麻豆影视

Skip to main content

Indian opposition lawmakers rally against Modi government

Share
NEW DELHI -

More than 100 Indian opposition lawmakers, including members of the Congress party, staged a protest march Thursday after the end of a parliamentary budget session that was marred by shouting and disruptions to proceedings amid a standoff with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

The demonstrators carried big national flags and chanted slogans warning that India's democracy is in danger, and accused Modi's administration of "misusing" government-run investigation agencies to intimidate opposition leaders.

They were blocked by police after walking a short distance from the Parliament building and forced to disperse. The opposition leaders from more than a dozen parties ended the protest with a news conference.

Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress party chief, criticized the disqualification of his party's leader, Rahul Gandhi, as a member of Parliament less than 24 hours after his conviction by a court in a defamation case.

Gandhi is expected to lead the opposition's challenge against Modi in the 2024 national elections. Gandhi challenged his conviction in an appeals court on Monday.

The court has suspended a two-year prison sentence for Gandhi following his appeal against a criminal conviction for mocking the prime minister's surname.

"The parliamentary budget session was a washout with the government getting the budget for 2023-24 approved within 12 minutes without a proper debate," said Kharge.

Law Minister Kiran Rijiju blamed the opposition for disrupting the parliamentary proceedings.

Meanwhile, Modi said his party would be voted to victory for a third straight five-year term "in next year's national elections given its popularity among people."

He told his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party workers celebrating the party's foundation day that Indian people backed the BJP for bringing in a new political culture, while opposition parties were mostly run by political families.

Gandhi said last month he was being targeted because he has raised serious questions about Modi's relationship with Gautam Adani, who heads the Adani Group.

Gandhi said the objective of his expulsion from Parliament was to prevent him from speaking in the legislature about his allegation of an infusion of an unaccounted $3 billion into shell companies owned by the Adani Group, headed by Gautam Adani.

India's top court recently ordered an expert committee to investigate any regulatory failures related to the Adani Group.

The investigation was prompted by allegations made by U.S. short-seller Hindenburg Research in a report that accused Adani companies of engaging in market manipulation and other fraudulent practices.

Shares in the group's flagship, Adani Enterprises, and other affiliated companies have lost tens of billions of dollars in market value since Hindenburg issued its report.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Why brain aging can vary dramatically between people

Researchers are uncovering deeper insights into how the human brain ages and what factors may be tied to healthier cognitive aging, including exercising, avoiding tobacco, speaking a second language or even playing a musical instrument.

The union representing some 1,200 dockworkers at the Port of Montreal has overwhelmingly rejected a deal with their employers association.

A man who was critically injured in a police-involved shooting in Hamilton late Sunday afternoon has died in hospital, says the province鈥檚 police watchdog.

opinion

opinion How to transition from renting to owning a home in Canada

In his column for CTVNews.ca, personal finance contributor Christopher Liew offers a step-by-step guide on how to make the shift from renting to becoming a homeowner, and what you can start doing today to help the process go smoother.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced voters in Cloverdale鈥擫angley City will pick their next member of Parliament on Dec. 16.

Local Spotlight

For the second year in a row, the 鈥楪ift-a-Family鈥 campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.

Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.

A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.

As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.

A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts 鈥 not for themselves, but for those in need.

A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.

Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.

A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.