Page 154 - Congress

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

LS polls: Rift among INDIA bloc triggers three-cornered contests in Bengal

As the final five phases of polls draw closer, rift among INDIA bloc partners, Congress-Left combine and the TMC, who are fighting separately has intensified, triggering a fierce contest across half of the remaining 36 constituencies in West Bengal driven by local issues such as Sandeshkhali and the SSC scam. TMC's decision to contest independently in the state, rather than as part of the bloc, has led to a three-way contest, with the other contenders being the BJP and the Congress-Left alliance. Nevertheless, both TMC and Congress have asserted that they are part of the INDIA bloc at the national level and are authentic representatives of the opposition front in Bengal. Political analysts suggest that without a dominant national narrative like national security after the 2019 Pulwama attacks, local concerns such as corruption allegations, the cancellation of School Service Commission (SSC) jobs, incidents in Sandeshkhali and implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) are

LS polls: 35 Muslim candidates contesting in Gujarat; none fielded by Cong

Thirty-five Muslim candidates are contesting the Lok Sabha polls in Gujarat but the Congress has this time broken its tradition and not fielded a single person from the community in the state. The Congress has argued that the Bharuch Lok Sabha seat, from where it used to traditionally field a Muslim candidate, has this time gone to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as part of the seat sharing agreement among the opposition INDIA bloc constituents. Among national parties, only the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has fielded a Muslim candidate from Gandhinagar for the May 7 polls in the state. The BSP had also fielded a Muslim candidate in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Panchmahal. This time, 35 Muslim candidates are in the fray for the Lok Sabha polls to be held in 25 out of the 26 seats in Gujarat, compared to 43 nominees from the community in 2019, according to Election Commission data. Most of the candidates from the community are either contesting independently or have been fielded by ...

PM Modi's political history based on 'Hindu-Muslim dispute': Digvijaya

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's political history is based on the "Hindu-Muslim dispute" and he should do some soul-searching as to who is benefiting from it, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has claimed. Singh, who has been fielded by the Congress from Rajgarh Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh, also said that he was not satisfied with the recent Supreme Court ruling on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister spoke to PTI while campaigning in the rural areas of Raghogarh assembly segment that falls under Rajgarh parliamentary constituency. "If you look at the political history of Modi ji, it is based on the Hindu-Muslim dispute. It would be better if Narendra Modi does some soul-searching as to who is benefiting from it and who all are suffering due to it," Singh said. Polling will be held in Rajgarh in the third phase of the Lok Sabha polls on May 7. Singh targeted the BJP for seeking votes on lines of caste and religion instead of real ...

Rahul has no fire but Cong playing with fire by risking divide: Rajnath

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has no fire while his party is playing with fire by attempting to create Hindu-Muslim divide for electoral dividends, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said. In an interview to PTI, Singh also indicated that the BJP will implement its big-ticket plans like rolling out of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and implementing the 'One Nation One Election' push if it retains power for the third consecutive term. The defence minister also said that he was confident that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will cross 400 seats and the BJP will get over 370 as these projections were made after detailed assessment of the ground situation and not made only for public consumption. On the overall political landscape, the defence minister accused the Congress of attempting to disturb social harmony and trying to create tensions on religious lines. "They are attempting to create Hindu-Muslim divide for electoral gains. The Congress is trying to create tensions on ...

Those who talk about 'jihad' are tarnishing democracy: UP CM Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said that those who talk about 'jihad' are tarnishing democracy and they should remember that India is the land of Lord Ram and Lord Krishna. Adityanath was addressing a public meeting in Farrukhabad in support of sitting BJP MP Mukesh Rajput, who is seeking re-election from the Lok Sabha constituency. His remarks came days after Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Maria Alam, the niece of senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid, called for "vote jihad" in favour of Naval Kishore Shakya, the INDIA bloc candidate from Farrukhabad Lok Sabha seat of Uttar Pradesh. According to a statement issued by the BJP, Adityanath said the people of the SP and the Congress are trying to create divisions on religious lines. "This is a conspiracy to Islamise India. Under this, they talk about vote jihad. There is no jihad in voting, we have to vote for the strongest democracy in the world so that our rights are protected," he said. Addressing a public

Rahul took rights of his sister by entering fray from Rae Bareli: MP CM

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's filing nomination from Rae Bareli constituency is akin to him snatching the rights of his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and her husband, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav alleged on Saturday. Addressing a rally in the Guna Lok Sabha constituency, Yadav claimed Rahul ran away to Kerala (Wayanad constituency) from Amethi (Uttar Pradesh) after facing defeat. "There is the sea ahead (in Kerala), otherwise it is not clear where Rahul would have gone," Yadav quipped. Rahul Gandhi had said he would contest from Amethi while his sister will be in the fray from Rae Bareli, Yadav said. "Smriti Irani (Union minister and BJP candidate) was sitting in Amethi and calling Rahul but he developed cold feet by the time he reached Uttar Pradesh," Yadav said, a day after Rahul filed his nomination from Rae Bareli seat, currently represented by his mother Sonia Gandhi. Yadav claimed Rahul's brother-in-law (Vadra) had put up posters in Uttar Pradesh that he was rea

Rahul Gandhi promotes caste survey, promises to abolish Agniveer scheme

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi once again advocated for a caste survey and an economic review to ascertain who possesses how much wealth and asserted that this will be the first task of the INDIA bloc if it is voted to power. Addressing students at "Nyay Manch - Ab India Bolega" in the national capital, Gandhi said an INDIA bloc government will also abolish the Agniveer scheme and compensate the 1.5 lakh youngsters who were selected but not given entry into the armed forces. "The first step is a caste census along with an economic survey and it will ascertain who possesses how much wealth in the country," he said. People making up 90 per cent of the country's population do not even know their strength and are unaware as to how much of India's wealth they possess, he added. "They say that they have almost 50 per cent of the population but they do not know how much wealth they have. We are going to conduct a caste census and the OBCs (Other Backward Classes) will know how much they hav

Economy will regress into 'fragile five' if Cong manifesto implemented: FM

If Congress' poll manifesto were to be implemented, the Indian economy currently ranked among the top five globally, would regress into the "fragile five", Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday. She claimed the Congress poll document is "more akin to a Muslim League document" and the BJP is duty-bound to question its import. Sitharaman's attack comes against the backdrop of the 'conducting an economic survey and x-ray of society' remarks made by Rahul Gandhi and the BJP's allegation that Congress is planning redistribution of wealth if voted to power. "It is the worst manifesto which is not in the interest of the nation," Sitharaman said. Speaking at a meeting with select journalists in Pune, the finance minister wondered whether the Congress has conducted the necessary financial planning to fulfil the assurances listed in its manifesto. "I know they are not coming to power, but I would still like to ask, even if the subject of the Congress manifesto were to b

Defamation case against Rahul over RSS remark: Hearing posted for June 29

A court in Thane in Maharashtra on Saturday posted the hearing in the defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to June 29. When the matter came up for hearing during the day in the magistrate's court in Bhiwandi, an adjournment was sought on the ground that a writ petition filed by the applicant was pending in the High Court and no order had been delivered on it as yet, Gandhi's counsel advocate Narayan Iyer told PTI. After hearing both parties, the magistrate posted the matter for hearing on June 29, Iyer said. The defamation case was filed by local RSS member Rajesh Kunte claiming Gandhi in a speech had linked the organisation to the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.

Former Delhi Congress Chief Arvinder Singh Lovely and others join BJP

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Arvinder Singh Lovely, Naseeb Singh and Neeraj Basoya, in their resignation letters, denounced the Congress's alliance with AAP for the general elections

LS polls: Former Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely joins BJP

Lovely joined the BJP in the presence of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, BJP General Secretary Vinod Tawde and Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva

28% contesting Phase 4 Lok Sabha elections are crorepati candidates

Lok Sabha elections 2024: A report by ADR and National Election Watch reveals that 476 out of 1,710 candidates in Phase-4 of LS polls are crorepatis, with 12% with assets worth more than Rs 5 crore

21% candidates contesting Phase 4 LS polls have criminal cases against them

Lok Sabha elections 2024: A report by ADR and National Election Watch reveals that 360 out of 1,710 Phase 4 Lok Sabha candidates face criminal cases, with 16% facing serious criminal charges

Lok Sabha polls: Rupala's remark controversy in air but missing on ground

BJP may be the frontrunner in Rajkot but Cong is counting on the ruling party's 'mistakes and failures'

'Daro mat': PM hits out at Rahul Gandhi over contesting from Rae Bareily

It will be the first time in 25 years that a Nehru-Gandhi family member will not contest from Amethi

Of legacies and changing electoral realities in old family strongholds

On Friday morning, the Congress announced that party leader Rahul Gandhi, in addition to Kerala's Wayanad, where polling concluded on April 26, will contest from Rae Bareli

LS polls Highlights: My heart bleeds for the woman molested at Raj Bhavan, says CM Mamata

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Former Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam returns to Shiv Sena after 19 years

Former Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam on Friday joined the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde here. The former Mumbai MP's political journey, thus, came a full circle as he had left the undivided Shiv Sena, then led by Bal Thackeray, 19 years ago. Chief Minister Shinde welcomed Nirupam -- whom Congress had expelled for "anti-party activities" last month -- into the Sena at a function. Nirupam will work as Shiv Sena deputy leader and spokesperson, Shinde announced. Notably, the Shiv Sena has a number of 'deputy leaders'. Nirupam, 59, began his political career as editor of 'Dophar Ka Saamana', the Hindi mouthpiece of the Shiv Sena, in the 1990s, and became the party's North Indian face. He joined Congress in 2005 and was appointed general secretary of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee. He won the Mumbai North Lok Sabha seat in the 2009 elections, defeating BJP veteran Ram Naik. He held various positions in the Grand Old Party and also headed the ...

Highlights: Telangana Police say Rohith Vemula was not a Dalit, give clean chit to all accused

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