'70-yr-old Habit, Can't Go Away': PM Modi's Fresh Caution Amid Post Poll Results War | Updates

Tensions have been brewing in I.N.D.I.A bloc after Congress’ dismal performance in the just-concluded assembly elections. While West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee indicated she might not be able to attend the next meeting of the alliance on Wednesday, key aides of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar made a push for a “credible face” like the JD(U) supremo for leading the coalition.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav too will skip the meeting. When asked if the decision was taken after the declaration of assembly poll results in four states, party spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said there was no information about the meeting earlier.

Ahead of Parliament’s Winter Session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi too urged the opposition not to vent its frustration of the assembly polls defeat inside the House and move forward leaving behind its “negativity” of last nine years.

“If I speak on basis of the assembly poll results, this is a golden opportunity for opposition. Instead of making plans for venting frustration over defeat, they should learn from this defeat, leaving behind the habit of negativity of the last nine years, if they move forward with positivity this session, the country will change its views towards them,” he had said.

Latest Updates from Parliament:

• Amid escalating war between Congress and BJP after former’s embarrassing defeat in state elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday cautioned Indians against Opposition’s “divisive agenda”. “An old habit of 70 years can’t go away so easily,” he said.

• Union minister Kiren Rijiju also reacted, saying, “After the losses in MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, Congress party is once again spreading the dangerous north-south divide. This divisive politics helped Congress remain in power for five decades. Now, people can see their noxious design and Rahul Gandhi’s innate hatred for Modi ji.

• The government has listed 19 bills and two financial agenda items for the Winter Session of Parliament.

• TMC leaders have demanded a discussion in the Lok Sabha on the Ethics Committee report, before any decision is taken to expel Mahua Moitra from the House over a “cash-for-query” complaint. The matter was listed for tabling in the House on Monday, the first day of the session.

• Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) member N K Premachandran and AIADMK member M Thambi Durai opposed the “imposition” of Hindi by naming criminal laws Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Sakshya (BS) and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which are set to replace the Indian Penal Code, the Indian Evidence Act and the Code of Criminal Procedure respectively.

• Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Mahua Maji demanded that smaller parties be given more time to raise issues in the House. “Smaller parties barely get three minutes to speak in Parliament. We need more time to put across our views effectively,” the Rajya Sabha member said.