Page 152 - Congress

Congress' Indore candidate Akshay Bam withdraws nomination, joins BJP

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Akshay Kanti Bam, the Congress candidate from Indore, withdrew his nomination on Monday

LS polls highlights: Opposition using fake videos to create social discord, says PM Modi

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

Women won't have to mortgage their mangalsutra anymore, says Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi said that, if elected, the Congress party would offer free medical care worth up to Rs 25 lakh, aiming to prevent women from mortgaging their mangalsutras for healthcare expenses

Sex scandal has shaken Kannadigas, Indians alike: Mahila Cong chief

All India Mahila Congress President Alka Lamba on Monday accused the BJP and JD(S) of being silent over the alleged sex scandal involving Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna and said the horrifying case of violence against women has shocked the nation. "More than 3000 videos with hundreds of women being sexually harassed, violated and even brutalised by MP Prajwal Revanna over the past few years have shaken the conscience of Kannadigas and Indians alike," she told at a press conference here. Prajwal (33) is grandson of JD(S) supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda. JD(S) joined the NDA in September last year. He was the NDA candidate in Hassan Lok Sabha constituency, which went for polls on April 26. According to police sources, he left the country after voting was over. The Congress government in Karnataka on Sunday constituted a Special Investigation Team to probe the alleged sex scandal. Some explicit video clips allegedly involving Prajwal had started making the rounds in Hassa

PM Modi invoking Goebbels while speaking about Cong Nyay Patra: Ramesh

The Congress on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of taking inspiration from Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels while speaking about the party's Nyay Patra for the Lok Sabha elections. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "For his MA in Entire Political Science, Mr. Narendra Modi must definitely have read Joseph Goebbels on the value of propaganda and taken inspiration from him." He noted that Goebbels had stated that "If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it." Ramesh said he also wrote in 1941 that "The English follow the principle that when one lies, one should lie big and stick to it." Goebbels was the propaganda minister of German ruler Adolf Hitler. "In his latest interview to a TV channel, which is being headlined, the outgoing PM has yet again blatantly, brazenly and shamelessly lied about the Congress's Nyay Patra. It once again proves that Mr.Modi's motto has always been 'Asatyameva Jayate.' Tr

Congress planning religion-based quota, will not let this happen: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday accused the Congress of planning religion-based reservation in the country for the sake of vote bank politics, but asserted that he will not let it happen. He said this Congress proposal is to appease minorities as the SC/ST and OBC community is now with the BJP. "In Karnataka, Congress has started a campaign to change the Constitution and to snatch away the rights of SC/ST and OBCs. Our Constitution does not accept religion-based reservation. But the Karnataka government has given part of OBC reservation to Muslims," Modi said. Addressing a mega election rally in this district headquarters town, he said, "they (Congress) will not settle with this. They had earlier too in their manifesto said about coming out with a law to provide religion-based reservation. There is a similar signal in their manifesto this time." "I want to make my Dalit, SC/ST and OBC brothers and sisters aware about Congress' intentions. These people on the basis of ...

Congress questions Modi govt on payment of MGNREGS wages in Karnataka

Attacking the Modi government over key issues in Karnataka, the Congress on Monday questioned the "delay" in the vital Bagalkote-Kudachi Railway line project and also asked when it is going to pay the state's MGNREGS workers their wages. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his rally in Bagalkote in Karnataka. "Why has the Modi Government failed to deliver the Bagalkote-Kudachi Railway line? Why is the Modi Government holding up the Upper Bhadra and Mahadayi projects? When will the PM pay Karnataka's MGNREGA workers?" Ramesh said in a post on X. Elaborating on what he said were "jumla details", Ramesh said the Bagalkote-Kudachi line of the South-Western Railway has now been delayed by more than eight years. As of today, only 33 per cent, or 46 km of the 142 km line has been completed, he said. "Originally sanctioned in 2010-11 at an outlay of Rs 986 crore, the project has now seen its cost balloon to Rs 1,649 crore. ...

BJD, BJP, Cong claims credit for Kalahandi's development; field new faces

Once infamous for drought and starvation deaths during the 1980s, the Kalahandi Lok Sabha constituency in western Odisha seems to have undergone a remarkable transformation, with political parties across the board claiming credit for its development. It appears that the operationalisation of the Indravati Irrigation project and schemes like the Revised Long-Term Action Plan (RLTAP) worked wonders for the region. While the BJD, BJP and Congress promise further development in the area if voters elect their candidate, all three parties have fielded fresh faces for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections in consideration of the fact that Kalahandi chose a new MP in each of the last three parliamentary polls. In the 2009 general elections, Bhakta Charan Das of Congress had won from the Kalahandi seat, while Arka Keshari Deo of BJD and Basant Kumar Panda of BJP won the subsequent editions of the polls in 2014 and 2019 respectively. The BJD has chosen Lambodar Nial, the BJP named Malavika Keshari

Can the Congress build on the BJP's fascination with its manifesto?

The Opposition, especially the Congress, will have to go much beyond press conferences and urban election meetings by taking these issues to voters in the rural hinterland

Probe 'terrible mismanagement' of Lok Sabha polls in Kerala: Congress to EC

Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly V D Satheesan said the elections in Kerala were "grossly mismanaged", leading to considerable delays in numerous polling booths

Cong names candidates for two LS seats, 8 assembly constituencies in Odisha

The Congress on Sunday released the names of two Lok Sabha candidates and eight nominees for the Assembly elections in Odisha. According to the candidates list released by AICC's Central Election Committee, the party changed the contestant for the Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat. Former MP Nagendra Pradhan is made the new candidate in place of Dulal Chandra Pradhan. The party fielded former minister Suresh Mohapatra in the Cuttack Lok Sabha constituency. Denying ticket to Barabati-Cuttack MLA Md Moquim, the Congress has fielded his daughter Sofia Firdous. Former MLA Debi Prasad Chand will contest from Jaleswar assembly segment while Monalisa Lenka will fight from Balasore assembly seat. The party fielded Ajay Samal in Badachana assembly segment while Dakir Samal will contest from Pallhara seat. Pratima Mallick will fight from Jagatsinghpur assembly segment. The Congress also changed the candidate in two assembly seats - Baripada and Khandapada. Pramod Kumar Hembram will contest from Bar

Have only resigned as Delhi Cong chief, not joining any party: Arvinder

Arvinder Singh Lovely on Sunday said he has only resigned as chief of the Congress' Delhi unit and is not joining any other political party. His clarification came after Congress ex-MLA Asif Mohammad Khan claimed that the BJP would field Lovely from the East Delhi constituency, replacing Harsh Malhotra. "I have only resigned as Delhi Congress chief and I am not joining any political party," he said at a press conference at his residence. Lovely said his resignation reflected the pain of Congress workers saddened by the fact that the "ideals they had been fighting for during the last seven to eight years" were being compromised. "We are fighting the elections together but never did the Congress workers say that we are giving a clean chit to them or giving them credit for building schools and hospitals, which is far from the reality," Lovely said, referring to the party's tie-up with the AAP in Delhi for the Lok Sabha polls. In a setback to the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha polls,

'Shehzada' insulted maharajas, silent on nawabs: PM Narendra Modi

Congress says PM guilty of distorting remarks

Just 8% of women candidates in first two phases of Lok Sabha polls

Women constituted only eight per cent of the total 1,618 candidates in the first two phases of the Lok Sabha polls, with political activists saying it reflects a deeper issue of gender bias and that the talk of empowering them rings hollow. In the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls, there were 135 women candidates while in the second phase, there were 100 women candidates, bringing the combined total for the first two phases to 235 women candidates. Of the 135 women candidates in phase 1, Tamil Nadu had the highest share at 76, but they account for just 8 per cent of the candidates in the state, while Kerala has the maximum women candidates at 24 in phase 2. Party-wise, the Congress has fielded 44 women till now while 69 women have been fielded by the BJP in the first two phases. This significant gender imbalance has sparked criticism from political analysts and activists, who ask why parties are waiting for the Women's Reservation Bill to be implemented instead of proactively ...

'Shehzade' insulted Maharajas, but silent on atrocities by Nawabs: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of insulting India's Rajas and Maharajas, but remaining silent on the atrocities committed by Nawabs, Nizams, Sultans and Badshahs for the sake of appeasement politics. Addressing a mega public meeting here, he said, "Congress has ensured the writings of our history and our freedom struggle with an eye on appeasement and vote bank. Even today, the Congress' shehzade (prince) is carrying forward that sin. You might have heard Congress' shehzade's recent statement -- he says Bharath's Rajas and Maharajas were atyachari (oppressive)," Modi said. "He (Gandhi) has accused them (Rajas and Maharajas) of usurping the lands and properties of people and poor...Congress' shehzade has insulted great personalities like Chatrapati Shivajji Maharaj and Kittur Rani Channamma, whose administration and patriotism inspires us even today," the prime minister said. Recalling the contribution of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family

Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Lovely resigns after party allied with AAP

This comes days after former Delhi minister and AICC member Rajkumar Chauhan resigned from the party following an altercation with Babria

After LS polls phase II washout, desperate PM 'fear-mongering'?: Congress

The Congress on Sunday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is indulging in "fear mongering" as he is "desperate" after facing a "washout" in the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed questions for the prime minister ahead of his rallies in Karnataka. "After the Phase II washout, a desperate PM is on a spree of Karnataka rallies today. Instead of lying and fear mongering, these are the questions he should answer," Ramesh said, listing his posers. "Why have BJP MPs performed so poorly as the people's representatives? After a 7-month delay, why has the Centre released less than 20% of drought relief funds? Why is the Centre holding up the Upper Bhadra and Mahadayi projects?" the Congress leader said on X. Elaborating on what he said were "jumla details", Ramesh asked where have BJP MPs been while the Modi government has been "unleashing its vengeance" on Karnataka. Citing the latest data from the Parliamentary Research Service (PRS)

LS polls: JP Nadda and Rahul Gandhi to address rallies in Odisha today

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and BJP president JP Nadda will address election rallies in different parts of Odisha on Sunday. Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to address an election rally at Salepur in Cuttack district around 1 pm, and also visit Satyabhamapur to pay tributes to 'Utkal Gourav' Madhusudan Das, AICC general secretary and the party's Odisha in-charge Ajoy Kumar said. People from across four Lok Sabha constituencies of Cuttack, Kendrapara, Jajpur and Jagatsinghpur would be attending Rahul Gandhi's rally, he said. On the other hand, Nadda is scheduled to reach Bhubaneswar at 4.30 pm and address a public meeting in Ambapua area in Gopalpur assembly segment around 5.30 pm, BJP spokesperson Golak Nayak said. He will also have "exhaustive interactions" with party workers from three Lok Sabha constituencies of Berhampur, Koraput and Nabarangpur, in Berhampur. Police have made elaborate arrangements for the arrival of the two national leaders at Bhubaneswar. Both of them will reac

PM imagining Cong manifesto, should debate 'real' issues, says Chidambaram

Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday said the PM has imagined a Congress manifesto written by one of his ghost speech writers and he should debate the real issues included in the document. Chidambaram's remarks come amid repeated attacks by the prime minister over Congress leader Sam Pitroda's 'inheritance tax' comments amid the row on the issue of 'wealth redistribution'. "The Hon'ble Prime Minister continues to discover and read in the Congress' manifesto words and sentences that are not there! He has imagined a Congress' manifesto written by one of his ghost speech writers," Chidambaram, who was the chairman of the committee that drafted the Congress manifesto, said. The phrase 'inheritance tax' does not occur anywhere in the manifesto, the former finance minister said in his post on X. "The Congress' promises on taxation are quite clear: Bring an era of transparency, equity, clarity and impartial tax administration of

Congress' next list of LS candidates to be out within 2 days: KC Venugopal

Congress held a Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting Saturday to discuss candidates for highly anticipated seats in Uttar Pradesh--Raebareli and Amethi.