Page 130 - Congress

B Mahtab appointed pro-tem Speaker of Lok Sabha, Congress protests

Seven-term parliamentarian and BJP leader Bhartruhari Mahtab was on Thursday appointed pro-tem Speaker of the Lok Sabha, bucking the largely followed convention of appointing the senior most member to the post, drawing sharp criticism from the opposition Congress. The pro-tem Speaker will administer the oath/affirmation to the newly elected members of the 18th Lok Sabha and preside over the Lower House till the election of the Speaker. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju announced that President Droupadi Murmu has appointed Mahtab as the pro-tem Speaker and that he will be assisted by senior members K Suresh (Congress), T R Baalu (DMK), Radha Mohan Singh and Faggan Singh Kulaste (both BJP) and Sudip Bandyopadhyay (TMC). Shortly after Rijiju's announcement, the Congress accused the BJP-led government of "destroying parliamentary norms" by ignoring the claim of Suresh, a eight-term Lok Sabha member, to the post of the pro-tem Speaker. "In yet another attempt at destroying ...

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Modi govt cannot conduct exams without leaks, frauds, alleges Congress

Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the cancellation of the UGC-NET exam, the Congress on Thursday said every year he conducts a "grand tamasha" of what he calls 'Pareeksha pe Charcha' and yet his government cannot even conduct an examination without leaks and frauds. The opposition party also asked the prime minister if he would "leak pe speak". The Union Education Ministry late on Wednesday night ordered cancellation of UGC-NET following inputs of the exam's integrity being compromised. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said every year the PM conducts a "grand tamasha of what he calls 'Pareeksha pe Charcha'." "Yet, his government cannot even conduct an examination without leaks and frauds," he added. Ramesh said the NEET UG 2024 Examination faces very serious questions that even the Education Minister has been forced to acknowledge. The integrity of the National Testing Agency (NTA) is under severe doubt, he said. Now the UGC-NET conducted just the day bef

'Paper leak government', says Congress on cancellation of UGC-NET

Soon after the cancellation of UGC-NET, the Congress on Wednesday dubbed the Modi government as "paper leak government" and asked whether the education minister would take responsibility now. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also attacked the government over the alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam NEET, and asked when will Prime Minister Narendra Modi hold "NEET pareeksha pe charcha". Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra slammed the government after the Education Ministry ordered the cancellation of UGC-NET and asked for accountability to be fixed. In a post in Hindi on X, Kharge said, "Narendra Modi ji, you discuss exams a lot, but when will you hold 'NEET pareeksha pe charcha'. Cancellation of UGC-NET exam is a victory of the passion of lakhs of students," he said "This is the defeat of Modi government's arrogance due to which they made a despicable attempt to trample the future of our youth," he added. Kharge said the Union education minister first says th

News updates: UGC NET 2024 cancelled; new exam dates to be announced soon

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NEET-UG row: Congress to protest nationwide on Friday demanding justice

NEET-UG exam row: Students and political leaders demand exam cancellation, probe into irregularities, and accountability from authorities over the alleged irregularities in medical entrance exam

Right intentions but Modi 2.0 lacked focus on implementation: Narain

The second Modi government had the right intentions in dealing with environmental degradation and climate change but there wasn't enough focus on implementation, top environmentalist Sunita Narain has said. In an interaction with PTI editors here, Narain said successive administrations have diluted the environmental clearance system to the extent it no longer works. "Overall, my assessment is that the government had the right words and the right intentions. If you look at the government's policies, you can't argue that anything was per se wrong. Renewable energy, drinking water, waste management... all were on the table. So you put the whole package together, it's all there. My assessment is that there wasn't enough focus on implementation," Narain said. In its second term, the Modi government focused on several initiatives, including scaling up renewable energy, improving forest cover, combating desertification, reducing air pollution, conserving wetlands, providing potable piped .

Priyanka wishes Rahul on his birthday; calls him 'argumentative guide'

As Rahul Gandhi turned 54, his sister Priyanka Gandhi on Wednesday posted a heartfelt message for him on social media and said he was her "friend, argumentative guide, philosopher and leader". Rahul Gandhi, a former Congress president and MP from Rae Bareli, has instructed all Congress workers to avoid any grand celebrations, and instead celebrate this occasion by engaging in humanitarian efforts and charity. In a post on X, Priyanka Gandhi said, "Happy Birthday to my sweet brother whose unique perspective on life, the universe and everything lights up the path." "Always my friend, my fellow traveller, argumentative guide, philosopher and leader. Keep shining (star emojis), love you the most!" the Congress general secretary said. The brother-sister duo often share heartfelt messages for each other on various occasions and post funny exchanges between them.

Why hasn't Bihar been granted special category status: Cong to PM Modi

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bihar, the Congress on Wednesday attacked him and asked why hasn't the state been granted special category status as promised by him. The opposition party also asked why Patna University has been denied central university status. "As the 'one-third' Pradhan Mantri visits Bihar to inaugurate Nalanda University, some questions from the campaign that we hope he answers now - Why hasn't Bihar been granted Special Category Status as the PM had promised?" Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X. "In 2014, when campaigning for his current position, Mr. Modi effectively promised special category status for Bihar. As per the Centre's own Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) Report, Bihar ranks as the poorest state in India, and 52% of the state's population lacks access to requisite health, education, and living standards," he said. In 2013, the Raghuram Rajan Committee recommended a new methodology for devolving funds that is bas

News updates: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi resigns from Wayanad seat of Lok Sabha

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TMC-led Oppn MPs group seeks probe on result-day crash, meet Sebi officials

After the meeting, Banerjee said that though they did not get any assurance from Sebi, the officials said that they will look into the matter

Cong says govt destroying railways, asks for Ashwini Vaishnaw's resignation

Accusing the government of "destroying" Indian Railways, the Congress on Tuesday demanded Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's resignation in the wake of the Kanchanjunga Express accident and said that he has no moral right to remain in the position. The opposition party also took a swipe at Vaishnaw for reaching the accident site riding pillion on a motorcycle, asking whether he is a rail minister or a "reel minister". Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said whenever there is a train accident, Modi government's railway minister reaches the spot under the glare of cameras and behaves as if everything is fine. "Narendra Modi ji, tell us who should be held accountable, the Railway Minister or you?" the Congress chief asked. Kharge posed seven questions to the government and demanded answers. After a major accident like Balasore, why was not even a single kilometer of the much-hyped "Kavach" anti-train collision system added, he asked. "Why are nearly 3 lakh posts vacant in the ..

People gave vote of no-confidence in him: Cong before Modi's Varanasi visit

On a day Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses his first event in Varanasi after the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress Tuesday said the people of his constituency gave a vote of no-confidence in him as he barely managed to edge past his Congress rival after trailing in multiple rounds of counting. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also posed a set of nine questions to the prime minister on issues concerning his constituency and asked why they have not been addressed. Ramesh asked the PM why river Ganga is "dirtier than before" even after spending Rs 20,000 crore on the Namami Gange project. He also asked why the nomination papers of 33 candidates were rejected in the Varanasi constituency during Lok Sabha polls. "The 'one-third' Pradhan Mantri is visiting Varanasi again, a few weeks after he barely eked out a victory after trailing @kashikirai for multiple rounds of counting. It was a vote of no confidence in him by the people of Varanasi. Here are 9 Varanasi-centric Questions

Priyanka Gandhi to make poll debut as Rahul to leave Wayanad for Rae Bareli

Kharge attributed the party's decision to have Rahul retain Rae Bareli to the Nehru-Gandhi family's "emotional" and "generational" ties with that seat

Ensure full transparency of EVMs or abolish them: Rahul Gandhi to EC

Raising questions on the reliability of EVMs, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday asked the Election Commission to ensure complete transparency of the machines and processes or abolish them. The demand came a day after the Congress leader had alleged that the electronic voting machine is a "black box" and nobody is allowed to scrutinise them while further alleging that serious concerns are being raised about transparency in our electoral process. "When democratic institutions are captured, the only safeguard lies in electoral processes that are transparent to the public," Gandhi said in a post on X. "EVM is currently a black box. EC must either ensure complete transparency of the machines and processes or abolish them," the former Congress president also said. Another Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi said, "Before treating the Electronic Voting Machines as infallible, the Election Commission of India should put out data on how many Electronic Voting Machines were found faulty ...

Delhi Cong urges L-G to act against those responsible for water crisis

The Congress' interim Delhi chief Devender Yadav has written to Lt Governor VK Saxena, demanding action against those responsible for the "unprecedented water crisis" in the national capital amid the extreme heat battering the city. According to a statement on Monday, Yadav alleged that despite significant wastage, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and the Delhi Police have not taken any action against the guilty. Water theft from DJB pipes have become a regular feature in many parts of Delhi. Yadav, in his letter, appealed to Saxena to issue a stringent directive to officials and their political leaders involved in a "blame game" to collaborate in effectively managing the water shortage and register FIRs against those responsible for the rapid rise in the scarcity, the statement added. Delhi Water Minister Atishi on Monday visited the Wazirabad barrage and appealed to the Haryana government to release water in the Yamuna river. "If no water is received, how will the water treatment plants

Cong demands abolition of Agnipath, seeks regular recruitment in army

The Congress on Monday demanded the abolition of the Agnipath scheme and urged the government to start permanent recruitment in the armed forces as before. Addressing a press conference here, party leader Deepender Hooda said for the past few days, there have been reports that a lot of flaws related to the Agnipath scheme are being mentioned in the Army's internal survey and various suggestions have come out. He said different newspapers have published how shortcomings can be rectified in the recruitment scheme. Some things that have come out include extending the duration of Agnipath by four years and instead of retaining 25 per cent in Agnipath, 60-70 per cent Agniveers should be retained besides increasing the training period of Agniveers, added Hooda. "We have always been saying that the Agnipath scheme is not in the interest of the youth as well as the country. Therefore, our demand is that this scheme should be abolished and permanent recruitment should be started in the army,

'Symbol of dynasticism', says BJP on Priyanka contesting from Wayanad seat

The BJP on Monday slammed the Congress accusing it of indulging in "dynastic politics" after party leader Rahul Gandhi decided to retain the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat and vacate Wayanad in Kerala for Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to contest the by-elections from the seat. "With Rahul Gandhi deciding to vacate the Wayanad seat and his sister to contest from there, it has become clear today that the Congress is not a political party but a company of the family," BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonwala charged. "Mother (Sonia Gandhi) will be in the Rajya Sabha, son (Rahul Gandhi) in the Lok Sabha from one (Rae Bareli) and Priyanka will also be in the Lok Sabha from another (Wayanad) seat. This is a symbol of dynasticism," he added. The BJP's reaction came after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that Gandhi will keep the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh and vacate the Wayanad seat in Kerala from where his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will contest. The BJP spokesperson ter

Naveen Patnaik likely to become leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly

BJD president and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik is likely to become the Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly as the regional outfit has scheduled its first legislature party meeting on Wednesday. This could be Patnaik's first time as leader of opposition (LoP) in his political career, which began in 1997. Patnaik served as the CM of Odisha five consecutive times from 2000 until June 2024. If Patnaik takes on the role of LoP, the party may elect a deputy leader to handle day-to-day activities in the Assembly, party sources said. In the 147-member Assembly, the BJP has 78 members, followed by the BJD with 51, Congress (14), CPIM 3, and Independents 3. In the last Assembly, the BJD had 113 MLAs. While Patnaik is expected to be unanimously elected as LoP, one of the senior leaders of the party is likely to be his deputy in the House. Given the saffron surge, many senior leaders lost their seats, but a few managed to retain it. Senior BJD leaders who won include Prasanna Ach

Highlights of the day: Rahul Gandhi to keep Rae Bareli LS seat, vacate Wayanad seat, says Kharge

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