New Delhi: As a controversy erupted after Union Home Minister Amit Shah commented that Hindi should be accepted as an alternative language to English but not to local languages, the BJP, criticising the opposition parties, said that it is the right time to go for 'One Nation One Language'.Presiding over the 37th meeting of the Parliamentary Official Language Committee on April 7, Shah had said, "Hindi should be accepted as an alternative language to English but not to local languages."Former Member of Parliament from Kerala and BJP National Vice President A P Abdullakutty told IANS that with a little support from the central government, the country can go for 'One Nation One Language' like 'One Nation, One Tax' for communication purposes. Abdulla-kutty claimed that due to the increasing influence of Hindi cinema, social media, and new technology, the majority of the new generation in Tamil Nadu and Kerala are speaking better Hindi."Even in my family, the younger generation is speaking better Hindi than me. It is the new trend and I personally think it is the correct time. With a little support from the central government we can go for 'One Nation One Language' like 'One Nation One Tax' for communication," Abdullakutty said.He claimed that in the UAE and in some parts of America people are watching Hindi movies and they have a better understanding of the Hindi language."Today Hindi is not only an Indian language but also an international language. The Narendra Modi government is not against regional languages but is supporting regional languages and the New Education Policy (NEP) talks about it. Today NEET, CAT and other competitive exams are held in regional languages," Abdullakutty said. BJP national spokesperson and Assistant Professor (Law), Patna University, Guru Prakash Paswan, blamed the opposition parties for creating a rift in society over a non-issue. "To make them politically relevant, issueless opposition parties are trying to create a rift in society in the name of the region, language, caste and religion," Paswan told IANS.Paswan mentioned that in 1918 Mahatma Gandhi had said that Hindi represents the soul of this country and Amit Shah ji said that Hindi will grow but not at the cost of any regional language."The country is celebrating 'Hindi Pakhwada' (Hindi Fortnight) and 'Hindi Diwas' (Hindi Day) for ages. Hindi is our official language and we are not against any regional languages," Paswan added.Hitting out at the opposition leaders, especially from the South, Abdullakutty said, "Opposition parties and their leaders misunderstood Home Minister Shah's intention, his intention is correct. We are not against regional languages but we are following our national languages."—IANS

As a controversy erupted after Union Home Minister Amit Shah commented that Hindi should be accepted as an alternative language to English but not to local languages, the BJP, criticising the opposition parties, said that it is the right time to go for 'One Nation One Language'.

BJP Leaders Say Time Is Right For 'One Nation One Language'

Colombo: Sri Lanka's embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, under immense pressure from the public and the Opposition to quit over the island nation's worst economic crisis, said on Thursday that the abolition of the executive presidency, a move that will curb his powers, will be considered by Parliament.Abolishing the presidential system of governance, in existence in the country since 1978, and replacing it with a system that reinforces constitutional democracy, has been one of the key demands of the Opposition.In a series of tweets, the President outlined the steps to be taken to end the current political impasse after his elder brother and prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned on Monday.Steps will be taken to form a new gov to prevent the country falling into anarchy &amp; to maintain the affairs of the state that have come to a halt,' Gotabaya said on Twitter.'A PM who commands majority in Parliament &amp; is able to secure the confidence of the people will be appointed within this week,' he said.The new government will be given the opportunity to present a new programme and empowered to take the country forward, he said.'Further, steps will be taken to amend the constitution to re-enact the contents of the 19th Amendment to further empower the Parliament.'Calls from various factions for the abolition of the executive presidency will be considered. With the new government &amp; their potential to stabilise the country, we will have an opportunity to discuss this &amp; work towards a common consensus,' the President said in another tweet.'I humbly request assistance in maintaining the uninterrupted function of the state machinery in order to protect the lives of the people &amp; their property. To maintain continuous supply of essentials without allowing the country to collapse at any point in time,' he said, giving no hint that he has any plans to quit as demanded by the Opposition as well as anti-government protesters.His tweets came after he delivered a late-night televised address to the nation in which he refused to quit but promised to appoint a new prime minister and a young Cabinet this week which would introduce key constitutional reforms to curb his powers.Meanwhile, the President is reported to have contacted Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP and Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka to offer premiership, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported.Fonseka categorically denied reports that he is to accept any post in a government headed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, saying he will never be a partner in resolving the Rajapaksa crisis without consulting those who are protesting at 'GotaGoGama' site.Last month, the main Opposition Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) had presented a constitutional amendment bill that among other provisions cought to abolish the presidential system of governance, in existence in the country since 1978, and replace it with a system that reinforces constitutional democracy.While the president will remain the head of state and the commander in chief, the president has no personal discretion in appointing or dismissing the prime minister, according to the proposal.The prime minister shall be the head of the Cabinet of ministers and the ministers are to be appointed by the president on the prime minister's advice, it added.The amendment, while seeking to annul the 20th Amendment adopted in 2020, aims to restore the 19th Amendment to the Constitution to curb the powers of the president and empower Parliament.The 19A adopted in 2015 pruned presidential powers by empowering the 225-member Parliament above the executive president.However, the 19A was scrapped after Gotabaya Rajapaksa won the November 2019 presidential election.The powerful Rajapaksa family had tightened their grip on power after their massive victory in the general elections in August 2020 which allowed them to amend the Constitution to restore presidential powers and install close family members in key positions.Mahinda, the 76-year-old Sri Lanka People's Party (SLPP) leader known for his brutal military campaign against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during his presidency from 2005 to 2015, resigned on Monday.He is being protected at the Trincomalee naval base after he was evacuated from his official residence, Defence Secretary Gen (retd) Kamal Guneratne said on Wednesday.Mahinda, who served as the country's prime minister thrice, saw his private residence set on fire on Monday.He, along with his wife and family, fled his official residence -- Temple Trees -- and took shelter at the naval base in Trincomalee after a series of deadly attacks on his supporters.A curfew is in force across the island nation after mobs burned down the ancestral home belonging to the ruling Rajapaksa family amid mounting anger for their mishandling of the economy, leading to the island nation's worst economic crisis.Over 250 people were injured in the clashes which also saw scores of properties belonging to ruling party politicians being set on fire.Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence from Britain in 1948.The crisis is caused in part by a lack of foreign currency, which has meant that the country cannot afford to pay for imports of staple foods and fuel, leading to acute shortages and very high prices.Thousands of demonstrators have hit the streets across Sri Lanka since April 9 seeking the resignation of the Rajapaksa brothers.The powerful Rajapaksa clan has dominated Sri Lankan politics for years.Gotabaya is the last Rajapaksa family member in office and the resignation of his brother as prime minister did nothing to placate demonstrators or bring calm in the island nation.Meanwhile, the nationwide curfew that was imposed following the violent incidents was lifted on Thursday at 7 am for seven hours and will be reimposed at 2 pm, the President's Office announced.Curfew will thereafter be in effect until 6 am on Friday.—PTI

Sri Lanka's embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, under immense pressure from the public and the Opposition to quit over the island nation's worst economic crisis, said on Thursday that the abolition of the executive presidency, a move that will curb his powers, will be considered by Parliament.

Amid calls to quit, Gotabaya agrees to curb his powers

Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Thursday that he has no intention of slowing down while recalling an opposition leader's observation that becoming prime minister twice was enough accomplishment.Modi was addressing via video link beneficiaries of Gujarat government's financial assistance schemes for widows, elderly and destitute citizens.“One day a very big leader met me. He regularly opposes us politically, but I respect him,” Modi said.“He was not happy over some issues, so he had come to meet me,” the PM added.“He said, Modi ji, the country has made you prime minister twice, so what more do you want now. He was of the opinion that if one becomes prime minister twice then he has achieved everything,” the PM said.“He doesn't know that Modi is made of a different mettle. The land of Gujarat has made him. That's why I do not believe in taking it easy, like whatever has happened has happened and now I should rest. No. My dream is saturation, 100 per cent coverage of the welfare schemes,” he said.Modi did not mention anybody's name during his speech, which came a month after Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar met him in Delhi and raised the issue of the central agencies' action against Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut and the family members of Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.—PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Thursday that he has no intention of slowing down while recalling an opposition leader's observation that becoming prime minister twice was enough accomplishment.

Senior opposition leader told me becoming PM twice is enough: Modi

Gandhinagar: Soon after Hardik Patel quit the Congress on Wednesday, the opposition party alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party has 'lured' the Patidar leader by promising to get cases against him withdrawn and has 'scripted' his resignation letter. Congress leader and party spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil also launched a scathing attack on Patel, calling him 'dishonest' and an 'opportunist', and claimed that youth leaders who have switched to the Bharatiya Janata Party have been reduced to 'zero'.Patel, who gained prominence in 2015 after he led the agitation seeking reservation for the Patidar community and was made the Gujarat Congress working president in July 2020, has accused its top leadership of behaving as if they hated Gujarat and Gujaratis. In his resignation letter, he was also critical of the Congress' stance on the Ram temple in Ayodhya, revocation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir and the implementation of GST. "Hardik Patel has not written anything and his resignation letter has clearly been dictated by the BJP... the pen and the face are ours and the script is that of the BJP. It (resignation letter)is completely bogus and has no truth in it," Gohil told reporters. The development has come as a jolt to the Congress which is seeking to dislodge the BJP from power in Gujarat where assembly elections are due in the next few months. Gohil said the Congress gave opportunities to youth leader Hardik Patel and made him the working president of the Gujarat Congress, but he was lured by the BJP."The BJP has got Hardik Patel to resign by using all means, including getting a CD on him, and used agencies like Enforcement Directorate and CBI and used all measures that were below the belt," he alleged. "There are cases of sedition, rioting and many others and he can't contest elections," he said and claimed the BJP government has approached the high court to take back the cases against him. "Since then this plot was clear that Hardik Patel is moving with the BJP to get cases against him withdrawn," he said. Congress spokesperson Ragini Nayak while sharing Patel's resignation letter on Twitter said, 'After reading the letter, looks like Modi&nbsp;ji&nbsp;gave the dictation last night.' Youth Congress chief BV Srinivas also said his letter and said, 'The 'letter' about defeating the 'truth' has come, Every word of it is of the BJP..!' In another tweet, he said, 'No Caption Needed !!' and shared a tweet by Hardik Patel where he spoke of never changing sides and of continuing his fight while being in the Congress till his last breath. Gohil said Hardik Patel had called Amit Shah 'General Dyer' for the action against Patidar quota agitators.He said none of the demands of the Patidar community after their agitation has been fulfilled and asked Hardik Patel as to what personal agenda and gains he had that he forgot his community which made him a leader. "Why has your attitude changed?" he asked. "Your colleagues of the Patidar community have accused you of selling party tickets given to you by the Congress and you misled the party and did not grant tickets to real workers. It would have been good if you answered your Patidar colleagues on the charges made out against you," Gohil also asked. He claimed that after Rahul Gandhi's rallies in Gujarat, the Bharatiya Janata Party is rattled and the people of the state have turned against the ruling party. "The BJP is fearing losing power... they have resorted to these kinds of measures by getting Congress leaders to defect to the BJP. "This country can never become Congress-mukt because the Congress is people's party. However, the BJP has now turned 'Congress-yukt' and that is why they are taking Congress leaders," he said. He claimed Hardik Patel was trying to put pressure on the party not to take Naresh Patel into the party and 'to listen to him only'. "He used to try to remain close to Rahul Gandhi once to gain political ground. Now, he is criticising the leadership. It shows that he is an opportunist," Gohil said. The Congress party has always encouraged youth leaders and such desertions will not affect this policy, he said.—PTI

Soon after Hardik Patel quit the Congress on Wednesday, the opposition party alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party has 'lured' the Patidar leader by promising to get cases against him withdrawn and has 'scripted' his resignation letter.

Congress says Hardik Patel's resignation is BJP's script

Lucknow: Having realised the 'power of Hindu vote' in elections in India after 2014, the Gyanvapi mosque controversy has put the opposition parties in a Catch 22 situation.The opposition parties, particularly those in Uttar Pradesh, are unable to take a stand on the issue. If they back the Hindu petitioners, they will lose out on Muslim support, and if they side with the Muslims, they will be dubbed as 'anti-Hindu'.The Samajwadi Party, which is the main opposition party in Uttar Pradesh, has avoided taking a clear stand on the controversy though Akhilesh Yadav has been accusing the BJP of stoking communal issues for electoral gains.Akhilesh Yadav recently made a remark about the tendency among Hindus to place a stone and start worshiping it, and the entire BJP workforce came down on him accusing him of insulting the Hindu religion.The inherent power of such allegations has forced Akhilesh Yadav to beat a hasty retreat.The Samajwadi Party chief realises that for his political survival, he needs the support of Muslims as well as Hindus, and taking a side on the Gyanvapi row will pit him against one community.None of the top SP leaders, barring Muslim MPs like Shafiqur Rehman Barq and S.T. Hasan, have voiced their opinion on the issue.The Congress, too, has maintained a studied silence on the issue and its leaders, who often go overboard in announcing their opinion on such issues, have also remained quiet this time.Acharya Pramod Krishnam, known to be playing a proactive role in the party these days, however, went a step ahead and advised Muslims to hand over the Taj Mahal and Qutub Minar to Hindus.His statement earned him considerable flak within the party's WhatsApp groups and stunned him into silence. The Bahujan Samaj Party has also not gone beyond issuing a customary statement criticising the BJP for disturbing communal harmony in the country.What is politically significant in the situation is the silence of BJP's allies who have, so far, refused to be drawn into the controversy.The Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party and the Apna Dal have not issued any statement on the Gyanvapi issue, which indicates that they are playing it safe on the issue and also do not wish to upset their caste equations with the minorities. —IANS

Having realised the 'power of Hindu vote' in elections in India after 2014, the Gyanvapi mosque controversy has put the opposition parties in a Catch 22 situation.

As Gyanvapi Row Boils Over, SP, BSP, Cong Maintain Diplomatic Silence

Lucknow: A Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader on Tuesday tweeted a photograph of Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar and Bharatiya Janata Party MP Brij Bhushan Singh at an event and claimed they had formed an alliance against Raj Thackeray. Notably, Raj Thackeray has been facing stiff opposition from Uttar Pradesh BJP MP Singh, who has warned that the MNS chief will not be allowed to enter Ayodhya till he tendered a public apology for “humiliating” north Indians in the past.Thackeray on Sunday said he had deferred his visit to Ayodhya in UP as there was ploy to “trap” his party workers into legal issues.On Tuesday, MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande tweeted a picture of Pawar and Singh at a wrestling event and in a cryptic post said, "... both have formed an alliance against Raj saheb." However, Maharashtra Home Minister and NCP leader Dilip Walse Patil rubbished Deshpande's claim, saying the photograph of Pawar and Singh was from a wrestling event and had nothing to do with politics. Raj Thackeray, who recently called for removal of loudspeakers atop mosques, last week announced that his visit to Ayodhya, earlier scheduled on June 5, has been put on hold for now.He had also said that when he posted the message about deferring his Ayodhya visit, many people were happy, while some did not like it.—PTI

A Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader on Tuesday tweeted a photograph of Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar and Bharatiya Janata Party MP Brij Bhushan Singh at an event and claimed they had formed an alliance against Raj Thackeray.

MNS hints at Sharad Pawar's role in opposition to Raj Thackeray's Ayodhya visit

Lucknow: Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday criticised the state's budget and called it directionless and a web of statistics.Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav said that it was a "wizardry of numbers and a web of statistics".He said that this was the sixth budget of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath but lacked a vision and had nothing for the common man.The SP chief added that the budget did not say anything about doubling farmers' income and checking inflation."The common man does understand it. Under the double-engine government, inflation has doubled. Youngsters who wanted employment are depressed. Employment is seen in the statistics but not in reality," Akhilesh said, adding that the government talked about unemployment but does not give out the figures."We have seen dreams of free medicine, treatment and electricity, but this government in constantly increasing inflation." BSP president Mayawati said that the budget was a "cliched exercise" and lacked steps for public interest.She said the government failed to run schemes for the poor and for the development of the state's infrastructure."Where is the basic work that should have been done on a priority basis by the so-called double-engine government to bring 'achche din' in the lives of crores of people of Uttar Pradesh," she said in a tweet in Hindi."How would a policy like that come about when there is a lack of clear intention? How long will this game of fooling people continue?" she asked.Congress MLA Aradhana Mishra Mona said that the budget had nothing new to offer for the poor and even the middle class, saying it was "routine and uninspiring". —IANS

Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday criticised the state's budget and called it directionless and a web of statistics. Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav said that it was a "wizardry of numbers and a web of statistics".

Oppn Slams UP Budget, Calls It Directionless

Canberra:&nbsp;Hardline conservative Peter Dutton was on Monday elected as the new Australian opposition leader. Dutton, 51, was officially elected unopposed to lead the centre right Liberal Party, replacing former Prime Minister Scott Morrison who resigned following defeat in the general election held on May 21, reports Xinhua news gency.A hardline conservative, Dutton served as the Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Defence under Morrison. Prior to entering Parliament in 2001, he worked as a police officer in his home state of Queensland. He became the leading candidate to replace Morrison after former Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, Morrison’s deputy and the most prominent candidate in the Liberals’ moderate faction, lost his seat in Parliament in the election. Dutton said on Monday that Liberal policies under his leadership would be true to its values. “Our policies will be squarely aimed at the forgotten Australians in the suburbs across Australia,” he told reporters in Canberra. “I want our country to support aspiration and reward hard work, take proper care of those Australians who, short-term or long-term, can’t take care of themselves,” he said. Sussan Ley, the former Minister for the Environment, was elected as Dutton’s deputy. The duo inherit a party still reeling from the May 21 election.The Coalition, which is made up of the Liberal Party and National Party, has been left with less than 60 seats out of 151 seats in the lower house of the parliament, down from 75 prior to the election. It experienced a collapse in its vote in metropolitan areas, particularly among women, at the election, with many voters abandoning the party over its climate policies. “We know that we didn’t receive the support of all women at the last election and my message to the women of Australia is we hear you,” Ley said on Monday. “We’re listening, we’re talking and we are determined to earn back your trust and your faith.”—IANS

Hardline conservative Peter Dutton was on Monday elected as the new Australian opposition leader. Dutton, 51, was officially elected unopposed to lead the centre right Liberal Party, replacing former Prime Minister Scott Morrison who resigned following defeat in the general election held on May 21, reports Xinhua news gency.

Hardline Conservative Peter Dutton Elected Aus Oppn Leader

Kanpur Dehat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that he hopes for a strong opposition in the country and that the parties which are entangled in nepotism, should rise above it, to strengthen democracy.PM Modi’s remarks came during his address at the ancestral village of President Ram Nath Kovind, Paraunkh, in Kanpur Dehat of Uttar Pradesh.“The dynastic parties are huddling against me… I want to tell them that I don’t have any personal issues with anyone, I just want a strong opposition in the country. These parties entangled in nepotism should rise above it to strengthen democracy,” he said.The Prime Minister said he wants the parties stuck in nepotism to free themselves from it and treat themselves and only then the country’s democracy will be strengthened. Only then, the country’s youth will get more and more opportunities to enter into politics.He said that it is nepotism that throttles talents not only in politics but in every field, and prevents the people from progressing.“I see that people who fit my definition of familism are angry with me. In every nook and corner of the country, these family members are uniting against me,” PM Modi said.He added, “It is our responsibility that we do not let evils like nepotism breed in the country.”“The sons and daughters of poor people living in villages must also get the opportunity to rise to the positions of Prime Minister and President. Hence, it is important to stop the parties from doing nepotism,” he further stated.Talking about the empowerment of the villages of India, PM Modi said that it is one of the top priorities of the government as the villages in India have got the most potential and labour force.Today the nation is working for the improvement of villages, poor, farmers, labours and institutions like Panchayat,” he said.He added, “Today, optical fibre is being laid down, roads are being constructed and houses are being built at a fast pace in the villages. Our villages should develop at a similar pace as the cities are getting developed, is the resolution and thought of New India.”Earlier on Friday, President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Pathri Mata temple at Paraunkh village in Kanpur. They performed puja to Pathri Devi, a deity widely revered in the village.Governor Anandiben Patel and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were also part of the visit.Paraunkh has been developed as a “model village” with a yoga park, open-air gym, and an Anganwadi centre with its own “nutrition Vatika”, among other facilities.The Kendra is the ancestral house of the President that was donated for public use and converted into a community centre (Milan Kendra). The Milan Kendra helps women get trained in job-oriented courses such as weaving, stitching, embroidery and other courses.—ANI

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that he hopes for a strong opposition in the country and that the parties which are entangled in nepotism, should rise above it, to strengthen democracy.

PM Modi wants strong opposition in country, asks parties entangled in nepotism to rise above it

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday said he favours a strong opposition in the country but slammed dynastic politics, saying it kills talent. He also said his statements on dynastic politics are often misunderstood by people, and added his criticism of 'pariwarvad' was not aimed at any party or individual."I am not talking about any political party or individual. I see that the people who fit my definition of&nbsp;pariwarvad&nbsp;are angry with me. These dynasts are uniting against me across the country. They are angry why the youth in the country are taking Modi seriously," he said. "I must tell you that people misunderstand my statement. I want that there must be a strong opposition in the country and that political parties must come out of dynastic politics," he said.It will strengthen the democracy in the country and youths will get more opportunities in politics, he said, but wondered if 'I am expecting a lot from dynastic political parties'.He was addressing an event at President Ram Nath Kovind's ancestral Paraunkh village in Kanpur Dehat district.President Kovind, who is on a visit to his village, came to the Kanpur airport to welcome PM Modi."I felt ashamed that President Ram Nath Kovind came to the airport to welcome me. We work under his guidance. When I asked about it, the president replied that 'I have come to welcome you not as the President of the country but as a native of the village as per my values'," Modi said.He said those gripped with&nbsp;pariwarvad&nbsp;(dynastic politics) are uniting against him, while people flay its ills. He said dynastic politics must stop so that anyone born in a village can become the prime minister or the president."We must be alert to the challenges of democracy like&nbsp;pariwarvad.&nbsp;Pariwarvad&nbsp;kills talent not just in politics but in every sphere," he said.Earlier in his address, the PM shared his experience of visiting the Paraunkh village and interaction with locals.The PM said the country is working for the development of farmers, women and youth.Today in rural India, roads are being made, fibre optic cables are being laid and houses being constructed for the poor, he said."Our villages are capable, have manpower and are well to do. Empowerment of villages is the primary objective of our government."He said that his government's aim is to ensure that benefits of schemes reach to all intended beneficiaries, which means 'cent percent empowerment without discrimination'."By doing so we are fulfilling the dream of equality of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar," he said.The prime minister urged the villagers to contribute to the development of the villages and the country.In his address, President Kovind thanked Modi for visiting the village and for backing him for the post of president."Uttar Pradesh realised the dedication of the PM towards democracy when he initiated to make a person like me the president of the country," said Kovind."The credit for making a person from UP the president of the country goes to the prime minister," he said.Chief Minister Yogi Adityanth, Governor Anandiben Patel along with ministers, MPs and MLA of nearby area attended the event.In his address, Adityanath said, "The president and the prime minister by being together in a small village of Kanpur Dehat are also giving a message of 'gram swaraj' envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi and encouraging the people to join with the Amrut Mohotsav to celebrate 75 years of Independence."Adityanath said that Paraunkh village has become an example of ideal village in the state."Whatever we are able to do in the state, the support of the Prime Minister is essential. With his support and guidance, UP has been able to move towards a new era of development," said the CM. Before their address at the public function, the dignitaries visited the Pathri Mata temple at Paraunkh village.They also visited Dr B R Ambedkar Bhawan which was to be followed by a visit to Milan Kendra (community center).The Kendra is the president's ancestral house that has been donated for public use.—PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday said he favours a strong opposition in the country but slammed dynastic politics, saying it kills talent.

People misunderstand my views on dynastic politics: Modi

Lucknow: President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday said there can be differences of ideology between the ruling party and the Opposition but there should not be any animosity between both the sides. Addressing a joint sitting of the Uttar Pradesh legislative council and the assembly, Kovind said the UP legislature has a glorious history of dignified amicability between the ruling party and the Opposition. "Sometimes, there have been undignified incidents which are contrary to this rich tradition. You have to make an effort to forget them by considering those as an exception," said the President."You all have to further strengthen the rich political tradition of UP. In a democracy, there can be differences of ideology between the ruling party and the opposition but there should not be any animosity (vaimanasya) between both the sides," Kovind said. Kovind said the legislature is the temple of democracy and people consider the public representatives as their&nbsp;bhaagyavidhata&nbsp;(one who decides the destiny)."The people of the state have a lot of hope and expectations from you, and fulfilling their expectations is the most important work for you," said the President."The ambit of your public service must contain all citizens, whether they have voted for you or not. Hence, it is your responsibility to work in the interest of every person," he said.He reminded them that according to the oath, they are committed to work not only for the entire state but for the entire country apart from their respective regions.Emphasising on the need to increase the representation of the women (in the legislature), Kovind said, "From the point of view of social inclusion, it is a good achievement that in the current Legislature, the ambit of representation of various sections of the society, has increased."But, I have been told that in the UP legislative assembly, the number of women MLAs is 47. However, one should not be satisfied with this number. This is around 12 per cent of the total 403 MLAs (in UP assembly). Similarly, in the 100-member UP legislative council, out of the current 91 members five are women, which comes out to be 5.5 per cent. There are immense possibilities in increasing the representation of women."Kovind said India is celebrating the&nbsp;Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav&nbsp;to commemorate the 75th anniversary of independence.One of the objectives of this celebration is to remember our freedom fighters who are often forgotten and about whom all citizens, especially the young generation, should know, he said.There have been many such unknown and anonymous freedom fighters in Uttar Pradesh, about whom more information should be accessible. Dissemination of more information about well-known freedom fighters would also increase awareness among the people, the president noted.He said lecture series could be organised in educational institutions in memory of freedom fighters and people could also be made aware of their life stories through other mediums.The President also exuded confidence that UP will soon become "Uttam Pradesh"."With your efforts, Uttar Pradesh will soon become Uttam Pradesh. When the largest state of the country achieves all the parameters of development, then the country's development will automatically get a backing.""I hope that 25 years from now, when the nation will celebrate the centenary of Independence, by then UP would have been established as the leading state in India in terms of parameters of development, and our country would be at the forefront among the developed countries," Kovind said.The President said Uttar Pradesh ranks first in India in food grains production and also ranks first in the production of mango, potato, sugarcane and milk.In recent years, there has been notable progress in road, rail and air connectivity in the state. The talented youth of Uttar Pradesh are setting the parameters of economic progress in other states and abroad, Kovind said.He said there is huge potential in tourism, food processing, information technology and urban development in the state. In view of fertile land and natural conditions conducive to agriculture in Uttar Pradesh, great changes can be made in the economic condition of the state by focusing more on production as well as productivity in agriculture and on agro-based enterprises, he said.Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Speaker of UP legislative assembly Satish Mahana, chairman of UP legislative council Kunwar Manvendra Singh and Leader of Opposition (in legislative assembly) Akhilesh Yadav also addressed the joint sitting.—PTI

President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday said there can be differences of ideology between the ruling party and the Opposition but there should not be any animosity between both the sides.

Different ideologies of govt, Opposition shouldn't turn into animosity: Kovind

New Delhi: The opposition is likely to put up a joint candidate for the July 18 presidential election despite not having numbers on its side, and consultations in this regard have already begun. Sources said that Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge has reached out to leaders of some opposition parties and sought their views for a joint opposition candidate who can be fielded. Some opposition parties are of the view that they should not give a walkover to the ruling dispensation but put up a fight, the sources said.CPI Rajya Sabha member Binoy Viswam said the Congress had reached out to him to discuss a "common candidate"."Mallikarjun Khargeji called and consulted about a common candidate for the&nbsp;presidential election. I told him that the CPI would support a common candidate with secular credentials and progressive outlook. He replied that Madam Soniaji&nbsp;and the Congress Party also have the same position," Viswam said in a tweet. "Consultations for the presidential election have begun among various opposition parties," a senior opposition leader told PTI, adding that once a consensus is arrived at, a joint candidate may be put up. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance is comfortably placed to win the presidential election with its vote share touching the 50 per cent mark of the total electors.While there are 776 MPs of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, each having 700 votes, there are as many as 4033 legislators in states with different votes who will also elect Ram Nath Kovind's successor.Though the final list of electors will be notified after the bye-elections to three Lok Sabha seats and the Rajya Sabha polls to 16 seats, the NDA has 440 MPs in its favour while the opposition United Progressive Alliance has around 180 MPs, besides 36 MPs of the Trinamool Congress who normally support the opposition candidate.The Congress and the BJP are likely to win six more Rajya Sabha seats in the June 10 election and the UPA partners may bag three seats more.According to rough calculations, the NDA has around 5,35,000 votes out of a total of 10,86,431 votes of all electors.This includes 3,08,000 votes with the support of its MPs along with that of its allies.The NDA candidate may get the support of some regional parties including the AIADMK, the BJD and the YSRCP for its candidate in the presidential poll.Among the states, the BJP has the maximum of 56,784 votes from Uttar Pradesh where it has 273 MLAs. Each MLA in Uttar Pradesh has the maximum vote of 208. The NDA will get its second-highest votes among states from Bihar where with 127 MLAs, it will get 21,971 votes as each legislator has 173 votes, followed by 18,375 votes from Maharashtra where it has 105 MLAs and each has 175 votes.With 131 MLAs, the NDA will get 17,161 votes from Madhya Pradesh, 16,464 votes of 112 MLAs from Gujarat and 15,982 votes of its 122 MLAs in Karnataka.The UPA, on the other hand, has a little over 1,50,000 votes from among its MPs and will get around the same number of votes from its legislators in states.Opposition candidates in the past too have been getting a little more than 3 lakh votes in the previous elections for the highest post in the country.The value of the vote of a member of Parliament has gone down to 700 from 708 in the presidential polls this time due to the absence of a legislative assembly in Jammu and Kashmir. The value of the vote of an MP in a presidential election is based on the number of elected members in legislative assemblies of states and Union territories, including Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir.Elections will be held on July 18 to elect incumbent Kovind's successor, the Election Commission announced on Thursday.The nominations can be filed after the issue of notification on June 15 till June 29, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar told a press conference.—PTI

The opposition is likely to put up a joint candidate for the July 18 presidential election despite not having numbers on its side, and consultations in this regard have already begun.

Opposition determined to make a fight of presidential poll

The opposition is likely to put up a joint candidate for the July 18 presidential election despite not having numbers on its side, and consultations in this regard have already begun.



New Delhi: Opposition presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha on Monday filed his nomination papers for the July 18 election, with a host of leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Akhilesh Yadav and Farooq Abdullah accompanying him.Significantly, Telangana Rashtra Samiti leader K T Rama Rao, the son of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was also present when Sinha filed his papers.The TRS said it would support the candidature of Sinha in the Presidential election.'President of @trspartyonline Sri KCR Garu has decided to extend support to the candidature of Sri @YashwantSinha Ji in the election for President of India. Along with our Members of Parliament, I will be representing the TRS at the nomination today,' Rama Rao tweeted. However, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha was not represented as Jharkhand's ruling party is yet to decide on whom to support in the presidential poll.Sinha handed over four sets of nomination papers to Rajya Sabha Secretary General P C Mody, who is the returning officer for the presidential election.After filing the nomination papers, Sinha paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi and B R Ambedkar at their statues inside Parliament complex.Sinha, a former bureaucrat and a union minister during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, was decided as the joint candidate for the presidential election on June 21 at a meeting of several opposition leaders.He is likely to launch his campaign from June 28 from Chennai in Tamil Nadu and will cover the southern states of Kerala and Karnataka as well during his first round of campaigning.Top opposition leaders including Nationalist Congress Party supremo Pawar, Congress leaders Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Jairam Ramesh and Rajasthan Chief minister Ashok Gehlot, Trinamool Congress's Abhishek Banerjee and Saugata Roy, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's Tiruchi Siva and A Raja, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah, Communist Party of India-Marxist's Sitaram Yechury and Communist Party of India's D Raja, were also present.Rashtriya Lok Dal's Jayant Chaudhary, Rashtriya Janata Dal's Misa Bharti, Revolutionary Socialist Party's N K Premchandran and Indian Union Muslim League's Mohammed Bashir and NCP's Praful Patel were also present.The opposition leaders said the presidential election is a fight between two ideologies and not about individuals.Gandhi said the real fight is between two ideologies -- the hatred of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on the one side and the compassion of all opposition parties on the other."We are all unitedly supporting Yashwant Sinha ji. Of course, we are supporting the individual, but the real fight is between two ideologies."One ideology of RSS -- anger, hatred and the other of compassion of all the opposition parties who are standing together," he said.He said the entire opposition is standing with Sinha. TMC's Saugata Roy said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has extended her full support to Sinha, who is the joint opposition candidate."It is not a fight between two individuals only, it is a fight between two ideologies -- between communalism and secularism and authoritarianism versus democracy. And I think under the circumstances, Yashwant Sinha is the best candidate," Roy said while noting that he is a former IAS officer, former union minister of Finance and External Affairs."On a person-to-person basis, Sinha is far better. All opposition parties are fully supporting him. The Congress, DMK, socialist parties and Left parties are supporting him. I think it is a rainbow-coloured coalition of best values," the TMC leader said.Yechury said it is not a question of identity politics. "We respect Droupadi Murmu ji, but it is contest of ideologies," he noted.—PTI

Opposition presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha on Monday filed his nomination papers for the July 18 election, with a host of leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Akhilesh Yadav and Farooq Abdullah accompanying him.

Sinha Files Nomination In Presence Of Pawar, Rahul

New Delhi: The Monsoon Session of Parliament began on a stormy note on Monday with the opposition demanding discussion on issues ranging from price rise to the Agnipath scheme.The morning session of the Lok Sabha was adjourned to allow members to vote in the presidential election even as opposition members tried to raise some issues.In the Rajya Sabha, Congress members trooped to the Well of the House raising slogans as soon as Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu read out the obituary references.“As some people have come determined not to allow the House to function and also enable members to go and vote in the Presidential election, I am adjourning the House for the day,” Naidu said.In the Lok Sabha, three newly-elected members – Bollywood actor and Trinamool Congress’ Shatrughan Sinha (Asansol, West Bengal) and two BJP members from Uttar Pradesh Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua (Azamgarh) and Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi (Rampur) — took oath as member of the Lok Sabha. As opposition members raised slogans, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said elections in India are celebrated as a festival and since the election to the president was underway, it should also be celebrated.The Speaker said members should participate in the festival and adjourned the House adjourned till 2 pm Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress President Sonia Gandhi were among those present in the Lok Sabha.As the Lok Sabha re-convened at 2 pm, members of Left parties were&nbsp;in the well of the House waving placards protesting rising inflation while Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was trying to raise some issue.Chowdhury said the opposition wanted to raise issues such as price rise and the Agnipath scheme, but the House was adjourned to allow members to cast their vote in the presidential election.BJP member Rajendra Agarwal, who was in the chair, allowed the laying of parliamentary papers on the table of the House.Law Minister Kiren Rijiju introduced the Family Courts (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha.As the opposition uproar continued, Agarwal adjourned the proceedings for the day.Earlier, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha paid homage to former Japan prime minister Shinzo Abe, ex United Arab Emirates president and Abu Dhabi ruler Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Kenya’s third president Mwai Kibaki.The Lok Sabha Speaker also read out obituary references of eight former members of the House who passed away recently. They are Rabindar Kumar Rana (Bihar), T Basheeer (Kerala), Nawal Kishore Rai (Bihar), Sukh Ram (Himachal Pradesh), Hussain Dalwai (Maharashtra), Shivaji Patnaik (Odisha), Chakra Dhari Singh (Madhya Pradesh) and Harivansh Sahai (Uttar Pradesh).In the Rajya Sabha, Naidu made obituary references to former members Kishore Kumar Mohanty, Robert Kharshiing, K K Veerappan and santoor player Pandit Shivkumar Sharma.The Monsoon Session of Parliament started on Monday and subject to exigencies of government business, it will conclude on August 12.—PTI&nbsp;

The Monsoon Session of Parliament began on a stormy note on Monday with the opposition demanding discussion on issues ranging from price rise to the Agnipath scheme.

Parliament's Monsoon Session Begins With Adjournments

New Delhi: Various opposition parties on Thursday accused the Modi government of unleashing a relentless campaign against its political opponents through "mischievous" misuse of probe agencies.Ahead of Sonia Gandhi's questioning by the ED in the National Herald money laundering case, leaders of 13 political parties met at Parliament House and condemned the action."The Modi 'sarkar' has unleashed a relentless campaign of vendetta against its political opponents and critics through the mischievous misuse of investigative agencies. Prominent leaders of a number of political parties have been deliberately targeted and subjected to harassment in an unprecedented manner," the leaders charged in a joint statement."We condemn this and resolve to continue and intensify our collective fight against the anti-people, anti-farmer, anti-Constitution policies of the Modi 'sarkar' that is destroying the social fabric of our society," they also said in the statement.Leaders of the Congress, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Communist Party of India-Marxist, the CPI, the Indian Union Muslim League, the National Conference, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Nationalist Congress Party, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, the Shiv Sena, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Revolutionary Socialist Party were present in the meeting.The Congress slammed the Modi government for "misusing" probe agencies against opposition leaders and staged protests against the Enforcement Directorate's summons to Sonia Gandhi.Senior Congress leader and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot condemned the ED action of calling Sonia Gandhi for questioning, and said the probe agency should first hold a press conference to spell out under what charges she is being probed."I condemn the ED action of calling Sonia Gandhi for questioning," he told reporters at a press conference."The ED should have gone to her residence to take her responses to their questions," he said, citing past precedents, adding that this is being done to harass her.Sonia Gandhi is set to appear before the ED in Delhi for her questioning in the National Herald money laundering case.Referring to the questioning of Rahul Gandhi earlier, Gehlot said never has anyone questioned a leader for five days in a row and long hours of questioning."Their aim is to demoralise and create problems," he alleged.Gehlot said this action comes after the Udaipur declaration of the Congress party, which received a very encouraging response from the public.Earlier, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh claimed the media was also being prevented from entering the Congress headquarters."From the early hours of this morning the Delhi Police—obviously taking orders from the Union Home Minister—is preventing the media from entering the Congress party headquarters. This high-handedness was only to be expected and reflects the mindset of the Modi Sarkar," Ramesh said on Twitter.He also said that the ED action comes to prevent the Congress raising issues of public like price rise and unemployment, which they will continue.The Congress has organised protests in the national capital and across the country.Gehlot alleged that there are two laws in India with one for the BJP and one for the opposition.He also alleged that the area around the Congress headquarters here has been turned into a police cantonment and no one is being allowed entry."They consider the opposition as their enemies and the target is to make the country opposition-free. Earlier their slogan was to make it 'Congress-mukt'," he said, alleging that the country is headed towards such times that all Indians should be worried.Gehlot also claimed that the ED is being used by the ruling BJP as a "big weapon to bring down governments of opposition"."There can't be anything more cheap and shameful than this," he said.<img src="https://newads.rediff.com/rediffadserver/www/delivery/lg.php?bannerid=6301&amp;campaignid=1829&amp;zoneid=385&amp;source=_blank&amp;loc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fmodi-sarkar-has-unleashed-oppn-on-sonias-ed-appearance%2F20220721.htm&amp;referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&amp;cb=bfa6aa7f7f">He said the ED has made 1,700 raids and their conviction rate is 0.5 percent as due processes and not followed.The Rajasthan chief minister said he wanted to meet the heads of the IT, CBI, ED and CBDT chairman as the credibility of these probe agencies in the eyes of the public is going down.—IANS

Various opposition parties on Thursday accused the Modi government of unleashing a relentless campaign against its political opponents through "mischievous" misuse of probe agencies.

'Modi sarkar unleashing...': Oppn on Sonia's ED appearance

New Delhi: The National Democratic Alliance's presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu on Thursday crossed the crucial 50 per cent mark after the third round of counting to emerge victorious in the poll over her rival Yashwant Sinha.An official announcement on her win is expected after all votes are counted but she has already got 5,77,777 votes, which is more than the halfway mark of the total valid votes cast in the election on July 18.Returning Officer P C Mody announced that Murmu has already received over 53 per cent of the total valid votes. Ballots from 10 states and Union territories are being still counted.Sources said 17 MPs from opposition parties have cross-voted in her support.All MLAs from Andhra Pradesh voted in Murmu's favour, while in Arunachal Pradesh she got votes of all legislators except for four.Officials said the NDA candidate received two-thirds of the votes in all the three rounds of counting.So far, votes of 20 states and those cast by MPs have been counted. Votes of 10 more states and union territories are being counted as of now.Conceding defeat, Opposition candidate Sinha congratulated Murmu and said that every Indian hopes that as the 15th President she functions as the 'custodian of the Constitution' without fear or favour.In a statement, Sinha thanked the leaders of the Opposition parties for choosing him as their consensus candidate in this election."I also thank all members of the Electoral College who voted for me. I accepted the offer of Opposition parties solely guided by the philosophy of Karma Yoga preached by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita - 'Do your duty without expectation of the fruits thereof'," Sinha said.Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president J P Nadda visited Murmu's residence here to congratulate her.Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also congratulated Murmu on her 'impressive' win and asserted that her victory is proof of India democracy's strength.The Election Commission is likely to issue 'certificate of election' to the winning candidate on Friday.Among the states where votes were counted include Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisharh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab and Odisha.<img src="https://newads.rediff.com/rediffadserver/www/delivery/lg.php?bannerid=6301&amp;campaignid=1829&amp;zoneid=385&amp;source=_blank&amp;loc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fdroupadi-murmu-win-prez-poll-17-opposition-mps-cross-vote-in-her-favour%2F20220721.htm&amp;referer=https%3A%2F%2Fmail.rediff.com%2F&amp;cb=9715ec9957">With each MP having a vote value of 700 in this presidential election, Murmu had a total vote value of 5,23,600 which is 72.19 per cent of the total valid vote count of MPs polled.Sinha received 208 votes of MPs after the first round of counting, with a total vote value of 1,45,600, which is 27.81 per cent of the total valid votes polled, Returning Officer P C Mody said.—PTI

The National Democratic Alliance's presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu on Thursday crossed the crucial 50 per cent mark after the third round of counting to emerge victorious in the poll over her rival Yashwant Sinha.

Droupadi Murmu wins Prez poll, 17 Opposition MPs cross-vote in her favour

Galle: Veteran Angelo Mathews on Sunday turned the sixth Sri Lankan cricketer to play 100 Take a look at matches when he took the sphere within the second and closing sport in opposition to Pakistan, right here.The 35-year previous acquired a cap to mark the event from Chaminda Vaas, the bowling coach. Curiously, each Mathews and Vaas went to the identical faculty and now each have performed 100 Assessments for Sri Lanka.“Presentation: Angelo Mathews receives commemorative cap and a special present earlier than play to mark his one centesimal Take a look at for,” tweeted Sri Lanka Cricket together with photos.Earlier than Mathews, 5 Sri Lankan gamers — Mahela Jayawardene (149 matches), Kumar Sangakkara (134), Muttiah Muralitharan (133 ), Chaminda Vaas (111 ), Sanath Jayasuriya (110 ) — have performed greater than 100 Assessments for the nation.Mathews, who made his take a look at debut in 2009 and is on the verge of seven,000 take a look at runs, needs to rating 10,000 runs within the red-ball cricket.“It might be good to get to 10,000 Take a look at runs. Not many guys have carried out that and that’s one thing that I would like to obtain,” Mathews had stated on the eve of the landmark match.Requested about his inspiration, Mathews took the title of England quick bowler James Anderson, who made a comeback to the England Take a look at facet, below the captaincy of Ben Stokes, only a month again within the English summer time.“Jimmy Anderson is my inspiration. On the age of 40, he’s nonetheless delivering and he needs to do it for a few extra years. It’s the drive that you’ve. This isn’t going to cease right here and I nonetheless have a couple of extra years left. Age is only a quantity and I’ll work on my health,” he stated. —IANS

Veteran Angelo Mathews on Sunday turned the sixth Sri Lankan cricketer to play 100 Take a look at matches when he took the sphere within the second and closing sport in opposition to Pakistan, right here.

 Mathews becomes 6th Sri Lankan to play 100 Tests, receives special cap from Vaas

New Delhi:&nbsp;Nineteen opposition MPs, including seven from the TMC and six from the DMK, were suspended on Tuesday from attending the sitting of the Rajya Sabha for the entire week for disrupting the House proceedings.The opposition MPs, who have been stalling the proceedings since the start of the monsoon session on July 18 over price rise and the levy of the GST on daily essentials, were suspended as they did not heed to Deputy Chairman Harvansh's repeated pleas to leave the Well of the House and go back to their seats.Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan moved a motion to suspend 10 MPs, but when it was adopted by a voice vote, Harivansh read out the names of 19 members who have been suspended for the rest of the week.While seven of the suspended MPs belonged to the Trinamool Congress (TMC), six were from the DMK, three from the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), two from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and one from the Communist Party of India (CPI).Sushmita Dev, Mausam Noor, Shanta Chhetri, Dola Sen, Santanu Sen, Abir Ranjan Biswas and Nadiumal Haque of the TMC were suspended.DMK's M Mohamed Abdulla, Kanimozhi NVN Somu, M Shanmugam, S Kalyanasundaram, R Girirajan and N R Elango were also suspended.B Lingaiah Yadav, Ravichandra Vaddiraju and Damodar Rao Divakonda (TRS), V Sivadasan and A A Rahim (CPI-M) and Sandosh Kumar (CPI) were the other MPs who were suspended.Harivansh said the MPs were suspended for showing "utter disregard" to the House and the authority of the Chair.The Chair asked the suspended members to leave the House, but they kept protesting in the Well, leading to two adjournments.The proceedings were first adjourned for 15 minutes and then for an hour after the suspended members refused to leave the House when it met again.—PTI

Nineteen opposition MPs, including seven from the TMC and six from the DMK, were suspended on Tuesday from attending the sitting of the Rajya Sabha for the entire week for disrupting the House proceedings.

19 opposition MPs suspended from Rajya Sabha for week

New Delhi:&nbsp;The Congress on Wednesday alleged that the Enforcement Directorate has become a "tool" in the hands of the BJP-led Centre to "destroy" the Opposition parties.Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also said that the party was not being allowed to raise the issue of alleged "misuse" of the ED by the Centre in Parliament.Chowdhury's remarks came a day after the ED raided the head office of the Congress party-owned National Herald newspaper here and other locations as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation.He said Congress leaders in Lok Sabha had given three adjournment motion notices to raise the issue of alleged "misuse" of the ED."The ruling party is not allowing us to raise this issue. Why is the government scared of us putting our point in Parliament," he told reporters.Chowdhury had tried to raise the issue of investigation into the National Herald newspaper in Lok Sabha, but was disallowed by the chair.Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm amid protests by Opposition members over various issues, including raids at the premises of National Herald newspaper in connection with a money laundering investigation.Chowdhury alleged that ED was being used to "tarnish" the image of the Congress and of the newspaper that played a key role in the national movement."Today, the voice of freedom struggle, the National Herald, its image is being tarnished with an ill-intent. The ED is being misused and a conspiracy has been hatched against us. He said the Congress and all other Opposition parties are being harassed and Opposition governments are being destabilised through the misuse of ED," the Congress leader said."The ED has become a tool in the hands of the government to destroy Opposition parties and destabilise the state governments of the Opposition. (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi does not just want Congress-mukt Bharat but Opposition-mukt Bharat. We wanted two minutes to put forward this but were not allowed," he said.The Congress on Tuesday had dubbed the ED raids on National Herald office here as "vendetta politics" and said it will not be cowed by such actions and will continue to expose failures of the government.—PTI

The Congress on Wednesday alleged that the Enforcement Directorate has become a "tool" in the hands of the BJP-led Centre to "destroy" the Opposition parties

ED being used to 'harass' opposition parties: Cong

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge has resigned as the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, sources said on Saturday, a day after he filed his nomination papers for the All India Congress Committee president's election.
Kharge's resignation, which the 80-year-old leader sent to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, is in line with the party's declared 'One person, One post' principle that was announced at the Udaipur 'Chintan Shivir' in May.
The resignation letter was sent by Kharge last night, the sources said. Senior leaders P Chidam-baram and Digvijaya Singh are learnt to be the front-runners to take on the mantle of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha. The stage was set on Friday for a contest between Kharge and Shashi Tharoor for the Congress president's post. Kharge, a Dalit leader from Karnataka has emerged as the clear favourite.
The third candidate in the fray, K N Tripathi, a former Jharkhand minister, is considered a lightweight for the contest.
Kharge, Tharoor and Tripathi filed nominations on the last day of the process which saw the AICC headquarters come back to life after a long time, with workers swarming the complex.
Kharge, flanked by top Congress leaders, has filed 14 sets of nomination papers with the proposers including Ashok Gehlot, Digvijaya Singh, A K Antony, Ambika Soni, Mukul Wasnik and members from the G-23 ginger group comprising Anand Sharma, Bhupinder Hooda, Prithviraj Chavan and Manish Tewari.
—PTI

Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge has resigned as the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, sources said on Saturday, a day after he filed his nomination papers for the All India Congress Committee president's election.

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