Congress

Keralam's game is on

The Kerala CM is using his time to build a UDF legacy. But for him, life may not be this tranquil forever plain politics 

An avoidable tragedy: Congress slams Modi govt over Delhi building collapse

The Congress on Sunday attacked the Modi government after a building housing a boys' hostel collapsed in southwest Delhi's Satya Niketan area, with party leader Rahul Gandhi asserting that every student's life is precious and their protection must be ensured under all circumstances. The five-storey building in a congested bylane in Satya Niketan near Delhi University's South Campus collapsed this afternoon, leaving three students dead and many trapped under the debris, officials said. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the building collapse is deeply distressing and "an avoidable tragedy". "Every effort must be made to rescue those trapped and ensure the best possible treatment for the injured," Kharge said on X. NSUI workers and Congress leaders are already on the ground, helping students, victims and their families in every possible way, the Congress chief said, adding that "we stand firmly with them in this difficult hour". "This tragedy also exposes the unsafe, overcro

Congress reshuffles key posts, names Sachin Pilot Punjab poll in-charge

Punjab goes to polls early next year while assembly elections in Gujarat will be held later next year

FIR filed against Rahul Gandhi over Haldwani 'purification' remarks

An FIR has been registered against Rahul Gandhi, following a complaint by a member of the Valmiki community in Haldwani alleging that the Congress leader gave a casteist spin to a religious ritual held at the venue of the AICC chief's programme, police said on Sunday. The FIR has been registered under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) concerning the promotion of enmity between groups and deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, has also been invoked, police said. Amit Kumar, a resident of Jawahar Nagar and a Shri Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas member, claimed in the complaint filed at the Haldwani police station that he was present during the "ritual and cleanliness drive" and Gandhi's remarks made in Delhi at a press conference on August 29 hurt the sentiments of the community. He accused Gandhi of portraying those associated with the ritual as practising ...

Rahul Gandhi's new Gen Z playbook: Less script, more spontaneity

The Congress leader's communication team is experimenting with informal interactions, youth-driven content and post-hoc virality analysis. Anushka Bhardwaj explains

Cong leaders in Keralam back Sonia Gandhi amid controversy over memoir

Ministers in Keralam on Friday backed Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi amid a controversy over the publication of her memoir, 'Belonging: A Journey of Love', in India. The reactions came after Penguin Random House India said it was not the publisher of Sonia Gandhi's memoir. Earlier this month, American publisher Alfred A Knopf, an imprint of Penguin Random House, announced that the book would be released on November 10. The statement came after a report in The Indian Express claimed that the publisher had backed out after Gandhi refused to make "editorial changes" to the manuscript. Higher Education Minister Roji M John, in a Facebook post, praised Sonia Gandhi for refusing to alter her memoir and recalled the personal tragedies she had faced, including the assassinations of former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. John said Sonia Gandhi had initially sought to stay away from politics but later took up the leadership of the Congress due to ...

Cong calls Fadnavis' APTEL bias charge against private firms 'hypocrisy'

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

'Achche din' keep wrecking common person's budget: Cong slams Modi govt

The Congress on Wednesday attacked the Modi government over rising prices of essential commodities, saying the "achche din" promised by the BJP have instead left the common person's budget repeatedly battered by food inflation. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that the BJP wants to dodge accountability for its misdeeds through distracting stunts and nonsensical talk but the Congress and the public would continue to raise questions over inflation. "Take a look at the state of the common man's kitchen during festivals -- onion prices have risen by up to 59 per cent in a year, Rs 50-60 per kg in many cities; sugar Rs 60-70 per kg, up to Rs 72 per kg in some places; mustard oil over Rs 200 per litre; food inflation 5.52 per cent; wholesale inflation 9.78 per cent," he said. "It's been 12 years of BJP government, and the reality of 'achche din' is that sometimes lentils, sometimes vegetables, sometimes oil, sometimes sugar keep wrecking the common person's budget," Kharge ...

Risks weakening worker safeguards: Cong on SC's industry definition ruling

The Congress on Saturday expressed concern over a Supreme Court ruling that said its 1978 worker-friendly interpretation of the term "industry" will not apply to fresh cases under the Industrial Relations Code of 2020, and said any move to narrow or distance the law from the broad definition of "industry" risks weakening worker safeguards. Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, claimed that the Modi government's Industrial Relations Code, 2020, "significantly weakens essential safeguards for our workers". Against this backdrop, a narrow majority of the Supreme Court, in State of Uttar Pradesh versus Jai Bir Singh delivered on August 20, 2026, has "hypothesised" a reformulation of the Triple Test laid down in its earlier landmark February 1978 verdict in the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board versus A Rajappa case, Ramesh said on X. The importance of how "industry" is interpreted lies in the legal reality of who qualifies as a workman and, ...

FIR filed in pellet gun case after Rahul's 6-hour sit-in at police station

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday staged a dramatic six-hour dharna at the Parliament Street police station here demanding an FIR over pellet injuries to a youth during the July 20 protest and ended it only after police registered the complaint. Gandhi raised the pitch on the issue after 19-year-old Sahil Lochab claimed that the police was refusing to register an FIR on his complaint despite him suffering pellet wounds including damage to his eye. Soon after the police registered the FIR late in the evening, Gandhi said this is the first step towards justice and ended his dharna. The BJP hit back at Gandhi and accused him of playing "politics of anarchy" only to remain relevant in the media and termed this as Congress' attempt to divert attention from the "wrong stand" taken on Vande Mataram. Gandhi accompanied Lochab and his mother to the Mandir Marg police station in the morning, which refused to register the FIR. He then took them to Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi

Congress-ruled states to jointly challenge MMDR Act in Supreme Court

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

Centre can resolve any Manipur issue, in 2-3 months if its determined: Cong

Manipur Congress chief O Ibobi Singh on Thursday asserted that the Centre can resolve any issue concerning the state, including the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), in two to three months if it has commitment and determination. Representatives of several civil society organisations in Manipur left for New Delhi during the day to apprise Union ministers and BJP leaders of their demand for NRC updation before the conduct of Census 2027 in the state. Singh, addressing the media, said, "If the central government wants, the implementation of NRC in Manipur is not an issue... NRC should be updated first before Census is conducted. If required, the Constitution should be amended." "Ours is a very small state. If the Union government is determined and committed, be it NRC or any other issue, it is only a matter of two-three months to resolve it," the former chief minister said. The real issue is of the Centre's ignorance of the wishes of the people of the state, h

Congress asks its CMs to draw up roadmap to overhaul education, exam system

Kharge asks Congress CMs to work with education experts on a roadmap to overhaul the education and examination system as the party prepares to intensify its grassroots campaign

Writing about my life did not come easily to me: Sonia on upcoming memoir

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, whose 544-page memoir will be published in November, has said writing about her life meant opening herself up and sharing experiences she had kept deep inside, as she reflected on the heartbreak and loss that drew her into politics. "It was heartbreak and loss that threw me into the public world of politics. Up till then I had guarded my privacy fiercely," Gandhi said in a statement issued here on Tuesday by publisher Alfred A Knopf. "Writing about my life did not come easily to me. It meant opening myself up, sharing moments and experiences I had always held deep inside," the senior Congress leader said. Titled 'Belonging: A Journey of Love', the memoir will be released in hardcover and ebook by Knopf on November 10, with an audio edition to be published by Penguin Random House. The publisher said an announced first printing of 100,000 copies has been set. Gandhi described the book as a "testament of my heart's journey through the tender joys and dark

SC asks Allahabad HC not to proceed with DA case against Rahul Gandhi

In a relief to Rahul Gandhi, the Supreme Court on Monday asked the Allahabad High Court not to proceed with a disproportionate assets case against the Congress leader. The top court also asked the CBI and the ED not to file any report before the high court in connection with the case lodged against the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana took note of the submissions of senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Gandhi, and issued notices to Karnataka resident S Vignesh Shishir, who had filed the plea in the high court, the CBI and the ED. The bench was hearing a plea filed by Gandhi against the high court order.

MEA stresses need for respect as Congress leader's Meloni jibe sparks row

India on Friday emphasised that it shares a strong relationship with Italy and underscored the importance of maintaining mutual respect in public discourse, a day after a Congress leader triggered a controversy with his political jibe at Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said this at his bi-weekly media briefing while responding to a question on Rahul Gandhi's criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's handling of foreign policy and subsequent remarks by Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit. "We have strong ties with Italy. Our ties with Italy in recent years have expanded and strengthened. It is important that as part of diplomatic practice that we strengthen our ties keeping in mind being respectful of each other," Jaiswal said. In an address at an event on Thursday evening, Gandhi scoffed at Modi's handling of foreign policy which he claimed was all about hugging leaders. The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha also said it h

Row erupts over 'purification' of Kharge's rally venue in Uttarakhand

The Congress on Thursday condemned the "purification" of the rally venue in Uttarakhand's Haldwani after a public meeting addressed by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and alleged that the incident reflected the "anti-Dalit" mindset of the BJP and RSS. Kharge, who is the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, also raised the matter in the House and demanded the registration of a case under the Untouchability Act against those involved even as Chairman C P Radhakrishnan and Union minister J P Nadda condemned the incident. "Is this the way democracy works? How are you protecting the Constitution?" Kharge asked. He also said he does not intend to politicise the issue, but they have "insulted" him by purifying the stage. Nadda said the matter will be investigated. "...The BJP does not subscribe to such activities. We will investigate it, and I condemn this incident," he said. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the "purification" of the stage after the public meeting "is not just an insult t

Rahul Gandhi says youth generate data, but big firms reap the wealth

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said India's youths are the country's greatest strength as he spoke about their "dard (pain), data, and daulat (wealth)" to attack the BJP and the RSS. Addressing the 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' programme at KP Ground here, Gandhi said, "You are the power and pride of India. When I say this, I am talking about every Indian citizen." He added, "This evening I want to speak to you about dard, data, and daulat." While there is much talk about America, China and Russia, "India's youths are unparalleled," he said. In his speech, Gandhi, who wore a half-sleeve pink shirt, throwing an uncharacteristic dash of colour against his usual white, touched upon several topics, from AI and data gathering to the BJP-RSS combine, which he accused of holding sway over young people's minds. The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha said India has a big chunk of young population and the data it generates would be the key driver of the country's economy in the 21st ...

Incumbent parties won 53% of state by-elections since 2009, shows data

Data from 709 by-elections since 2009 shows incumbent parties won 53% of contests, while opposition parties secured 47%, reflecting a closely contested political landscape

1991 marked a paradigm shift in industrial, trade policy: Jairam Ramesh

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