Page 362 - Congress

Congress is democratic party, believes in live and let live: Jairam Ramesh

Rajya Sabha member Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday said the Congress is a democratic party and believes in live and let live. Ramesh is part of the Bharat Jodo Yatra that has so far covered over 2,400 kilometers since it started on September 7 from Tamil Nadu's Kanyakumari. Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi recommenced the yatra on its 91st day on Wednesday as he along with others marched towards Kota from Darra Station Ganesh Mandir. In a press conference, when asked about the police action here on some people who wanted to submit a memorandum to Gandhi while the Congress is talking on preserving democracy, Ramesh said the Congress is a democratic party. "The Congress has people with different views and there is no environment of fear," Ramesh said, adding that sometimes people within the party criticise it and this happens in every state. It has recently happened in Uttar Pradesh, he said without elaborating. "Live and let live. Currently, talks are only about 'live' but the Congress

Border dispute: Congress demands Maharashtra CM convene all-party meet

The Congress on Wednesday demanded Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde immediately convene an all-party meeting on the border dispute with Karnataka and spell out the state government's stand on the issue. Senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat also said the recent attacks on Marathi-speaking people living around the border areas in Karnataka are very serious and asked, "if the Centre is instructing Karnataka on this issue". "The border issue has taken a different turn. Trucks, buses and vehicles are being vandalized in Karnataka. Maharashtra will not tolerate these kinds of attacks from Karnataka," he told a press conference. While the Opposition parties in Maharashtra have expressed concerns over the border issue and are standing firmly behind the Marathi people, the Chief Minister (Eknath Shinde) continues to remain silent, he said. "What is Maharashtra's position on the border issue? What will be their next course of action? Since there is a BJP government in Karnataka an

Congress, TMC raise issue of denial of Parliament panel chairmanship in LS

The Congress and Trinamool Congress on Wednesday raised the issue of the two parties being denied parliamentary standing committee chairmanship as has been the convention in the past. Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha on the first day of the winter session of Parliament, Leader of Congress Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay flagged changes made in the composition of the committees in October. "The convention of appointing chairman of parliamentary committees from opposition parties is being done away with," Chowdhury said. Bandyopadhyay said that despite the TMC being one of the largest party in the Lok Sabha, it was informed by the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry that it will not be given chairmanship of any committee. In a reconstitution of parliamentary panels, notified by secretariats of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, chairpersons of several committees were changed in the Congress. The Congress and TMC had lost chairmanship of four key parliamentary pan

Delhi MCD: All you need to know about the prestige battle in the capital

The polling for the 250 seats in the Delhi Municipal Corporation was conducted on December 4, and the results will be declared on December 7

Winter session: 16 Bills on govt agenda; Cong to seek discussion on China

The results of the assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh are likely to play out during the Winter session of Parliament beginning Wednesday. The government plans to introduce 16 bills during 17 sittings in the session, while the Congress will seek to corner the government over a host of issues including the situation on the border with China. A day after the session starts, votes for the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly polls will be counted. The outcome is likely have a bearing on the proceedings whichever way the verdict goes as parties may use the verdict to corner rivals. Exit polls had on Monday predicted a big majority for the BJP in Gujarat and a dead heat in Himachal Pradesh where most pollsters gave an edge to the ruling party over the Congress. The Winter session is also likely to be the last session to be held in the existing Parliament House. Outlining the issues that the Congress will raise, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh had said last week, t

Congress MPs pay tribute to Ambedkar on his 66th death anniversary

Congress MPs including its president Mallikarjun Kharge and former chief Sonia Gandhi paid tribute to the architect of the Indian Constitution on his 66th death anniversary

Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra resumes from Khel Sankul in Rajasthan's Jhalawar

Earlier on Sunday evening, a video of the impromptu dance performance surfaced on social media, showing Rahul, Gehlot and Pilot holding hands and dancing with folk artists on the stage

Gujarat polls: 'Missing' Congress leader says he was assaulted by BJP

Kanti Kharadi has claimed that he was assaulted by the BJP candidate Ladhu Parghi

It's time to take Pak-occupied Kashmir back: Congress leader Harish Rawat

Rawat said that currently Pakistan is in a weak condition and this is the time when we can take PoK from Pakistan

Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra begins in Congress-ruled Rajasthan

Rahul Gandhi began his Bharat Jodo Yatra in the Congress-ruled Rajasthan on Monday morning. The yatra commenced from Kali Talai in Jhalrapatan in Jhalawar. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, PCC chief Govind Singh Dotasra, former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, ministers, MLAs and many other leaders and workers joined Gandhi. Tight security arrangements have been made for the yatra. After covering 14 km, the yatra is scheduled to reach Baliborda chauraha at around 10 am. After the lunch break, the yatra will restart from Nahardi at 3.30 pm. Gandhi is scheduled to hold a corner meeting at Chandrabhaga chauraha in the evening. The yatra will take a halt in Jhalawar for a night stay. The yatra entered Rajasthan from the Madhya Pradesh district of Agar Malwa on Sunday.

Gujarat polls: Cong candidate Kanti Kharadi 'missing' after alleged assault

Gujarat Congress working president Jignesh Mevani was first to share the information about the missing party candidate on social media

Kharge makes strong pitch for fixing accountability in Cong organisation

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday strongly pitched for organisational accountability from top to bottom in the party, and said those unable to fulfil their responsibilities will have to make way for their colleagues. In his opening remarks at the first meeting of the Congress steering committee constituted by him, Kharge also asked state in-charges to submit a roadmap for holding mass movements on people's issues over a period of 30 to 90 days, and called for a schedule of plans of the party in states where elections are due before 2024. "I believe that the biggest part of our responsibility towards the party and the country is -- organisational accountability from top to bottom. If the Congress organisation is strong, accountable, lives up to the expectations of the people, then only we will be able to win elections and serve the people of the country," the Congress chief said. In a stern message to office-bearers, Kharge also said that while there are very responsibl

Ruling LDF, opposition Cong say central forces not required at Vizhinjam

The ruling LDF and the opposition Congress in Kerala were in agreement on Sunday that there was no need for central forces to maintain law and order at Vizhinjam here which saw incidents of violence recently in connection with the seaport being built there. Kerala Ports Minister Ahammed Devarkovil was of the view that Adani Group, which is carrying out the port construction, can seek protection from central forces at the work site, but outside it the police was capable of maintaining law and order. "We do not need help from central forces to maintain law and order. Kerala Police is capable of handling that. It is Adani which has sought aid from central forces and not us. We are providing them protection," the minister said to reporters. On Friday, the state government had told the Kerala High Court that it does not have any objection to deployment of central security forces at the under-construction Vizhinjam seaport in Thiruvananthapuram which was hit by violent protests recently .

Bharat Jodo Yatra to reach Srinagar around January 26: Jairam Ramesh

Bharat Jodo Yatra of Congress will reach Srinagar around January 26, said party leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday

Cong fully united, focused on making Bharat Jodo Yatra historic: Pilot

Dismissing apprehensions that infighting may affect the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan, senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Sunday said the party's state unit is "fully united" and focussed on ensuring that the Yatra is even more successful than it has been in other states. Pilot also slammed the BJP for taking potshots at the Congress over his differences with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, saying that "sounds rich" coming from the BJP which has at least a dozen claimants for the post of chief minister. "There is so much disunity in the BJP. They have not even been able to establish themselves as a proper opposition in the last four years in Rajasthan," Pilot told PTI in an interview on a day the Bharat Jodo Yatra enters Rajasthan. Asked about apprehensions about the yatra's fate in Rajasthan following the events leading up to it with Gehlot attacking him in an interview with NDTV, Pilot dismissed the apprehensions as "stories put out in the media". "As far as Rahul ...

Congress steering panel meet today to decide plenary session date, venue

The first meeting of the Congress steering committee constituted by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge will be held here on Sunday to decide the schedule and venue for its plenary session besides holding discussions on organisational matters. The steering committee was formed in place of the working committee, the highest decision-making body of the party, after Kharge took charge as the new chief last month. "There is a meeting of the Congress steering committee. Its main purpose is to decide the dates of the plenary session and where it should be held and there will be a discussion on this issue," AICC general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh told reporters on Saturday. During the all-important steering committee meeting, discussions on several organisational matters would also be taken up, party sources said. All members of the CWC were made part of the steering committee soon after Kharge assumed charge as the Congress president. Kharge's election as the Congress president

Rahul Gandhi resumes Bharat Jodo Yatra in Agar Malwa on last day of MP leg

The Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi resumed on Sunday from Agar Malwa district on the last day of its Madhya Pradesh leg and will enter Rajasthan in the evening. Noted folk singer Prahlad Tipanya along with his group and Congress MLA Jitu Patwari were seen walking with Gandhi in the morning hours after the yatra commenced its onward journey from Lala Khedi village at around 6 am on the 12th and last day in Madhya Pradesh. Congress Lok Sabha member from Chhindwara Nakul Nath, former Union minister Arun Yadav and Congress MLA Priyavrat Singh also accompanied Gandhi during the march. This is the 88th day of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, a mass contact initiative of the Congress, since it stared from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7. The foot march will stop for the morning break in Soyatkalan tehsil of Agar Malwa district at around 10 am. It will resume in the afternoon from Pipleshwar Mahadev Mandir in Agar Malwa and reach Rajasthan in the evening. Madhya Prades

Bharat Jodo Yatra democratic voice against PM's 'loot tantra': Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at BJP and questioned the government why the prices of petrol, diesel and gas cylinders have not come down

Polling underway for high-stakes civic polls in Delhi amid tight security

Voting was underway in the national capital on Sunday for the high-stakes civic polls, which are largely being seen as a three-way contest among the AAP, BJP and Congress. There are 1,349 candidates in the fray and over 1.45 crore electors are eligible to exercise their franchise in the elections to the 250 wards of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the results of which may have ramifications beyond the national capital. Polling began at 8 am and will continue till 5:30 pm. AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday urged people in the city to exercise their franchise for setting up an honest and performing establishment in the MCD. "Today is voting for making a neat and clean and beautiful Delhi, voting for forming a corruption free government (establishment) at the municipal corporation.I appeal all the Delhi citizen to do go for voting to form an honest and performing government at the MCD," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi. Deputy Chief Minister Manish .

LIVE: Court acquits Umar Khalid in Delhi riots case, to stay in custody

Special Public Prosecutor Madhukar Pandey confirmed that Umar Khalid and Khalid Saifi were discharged in the matter by the court of Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala