Page 118 - Congress

News updates: Vinesh Phogat CAS verdict deferred to August 16 at 9:30 PM IST

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Congress holds meeting of state chiefs, general secys ahead of state polls

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday held a meeting with all general secretaries, state unit chiefs and AICC state in-charges here as the party gets battle-ready for the upcoming round of assembly polls. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, general secretaries Jairam Ramesh and KC Venugopal, among others, were part of the meeting at the AICC headquarters here. Sources said the party chief took stock of the preparations for the upcoming polls in Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand later this year. Polls could also be held in Jammu and Kashmir this year. With assembly polls in key states coming up, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi had said at a parliamentary party meeting recently that the "mahaul (public mood)" is in the party's favour but had cautioned against complacency and over confidence after the goodwill generated for it in the Lok Sabha elections. Leaders of poll-bound states have been holding meetings with Venugopal and the party leadershi

Hindenburg saga: Markets defeated Cong's toolkit design, says BJP

Ruling party says JPC probe demand a sham; Oppn threatens nationwide stir

News updates: Intermittent rainfall in Delhi causes waterlogging, traffic snarls

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Hindenburg report: Congress threatens nationwide stir if JPC demand not met

Stepping up its attack on the Narendra Modi government over Hindenburg Research's allegations against SEBI chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch, the Congress on Monday threatened to launch a nationwide protest if its demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the matter is not accepted. Hindenburg Research, an investment research firm that uses activist short-selling to expose corporate fraud and malfeasance, alleged on Saturday that SEBI chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch and her husband had undisclosed investments in obscure offshore funds in Bermuda and Mauritius, the same entities allegedly used by Vinod Adani -- the elder brother of group chairman Gautam Adani -- to round-trip funds and inflate stock prices. AICC General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal described the allegations as "very serious" and accused the prime minister of supporting the Adani Group and its chairman Gautam Adani on the matter. He pointed out that the Supreme Court's verdict in this case was ..

Cong urges SC to transfer Adani probe to CBI or SIT, cites Sebi concerns

Stepping up its attack on the PM Narendra Modi government over the Hindenburg Research's allegations against SEBI chairperson Madhabi Buch, the Congress on Monday threatened to launch a nationwide protest if its demand for a JPC (Joint Parliamentary Committee) probe into the matter is not accepted. AICC general secretary (Organisation), K C Venugopal, described the allegations as "very serious" and accused the Prime Minister of supporting Adani on the matter. "The Prime Minister's silence on the matter amounts to a destruction of credibility," Venugopal told reporters at the airport here. He accused the union government of trying to divert people's attention from the matter by using the Enforcement Directorate against Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. "Don't try to threaten Rahul Gandhi with an ED notice. We will strongly oppose such diversionary tactics," the Alappuzha MP said. Venugopal said that "this is the most serious issue in the country" and warn

NDA eyes majority in Rajya Sabha after bypolls for 12 seats next month

The BJP-led NDA is expected to achieve a clear majority in Rajya Sabha after bye-elections for 12 seats scheduled next month, which would help the party get the nod for key legislations such as the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. In the upper house with the current effective strength of 229, the BJP has 87 MPs and with its allies the number is 105. Six nominated members, who usually cast their vote with the government, take the strength of the NDA to 111, four short of the half-way mark of 115. The Congress has 26 members in the Upper House and its allies add another 58, taking the opposition alliance numbers to 84. Among the key fence-sitters are the YSR Congress Party with 11 members and BJD with eight members. Elections to the 12 vacant Rajya Sabha seats in nine states will be held on September 3. The Election Commission has announced 12 separate elections for each of the seats, handing over a clear advantage to the ruling party in the state. The BJP and its allies are expected to win 11

Hindenburg row: Congress interested in anarchy, controversies, says Scindia

Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Sunday accused the Congress of spreading anarchy and controversies over the Hindenburg Research's allegations against SEBI chairperson Madhabi Buch. A political firestorm erupted after the US short-seller alleged that it suspects SEBI's unwillingness to act against the Adani group may be because its head Madhabi Puri Buch had stakes in offshore funds linked to the conglomerate. "Congress's work is only to spread anarchy and entangle the country in controversial matters," said Scindia while responding to reporters' query on the Hindenburg Research report. The Guna MP said PM Narendra Modi and BJP workers are carrying the torch of development and progress, whereas the Congress has been trying to mislead the country and keep it in the dark for years. The SEBI has slammed Hindenburg Research's allegations as "baseless" while the Adani group said it never had any commercial relations with Buch. Madhabi Puri Buch and her husband Dhav

Made contribution to diplomacy: Leaders condole Natwar Singh's demise

Congress leaders on Sunday condoled former external affairs minister K Natwar Singh's demise with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge hailing his profound contribution to India's diplomacy and external affairs. Singh passed away on Saturday night after a prolonged illness, family sources said. He was 93. He breathed his last at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram near Delhi, where he had been admitted for the past couple of weeks, they said. "Our deepest condolences on the passing away of Former Union Minister, Shri K. Natwar Singh ji. An acclaimed intellectual and a Padma Bhushan recipient, he made a profound contribution to India's diplomacy and external affairs," Kharge said in a post on X. "Our thoughts are with his family, friends and followers," he said. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "A hugely engaging political personality. A distinguished foreign service officer. A cultured man of letters and noted author with a few classics to his credit. A .

Former EAM K Natwar Singh: A man who wore many hats and spoke his mind

K Natwar Singh wore many hats as he straddled the worlds of diplomacy, politics and writing but what remained consistent across decades was his sharp-wit and plainspeaking. The former Congress leader had a love-hate relationship with the party as while he had a great equation with the likes of former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, he had a fallout with Sonia Gandhi after allegations were levelled against him when he was part of the UPA-I Cabinet. Singh passed away on Saturday night after a prolonged illness, family sources said. He was 93. He breathed his last at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram near Delhi, where he had been admitted for the past couple of weeks, they said. Singh was born in 1931 in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan. He was a career diplomat, who brought a wealth of experience in diplomacy to his political career, and also a prolific author on subjects ranging from the life of a maharaja to nuances of foreign affairs. Singh was selected into the Indian

Eliminate conflicts of interest in Sebi's probe of Adani Group: Congress

In the wake of the US short-seller Hindenburg Research levelling allegations against Sebi chairperson Madhabi Buch, the Congress on Saturday demanded the Centre act immediately to eliminate all conflicts of interest in the regulator's investigation of the Adani Group. The opposition party also said the "seeming complicity of the highest officials of the land" can only be resolved by setting up a Joint Parliamentary Committee to investigate the full scope of the "scam". The Hindenburg Research on Saturday launched a fresh broadside against market regulator Sebi chairperson Madhabi Buch, alleging she and her husband had stakes in obscure offshore funds used in the Adani money siphoning scandal. In a blogpost, Hindenburg said 18 months since its damning report on Adani, "SEBI has shown a surprising lack of interest in Adani's alleged undisclosed web of Mauritius and offshore shell entities." No immediate comments were available from Securities and Exchange Board of India, whose X acco

Parl suddenly got adjourned, now we know why: Cong after Hindenburg claims

The Congress on Saturday used the Latin phrase "Quis Custodiet Ipsos" or "who will guard the guards themselves"? to take a swipe at SEBI chief Madhabi Buch, after US short seller Hindenburg levelled allegations against her. Hindenburg has alleged that Buch and her husband had stakes in obscure offshore funds used in the Adani money-siphoning case. Tagging the Hindenburg post on the allegations on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes (who will guard the guards themselves)." In another post on the microblogging platform, Ramesh said, "Parliament was notified to sit till the evening of August 12th. Suddenly it got adjourned sine die on the afternoon of Aug 9th itself. Now we know why." In a blogpost, Hindenburg said 18 months since its damning report on industrialist Gautam Adani, "SEBI has shown a surprising lack of interest in Adani's alleged undisclosed web of Mauritius and offshore shell entities." Citing "whistleblower documents", it .

V-P expresses concern over narrative of B'desh unrest taking place in India

Taking strong exception to some remarks by a few Congress leaders comparing the situation in Bangladesh with India, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday said efforts by some to infuse a narrative that what happened in our neighbourhood is bound to happen in our country is deeply concerning. "How can a citizen of this country having been a Member of Parliament, and the other who has seen enough of Foreign Service takes no time in saying that what happened in the neighbourhood will happen in India," Dhankhar said while addressing the legal fraternity here at a platinum jubilee function of the Rajasthan High Court. "Efforts by some to infuse a narrative that what happened in our neighbourhood is bound to happen in our Bharat, is deeply concerning," he said. Though Dhankhar did not name anyone, he was apparently referring to the recent remarks by senior Congress leaders Salman Khurshid and Mani Shankar Aiyar. At a recent event, Khurshid had said what is happening in Bangladesh c

'Caught napping at wheels': Cong slams govt over trade deficit with China

The Congress on Saturday hit out at the Centre over the issue of trade deficit with China and said that while other countries around the world had taken measures to restrict uncontrolled Chinese imports, "our government has been caught napping at the wheels". Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the data revealed by the government in the Rajya Sabha shows that India's trade deficit with China has surged by about 16% over the last two years from USD 73,306.2 million in FY22 to USD 85,079.03 million in FY24. "Governments across the world are taking note of China's industrial overcapacity and its dumping of goods overseas. However, unlike most governments that have taken proactive measures to restrict uncontrolled Chinese imports, our government has been caught napping at the wheels," Ramesh said in a post on X. "Our domestic industries are being decimated and shutting down, unable to compete with the onslaught of cheap Chinese goods," the Congress ...

Govt should have nullified SC's 'creamy layer' judgement via Parl: Kharge

Asserting that the idea of denying reservation to SCs and STs on account of the creamy layer concept is "condemnable", Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said the government should have bought a legislation in Parliament to nullify the Supreme Court judgement on the issue. Earlier this month, a seven-judge Bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud ruled in a 6:1 majority judgement that state governments were permitted to sub-classify communities within the SC list based on empirical data. Supreme Court judge Justice B R Gavai had said that states must evolve a policy for identifying the creamy layer even among the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Schedule Tribes (ST) and deny them the benefit of reservation. "Who do you want to benefit by bringing a creamy layer? By bringing a creamy layer (concept) on one hand you are denying untouchables and giving to those who have enjoyed privileges for thousands of years. I condemn this," Kharge told reporters ...

Congress slams govt over bid to privatise steel plants, suffocate industry

The Congress on Saturday attacked the government over attempts to privatise steel plants, alleging the country's industrial base is being "suffocated" and Union Steel Minister H D Kumaraswamy is party to it. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh cited a written reply in the Rajya Sabha by Kumaraswamy. "Yesterday in the Rajya Sabha, the Minister for Steel revealed that the Modi Government has attempted and failed to privatise 4 steel plants and is currently attempting to privatise another 2," Ramesh said on X. None of these six privatisations were necessary, he argued. "Perhaps the Government's incompetence in enacting its own decisions, however ill-founded, is a small mercy," he said. However, these PSUs are now in a state of inactivity, and will be for an indeterminate period of time, Ramesh said. "The Government will not invest in them - in fact, there is evidence that the Government is actually systematically trying to further throttle these units t

PIL seeks disqualification of all Cong MPs for financial guarantees

A PIL has been filed before the Allahabad High Court seeking the disqualification of all 99 Congress MPs, arguing that the party's 'Ghar Ghar Guarantee Scheme' launched during the Lok Sabha poll campaign amounted to bribery under law. The public interest litigation (PIL) has also sought direction against the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of failing to act against the Congress campaign. Despite the ECI's advisory issued on May 2 this year, warning political parties against such practices, the petition alleged that the Congress continued its distribution of these cards compromising the fairness of the electoral process. According to the PIL, the 'Ghar Ghar Guarantee Scheme' involves the distribution of guarantee cards that promise various financial and material benefits in exchange of votes. The promise amounts to bribery under Section 123(1)(A) of the Representation of People's Act, 1951 and is punishable under Sections 171B and 171E of the Indian Penal Code, it .

No concept of national disaster in govt rules: UPA's reply in Parliament

Government sources on Saturday cited a 2013 reply in Parliament by a Congress-led UPA government minister to emphasise that no concept of "national disaster" exists under the rules of the central government. The clarification came amid a demand, including from Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, that the landslide tragedy in Kerala's Wayanad be declared a national disaster. The then minister of state for home and Congress MP from Kerala Mullappally Ramachandran had told the Lok Sabha in 2013 in a reply to a question that "there is no provision to declare a natural disaster as a national disaster", the sources noted. The reply stated that the government of India adjudges a calamity of severe nature on case-to-case basis, taking into account its intensity and magnitude, level of relief assistance, capacity of the state government to tackle the problem, and alternatives and flexibility available within the plan to provide succour and relief etc. The priority is immedia

When underdog pushes top dog

The third Modi govt has quickly moved away from dismissing all Congress ideas as unimaginative and is now implementing several of them. Think poll-bound Haryana and Maharashtra

Highlights: Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia walks out of Tihar jail after 17 months

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