News Analysis India

Tag: opposition

  • Congress to decide on LoP in Lok Sabha: Sharad Pawar

    NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday said the Congress will decide on the appointment on the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha as it has maximum seats among the INDIA bloc parties in the Lower House of Parliament. Asked if efforts will be made to have the Lok Sabha’s deputy speaker from the opposition, Pawar claimed this “rule” was not followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his last government.

    “A discussion will take place on that point, but I do not think any fruitful outcome will be there from it,” he said.

    Pawar was speaking to reporters at Baramati in Maharashtra’s Pune district. The BJP won 240 seats in the recently held polls to the 543-member Lok Sabha and formed government with its partners in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

    Among the opposition INDIA bloc constituents, the Congress bagged the highest 99 seats.

    Asked about the appointment of the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, Pawar said, “Earlier, we had agreed that the position would go to the party with the highest seats. Today, the Congress has the maximum seats (among opposition parties) in the Lok Sabha, so they will decide who should hold the position.” “After the Congress decides, it will need the consent of our (INDIA) bloc,” he said. On the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) success in the Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra, Pawar claimed people have lost confidence in PM Modi and that “Modi’s guarantee” turned out to be fake.

    “The people of the state came to a conclusion that the promises he made in the last five years were not kept,” he said.

    The MVA, which comprises the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) of Uddhav Thackeray and NCP (SP), bagged 30 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

    The ruling Mahayuti, which includes the BJP, Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the NCP headed by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, got 17 seats.

  • NDA starts govt formation; Nitish, Tejashwi share flight: Key highlights from day after Lok Sabha election results

    Government formation preparations commenced on Wednesday, as the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) unanimously elected Narendra Modi as its leader. Concurrently, the opposition INDIA bloc indicated its intention to take necessary actions to reflect the people’s desire for a change in governance. Separate meetings were held by both ruling and opposition alliances at the Prime Minister’s residence and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence, respectively, in the evening. These meetings followed the clear majority secured by the BJP-led NDA in the recent election results.Clear majority secured by NDA, INDIA bloc’s notable performanceThe BJP won 240 Lok Sabha seats, contributing to the NDA’s total of 293 seats. This tally comfortably surpasses the majority mark of 272 in the 543-member House, paving the way for Modi to assume office for a third consecutive term—an unprecedented achievement for any ruling alliance since 1962. Similarly, the opposition INDIA bloc is energised by its notable performance, having secured 234 seats. Nitish, Tejashwi on same flight, spark speculationAllUttar PradeshMaharashtraTamil NaduWest BengalBiharKarnatakaAndhra PradeshTelanganaKeralaMadhya PradeshRajasthanDelhiOther States

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    Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar and former Deputy CM Tejashwi Prasad Yadav of RJD were spotted on the same flight from Patna to Delhi on Wednesday, heading to their respective NDA and INDIA bloc meetings. Their presence together on the flight, with Nitish Kumar greeting his former deputy seated behind him, sparked speculation about potential shifts in political alliances. Images of the encounter circulated widely on social media, leading to discussions about Nitish possibly rejoining the INDIA bloc, which he helped form before leaving the JD(U)-RJD-Congress coalition earlier this year to rejoin the BJP-led NDA. While spokespeople for both parties dismissed the encounter as a coincidence, Tejashwi hinted at future developments, urging patience and suggesting that observers wait and see how things unfold.NDA meeting on June 5, 2024Setting the tone for his third straight term as the head of a coalition government, Prime Minister Modi chaired a meeting of the leaders of NDA parties who unanimously elected him as its leader.”Met our valued NDA partners. Ours is an alliance that will further national progress and fulfil regional aspirations. We will serve the 140 crore people of India and work towards building a Viksit Bharat,” Prime Minister Modi said on X after the meeting. At the NDA meeting at PM’s residence, TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, LJP(R) leader Chirag Paswan, JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, Jana Sena’s Pawan Kalyan, AGP’s Atul Bora and NCP’s Praful Patel were among the 21 leaders from 16 parties present. The meeting was also attended by BJP’s Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and J P Nadda.

    Asked by a reporter if he is in the NDA, Naidu shot back,”We contested the elections together. Why do you doubt.”

    NDA MPs to formally elect Modi as leader on June 7The NDA MPs will meet on June 7 to formally elect Modi as their leader and the alliance leaders will then meet the President of India to submit their letters of support, HAM (Secular) leader and former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi said after attending the meeting.

    Modi’s oath ceremony The new government may be sworn in over the weekend, sources said, adding that there is a view to wrap up the formalities quickly to not allow any mood of uncertainty to build up, something a buoyant opposition may push.

    INDIA bloc in “wait and watch” modeWith the numbers stacked in favour of the ruling NDA, the INDIA bloc indicated a “wait and watch” approach after its old allies Nitish Kumar and N Chandrababu Naidu, who are now in the NDA, did not reciprocate to overtures and threw their weight behind Modi.

    After nearly two-hour deliberations with other INDIA bloc parties, Kharge said the opposition leaders resolved to continue their fight against the “fascist rule of the BJP led by Modi” even as they thanked the people for their overwhelming support to the bloc.

    “We will take appropriate steps at the appropriate time to realise people’s desire not to be ruled by the BJP’s government,” Kharge said while reading out a statement adopted by all the alliance constituents after the deliberations at his residence.

    He said the decision has been taken by all constituents of the INDIA bloc in one voice.

    The joint statement indicated that the alliance is keeping its options open while choosing not to stake a claim at government formation for now.

    The Congress president had convened the meeting to discuss the political situation and the election results, explore any possibility of government formation and whether to reach out to their old partners Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu.

    Kharge said that the opposition would continue to work together and would definitely stand by the promises made to the people and keep them.

    “The constituents of the INDIA bloc thank the people of India for their overwhelming support. The people’s mandate has been a befitting reply to the BJP and their politics of hate, corruption and deprivation,” Kharge said.

    “This is a mandate in defence of the Constitution of India, and against price rise, unemployment and crony capitalism and also to save democracy,” Kharge added while announcing the decision of the alliance partners.

    In his opening remarks, Kharge said the alliance welcomes all parties that share its fundamental commitment to the values enshrined in the Preamble to the Constitution and to its many provisions for economic, social and political justice.

    Kharge, flanked by former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, NCP (SCP) president Sharad Pawar, TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and other leaders including Sharad Pawar, Sitaram Yechury, Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, Champai Soren, Raghav Chadha, Sanjay Singh, D Raja and Sanjay Raut, said the grouping will continue to fight against the “fascist rule” of the BJP.

    “The people’s mandate has given a befitting reply to the BJP and their politics of hate, corruption and deprivation. This is a political and moral defeat of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Kharge said.

    A resolution was passed at the NDA meeting which said the alliance government will continue working to lift people’s living standards for the country’s all-round development while conserving its heritage.

    “We are all proud that the NDA fought the 2024 Lok Sabha polls unitedly under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and won. We all NDA leaders unanimously elect Narendra Modi as our leader,” it added.

    NDA resolves to continue development agenda under Modi’s leadershipThe resolution also said that people have seen the country being developed in every sector in the last 10 years due to the pro-people policies of the NDA government under Modi.

    Janata Dal (United) leader Sanjay Jha, who was present in the meeting, said the formalities related to the formation of the government at the Centre under Modi are expected to be over soon.

    However, it will be a different act for him this time as the BJP has fallen well short of the majority and depends on allies for the government-formation after enjoying a comfortable majority on its own in the previous two terms of his government.

    Hosting the meeting, the BJP presented a picture of collective partnership with its allies with Naidu, Kumar and Shinde seated to the left of Modi while Nadda, Singh and Shah flanked the prime minister on his right.

    In terms of their parties’ strength, Naidu, Kumar and Shinde are the three biggest NDA constituents in that order after the BJP.

    The parties of Naidu and Kumar, who together command the support of 28 MPs, have rubbished speculation on their future moves.

    Naidu has reiterated his support to the BJP, a view echoed by JD(U)’s Jha as well.

    All leaders congratulated the PM for his leadership and the strides our nation has made under him. They appreciated the PM’s hard work and efforts in nation-building, he said.

    Modi hails historic NDA mandateDuring the meeting, Modi emphasised the significance of the historic mandate for the NDA’s third consecutive government, highlighting that such a mandate hadn’t been seen in the country for over 60 years. His allies commended Modi for his vision of “Viksit Bharat” and affirmed their partnership in this endeavour. Additionally, they praised his efforts in enhancing India’s global stature and tackling poverty, expressing their commitment to sustaining these initiatives.

    Inputs from PTI

  • Telangana emblem: BRS opposes Congress govt’s ‘attempt to remove’ Charminar from Telangana emblem

    Hyderabad: The opposition BRS in Telangana on Thursday said it would hold protests against the Congress government’s alleged move to remove Charminar and the ‘Kakatiya arch’ from the state emblem. BRS working president K T Rama Rao, who visited Charminar here along with other party leaders, said Charminar is the identity of Hyderabad.

    Speaking to reporters, Rama Rao alleged that the Congress government does not want former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to get a good name for the BRS government’s performance during the last 10 years.

    He also accused the Congress government of trying to belittle the progress achieved during the tenure of BRS. “We oppose the Congress government’s attempt to remove Charminar and the Kakatiya arch from the official logo of Telangana,” he said, adding that the BRS would also take up protests on the issue. AllUttar PradeshMaharashtraTamil NaduWest BengalBiharKarnatakaAndhra PradeshTelanganaKeralaMadhya PradeshRajasthanDelhiOther StatesHe demanded that the Congress government withdraw its alleged attempt to remove the Charminar and also the arch of the Kakatiya dynasty of Warangal from the state emblem. The proposed agitation by the BRS came in the wake of the state government’s move to make a new state emblem reflecting the “struggles and sacrifices of Telangana” and also a new state song. BRS leader RS Praveen Kumar opposed popular music director M M Keeravani of Oscar-winning ‘Natu Natu’ fame composing music for the state song ‘Jaya Jaya He Telangana’ penned by poet Ande Sri. Kumar took exception to the “authority” of Keeravani, who is a native of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, over the state song of Ande Sri.

    “Tollywood and Telangana movement are different. Tollywood is for entertainment and on the other hand, Telangana anthem is a common thread of emotion that brought all hearts of Telangana together during movement. It’s not Hollywood that gave tune to Jana Gana Mana and Vandemataram,” Kumar said on ‘X’ on May 27.

  • Cong’s Jairam Ramesh retorts to PM Modi’s ‘tempo loads of cash’ remark ‘Take action against Adani, Ambani’ – The Economic Times Video

    Congress Rajya Sabha MP and Communications in-charge, Jairam Ramesh launched a fresh attack on PM Modi over ‘tempo loads of cash’ remarks on May 19. Jairam Ramesh accused PM Modi of misusing ED, CBI, and IT against the opposition. Congress leader asked the PM to take action against Adani and Ambani for giving black money to the Congress. Jairam Ramesh said, “The way ED, CBI, and I-T are being misused by the Modi government, this has never happened before. PM Modi made the ED arrest Hemant Soren and Arvind Kejriwal and put them in jail. PM Modi himself says that Adani and Ambani took black money in tempo to Congress office, so why is he not initiating a probe against them?”

  • no confidence motion in haryana: BJP’s Haryana govt confident of support from some JJP MLAs

    BJP is confident of securing its government in Haryana, even as JJP and Congress has sought the governor’s intervention for a floor test of the Nayab Saini-led government. BJP is confident of support from several JJP MLAs.

    Former BJP ally, Dushyant Chautala, has written to the governor demanding a floor test in the state assembly. In his letter, Chautala said that the recent resignations and withdrawals of support have left the ruling BJP alliance teetering on the brink of a minority status. Till a few months ago, he was deputy chief minister in the BJP-JJP alliance government in Haryana.

    Similarly, Congress leader Bhupender Hooda also said he has sought time from the governor and would demand that an assembly session be called so that the Saini government would prove its majority on the floor of the House.Political temperature has risen in Haryana after three independent MLAs withdrew their support from the BJP government there. The MLAs had made the announcement in the presence of Hooda, the leader of the opposition in the assembly.AllUttar PradeshMaharashtraTamil NaduWest BengalBiharKarnatakaAndhra PradeshTelanganaKeralaMadhya PradeshRajasthanDelhiOther StatesHooda took a dig at Chautala saying that first he should ensure that all 10 MLAs of JJP are with him or not. Responding to the questions of BJP government lacking majority, Saini said “whenever the session will be called, we will win the trust vote”.”Where was Dushyant Chautala when the special session of the assembly was called? And BJP govt won majority. Earlier, he was enjoying power. Now he is out of it, so he is doing all this. Chautala has lost people’s trust,” Saini said.BJP government, which has the support of two other independents, is now two seats short of the majority mark in the 90-member House, which has a current strength of 88.

  • Received 11 I-T notices in 72 hours: TMC MP Saket Gokhale

    New Delhi, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saket Gokhale on Friday said he has received 11 notices from the income-tax department in the last 72 hours and alleged that every attempt is being made to put pressure on the opposition ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. In a post on X, Gokhale said some of the notices go back almost seven years.

    “Got a total of 11 Income Tax notices in the last 72 hours for various years (some as far back as 7 years),” he said.

    “It’s hilarious how the Modi govt isn’t even pretending that they’ll let the elections be free and fair. Every attempt being made to pressurise the Opposition on the eve of Lok Sabha 2024,” the TMC leader said. “When ED doesn’t work out, use IT Dept. Why so desperate, BJP? Is Modi that rattled?” he asked.

    The TMC leader also shared screenshots of e-mails he received from the I-T department along with his post on the microblogging platform.

  • Zee News-MATRIZE Opinion Poll: NDA Projected To Win Big In 2024 LS Polls, Vote Share Likely To Increase By Over 5% |

    New Delhi: As the 2024 Lok Sabha elections draw near, the whole country is on the edge of their seats to see the political drama that will ensue. The leading parties are ready to battle it out, and the guessing game has started, with the election dates expected to be announced soon. In this context, Zee News and MATRIZE have conducted an opinion poll, which is the first of its kind after the formation of alliances, including the new partners of the NDA and the rise of the opposition’s INDIA bloc.

    The Zee News-MATRIZE Lok Sabha Opinion Poll took place from February 5th to February 27th. It collected opinions from 1,67,843 people across 543 Lok Sabha constituencies, comprising 87,000 men and 54,000 women. Moreover, the poll included the opinions of 27,000 first-time voters. The poll results have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 per cent. It’s crucial to note that these are not election outcomes but only an opinion poll, and no one should try to sway the elections based on these findings.

    How Many Seats Will NDA-INDIA Get In 2024?

    The Zee News-MATRIZE poll shows that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is likely to win a substantial majority if elections were held today. The NDA is poised to win 377 seats against INDIA bloc’s 93 seats. In 2019 General Elections, the BJP won 351 seats while the UPA secured just 90 Lok Sabha seats.

    What Will Be NDA-INDIA’s Vote Share In 2024 LS Polls?

    NDA’s vote share is likely to hike by over 5 per cent to reach 43.6 per cent in comparison to 2019. In 2019, the alliance got 38.4% of votes. Meanwhile, INDIA bloc may get 27.7 per cent of votes in 2024. The UPA got 26.6% of votes in 2019. A steep decline can be seen in vote percentage of other parties, resulting to their vote share dropping from 35.2 per cent in 2019 to 24.9 per cent in 2024.

    The survey suggests a resounding victory for the NDA in major regions of North, East, and West India. However, the southern states appear to favour the Opposition INDIA bloc, according to the survey results. This difference highlights the regional factors that influence Indian politics.

  • Rahul Gandhi: ‘BJP ke sansad sab bhag liye; Hawa nikal gayi unki’: Rahul Gandhi on parliament security breach – The Economic Times Video

    As the MPs of the INDIA alliance gathered at Jantar Mantar today to protest against the suspension of the Opposition legislators during the Winter Session of Parliament, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the Central government of silencing crores of Indians by removing their representatives from the House.

  • rajya sabha: Rajya Sabha passes two Bills within 12 minutes amid Opp din

    Rajya Sabha passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023 and The Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2023 on Monday within 12 minutes with NDA members making summary remarks about the legislation before it was cleared by a voice vote. The Opposition members continued their protests during the process and raised slogans to demand a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah on the Parliament security breach issue.

    In Shah’s absence, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai moved the two Bills for consideration and passage in the second half of the day. The Opposition members trooped into the Well of the House, displayed placards and raised slogans while the Bills were being discussed.

    Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar called out some members to speak on the Bill. Among those who spoke a few lines were: Kavita Patidar, K Laxman, S Phangnon Konyak, Rakesh Sinha (BJP), Vijaisai Reddy (YSRCP), Sasmit Patra (BJD), M Thambidurai (AIADMK) and Kanamedala R Kumar (TDP).The two Bills were passed in quick succession. The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023 seeks to reserve 33% seats in the state Assembly for women. The Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2023 seeks to give 33% reservation to women in the Puducherry Assembly. Lok Sabha has already passed the two Bills.

    As the Opposition continued to protest, Dhankhar said, “It is a very, very disturbing day. You all are members of the shouting brigade.”

  • Winter Session: Winter Session: PM urges opposition to go ahead with positivity, learn from the defeat

    Ahead of the Winter Session of Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged the opposition to go ahead with positivity, learn from the defeat and leave behind the tendency of negativity of the last nine years.

    “If I speak on the basis of the recent elections’ results, this is a golden opportunity for our colleagues sitting in the Opposition. Instead of taking out your anger of defeat in this session, if you go ahead with positivity and learn from the defeat and leave behind the tendency of negativity of the last 9 years, the country will change their point of view for them,” he said.

    The Prime Minister said that winter is delayed but political temperatures in the country are rising.The country has rejected “negativity”, said the Prime Minister after the BJP secured victory in three out of four states on Sunday. AllMadhya PradeshRajasthanTelanganaChhattisgarhMizoram”Yesterday, the results of the four-state elections came out. The results are very encouraging – encouraging for those who are committed to the welfare of the common people of the country and to the bright future of the country,” said PM Modi.”I have been urging for your (Opposition) cooperation in the House. Today, I also speak politically – it is beneficial for you too if you give a message of positivity to the country. It is not right for democracy if your image becomes that of hatred and negativity. Opposition is equally important for democracy, it should be equally capable,” said the PM.Before the commencement of the session, we hold discussions with our colleagues in the Opposition, he said. “We urge and pray for the cooperation of everyone. This time too, the process has been undertaken. I also urge all our MPs that this temple of democracy is essential for public aspiration and to strengthen the foundation of developed India,” he added.