Congress

With the Cabinet approving a Bill to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the Congress on Saturday alleged Prime Minister Narendra Modi is doing this to claim credit and the move is "nothing but a cosmetic change to paper over the deliberate neglect being meted out to this scheme". The Union Cabinet on Friday approved a Bill to rename the MGNREGA and increase the number of work days, sources said. According to them, the scheme will now be renamed as 'Poojya Bapu Grameen Rozgar Yojna', and the number of work days under it would be increased from 100 days at present to 125 days. Congress general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal said the PM, who once called MGNREGA a "monument of failure", is now renaming it to claim credit for the revolutionary scheme. "It's yet another way of erasing Mahatma Gandhi from our national psyche, especially from the villages, where, he said, India's soul resides," he alleged. "This move is also nothing

The last rites of veteran Congress leader and former Union minister Shivraj Patil were performed with full state honours in his home district Latur in Maharashtra on Saturday, with many top leaders in attendance. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Union Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and Karnataka Minister Eshwar Khandre were among those present. A prominent member of the Lingayat community, Patil was buried in his farm at Varvanti village, six km from Latur, in a seated, meditative posture. This Lingayat ritual stems from their belief that the soul of the deceased immediately unites with Shiva and is not subject to the cycle of rebirth, thus making the cremation rites to release the soul from the body unnecessary. Birla laid a wreath on Patil's mortal remains. Maharashtra Congress President Harshwardhan Sapkal and Lok Sabha member from Latur, Shivaji Kolge were present. Before the last ...

The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group". Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC". In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, ...

In a post on X, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla cited the letter and said the Congress's internal tensions were "out in the open now"

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Patil was the union home minister from 2004 to 2008. He resigned from the position shortly after the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai began

The Congress on Friday termed as a "blatant lie" Home Minister Amit Shah's "vote chori" charge against Jawaharlal Nehru as he cited eminent historian-author Rajmohan Gandhi's comments that people were very happy with Nehru becoming the prime minister and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel himself was in favour of it. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared on X a video clip of Rajmohan Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, in which he clarifies that the Pradesh Congress Committee's had batted for Patel to be the Congress president in 1946 and there was no question of prime ministership at the time. "The eminent historian-author and ex-MP Rajmohan Gandhi exposes one blatant lie told by the Union Home Minister in the Lok Sabha," Ramesh said on X. Rajmohan's paternal grandfather was the Mahatma while his maternal grandfather was C. Rajagopalachari, Nehru pointed out and shared the over 13-minute clip of Rajmohan Gandhi. "Thousands of people who went in jail fo

After both Houses held a debate on 150 years of Vande Mataram, the Congress on Thursday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and "his entire brigade" have been thoroughly "bruised and exposed for their lies". Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh noted that the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha debated Vande Mataram for three days. The national anthem also figured in some speeches, he said in a post on X. "It is clear that the PM and his entire brigade have NOT read the two definitive and authoritative books on the national song and the national anthem - written by two of India's finest historians, in the true sense of that term," Ramesh said and shared the screenshot of the cover pages of Rudrangshu Mukherjee's 'Song of India: A Study of the National Anthem' and Sabyasachi Bhattacharya's Vande Materam. "It is too much to expect that they would do so even after being thoroughly bruised and exposed for their lies," the Congress leader said. Earlier, Ramesh

Parliament Winter Session HIGHLIGHTS: The discussion on electoral reforms continued, with speakers from the BJP-led NDA and its allies accusing the Opposition of double standards

Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday categorically stated that he would not accept an award named after VD Savarkar, nor attend a related event, even as a senior party colleague wanted the Congress MP to not accept any honour named after the ideologue whom he claimed "bowed before the British." Tharoor said that he will NOT accept the "Veer Savarkar Award" and also won't attend the event where it will be presented in the absence of clarifications about its nature or the organisation presenting it. Tharoor, the MP from Thiruvananthapuram, also said that "it was irresponsible on the part of the organisers to announce my name without my having agreed to receive it". Earlier in the day, Congress leader K Muraleedharan told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram that no party member, including Tharoor, should accept any award in the name of Veer Savarkar "as he had bowed before the British." Muraleedharan said that he does not believe that Tharoor will accept the award as doing so would insult and ...

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's upcoming Berlin visit has kicked off a fresh political storm, with the BJP slamming him for going abroad even as the Lok Sabha continues its crucial winter session.Calling him "Videsh Nayak", BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla mocked the Congress leader for choosing a foreign tour over his duties as Leader of Opposition.Gandhi is scheduled to attend a major Indian Overseas Congress event in Berlin on December 17, where he will meet IOC leaders from across Europe.In a post shared on X, Shehzad Poonawalla said, "Once again Videsh Nayak is doing what he does best ! Going for a foreign tour ! Parliament is on till 19th Dec but Reports suggest Rahul Gandhi to visit Germany from Dec 15-20! Rahul is LoP - leader of paryatan During Bihar elections too he was abroad & then in Jungle Safari," adding that Rahul Gandhi had similarly been away during the Bihar elections."During Bihar elections too he was abroad & then in Jungle Safari," Poonawalla's X post ...

The Congress leader said that there is institutional capture of the Election Commission that directly controls the election system of the country

Senior Punjab Congress leader and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Tuesday served a legal notice on suspended party leader Navjot Kaur Sidhu, asking her to apologise for making "defamatory" remarks against him or face legal action. In the notice, Randhawa, who is also the party's in-charge for Rajasthan, took an exception to Kaur's statements in the media levelling corruption charges against him. Navjot Kaur is the wife of former Punjab Congress president and ex-India cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu. On Monday, the Punjab Congress suspended Kaur from its primary membership for her Rs 500 crore for chief minister's chair remark that sparked a political row. In the legal notice served on Kaur, Randhawa's counsel said, On December 7 and 8, you made false, baseless, and defamatory statements against my client during your media interactions, which were widely broadcast and reported across electronic media, print media, and social platforms. Specifically, you alleged that my client

Congress MP Manish Tewari on Tuesday claimed that the Election Commission legally has no right to conduct the SIR and it must be stopped, as he asserted that many Opposition leaders as well as people now feel the need to raise questions over the poll body's neutrality. Initiating a discussion on Election Reforms in the Lok Sabha, Tewari said the first election reform should be to amend the law of 2023 on the selection of the chief election commissioner and election commissioners. He said the law stipulates that the panel be comprised of the prime minister, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha and a cabinet minister. "It is my suggestion that two members should be added to this panel -- the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and the Chief Justice of India. "If such a committee is formed then 'theek se khela hobega' and it will play an important role in removing the doubts over the Election Commission (EC)," Tewari said. The Congress leader said that BR Ambedkar ensured th

The Punjab Congress on Monday suspended Navjot Kaur Sidhu from its primary membership after her "Rs 500 crore for chief minister's chair" remark sparked a political row. Reacting to her suspension, Kaur launched an offensive against Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, alleging, "I refuse to stand with an insensitive and irresponsible, morally dishonest and corrupt president." She said on X, "I stand up for all my brothers and sisters who have been hurt by his incompetence and irresponsible behaviour. I refuse to accept him as the President. I wonder why CM is shielding him." In her post, Navjot Kaur accused Warring of splitting the Congress "into pieces" and ingratiating with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to evade arrest in numerous cases, and alleged his involvement in the SC/ST Act arrest case, bus body cases and the 2500-acre-land-grabbing case. "CM Bhagwant Mann, clarify why you are saving him?" she asked. "Raja Warring, what say??? You and your team was just

Former Union minister Prithviraj Chavan of the Congress on Monday said the growing monopoly in the aviation sector poses a "serious threat" to economy and affects passenger interest, and demanded crisis-hit IndiGo be split into two companies to ensure fair competition. Talking to reporters here, Chavan noted only two major players now dominate India's air travel -- IndiGo with 65 per cent market share and the Tata Group (Air India and AI Express) with nearly 30 per cent pie. "In 2004, India had 10 functional airlines, but today only two big companies are left. Nearly 40 crore passengers and just two airlines -- this situation will become more serious in the future," the former Maharashtra Chief Minister cautioned. Calling the current crisis at IndiGo, which has seen widespread flight disruptions over the last one week, "unfortunate and shocking", the Congress leader maintained the situation was a result of regulatory lapses and alleged collusion between the government and private .

Congress' deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Deepender Hooda and A Bimol Akoijam are likely to be among the party's speakers during the debate on the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram in Lok Sabha on Monday, party sources said. The party is also likely to field Praniti Shinde, Prashant Padole, Chamala Reddy and Jyotsana Mahant during the debate, they said on Saturday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will initiate the debate on the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram in the Lok Sabha on December 8 while Home Minister Amit Shah will begin the discussion in the Rajya Sabha on December 9. According to sources, Prime Minister Modi will initiate the debate on the national song at noon in the Lower House while Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and several other ministers will also participate in the day-long debate. The last speaker in the Lok Sabha debate will be someone from the ruling BJP, they said. A meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Modi on October

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who on Friday attended a banquet for Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, on Saturday described the atmosphere there as "warm" and "engaging", and said he enjoyed his conversations with many of the attendees. Tharoo's remarks came a day after President Droupadi Murmu hosted a banquet for the visiting Russian president at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here. Attended the @rashtrapatibhvn banquet for President Putin last night. A warm and engaging atmosphere reigned. Enjoyed my conversations with many of the attendees, especially my dining companions from the Russian delegation!" Tharoor said in a social media post. Murmu, while welcoming President Putin and his delegation at the banquet, had said that his visit marked an important milestone -- the 25th anniversary of the India-Russia strategic partnership, which was established in October 2000 during his first visit to the country as president. Murmu also appreciated Putin's supp

Taking a swipe at the government over the IndiGo flight disruptions, the Congress on Saturday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised ease of air travel but gave "cease of air travel" and asked whether Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu would take responsibility for the "unprecedented crisis". The opposition party claimed that the ongoing IndiGo chaos was not an accident but the direct outcome of the BJP government's "relentless push to manufacture a duopoly in the sector". With IndiGo flight disruptions impacting thousands of passengers, the Ministry of Civil Aviation on Saturday directed the airline to complete the ticket refund process for the cancelled flights by Sunday evening, as well as ensure that the baggage separated from the travellers is delivered in the next two days. A day after the country's largest airline, IndiGo, cancelled more than 1,000 flights and caused disruptions for the fifth day on Saturday, the ministry said that any delay or non-compliance

The Congress on Saturday paid tributes to B R Ambedkar on his 69th death anniversary, with Rahul Gandhi saying his timeless legacy of equality, justice and human dignity strengthens "my resolve to defend the Constitution". Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also paid homage to Ambedkar and said that today, more than ever, "we are called upon to uphold, preserve and defend the values he lived for and his greatest gift to the nation, the Constitution of India". Gandhi paid floral tributes at Ambedkar's statue at the Prerna Sthal on the Parliament House premises. "Ambedkar ji is an icon. He showed a path to the entire country, he gave us the Constitution. So, we remember him and protect his ideas and the Constitution," he told reporters after the event. Earlier in a post on X, Gandhi said, "Humble tributes to Babasaheb Ambedkar on his Mahaparinirvan Diwas. His timeless legacy of equality, justice and human dignity strengthens my resolve to defend the Constitution and inspires our .