Page 325 - Congress

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,

Cong eyes Lingayat vote bank in Karnataka with Shettar's switch from BJP

Congress in Karnataka has got a shot in the arm with senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar switching over to it

Conduct census 'immediately'; caste census 'essential': Kharge writes to PM

In the letter, Kharge said that caste census was the 'responsibility' of the government

Rahul Gandhi exudes confidence about Congress victory in Karnataka polls

"The essence and nature of our country are being attacked, and it is our duty as Congress people, as people who have helped build the modern idea of India"

Congress releases third list of candidates for Shimla Municipal elections

Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee on Sunday announced the third list of candidates for the Shimla Municipal Corporation elections

What is contribution of 'double-engine govt' to Karnataka, asks Kharge

Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday took a jibe at Bharatiya Janata Party and said that according to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress has done nothing in the state, whether Modi started BHEL and BEL?

Congress must aim for at least 150 seats in Karnataka: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said there is a strong undercurrent in favour of Congress in poll-bound Karnataka but pressed on his leaders to ensure that the party wins at least 150 seats so that the next government is not "stolen" by a corrupt BJP. He also reminded everyone that people in the party have a duty to defend the idea of India from the RSS and BJP amid hatred, violence and attacks on the country's institutions. The Congress leader arrived in Karnataka on a two-day event to take part in a series of events in Kolar, Bengaluru and Bidar before flying back to Delhi. "Most of us are aware of what the BJP is doing to the nation in terms of hatred and violence, the attack on institutions. These are the things that are visible to everybody," Gandhi said after inaugurating Indira Gandhi Bhavan. Dwelling on his party's prospects in the May 10 Karnataka Assembly election, he said: "We are facing an election now in Karnataka and I am quite happy to see that there is a very

Rebellions in Congress: Sachin Pilot continues tirade against Gehlot regime

Sachin Pilot has sought accountability from a government led by his own party to explain inaction against corruption charges against the BJP. But there could be more here than meets the eye

Cong will win over 130 seats in Karnataka assembly polls: Veerappa Moily

Asserting that "winds of change" are blowing in Karnataka, senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily on Sunday claimed that his party will win at least 130 seats in the upcoming assembly polls and the gateway to South India for the BJP will be "totally closed". He also asserted that Karnataka has always played a crucial role in the formation of the government at the Centre and a victory in the upcoming assembly polls there will pave the way for the formation of a Congress-led government in 2024. In an interview with PTI, former Karnataka chief minister Moily predicted that the Congress would not get any less than 130 seats in the 224-member assembly while the BJP would not cross the 60-mark in the May 10 assembly polls. He also accused the Janata Dal (Secular) of colluding with the BJP and said people will reject the H D Deve Gowda-led outfit's "politics of opportunism". "The winds of change are blowing in favour of the Congress. The BJP is totally in tatters. There is no unity and .

Congress will approve poll promises in 1st Cabinet meet: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said his party would be voted to power in the coming Assembly elections in Karnataka, and the new government would formally approve its poll promises in the first cabinet meeting itself. The poll 'guarantees' announced by the party are: Gruha Jyothi' offering 200 units of free electricity every month to all, Gruha Lakshmi' giving Rs 2,000 per month to every woman head of the family, Anna Bhagya' offering 10 kg rice to each member of a BPL family every month and Yuva Nidhi' where Rs 3,000 will per month be given to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 per month to diploma holders for two years. These schemes will be implemented on the first day in the first cabinet meeting itself, Gandhi said during the 'Jai Bharat' rally here in the run-up to the May 10 elections. He asked the Congress leaders in Karnataka to send across a message all over the country that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi can give thousands of crores to Adani, we can give money t

Not decided yet, says Ex-Karnataka CM Jagadish Shettar on joining Congress

On Saturday after announcing his resignation Jagadish Shettar also mentioned that there is a conspiracy against him, which is why he was denied a ticket

Need Supreme Court-monitored probe into Atiq's killing, says Kamal Nath

Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath on Sunday demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the gunning down of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf in Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh a day earlier. Ahmad and Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists in the middle of a media interaction late Saturday night while police personnel were escorting them to a medical college in Prayagraj for a mandatory check-up. "What kind of politics is taking place in Uttar Pradesh and in the country? One day someone is killed and the next day someone else. It is for the society to think where UP and the country is headed. The Supreme Court should take notice of it and order an inquiry," Nath said. Hitting back at Nath, MP Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Narendra Saluja said Nath should have instead expressed grief over those who had been killed by Atiq Ahmad. "Atiq was facing more than 100 criminal cases. It is shameful Nath is demanding

Serious attempt to undermine every autonomous institution: Shashi Tharoor

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said right across the spectrum there is a serious undermining of every autonomous institution and it seems the government has only the "loyalty" criterion before appointing individuals to head them. In an interaction at Press Club here on 'The need for an independent media as a vital link for democracy', Tharoor said intimidation of the press was a legitimate issue, and if he has a voice in the party manifesto, he would certainly suggest that this should be made an issue and the party would stand for guaranteeing the freedom of press and non-interference. The MP from Kerala also said before the 2019 elections, he had warned that a victory for the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) would result in an attempt to create a Hindu Pakistan. He said in the first few months after the BJP government stormed to power in 2019, he wasn't far off from his prediction as the government brought legislation on triple talaq and the abolition of special provisions o

K'taka polls: Siddaramaiah denied ticket from Kolar, local leader fielded

In a setback to Opposition leader Siddaramaiah, the Kolar assembly seat has been allotted to a local leader by the Congress. Siddaramaiah had asked for a ticket from Kolar constituency also

Congress in-fight in Rajasthan a fight for chair, says Vasundhara Raje

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on Saturday said the fight between Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot is a fight for chair and the people of the state are suffering because of it. Referring to the tussle between Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot, Raje said Gehlot accuses BJP of taking over other governments, but the truth is that the governments he formed in 2008 and 2018 were also formed by manipulation. The Gehlot government was in minority then and it is in minority now, she said. "The MLAs of his party are against him, his ministers keep talking about something or the other in protest every day," said the BJP leader while addressing the 'Booth Maha Sammelan' in Bharatpur in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Corruption is rampant and atrocities on Dalits and women are high in the state, and so is unemployment, Raje said. Pilot recently held a daylong fast demanding action from the Gehlot government in the alleged ..