Page 163 - Congress

Cong insulted Lord Ram by refusing invite for 'pran pratishta': PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused the Congress of making several attempts to stall the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and for insulting Lord Ram by rejecting the invitation for the 'pran pratishta' ceremony. Addressing an election rally here, Modi also said that the Congress is immersed in the swamp of appeasement and can never come out of it. "The Congress made several efforts so that the Ram temple in Ayodhya is not constructed. But when the people of the country made such a beautiful temple by contributing every penny, and when the temple people forgave all your sins, and invited you for the 'pran prathistaa', you insulted Lord Ram by rejecting the invitation and expelled leaders, who attended it, for six years," he said. "Every family of the country contributed according to their devotion. The people of Pilibhit also gifted a huge flute to Ayodhya. But, the people of INDI alliance had hatred even before the construction of Ram temple and they have hatred

Youth taken for ride by BJP's double-engine govt in UP, alleges Congress

The Congress on Tuesday alleged that the youth have been "taken for a ride" by the BJP's "double engine" government in Uttar Pradesh and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to answer to their "woes" in the state. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh attacked Prime Minister Modi ahead of his rally in Pilibhit and posed questions to him on key issues in the state . "Today, the PM is in Uttar Pradesh, a state where the youth have been taken for a ride by the BJP's 'Double-Engine' Sarkar. Perhaps the PM can use some of his time to answer for the woes of UP's youth," Ramesh said in a post on X. He said that last year, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath promised that he would create two crore new jobs in the state over the next three-four years. "Remember this is the same promise that the Prime Minister had once made in 2014 before he came to office. We know what followed - years of record unemployment and slow growth. What have the Prime Minister and his acolytes done over the last decad

LS polls: Assam CEO issues notice to Cong over model code violation charges

The Assam Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has issued notice to the Congress on allegation of violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), raised by the BJP. A complaint was filed by the BJP on Monday, alleging that the Congress 'guarantee cards', which are being distributed house-to-house, were in violation of the MCC. The CEO issued a show-cause notice to the state Congress president on Monday evening, seeking a response within 2 pm of April 11. "Whereas on the basis of a prima facie scrutiny, it appears that these Guarantee Cards bearing the Symbol and Photographs of Star Campaigners of your party are violative of the Model Code of Conduct guidelines," the notice said. It said the complaint by BJP stated that the 'guarantee cards' promised Rs one lakh to every educated youth in the first year and Rs one lakh per year to one female member of every poor family, without disclosing the source of funds to fulfil these promises. The CEO maintained that prima facie scrutiny indicated th

India needs more leaders like Manmohan Singh to propel growth momentum

The standard critique of Singh mingles this lack of legitimacy with his retiring manner and stilted speechmaking to create a picture of a weak man who just happened to make history

LS polls: Congress, NC to contest 3 seats each in Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh

The Lok Sabha polls in the Union Territory will be held in the first five phases on April 19 (Udhampur), April 26 (Jammu), May 7 (Anantnag-Rajouri), May 13 (Srinagar) and May 20 (Baramulla)

'Muslim League blueprint': War of words over Cong manifesto for LS polls

The Congress' Nyay Patra purportedly has a solution to every problem that the Modi government has imposed on this country over the past decade, said Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate

Highlights of the day: Byju's arranges for alternative credit, begins March salary payouts

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Congress source of all problems in country, says PM Modi in Maharashtra

In an acerbic attack on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held the grand old party responsible for all ills plaguing the country and went on to compare the outfit to bitter gourd (karela), whose taste he said, will never change even if it is "fried in ghee or mixed with sugar". Seeking votes for the BJP-led NDA, he declared the ensuing Lok Sabha polls were a fight between stability and instability, and accused the opposition of seeking power only to indulge in corruption. Addressing his first rally in Maharashtra for the 2024 elections, Modi targeted the Congress and its policies. "The Congress is the source of all problems in the country. Who was responsible for the Partition of the country on the basis of religion...Kashmir (issue), Naxalism? Who opposed Ram temple construction and questioned the existence of Lord Ram. Who declined the Ram temple (inauguration) invite?" he asked the gathering at Chandrapur, the only Lok Sabha seat won by the Congress in 2019. .

Lok Sabha elections highlights: It's an election between stability and instability, says PM Modi in Maharashtra

LS polls latest news: Catch all the news updates on the announcements related to General Elections 2024 here

Former Union minister Birender Singh leaves BJP, to join Congress

Former Union minister Birender Singh on Monday said he has quit the BJP and will join the Congress, the move coming almost a month after his son Brijendra Singh joined the grand old party. His wife Prem Lata Singh -- a former BJP MLA from Haryana -- also quit the party. "I have resigned from the primary membership of the BJP and sent my resignation to party chief JP Nadda. My wife, Prem Lata, who was an MLA from 2014-2019, has also quit the party. Tomorrow (Tuesday), we will join the Congress," Birender Singh (78), a prominent political figure in Haryana, told reporters in Delhi. After quitting the BJP, Birender Singh also met Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda in Delhi. Birender Singh joined the BJP nearly 10 years ago after an over four-decade stint with the Congress. After his son joined the Congress on March 10, there was speculation that Birender Singh would follow suit. Birender Singh was Union steel minister in the first government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. H

'Not joining any party or contesting polls,' says actor Sanjay Dutt

Actor issues a clarification stating he will not be contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024

Cong moves EC against PM Modi, BJP over 'Muslim League' jab at manifesto

'We are deeply saddened by what the Prime Minister says in his speeches,' said the Congress

'Step aside, take a break': Prashant Kishor's advice for Rahul Gandhi

Poll strategist said former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has been 'unsuccessfully' running the party for the last 10 years

Some leaders quit Cong moment they receive notices from agencies: Venugopal

Senior Congress leader K C Venugopal on Monday said some leaders quit the party the moment they receive notices from Central investigating agencies and 'fall at the feet of BJP and Union government.' Venugopal, who is AICC general secretary (Organisation), however, hailed leaders like Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and said according to him, he defeated the alleged pressure exerted by BJP through various agencies. Citing the example of Shivakumar, he further said the Karnataka Deputy CM was a leader who had shown the courage to continue in the party despite being jailed for no reason by Central agencies. While many other leaders quit Congress when they received notices from Central investigating agencies and surrendered (before the BJP-led Union government), Shivakumar declared the Indian National Congress is his mother and he won't leave the party. "Shivakumar was sent to prison...Sent to Tihar jail for no reason. He was told that he would be freed if he was ready

PM Modi 'failed' to protect rights of tribals in Chhattisgarh, says Cong

The Congress on Monday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had "failed" to protect the rights of tribal communities in Chhattisgarh and asked whether he will ever meaningfully commit himself to tribal welfare. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed questions to Prime Minister Modi ahead of his rally in Bastar. "The dealings of the BJP here (Bastar) have shown that their friendship with corporate cronies runs much deeper than their sense of duty to the people," he said. "We hope that the PM can shed some light on why he has failed to protect the rights of tribal communities in the state," Ramesh said. He claimed that the dense, biodiversity-rich Hasdeo Aranya forest, considered the "lungs of the state" are under threat from the BJP and their "favourite crony", Adani Enterprises. "When the Congress Party was in power, we had 40 coal blocks in this forest cancelled by the Union Coal Ministry to protect the sacred forest. Since the BJP has returned, they have reversed th

Cong, AAP eye tribal LS seats in Guj, BJP's grip strong: Political analysts

The Congress and AAP have tied up in their bid to breach Gujarat, a BJP fortress, through the state's tribal-dominated seats in the Lok Sabha polls, but the saffron party's grip over these constituencies is too strong, say political analysts. Of the state's 26 seats that will go to polls on May 7, Dahod, Chhota Udaipur, Bardoli and Valsad are reserved for ST (Scheduled Tribes) candidates, while Bharuch has a sizable population of tribals though it is a general seat. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has made some inroads into the tribal belt, reflected by its victory from Dediapada (ST) assembly segment under the Bharuch Lok Sabha seat in the 2022 state polls. The Congress, once a powerhouse in Gujarat's tribal landscape, has renewed its focus on the tribal belt. Last month, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra traversed through areas under these Lok Sabha seats. Taking a cue from their crushing defeats in the last assembly polls when anti-BJP votes in the tribal belt got

Lok Sabha polls: Unemployment imposed by BJP biggest issue, says Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said the biggest issue in the Lok Sabha elections is the unemployment "imposed by the BJP", claiming the youth are struggling to find jobs and the country is staring at a "demographic nightmare". In a post on X, Kharge said the Congress 'Pehli Naukri Pakki' guarantee under 'Yuva Nyay' would remove the barriers that separate work and learning, thereby opening fresh avenues for career growth. "The biggest issue in these Lok Sabha elections is unemployment, imposed by the BJP. Our Youth are struggling to find jobs, and we are staring at a demographic nightmare," the Congress president claimed. Citing the case of India's premier institutes, IITs and IIMs, Kharge said across 12 IITs, around 30 per cent of our students are not getting regular placements. "Only 20% of 21 IIMs could complete the summer placements so far. If this is the situation in IITs and IIMs, then one can imagine how the BJP has destroyed the future of our Youth across th

LS polls in Kerala: INDIA bloc allies CPI(M), Cong trade allegations on CAA

The ruling CPI(M) in Kerala and the opposition Congress, both part of the INDIA bloc, on Sunday traded allegations against each other on various issues, including the CAA and the recent Kannur blast, as the Lok Sabha poll campaign intensified in the state. Polling will be held in the state on April 26. At an LDF public meeting in Mavelikkara Lok Sabha constituency, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reiterated his accusations of Congress being silent on the implementation of the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and various central government policies that are against the interests of the state. He contended that the Congress never opposed the central government policies that are financially choking the state and obstructing its welfare measures. Vijayan went on to claim that the past experience of the country has been that the Congress's stand was always similar to that of the BJP and, therefore, they cannot be trusted to oppose the saffron party. He further alleged

LS elections: Congress announces three more candidates for West Bengal

Congress party has also approved the candidature of Anju Begum as Congress candidate for the bye-election to the Legislative Assembly of West Bengal from the Bhagabangola constituency

Modi govt meting out injustice to sanitation workers, says Jairam Ramesh

The Congress on Sunday accused the Modi government of meting out "injustice" to sanitation workers and asserted that if voted to power, it will end the evil practice of manual scavenging, re-skilling all those engaged in it for some other work and provide them jobs. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh shared a media report on X on the death of a sanitation worker due to gas leakage after he descended into a sewer without equipment. "On April 5 2024, a sanitation worker in the Prime Minister's own Lok Sabha constituency died due to gas leakage after descending into a sewer without equipment. This is not a new issue in Banaras (Varanasi) - during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, we were told that in the last ten years, more than 25 deaths have occurred in Banaras due to entering into sewers," he said in a post in Hindi on X. On one hand, the Modi government is doing such "injustice" towards the sanitation workers and on the other hand, the Congress has made promises for them in its ..