Page 167 - Congress

Alternative to PM a group of experienced leaders not driven by ego: Tharoor

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday said the question of who could be an alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "irrelevant" as in a parliamentary system people are not electing an individual but a party or a coalition of parties. He said the alternative to Prime Minister Modi is a group of experienced, capable and diverse leaders who will be responsive to people's problems and not driven by individual ego. In a post on X, Tharoor said, "Yet again a journalist has asked me to identify an individual who is the alternative to Mr Modi. The question is irrelevant in the Parliamentary system." "We are not electing an individual (as in a presidential system), but a party, or coalition of parties, that represents a set of principles and convictions that are invaluable to preserve India's diversity, pluralism and inclusive growth," the MP from Thiruvananthapuram said. "The alternative to Mr Modi is a group of experienced, capable and diverse Indian leaders who will b

Battleground 2024: Cong set to contest fewest Lok Sabha seats since 1951-52

With the latest list of candidates, the Congress has announced its contestants on 231 seats and is set to field its lowest-ever number of candidates for any general elections since 1951-52

Highlights of the day: India firmly rejects 'senseless attempts' by China to rename places in Arunachal

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Congress doubts EVMs only when it faces defeat in polls, says Scindia

Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday took a swipe at Congress over the party veteran Digvijaya Singh's demand for holding elections through ballot papers, saying the Grand Old Party raises EVM issue only when it loses the electoral battle. Scindia wondered why Singh didn't raise the issue of Electronic Voting Machines when they were introduced by Congress in the past. Singh, the Congress nominee from Rajgarh Lok Sabha constituency, on Monday, said he was trying to get 400 people to file nominations so that polls will be held through ballot papers. Singh has been demanding the introduction of ballot papers for conducting elections, raising doubts over the credibility of EVMs. "He has a problem with everything. Why didn't he raise questions when Congress introduced EVMs? He has been raising questions on EVMs for the past 10-15 years. No question is asked by Congress (on EVM credibility) when it wins but a lot of doubts are raised when they lose," said Scindia while respondi

Cong names 8 candidates for LS polls, 47 nominees for assembly elections

The Congress on Tuesday released its first list of eight candidates for the Lok Sabha polls and 47 nominees for the assembly elections, which will be simultaneously held in Odisha in four phases. The eastern state has 21 Lok Sabha and 147 assembly seats. The party renominated its sitting MP Saptagiri Ulaka, who will contest from the Koraput seat. The other candidates for the Lok Sabha seats are Sanjay Bhoi (Bargarh), Janardan Dehury (Sundergarh), Manoj Mishsra (Bolangir), Droupadi Majhi (Kalahandi), Bhujabal Majhi (Nabarangpur), Amir Chand Nayak (Kandhamal) and Rashmi Ranjan Patnaik (Berhampur). Among the assembly poll nominees, it named Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Sarat Pattnatak as the candidate for Nuapada, while the party's campaign committee chairman and former Union minister Bhakta Charan Das will contest from the Narla seat in Kalahandi district. Das' son Sagar Charan has been fielded for the Bhawanipatna assembly segment and bureaucrat-turned-politic

'Cong threatening nation will be on fire if BJP wins': PM Modi in Rajasthan

'This is the first election in which leaders of the Congress party are not talking about winning elections,' PM Modi said in Rajasthan

Highlights: Congress releases list of 17 candidates for Lok Sabha polls, YS Sharmila to contest from Kadapa

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LS elections: PM Modi asks people to wipe out Congress from everywhere

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on Rahul Gandhi for his remark suggesting there would be a "conflagration" in the country if the BJP gets a third term. Kick-starting his Lok Sabha campaign in Uttarakhand from Rudrapur in Udham Singh Nagar district, he said staying out of power has made the Congress desperate and asked the people to wipe out the party from everywhere. "Congress' shehzada has threatened, there will be fire if Modi gets another term in office. Staying out of power has made them so desperate that they are now talking about setting things on fire. Would you let them do it? Wouldn't you punish them?" Modi said while accusing the party of trying to push the country towards instability and anarchy. At a rally in Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, Rahul Gandhi had said that if the BJP wins the election through "match-fixing" and changes the Constitution, then the country would be "set ablaze" and it would not survive. The prime minister a

Cong fields Y S Sharmila from Kadapa; Jawed to contest from Kishanganj

The Congress Tuesday declared a list of 17 candidates for the Lok Sabha polls, fielding Mohammad Jawed and Tariq Anwar from Bihar's Kishanganj and Katihar respectively and its Andhra Pradesh unit chief Y S Sharmila from Kadapa. The party also fielded Union minister M M Pallam Raju from Andhra Pradesh's Kakinada. The Congress released its list of candidates for eight seats of Odisha, five seats of Andhra Pradesh, three of Bihar and one of West Bengal. In Bihar, besides Anwar and Jawed, the party fielded MLA Ajeet Sharma from Bhagalpur. With this, the total number of candidates declared by the party so far is 228. However, the suspense over the high-profile seats of Amethi and Raebareli continues.

'Is this language of democracy?' PM slams Rahul's 'India on fire' remark

Opposition leader's statement that 'India would be set on fire' if BJP wins elections is unacceptable, says Prime Minister

LS polls: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan alleges 'BJP touch' in Cong actions

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan alleged on Tuesday that the actions of the Congress bore a distinct 'BJP touch,' which became particularly evident in the unfolding details of the electoral bond scam. Addressing an election meeting organised by the CPI(M)-led LDF at Perinthalmanna in this district, Vijayan, a veteran Marxist leader, described the electoral bond allegations as a "mega scam" and alleged that the BJP played a key role in it. "The Electoral Bond is a mega scam that unfolded under the watch of the BJP government at the Centre. Initiated by the BJP, the party amassed Rs 8,251 crores through such bonds. However, the BJP cannot be solely blamed; Congress is also complicit, having secured Rs 1,951 crore," the CPI(M) leader said, continuing his attack against his party's INDIA bloc partner. In his speech, Vijayan outlined the communist parties' stance on the electoral bond issue, crediting the legal battle spearheaded by CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury at the .

HC gives last chance to Oppn to reply on plea against use of INDIA acronym

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday granted a last opportunity to the Centre and several opposition parties to respond to a petition seeking to restrain them from using the acronym INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance). A bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet PS Arora said that the replies be filed within one week to the public interest litigation which alleged that by using the INDIA acronym, the parties were taking undue advantage in the name of our country. The high court, which refused to prepone the date of hearing of the petition, said an endeavour shall be made to hear and dispose of the petition on April 10. The contesting respondents are given the last and final opportunity to file their replies within a week, the bench said. The court was hearing an application by petitioner Girish Bharadwaj seeking early hearing of the matter on the grounds that the petition was pending since August 2023 and pleadings are yet to be completes and the ..

Senior Odisha Cong leader Behera resigns from party, likely to join BJD

Senior Congress leader and former Odisha minister Ganeswar Behera on Tuesday resigned from the primary membership of the party. Behera, who hails from Kendrapara district, sent his resignation letter to Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Sarat Pattanayak. He, however, thanked the party for giving him an opportunity to serve the people of Odisha as an MLA and Congress worker. Sources said that Behera is likely to join the BJD. The BJD is likely to field Behera from the Kendrapara assembly segment which is reserved for the scheduled caste candidates. In the 2019 polls, Shashi Bhusan Behera of BJD had won the seat by defeating Ganeswar Behera by a margin of 6,320 votes. Ganeswar Behera has said that his well-wishers and voters of his constituency have been urging him to join the BJD. Several Congress leaders former OPCC former working president and ex-MLA Chiranjib Biswal, former minister Surendra Singh Bhoi, sitting MLA Adhiran Panigrahi, ex-MLA K Surya Rao and Ans

LS polls: Congress targets PM Modi on issue of development in Uttarakhand

The Congress on Tuesday said the Modi government has "failed" to make any meaningful improvements in Uttarakhand, claiming the state has been plagued by rampant unemployment, unprecedented out-migration, crumbling infrastructure, and a deteriorating law and order situation in recent years. The opposition party's attack came ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis rally in Uttarakhand. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh noted that PM Modi is visiting the city of Rudrapur in Uttarakhand on Tuesday. "We hope that the PM will take this opportunity to address three key questions about why his government has failed to make any meaningful improvements in the state," Ramesh said and listed the questions on X. "The BJP government has been disappointingly ineffective in addressing Uttarakhand's biggest challenges of unemployment and migration. In 2021, an RTI revealed that 5 lakh people have migrated out of the state in the last 10 years - and the rate of migration is only increasing,"

Highlights of the day: Above normal heatwave projected for next 3 months

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Highlights: PM Modi to kick off Uttarakhand poll campaign from Rudrapur

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'From liberal officer to RSS mouthpiece': P Chidambaram attacks Jaishankar

Congress veteran P Chidambaram on Monday took a dig at External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar over the Katchatheevu island row

Katchatheevu row: PM Modi sharpens attack, Cong asks him to talk on China

DMK President and Chief Minister M K Stalin questioned the BJP's 'sudden love' for fishermen ahead of elections

Cong to release manifesto on Apr 5; hold rallies in Raj, T'gana next day

The Congress will release its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections here on April 5 with its top leaders addressing mega rallies in Jaipur and Hyderabad the next day. "After vast deliberations with people from across the country, the Congress will be releasing its vision document, the manifesto, on 5th April at AICC headquarters. Subsequently, we will hold two Mega Rallies on 6th April - in Jaipur and Hyderabad," AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said in a post on X. In Jaipur, he said, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will release the manifesto and address mega rallies. "Rahul ji will also be addressing the manifesto launch mega rally in Hyderabad. Our focus has always been on giving the country a welfare oriented, pro-development vision and that will be presented to the people for this election as well," Venugopal also said. The party's election manifesto will focus on 'Paanch .

Lok Sabha polls: SDPI extends support to Congress-led UDF in Kerala

The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political arm of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), on Monday extended its support to the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. However, Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly V D Satheesan told the media that the UDF has not reached any understanding with the SDPI. SDPI state President Muvattupuzha Ashraf Moulavi, who met the media here, said after considering all factors, the party has decided to support a secular front -- the UDF. "In Kerala, we have decided to support the Congress-led UDF which is spearheading the anti-BJP bloc," Moulavi told the media The SDPI leader said the party has not fielded any candidates in Kerala but has 18 candidates in various parts of the country. "Our Constitution is being challenged. The BJP is bringing in laws to provide citizenship on the basis of religion. Uniform Civil Code is planned, which will affect the diversity of the country