Page 148 - Congress

Cong to remove 50% cap on reservation, NEET UG paper leak, Revanna sex scandal & more

Cong to remove 50% cap on reservation, NEET UG paper leak, Revanna sex scandal & more

LS polls highlights: Congress govt will ensure 50% reservation cap is removed, says Rahul Gandhi

General Elections 2024: Catch all the latest news updates on the Lok Sabha polls here

Modi govt decreased import duty on apples from 75% to 50%, says Congress

The Congress on Monday accused the Narendra Modi government of decreasing the import duty on apples from 75 per cent to 50 per cent contrary to the demands of the apple growers to enhance it to 100 per cent. Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee vice-president Naresh Chauhan alleged that Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi made misleading statements regarding import duty on apples. Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, Lekhi had said that the import duty on apples has been increased to 50 per cent due to certain limitations of international trade agreements and had claimed that the trade agreements were signed when Congress leader Anand Sharma was the Commerce minister in the UPA government. Chauhan said that low import duty has led to the substantial losses to the apple growers, with cold store apples fetching Rs 800 to Rs 1,200 less price per box. The duty free apples are being imported from Afghanistan and Iran due to which the apple economy of the state is under threat, he ...

Statements made by INDIA bloc leaders echoes voice of Pakistan: BJP

The BJP on Monday highlighted a series of statements made by INDIA bloc leaders that it said were against the nation's interest, as the ruling party accused the opposition of echoing the voice of Pakistan and asked people to be wary of such "traitors". BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi cited Maharashtra Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar's allegation that an RSS-affiliated police officer and not terrorist Ajmal Kasab killed the then anti-terrorism squad chief Hemant Karkare and former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi's claim that the attack on IAF personnel in Jammu and Kashmir was a poll stunt to slam the party. He cited five other instances, including Pakistani leader Chaudhry Fawad Hussain's criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and praise of Rahul Gandhi, and Farooq Abdullah's reference to Pakistan having nuclear weapons, to allege that these INDIA bloc leaders are echoing the neighbouring country's stand. What the National Conference leader has said is very ...

BJP, RSS want to alter Constitution, election aimed to save it: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said the ongoing Lok Sabha election is aimed at saving the country's Constitution, which he claimed the BJP and RSS want to change. Addressing a public meeting at Jobat town in Alirajpur district under the Ratlam-Jhabua Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh, Gandhi also said the Congress government will ensure the 50 per cent cap on reservation is removed in the interest of the people. The former Congress president again batted for a caste census, claiming it will reveal everything about the status of people and change the direction of politics in the country. "This election is being held to save the country's Constitution. The BJP, RSS want to change it, but the Congress and the (opposition) INDIA alliance are trying to save it," Gandhi said. He said the BJP gave the slogan of "400 paar" (aiming to win more than 400 Lok Sabha seats) with an intention to change the Constitution. "Leave alone 400 seats, the BJP will not get more than 150 seats this

Cong appoints Baghel, Gehlot as AICC observers for Rae Bareli, Amethi

The Congress on Monday appointed former chief ministers Bhupesh Baghel and Ashok Gehlot as AICC senior observers for Rae Bareli and Amethi Parliamentary constituencies, respectively. Ending weeks of suspense, the Congress on Friday announced that Rahul Gandhi will contest the Lok Sabha elections from Rae Bareli, the constituency held by his mother Sonia Gandhi for the last two decades, and Kishori Lal Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, will fight from Amethi. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is set to spearhead the campaign in Rae Bareli and Amethi, and camp in these parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh from Monday to ensure the party's victory in the two high-profile seats. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has approved the proposal to appoint Bhupesh Baghel and Ashok Gehlot as AICC senior observers for Rae Bareli and Amethi Parliamentary constituencies respectively, a statement issued by the party said. Priyanka Gandhi has already taken command of the ..

Go back to middle school or consult eye doctor: Chidambaram slams BJP

Taking a swipe at the BJP for criticising the Congress manifesto, party leader P Chidambaram on Monday said that if the ruling party leaders read the words 'generation of wealth' as 'redistribution of wealth', they should either go back to middle school or consult an eye doctor. Chidambaram, who headed the committee that drafted the Congress manifesto, said his party is committed to rapid growth and generation of wealth. "Congress' Manifesto makes the following statements and promises on wealth - ? industrial and business policies and regulations will be designed to facilitate the production of goods and services in larger volumes and higher values," the former finance minister said. All laws and rules that inhibit free and fair trade will be reviewed and changed, he said. "If the UPA had continued in office, the economy would have doubled again and stood at Rs 200 lakh crore in 2023-24," Chidambaram said. The Congress is committed to rapid growth and generation of wealth, he ...

FIR against Nadda, Amit Malviya and Vijayendra over social media post

An FIR has been registered against BJP president J P Nadda, the party's IT cell head Amit Malviya and Karnataka unit chief B Y Vijayendra in connection with a social media post allegedly intimidating members of SC and ST community not to vote for a particular candidate, police said on Monday. The action was taken following a complaint lodged by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) with the Election Commission and police on Sunday alleging violation of model code of conduct, they said. They were booked under the sections of Representation of People Act and section 505 (2) (Statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes) of the Indian Penal Code, a senior police officer said. In the complaint, the KPCC cited a video uploaded on the social media platform 'X' by the official account of Karnataka State BJP which, it alleged, is operated by Malviya, on instructions of Nadda, Vijayendra and Social Media incharge - Karnataka BJP, on May 4. "The said

Hunt for grand victories and impact on democratic culture

In the Indian system, margins of win are irrelevant. Searching for an ever-higher margin of victory is, therefore, pure hubris

LS polls: BJP, Congress again set for battle in 14 seats in Karnataka

The Congress and BJP will lock horns on the electoral battleground again in less than a fortnight in Karnataka, as the stage is set for the second phase of elections in the 14 remaining Lok Sabha seats on Tuesday. It is going to be a straight fight between the ruling Congress and BJP in Parliamentary segments in the northern districts. The JD(S) is not contesting in these seats and is supporting its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partner -- the BJP. The state has a total of 28 Lok Sabha constituencies. The first phase of polling in 14 seats in most of the southern and coastal districts was held on April 26. A total of 227 candidates -- 206 men and 21 women -- are in the fray for the second phase. More than 2.59 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in 28,269 polling stations where voting will take place between 7 am to 6 pm. The segments where elections will be held on Tuesday are: Chikkodi, Belgaum, Bagalkot, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Raichur, Bidar, Koppal, Bellary,

26-0 hat-trick in Gujarat? BJP upbeat but Congress sees opening

Nivedita Mookerji, who visited Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Vadodara, Rajkot, Surat, and industrial hubs Dholera and Sanand, sums up the mood in Gujarat ahead of the May 7 polls

Highlights: BJP will ensure reservation for SC, ST, OBC; even if one BJP MP in Parliament, says Shah

From Congress' star campaigners list for Lok Sabha elections to PM Modi's roadshow in Ayodhya, catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

Devender Yadav takes charge as Delhi Cong Prez, says will win all LS seats

The turbulence in the Delhi Congress started after its chief Arvinder Singh Lovely resigned from Congress and joined Bharatiya Janata Party

Will leave no stone unturned to ensure justice for Vemula's family: Cong

Venugopal reiterated his party's long-standing commitment to passing a Rohith Vemula Act if Congress forms government at the Centre after Lok Sabha polls

LS polls: Priyanka to spearhead Congress' campaign in Rae Bareli, Amethi

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will lead the Lok Sabha poll campaign in Rae Bareli and Amethi, and camp in these parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh from Monday to ensure the party's victory in the two high-profile seats, according to sources. Ending days of suspense, the Congress on Friday announced that Rahul Gandhi will contest the Lok Sabha elections from Rae Bareli, the constituency held by his mother Sonia Gandhi for the last two decades, and Kishori Lal Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, will fight from Amethi. Priyanka Gandhi has already taken command of the campaigns and will remain camped in Rae Bareli and Amethi from Monday onwards, till the end of polls. She will campaign aggressively to ensure the victory of her brother Rahul Gandhi and Sharma, sources told PTI. With Rahul Gandhi campaigning across India, Priyanka Gandhi has taken it upon herself to take charge of the campaigns in the two family bastions. The Congress has resolved to ensure ...

Cong govt in Karnataka to give financial aid to Prajwal rape victims

The Congress government in Karnataka will provide financial assistance to those allegedly sexually assaulted by JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna, the national party said on Sunday. Congress general secretary and the party's Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala made this announcement at a press conference here in the presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. He said former Congress president Rahul Gandhi had demanded that appropriate action be taken against the accused. "Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced financial assistance to the rape victims who are in hundreds, since it is a unique case which has never happened in the last 75 years," Surjewala said. Prajwal, the JD(S)-BJP alliance candidate from Hassan Lok Sabha constituency, is the grandson of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and nephew of former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy. He is wanted in a case pertaining to rape and molestation after hundreds of explicit videos allegedly came out in open. Flanked by ...

Cong vows justice amid probe discrepancies in Rohith Vemula's death

The Congress on Sunday said there were many discrepancies in the investigation conducted previously into Rohith Vemula's death in 2016 and asserted that its government in Telangana will leave no stone unturned to ensure justice for his family. Police in Telangana have filed a closure report before a court in its probe into the death of Rohith Vemula, a student of the University of Hyderabad, claiming he was not a Dalit and died by suicide in 2016 as he feared that his "real caste" would be discovered. Congress general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal, said Rohith Vemula's death was a grave atrocity that completely exposed the "anti-Dalit mindset" of the BJP. "The Congress, including Rahul Gandhi ji, has stood with Rohith Vemula's family through this difficult period," he said in a post on X. As has been clarified by the Telangana Police, the closure report concerned was prepared in June 2023, Venugopal said. "There were many discrepancies in the investigation conducted ...

Congress files complaint with EC against JP Nadda over MCC violation

The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) on Sunday sought the Election Commission to initiate action against BJP's national president J P Nadda and other senior leaders for allegedly violating the model code of conduct by posting a video on social media intimidating members of SC and ST community not to vote for a particular candidate. In a complaint to the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer, the Congress mentioned about a video uploaded on social media platform 'X' by the official account of Karnataka State Bharatiya Janata Party @bjp4karnataka which is operated by Amit Malviya, the head of IT cell on instructions of J P Nadda, BJP National President, B Y Vijayendra, BJP State President and Social Media incharge- Karnataka BJP on May 4 at 5.34 pm. "The said video posted on social media featured animated characters of Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah. In the clip, SC, ST and OBC community are portrayed as "eggs" in a nest and it also suggested Rahul Gandhi planting a big egg ...

Congress has lost faith of people, confidence of its leaders: CM Sai

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Sunday took a swipe at the Congress, saying the party has lost the faith of people and even the confidence of its leaders. Addressing a press conference at the BJP office Ekatma Parisar here, Sai exuded confidence that the saffron party will win all 11 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Sunday is the last day for campaigning for the third and last phase of the general elections in Chhattisgarh, where seven Lok Sabha constituencies will go to polls on May 7. Elections to 11 parliamentary constituencies in the state are being held in three phases, and polling in four seats took place in the first two phases. "This has been a unique election for me because, for the first time, I connected with the people as a chief minister during campaigning. I addressed 64 public rallies and 11 party workers convention and attended 26 meetings of different communities in 45 days while campaigning from March 20 to May 4, Sai said. The chief minister said he w

BJP will never change Preamble, reservation will remain: Rajnath Singh

The BJP government will never change the Constitution or end reservation, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, accusing the Congress of creating "fear psychosis" and resorting to spreading misinformation for "vote bank" politics. In an interview to PTI, Singh blasted the Congress for spreading "canards" that the BJP will change the Constitution if it returns to power and especially asserted that there was no question of changing the Preamble of the Constitution. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been alleging that the BJP will "tear up and throw away" the Constitution if it retains power. Some other Congress functionaries had expressed apprehensions that the BJP may drop the word "secularism" from the Preamble of the Constitution. "Congress brought constitutional amendments 80 times. They changed the Preamble during the Emergency," the defence minister said. "The BJP will never change the Constitution. Constitution makers never imagined that there would be changes in the Preamble. Y