Jairam Ramesh

The Congress on Wednesday said Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' reported letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagging the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity's bias in favour of private power companies was full of "hypocrisy" and that he should also question decisions that have benefited the Adani group. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the Maharashtra chief minister has apparently protested to the prime minister that the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) is heavily biased in favour of private power companies. "The major recipient of APTEL's favours in Maharashtra in 2025 and 2026 has been the Modani conglomerate. At least 4 cases have been decided in its favour," Ramesh said on X, referring to the Adani group. The Congress uses the term 'Modani' to allege collusion between the conglomerate and the Modi government. Ramesh alleged that the Maharashtra government has itself bent over backwards to favour 'Modani' not only i

Attacking the Modi government over the Great Nicobar project, the Congress on Friday said there seems to be no end to the march of "grave ecological folly" there and asserted that genuine local and national interest demands that the venture not be taken forward. Congress general secretary and former environment minister Jairam Ramesh said the public battle for saving Great Nicobar continues even though the Modi government is now 'planting' new reasons for going ahead with it. "There seems to be no end to the march of grave ecological folly in Great Nicobar," Ramesh said on X. First, there is the Great Nicobar Island Development Project -- transshipment port, airport, and vast tourism complexes -- that is being "bulldozed" through with environmental and forest clearances having been given in clear violation of all rules, procedures, and guidelines, he said. The Calcutta High Court is hearing five separate challenges to this disaster of a project but the Modi government is supremely

Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana plan to move the Supreme Court within 10 days, while Congress also seeks to bring Jharkhand on board for the legal challenge

Jairam Ramesh says the 1991 reforms transformed India's economy, but reviving private investment is now the country's biggest economic policy challenge

With US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer visiting India, the Congress on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi must stop appeasing his "good friend" President Donald Trump and there is absolutely no need for India to be "bamboozled" into signing any trade pact which at present is heavily against its interests. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the Modi government must seek inspiration from Malaysia which has rebuffed its own trade deal with America following the US Supreme Court's verdict. "The US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is in New Delhi today and tomorrow. On the request of PM Modi, while he was under pressure from Rahul Gandhi's expose in Parliament of his cowardice in front of China, an India-US Joint statement on trade was issued on February 6, 2026," Ramesh said on X. "The US promised to reduce tariffs on Indian exports from 25% to 18%. India promised to eliminate its tariffs or reduce them deeply on US agricultural commodities and industrial ...

The Congress on Thursday came down heavily on the government after the US and Iran signed a peace deal, saying the pact being called the 'Islamabad MoU' shows the new-found regional standing and global influence of Pakistan which is a "severe setback" to both the substance and style of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign policy. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh noted that the 14-point Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the USA and Iran has now been officially released. "The fact that it is called the Islamabad MOU shows the new-found regional standing and global influence of Pakistan, a country that had once been isolated on the global stage by Dr. Manmohan Singh following the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008," Ramesh said on X. "This is a severe setback to both the substance and style of Prime Minister Modi's foreign policy. Pakistan is now even more deeply embedded in the geopolitical and security architecture of West Asia which has grave and great ...

The Congress on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he may have passed a "self-proclaimed and dubiously invented" milestone but he is a "millstone" around India's neck, presiding over the "murder of democracy". The opposition party's attack came as Modi became India's longest continuously serving elected prime minister. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said Jawaharlal Nehru became prime minister of India on August 15, 1947 presiding over a stellar Cabinet - the likes of which have rarely been seen in the world. Over the next five years, modern India came into being, he said on X. "Over 560 princely states were integrated peacefully into the Indian Union, the Constitution of India was debated and adopted, zamindari was abolished, reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were put in place, a number of multipurpose irrigation-cum-power projects were launched, the infrastructure for science and technology capability was established ..

The Congress on Wednesday targeted the Modi government over its approach towards Beijing and accused it of pursuing a "4C policy of continued, calibrated capitulation to China". Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh also raised the issue of the Great Nicobar project to attack the government. In a post on X, Ramesh claimed, "The Modi Govt has now launched a propaganda campaign through its ecosystem to portray all those concerned about the ecological havoc that will be caused by the Great Nicobar Island Project as being 'soft on China'". "This is the height of hypocrisy, coming as it does from a government that practices the 4C policy - Continuing, Calibrated Capitulation to China," he said in his post. The Congress leader said it was the prime minister who gave an "inexplicable clean chit" to China on June 19, 2020, in a "brazen insult" to the 20 jawans martyred earlier in Ladakh. "It is the Modi Government that has, in negotiations with China, given up

The Congress on Tuesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen to delay the implementation of women's reservations in legislatures by linking it to delimitation and recalled then Congress president Rahul Gandhi's letter to him in 2018 demanding the immediate implementation of women's quota. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said Rahul Gandhi, as Congress President, had written to the Prime Minister on July 16, 2018, demanding the immediate implementation of women's reservation. "Eight years later, the Prime Minister - keen to delay the implementation of reservations by linking it to delimitation - is still to act on this demand," Ramesh said. He also shared Gandhi's letter to the PM from 2018, in which he had requested support to ensure the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in the then upcoming monsoon session of Parliament. "As you are aware, the Women's Reservation Bill, passed by the Rajya Sabha on the 9th of March, 2010, has been

The Congress on Monday took a swipe at the Modi government over Pakistan's role in the US-Iran peace talks, saying Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir becoming a "huge favourite" of American President Donald Trump is a "monumental setback" for India which needs a complete overhaul of its diplomatic engagement strategy. The opposition party claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "simply incapable" of the overhaul of India's diplomatic engagement strategy that is needed. In a post on X, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "The 'dalal' country, as the erudite and always nattily dressed External Affairs Minister described it, is reportedly hosting the second round of US-Iran peace talks today." After the completion of the first round of these talks on April 12th, Pakistan borrowed USD 6 billion from Saudi Arabia and Qatar to repay a USD 3.5 billion loan taken from the UAE and to retire a USD 1.43 billion tranche of Eurobonds, he pointed

The Congress on Thursday said the true intent of the bills being brought by the government in the garb of implementing women's quota law is mischievous and they have to be rejected completely in their present shape and form. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the three bills are being taken up in Lok Sabha and the packaging and marketing is women's reservation but the fundamentals have to do with delimitation. "Many concerns have been raised from across the country regarding the delimitation proposals that privilege a few populous states where the BJP is strong now. The relative strength of a number of states in the Lok Sabha will actually decline," Ramesh said on X. The way delimitation has actually been done in Assam and Jammu and Kashmir shows how "diabolically the Modi-Shah duo work" he said. "The true intent of these Bills is mischievous, their content devious, and their damage enormous. They have to be rejected completely in their present .

The Congress on Tuesday lashed out at the government for not having shared with MPs the Constitution amendment bill or bills that would be brought in the special sitting of Parliament this week, saying this makes a "complete mockery of democracy" and reveals the "bulldozer mentality" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the "special session" of Parliament will begin on April 16, when the election campaign in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal will be at its peak. The Modi government has rejected the Opposition's perfectly reasonable and legitimate requests to convene an all-Party meeting after the elections are completed, fifteen days from today, he said in X. "Till this morning, the Modi government has NOT shared with MPs the Constitution Amendment Bill(s) they are supposed to be debating and voting upon," Ramesh said. "This makes a complete mockery of democracy and reveals the bulldozer mentality of the PM - who once clai

Taking a swipe at the government, the Congress on Wednesday said the role played by Pakistan in bringing about the ceasefire between the US and Iran is a "severe setback" to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "highly personalised diplomacy" and "the self-styled Vishwaguru stands thoroughly exposed". The opposition party also said Prime Minister Modi's "cowardice is demonstrated by his silence not only on Israel's belligerence, but on the completely unacceptable and disgraceful language being used by his good friend in the White House". Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the entire world will cautiously welcome the two-week ceasefire in the West Asia conflict between the US and Israel on the one side and Iran on the other. "The conflict had begun on February 28th with the targeted assassinations of the topmost echelons of the regime in Iran. These had started just two days after Prime Minister Modi had completed his much-trumpeted visit to Israel, a ..

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday cast doubt on the government's claims that the Great Nicobar infrastructure project would not displace any local tribes, questioning the need for a draft "Comprehensive Tribal Welfare Plan" if tribal communities were indeed unaffected. Citing a report, he said the Andaman and Nicobar administration has prepared a draft plan to "relocate" Nicobarese families affected by the project. "The bulldozer moves on unmindful of the concerns of the local communities," he said on X. "But there is a fundamental contradiction here: the Modi Government claims that the Great Nicobar Infra project will not disturb or displace tribes -- then why a relocation plan? Clearly, the claim is a lie," Ramesh said in the post, while also sharing a news article on the report. The report claims that a draft plan outlining the "relocation" of Nicobarese tribal communities affected by the Union government's Great Nicobar Island (GNI) mega-infrastructure project "to their

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday demanded the government should clarify in the Rajya Sabha whether the House would be adjourned to a later date or sine die, amid what he called unhealthy media speculation. Rising after papers were laid in the Upper House, Ramesh sought an explanation from Leader of the House J P Nadda and the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs. "Today, is the House going to be adjourned till a later date or is it going to be adjourned sine die? This uncertainty and media speculation is not healthy to the functioning of our democracy," Ramesh said. He further questioned the secrecy surrounding the House's schedule. "Please, I would seek clarification. What is the intention? To adjourn this today, meet again tomorrow or meet at a later date or adjourn sine die? Why so much secrecy on the fate of the Rajya Sabha? Forget the Lok Sabha, at least in the Rajya Sabha, let us have some clarity," he said. Responding to Ramesh's query, Nadda said, "Sir, the .

The Congress on Wednesday claimed that the Modi government is proposing to "bulldoze" a bill to increase the size of the Lok Sabha by 50 per cent with the number of seats allocated to each state also to be increased by 50 per cent, and said such a move would "disadvantage" smaller states in the South, Northeast and West. There was no official word on the Opposition party's claims. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has already raised an alarm over the issue and others may very well follow as this proposal becomes officially public. "The Modi government is proposing to bulldoze a Bill to increase the size of the Lok Sabha by 50%. The number of seats allocated to each state is also proposed to be increased by 50%," Ramesh claimed on X. The argument that a 50 per cent increase in seats across-the-board is equitable is deceptive, he said. Proportions may not change for the present but there are deeper ...

Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress on Wednesday said the "U-turn Ustad" now wants to implement the women's reservation law without completing the delimitation and census operations. It said the prime minister has let it be known that a "special two-day session" will be convened in the next fortnight to pass the amendments necessary to implement the law. The opposition party alleged that this was a "weapon of mass diversion" to change the narrative from "foreign policy failures and setbacks and from the LPG and energy crisis facing the country". Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said the Modi government is also planning to increase the size of the Lok Sabha and the Vidhan Sabhas by 50 per cent, which also needs careful deliberation. In September 2023, the new Parliament House was inaugurated with the passage of the women's reservation bill -- or Nari Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 -- that amended the Constitution to provide for

Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress on Monday asked why the "self-styled Vishwaguru" is not advancing the BRICS+ Summit that India is set to host this year to put together a diplomatic initiative to deal with the crisis in West Asia. The opposition party also claimed that Modi does not want to "antagonise" US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, pointed out that the 18th annual BRICS+ Summit will take place in New Delhi under India's Presidency later this year, with Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the UAE as members. "Why is the self-styled Vishwaguru not advancing the Summit to put together a diplomatic initiative to deal with the crisis in West Asia and its impacts? Clearly, he does not want to antagonise President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu," Ramesh said on X. "Mr Modi has reported

The Congress on Monday lashed out at the government for not releasing a collective statement on the West Asia conflict as the BRICS+ chair, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "diminishing" the standing of the grouping's presidency in his desire to "appease" US President Donald Trump and maintain his "cozy relationship" with Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh recalled that Brazil was the President of BRICS+ in 2025 and it got the 11 member countries to issue a joint statement in June 2025 on the US and Israel air assaults on Iran. "India is boasting of being the President of BRICS+ in 2026. But till now it has not summoned up the inclination or the courage to put out a collective statement on the US-Israel air offensives on and targeted assassinations in Iran, as well as on Iran's subsequent attacks on non-military targets in the GCC countries, and the shocking action of the US Navy in the Indian Ocean close to bot

Expressing concern over rising pollution levels, the Congress on Sunday demanded an urgent review and upgradation of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, 2009, and asserted that they must be enforced as well as monitored more effectively everywhere. Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "PM 56-inch has been exposed, PM 2.5 is for real." Ramesh also said the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) itself needs a laser-like focus on PM2.5. "PM2.5 that is, particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers or lower measured in micrograms per cubic meter of air as emerged as the cause for a severe environment-public health crisis across the country," the former environment minister said on X. A study published in The Lancet Planetary Health in December 2024, based on data from 655 districts over 2009-2019, found that every 10 microgram per cubic metre increase in PM2.5 concentration leads