Page 168 - Congress

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

No coercive action against Cong over tax demand notices: I-T dept to SC

The Income Tax department on Monday told the Supreme Court that it will not take any coercive action against the Congress over the tax demand notices of approximately Rs 3,500 crore in view of the Lok Sabha elections. A bench of Justice B V Nagarathna and Justice Augustine George Masih recorded the statement of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the I-T department, that no precipitative action will be taken in the prevailing circumstances till the final adjudication of the matter. The bench posted the Congress' plea against the tax demand notices for July. At the outset, Mehta said, "I want to make a statement in this matter. The Congress is a political party and since elections are going on, we are not going to take any coercive action against the party." The department is not commenting on the merit of the matter and all rights and contentions should be left open, he said. Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the Congress appreciated the gesture, terming it

Cracks in Oppn as Vijayan rakes up Congress' role in probe against Kejriwal

The unity among 18 anti-BJP parties, who gathered in New Delhi to protest the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, showed signs of fracture a day later when veteran CPI(M) leader and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday accused the Congress of demanding the ED probe into the Delhi liquor excise policy case. Addressing a press conference amidst his Lok Sabha poll campaign, seeking votes for LDF candidates, who are in direct fight against the Congress-led UDF in many constituencies, Vijayan alleged that it was the grand old party which levelled the allegations against the Delhi government, demanded the ED probe, and lodged a complaint regarding the matter. The Marxist veteran said the huge participation of people in the INDIA bloc rally held in New Delhi a day ago was a strong warning for the BJP. He, however, added that the Congress should also learn a lesson from the rally. Referring to the stand taken by the Congress in the Delhi liquor excise policy case, h

LS polls: Congress leaders discuss candidates for Telangana, Andhra Pradesh

Top Congress leaders on Monday discussed the names of Lok Sabha candidates for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Sonia Gandhi along with senior party leaders from the respective states were present during the central election committee (CEC) meeting at the AICC headquarters. Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Andhra Pradesh PCC chief Y S Sharmila were present during the separate meetings, besides AICC general secretary K C Venugopal. CEC members Madhusudan Mistry, Amee Yagnik and K J George were also present at the meeting. The seven-phase Lok Sabha polls will begin on April 19.

LS polls: EC censures Cong's Shrinate & BJP's Ghosh for offensive remarks

The Election Commission said the two leaders violated the model code of conduct and that their election-related communications will be closely monitored from now on

Congress mayor from Kamal Nath's home turf Chhindwara joins BJP

In another setback to the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, its leader and Chhindwara mayor joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh on Monday morning. Vikram Ahake, the mayor of Chhindwara, joined the BJP in the presence of MP Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and state party chief VD Sharma in state capital Bhopal. Last week, Kamlesh Shah, the Congress legislator from Amarwada in Chhindwara district and a close associate of party stalwart Kamal Nath, had joined the BJP. Chhindwara, which goes to polls in the first phase on April 19, is the home district of former state CM Nath. Nakul Nath, the lone Congress winner in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh, has filed his nomination papers from Chhindwara, which his father Kamal Nath has represented for nine terms in Parliament. The BJP has fielded Vivek Bunty Sahu from this seat. Kamal Nath is currently the MLA from the Chhindwara assembly seat. His wife Alka Nath was elected from the Chhindwara Lok

Katchatheevu row: Island history, controversy and handover to Sri Lanka

The decades-long Katchatheevu island controversy has erupted again with PM Modi calling the move to cede the island to Sri Lanka by the Congress in 1974, 'callous'

Congress hits out at PM Modi over his remarks on electoral bonds issue

The Congress on Monday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks on the electoral bonds issue, claiming that while the corruption of his government had been known for a while, the setback is that there are now "hard numbers to prove it". Prime Minister Modi on Sunday rejected the suggestion that the electoral bond issue caused a setback to his government, saying no system is perfect and any shortcoming could be improved upon. In an interview with Thanthi TV, he also said those who are "dancing" over the matter will repent it. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh attacked Modi over his remarks and charged, "Every single day the prime minister scales new heights of hypocrisy and plumbs new depths of dishonesty". "The prime minister has fully lied to the nation in his latest interview to a Tamil television channel. He claims that 'where funds have come from, how they are being used' is only known due to the Electoral Bond Scheme instituted by him," Ramesh said and p

Day after attacking Cong, PM Modi targets DMK on Katchatheevu island issue

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday targeted the DMK over the Katchatheevu island issue, alleging the ruling party of Tamil Nadu did nothing to safeguard the state's interests. New details emerging on the issue of India handing over the Katchatheevu island to Sri Lank have unmasked the DMK's double standards totally, he said on X, citing a news report which claimed that then chief minister M Karunanidhi had given his concurrence to the agreement despite his party the DMK's public posturing against the deal. The media report is based on an RTI reply received by Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai to his queries on the 1974 agreement between India and Lanka when Indira Gandhi was the prime minister. Modi said, "Rhetoric aside, DMK has done NOTHING to safeguard Tamil Nadu's interests. New details emerging on Katchatheevu have UNMASKED the DMK's double standards totally." "The Congress and DMK are family units. They only care that their own sons and daughters rise. They don't care

Congress' indifference on Katchatheevu gave away fishermen's rights: EAM

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday claimed that prime ministers from the Congress displayed indifference about Katchatheevu island and gave away Indian fishermen's rights despite legal views to the contrary. Prime ministers such as Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi dubbed Katchatheevu, given to Sri Lanka in 1974 as part of a maritime boundary agreement, as a "little island" and "little rock", he told a press conference, asserting that the issue has not cropped up abruptly but was always a live matter. It has been frequently raised in Parliament and has been a matter of frequent correspondence between the Centre and the state government, Jaishankar said, adding that he has replied to the chief minister at least 21 times. Attacking the DMK over its public posturing against the agreement, Jaishankar said its leader and then chief minister M Karunanidhi was kept fully informed about the agreement, first reached in 1974 between India and Sri Lanka. The Congress and DMK ..

Gujarat BJP sees differences over selection of candidates in some LS seats

Differences have cropped up among BJP workers over the selection of candidates in some Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat even as senior party leaders have sought to address their concerns to maintain grip over the state. The Congress, however, claimed the internal differences could hamper the BJP's bid to repeat a clean sweep and win all 26 seats in the state for the third time in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. With differences over the selection of candidates in seats such as Amreli, Rajkot, Sabarkantha, Surendranagar and Vadodara, the BJP has been making every effort to resolve them by holding meetings with the disgruntled members. On Saturday, Kshatriya community leader Raj Shekhawat resigned from the BJP in protest against Union minister and Rajkot Lok Sabha candidate Parshottam Rupala's remarks wherein he claimed that several Rajput rulers had collaborated with the British. Asserting that the community was being neglected by the BJP in ticket distribution, Shekhawat said, The party ..

Congress' absence from Ram temple event put party leaders in spot: Chouhan

BJP veteran Shivraj Singh Chouhan has claimed the "wrong" decision of Congress to not attend the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya has put party leaders in a spot as they cannot give a convincing reply to the common people. Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Chouhan was speaking on Sunday at a gathering in Vidisha where several Congress workers joined the BJP ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. "After the Congress refused to participate in the consecration ceremony, several friends from the opposition party told me that they are finding it hard to give a reply to people. Such wrong decisions can't give the right direction to the country," said Chouhan, who is the BJP candidate from the Vidisha Lok Sabha constituency in MP. The former CM said his father was in the Congress, but the party has undergone a sea change from the old days. "There was only Congress at that time. But today's Congress is not that one. This is not the Congress of Mahatma Gandhi or even that of .

Should I-T babus or voters decide the fate of the Congress?

It can be nobody's case that I-T Department must not do its job. However, blindly following bureaucratic rules cannot be allowed to tamper with democratic processes on the eve of the general election

LS polls: In MP, Congress seeks donations on claims of frozen bank accounts

The Congress in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday launched a "one note, one vote" campaign seeking donations to contest Lok Sabha elections claiming the party has run out of money since its bank accounts have been frozen by the BJP-led Central government. Speaking on the occasion, MP Congress chief Jitu Patwari said the move to freeze the bank accounts after the model code of conduct kicked in was aimed at financially weakening the party in the run-up to elections. The campaign was launched at the busy Roshanpura crossing. Congress candidates from Bhopal and Jabalpur, namely Arun Shrivastava and Dinesh Yadav, campaigned with boxes in their hands and sought one rupee from a voter, besides seeking votes for the party. Congress nominees from other seats in Madhya Pradesh also joined the campaign. Top Congress leaders, including its president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, had earlier put the spotlight on their party's precarious finances ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Highlights: Corrupt person, howsoever big, will face action, says PM Modi

LIVE updates: Opposition protests against CM Kejriwal's arrest, BJP unveils lineup of leaders for Tripura LS polls, and more. Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

Lok Sabha elections: Several leaders of Congress, BPF join BJP in Assam

In a boost to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, several leaders of the Congress and Bodoland People's Front (BPF) joined the BJP on Sunday during a programme held at the Assam State BJP headquarters in Guwahati in the presence of state BJP president Bhabesh Kalita."Today marked a significant moment as Ananta Kumar Malo, former MLA, Kishore Bhattacharya, former APCC member, and Bhaskar Dahal, former secretary & Spokesperson of APCC, officially joined the BJP at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhawan, Guwahati," Kalita said in a post on 'X'."I warmly welcome them and look forward to their valuable contributions towards the development and progress of our nation. My heartfelt congratulations to Ananta Kumar Malo, Kishore Bhattacharya, and Bhaskar Dahal as they start their new journey with BJP," he added."Today several people joined the party...The opposition is going to be a big zero in Assam. That is their condition here," Kalita said speaking to ANI on ...

Modi reignites Katchatheevu controversy, Cong say 'distortion of history'

In 1974, PM Indira Gandhi ceded the uninhabited island between India and Sri Lanka to the latter, aiming to resolve maritime border issues and foster bilateral relations

RSS-BJP like poison, Oppn must fight Lok Sabha elections unitedly: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday described the RSS-BJP combine as "poison" that has "destroyed" the country, and called on all opposition parties to unite to defeat the ruling party in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. This election is to save democracy, the country and the Constitution, he said at 'Loktantra Bachao' rally of the opposition INDIA bloc at the Ramlila Maidan here. The rally seeks to highlight the "threat to democracy" after the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren. The wives of both Kejriwal and Soren were also present at the rally and addressed it. "We need to unite and only then will we be able to fight the BJP. We won't succeed if we keep attacking and fighting each other," Kharge said. "This election is for saving democracy and the Constitution and we must fight unitedly," he said. Training his guns at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kharge said, "There is no level-playing field in this ...

PM violating Constitution, resorting to confrontational federalism: Cong

As INDIA bloc leaders gathered for a show of unity at the Ramlila ground here, the Congress on Sunday accused the Modi government of violating the Constitution by resorting to "confrontational federalism". The Congress also accused the prime minister of resorting to fiscal centralisation, obstruction of state programs, destabilising state governments, misusing governors and subverting the rights of States. In a statement, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said as the INDIA Janbandhan's rally at Ramlila Maidan gets underway, it is necessary to recall how the PM is "violating", in letter and spirit, Article 1 of the Constitution of India that states "India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States." He said the prime minister started off his innings in May 2014 talking big about cooperative federalism. "Instead, what he has delivered is confrontational federalism. Cooperative federalism is based on consensus, for which the PM has demonstrated a singular unwillingness and ...

Oppn leaders, Kejriwal's wife at Ramlila Maidan for Loktantra Bachao rally

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita will attend the INDIA bloc rally at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday and read out a message from her husband who is in the Enforcement Directorate custody in connection with an excise policy-linked case, AAP sources said. Top INDIA bloc leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Akhilesh Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav are set to attend the rally being held in the backdrop of Arvind Kejriwal's arrest just before the Lok Sabha polls. "Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita will participate in the INDIA bloc's maha rally at Ramlila Maidan. She will read out her husband's message from ED custody. It will be his message for the country," a party source said. The 'Save Democracy' rally -- will also be attended by National Conference president Farooq Abdullah.