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Mallikarjun Kharge
Opposition members of the Rajya Sabha on Monday staged a walkout from the House while raising the issue of LoP Mallikarjun Kharge not being allowed to speak. Congress member Kharge rose during Question Hour to say that the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to speak on the Motion of Thanks. Chairman C P Radhakrishnan, however, did not allow him to raise the issue relating to the Lok Sabha and said "nothing that he says will go on record". Earlier, Kharge raised the issue of Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal making a statement last week on the India-US trade deal, outside the House when Parliament was in session. As the Chairman did not allow Kharge to speak, members of the entire Opposition were on their feet, raising their protest. As the Chairman proceeded with the Question Hour, Opposition members continued with their protest and later staged a walkout from the House.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday questioned the manner in which the Indo-US trade deal was announced at a time Parliament was in session, and asked whether India had compromised in any manner under US "pressure". He also asked whether India has agreed to zero tariffs on American imports, as claimed by US President Donald Trump. In a post on X, he also asked whether the country's farmers were secure and whether India has opened the agriculture sector for the US agriculture market. He said India and the United States enjoy a comprehensive global strategic partnership driven by shared values since several years now. "The Indo-US Nuclear Deal signed under former PM, Dr Manmohan Singh was a prime example of our commitment to mutual progress. The Congress-UPA government was transparent in its approach in regularly taking Parliament into confidence while inking the various agreements of the landmark deal. "Contrast this with the present scenario, where the nation does n
Amid reports that he was upset with his party, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday met party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, and said "all is good" and he is on the "same page" with the leadership. The meeting in Kharge's chamber in Parliament House complex lasted for over an hour. Sources said Congress general secretary K C Venugopal also joined the meeting. "We had a discussion with my two party leaders, the LoP and the Congress president. We had a very good, constructive, positive discussion," Tharoor said. "All is good and we are moving together on the same page, what more can I say," he told reporters in Parliament premises after the meeting. Asked if the issue of chief ministerial face for Kerala polls was discussed, Tharoor said that was never the issue. "I am not interested in being the candidate for anything. At the moment I am already an MP, I have the trust of my voters from Thiruvananthapuram. I have their interest to look after in Parliame
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said that in recent times, institutions like the Election Commission have faced sustained pressure and therefore it is "our responsibility" to protect their independence so that democracy does not merely survive, but truly thrives. He said snatching the "Right to Vote" through "vote chori" and unplanned SIR tarnishes India's long-cherished democracy. In a post on X on National Voters' Day, Kharge said this day is a powerful reminder that a nation's future belongs to its people, and that our collective voice can shape our shared destiny. "The people of India deserve a free, fair and fearless elections, where clean electoral rolls and level-playing field is the primary requisite," the Congress chief said. Snatching the "Right to Vote" through Vote Chori and unplanned Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls tarnishes India's long-cherished democracy, Kharge said. "In recent times, our institutions like the Election Commissio
A nationwide campaign was needed against the repeal of the rural employment scheme MGNREGA, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Saturday, pointing to the three farm laws that the government was eventually forced to repeal following strong opposition against it. Speaking at the Congress Working Committee meeting here, Kharge also said that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was a "well-planned conspiracy" to limit democratic rights. He said the meeting was being held at a time when the democracy, Constitution and citizen's rights were under serious threat. He said the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) was a visionary legislation of the UPA government, which was appreciated across the world. The scheme was named after Mahatma Gandhi due to the impact it had, Kharge said. "The Modi government has, without any study, evaluation or consultation with states and political parties, repealed the law. This is just as they did with
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday sought an apology from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for their party workers' alleged threat to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's life. At a hurriedly called press conference here, Rijiju alleged that at Sunday's Congress rally in the national capital, some party workers had threatened to dig the grave of the Prime Minister, which was the "most unfortunate and tragic" thing to happen in Indian democracy. "Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi should tender an apology for the Congress workers' threat to the life of the Prime Minister. They should tender the apology on the floor of both Houses of Parliament. It is most unfortunate and tragic that Congress workers openly declared to dig the grave of Prime Minister Modi," he said. The parliamentary affairs minister said the workers and leaders of the Congress and the BJP are political rivals, not enemies. "
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday accused the Modi government of weakening the Constitution whose foundation is social justice and said its policies have reversed previous Congress governments' initiatives on education and jobs for Dalits. Addressing the Congress party's first meeting of its Scheduled Castes (SC) Advisory Committee, he said the BJP government has weakened reservations, does not promote equality, instead justifies discrimination. "We will not allow Baba Saheb (Ambedkar)'s Constitution to be weakened at any cost," Kharge said. He said the Congress, even before Independence, pledged to mitigate the discrimination prevalent in society and recognised that the state's role in eradicating it. It was with this thinking that two major laws were enacted: the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955, which made untouchability and all its forms punishable offences, and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, Kharge said. The government of Rajiv Gandhi enac
The Congress on Tuesday attacked the Modi government over the filing of a fresh FIR in the National Herald case and said it is confident that the judiciary will see through this "political vendetta and mindless attempts to hound". Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said 12 years on, and suddenly, there is a new FIR in the old case on the Gandhi family targeting the Congress party. "Simply because the Modi government and the ED have exhausted their supply of fresh smears. When facts ran thin, theatrics stepped in: selective prosecutions, recycled allegations, and a thinly veiled attempt to keep opponents in the dock," Kharge said on X. "We are confident that the Judiciary will see through this political vendetta and mindless attempts to hound!" he said. The Congress had on Monday also slammed the Centre over the FIR, describing the move as "harassment" by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and a tactic by the Modi government to divert public attention from real issues. Speaking to
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said he will call for a meeting of senior leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar in New Delhi to discuss the raging leadership issue in Karnataka. He said the leaders will discuss on the way forward and settle the issue, and there by put an end to the "confusion" that is there. The power tussle within the ruling party has intensified, amid speculations about chief minister change in the state after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, in the backdrop of an alleged "power-sharing" agreement involving Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar in 2023. "After going to Delhi, I will call three-four important leaders and discuss. After the discussion, we will say how to go ahead; there by put an end to the confusion," Kharge told reporters here. Asked of the CM and his deputy will be called to Delhi, he said, "we should certainly call them and discuss.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said Justice Surya Kant's elevation to the post of Chief Justice of India comes at a critical juncture for the justice system, and expressed confidence that under his leadership, constitutional values, and public trust in the rule of law will be further reinforced. Justice Kant, who has been part of several landmark verdicts, including on abrogation of Article 370 removing Jammu and Kashmir's special status, took oath as the 53rd Chief Justice of India on Monday. He succeeded Justice B R Gavai. "Extending my warm wishes to Justice Surya Kant on taking oath as the 53rd Chief Justice of India. His elevation marks the beginning of a 14-month tenure at a critical juncture for our justice system," Kharge said on X. "I am confident that under his leadership, Constitutional values, institutional strength, and public trust in the rule of law will be further reinforced, advancing the promise of justice for every citizen," the Congress chief ...
A day after facing a severe drubbing in Bihar, the Congress on Saturday questioned the role of the Election Commission in the poll process while its top leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, went into a huddle to discuss the poll outcome. Kharge and Gandhi were joined by AICC general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal, party treasurer Ajay Maken and AICC Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru, sources said. According to the sources, the leaders met to discuss the Congress' poor performance in Bihar, where the party won only six of the 61 seats it contested, its second-worst show in the state after 2010, when it won only four seats. Gandhi did not speak to the media persons after the meeting, as the leaders of the Mahagathbandhan, of which the Congress is a part, remained in a state of disbelief after the NDA swept the polls. Asked about the Bihar poll outcome and the party's poor performance, Venugopal sought to put the entire blame on the Election ...
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday rubbished Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah's predictions of the NDA's victory in the Bihar assembly polls, pointing out that their 400 plus claim in the Lok Sabha elections was way off the mark. He spoke to PTI Video in Gaya, where he insisted that "all was not well" in the BJP-led coalition, as there were doubts that Nitish Kumar, the JD(U) president and longest-serving chief minister, would be backed for another term in office. "The Prime Minister can say anything. Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, they kept saying 400 paar," said Kharge, pointing to the performance of the BJP in last year's general elections, when it fell short of a majority and became dependent on allies like JD(U) and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu's TDP for survival in power. When his attention was drawn to the fact that Shah, the most trusted aide of Modi and the BJP's principal strategist, has been claiming that the
Hectic campaigning in poll-bound Bihar is set to continue on Monday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge scheduled to address a host of public rallies across the state. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will also address two poll rallies at Sonbarsa and Lakhisarai, and hold a roadshow at Rosera. While the PM will address public rallies in Saharsa and in Katihar districts, Kharge will address a public rally in Vaishali. Shah will take part in rallies in Sheohar, Sitamarhi and Madhubani during the day. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is also scheduled to address four public rallies in Patna, Saran and Muzaffarpur on Monday. Modi led a mega roadshow in Patna on Sunday evening, besides addressing back-to-back rallies in Bhojpur and Nawada districts. The Bihar assembly polls will be held in two phases on November 6 and November 11, while the counting of votes will take place on November 1
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Kanhaiya Kumar and Independent MP Pappu Yadav are among the party's 40 star campaigners for the first phase of the Bihar assembly polls. AICC in-charge of Bihar Krishna Allavaru, Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Ram, Congress general secretaries K C Venugopal, Bhupesh Baghel, Sachin Pilot, Randeep Surjewala and Syed Naseer Hussain, as well as senior leaders Ashok Gehlot, Tariq Anwar, Gaurav Gogoi, Mohammad Jawed and Akhilesh Prasad Singh, are also on the list. The Bihar polls will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, and results will be announced on November 14. The opposition INDIA bloc, which has RJD, Congress and Left parties as the main constituents, on Thursday declared RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav its chief ministerial candidate for the Bihar polls. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, senior leaders Digvijaya Singh, Adhir Ranjan Choudhary, Meira Kumar
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday accused the Modi government of "systematically corroding" the Right to Information (RTI) Act and "hollowing out" democracy and citizens' rights. In a post on X, Kharge said that 20 years ago, the Congress-led UPA Government, under the leadership of the then prime minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi, ushered in a new era of transparency and accountability by implementing the Right to Information (RTI) Act 2005. "In the last 11 years, the Modi Government has systematically corroded the RTI Act, thereby hollowing out Democracy and citizens' rights," he said in his post. The Congress chief claimed that in 2019, the Modi government "hacked away" at the RTI Act, seizing control over Information Commissioners' tenure and pay, "converting independent watchdogs into servile functionaries." "The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, gutted the RTI's public interest clause, weaponising privacy to shield corruption and stonewall ...
The Congress on Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of taking "sole ownership" of the amendments made to the GST regime and said the current reforms were inadequate, with no resolution to the states' demand for an extension of compensation for another five years. The opposition party slammed the reforms as "applying band-aid after inflicting deep wounds" and said the government should apologise to the public for its GST on essential items. A day before reduced GST rates come into effect, Modi made a strong pitch for promoting 'swadeshi' goods and asserted that the next generation GST reforms would accelerate India's growth story, increase ease of doing business, and attract more investors. In his address to the nation, Modi said a 'GST bachat utsav (savings festival)' will begin from the first day of Navratri, and coupled with the income tax exemption, it will be a "double bonanza" for most people. Reacting to his address, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge took a swipe