Page 26 - Congress

Kerala farmer's suicide: Congress, BJP stage protest demanding action

Congress and BJP workers on Tuesday staged protests in front of the mini civil station at Agali here over the death of a farmer, who died by suicide, on his agricultural land in this north Kerala. The protesters alleged that procedural lapses and delay by revenue officials in providing 'thandaper' (land record number) for his farmland despite repeated visits to the village office forced Krishnaswamy, the farmer, to take the extreme step. The 53-year-old farmer, a native of Kavundikkal in Attappadi, was found hanging from a tree in his farmland on Monday. His family had also alleged that Krishnaswamy took his life after being exhausted by officials not providing thandaper "for his three acres of land". They said that he had been visiting the office for the past six months and he was upset over the delay. Congress workers, who gathered in large numbers in front of the civil station, squatted on the road holding party flags and raised slogans against the government and officials. Th

BJP accuses Karnataka govt of 'tax chori' over Bengaluru grievances

In an apparent counter to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's "vote chori" barb centered around Karnataka, the state BJP on Tuesday levelled "tax chori" allegation against the party-led government following a citizens forum's recent grievance aired to the state Chief Minister. BJP leader R Ashoka accused the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government of "tax Chori" (tax theft) and said Bengaluru deserves action to address its infrastructure woes, not excuses and intimidation. Ashoka, the Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, attacked the government by highlighting a citizens forum's letter urging Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to intervene and direct the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) not to collect property tax from residents, complaining that "unscientific and incomplete" civic works in their locality have led to flooding and poor road conditions. Ashoka's tax theft allegation is also seen as a counter to Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi's "vote chori" (votes theft) charge made against t

Trump ignored MEA's denial on India's Russian oil imports, says Congress

Taking a swipe at the government, the Congress on Tuesday said the matter of India's imports of oil from Russia has been raised by US President Donald Trump thrice in the past five days, and he has "brushed aside" the MEA's attempts at denial of any conversation in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised stopping Russian oil imports. The opposition party's assertion came after Trump said India is going to pay massive tariffs if it continues to buy oil from Russia, while reiterating that he got assurance from Prime Minister Narendra Modi that New Delhi is going to halt its oil purchases from Moscow. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "The matter of India's imports of oil from Russia has been raised by President Trump now thrice in the past five days. And no doubt he will keep increasing this tally as he prepares to meet President (Vladimir) Putin in Budapest later in the week. "President Trump says he has spoken to his good friend Mr Modi and

Bihar elections 2025: Revisiting the 2020 political drama

Bihar goes to polls in November 2025, with shifting loyalties, new players, and a razor-thin political landscape. Here’s a look back at 2020 and what makes this election so unpredictable.

Bihar Assembly polls: Congress names 7 more candidates, total reaches 61

The Congress on Monday released another list of six candidates for the Bihar Assembly polls, taking the total number of candidates announced by the party to 60. The Congress' list was announced post-midnight, even as a formal seat-sharing deal has alluded the Mahagathbandhan with the RJD and the Congress, the two main constituents of the alliance, unable to reach an understanding. According to the list of six candidates, the Congress fielded Surendra Prasad Kushwaha from Valmiki Nagar, Abidur Rehman from Araria, Jalil Mastan from Amour, Tauquir Alam from Barari, Praveen Singh Kushwaha from Kahalgaon and Vinod Chaudhary from Sikandra (SC). Chinks in the INDIA bloc's armour became all too obvious on Sunday in poll-bound Bihar, where disgruntled aspirants in the RJD and the Congress had a field day charging the leadership with having put tickets up for sale. The last day for filing of nomination papers for the second and final phase is Monday. The Congress and the RJD have continued

After Grap II invoked in Delhi, Congress slams govt over rising pollution

The pollution will increase after today because the government has no interest in controlling the pollution, said Congress leader Rashid Alvi

6.5% growth rate means India stuck in lower-middle income trap: Chidambaram

He further said that India's Gross National Income (GNI) per capita of $2,650 needs to double for it to get around the low-middle income group

BJP promoting 'corporate Hindutva' by selling names of deities: Congress

Referring to Mumbai Metro stations, Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant alleged that the BJP's "corporate Hindutva" had reduced deities and national figures to marketing tools

'Mauni Baba': Congress slams PM Modi after Trump repeats Russian oil claim

Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress on Saturday said the PM suddenly becomes a "mauni baba" whenever US President Donald Trump states that he stopped Operation Sindoor or that India will reduce its oil imports from Russia. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said President Trump has yet again stated that he has been assured by his "good friend" that India will cut back on its imports of oil from Russia. "But that good friend suddenly becomes a Mauni Baba whenever President Trump says he stopped Operation Sindoor and now when he says that India will reduce its imports of oil from Russia," Ramesh said in a post on X, taking a dig at PM Modi. Meanwhile, India's trade deficit with China during April-Sep 2025 increased to USD 54.4 billion as compared to USD 49.6 billion in the same period last year, the Congress leader said. His remarks come hours after the US president repeated his claims that India will not be buying oil from Russ

Highlights: Centre to force drugmakers to upgrade plants after fatal cough syrup crisis

Highlights: Catch all the latest news developments from across the world here

Congress releases first list of 48 candidates ahead of Bihar Assembly polls

The Congress on Thursday released its first list of 48 candidates for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, fielding its state unit chief Rajesh Ram from Kutumba seat and CLP leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan from Kadwa. The party announced the candidates even before finalising the seat-sharing arrangement with its Mahagathbandhan allies, including the RJD. The last date for filing nominations for the first phase of polls is October 17, while that for the second phase is October 20. The Congress leadership has been in talks with its alliance partners, including the RJD and the Left. According to the list, the party has fielded Bihar Youth Congress chief Prakash Garib Das from Bachhwada seat. Jayesh Mangal Singh will contest from Bagaha, Amit Giri from Nautan and Abhishek Ranjan from Chanpatia seat. From Bettiah seat, the party has fielded Wasi Ahmed, while Shyam Bihari Prasad will be its candidate from Raxaul. From Govindgan seat, the Congress named Shashi Bhushan Rai alias Gappu Rai as

News highlights: PM Modi lays foundation for multiple projects worth Rs 13,430 cr in Andhra Pradesh

Latest news updates, October 16: Catch all the latest news developments from across the world here

PM Modi lets Trump decide, frightened of him: Rahul Gandhi on US Prez claim

Rahul Gandhi's remarks came after Trump claimed that PM Modi assured him that India would stop buying oil from Russia, which he called "a major step" to isolate Moscow over Ukraine war

News highlights: Prashant Kishor says he will not contest Bihar assembly polls as candidate

Latest news updates, October 15: Catch all the latest news developments from across the world here

Prashant Kishor says will not contest Bihar polls, will focus on party work

On the prospects of his party, Prashant Kishor stated that he was certain that the contest would either be a huge win or a total debacle for the Jan Suraaj party

PM Modi expresses grief over demise of Goa Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday expressed grief over the death of Goa Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik, and said he will be remembered as an experienced administrator who enriched the state's development trajectory. Naik, 79, suffered cardiac arrest at his hometown, 30 km away from Panaji, sources said. The former chief minister was shifted to a private hospital in Ponda town where he was declared dead around 1 am on Wednesday. Condoling his death, PM Modi in a post on X said, "Saddened by the passing away of Shri Ravi Naik Ji, Minister in the Goa Government. He will be remembered as an experienced administrator and dedicated public servant who enriched Goa's development trajectory." "He was particularly passionate about empowering the downtrodden and marginalised. My thoughts are with his family and supporters in this hour of grief. Om Shanti," the PM said. Naik was a seven-term MLA (six times from Ponda assembly constituency and once from Marcaim assembly constituency) an

CEC approves Bihar poll candidates; Congress gains clarity on quality seats

After atleast a 2-hour-long meeting held at the party's office in Delhi, the party has made strong decisions on the 'quality faces' for the Vidhan Sabha seats Congress plans to contest

News highlights: Nitish Kumar's residence sealed off as protests erupt over ticket allocation

Latest news updates, October 14: Catch all the latest news developments from across the world here

Bihar polls: Top Congress leaders discuss names of probable candidates

Top Congress leaders on Tuesday discussed the names of probable candidates for the Bihar assembly elections at a meeting of the party's Central Election Committee. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge along with AICC general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal and party treasurer Ajay Maken were present at the meeting. Rahul Gandhi joined the Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting virtually. Sources said the party discussed more than 50 candidates for assembly seats on which the party is likely to contest the polls. The Congress is likely to get a lesser number of seats than the last time due to its dismal performance in the 2020 assembly polls, when it won 19 out of 70 seats it contested. "Today, in the presence of Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi, and Congress General Secretary (Organization) Shri K C Venugopal, an important meeting of the Central Election Committee (CEC) related to the Bihar Legislative Assembly elections

Rahul Gandhi gets relief in 12-year-old case linked to Muzaffarnagar riots

A court here on Tuesday dismissed a revision petition filed against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in a 2013 case in which he was accused of making objectionable remarks against Muslims. It was alleged that during an election rally in October 2013, Gandhi referred to Muslim youths in connection with the Muzaffarnagar riots and claimed they had links with the ISI, the Pakistani intelligence agency. Originally, advocate Mohammad Anwar had filed a court complaint when Gandhi was the Congress Vice President. Mohammad Anwar, Raja Ram Upadhyay, and Vishal Barnwal were presented as witnesses in the case. On January 30, Special Magistrate Shubham Verma dismissed the complaint. Following this, Mohammad Anwar approached a District Judge's court with a revision petition against the magistrate's order. Gandhi's counsel, Kashi Prasad Shukla, presented his arguments in the Fast Track Court-2. After hearing both sides, Judge Rakesh quashed the petition, effectively giving the Leader of the Oppositio