NCP president Sharad Pawar, who has been at the forefront of efforts to forge an opposition coalition for 2019, is likely to meet Congress president Rahul Gandhi Tuesday
If the Speaker/Chairman chooses not to act on the accusations made in the form of a motion by a minimum number of Members of Parliament, the matter ends there.
Naidu said the signatory MPs were ‘unsure of their own case’, highlighting certain phrases used in the motion, such as ‘may have been involved’ and ‘likely to fall’
Opposition unity today is just a mirror image of the 1970s – what was anti-Congressism then is anti-BJPism now. All parties carry the baggage of those times.
An average single girl likes men who care about women’s cricket, skip the ‘harmless sexist jokes’ and listen to them rant without offering solutions. She still might call him a ‘performative male’ for ticking every box.
New CPI series will take 2024 as base year, will provide more accurate measure of inflation, spending on digital services. Expected to enhance representation and reliability, says Saurabh Garg.
The agreement, signed after meeting between Rajnath and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on sidelines of ADMM-Plus in Kuala Lumpur, aims to deepen bilateral ties in the critical sector.
This world is being restructured and redrawn by one man, and what’s his power? It’s not his formidable military. It’s trade. With China, it turned on him.
Very good analysis indeed. But think at the national level one has to change one’s mindset, which, unfortunately, none in the opposition has been able to do.
1. Congress President Rahul Gandhi wishes to be next Prime Minister and my thinking is that his wish will remain a dream. This I am saying because if regional parties form a front, it will not only be an anti-BJP but it will also be an anti-Congress front. 2. All alliances are accommodative arrangements and therefore if anti-BJP parties wish to form a grand alliance, it is perfectly okay. I feel that such an alliance, whatever be its name (‘Federal’ or ‘Third’ front), need not be based on any ideology because it is a politically convenient arrangement. 3. The Congress party, weakened as it is over past few decades, it cannot hope to win even 60 Lok Sabha seats without forming alliance with this or that regional party in different States. Fact is that in States like Uttar Pradesh & Bihar, Congress is in desperate need to form an alliance. In these States the strong regional parties (SP BSP and RJD) will dictate terms of alliance to Congress. In Maharashtra Congress & NCP will be probable alliance partners with many smaller parties. However NCP will bargain hard as it knows that it is Congress which needs alliance. In West Bengal (WB), the Congress may have to join hands with the Left parties (who are yet to recover after loss of power). Here, I believe some Congress leaders in WB are against alliance with the Left parties. Uncertainties are many. 4. From what Smt Mamata Banerjee said in a recent interview it is clear that in the Federal or Third front, the Congress may have no place. In other words, just to repeat what I mentioned earlier, Federal or Third front will be anti-BJP and anti-Congress front.
UP –> Congress+SP+BSP=70+
TN –> Congress+DMK = 35+
MH –> Congress+NCP = 40+
KL –> Congress = 10
TS –> Congress = 5+
AP –> Congress+TDP/YSRCP = 15+
KA –> Congress+JDU = 20+
GJ –> Congress = 5+
MP –> Congress = 10+
RJ –> Congress = 20+
CHT –> 2+
JH –> Congress+JMM = 8+
BIH — > Congress+RJD = 8+
ASSAM –> Congress = 4+
HR –> 4+
WB –> Congress+TMC = 40+
North+East = Congress = 5+
And AAP+Communist+Others = 25+
Total = 340+UP –> Congress+SP+BSP=70+
TN –> Congress+DMK = 35+
MH –> Congress+NCP = 40+
KL –> Congress = 10
TS –> Congress = 5+
AP –> Congress+TDP/YSRCP = 15+
KA –> Congress+JDU = 20+
GJ –> Congress = 5+
MP –> Congress = 10+
RJ –> Congress = 20+
CHT –> 2+
JH –> Congress+JMM = 8+
BIH — > Congress+RJD = 8+
ASSAM –> Congress = 4+
HR –> 4+
WB –> Congress+TMC = 40+
North+East = Congress = 5+
And AAP+Communist+Others = 25+
Total = 340+
If 2019 is a national election, with national issues and narrative, then the electorate, before generating a second tsunami, will check how the last five years have been for their families. How much better off they are in material terms, other aspects of governance, like safety, especially of women, basic services like education and healthcare, although these are the responsibility of state governments. National security / foreign policy is not normally an issue, which is perhaps a good thing. One way or another, they will compare the Report Card with promises made in the previous election. 2. The opposition will focus on real, non emotive issues, as happened in Gujarat. Since neither the Congress nor its leader command automatic acceptance or overwhelming force and presence, it will stitch together a genuine coalition for the limited purpose of avoiding a split in votes, leaving the bargaining and negotiations to the post election phase, when numbers will create their own logic. Whether a national canvas or a sum of states, this is going to be an incredibly tough election.
And with a rag-tag expedient coalition creeping into power, it may not be good for governance that the country desperately needs. So we are back to square one.
Very good analysis indeed. But think at the national level one has to change one’s mindset, which, unfortunately, none in the opposition has been able to do.
1. Congress President Rahul Gandhi wishes to be next Prime Minister and my thinking is that his wish will remain a dream. This I am saying because if regional parties form a front, it will not only be an anti-BJP but it will also be an anti-Congress front. 2. All alliances are accommodative arrangements and therefore if anti-BJP parties wish to form a grand alliance, it is perfectly okay. I feel that such an alliance, whatever be its name (‘Federal’ or ‘Third’ front), need not be based on any ideology because it is a politically convenient arrangement. 3. The Congress party, weakened as it is over past few decades, it cannot hope to win even 60 Lok Sabha seats without forming alliance with this or that regional party in different States. Fact is that in States like Uttar Pradesh & Bihar, Congress is in desperate need to form an alliance. In these States the strong regional parties (SP BSP and RJD) will dictate terms of alliance to Congress. In Maharashtra Congress & NCP will be probable alliance partners with many smaller parties. However NCP will bargain hard as it knows that it is Congress which needs alliance. In West Bengal (WB), the Congress may have to join hands with the Left parties (who are yet to recover after loss of power). Here, I believe some Congress leaders in WB are against alliance with the Left parties. Uncertainties are many. 4. From what Smt Mamata Banerjee said in a recent interview it is clear that in the Federal or Third front, the Congress may have no place. In other words, just to repeat what I mentioned earlier, Federal or Third front will be anti-BJP and anti-Congress front.
UP –> Congress+SP+BSP=70+
TN –> Congress+DMK = 35+
MH –> Congress+NCP = 40+
KL –> Congress = 10
TS –> Congress = 5+
AP –> Congress+TDP/YSRCP = 15+
KA –> Congress+JDU = 20+
GJ –> Congress = 5+
MP –> Congress = 10+
RJ –> Congress = 20+
CHT –> 2+
JH –> Congress+JMM = 8+
BIH — > Congress+RJD = 8+
ASSAM –> Congress = 4+
HR –> 4+
WB –> Congress+TMC = 40+
North+East = Congress = 5+
And AAP+Communist+Others = 25+
Total = 340+UP –> Congress+SP+BSP=70+
TN –> Congress+DMK = 35+
MH –> Congress+NCP = 40+
KL –> Congress = 10
TS –> Congress = 5+
AP –> Congress+TDP/YSRCP = 15+
KA –> Congress+JDU = 20+
GJ –> Congress = 5+
MP –> Congress = 10+
RJ –> Congress = 20+
CHT –> 2+
JH –> Congress+JMM = 8+
BIH — > Congress+RJD = 8+
ASSAM –> Congress = 4+
HR –> 4+
WB –> Congress+TMC = 40+
North+East = Congress = 5+
And AAP+Communist+Others = 25+
Total = 340+
If 2019 is a national election, with national issues and narrative, then the electorate, before generating a second tsunami, will check how the last five years have been for their families. How much better off they are in material terms, other aspects of governance, like safety, especially of women, basic services like education and healthcare, although these are the responsibility of state governments. National security / foreign policy is not normally an issue, which is perhaps a good thing. One way or another, they will compare the Report Card with promises made in the previous election. 2. The opposition will focus on real, non emotive issues, as happened in Gujarat. Since neither the Congress nor its leader command automatic acceptance or overwhelming force and presence, it will stitch together a genuine coalition for the limited purpose of avoiding a split in votes, leaving the bargaining and negotiations to the post election phase, when numbers will create their own logic. Whether a national canvas or a sum of states, this is going to be an incredibly tough election.
And with a rag-tag expedient coalition creeping into power, it may not be good for governance that the country desperately needs. So we are back to square one.