Page 324 - Congress

Surat court rejects Rahul Gandhi's application for a stay on conviction

A stay on conviction by the sessions court could have paved the way for Gandhi's reinstatement as the MP

TS Singh Deo rules out possibility of joining BJP, says nothing but Cong

Ruling out any possibility of joining the BJP, he said "I will not join any other party except Congress"

Karnataka polls: Congress releases 6th and final list of candidates

The Congress in the early hours of Thursday released its sixth and final list of five candidates for the impending Karnataka assembly elections. In the final list, Mohammed Shalem was fielded from Raichur, BV Rajeev Gowda from Sidlaghatta, S Anand Kumar from C V Raman Nagar (SC), HP Sridhar Gowda from Arkalgud, and Inayath Ali from Mangalore City North. The party had on Wednesday replaced Mohammed Yousuf Savanur as its candidate from the Shiggaon constituency in Karnataka, currently under Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai, and fielded Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan instead from there. Bommai had defeated Congress candidates Sayed Azeempeer Khadri Shiggaon in the 2018 elections. The party released its fifth list on Wednesday of three new candidates, fielding B C Muddugangadhar from the Mulbagal (SC) seat, D K Mohan from K R Pura, and A C Srinivasa from the Pulakeshinagar -- SC seat. With the sixth list, the Congress has announced 223 candidates, marking one seat in the 224-member assembly fo

Cong suspends leader after he calls Atiq Ahmed martyr, demands Bharat Ratna

Congress on Wednesday suspended its party leader Rajkumar Singh 'Rajju' for six years after he laid India's national flag on Atiq Ahmed's grave

Congress accuses BJP of fuelling speculation on Pawar's next political move

The Nationalist Congress Party on Wednesday accused the BJP of fuelling speculation of a split in the NCP ranks even after senior party leader Ajit Pawar clarified his position. NCP national spokesperson Clyde Crasto said Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde must ask the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) why it was trying to put so much "pressure" on him and his Shiv Sena. Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Ajit Pawar on Tuesday said he would work for his party till he is alive and scotched speculation that he and a group of MLAs loyal to him might align with the ruling BJP. Pawar said is no truth in reports about any rift in the NCP and his joining hands with the BJP. The NCP leader had also dismissed reports that he had taken the signatures of 40 of 53 MLAs of NCP amid a buzz about his rumoured alliance with the BJP. ''Even after Ajit dada Pawar clarified his position yesterday, the BJP is sowing news in the media through its sources. Eknath Shinde ji and his group must a

Won't be in govt if Pawar joins BJP with NCP group: Shiv Sena spokesperson

Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Shirsat has said if Ajit Pawar joins the BJP with a group of NCP leaders, then the Eknath Shinde-led Sena will not be part of the government in Maharashtra. Talking to mediapersons in Mumbai on Tuesday, Shirsat, whose party shares power with the Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra, said he thinks the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will not go with the BJP directly. "Our policy is clear about it. The NCP is a party which betrays. We will not be with the NCP even in power. If the BJP takes NCP with them, Maharashtra will not like it. We decided to move out (of the earlier undivided Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray) because people didn't like us going with the Congress and NCP," he said. Shirsat said Ajit Pawar has not said anything which means he doesn't want to be in the NCP. "We left the Congress-NCP (which were part of the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government) because we didn't want to be with them. Ajit Pawar doesn't have a free hand there. ...

Jagadish Shettar files nomination from Hubli-Dharwad-Central constituency

Shettar on Monday joined the Congress party a day after he quit BJP ahead of the May 10 Assembly elections in the State

IYC sends legal notice to Angkita Dutta for 'defaming' Srinivas BV

The entire exercise of "publically maligning and defaming" Srinivas BV is politically motivated, and is absolutely false and baseless, the statement said

BJP sharpens attack on Cong in K'taka; CM says Lingayat voters 'vigilant'

The Congress announced its candidate against Chief Minister Bommai from Shiggaon. The party has fielded Mohammed Yousuf Savanur from the seat

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Cong demands white paper on Pulwama attack, quotes intelligence failures

The Congress on Tuesday demanded that the government should come out with a white paper on the Pulwama attack providing answers to questions such as what were the "intelligence failures" and why troops were denied aircraft. Days after former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satypal Malik's allegations over the 2019 Pulwama attack, the Congress held a press conference here by Col (retd) Rohit Chaudhry and Wing Commander (retd) Anuma Acharya, both associated with the party, and posed a series of questions to the government on the attack in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed. There has been no reaction from the government since Malik's interview to a news portal was released, while the BJP has said that there were serious questions about his credibility and cited various statements made by him in recent years. The BJP had cited Malik's past remarks, including the one that mocked former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi as a "political juvenile", and slammed him as the "disgraced" governor of Jammu a

Congress raises questions over Maharashtra govt's Dharavi project rebidding

The Congress on Tuesday alleged that the Maharashtra government's Dharavi project rebidding "deliberately excluded" the previous winner, and asked if the tender conditions were changed to help Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "favourite business group" Adani. The opposition led by the Congress has been seeking a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe after the Hindenburg Research made a litany of allegations against the Adani Group, including fraudulent transactions and share-price manipulation. The Gautam Adani-led group has dismissed the charges as lies, and said they comply with all laws and disclosure requirements. In a statement, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that as part of the party's 'Hum Adani ke Hain Kaun (HAHK)' series in February it had asked Modi to explain the change in bid conditions that excluded the previous winner of a tender to redevelop Mumbai's Dharavi area and "allowed the Adani Group to win a fresh tender with a much lower bid". Citing news reports

Will fight for democracy: Thackeray after meeting with Congress' Venugopal

He said that the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thakarey) and Congress will come together in the "fight for democracy"

Has Ajay Maken clinched any deal with BJP: AAP hits back at Congress leader

The AAP on Monday hit out at Congress leader Ajay Maken for targeting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the issue of corruption and sought to know if he has clinched any deal with the BJP. The party's reaction came a day after Maken, former Delhi Congress chief, launched a scathing attack on Kejriwal, saying that individuals like him and his associates who face "serious corruption charges" should not be shown any sympathy or support. On the one hand Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge extends his support to Arvind Kejriwal calling him over phone, on the other hand his party leader Ajay Maken is writing against the AAP national convener. This means he (Maken) must have clinched a deal with the BJP, AAP Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson Sanjay Singh told reporters here. He also wondered if there is any communication gap between the Congress leader and his party or if the party is confused. When his party's national president is extending support to Kejriwal, why is h

Pilot targets Gehlot again, renews demand for probe into 'BJP corruption'

Making clear that he is not backing down from the stand he has taken against his own government in Rajasthan, Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Monday renewed his demand for a probe into alleged corruption during the term of the previous BJP government. The former deputy chief minister recently went on a daylong fast over this, defying the party's central leadership even after it termed his proposed move "anti-party activity". Pilot's target had appeared to be Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot -- he criticised the Gehlot government for "inaction" in "corruption cases" at a time when the party is gearing up for the year-end assembly polls. Addressing a gathering in Jhunjhunu on Monday, the dissident leader stuck to his position. He had gone to unveil the statue of Pulwama attack martyr Sheo Ram Gurjar. "I am asking for action even today. It's been a week now but no action has been taken," Pilot said, repeating his demand for "an inquiry against those involved in corruption". "Action should

Rajasthan Cong infighting at peak, will lead to party's destruction: LoP

Taking a jibe at the Congress's exercise to take feedback from its MLAs, Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly Rajendra Rathore claimed on Monday that infighting in the state's ruling party is at its peak. He also said this infighting will lead to the destruction of the Congress. Referring to Sachin Pilot's daylong fast last week, Rathore told reporters here that the former deputy chief minister had warned that he was running out of patience. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader called the Ashok Gehlot government a government of lies and loot and said when the Congress high-command had sent a team to Jaipur, the members of the team were not given a hearing but now, one-on-one meetings are being held in view of the Assembly polls due later in the year. He was referring to a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting that was scheduled to be held at Chief Minister Gehlot's residence here on September 25 last year regarding a change in leadership in the state, but could not

Cong leaders start dialogue with MLAs in Rajasthan, Pilot skips interaction

The ruling Congress in Rajasthan on Monday began a series of individual meetings between MLAs and senior leaders to gear up the party for the upcoming assembly polls. Former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, who has been involved in a leadership tussle with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, skipped his interaction. AICC incharge for Rajasthan Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Gehlot and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Govind Singh Dotasra held one-on-one meetings with MLAs from districts that come under Ajmer and Jodhpur divisions. Pilot, who recently opened another front against Gehlot over inaction on alleged corruption under the erstwhile Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government, skipped the meeting. The Tonk MLA addressed two scheduled public meetings in Shahpura (Jaipur) and Khetri (Jhunjhunu). Tonk comes under the Ajmer division. Pilot told reporters in Khetri that he already had two programmes scheduled for the day and therefore he could not attend the meeting in Jaipur. He said he

Former Karnataka CM Jagadish Shettar joins Congress post exit from BJP

Senior BJP leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar on Monday joined the Congress ahead of the May 10 Assembly elections in the state. He joined the party in the presence of AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, General Secretaries K C Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala (Karnataka in-charge), KPCC president D K Shivakumar and Legislature Party leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, among others. Shettar on Sunday had resigned as the Hubli-Dharwad (Central) MLA after the BJP denied him the ticket to contest the Assembly polls. The 67-year old six-time MLA, Shettar was asked by the BJP top brass to make way for others, but he on his part had asserted he wanted to contest one last time. After joining the Congress, Shettar alleged that he had been humiliated by the BJP by denying him a ticket and that party is today in the control of "very few people." "I was forcefully thrown out of the party that I built...I'm joining the Congress by accepting its ideolog

Ex-CM Kumaraswamy, state Cong chief Shivakumar file nominations for polls

Former Chief Minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, state Congress president D K Shivakumar and BJP veteran B S Yediyurappa's son B Y Vijayendra were among the prominent leaders who filed their nominations on Monday for the May 10 Assembly polls in Karnataka. Roadshows, drum beats, sloganeering, waving of party flags, and visits to temples marked the day in most constituencies across the state today, with a large number of candidates and leaders filing their papers. While Kumaraswamy held a road show ahead of filing nominations in Channapatna, Shivakumar too held a road show and visited a temple of his family deity Kabbalamma, accompanied by his wife, in Kanakapura where the BJP has fielded its Vokkaliga face and Minister R Ashoka against him. Speaking to reporters after filing his nomination, Shivakumar said that he had nurtured hundreds of leaders in the constituency in the past 35 years and they would fight the election on his behalf, the results of which would be seen on the

Cong raises pitch for caste-based census, demands removal of 50% quota cap

The Congress on Monday accused the government of resorting to caste-based politics to attack the Opposition and resisting a socio-economic and caste census in the country. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that the underprivileged need economic and political power and not empty words as he again called for removing the 50 per cent cap on quota and demanded reservations for Dalits and tribals based on their population. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding an up-to-date caste census, saying meaningful social justice and empowerment programmes are incomplete in the absence of such data. "Prime Minister ji, the underprivileged need political and economic power, not empty words," Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi. "Take these three steps: Make the 2011 census figures public, tell how many OBCs are there in the country and remove the 50 percent cap on reservations. Give reservation to Dalits, tribals according to their population,