Page 358 - Congress

J P Nadda says Rahul Gandhi speaking language of China and Pakistan

In an all-out attack on Rahul Gandhi for his remark that Chinese soldiers are beating up Indian Army personnel in Arunachal Pradesh, the BJP said on Saturday that the Congress should expel him from the party as its president J P Nadda accused him of speaking the language of China and Pakistan. "This underlines the question mark about his patriotism. He had also questioned surgical strikes and Balakot air strikes. It is a reflection of his metal bankruptcy," Nadda said as a number of senior party leaders seized on the former Congress president's comments to target the opposition party which is seeking some sort of political revival with Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'. At its official briefing, Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said if Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is not "remote-controlled" and if the opposition party stands with the country, then Gandhi should be expelled for his comments as they "belittle" India and break the morale of its armed forces. Bhatia

BJP calls Rahul 'Jaichand', says Congress chief Kharge should expel him

The BJP launched a fierce attack on Rahul Gandhi on Saturday for his remark that Chinese soldiers are beating up Indian Army personnel in Arunachal Pradesh and said the Congress should immediately expel him from the party. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said if Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is not "remote-controlled" and if the opposition party stands with the country, then Gandhi should be expelled for his comments, which "belittle" India and break the morale of its armed forces. Bhatia likened Gandhi to Jaichand, the king of Kannauj who is projected as a betrayer to the Indian cause in some historical accounts, and alleged that the former Congress chief has constantly tried to break the armed forces' morale, be it after the surgical and airstrikes on terror camps in Pakistan or after the Galwan valley clashes, in which 20 soldiers had laid down their lives. While Gandhi allegedly sought evidence of the armed forces' strikes on terrorists inside ...

Raj cylinder blast toll rises to 32, BJP says govt in 'celebratory mode'

The death toll in the cylinder explosion during a wedding in Rajasthan's Jodhpur district rose to 32 on Friday, with four more people succumbing to injuries at a hospital here. Slamming the Congress government in the state, BJP leader Rajendra Singh Rathore said while Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is yet to visit Bhungra village where the tragedy struck on December 8, his party has organised a celebration. He was apparently referring to a musical concert organised in Jaipur to mark the 100 days of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi-led 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'. The event was also attended by Gehlot and party general secretary K C Venugopal. The cylinder explosion at Bhungra in Shergarh subdivision had triggered a fire and left over 50 people injured. On Friday, four more of the injured succumbed at the MG Hospital, taking the toll to 32, officials said. "Such a ghastly incident has taken place in the state. Thirty-two people have lost their lives. But instead of announcing a special package for

BJY has taken shape of national Jan Andolan: Kharge hails Rahul Gandhi

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday congratulated party leader Rahul Gandhi for completing 100 days of the Bharat Jodo Yatra', saying it has taken the shape of a national Jan Andolan. He said the yatra has reached a historic milestone by completing 100 days on Friday. "I congratulated Rahul Gandhi ji on this occasion. The Bharat Jodo Yatra is getting the support and confidence of lakhs of people. In the yatra we are directly interacting with people, with youths, farmers, oppressed sections of society, women, ex-servicemen, social workers and all sections of society," Kharge said in a video message on the 100 days of the yatra. He said the yatra is uniting the country primarily on three issues -- the first is against the hatred being spread in society in the wake of rising atrocities against scheduled castes, backward classes and minorities. The Congress is raising its voice against these atrocities, he added. In the last eight years, the country is grappling with ...

Adhir Ranjan challenges BJP to explain Chinese donations to PM-Cares fund

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury further claimed that China is building a bridge inside the Indian territory

Slogans in support of Sachin Pilot raised during Bharat Jodo Yatra

As the Congress MP Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra marked its 100 days on Friday, people in Dausa raised slogans in support of former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot.The yatra started from Meena High Court (Nangal Rajwatan), reaching Giriraj Dharan temple of Dausa.A music concert has been organised in Jaipur to celebrate 100 days of the foot march. Rahul Gandhi also held a press conference at the Congress office in Jaipur.Rajasthan is the only Congress-ruled state where the yatra will cover around 500 km over 17 days before entering Haryana on December 21. Many people were seen joining the march holding banners and party flags.Rajya Sabha MP and party General Secretary KC Venugopal tweeted: "Today the historic journey of #BharatJodoYatra completes #100Days, uniting the country against hatred, bigotry, division, violence, injustice, unemployment & price rice. The #BJY has covered 8 states & 2,763KMs winning the hearts (in emoji) of millions. Thank you all for the love

India's dependence on China for rare earth minerals not good: Cong leader

Noting that over 90 per cent of rare earth minerals are imported from China, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Friday asked the government to give due priority to their exploration in India, saying "such kind of dependence" on a "hostile country" will not augur well. Raising the issue in Lok Sabha during Zero Hour, the Congress leader said exploration of rare earth minerals is "abysmally low" in the country and termed it as "achilles heels" in India's strategic planning. "The reason being that till now our government has been importing more than 90 per cent of the rare earth minerals from China," he said. He said rare earth minerals consists of 17 very critical elements, which are used in a range of items, from nuclear power and magnets to electric vehicles. In view of the wide ranging application of the rare earth mineral, Chowdhury said, "I think the kind of dependence that India has upon a hostile country for the earth materials will not augur good for our nation." The

Cong questions PM's silence, slams govt over 'normal' trade ties with China

Upping the ante on the government over the Sino-India border issue, the Congress on Friday cited the "ballooning" trade deficit and said while trade is "normal" with that country, the border is "abnormal". Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "exonerating" the Chinese with his 2020 statement on the border standoff and asked whether what had happened back then was an "incursion" or an "excursion" by the Chinese. Hitting out at the prime minister over his "silence" on the issue, Ramesh also alleged that the prime minister "forced" Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to read a "most wishy-washy" statement in Parliament earlier this week following the recent face-off between Indian and Chinese forces in Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh, and asserted that it was the Opposition parties' democratic right to seek a debate on the important issue. "The prime minister has met the president of China 18 times. (Former External ...

Congress presses for debate on Chinese aggression, forces adjournment in RS

The Opposition Congress on Friday kept pressing for a debate on clashes along the border with China, forcing a brief adjournment of proceedings in Rajya Sabha. Congress and other opposition parties have been trying to raise the issue since December 13, after reports appeared of clashes between Indian and Chinese soldiers in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh. In the initial days, they staged walkouts but have since Thursday, forced adjournments. On Friday, Congress MPs pressed for acceptance of their notices under rule 267 that sought to set aside the business of the day to take up a debate on the issue but the chair did not permit it. They initially shouted slogans and disrupted issues of public importance being raised by other MPs through zero-hour submissions but later, trooped into the Well of the House, forcing Deputy Chairman Harivansh to adjourn proceedings for 25 minutes. When the House met for the day, Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said his party and othe

Himachal CM walk alongside Rahul as Bharat Jodo Yatra completes 100 days

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, his deputy Mukesh Agnihotri and the Congress' chief in the hill state Pratibha Singh walked alongside Rahul Gandhi in the Bharat Jodo Yatra on Friday as it completed 100 days on the road. Besides Sukhu, Agnihotri and the HPCC chief, some other newly elected Himachal MLAs, including Pratibha Singh's son Vikramaditya Singh and AICC in-charge of the hill state Rajeev Shukla, joined the yatra after the tea break during the morning session. Gandhi, along with Venugopal, former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and other senior leaders, began the morning leg of the yatra from the Meena High Court here. "Bharat Jodo Yatra's biggest achievement is that issues of the common people of the country have been highlighted through it," Venugopal told PTI while walking in the yatra. "The BJP's attempt of demolishing his (Gandhi's) image has also been destroyed by us," he added. The Congress general secretary (organisation) also ..

Rice over riots in Chhattisgarh: The paddy trade in Red hotbed

Over 2,000 farmers from the interior areas of the worst Maoist-infested Narayanpur district will be selling paddy for the first time at MSP at the procurement centres

100 days of Bharat Jodo Yatra: Rahul, leaders walk on road to revive Cong

As the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' enters its 100th day Friday, Congress watchers feel it has found some answers the party had been looking for on the road to 2024 but questions remain whether it will yield electoral dividends going forward. The Kanyakumari to Kashmir foot march has also courted many controversies in the last three months and led to several fiery exchanges between the Congress and the BJP including on Rahul Gandhi's ever-growing grey beard and his Burberry T-shirt. With over 2,800 km under his belt, Gandhi has managed to catch the attention of his supporters as well as detractors and seen quite a few celebrities including from the tinsel town and academia walking alongside him from time to time. However, some political pundits feel the party should have had more tangible political objectives for the yatra and questioned the party for skipping poll-bound states of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. Amid questions over the yatra translating into any electoral dividend, two recent

Congress gives adjournment notice in LS for 3rd day in row on border clash

The notice said the reports suggest that China has built a massive infrastructure and there is additional troop buildup on the LAC

Rajasthan govt doing work of renaming Centre's schemes: BJP leader

BJP leader Gulab Chand Kataria on Wednesday hit out at the Congress government in Rajasthan, alleging it was taking credit for the work done by the Centre by renaming its schemes. Addressing the media at the BJP headquarters here, the leader of opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly also said the party's 'Jan Aakrosh Yatra' is the yatra of the people of the state against the Congress. The BJP launched the 'Jan Aakrosh Yatra' in Rajasthan on December 1, days before the Congress' pan-India 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' entered the state on December 4. The 'Jan Aakrosh Yatra' seeks to corner the Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot-led government on issues related to farmers and governance ahead of its fourth anniversary on December 17. Kataria alleged the Congress government has been doing the work of renaming the central government's schemes. Arrangements were made by the previous BJP government to provide food to people through the Annapurna scheme, which was first stopped by the Congress government a

Ex-RBI guv Raghuram Rajan joins Congress-led Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan

Reserve Bank of India's former governor Raghuram Rajan on Wednesday joined Rahul Gandhi during the Congress-led Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan. The Bharat Jodo Yatra, which started from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7, is passing through Rajasthan. The yatra will complete 100 days on Friday. The yatra resumed from the Bhadoti area of Sawai Madhopur on Wednesday and reached Badhshapura for a morning break. Rajan walked with Gandhi during this leg of the yatra on Wednesday. "#BharatJodoYatra Shri Raghuram Rajan, former Governor of RBI, shaking steps with @RahulGandhi ji... The increasing number of people standing up to unite the country against hatred shows that we will be successful," The Indian National Congress tweeted along with a picture of Rajan walking with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Dr Raghuram Rajan was the 23rd Governor of the Reserve Bank of India between September 2013 and September 2016. Between 2003 and 2006, he was the Chief Economist and Director of Rese

Rahul Gandhi will contest 2024 LS polls from Amethi, claims Ajay Rai

Rahul Gandhi would contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections again from Amethi with which the Nehru-Gandhi family has old ties, Uttar Pradesh Congress leader Ajay Rai claimed on Wednesday. Rai, the regional head of the party in UP, also said that it is his appeal to the people of Amethi to send Rahul Gandhi to Delhi by electing him as an MP again with a huge margin. "The Gandhi-Nehru family has old relations with Amethi...no one can weaken it. Rahul Gandhi will contest from Amethi in 2024," Rai told reporters here. There has been no word from the party so far on the former Congress president fighting the next parliamentary elections again from Amethi. Rahul Gandhi, who had won the Amethi parliamentary seat for three times in a row, was defeated by BJP leader and Union minister Smriti Irani in 2019 elections. He is currently representing Kerala's Wayanad constituency in Lok Sabha. Rahul Gandhi's parents Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi had won from Amethi in the past. Speaking about the

Himachal CM orders review of BJP govt decisions, BJP calls it 'vendetta'

Himachal Pradesh's new chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has announced a review of all recent decisions by the previous government and also ordered the sacking of officials who were re-employed or given extensions, prompting the BJP to accuse him of "vendetta". According to the orders issued on Monday night, the services of heads and members of boards and committees have been terminated with immediate effect and recruitments for government jobs -- unless done through the state recruitment board or commission -- put on hold. The new Congress government also scrapped notifications for the creation and upgradation of institutions and sought fresh proposals. However, these orders do not apply to government medical colleges and health institutions. Sukhu told reporters that a five-member committee reviewed the notifications for opening and upgradation of institutions -- apparently referring to educational institutes -- and found that these were opened only on paper and were ...

Congress resumes Bharat Jodo Yatra from Rajasthan's Sawai Madhopur

Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra resumed in Rajasthan with party leaders and Gandhi siblings Rahul and Priyanka taking the lead

Economy was in ICU but now India growing the fastest: FM Sitharaman

India is the fastest-growing economy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi but there are people in the Opposition who keep raising questions over the country's progress just out of jealousy, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in Lok Sabha on Monday. The minister's remark came during the Question Hour after Congress member from Telangana A Revanth Reddy raised the issue of depreciation of the rupee against the dollar and sought to know from the government if it has any action plan to control the situation. The Congress MP from Telangana alleged that the Modi government has ruined the country's economy since 2014 and also referred to Prime Ministre Modi's remark made during the erstwhile Congress-led UPA regime that the rupee had gone into the ICU when it was valued at Rs 66 against a dollar. Replying to Reddy's question, Sitharaman said the Congress member, while referring to Modi's remarks on the value of the rupee against the dollar in the past, should have also spoken about th

Kerala CM Vijayan blames state BJP, Congress for 'derailment' of K-Rail

The project is not shelved and the Centre has not informed us that the detailed project report is incomplete