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Hopeful Opposition plans post poll meet, to ask President not to invite single largest party

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Hopeful Opposition plans post poll meet, to ask President not to invite single largest party

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]With only two more phases of the seven-stage 2019 Lok Sabha election left, Opposition parties have started gearing up for a likely hung Parliament situation and plan to meet the President after the elections are over, to impress upon him not to call the single largest party to form the government in case of a split verdict.

The move comes in the final rounds of elections when, seemingly based on inputs from various agencies involved in assessing poll outcome, hope on one side and desperation on the other is turning the election campaign increasingly strident and belligerent.

The last phase of voting will be over on May 19, a Sunday. Two days before start of counting of votes and election results on May 23, a meeting of Opposition parties is likely to be held on May 21 to fine-tune their strategy on how to stake claim to form the government at the Centre in case the mandate is fractured.

Twenty-one political parties, who together had also moved the Supreme Court over increasing verification of voter slips, are planning to also send a letter to the President that will say that once the result is out, they would present letters of support to form a government.

Sources said the reason for this unusual step is to ensure that the President does not give the single largest party an opportunity to attempt and break regional parties and alliances.

After Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao meeting his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan a couple of days ago to discuss the post-poll situation, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today (Wednesday, May 8) reportedly met Congress president Rahul Gandhi and discussed plans to hold a meeting of Opposition parties on May 21.

Earlier, on Monday, May 6, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, popularly called KCR, met his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday, reportedly to discuss scope for a non-BJP, non-Congress formation, on the lines of the “1996-formula”, said media reports.

KCR, who has been at the forefront of “Third Front” moves over the past year, has also reached out to Congress allies like Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and DMK’s MK Stalin.

Calling the meeting “politically very significant”, Mr Vijayan reportedly said, “According to KC Rao, both the fronts may not get a majority. So, the regional parties will play a prominent role. There were no discussions about the PM candidate… Further discussions (on names, other details) will take place after results.”

The Opposition parties intend to waste no time will rush to President Ram Nath Kovind as soon as the election result is declared to ask him to invite them first to form the government.

The Constitution confers discretionary powers on the President of India in extending invite for the formation of the government in case of a fractured mandate.

The discretionary powers on whom to invite first to stake a claim has led to controversy in the past.

In 1996, the then President Shankar Dayal Sharma invited Atal Bihari Vajpayee to form the government when BJP emerged as the single largest party. Vajpayee had to resign after he failed to prove majority.

In Goa and Manipur, the Governor had ignored the claims of Congress as the single largest party and extended an invite to the BJP. In both cases, the BJP claimed support of a majority MLAs in the house.

Last year in Karnataka, however, the Governor invited BS Yeddyurappa, the leader of the single largest party to form the government despite Congress and JDS joining hands to keep BJP out of power.

In 2014, BJP wona majority of seats on its own, bagging 282 of the 543 seats in the Lok Sabha. The majority mark is 272. The Congress, on the contrary, fell to its lowest ebb as it was reduced to mere 44 seats.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Stalin reminds PM Modi’s statements as Gujarat CM after his crying for funds remark

During the event, Stalin inaugurated over 6,700 completed projects worth ₹1,166 crore in Tiruvallur, laid foundations for 7,300 new initiatives, and distributed welfare benefits to 2.02 lakh residents.

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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday took aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a government event in Ponneri, Tiruvallur district, invoking Modi’s own words as Gujarat’s Chief Minister to counter recent remarks about Tamil Nadu’s demands for funds.

Addressing a gathering, Stalin refuted Modi’s claim from a Rameswaram visit that Tamil Nadu leaders were “crying” for central funds regardless of allocations.

“With utmost respect, I remind the Prime Minister of his own stance as Gujarat CM, when he said states aren’t beggars pleading for Union handouts,” Stalin said.

He recalled Modi’s criticism of the Centre’s partisan fund allocations and accusations of Governors running “parallel governments” in opposition-ruled states. “When Tamil Nadu seeks its rightful share, how is it ‘crying’? I’m asserting our state’s rights, not groveling. I learned this from our leader Kalaignar [Karunanidhi],” Stalin asserted.

Minister S.M. Nasar, MPs S. Jagathrakshakan and Sasikanth Senthil, legislators T.J. Govindarajan, Durai Chandrasekar, S. Chandran, V.G. Raajendran, A. Krishnaswamy, K. Ganapathy, S. Sudharsanam, Collector M. Prathap, and senior officials attended the event.

Stalin also challenged Shah’s recent Chennai statement that Tamil Nadu’s demands were “diversionary tactics.” He posed pointed questions to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, “Can you exempt Tamil Nadu from NEET? Guarantee no Hindi imposition? Ensure our representation isn’t reduced post-delimitation? Specify the funds allocated to our state?”

Stalin emphasised that Tamil Nadu’s fight is for all states’ rights, citing the DMK’s landmark Supreme Court victory against Governor R.N. Ravi’s delay in approving Bills. “This historic ruling shows we act when the Centre fails,” he said.

Highlighting national awareness of Tamil Nadu’s struggle, Stalin dismissed Shah’s accusations of diversion, urging, “If our demands are distractions, why haven’t you addressed them clearly?” He underscored the state’s resolve to protect its interests, rooted in principles of federalism and justice championed by DMK’s legacy.

During the event, Stalin inaugurated over 6,700 completed projects worth ₹1,166 crore in Tiruvallur, laid foundations for 7,300 new initiatives, and distributed welfare benefits to 2.02 lakh residents.

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Priyanka Gandhi accompanies Robert Vadra to ED office for second day in Gurugram land probe

Robert Vadra, husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, appeared before the ED for the second day in the Gurugram land case.

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Robert Vadra Priyanka Gandhi

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accompanied her husband Robert Vadra to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office on Wednesday as he appeared for questioning for the second consecutive day in connection with the Gurugram land case.

Mr Vadra, the brother-in-law of Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, was seen exchanging a hug with Ms Gandhi before entering the ED office. He is under scrutiny in a money laundering probe linked to a 2008 land deal in Manesar-Shikohpur area, now known as Sector 83 of Gurugram.

Focus of the probe: land deal from Congress tenure in Haryana

The investigation stems from a land transaction executed by Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd, a company in which Mr Vadra was formerly a director. In February 2008, Skylight purchased 3.5 acres of land from Onkareshwar Properties for ₹7.5 crore. At that time, Haryana was governed by a Congress-led administration under then Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

In September 2012, four years after the acquisition, Skylight sold the same land to real estate developer DLF for ₹58 crore. The deal later drew public attention after senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka, who was then heading the Land Consolidation and Land Records department in Haryana, cancelled the land mutation, citing violations of the State Consolidation Act and procedural discrepancies.

Haryana Police registered an FIR to examine the deal in 2018, further intensifying the legal scrutiny.

ED questions Vadra under PMLA

On Tuesday, Mr Vadra was questioned for nearly five hours by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), during which his statement was recorded. The businessman has consistently maintained that the case is part of a political vendetta and emphasized that he has cooperated fully with all investigative agencies, submitting numerous documents over the years.

Calling for a closure to what he described as a decades-old matter, Mr Vadra said cases like these should not be allowed to drag on indefinitely.

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Congress slams PM Modi, Amit Shah after ED files chargesheet against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi

The ED’s chargesheet has accused the Congress leaders of money laundering under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

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The Congress on Tuesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah after the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) chargesheet against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and others in the National Herald case.

Labelling it a blatant act of vendetta politics, the grand old party also condemned the seizure of the newspaper’s assets as a “state-sponsored crime disguised as justice,” vowing to fight back against what it calls an attempt to silence its leadership.

In a fiery statement on X, Congress general secretary in charge of communication Jairam Ramesh accused PM Modi and Shah of orchestrating a campaign of intimidation. “Filing chargesheets against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and others is nothing but the politics of vendetta gone wild,” Ramesh posted. “Seizing National Herald’s assets is a mockery of the rule of law.”

Hitting out at Shah, the Congress leader accused him of going “completely berserk.” He asserted that the Indian National Congress and its leadership refuse to be silenced, stating: “Satyameva Jayate.”

The ED’s chargesheet has accused the Congress leaders of money laundering under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Alongside Sonia and Rahul, it names Congress figures Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda. Special Judge Vishal Gogne reviewed the document for cognisance, scheduling further proceedings for April 25, with the filing handled by ED’s special public prosecutor, N.K. Matta.

Ramesh asserted that the Congress remains undeterred, promising, “We will not be silenced, and the truth will triumph.” The chargesheet reignites a long-standing legal battle tied to the National Herald, a newspaper associated with the Congress since India’s independence era.

The Delhi Rouse Avenue Court has scheduled a hearing for arguments on the ongoing National Herald case for April 25, 2025.

During a recent session, the presiding judge stated, “The present prosecution complaint shall next be taken up for consideration on the aspect of cognisance before this court on April 25, 2025, when the special counsel for the ED and the investigating officer will ensure the production of case diaries for the court’s examination.”

The prosecution complaint, lodged under Sections 44 and 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) of 2002, pertains to allegations of money laundering, as outlined in Section 3, in conjunction with Section 70, and is punishable under Section 4 of the same act, as per the report.

This case has garnered significant attention, following a complaint filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy against Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul, their associated companies, and other individuals involved.

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