Congress

No alliance in Delhi: Kejriwal rules out AAP tie-up with Congress

AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday ruled out the possibility of an alliance between his party and the Congress for the Delhi Assembly elections, setting the stage for a triangular contest in the polls due in February. This comes a day after Delhi Congress president Devendra Yadav said the party would go it alone in the assembly elections. "There will be no alliance in Delhi," Kejriwal said at a press conference here. AAP and Congress are part of the opposition INDIA bloc and fought the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi together earlier this year. Both parties drew a blank, with the BJP winning all seven seats. Over a week ago, AAP released its first list of 11 candidates, including six leaders who switched from BJP and Congress recently, for the Delhi polls. Reacting to Kejriwal's announcement, Yadav said the Congress is "very clear" that it will not have any alliance with AAP and will contest all the 70 assembly seats in Delhi on its own. The alliance with AAP did "great harm" to

Ready to ban beef in Assam if Congress writes to me: CM Himanta Sarma

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he was ready to ban beef in Assam if state Congress chief Bupen Kumar Borah writes to him, seeking such it. Responding to the allegation that BJP distributed beef to win the Muslim-dominated Samaguri, which was under Congress control for five consecutive terms, Sarma said he was happy that the opposition party raised the matter. "Samaguri was with Congress for 25 years. Congress losing a constituency like Samaguri by 27,000 votes (sic) is the biggest shame in its history. It is Congress's defeat more than BJP's win," he told reporters after a party meeting here on Saturday. BJP's Diplu Ranjan Sarmah defeated Congress' Tanzil, son of party MP Rakibul Hussain, by 24,501 votes in a bypoll last month. "But amidst sadness, Rakibul Hussain said one good thing that eating beef is wrong, isn't it? He said that it was wrong for Congress-BJP to win elections by offering beef to voters," the CM said when asked about the MP's reported comment. "I want t

Indian Railways providing clean, hygienic bedrolls: NFR on Cong MP's remark

Recently Congress MP Kuldeep Indora raised the question of whether there is a lack of cleanliness of bedding provided by the railways to its passengers

Ask your CMs, leaders to resign: BJP hits back at Cong over EVM allegations

The BJP on Saturday hit back at the Congress for questioning the electoral process, including EVM's integrity, saying its chief ministers and other elected representatives like Rahul Gandhi should first resign and announce that they will contest only after ballot papers are brought back. Such a stand will underscore their trust in the issues being raised by them, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia told reporters, adding that their allegations will otherwise be nothing but empty words. The Congress should move the courts over the issue too, he said, while stressing that the Supreme Court has quite a few times endorsed the transparency of the electoral process and the integrity of Electoral Voting Machines. Congress chief ministers, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should resign as they were elected through the same electoral process the opposition party is questioning, Bhatia said. It was ironic that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge questioned EVMs on a day Priyanka Gandhi Va

Congress slams govt over 're-exploration' of J&K lithium reserves

The Congress on Saturday took a swipe at the Centre over the Geological Survey of India reportedly asked to conduct a re-exploration of the lithium reserves discovered in Jammu and Kashmir, saying this is typical of the way the "headline-obsessed" Modi government functions. Congress general secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh said it was a case of premature celebration. "Aap yeh chronology samajhiye: On February 13, 2023 the Modi government announced 'in typically grand fashion' the discovery of what it called one of the world's largest known lithium reserves in J&K. In November 2023, first auctions were conducted. The minimum requirement of three bids was not met and the auction was cancelled," Ramesh said in a post on X. In March 2024, a second round of auctions was announced but in July 2024 it was revealed this had not attracted even a single bid, he pointed out. In October 2024, the Geological Survey of India was directed to conduct a re-exploration of what had ..

We must pressure Kerala govt to help Wayanad landslides victims: Rahul

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who accompanied his sister and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi to Kerala after her maiden electoral victory, on Saturday urged the party and UDF to pressure the state government to help the Wayanad landslides victims. Rahul, at a joint public meeting along with his sister at Mukkam here, began his speech by paying tribute to the victims of the landslides and said his party and the UDF are standing with the people who lost family members, property and suffered in the tragedy. "Unfortunately, we are not in government and therefore, we cannot do what a government can do. So, I told my sister and (AICC general secretary) K C Venugopal that every member of the Congress and the UDF should put pressure on the government of Kerala to help the victims of the landslides," he said. Rahul also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of discriminating against the people of Wayanad, alleging that he was not willing to provide them the support which the

Cong leader urges PM to visit Odisha's Kandhamal where 3 tribal women died

Former Union minister and senior Congress leader Srikant Jena urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Manipanka village in Kandhamala district where three tribal women died after consuming mango kernel gruel allegedly do to scarcity of food grain. The PM is on a three-day visit of Odisha from Friday, during which he will attend the All India DGP/IGP Conference. Jena had earlier led a Congress fact-finding team to Mandipanka village in Kandhamal district where the three tribal women died. He alleged that the people consumed mango kernel gruel for lack of foodgrains. "I humbly request you to dedicate one day to visiting Mandipanka village to witness first hand the harsh realities of how tribal people are living in complete neglect. This visit would highlight their struggles and underscore the urgent need for immediate action to address these issues," Jena said in a letter to the Prime Minister on Friday. The Congress leader said that after visiting the affected village, a delegat

Ready to start working for better future of Wayanad: Priyanka Gandhi

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who arrived in Kerala for a two day visit following her huge maiden electoral win from the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, on Saturday said she was "ready to start working" to ensure a better future for the people of the hill constituency. Priyanka said she was happy to come back to Wayanad and will do whatever she can to help the people there. "I am happy to be back here and I am ready to start working and do whatever I can to help the people of Wayanad have a better future," she told reporters outside the Karipur airport here. This is her first visit as MP of the Wayanad LS constituency. She will be holding a joint public meeting with her brother and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi at Mukkam in Thiruvambadi assembly constituency in Kozhikode district in the afternoon, according to her itinerary released by the Congress party. Subsequently, receptions will be held for her at Karulai in Nilambur, Wandoor, and Edavanna in Eranad, the party

How can govt be part of probe into itself: Cong's dig at MEA on Adani issue

The Congress on Saturday took a swipe over the Ministry of External Affairs' statement that the Indian government is not part of the US probe into Adani Group in any manner, asking how can this government be part of a probe into itself. In the first official reaction after the industrialist was charged with alleged fraud by prosecutors in the United States, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India is yet to receive any communication for cooperation in the case. The Indian government is not part of the matter in any manner at this point of time, he said. Tagging a media report on the remarks, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "The MEA spokesperson says that the Indian Government is not part of the US probe into the Adani Group. He has simply stated the obvious. How can this Government be part of a probe into itself?" The MEA has said the indictment of Indian billionaire Gautam Adani by the US prosecutors is a ..

Economic potential eroding rapidly while PM Modi generates hype, says Cong

The Congress on Saturday attacked the government over India's economic growth slowing to near two-year low, saying the country's medium and long-term economic potential is "eroding rapidly" and asked how long will the grim reality of stagnant wages for crores of workers continue to be ignored. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the GDP growth figures released last evening for July-September 2024 are much worse than anticipated, with India recording a measly 5.4% growth and consumption similarly growing by an unimpressive 6%. "The non-biological PM and his cheerleaders are wilfully blind to the causes of this sharp slowdown, but a new report on 'Labour Dynamics of Indian States' released by a leading Mumbai-based financial information services company, India Ratings and Research, on the 26th of November 2024 reveals its real cause: stagnant wages," Ramesh said in a statement. The Congress leader pointed out that the report uses Periodic Labour Forc

Priyanka Gandhi to make maiden visit as MP to Wayanad today with Rahul

Priyanka will be accompanied by her brother and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi during her maiden visit as MP

Highlights: BCAS imposes fine of Rs 5 lakh on IndiGo over violations of aviation security protocols

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Parliament highlights: Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha adjourned amid protests by Opposition MPs

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Statements against own party leaders harms Cong a lot: Kharge at CWC meet

With the Congress smarting from defeats in Maharashtra and Haryana Assembly polls, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday asserted that "tough decisions" will have to be taken, accountability be fixed and shortcomings removed by learning lessons from the election results. In his address during the Congress Working Committee meeting at the AICC headquarters here, Kharge said he believes that the EVMs have made the electoral process "suspect" and stressed that it is the constitutional responsibility of the Election Commission to ensure free and fair elections in the country. Kharge also hit out at internal bickering in the party, and asserting that the lack of unity and statements against own party leaders harms the party a lot. "Unless we fight elections unitedly and stop making statements against each other, how will we be able to defeat our opponents politically?" the Congress president said. "Therefore, it is important that we strictly follow discipline. We have to remain unite

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah meets PM Modi, seeks clearances for two projects

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting rectification in short term farm loan limit, Rs 10,000 cr in financial support and urgent clearances for the Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir and Kalasa Bandhuri projects. In the meeting in Parliament complex, Siddarmaiah pressed for several key interventions focusing on critical areas, including agriculture, water resources and urban infrastructure. Deputy Chief Minister and Irrigation Minister D K Shivakumar, Energy Minister K J George and Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh accompanied the CM for the meeting. The chief minister highlighted that NABARD has drastically cut the Short Term Agricultural Credit Limit for Karnataka from Rs 5,600 crore in 2023-24 to just Rs 2,340 crore in 2024-25, a 58 per cent reduction that could severely impact farmers' access to soft loans. "I request you to look into this and direct the Finance Ministry to rectify this situation so that farmers in Karnata

US SEC has indicted Adani, but India's SECI has only given favours: Cong

The Congress on Friday accused the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) of favouring the Adani Group, alleging that Adani Green is not suffering one bit even though it is yet to supply a single unit of the contracted 3 gigawatts of electricity to Andhra Pradesh. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said Adani Green Energy's solar power project has not supplied a single unit of power to Andhra Pradesh two months after the original schedule to supply 3,000 MW. "It is amazing that even though it has yet to supply a single unit of the contracted 3 gigawatts of electricity to Andhra Pradeshdespite the alleged ?1,400 crore bribe to secure the contractAdani Green is not suffering one bit, thanks to the Central Government," Ramesh said in a post on X. Adani will start supplying one-third of the promised amount to Andhra Pradesh seven months late, he said. "But Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has permitted it to sell the power on power exchanges in

Congress files adjournment notice in LS to discuss Adani indictment issue

Congress MPs have continuously sought to discuss the Adani indictment in the Lok Sabha since the start of the winter session on November 25

Ajmer Dargah row: Ashok Gehlot accuses BJP of polarsation, unrest

Earlier, a local court in Ajmer directed that notice be issued to three parties in a civil suit that claims that there is a Shiva temple in the dargah of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer

Highlights: Sensex, Bankex, Sensex 50 expiry days to change from January 1, 2025, says BSE

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Parliament session highlights: Both houses adjourned for the day amid massive Opposition protests

Parliament winter session news highlights: Catch all the latest news developments related to the proceedings in the Parliament here