Attacking Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over the statements he made in the US about the condition of Sikhs in India, Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu on Sunday said that if those "manufacturing bombs" were supporting him, he is the "number one terrorist". Bittu, the MoS for railways, made the remark in Bihar's Bhagalpur where he came to attend the flagging-off ceremony of a Vande Bharat Express train to Howrah. Condemning the statement, the Congress said he was talking "like a senseless man". Speaking to reporters, Bittu said, "Rahul Gandhi spent most of his time outside the country. His friends and family are there. I think he does not love his country much because he goes abroad and says negative things about India. I think he is not a Hindustani." "Now, he has got support from separatists, who always talk about dividing this country. They (separatists) and the most-wanted persons are also appreciating Rahul Gandhi for his remarks against Sikhs. When such people, who are al
A ruling Trinamool Congress MLA on Sunday courted controversy by lashing out at the movement of doctors and people on the RG Kar issue, saying that "mere clapping and dancing to slogans accompanied by music beat will not lead to success". Agitating doctors strongly opposed the remarks, saying it was a people's movement and should not be trivialised. Rajarhat-New Town MLA Tapas Chatterjee, during a meeting in his locality, was heard saying in a purported video, "Clapping and dancing to disco beats will not make any movement successful. A true movement is marked by more serious activities." PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the video. The ongoing protests demanding justice for a woman medic who was allegedly raped and murdered at state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in north Kolkata, are marked by sloganeering, street plays and collective singing of songs. Doctors have been staging a sit-in outside Swasthya Bhawan, the headquarters of the state health .
The Congress would release its manifesto for Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections within two days, senior leader Bharat Singh Solanki said on Sunday while terming the BJP's poll promises "hollow". Exuding confidence that the Congress-National Conference alliance would come to power in Jammu and Kashmir, he hit out at the BJP, saying it failed to wipe out terrorism, ensure the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri pandits and generate employment for the local youth. The Congress' Jammu and Kashmir affairs in charge said a common minimum programme (CMP) would be chalked out by the coalition partners after government formation to ensure peace, prosperity and development in the region. "The (Congress) manifesto is ready and will be announced within two days before the first phase of elections. Our manifesto will not be based on 'jumlas', and we will ensure its implementation," Solanki told reporters here. Jammu and Kashmir goes to polls in three phases -- September 18, September 25 and
Asserting that 2024 is a watershed year for India's democracy, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said 140 crore Indians gave a verdict which believed in our long-standing institutions, painstakingly built by the makers of our nation. He also alleged that in the past 10 years, there has been a concerted effort to erode democratic structures, bulldoze institutions and hurt the integrity of our systems. Kharge quoted India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru as saying, "Democracy is the best form of government. It allows people to have a say in how they are governed and to hold their leaders accountable." "The year 2024 is a watershed year for India's Democracy. 140 crore Indians gave a verdict which believed in our long-standing institutions, painstakingly built by the makers of our nation," Kharge said in a reference to the 2024 Lok Sabha poll results. "Now, we have to be far more vigilant to uphold the values of our parliamentary democracy and Constitution and ...
Congress Legislature Party leader in Maharashtra Balasaheb Thorat on Sunday accused Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis of creating religious discord by spreading "fake news". Thorat's comments came a day after CM Shinde said the Congress government in Karnataka was trying to shut down Ganesh festival celebrations. Shinde on Saturday also said the opposition targeted his government over the collapse of a statue of Shivaji Maharaj (in Sindhudurg), but remains silent about police in Congress-ruled Karnataka putting a Ganesh idol in a police van. Videos purportedly showing Karnataka police taking away a Ganesh idol from protestors and putting it in a police van have gone viral on social media. "The only thing that the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister are doing full time is creating a fake narrative by constantly spreading fake news," Thorat claimed in a post on X and asked whether they were running "fake news factories". Earlier, they protested agains
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting Jharkhand, the Congress on Sunday asked why are the people of Jamshedpur still facing the problem of "poor connectivity" and also accused the PM of depriving the tribals their religious identity and refusing to recognise the Sarna Code. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh also asked why the Adityapur Industrial Area had not received environmental clearance yet. "The non-biological PM is in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand today. He should answer these three questions to the people of Jharkhand," Ramesh said in a post in Hindi on X. Why are the people of Jamshedpur still facing the problem of poor connectivity, he asked. Ramesh said that despite being an industrial hub, Jamshedpur is facing the problem of poor transport connectivity. "The number of trains running to major cities like Bhagalpur, Bengaluru and Delhi is not sufficient. The city had a functional airport till 2016 but despite joining the UDAN scheme in 2018,
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J-K Assembly polls: During an election rally in Doda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will grant full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir if the party comes to power
Haryana Assembly elections: Liquor stores in Uttar Pradesh districts within 3 km of the Haryana border will be shut 48 hours before voting on October 5
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally in Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress on Saturday asked when will full statehood return to the union territory and alleged that the region has "become a bureaucratic fiefdom controlled by the BJP-RSS cabal". Prime Minister Modi addressed an election rally in the Doda district of Jammu region in support of BJP candidates. Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh noted that since the fall of the PDP-BJP government in 2018, Jammu and Kashmir has been administered by Modi government. Posing questions to the PM, Ramesh asked when will full statehood return to Jammu and Kashmir. He alleged that since 2018, the people of J&K have been denied any avenue to express their grievances. "The region has become a bureaucratic fiefdom controlled by the BJP-RSS cabal. While claiming to have ended special status for J&K, the government has in fact created an extra-special situation of a new and unique political system: one where ...
Fresh allegation that Buch traded in listed securities while holding a position in Sebi came a day after a detailed response from the Sebi chief and her husband
A day after the Kerala High Court quashed the case registered against three Congress leaders in connection with the Assembly ruckus incident, the opposition party on Saturday said the verdict was a setback to the government's alleged attempt to weaken the case. Welcoming the verdict, the Congress said if a trial was held in the 2015 case, CPI (M) leaders including General Education Minister V Sivankutty would be punished, he said. In a statement, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan alleged the Left government was trying to prolong the trial by making false cases to avoid this. The entire world witnessed the violence of the CPI (M) legislators, he said adding there has never been a case with so many witnesses. So, the High Court ruling was a 'setback' to the government's alleged attempt to weaken the case by abusing the legal system, Satheesan added. The Kerala HC on Friday quashed the criminal proceedings against three Congress leaders, including two sitting M
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Saturday demanded an apology from the Congress over party leader Jitu Patwari's allegation about officials paying the BJP government money for favourable postings. At a public meeting of the Congress's "Kisan Nyay Yatra" on Friday, state Congress chief Patwari alleged that the collector of Hoshangabad (Narmadapuram) had paid money to buy the post. "I would like to tell journalists that there should be an honest sting operation on the collector of Hoshangabad (Narmadapuram). He will reveal how much money he spent to buy the post. The superintendent of police, tehsildar, patwari, SDM, and in-charge of police stations, not a single officer or employee gets a police station or posting (without offering money). This is the BJP government's reality," he claimed. Reacting to Patwari's remarks, the chief minister said the language used by Congress leaders for officers and employees of the Narmadapuram district was insulting. "The state governmen
The Congress on Saturday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Manipur situation and said he continues to make plans to travel in other parts of the country and abroad, but "studiously avoiding" a visit to the "most troubled state". Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said that on May 3, 2023, Manipur began burning and on June 4, 2023, a three-member Commission of Enquiry was set up to investigate the causes and spread of violence and riots. "It was given six months to submit its report. No report has been submitted till now. The Commission has just been given time till Nov 24, 2024 to do so," he said. "Meanwhile the anguish and agony of the people of Manipur continues unabated. And the non-biological PM continues to make plans to travel in other parts of the country and abroad, studiously avoiding a visit to this most troubled state," Ramesh said in his post on X. His remarks come a day after the Centre granted time till November 20 to a ...
The Congress on Friday said an "unacceptable comment" directed at Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was made in a social media post from the official X handle of the Gautam Budh Nagar district magistrate and demanded action against the officer. Later, a statement was posted on the X handle of District Magistrate Manish Verma, saying some anti-social elements had misused his ID card and posted a "wrong comment". "Taking this seriously, legal action is being taken by registering an FIR immediately and the wrong tweet/comment is being investigated by the cyber cell," it said. A copy of the FIR was also later posted on the handle. Earlier, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the X handle of the Gautam Budh Nagar district magistrate in Uttar Pradesh posted a completely "inappropriate and unacceptable comment" on the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha. "This is not a new development; over the last 10 years, India's bureaucracy and o
Say I-T returns obtained 'illegally' and twisted to create 'false narrative'
J-K, Haryana Assembly polls updates: Catch all the latest news developments related to the Assembly polls here
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Senior Congress leader and former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Friday said the 1984 "attack" on the Golden Temple was "wrong" and his party has apologised for it, even as he accused the BJP-RSS of exerting pressure on the government for the Army operation at the shrine. Channi alleged that the BJP-RSS created an environment in the country that the Congress government of that time was not launching an attack on the "Akal Takht" and said while there might have been other reasons for the attack, one of the biggest among those was that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ran a movement and took out processions all over the country demanding action. "For that, the BJP and the RSS should go to Sikhs and Harmandir Sahib and apologise," Channi said at a press conference at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters here. Asked why Jagdish Tytler, who faces charges in the anti-Sikh riots case, has not been removed from the Congress, Channi said, "For the riots and t
The Madhya Pradesh Congress on Friday alleged that some BJP workers and their relatives were behind the incident of assault on two army officers and rape of their woman friend near Indore's Mhow. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, rubbished the allegation and accused the opposition party of creating a "false perception" on the issue. It also said the state government is very sensitive in such matters and that the accused in the Mhow case will not be able to escape. Two army officers were assaulted and one of their two women friends was allegedly raped in the wee hours of Wednesday near popular tourist spot Jam Gate, about 30 km from Mhow military cantonment. Police have arrested three of the six accused so far. Talking to reporters, MP Congress president Jitu Patwari said, "It has been proven again that whenever incidents like rape and atrocities against women come to the fore, the names of BJP workers and leaders crop up. Behind the Mhow incident also, the names of .