Page 179 - Congress

'Guarantee' of giving Rs 1,000 to women will be fulfilled: Punjab minister

Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Wednesday informed the Assembly that the state government will fulfil the "guarantee" of giving Rs 1,000 to women. His statement came after the opposition parties accused the Bhagwant Mann government of not fulfilling the pre-poll promise of giving Rs 1,000 each month to women in the state. Responding to issues raised by the MLAs during a debate on the state budget, Cheema said the state government has fulfilled four out of five "guarantees", including free electricity and the opening of 'aam aadmi clinics'. "We implemented four guarantees out of five within two years. One guarantee related to women is pending. I am saying this with full responsibility in the House that this guarantee will also be fulfilled," the state finance minister told the House. Taking on the opposition Congress MLAs, Cheema said they were not aware of the fulfilment of these four "guarantees" as they are related to the common people of the state. Because most o

Why are the BJD and BJP joining forces against Congress in Odisha

The alliance is likely to be formally announced soon. It will mark a return to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) of one of its original constituents

Highlights of the day: Adani Enterprises acquires Le Marche Duty Free

News updates: Catch all the latest updates from around the world here

Committed to nationwide caste census, BJP should clear stand, says Congress

The Congress on Wednesday reiterated its commitment to conducting a nationwide socio-economic caste census as part of its participatory justice agenda and asked the BJP to clear its stand on the issue. Noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Bihar's Bettiah on Wednesday, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh claimed that there would be a "barrage of lies and statements" and urged the prime minister to speak on the issue of cast census. Ramesh said the people of the country have four main questions for Modi, including why his government is not conducting the regular census that takes place every 10 years. "This was to happen in 2021 itself but has not been conducted till now. The census will provide a complete picture of the population of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and linguistic and religious minorities, apart from other data," he said in a post in Hindi on X. Why has the Modi government not released the caste-related data under the .

LS polls: Congress will revoke CAA if voted to power, says Pawan Khera

Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera on Wednesday asserted that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 will be repealed if the party comes to power after the Lok Sabha elections. He also took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting Manipur, which has been witnessing ethnic strife since May last year. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, Khera said, The cut-off date of 1971 is sacrosanct for Assam. But CAA will take it away and 2014 will be the cut-off date." He was referring to the cut-off date of March 25, 1971, for granting Indian citizenship to people entering Assam from Bangladesh, according to the Assam Accord. Under the CAA, the Modi government wants to grant Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who had come to India till December 31, 2014. The Congress will repeal the CAA if voted to power, Khera said. There were massive protests in some par

Rahul Gandhi is continuously speaking about Nyay: Jairam Ramesh

Rahul Gandhi is continuously speaking about Nyay (justice) which is Nari Nyay, Yuva Nyay, Kisan Nyay, Shramik Nyay, and Hissedari Nyay.

Ex-Raj CM Ashok Gehlot's elder sister Vimla Devi Kachhawa passes away

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's elder sister Vimla Devi Kachhawa died in Jodhpur on Tuesday at the age of 93. In a post on X, the Congress leader said, "The demise of elder sister Vimla Devi Kachhawa has left a void in me which can never be filled." "Baiji was like a mother to me. Her absence will always be felt in my life. In her 93 years of life, she gave immense love and blessings to everyone. I pray that God grants her a place at His feet," Gehlot added. The Congress' Rajasthan unit president Govind Singh Dotasra, party leader Sachin Pilot, former chief minister Vasundhara Raje, and the BJP's state unit president C P Joshi expressed grief over the death. Raje wrote on X, "Received the sad news of the demise of Vimla Devi ji, sister of former chief minister Ashok Gehlot ji. I pray to God to give peace to the soul and give strength to the bereaved family to bear this loss." Dotasra said, "I have received the sad news of the demise of Vimla Devi ji, elder sister of

Highlights of the day: Air India resumes flights to Tel Aviv after 5 months

Latest news updates: Catch all the latest updates from around the world here

Congress to give final shape to manifesto for LS polls, to focus on justice

The Congress is likely to wind up internal deliberations for giving final shape to the party manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and is likely to come up with some innovative measures like an apprenticeship scheme to deal with unemployment. The party's manifesto committee, which is headed by former finance minister P. Chidambaram and has senior leaders like Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Shashi Tharoor and Anand Sharma, among others, is likely to wind up discussions on the manifesto on Tuesday. The key members of the panel met at the party headquarters on Tuesday afternoon and gave final shape to the document. The key members of the panel also met here on Monday. "The committee will hold the last round of talks before finalising the party manifesto today and will make its final recommendations," a sources said. The 50-page document will be presented before the party top leadership and then the Congress Working Committee for final approval. Among those who participated in the ...

Before 2014, Cong, allies focused only on filling their coffers: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday slammed the Congress, alleging that the party and its allies only focused on filling their coffers before 2014, when they were in power at the Centre. Addressing a rally here, Modi also said the central government wants Odisha to become the gateway for Viksit Bharat' (Developed India). The massive development work taking place today could have been undertaken earlier also... But in the years before 2014, the entire focus of the Congress and its allies was only on filling their coffers, he said. Over the past 10 years, the BJP-led central government has made huge investments in Odisha. We want Odisha to become the gateway for Viksit Bharat, the PM asserted. He also said that a permanent house, tap water and gas connection at home, which were once a dream for the poor, is now becoming a reality.

Highlights: Cong, BRS have an alliance built on basis of scams, says PM

Countdown to Lok Sabha elections 2024 highlights: Catch all the latest updates on the buzz surrounding the Lok Sabha polls today

Congress, BRS two sides of same coin: PM Modi hits back at Opposition

Addressing a public rally in Sangareddy, PM Modi said that the Modi government does not hesitate before conducting surgical strikes or airstrikes (corruption).

Day after quitting Cong, Guj leaders join BJP ahead of Lok Sabha polls

Former Gujarat Congress chief and ex-MLA Arjun Modhwadia along with the party's former working president Ambarish Der joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday, a day after they quit the grand old party. The two leaders joined the saffron party at its state headquarters 'Kamalam' here along with several others. State BJP chief C R Paatil inducted them into the party by offering them saffron caps and scarves. Modhwadia and Der resigned on Monday, expressing anguish over the party's decision to "boycott" Lord Ram temple consecration ceremony held in Ayodhya in January. Interestingly, both leaders announced their decision to quit Congress just three days ahead of the scheduled entry of Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Gujarat. One of the senior-most and most influential opposition leaders in Gujarat, Modhwadia, 67, was associated with the Congress for nearly 40 years. He had also served as the leader of the opposition and as the state unit president. ...

Day after quitting Cong, ex-MLA Modhwadia and Ambarish Der join BJP

Former Gujarat Congress chief and ex-MLA Arjun Modhwadia along with the party's former working president Ambarish Der joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday, a day after they quit the grand old party. The two leaders joined the saffron party at its state headquarters 'Kamalam' here along with several others. State BJP chief C R Paatil inducted them into the party by offering them saffron caps and scarves. The two leaders resigned on Monday expressing anguish over the party's decision to "boycott" Lord Ram temple consecration ceremony held in Ayodhya in January. Interestingly, both leaders announced their decision to quit the Congress just three days ahead of the scheduled entry of Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Gujarat. Days before Der and Modhwadia quit Congress, the party's Rajya Sabha member and former Union minister Naran Rathwa joined the ruling BJP along with his son and a large number of supporters. Modhwadia, who represented the Porbandar ..

Congress slams Modi govt's desperation as SBI moves SC on electoral bonds

The Congress on Tuesday attacked the Centre over the State Bank of India moving the Supreme Court to seek more time to disclose electoral bond details, alleging that the Modi government is using the largest bank of the country as a shield to hide its "dubious dealings". The State Bank of India (SBI) on Monday moved the Supreme Court seeking an extension till June 30 to disclose details of each electoral bond encashed by political parties. In its verdict last month, the top court directed the SBI to furnish the details to the poll panel by March 6. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the Congress' position on the electoral bonds scheme is that it is "opaque, undemocratic and destroyed the level playing field". "Modi government is using the largest bank of our country as a shield to hide its dubious dealings through Electoral Bonds," he said. No less than the Supreme Court of India had struck down Modi government's "black money conversion scheme" of Electoral Bonds, holding it

Highlights of the day: Magnitude 3.2 earthquake hits HP's Lahaul and Spiti

Latest news updates: Catch all the latest updates from around the world here

LS polls highlights: Had apologised to PM, says Pragya after ticket denied

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

Gujarat Cong working president Ambarish Der quits party, set to join BJP

In a setback to the opposition Congress ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, its Gujarat unit working president Ambarish Der resigned from the party on Monday and said he will join the ruling BJP on Tuesday. Just ahead of his announcement, Gujarat Congress president Shaktisinh Gohil told reporters that during a meeting held on Sunday night, the party's disciplinary committee suspended Der from all party posts and as primary member of the Congress for a period of six years for his "anti-party activities". Notably, Gohil's statement came immediately after local TV channels aired visuals of Gujarat Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president CR Paatil visiting former MLA Der's residence in Ahmedabad in the morning. Within minutes of Gohil's announcement of the Congress' action, Der called a press conference at his residence, saying he was not aware when he was suspended by the party and announced he will join the BJP at its state headquarters 'Kamalam' in Gandhinagar on Tuesday. Der told

PM Modi with CM Reddy unveils projects worth Rs 56,000 cr in Telangana

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated multiple power, rail and road projects and laid the foundation stone for others, totalling more than Rs 56,000 crore, in Telangana, where Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of Congress received him and shared the dais with him. In his brief address, the prime minister highlighted India's economic growth. He said that more than 25 crore people have risen out of poverty, and attributed it to his government's welfare schemes. He stressed that such campaigns will be further amplified in the next five years. Modi said the projects worth Rs 56,000 crore will write a new chapter of development in several states. Today, India is the "only country" in the world that has emerged as a large economy by clocking 8.4 per cent growth in the previous quarter, he said, adding that India's growth rate has been a point of discussion across the world for the past 3-4 days. "With this pace, India will become the third largest economy in the world." State

Mera Bharat, mera parivaar, says Modi in Telangana after Oppn targets him

Hitting back at the opposition parties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said "Mera Bharat, Mera Parivaar," saying all of India was his family and that his life was like an "open book." Reiterating his commitment for the people of the country, he said he had left home at a young age with the dream of serving the people. Addressing a well-attended public rally in this district, the PM also said his he had dedicated himself to public welfare as a "sevak". Contending that the opposition said he had no family, the PM said "140 crore people of this country are my family. Mera Bharat mera parivar,"(My India is my family)." . He further said his "life is like an open book. People of the country know about it." "When I left home in my childhood, I left with a dream that I will live for the countrymen," he said. Further, attacking "dynasty parties," in the country, he said said they may have different faces, but "jhoot and loot" was their common character. "The face of dynasty part