Page 135 - Congress

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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South Africa re-elects Cyril Ramaphosa as president; what happens next?

Two smaller parties, the socially conservative Inkatha Freedom Party and the right-wing Patriotic Alliance, are also part of the pact

'Utter mismanagement' of railway ministry: Kharge on WB train accident

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday slammed the Modi government for "utter mismanagement" of the Railway Ministry as he condoled the loss of lives in the West Bengal train accident. "Extremely distressed by the Kanchanjunga Express train collision accident in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, where many people have lost their lives and several have been injured," he said. "The scenes of the accident are painful. Our heart goes out to the families of the victims. In this hour of grief, we express our solidarity and condolences to each one of them. We wish a speedy recovery to the injured. Immediate and full compensation must be provided to the victims," he demanded. Kharge alleged that in the past 10 years, the Modi government has indulged in "utter mismanagement" of the Railway Ministry. "As a responsible Opposition, it is our bounden duty to underline how the Modi Government has systematically converted the Rail Ministry into a platform of 'Camera-driven' self-promotion," the .

Here's why opposition in India must offer people a credible alternative

India's electorate has clearly tired of giving Modi a free hand. Voters reduced the BJP to a minority in Parliament in the recent elections

BJP leaders vandalised Delhi Jal Board office: AAP minister Bharadwaj

Amid protests over the severe water crisis in the national capital, Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Sunday accused BJP leaders and workers of vandalising an office of the Delhi Jal Board. Terming it a "conspiracy" against the government, Bharadwaj shared a video showing some people breaking the windows of an office by hurling stones and earthern pots at it. "See BJP leaders wearing party sashes and its workers raising slogans of BJP Zindabad vandalising government property at the Delhi Jal Board office. Who is getting pipelines broken at various places? Whose conspiracy is it?" he said in a post on X in Hindi. Earlier in the day, BJP leaders led a protest against the AAP government in different areas across Delhi over the water crisis. The AAP government has been accusing the BJP-ruled Haryana of not releasing Delhi's share of water. The Congress has also held protests against the acute water shortage in the national capital.

Serious questions on NTA's integrity, how NEET conduct; demand review: Cong

The Congress on Sunday said there are "serious questions" on the integrity of the National Testing Agency and the manner in which NEET is designed and administered. The opposition party hoped that when the new Standing Committees of Parliament gets constituted, it would take up an in-depth review of the NEET, NTA and NCERT. "I was a member of Parliament's Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare between 2014 and 2019 and recall broad support for NEET. But there were MPs, especially from Tamil Nadu, who had raised concerns that NEET would privilege CBSE students and would disadvantage youth coming from non-CBSE schools," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X. "I do think now that this CBSE issue needs proper analysis. Is NEET discriminatory? Are students from poorer backgrounds being denied opportunities? Other states like Maharashtra also have expressed grave doubts on NEET," he said. There are also serious questions on the integrity of the National ..

Popularised by Rahul Gandhi, pocket version of Constitution drawing fancy

Measuring roughly 20 centimetres in length and nine centimetres in breadth, a leather-bound copy of the Constitution, which was frequently flashed by former Congress president Rahul Gandhi during the Lok Sabha elections has a deep Lucknow connection thanks to its publishers, who first printed it in 2009. And if publishers Eastern Book Company are to be believed, people have started showing more interest in the coat pocket edition of the Constitution after Gandhi pulled it out on several occasions during the campaign. Sumeet Malik, one of the directors of the Eastern Book Company, told PTI that the idea of printing a court pocket edition came from Supreme Court advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, who suggested that they should publish a version that fits easily in the lawyers' court pockets. "The first edition was launched in 2009 and there have been about 16 editions of this book, which have been published so far. And over the years, these copies have been purchased by many lawyers and

Trump dares Biden to cognitive test but confuses doc's name who tested him

Donald Trump on Saturday night suggested President Joe Biden should have to take a cognitive test," only to confuse who administered the test to him in the next sentence. The former president and presumptive Republican nominee referred to Texas Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson, who was the White House physician for part of his presidency, as "Ronny Johnson. The moment came as Trump was questioning Biden's mental acuity, something he often does on the campaign trail and social media. He doesn't even know what the word inflation' means. I think he should take a cognitive test like I did," the former president said of Biden during a speech at a convention of Turning Point Action in Detroit. Seconds later, he continued, Doc Ronny Johnson. Does everyone know Ronny Johnson, congressman from Texas? He was the White House doctor, and he said I was the healthiest president, he feels, in history, so I liked him very much indeed immediately." Jackson was elected to Congress in 2021 and is one of

J-K Cong passes resolution, appeals Rahul Gandhi to take role of LoP in LS

The Jammu and Kashmir unit of Congress on Saturday passed a resolution here, appealing former president Rahul Gandhi to take the role of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The resolution was passed at a one-day convention of the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chaired by J-K unit president Vikar Rasool Wani and attended by almost all senior leaders and workers, a party spokesman said. "Rahul Gandhi taking over as the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha is the need of the hour. This is the demand of general workers and the people of this country who desire a strong opposition to raise the issues faced by the common people," the spokesman said, quoting the resolution. The convention, first after the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls which saw the BJP retaining both seats of Jammu region for the third term, also congratulated Sonia Gandhi on being elected chairperson of Congress Parliamentary Party, lauding her leadership and dedication towards the party throughout her political ..

HC orders removal of posts by Cong leaders against journalist Rajat Sharma

The Delhi High Court has ordered removal of social media posts by Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh, Pawan Khera and Ragini Nayak alleging that veteran journalist Rajat Sharma used "abusive language" during his show on the Lok Sabha election result day. The court said an irreparable loss and injury would be caused to the plaintiff's reputation if the videos and posts on X were allowed to remain in the public domain. Justice Neena Bansal Krishna said it is prima facie evident from the footage of the TV debate played in the court that plaintiff Sharma had "barely intervened for a few seconds and no abusive language was used" against Nayak. The social media posts berating the journalist are an "over-sensationalisation", the court said. "It cannot be denied that the citizens have a right to freedom of speech and expression but there was also a corresponding duty to remain truthful to the incident. The X posts berating the plaintiff are nothing but an over-sensationalisation and depiction

Priyanka Gandhi urges Centre, U'khand govt to prevent forest fire incidents

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday urged the Centre and the Uttarakhand government to take steps to prevent forest fire incidents and make effective efforts with everyone's cooperation to save the Himalayas. Her remarks came after four forest workers were killed and four others injured while extinguishing a fire at the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary under the Civil Soyam Forest Division in Almora district of Uttarakhand. In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said, "The news of the death of four employees who went to extinguish the forest fire in Almora, Uttarakhand and many others getting injured is extremely saddening. I pray to God for everyone. I request the state government to provide compensation and assistance at every possible level to the affected families." The forests of Uttarakhand have been burning continuously for the past several months and hundreds of hectares of forest have been destroyed, she noted. There are reports of forest fires in Himachal Pradesh as well, s

Highlights: Ex-CM Yediyurappa can't be arrested in sexual assault case till next hearing, says court

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Counter falsehood being spread by Congress: Khattar to BJP workers

Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday asserted that the BJP will return to power in Haryana for a third term and asked party workers to blunt the "falsehood" being spread by the Congress. This was his first visit to the state after being sworn in as a minister in the Narendra Modi cabinet. Khattar, a former Haryana chief minister, was given a warm welcome by BJP workers at various places including Sonipat, Panipat and Karnal. During his travel from Delhi to Karnal, the minister for power and housing and urban affairs addressed BJP workers. Khattar asked party workers to keep working on the ground for the October Haryana assembly polls as they had did during the Lok Sabha elections. Lashing out at the Congress, he alleged that during the Lok Sabha polls, the party spread falsehood that if voted back to power at the Centre with absolute majority, the BJP would abolish reservation and scrap the Constitution. "For us, the Constitution is like the holy Gita," Khattar said and as

Union min G Kishan Reddy holds 1st review meeting of coal, mines ministries

Union Minister G Kishan Reddy has reviewed both the coal and mines ministries after taking charge. "Held a detailed review meeting of the Ministry of Mines ( @MinesMinIndia) in New Delhi," he said on Friday in a post on X (formerly known as twitter). Reddy on Thursday took charge as coal and mines minister and said that India should increase domestic production of the fossil-fuel and reduce coal imports. The minister of state for coal and mines Satish Chandra Dubey and other officials of the mines ministry were also present during the meeting. In another post, the minister said, "Chaired 1st review meeting of the Ministry of Coal after taking charge in New Delhi." Reddy on Thursday told reporters that India should increase domestic coal production and reduce import of fossil fuel. India's coal import rose by 7.7 per cent to 268.24 million tonnes (MT) in FY '24. Reddy further said 10 years ago there was a coal shortage in the country and due to this there was also a shortage of ..

South Africa political parties form unity govt amid Prez election deadline

South African lawmakers are expected to elect the country's president on Friday after being sworn in at the first sitting of Parliament that will also reveal the kind of unity government the ruling African National Congress has managed to cobble together after losing its majority for the first time since 1994. The lawmakers are also expected to elect Parliament's new speaker and deputy speaker, choices that will be determined by negotiations that have taken place between the ANC and opposition parties since the country's election results were declared nearly two weeks ago. Parties are under pressure to conclude negotiations by Thursday to fulfil the constitutional requirement to swear in lawmakers and elect the president within 14 days of election results being declared. The African National Congress won 40 per cent of the national vote during the country's highly contested elections, followed by the Democratic Alliance with just over 21 per cent and the newly formed uMkhonto weSizw

Flying to Italy for G7 to salvage diminished int'l image: Cong slams PM

The Congress on Thursday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his first visit abroad in his third term, saying he is flying to Italy to "salvage his diminished international image" at this year's G7 Summit. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the G7 Summit of the heads of state of USA, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, UK and Japan has been taking place since the late 1970s. Between 1997 and 2014, Russia was also a member, he pointed out. Since 2003, India, China, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa have also been invited to G7 Summits, Ramesh said. The most famous of the G7 Summits from India's point of view was in June 2007 in Helligendamm in Germany as it was here that the famous Singh-Merkel formula for ensuring equity in global climate change negotiations was first presented to the world, he said. "It is still talked about. Dr. Manmohan Singh and German Chancellor Angela Merkel created history. Dr. Manmohan Singh had emerged as the voice of the Global Sou

Maharashtra MLC polls: Shiv Sena (UBT) to contest three seats, Congress one

A day after the Congress accused Uddhav Thackeray of unilaterally announcing his party's candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Council polls, the two parties finalised the deal on Wednesday with the Shiv Sena (UBT) deciding to contest three out of four seats, while the grand old party will fight one. The biennial elections to four legislative council seats- Mumbai Graduates' constituency, Konkan Graduates' constituency, Mumbai Teachers' constituency and Nashik Teachers' constituency - became necessary as the terms of sitting members are expiring in July. Voting will be held on June 26 and results will be declared on July 1. Today was the last date of withdrawal of applications. As per the seat-sharing deal finalised by the two Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) constituents, the Shiv Sena (UBT) will contest Mumbai Graduates' constituency, Mumbai Teachers' constituency and Nashik Teachers' constituency, while the Congress will fight the Konkan Graduates' constituency. Maharashtra