Page 2 - United Opposition

Abolish Guv's post or appoint statured individuals by consensus: Singhvi

Amid growing instances of run-ins between governors and opposition-ruled state governments, senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi on Monday said the governor's post should either be abolished or a person of stature who is not into petty politics be appointed by consensus. Singhvi, who was elected to the Rajya Sabha unopposed from Telangana last week, also weighed in on the repeated standoffs between the Chair and the opposition in both Houses of Parliament and called for reforms to ensure the Chair is not partisan. In an interview with PTI, the four-time MP said a very big failing of this government is that it "demeaned, devalued and diminished" every institution and there were several instances of governors acting as a second chief executive or a "second sword in the same scabbard". "Either the governor's post be abolished or by consensus a person of stature who is not into petty politics be appointed," Singhvi asserted. "Will a person like Gopalkrishna Gandhi do such a thing? I

INDIA bloc uncertain on J-K polls: AAP may go solo; Cong open for tie-up

Assembly elections in Jammu-Kashmir are scheduled from September 18 to October 1 in three phases. The counting of votes will be done on October 4.

D Raja justifies INDIA bloc CMs boycotting NITI Aayog meet, blames Centre

CPI general secretary D Raja Saturday justified the decision of several chief ministers to boycott the Governing Council meetings of the NITI Aayog, claiming that certain actions of the Centre are behind their move. Taxes and funds were not being shared properly by the central government, Raja alleged. "The CMs who are boycotting the NITI Aayog meeting have certain issues. There are very genuine issues. The Central government's actions were responsible for it," Raja told reporters here. Chief ministers of the INDIA bloc -- Stalin (DMK), Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan (CPI-M), Punjab's Bhagwant Mann (Aam Aadmi Party), Congress's Siddaramaiah (Karnataka), Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (Himachal Pradesh) and Revanth Reddy (Telangana), and Jharkhand's Hemant Soren (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha) -- skipped the NITI Aayog meeting. Stating that the Constitution defines India (Bharat), as a union of states, Raja said: "It means the union government should treat all the state governments equally and there ..

Kejriwal being treated as political prisoner, efforts on to scare him: AAP

AAP alleged on Friday that the BJP-led central government is treating Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as a "political prisoner" and said all INDIA bloc parties have given in-principle approval to attend a protest to support him on July 30 at Jantar Mantar. At a press conference here, AAP general secretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak claimed that Kejriwal's blood sugar level dropped to 50 mg/dL and below 34 times in jail between June 3 and July 7. "Dictators imprison people due to their political animosity, and Arvind Kejriwal is also a political prisoner," he said and added that the opposition alliance will join the protest to support Kejriwal. "Efforts are being made to scare Kejriwal but he is not going to be afraid. This is not a question of an individual or the Aam Aadmi Party but to save the country and the system from the whims of a dictator," Pathak said. This issue has been considered by the INDIA bloc parties and there is "consensus" that this is not a question of a

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 ...

Samajwadi Party's Ayodhya win was 'Ram's will': Akhilesh Yadav in Lok Sabha

Akhilesh Yadav says that INDIA bloc's win in 2024 Lok Sabha elections marked the end of communal politics in India, while speaking in Parliament

'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

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

On BJP's 272 miss, Raghuram Rajan praises 'wise' voters, shares roadmap

Lok Sabha elections 2024 result: Raghuram Rajan said that by electing a strong Opposition, India has a "fighting chance of securing the economic future"

Lok Sabha 2024: The results prove Prashant Kishor's predictions wrong

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) poised to win 239, NDA 290, while INDIA bloc leads in 235 seats, others in 18

Sunday holidays linked to Christians, one district tried to change it: Modi

Lok Sabha elections 2024: While addressing election rally in Dumka, Jharkhand, Modi says one district in Jharkhand tried to change weekly-offs from Sunday to Fridays

Unemployment, inflation biggest issues; public in our favour: Priyanka

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday said unemployment and price rise are the "biggest issues" in the country and exuded confidence that the INDIA bloc will emerge victorious in the Lok Sabha elections, with an undercurrent in its favour. Priyanka Gandhi made the remarks after casting her ballot in the morning. Exuding confidence that the opposition INDIA bloc will emerge victorious in the elections, she said price rise and unemployment are the "biggest issues" for everyone in the country. Asked about Congress leaders voting for AAP candidates and vice versa, she said, "Setting aside our differences, we are voting for our Constitution and democracy. I am proud of it." Later, she told reporters that there is an undercurrent and people have the feeling that their concerns have not been looked into. "BJP leaders talk about all kinds of things but do not discuss the main issues of unemployment and price rise. People are fed up now," the Congress general secretary said. A

Lok Sabha polls: If INDIA bloc wins, who will be PM, Shah asks in Bihar

The BJP, which is aiming for a third term in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, has been targeting the Opposition's INDIA bloc over fighting the polls in coalition without naming their PM candidate

All Opposition leaders will be behind bars if BJP wins LS polls: Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said that all opposition leaders, including his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and RJD leader Tejashvi Yadav, will be in jail if the BJP wins the Lok Sabha polls. Addressing his party workers at the AAP headquarters here, Kejriwal asserted the BJP will not return to power and said the INDIA bloc will form the government on June 4. "In last 20 hours after release from jail, I talked to poll experts and people and got to know the BJP is not going to form the government," said Kejriwal. "The AAP will be part of the government at the Centre. We will get full statehood for Delhi," he added. Kejriwal charged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is asking for votes for Union Home Minister Amit Shah. "These people ask INDIA bloc about their face. I ask BJP who will be their PM? Modi ji is turning 75 on September 17 next year. He had made the rule that people aged 75 will be retired. They retired

Election Commission's credibility at all-time low: Kharge to INDIA partners

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge writes a letter to INDIA alliance leaders raising concerns on voting data discrepancies and registered voters' list by the ECI

INDIA bloc PM will be first among equals, all parties will join: Tharoor

Opposition parties, campaigning together or against each other, will join hands after the Lok Sabha polls, says Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, asserting that the people will get a prime minister who is first among equals and listens to others with an INDIA bloc coalition government. Including the Trinamool Congress in his argument on opposition parties getting together after the day of reckoning on June 4, Tharoor said in an interaction with PTI editors at the news agency's headquarters that a coalition government is nothing to be afraid of. The growth performance of the Indian economy has been better under such dispensations than under single party governments, he said. In his view, this is an election for "change" and as of now the BJP has "lost its grip" on the narrative. The Congress Working Committee (CWC) member also defended the party's decision to not attend the 'pran pratishtha' ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, saying it was right to turn down the invitation as it w

AAP event seeks votes for INDIA nominees, starts signature campaign

The AAP on Thursday held several public meetings across Delhi, urging the people to vote for the INDIA bloc candidates in the May 25 Lok Sabha polls in the city and launched a signature campaign against the arrest of party chief Arvind Kejriwal. Two whiteboards were put up at Lajpat Nagar for the people to write their messages for Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal who is lodged in Tihar Jail till May 7. He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 in a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. AAP Jangpura MLA Praveen Kumar said the signature campaign will be conducted in different parts of the city to show the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that the people of Delhi love their chief minister. "We have started this campaign from here and will take it to different areas. We will collect these signatures and send them to BJP to show how much the people of Delhi love Kejriwal," Kumar said. Slogans of 'Jail ka jawab vote se denge' and 'Arvind ...

Can the Congress build on the BJP's fascination with its manifesto?

The Opposition, especially the Congress, will have to go much beyond press conferences and urban election meetings by taking these issues to voters in the rural hinterland

INDIA bloc's cracks widen, National Conference, PDP to go solo in Kashmir

Mehbooba Mufti expresses disappointment after Farooq Abdullah-led Jammu and Kashmir National Conference's decides to fight in all three seats of Kashmir

Cracks in Oppn as Vijayan rakes up Congress' role in probe against Kejriwal

The unity among 18 anti-BJP parties, who gathered in New Delhi to protest the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, showed signs of fracture a day later when veteran CPI(M) leader and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday accused the Congress of demanding the ED probe into the Delhi liquor excise policy case. Addressing a press conference amidst his Lok Sabha poll campaign, seeking votes for LDF candidates, who are in direct fight against the Congress-led UDF in many constituencies, Vijayan alleged that it was the grand old party which levelled the allegations against the Delhi government, demanded the ED probe, and lodged a complaint regarding the matter. The Marxist veteran said the huge participation of people in the INDIA bloc rally held in New Delhi a day ago was a strong warning for the BJP. He, however, added that the Congress should also learn a lesson from the rally. Referring to the stand taken by the Congress in the Delhi liquor excise policy case, h