Page 9 - Opposition

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

Opposition doing politics on PM Modi's mediation exercise, alleges BJP

The BJP on Friday accused opposition parties of doing politics on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meditation in Kanyakumari, saying they understand neither India nor Indianness. BJP spokesperson and MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said Modi lives the cultural and traditional ethos of Indian nation which is represented in its temples in different parts of the country and even outside in a place like Balochistan. The opposition can never understand this because it seeks to eradicate Sanatan Dharma and fight 'Shakti', he said. Opposition parties hate India's traditions, temples and the exercise to rejuvenate its holy places, he alleged, adding that they also hate a leader engaged in a silent meditation, Trivedi said. But they have a tradition of offering tributes at the tomb of Mughal king Babur, he said, naming Jawaharlal Nehru and Rahul Gandhi. They also held iftars in which neither the host nor the guests kept fast, Trivedi said.

Decentralisation reality vs rhetoric

Both the ruling party and the Opposition seek to empower local bodies, but rectifying a crucial 'birth defect' in decentralisation is the first step for progress

Army does not want Agniveer scheme, INDIA bloc will throw it: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the Agniveer scheme will be scrapped and thrown into dustbin if the INDIA bloc comes to power as he slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "turning Hindustan ke jawan into labourers". In his first election meeting in Haryana for the Lok Sabha polls, the former Congress president also attacked Modi over the issue of farmers. Slamming the BJP government over the Agniveer scheme, he said, "This is Modi's scheme and not Army's scheme, Army does not want it". "When the INDIA bloc forms government, we will throw Agniveer scheme into dustbin," he said at the rally held under the Mahendragarh-Bhiwani Lok Sabha seat. India's borders, he said, are secured by the country's youth and "There is patriotism in DNA of our youth". "Modi has turned Hindustan ke jawan into labourers," he alleged. Further attacking the BJP government, he said, "They say there will be two types of martyrs - one normal jawan and officer, who will get pension, martyr sta

INDIA bloc doesn't have any leader who can become PM, claims Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on the "corrupt INDI alliance" and said the opposition bloc doesn't have any leader who can become Prime Minister. While addressing a rally at Ghatal, Shah said the INDIA bloc leaders just want their dynasty to move ahead and "neither have any leaders to lead the country nor have any intention for the development of the nation." Shah, while referring to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir said "PoK is part of India and we will take it". "The INDI alliance doesn't have any leaders. The INDI alliance wants five PMs in five years. The INDI alliances neither have leaders nor have any intention for the development of the nation," he said. The BJP leader said the ongoing parliamentary elections are about choosing between "leaders of dynastic politics or honest leader Narendra Modi" who considers the country as his family. "Sharad Pawar wants his daughter to be the chief minister. Mamata Banerjee wants her nephew to succeed he

Nation cannot move forward with INDIA bloc's sins, alleges PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday alleged that the INDIA bloc stood for corruption, appeasement politics and a "perverted anti-Sanatan mindset", all of which would receive a "big blow" when the Lok Sabha poll results are announced on June 4. Addressing an election rally in the East Champaran Lok Sabha constituency of Bihar, the PM also launched indirect attacks on leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav, who he said were "born with silver spoons". "The nation cannot move forward with the sins of the INDIA bloc, which stands for corruption, appeasement politics, represents the 'tukde-tukde' gang and a perverted mindset that heaps scorn on Sanatan Dharma," he said. "This is the reason why the INDIA bloc was exhausted in the very first phase of the elections. In the subsequent phases, it was battered. In the remaining two phases, the trend will continue and on June 4 when votes are counted, the results will come as a big blow to the intentions of the oppositi

PM unleashing hate speech against Muslims from every available forum: Oppn

The opposition on Monday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "never uttered a word against minorities" remark, saying he is "lying" as he is "unleashing hate speech" against Muslims from every available forum. In an interview with PTI, Modi said he has never uttered a word against minorities, and the BJP has "not just today but never" acted against them. He, however, made it clear that he is not ready to accept anyone as "special citizens". Reacting to the prime minister's remarks, CPI general secretary D Raja said, "It is completely lie. Modi knows how they (BJP) have been talking about Muslims. Who spoke about mangalsutra, mothers giving births to more children? Muslims and other minorities have been disrespected and deprived of many of their due rights." The BJP-RSS have been pursuing a "sinister design" of undermining the minorities and ridiculing them, Raja alleged. Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal said there is no talk of education and health which will take us to 'Viksit ...

LS polls Phase 5: Mumbai heads to vote today as Oppn gets renewed boost

Elections in Maharashtra state, where Mumbai is located, have been fairly predictable until 2019 with the regional Shiv Sena party dominating in alliance with the BJP

Jobs, cronyism, and welfare

A lacklustre campaign throws up some differences in economic strategy

INDIA alliance in electoral fray to create instability, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday targeted the opposition INDIA bloc, saying they are in the fray to create instability while the BJP-NDA alliance is dedicated to national interest. Asserting that his government is going to score a hat-trick, Modi said in the new government, he has to take many big decisions for the poor, youth, women and farmers, and for that he has come here to seek the blessings of the people of Barabanki and Mohanlalganj. Addressing an election rally, Modi said, "June 4 is not far. Today, the whole country and the world knows that the Modi government is going to score a hat-trick". "Today, on one side there is the BJP-NDA alliance dedicated to the national interest and on the other side, the INDI Alliance is in the field to create instability in the country. As the elections progress, these INDI alliance people have started collapsing like a pack of cards," Modi said.

Highlights: PM Modi addresses rally in Bengal, gives 5 guarantees to the state

Latest LIVE updates: Catch all the latest updates related to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Bengal here

Cong claims Kharge's helicopter checked in Bihar, says EC targeting Oppn

Rathorre, who is the chief spokesperson of the Congress' Bihar unit, shared a video to claim that chief electoral officer of Bihar is herself monitoring checking of Kharge's helicopter in Samastipur