Page 117 - Congress

Hooda promises 100k jobs within a year if Congress forms govt in Haryana

Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Friday promised one lakh jobs within a year if the party formed the government in Haryana, where assembly elections will be held on October 1. The leader of opposition in the Haryana Assembly also said the party's manifesto would have a complete roadmap of the work the grand old party would do if it formed the government. "Soon, the party's manifesto will be released and it will have a complete roadmap of the work of the government for five years," Hooda said after the Election Commission announced the schedule for the elections. While polling will be held in a single phase on October 1, the votes will be counted on October 4. Hooda, a former Haryana chief minister, also claimed that people of the state had made up their mind to oust the BJP and bring a Congress government. "As soon as the Congress forms the government, one lakh permanent recruitment will be done within a year. The jobs will be given on the basis of merit," Hooda said. Hoo

Cong appoints Karra as J&K unit chief, Keshav Mahto to lead Jharkhand unit

In a significant organisational reshuffle ahead of the assembly polls, the Congress on Friday appointed Tariq Hameed Karra as president of its Jammu and Kashmir unit and Keshav Mahto Kamlesh as chief of the Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee. While Karra replaces Vikar Rasool Wani in Jammu and Kashmir, Kamlesh takes over from Rajesh Thakur. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also appointed two working presidents for Jammu and Kashmir -- Tara Chand and Raman Bhalla -- as the party gets battle ready for assembly polls in the Union Territory, the dates of which were announced by the Election Commission on Friday. Kharge has also appointed Wani as a special invitee to the Congress Working Committee (CWC) with immediate effect. Karra has been relieved from his current position as permanent invitee to the CWC, the party said in a statement. "The party appreciates the contributions of the outgoing Pradesh Congress Committee president Vikar Rasool Wani," the statement said. In Jharkh

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Alliance with Cong to be discussed after Kejriwal is out of jail: Sisodia

The question of an alliance of the Aam Aadmi Party with the Congress for the upcoming Delhi Assembly polls will be decided after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal walks out of the prison, senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia said. In an interaction with the editors of PTI at its headquarters, Sisodia said the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), of which the AAP is a part, played a "very big role" in restricting the BJP to below the majority mark in the recent Lok Sabha polls. However, assembly polls are a different occasion, he added. The talks about alliance are discussed around the polls, he said, and added, "Arvind Kejriwal is still inside (the jail). I believe he will be out soon and these questions will perhaps be asked again and answered then." The former Delhi deputy chief minister said the possibility of the AAP's alliance with the Congress in Haryana will also be discussed once Kejriwal comes out of the jail. The Delhi chief minister, who is also the AAP ...

Haryana Assembly elections 2024: Voting on Oct 1, counting Oct 4

The Election Commission of India announced key dates for state Assembly polls in Haryana. Check details here

Govt did not honour LoP's post during Independence Day event: Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Friday hit out at the Centre over Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi not being allotted a front-row seat at the Independence Day event, accusing it of not honouring the post of LoP. Addressing party workers of the opposition bloc Maha Vikas Aghadi, Pawar said the threat to the Constitution is still not over even if the BJP did not get majority in the Lok Sabha polls. The Centre did not honour the post of Leader of Opposition, Pawar said. The Leader of Opposition was made to sit in the back row, said the NCP (SP) chief. The Congress on Thursday said making Gandhi sit in the fifth row at the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort showed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pettiness and lack of respect for democratic traditions. Pawar said that when he was the leader of the opposition during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure, his seating arrangement at the I-Day event was alongside the cabinet ministers. He recalled that when ...

Counterfeit notes rife again, claims Congress, questions demonetisation

The Congress on Friday claimed the counterfeit notes have become rife once again and termed as an "eyewash" the government's assertion that the overall number of counterfeit notes detected has fallen. The opposition party also claimed that counterfeiting has just moved rapidly to higher-value notes. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh asked what has the 2016 demonetisation achieved if neither black money nor counterfeiting has been curbed. "Eight years after the non-biological PM ground the economy to a halt through demonetisation, it appears that counterfeit notes have become rife once again - The number of counterfeit Rs 500 notes of the new series that have been detected has nearly quadrupled between 2018-19 and 2023-24. The number of fake Rs 2,000 notes has tripled since 2020-21, he claimed. "While the Government can claim that the overall number of counterfeit notes detected has fallen, this is an eyewash. Counterfeiting has just moved rapidly to

Will back candidate announced by Cong, NCP (SP) as CM face of MVA: Uddhav

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said he will back any candidate announced by the Congress and NCP (SP) as Maha Vikas Aghadi's chief ministerial face. Addressing party workers of the opposition bloc MVA here, Thackeray said the assembly polls are a fight to preserve Maharashtra's self-respect. Maharashtra assembly elections are likely to be held in October or November. The MVA comprises the Sena (UBT), Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) and Congress. Uddhav Thackeray will back any candidate announced by Congress and NCP (SP) as the CM face of MVA. I don't have the feeling that I am fighting for myself but for the rights of Maharashtra, Thackeray said. He insisted that the chief ministerial candidate must be decided first, rather than by the logic of the party that wins the most seats in the elections. Thackeray asked the MVA cadres to rise above self-interest and fight for the sake of protecting Maharashtra's pride and interest. He also urged them to be the ambassadors of t

Saini attacks Cong's 'Haryana Maange Hisab', asks what it did for farmers

Listing out the measures taken by his government to compensate farmers over this year's subnormal rain, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini countered the Congress criticism over the issue, saying the opposition party would give only "meagre amounts" while it was in power. Stepping up the attack ahead of the possible announcement of assembly polls in the state, Saini, addressing a press conference on Friday, hit out at Congress's 'Haryana Maange Hisab' campaign and accused it of spreading lies. Asked if he has any information on whether Haryana's poll dates will be announced later in the day, Saini quipped: "Who said so? Polls will be held as per schedule." The chief minister pointed to the recent cabinet decision to compensate farmers affected by less rains at a rate of Rs 2,000 per acre as a bonus. "We have released the first instalment of Rs 525 crore on Friday," he said. All the farmers who have registered on the designated portal will be compensated for their losses, he ..

Hindenburg tip of iceberg, only JPC probe can unravel truth: Congress

The demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Adani issue goes beyond the Hindenburg Research's revelations, the Congress said Friday and claimed the "irregularities and wrongdoings" relating to the business conglomerate span every dimension of the political economy. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said "Hindenburg is only the tip of the iceberg" and its allegations are limited to those that deal with the capital markets. "The demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) investigation into the Adani Mega Scam goes far beyond the revelations made by Hindenburg Research's reports. "Irregularities and wrongdoings relating to the Adani Group span every dimension of the political economy, as documented in our 100 question series HAHK (Hum Adani Ke Hain Kaun)," Ramesh said in a post on 'X'. Elaborating on what he said were key elements of the "scam", Ramesh claimed it pertains to "misuse" of India's investigative agencies to secure ..

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PM Modi's 'communal civil code' remarks insult to Ambedkar: Congress

The opposition on Thursday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of peddling a "divisive agenda", with the Congress slamming his "communal civil code" remarks during his Independence Day speech as a "gross insult" to B R Ambedkar. The Congress also alleged that Modi's capacity for "malice, mischief, and maligning" history was on full display at the Red Fort. The Congress's denunciation came in the wake of Modi saying a "secular civil code" is the need of the hour as the existing set of laws is a "communal civil code" and discriminatory. In his Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort, the prime minister said, "A large section of the country believes, which is true also, that the civil code is actually, in a way, a communal civil code. It discriminates (among people)." Slamming Modi, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "The non-biological PM's capacity for malice, mischief, and maligning of history knows no bounds. It was on full display today from the Re

Cong targets PM Modi for LoP Gandhi's seat in 5th row in I-Day event

The Congress on Thursday said that making Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi "sit in the fifth row" at the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort shows Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "pettiness" and lack of respect for democratic traditions. The opposition party's attack came after sources involved in organising of the event said all seating arrangements were done "as per the table of precedence". They said it was decided this year that "Paris Olympics medal winners" would be honoured as special guests at the Independence Day celebrations. Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate claimed that Prime Minister Modi is a person with a "petty mindset" and he keeps giving proof of that himself. "It is futile to expect big things from small-minded people. Narendra Modi certainly showed his frustration by making Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi sit in the fifth row during the Independence Day celebrations, but this does not make any difference to Rahul Gandhi and h

Rahul 1st LoP in 10 yrs to attend I-Day event; made to sit in 2nd last row

Senior Congress leader and LoP, Rahul Gandhi, sat with Olympic medallists Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh in the second-last row

Cong slams PM's communal civil code remark, says 'gross insult' to Ambedkar

The Congress on Thursday took exception to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "communal civil code" remark, saying it was a "gross insult" to B R Ambedkar and alleged that the PM's capacity for "malice, mischief, and maligning" of history was on full display from the Red Fort. The Congress's denunciation came in the wake of Modi saying a "secular civil code" is the need of the hour as the existing set of laws was a "communal civil code" and discriminatory. In his Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Modi said, "A large section of the country believes, which is true also, that the civil code is actually in a way is a communal civil code. It discriminates (among people)." Slamming the prime minister, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "The non-biological PM's capacity for malice, mischief, and maligning of history knows no bounds. It was on full display today from the Red Fort." "To say that we have had a 'communal civil code' t

BJP's Partition Day an attempt to spread hatred, divisive thinking: Kharge

Launching a scathing attack on the BJP-led government, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge Thursday said the rulers of today are encouraging divisive thinking and marking the Partition Horrors Remembrance Day with the intention of spreading hatred. In his address at the AICC headquarters here on the occasion of the 78th Independence Day, Kharge slammed the RSS, saying that the Sangh Parivar promoted Britishers' divide-and-rule policy for their own benefit. "Unity in diversity is our strength and not a weakness. Some people propagate that we got independence easily but the truth is that lakhs of people made sacrifices, left their homes and even people from well-to-do families spent time in jails," he said. Instead of walking the path shown by them, the rulers of today are giving encouragement to divisive thinking, he said. "They mark Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Diwas with the intention of spreading hatred. Those who did not participate in the Independence movement give advice to th

Nehru not named in Prez address, attempt to erase history, says Congress

The Congress Thursday took a strong objection to Jawaharlal Nehru's name not finding mention among iconic personalities of the independence movement in President Droupadi Murmu's address, alleging it is part of the continuing campaign to erase India's first prime minister from history. Congress General Secretary (In-charge, Communications) Jairam Ramesh recalled that around midnight on August 14, 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru delivered his immortal 'tryst with destiny' speech in the Central Hall. "Less known but equally important and illuminating were -- His address to the nation over All India Radio on August 15, 1947, which he began by describing himself as the 'first servant of the Indian people'. His message to the nation, printed in the newspapers on the morning of August 15 1947," Ramesh said. This was also the day on which 14 ministers were sworn in, he further recalled. "Apart from Nehru and Sardar Patel, they were Rajendra Prasad, Maulana Azad, Dr. Ambedkar, Syama Prasad Mookerje

Some trying to destroy brotherhood; be ready to make sacrifices: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said "some forces" are trying to destroy "our brotherhood" by forcibly imposing their views, and urged people to be ready to make sacrifices to protect the Constitution. In his message on the occasion of the 78th Independence Day, Kharge also said it is a matter of concern that constitutional and autonomous institutions have been turned into "puppets" by the government. Democracy and the Constitution are the biggest shields for 140 crore Indians, Kharge said and asserted that "we will protect them till our last breath". "The opposition is like oxygen for democracy. Along with stopping the unconstitutional attitude of the government, it also raises the issues of the public," he said in a video message posted on X. "The dream of our freedom fighters was to maintain unity in diversity. But some forces are trying to destroy our brotherhood by forcibly imposing their views on the country," Kharge alleged. "Therefore, it is important tha

Gujarat govt helping Adani Ports 'secure monopoly', JPC essential: Congress

The Congress on Wednesday reiterated its demand for a joint parliamentary committee into the Adani issue and alleged that the Gujarat government was helping Adani Ports to "secure a monopoly" on the state's port sector. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the Gujarat government grants private ports a 30-year concession period on a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) basis, after which ownership gets transferred to the government of Gujarat. On the basis of this model, Adani Ports currently has control over Mundra, Hazira, and Dahej ports, he said. Before the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, Adani Ports requested the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) to extend this concession period by another 45 years to 75 years in total, Ramesh claimed. "This was much beyond the maximum permissible period of 50 years, but the GMB hastened to request the Gujarat Government to do so anyways. The GMB was in such a hurry that it did so without approval from its Board, resulting

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