Page 270 - Congress

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After viral video of vegetable vendor, Rahul Gandhi has lunch with him

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday had lunch with Rameshwar, a vegetable vendor who was seen in a recent social media video breaking down while talking about his hardships due to inflation. Sharing his picture with Rameshwar, Gandhi said in Hindi on X, "Rameshwar ji is a lively person! In him, the glimpse of the affable nature of crores of Indians can be seen." "Those who move forward with a smile even in adverse circumstances are truly 'Bharat Bhagya Vidhata (India's destiny makers)'," Gandhi said. The Congress also shared their picture on X, earlier known as Twitter, and said, "Rameshwar ji had expressed his desire to meet the people's hero. They met up." In pictures of the meeting shared by several people on X, Gandhi and Rameshwar can be seen having lunch at the former's home here and the two sharing light moments during the meeting. In the viral video, Rameshwar was seen with his empty hand-cart, saying that he could not buy tomatoes as the prices were very high. Asked i

Corruption in infra projects taking nation on 'highway to hell': Cong

The Congress on Tuesday cited a Comptroller Auditor General (CAG) of India report on the 'Bharatmala Pariyojana' highway projects to accuse the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government of corruption and said it is "taking the nation on a highway to hell". The opposition party also asked if Modi will take responsibility for the "incompetence and corruption in the Bharatmala projects under his direct watch". Citing the CAG report, Kharge said Modi should look within before harping on corruption by his political opponents. "BJP's corruption and loot is (are) taking the nation on a highway to hell," Kharge said on X, formerly Twitter. In a scathing report against the Modi government, he said, the CAG has pointed out that the 'Bharatmala Pariyojana' is being built with "innumerable deficiencies, non-compliance of outcome parameters, clear violation of tender bidding process and huge funding mismanagement". Kharge said the CAG has exposed that the "cost of this project was originally

Expelled Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (J) MLA Dharmjeet Singh joins BJP

Dharmjeet Singh was expelled from the JCC (J) in September last year after the party accused him of disregarding the interests of the marginalised communities such as SCs, STs, and OBCs

350,000 Rajasthani girl students await promised bicycles under govt scheme

Rajasthan government's free bicycle scheme provides girl students in class IX free bicycles to enable them to attend schools located in remote areas

MP: BJP files complaint against Priyanka Gandhi over '50% commission' post

Priyanka Gandhi stated that a union of contractors from Madhya Pradesh had written to the high court's chief justice, claiming that they received payments only after paying 50% commission

Cong's Surjewala demands consultations on 3 bills replacing criminal laws

"The introductory remarks of the Home Minister gave away the fact that Amit Shah is himself out of depth, ignorant and oblivious to the entire exercise," the Congress leader said

Rajasthan govt most corrupt, new 'scams' emerging every day: Pralhad Joshi

Accusing the Rajasthan government of being the most corrupt, the BJP's election in-charge for the state Pralhad Joshi on Sunday claimed new scams and rape cases come to the fore every day under the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress dispensation. Sixteen per cent of the cases of atrocities and murders registered in the country are from Rajasthan, the Union minister alleged. He was in Jaipur for a meeting with party workers for the assembly elections due later this year. "The Rajasthan government is the most corrupt government in the country. Rajasthan is on top in number of rape cases. Recruitment exam papers have been leaked more than 16 times," Joshi told reporters here. He said development work has stalled and a BJP government is needed in the state. If Chief Minister Gehlot wanted to do good for the poor then why did he not do so in four-and-a-half years, Joshi asked. Instilling confidence among the BJP workers, he said the party will form the government in the state with a two-thirds

BJP govt in Haryana has done double work as compared to Congress: Khattar

The BJP-led government in Haryana in its tenure of eight and a half years has done double the work as compared to that done in the 10-year rule of the previous Congress regime, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Sunday. "We have worked without any discrimination and in a transparent manner," he said while addressing a "Jan Samvad" programme in Jainpur Sadhan village in Karnal district. The aim of Jan Samvad programmes is to meet people face-to-face and listen to their grievances, the chief minister said. The present state government in its tenure of eight and a half years has done double the work as compared to the work done in the 10-year tenure of previous Congress government, and that too in half the budget, Khattar said While highlighting the initiatives started by his government, Khattar said that data of every family member of the state is available with the government through the Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP). The aim of PPP is to ensure that the benefits of government

Three months on, 'Opposition' eludes Karnataka: Why BJP can't pick leader

At least one of the issues - who should be Leader of the Opposition - was on the agenda when Basava Raj Bommai met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi last week

Congress demands wider consultations on Bills replacing criminal laws

The Congress on Sunday accused Home Minister Amit Shah of "misleading" Parliament and the people about certain provisions in the three new bills that seek to overhaul the country's criminal justice system and demanded wider consultations on the proposed legislations involving experts and public. The opposition party also alleged that these bills, introduced by Shah in Lok Sabha on the last day of the Monsoon session on Friday, were brought by the government in a "clandestine, hidden and opaque manner without any consultations". In a statement, Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala claimed that without any prior intimation or public consultation or inviting suggestions from legal experts, jurists, criminologists and other stakeholders, the Modi government introduced the three bills from its "black magic hat" on August 11. "The introductory remarks of the Home Minister gave away the fact that Amit Shah is himself out of depth, ignorant and oblivious to the entire exercise," the

Congress Prez Kharge urges people to back Congress in 2024 LS elections

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday expressed confidence that his party will once again win the Chhattisgarh assembly polls due by the year-end, and urged people to support it in the next year's Lok Sabha elections "to save Constitution and democracy". He was speaking at 'Bharose Ka Sammelan', an event organised here by the Congress government in Chhattisgarh. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and leaders of the ruling party were present at the event. "The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre is trying to destroy the people. But people should remain alert and elect the Congress to power in the next Lok Sabha election. We are confident of the party's victory in Chhattisgarh (assembly polls)," Kharge said. "We want to save the Constitution and democracy. Therefore, we have to work in the entire country," he said. He criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "not answering questions" asked by Rahul Gandhi and opposition INDIA alliance leaders on the Manipur issue during his ...

BJP trying to restrict tribals to jungles by calling them 'vanvasis': Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday accused the ruling BJP at the Centre of attempting to restrict the tribal communities to the jungles and deny their status as original owners of the land by calling them "Vanvasi" instead of 'Adivasi'. The Wayanad MP reiterated the issue which he had raised a fews days ago in Rajasthan while addressing a party rally where he had said that the BJP "insults" the tribal community by calling them "Vanvasi" instead of Adivasi and snatches away their forest land to hand it over to industrialists. Today, after inaugurating the HT Connection at Dr Ambedkar District Memorial Cancer Centre at Nalloornad in Mananthavady area of Wayanad district of the state, Gandhi alleged that there was a "perverted logic" behind calling tribals as vanvasis. "It is to deny that you (tribals) are the original owners of the land and also restrict you to the jungle. "The idea is that you belong in the jungle and should not leave the jungle," he said. The Congress leader s

BJP not allowing its own Manipur MP to speak in Parliament: Congress

The Congress on Saturday accused the BJP of not allowing its own Manipur MP and Union minister of State Rajkumar Ranjan Singh to speak in Parliament, and said it was an insult to the entire state. The party also accused BJP of "insulting" the army by making statements that allegedly questioned the valour of the forces. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged the divisive politics of the BJP set Manipur on fire and the state still continues to burn. "BJP MP from Manipur was not allowed to speak in Parliament even after requesting. This is not only unfortunate but an insult to the entire Manipur. "The divisive politics of the BJP first set Manipur on fire. When violence broke out, Manipur was left to fend for itself. Violence still continues there," he said on X, known as Twitter till recently. "It is shameful for the BJP to stop its own MP from Manipur and Minister of State for External Affairs from speaking at such a time," Ramesh said. Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera

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In Wayanad, Rahul recounts brutal experiences during his Manipur visit

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday recounted the harrowing experience he had encountered during his visit to violence-hit Manipur and said during his 19 years of political life, he had never come across such a situation. Blaming the BJP for creating the deep division in the northeastern state, he said it may take at least five years to bring Manipur back on its feet. Narrating the story of two women he had met in relief camps in the strife-torn state, Gandhi said one of them recollected how her son was murdered right in front of her eyes. "One of the women, when I entered the room, was lying on the floor alone. Everyone else had some family member, but this lady was lying alone. So, I asked her about her family. She told me that she does not have anyone left," Gandhi told a public meeting in Kalpetta here. The meeting was organised by the Congress-led UDF alliance to welcome Gandhi on his first visit to Wayanad after his Lok Sabha membership was restored. The Wayanad MP said

Our commitment to northeast much higher than Congress: Anurag Thakur

Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Saturday said the central BJP's commitment towards the northeastern parts of the country was "much, much higher", and said efforts to restore normalcy in violence-hit Manipur were "unprecedented." While efforts to restore peace in Manipur were on, the opposition "should not put oil in the fire", the Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports and Information and Broadcasting said. Interacting with a select group of journalists here, he also said people's opinion should not be divided in the name of language. "During the Congress regime, Manipur was known for bomb, bandh and blast. And who sowed the seeds of hatred or this kind of communal violence. It was Congress," he charged. "When Manipur was closed for months, 1000s of people were killed, petrol was Rs 1,000 a litre, LPG was not available for six months -- that was the situation during their (Congress) time. Not even the Prime Minister, not even the Home Minister replied ever. Neither they visited Mani

Delhi Cong chief Anil Chaudhary holds meeting with party representatives

Delhi Congress chief Anil Chaudhary on Saturday said the party should press the Election Commission to hold mock drills on the use of EVMs and VVPATs and seek information about previous use of the machines ahead of Lok Sabha elections. The block-level agents have been asked to give information for the formation of block-level 'mandalam' and sector for delimitation, Chaudhary said at a meeting with the party representatives. He asked the Congress representatives to present the party's stand before the Election Commission and get details of EVM machines like serial numbers and the manufacturing company. Being a stakeholder in the democratic process of conducting elections, it is the duty and responsibility of the Congress to find out where all the EVM and VVPAT machines were used for elections before. We should demand a mock drill of the EVM and VVPAT machines, he said. Chaudhary alleged that the meetings of the Election Commission with representatives of political parties are mere .

PM Modi far ahead of Rahul Gandhi in social media engagements: BJP

The reach of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's social media engagements is much more than Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's, BJP sources said on Saturday as the two parties push their campaign on various online platforms in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Sharing data, they said Modi's account on X, formerly known as Twitter, received approximately 79.9 lakh engagements in the past one month while Gandhi's handle received approximately 23.43 lakh engagements. Modi's account had approximately 2.77 crore engagements in the last three months, while Gandhi's handle received approximately 58.23 lakh engagements in the same period, they claimed. On Facebook, Modi's account received approximately 57.89 lakh engagements in the last one month while Gandhi's account had approximately 28.38 lakh engagements, BJP sources said. The prime minister's Facebook account received approximately 3.25 crore engagements this year, while the figure was 1.88 crore for Gandhi during the period. On YouTub

CPI(M), Cong hold talks on Tripura bypolls to avoid split in anti-BJP votes

Leaders of the opposition Tipra Motha, CPI(M) and Congress on Saturday met to strategise for the by-election to the two assembly seats in Tripura, in which they are looking to avoid a split of the anti-BJP votes. By-elections will be held in the Dhanpur and Boxanagar seats in Sepahijala district on September 5. Following the meeting, leader of opposition Animesh Debbarma of the Tipra Motha said a preliminary discussion was held on the bypolls. "Today, we held a preliminary discussion with CPI(M) and Congress on the upcoming by-elections. Our main intention is to avoid a split of anti-BJP votes," he told reporters. Debbarma said the result of the assembly election, held in February, was not as per their expectations even as the BJP secured less than 40 per cent votes. "We don't want to repeat the same in the by-elections. I have heard the views of both CPI(M) and Congress, and will place them before our leadership for taking a final call on it," he said. "The Tipra Motha wants to