continue to raise the voice for their demands and issues," Kumar

CEC Kumar dares Oppn to give proof of attempts to influence poll process

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Monday dared the opposition to share evidence of allegations that returning officers and district magistrates were influenced to vitiate the poll process so the panel could take action against them. The opposition should also tell the Commission about those trying to influence the poll process before the counting of votes begins, Kumar said at a press conference. He was flanked by Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and S S Sandhu. "You cannot spread a rumour and bring everyone under a cloud of suspicion," Kumar said. The Commission had made preparations to deal with any foreign attempt to influence the poll process but these allegations have come from within the country itself, he said in an apparent dig at the opposition. Taking exception to allegations that district magistrates were being influenced, the CEC said, "Those levelling allegations should say which DM was influenced and we will punish them. They should tell us before the ...

INDIA bloc leaders meet to discuss strategy for counting day, TMC skips

Senior leaders of the INDIA bloc met here on Saturday to discuss their strategy for the counting of votes on June 4, even as the TMC and PDP skipped the meeting. Senior leaders of the Congress, Samajwadi Party, CPI-M, CPI, DMK, JMM, AAP, RJD, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharad Pawar) met at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence on Saturday afternoon and held discussions, even as the last phase of polling was underway. TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had already said they would not attend the meeting as there were elections in the state, while PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti did not attend the meeting due to personal reasons. "I may not go as my mom has undergone an eye surgery," she had told PTI. Opposition leaders who attended the meeting included Sharad Pawar, Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, Anil Desai, Sitaram Yechury, Arvind Kejriwal, Bhagwat Mann, Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha, Champai Soren, Kalpana Soren, T R Baalu, Farooq Abdullah, D Raja and Muk

INDIA bloc leaders to meet in Delhi today; TMC and PDP likely to skip

Top leaders of the INDIA bloc will meet here on Saturday to discuss their strategy for the counting of votes on June 4, even as the TMC and PDP are set to skip the meeting. Senior leaders of the Congress, CPI-M, CPI, DMK, AAP, RJD, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharad Pawar) will hold discussions at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence this afternoon. TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already said they will not attend the meeting as there are elections in the state, while PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti is likely to skip the meeting. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann are also likely to attend the meeting, besides senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and K C Venugopal. DMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said party leader T R Baalu will attend the meeting. "June 4th will mark the beginning of a new dawn for India. In today's meeting of INDIA bloc leaders, DMK will be represented by o