Page 33 - Congress

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Govt unconcerned about youth: Rahul slams 'police action' against students

The Congress Monday slammed the Centre over the alleged "lathi charge" on Staff Selection Commission (SSC) aspirants protesting at Ramlila Maidan here, with Rahul Gandhi alleging the Modi government was not concerned about youths' future as it has come to power by "stealing votes". SSC students and trainers staged a protest at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, demanding better conduct of the examination. Police, however, have denied opposition parties' claims of baton charging the demonstrators. In a post in Hindi on X, Rahul Gandhi said, "The brutal lathicharge on SSC candidates and teachers who were peacefully protesting at Ramlila Maidan is not only shameful but also the hallmark of a cowardly government." "The youth had only demanded their rights -- employment and justice -- but got lathi-charged," said the Leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha. "It is clear the Modi government is neither concerned about the youth of the country, nor about their future. Why should it be? This ...

Bihar polls: Rahul haunted by fear of another defeat, says Anurag Thakur

Former Union minister Anurag Thakur attacked Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Sunday, saying the Congress has already lost around 90 elections under his leadership and he is now haunted by the fear of another defeat in the upcoming Bihar polls. Speaking at a private event held in Hamirpur, the BJP MP alleged that Gandhi blames VVPATs or EVMs after every electoral defeat, and "now, even before the polls, he is making baseless statements about the Election Commission of India". "It is very unfortunate if the opposition leaders have lost faith in the country's constitutional framework," he said. Thakur asserted that work to strengthen the constitutional institutions was undertaken during the tenure of the BJP-led governments. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made efforts to bring strict laws against corrupt leaders. In a veiled dig at AAP leaders, Thakur said that in Delhi, some ministers continued to sign files and take decisions from jail itself which is not good f

INDIA bloc united in Bihar, confident of fruitful poll results, says Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday asserted that all the INDIA bloc constituents in Bihar were working unitedly for the upcoming assembly polls and that the results will be fruitful. Addressing a press conference in Araria, with RJD's Tejashwi Yadav and leaders of other constituents of the INDIA bloc by his side, Gandhi said that the opposition alliance will soon come out with a common manifesto for the polls, due later this year. "The INDIA bloc will soon come out with a common manifesto for the Bihar assembly polls. All constituents of the opposition alliance are working unitedly... we are both ideologically and politically aligned, mutually respecting each other. The results would be fruitful," Gandhi said. "I call it a good partnership among all constituents of the INDIA bloc," he said. Launching a scathing attack on the NDA government at the Centre, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha alleged that the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the ...

INDIA bloc in Bihar united for polls, results will be fruitful, says Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday asserted that all the INDIA bloc constituents in Bihar were working unitedly for the upcoming assembly polls and that the results will be fruitful. Addressing a press conference in Araria with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav by his side, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said that the INDIA bloc will soon come out with a common manifesto for the polls, due later this year. "The INDIA bloc will soon come out with a common manifesto for the Bihar assembly polls. All constituents of the opposition alliance are working unitedly, both ideologically and politically, and the results would be fruitful," Gandhi said. Launching a scathing attack on the NDA government at the Centre, Gandhi alleged that the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the eastern state was "institutionalised attempt by the Election Commission to steal votes to help the BJP". "We will not allow the EC to steal votes in Bihar. The poll panel is working for t

Rahul, Tejashwi ride bikes during 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' in Bihar's Araria

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD's Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday rode motorcycles as they made their way through the streets of Araria in Bihar's Purnea district during the Voter Adhikar Yatra'. The 1,300-km yatra was launched on August 17 from Sasaram. It will cover more than 20 districts over a period of 16 days, and conclude with a rally in Patna on September 1. Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, and Yadav were seen riding motorcycles as the yatra entered Araria, with people lining the streets to see the two leaders. The former Congress chief and the RJD leader will address a joint press conference in Araria later in the day, along with other leaders of the INDIA bloc. Gandhi, addressing a rally in Katihar district on Saturday evening as part of the yatra, had deplored "attempts to steal votes" in Bihar ahead of the assembly polls, in favour of the BJP, which has "shut the doors of opportunities" for the poor since coming to power at the Centre. The BJP and the R

Kerala Cong leaders split in tone over allegations against MLA Mamkootathil

Senior Congress leaders in Kerala voiced differing tones on Saturday over allegations of misbehaviour against MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, who resigned this week as state Youth Congress president. Amid mounting protests from the BJP and the CPI(M) seeking Mamkootathil's resignation as Palakkad MLA, Opposition Leader V D Satheesan said the party was examining the issue "very seriously" and would act if required. "Within 24 hours of the allegation, Mamkootathil resigned from his post. There is a procedure, and the party will examine the matter thoroughly," Satheesan told reporters in Kochi. He also cautioned party workers against vilifying the complainants. "Strict action will be taken against anyone running campaigns against the women who raised allegations. That is not Kerala's culture," he said. On whether Mamkootathil had resigned as Youth Congress chief voluntarily or was asked to, Satheesan remarked: "That is a technical question. The result is the same. He has the right to prove h

Cong MLA urges Centre to intervene after US halts truck drivers' visas

The reaction came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the United States would temporarily halt issuing worker visas to commercial truck drivers

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Cong hails SC directive on Bihar's SIR, says ECI exposed, discredited

Welcoming the Supreme Court directive on the Bihar SIR issue, the Congress on Friday said democracy has survived a "brutal assault" from the Election Commission of India (ECI) and claimed that the poll body stands "totally exposed and discredited". The opposition party said the Supreme Court has laid down guardrails to make the revision more inclusive by including political parties in the process, and alleged that so far, the ECI's approach has been "obstructionist and contrary to the interests of the voters". The Congress' assertion came after the Supreme Court directed the ECI to allow excluded voters to submit claims through online mode besides making physical submissions in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise of electoral roll in poll-bound Bihar. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi allowed claim forms to be submitted along with Aadhaar card number and any one of the 11 acceptable documents in the SIR. Expressing surprise over political parties not comi

MLA Rahul Mamkootathil quits as IYC Kerala president amid misconduct probe

Congress MLA from Kerala, Rahul Mamkootathil, who faces an internal party inquiry over a misbehaviour allegation by an actress, on Thursday announced his resignation as state Youth Congress president. He announced this while speaking to reporters at his residence in Adoor near here. After actress Rini Ann George accused "a young leader" of a well-known political party of misbehaviour, BJP and CPI(M) affiliated youth organisation DYFI were protesting against Mamkootathil and demanding his resignation as MLA. His decision to resign from the party post came soon after Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly V D Satheesan asserted that nobody found guilty will be spared. The MLA began the press conference by saying that he had spoken to the opposition leader, as well as KPCC and AICC leaders, on Thursday morning. "They did not demand my resignation. The actress is my friend, and I don't believe the person she mentioned was me. She is my good friend and will rema

SIR less about cleansing rolls, more about destroying democracy: Cong

The Congress on Thursday cited the Election Commission's own 2024 survey of all 243 assembly constituencies in Bihar to allege that the Special Intensive Revision is less about cleansing electoral rolls and more about "destroying democracy itself". Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared a media report on X which claimed that while the Election Commission has launched a special intensive revision (SIR) to clean up Bihar's electoral rolls, its own 2024 KAP (knowledge, attitude and practices) survey on voter insights noted the perceived "near-perfect accuracy of voter listings" in Bihar reflecting the "robustness of the electoral roll system". "The Election Commission's own 2024 KAP (Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices) survey of all 243 assembly constituencies in Bihar just after the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections stated that Rolls are already at 'near perfect accuracy'. Many eligible citizens are still unenrolled - thanks to paperwork & lack of ...

Voter Adhikar Yatra resumes in Bihar; Tejashwi says Rahul to join today

The Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar on Thursday resumed after a day-long break, with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav informing the public that Rahul Gandhi will be back from Delhi in the afternoon. Yadav was joined by CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar and Vikassheel Insan Party chief Mukesh Sahni, among others, when the yatra resumed at Sheikhpura district. "We are grateful to big brother (bade bhai) Rahul Gandhi for having devoted so much of his time for this yatra. He has some pressing engagements relating to vice president's election. He will be joining us in the afternoon", said Yadav. Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, had flagged off the yatra at Sasaram on Sunday in the presence of leaders like AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad. Yadav, who is the Leader of the Opposition in Bihar assembly and the INDIA bloc's de facto chief ministerial candidate, alleged that people's votes

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Priyanka, Kharge, others pay tribute to Rajiv Gandhi on birth anniversary

The Indian National Congress also paid tribute to the former India Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi by sharing a post on their official 'X' handle

Meet Sudershan Reddy, former SC judge now Opposition's vice president pick

Opposition alliance names former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy as its vice-presidential candidate against NDA nominee CP Radhakrishnan. Election is scheduled for September 9

Congress claims vindication after PM Modi proposes next-gen GST reforms

The Congress on Monday said it stands vindicated on its criticism of the "flawed" Goods and Services Tax after Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised a simplified GST structure. Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh claimed the economy has never recovered from the twin "Modi-inflicted shocks" of GST 1.0 and demonetisation. "It was the Vijay Kelkar Committee report of 2004 that led to the first announcement of GST in Mr. P. Chidambaram's Budget Speech of Feb 28, 2006. Here, Dr. Kelkar and his colleagues offer their suggestions for a transformed GST 2.0," Ramesh said in a post on X. "The Indian National Congress stands vindicated on its criticism of the flawed GST 1.0 that was pushed through on July 1, 2017, giving the economy its second serious shock after the notebandi of Nov 8, 2016. The economy has never recovered from these twin Modi-inflicted shocks," the Congress leader said in his post. The Congress has been alleging that the GST 1.0 is flawed and there ha

Issue between EC, Congress should not be discussed in Parliament: Rijiju

Rijiju also announced that Parliament will hold a special discussion to honour Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and his recent space visit to the ISS as part of India's space mission

Voter list in machine-readable form can't be shared: CEC cites SC order

Citing a 2019 Supreme Court judgment, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday said that the voter list in machine-readable format cannot be shared with political parties. He also said there was a difference between machine-readable and searchable formats. Addressing a press conference here, Kumar said that the voter list available on its website can be searched using a voter card number and can also be downloaded. He said the machine-readable format is barred as it can be edited and can lead to its misuse. The Congress has been demanding the voter list in machine-readable format, saying it will help it flag flaws. The CEC said that in 2019, the top court had sided with its stand that a machine-readable format cannot be shared as it could compromise voters' privacy. Officials pointed out that the issue was already raised by the Congress before the Supreme Court in a writ petition in 2018 filed by Kamal Nath, the then president of the Madhya Pradesh Congress ...

EC stands 'thoroughly exposed' for incompetence, partisanship: Cong

The Congress on Sunday alleged that the Election Commission stood "thoroughly exposed" not only for its "incompetence" but also for its "blatant partisanship" after the poll body hit out at the opposition party for its "vote chori" charges. The Congress also termed as "laughable" the claims made by the EC that it makes no distinction between the ruling party and the Opposition. Soon after Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the two election commissioners addressed a press conference over the Congress' charges, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh asked whether the poll body will implement the Supreme Court's August 14 orders in letter and spirit. "Today, a short while after Shri Rahul Gandhi launched the INDIA janbandhan's Voter Adhikar Yatra from Sasaram, the CEC and his two ECs began by saying they make no distinction between the ruling party and the opposition. "This is laughable, to put it very mildly, in the face of mountains of evidence to the contrary. Notably, th