Page 3 - Congress

Opposition calls fuel duty cut 'late', links move to polls; BJP defends

The Congress on Friday claimed that the government's excise cuts will not change prices for dealers and consumers, and that the relief exists only in the narrative, not in reality. The government has slashed excise duty on petrol to Rs 3 per litre and exempted diesel fully from the duty. The Congress said the government should focus on delivering actual relief to consumers, instead of "manufacturing headlines and fooling people." The party's media and publicity department head, Pawan Khera, said, "If you saw the headlines about petrol and diesel prices 'coming down' and thought the government had offered relief to your pocket, you'd be mistaken." As of now, prices remain the same for dealers and for consumers, he claimed. "What has actually been reduced is the 'special additional excise duty' - a levy paid by Oil Marketing Companies to the government. The words 'special' and 'additional' reveal how unnecessary this tax is," Khera said on X. He pointed out that these companies ha

Cong slams PM over rising oil, gas import dependence amid supply concerns

The Congress on Friday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over India's increasing dependence on crude oil, LPG and natural gas imports. "The gas grandly promised by Mr Modi has remained that -- gas," Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said on X, pointing to India's dependence on natural gas imports. "Between 2014-15 and 2024-25, India's dependence on crude oil imports went up from 84% to 90%. Between 2014-15 and 2024-25, India's dependence on LPG imports went up from 46% to 62%," Ramesh said, adding that "all this when the mantra was supposed to be Atmanirbharta, or self-reliance. The natural gas story is murkier, he claimed. "On June 26, 2005, the then CM of Gujarat (Modi) boasted that the Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation had discovered India's biggest gas reserve in the deep waters of the Krishna-Godavari river basin. Mr Modi announced that this would make India energy independent," Ramesh said. He claimed that five CAG (Comptroller and ..

Govt planning 'special session' to amend women quota Act: Opposition

Cabinet skips Women's Reservation Act amendment as Opposition alleges a special Parliament session plan, raising concerns over census, delimitation, and Lok Sabha expansion

Sonia Gandhi to remain under medical observation for a few more days

Veteran Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, who is admitted at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here, is stable and under close medical supervision, doctors said on Wednesday. According to hospital authorities, she was admitted at around 10.22 pm on Tuesday. Chairman Dr Ajay Swaroop said that her condition remains stable and a team of doctors is closely monitoring her health. Doctors are conducting further examinations to check for a possible infection in the stomach and urinary tract, and antibiotics have been administered as part of the treatment, the hospital said. Sources had earlier said that Gandhi was unwell, possibly due to the weather change, and was admitted for observation. They said there is no cause for concern and her condition is not serious.

Congress gets final eviction notices for Akbar Road, Raisina Road offices

The Congress party has received notices from the Estate department to vacate its 24, Akbar road office and 5, Raisina Road premises in Lutyens Delhi by March 28, according to sources. The party faces eviction of its old party office, which it has held since 1978, as this is the final notice sent by the estate department. The party continues to have its headquarters at its Akbar Road office, while the Indian Youth Congress functions from the Raisina Road premises. The sources said that the notice was delivered a few days and has not even given a week's time to the grand old party. Sources in the party said the Congress is yet to formulate its strategy on the issue and may even approach court in view of the sudden notice. The Congress has already constructed its new party office at Indira Bhawan. While the party did not say anything officially, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said the government should apply its rule uniformly to all and not single it out.

Cong slams PM bid for 'special session' to pass women quota law amendments

Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress on Wednesday said the "U-turn Ustad" now wants to implement the women's reservation law without completing the delimitation and census operations. It said the prime minister has let it be known that a "special two-day session" will be convened in the next fortnight to pass the amendments necessary to implement the law. The opposition party alleged that this was a "weapon of mass diversion" to change the narrative from "foreign policy failures and setbacks and from the LPG and energy crisis facing the country". Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said the Modi government is also planning to increase the size of the Lok Sabha and the Vidhan Sabhas by 50 per cent, which also needs careful deliberation. In September 2023, the new Parliament House was inaugurated with the passage of the women's reservation bill -- or Nari Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 -- that amended the Constitution to provide for

Sonia Gandhi hospitalised due to weather change, under observation

A team of doctors is attending to her, but there is nothing serious, the sources said

Why 'Vishwaguru' not advancing Brics summit on West Asia crisis: Congress

Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress on Monday asked why the "self-styled Vishwaguru" is not advancing the BRICS+ Summit that India is set to host this year to put together a diplomatic initiative to deal with the crisis in West Asia. The opposition party also claimed that Modi does not want to "antagonise" US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, pointed out that the 18th annual BRICS+ Summit will take place in New Delhi under India's Presidency later this year, with Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the UAE as members. "Why is the self-styled Vishwaguru not advancing the Summit to put together a diplomatic initiative to deal with the crisis in West Asia and its impacts? Clearly, he does not want to antagonise President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu," Ramesh said on X. "Mr Modi has reported

Assam Assembly polls: Congress announces final list of 7 candidates

The Congress on Sunday announced its fifth and final list of seven candidates for the Assam Assembly elections. With this, the party has declared candidates for 101 of the 126 seats in the state Assembly. "The Central Election Committee (CEC) of Congress has selected the Congress candidates for the ensuing elections to the Assam Legislative Assembly," an official statement from AICC general secretary, Organisation, K C Venugopal said. Among the candidates declared in the final list are Joseph Hasda from the Gossaigaon seat, Birkhang Boro from Dotma-ST, Rajat Kanti Saha from the Bijni and Anchula Gwara Daimary from the Bhergaon seat. The party also declared Narayan Adhikari as its candidate from the Mazbat, Nirmal Langthasa from Haflong-ST and Amar Chand Jain from the Katigorah assembly constituency. The Congress on Friday released its fourth list of seven candidates, dropping a sitting MLA while leaving 11 seats for its alliance partner, Raijor Dal. The party, which is contesting

Telangana's total debt stands at ₹8 trn as of Dec 2025: Govt report

Telangana's total debt, including that of its entities and government guarantees, stood at Rs 8 lakh crore as of December 2025, according to the Socio-Economic Outlook 2026 released by the state government. The state government said that from December 2023, when Congress assumed power, to the same month in 2025, the total borrowings of the state and its entities amounted to Rs 3,19,179 crore, with repayments (principal and interest) of Rs 3,04,202 crore. The repayments and loans raised by the Congress government during its nearly two and a half years in office indicate that a large share of the borrowings during that period was used to service existing debt, due to the substantial debt inherited from the pre-December 2023 period, the report said. "While total outstanding debt stood at Rs 8,00,805 cr as on 31 December 2025, the increase in outstanding liabilities needs to be interpreted in the context of large and unavoidable interest payments on account of the massive legacy debt...

Kerala Assembly polls: LDF Ministers, Cong, BJP leaders file nominations

Kerala state ministers, top Congress and BJP leaders filed their nomination papers on Saturday for the upcoming Assembly polls. Several state ministers, including P Rajeev, V Sivankutty, R Bindu and P A Mohamed Riyas as well as CPI(M) leaders K K Shylaja and Kadakampally Surendran were those from the LDF who filed their nominations, from Kalamassery, Nemom, Irinjalakuda, Beypore, Peravur and Kazhakootam constituencies, respectively. BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar (Nemom), former Union Minister of State V Muraleedharan (Kazhakootam) and several other candidates of the saffron party filed their nominations accompanied by chief ministers from party-ruled states like Rajasthan and Gujarat. Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma accompanied Chandrasekhar and Muraleedharan when they filed their nominations, while the party candidate from Thrissur, Padmaja Venugopal, was accompanied by Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel. From the Congress, KPCC chief Sunny Joseph, senior party leader

Congress, Rahul Gandhi are BJP's 'B-team': Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday slammed the Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing them of being the "B-team of BJP". Vijayan made the accusation during an interview with PTI videos. In response to a query regarding Rahul's recent remark that central agencies have arrested or called for questioning other opposition leaders in the country, except the Kerala CM, the Marxist veteran accused the Congress leader and his party of acting as the "B-team" of the BJP. "Some people don't learn even if they see or experience something. They are not normal people. They are a rare phenomenon. That is something that happens to those who are normally incapable of grasping things. Rahul Gandhi falls into that category," the CM alleged. He said that Rahul had made serious allegations against former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, but the court rejected all those accusations and gave the AAP leader a clean chit. "It was a heavy blow to the face of the Congress leadership, includ

Close shave for Odisha MLA as bus with 36 passengers catches fire

As many as 37 passengers, including Odisha's Congress MLA Mangu Khila, had a narrow escape when the bus in which they were travelling from Bhubaneswar to Nabarangpur caught fire after a rear tyre burst early on Saturday, police said. The incident took place near Ramabhadrapuram in Andhra Pradesh. All the passengers and crew members were safely evacuated before the bus was completely gutted in the fire, Khila told reporters. Police said all the passengers, including the MLA, were safely evacuated without any injuries. The prompt response of the driver and the alertness of passengers helped avert a major tragedy, the police said, adding that fire services personnel and local authorities reached the spot and brought the fire under control, although the vehicle could not be saved. The MLA from Chitrakonda assembly segment in Malkangiri district said, "The bus caught fire when all the passengers, including me, were in deep sleep. The driver's presence of mind saved all. He stopped the b

People of Kerala ready for change: Rahul Gandhi pitches for UDF govt

People of Kerala are ready for change, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Friday, as he pitched for a UDF government in the state. "Team UDF is Team Keralam," he said in a post on X. "Each candidate reflects the voice, the aspirations and the trust of the people of Keralam. This is a collective of experienced leaders and young change-makers - a strong team of men and women who understand the intricacies of the constituencies they represent," Gandhi said in his post. "For me, Keralam is home and the people of Keralam are family. I owe a great debt to the people for everything they have taught me and for the love and warmth they have embraced me with - I will always be your partner," the former Wayanad MP said. "The message from Keralam is clear - the people are ready for change, they seek a government that listens, understands, and delivers with honesty. "Along with the coming UDF government, I will do everything to help build a better future for this beautiful state," the leader

Congress issues notices to 4 Haryana MLAs over cross-voting in Rajya Sabha

The Congress has issued show-cause notices to four of its Haryana MLAs who allegedly cross-voted during the recent Rajya Sabha elections. The action comes after the party on Wednesday named four out of the five legislators it suspected of defying the official line. The name of the fifth MLA has not been disclosed yet. Of this, two MLAs on Thursday denied that they had cross-voted and said that their names are being dragged into the episode unnecessarily. The party has directed the four legislators to reply within a week of receiving the notices and explain why disciplinary action should not be initiated against them. "We have served show-cause notices to the four party MLAs," Dharampal Malik, chairman of the state Congress disciplinary committee, told PTI over phone. The notices state that it has been brought to the attention of the party leadership that the MLAs allegedly cast their vote in a manner contrary to prescribed procedures and official direction issued by the party, ...

Prateek Bordoloi won't contest on Cong ticket after father joins BJP

After Assam MP Pradyut Bordoloi joined the BJP, his son Prateek announced that he won't contest on a Congress ticket from Margherita in the upcoming assembly polls. In a letter to Congress president and chairman of the Central Election Committee Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday, Prateek said he would continue to remain a party member. Following his father's decision to join another party, it would not be appropriate for him to continue as a Congress candidate from Margherita, Prateek said in the letter, which was shared with reporters on Thursday. "With utmost respect and a deep sense of responsibility towards the party, I wish to convey my decision to withdraw my candidacy from the Margherita Assembly Constituency," he said. Prateek asserted that he will continue to work for the party in whatever capacity the leadership deems appropriate. His father, a Congressman for over five decades, had resigned from the grand old party on Tuesday and joined the BJP the next day.

Assam Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi quits party before Assembly polls

In a jolt to the opposition Congress, Assam's Lok Sabha MP Pradyut Bordoloi on Tuesday resigned from the party, barely 20 days ahead of assembly elections in the state. Bordoloi has sent his resignation letter to AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, state media department chairman Bedabrata Bora told PTI. A former state cabinet minister and two-time MP from Nagaon constituency, Bordoloi's son is a Congress candidate from Margherita seat for the state polls due on April 9. In the one-line resignation letter addressed to Kharge, the MP said, "With an overwhelming sense of sadness today, I hereby tender my resignation from all posts, privileges and the primary membership of the Indian National Congress." A copy of the letter is available with PTI. Bora said state party chief Gaurav Gogoi and AICC general secretary in-charge of Assam Jitendra Singh are meeting with Bordoloi over the issue at the national capital.

Odisha Congress suspends 3 MLAs for cross-voting; BJD calls PAC meet

Odisha Congress suspends three MLAs over cross-voting in Rajya Sabha polls, while BJD calls a PAC meeting amid political tensions and reported dissent within ranks

Lok Sabha revokes suspension of 8 opposition MPs with immediate effect

The Lok Sabha on Tuesday revoked with immediate effect the suspension of eight opposition members, who were suspended from the House on February 3 for "unruly" behaviour, after Congress leader K Suresh requested the House to consider the matter. Following the submissions by several opposition members, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said there was a need to draw a 'Laxman Rekha' for the smooth functioning of the House, which both treasury and opposition benches agreed to. Speaker Om Birla said there is a need to ensure that no placards, posters, photos or AI-generated images are displayed in the House or inside the Parliament complex. Rijiju then moved a motion to remove the suspension of seven Congress MPs and one CPI-M member, which was adopted by a voice vote. The suspended MPs included Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Hibi Eden, C Kiran Kumar Reddy, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Tagore, Prashant Padole and Dean Kuriakose of the Congress, and S Ventakesan of the ...

BJP's Sanjay Bhatia, Congress' Karamvir Singh elected for RS from Haryana

BJP's Sanjay Bhatia and Congress party's Karamvir Singh Boudh have been declared elected to two Rajya Sabha seats in keenly watched elections as developments unfolded over allegations of violation of vote secrecy. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, in a late-night press conference, congratulated both the leaders on their win. Calling the elections interesting, Saini slammed the Congress, accusing it of holding its MLAs captive and transferring them to different places, referring to the shifting of Congress legislators from Himachal Pradesh. "I have seen for the first time that Congress did not trust its MLAs", he claimed. The Congress is "finished", and it has "no future", Saini said. The chief minister also lashed out at the INLD for abstaining from voting and said it acted as a "B team" of the Congress. The INLD indirectly supported the Congress, he claimed. Replying to a question on the Independent candidate, Saini said, "How could they stop anyone from contesting th