Page 368 - Congress

Congress looking to win 125 seats in Gujarat Assembly polls: Ashok Gehlot

Hitting out at PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over their frequent visits to the state lately, Gehlot claimed that they were doing so as the BJP was "being wiped out of Gujarat"

After Rahul's phone call, Sanjay Raut says such gestures becoming rare

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut on Monday said he received a call from Congress MP Rahul Gandhi who enquired about his health, and claimed such gestures were becoming rare in times of "political bitterness". Raut said Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, a mass contact initiative underway from September 7, is getting a massive response because he is focussing on love and compassion. The Rajya Sabha member's praise for Gandhi comes at the time when the latter has been facing flak for his remarks on freedom fighter V D Savarkar. Former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray last week said his party has immense respect for Savarkar and they do not approve of Gandhi's remarks about the late Hindutva ideologue. Gandhi recently called Savarkar a symbol of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He had also claimed that Savarkar helped the British rulers and wrote a mercy petition to them out of fear. Raut, who was recently grant

Rahul Gandhi to address two public rallies in poll-bound Gujarat

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will address two public rallies in Gujarat on Monday as part of the campaign for party candidates for the upcoming Assembly polls in the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state. This will be Gandhi's second visit to Gujarat in two-and-a half-months and the first to campaign for the state elections which will be held on December 1 and 5. He will address rallies at Mahuva in Surat district and in Rajkot city, as per the schedule released by the party. Gandhi is currently leading the Bharat Jodo Yatra, a mass contact initiative of the Congress which started on September 7. He last visited Gujarat on September 5 when he addressed a gathering of booth-level party workers in Ahmedabad.

To criticise Savarkar or not: A false dilemma

While Rahul Gandhi's critics only have utilitarian concerns, the Congress scion aspires to be the moral beacon for his party. His goal is beyond tactical electoral gains and losses

Karnataka CM Bommai orders probe into voter data theft scam since 2013

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday said he has directed officials to probe into the alleged voter data theft scandal since 2013, when the Congress party was in power in the state. Addressing reporters here, he said, I have directed the officials concerned to probe the case from 2013. They will ascertain when for the first time the contract to conduct such door-to-door survey was assigned to the Chilume Educational Cultural and Rural Development Institute (Chilume Trust') and what was the content of the order. Our objective is to bring out all the facts. This comes a day after the Congress had lodged a complaint with Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Meena alleging that electoral fraud, malpractice, and manipulation of voters' list was done by the CM, Higher Education Minister C N Ashwath Narayan, the District election officer and chief commissioner of the BBMP, Tushar Girinath and the Directors of Chilume Trust. According to Bommai, the Congress had roped in the

Gujarat Assembly polls: BJP, Cong, and AAP are locked in a fierce contest

Aditi Phadnis looks at the central political issues, promises made, and strategies employed to impress voters

For the Congress, a middle position is hard to sustain: Zoya Hasan

'While the Congress claims that the yatra is not a tool to win elections, its success will only be gauged in electoral terms in the future'

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge to meet party workers in Delhi on Monday

The newly-elected Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will meet the party workers in the All India Congress Committee (AICC) office at 24, Akbar Road building on Monday

Rajasthan crisis: 'Congress can't be revived by ignoring young leaders'

The internal crisis erupted in Rajasthan Congress after the mass resignation of over 80 of its MLAs from the state assembly on September 25, seems to have surfaced again

BJP bats for women's safety and security, puts Congress on the back foot

Women safety and security, curfew free Gujarat, and no incidents of communal violence, are some of factors that helped the BJP in keep winning the voters' heart during the last two decades

Probing alleged voter data theft, says Karnataka chief electoral officer

In the midst of Congress party's allegations of voter data theft, Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka Manoj Kumar Meena said the inquiry was ordered following apprehension of impersonation by an NGO during the voter awareness drive'. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) commissioner had some information. We have the apprehension that there is impersonation and it has to be inquired. Ultimately, after the police investigation and our Divisional Commissioner inquiry, we will come to know what is there in it, Meena told PTI. The Congress in Karnataka has alleged that the Chilume Educational Cultural and Rural Development Institute (Chilume Trust') hired many private people who were given fake identity cards impersonating Booth Level Officers (BLOs) of BBMP. The opposition party alleged that the private trust, which was assigned by the Bengaluru civic agency to spread awareness among voters, collected details of the voters such as name, mother tongue, gender, religion, caste,

Infighting in Cong cause of concern ahead of Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra will pass through Rajasthan in the cold days of December but political temperature within the party is high, with leaders supporting former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot demanding solutions to existing issues. Even as infighting between the Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Pilot camps continues, Gurjar leader Vijay Singh Bainsla has dared the party to organise the yatra without resolving pending issues of the community he belongs to. At the same time, the opposition BJP is geared up to launch its 'Jan Akrosh Movement' from November 29 to counter the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' and corner the Gehlot government at a time when it completes four years next month. The yatra is scheduled to enter Jhalawar in Rajasthan from Madhya Pradesh in the first week of December. During almost 20 days in the state, it will traverse through Jhalawar, Kota, Sawai Madhopur, Dausa and Alwar. Party sources said the yatra will pass through 18 assembly ...

Bharat Jodo Yatra to conclude its Maharashtra leg, enter Madhya Pradesh

The Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi resumed in Buldhana district on Sunday, the last day of its Maharashtra leg from where it will enter Madhya Pradesh at night. The foot march, a mass contact initiative of the Congress, entered its 74th day on Sunday. It began at 6 am from Bhendval in Buldhana after a night halt at Sairam Agro centre. A large number of people lined up the route to greet Gandhi and he interacted with them. The yatra will cover Jalgaon-Jamod taluka and conclude its Maharashtra leg with a corner meeting before proceeding to Burhanpur in Madhya Pradesh for the night halt. The foot march will have a rest day on Monday when Gandhi is scheduled to campaign for the Congress in Gujarat, where the Assembly elections are scheduled to be held on December 1 and 5. The Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra started on September 7 from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu. It entered Maharashtra on November 7 and covered Nanded, Hingoli, Washim, Akola and Buldhana districts o

Priyanka Gandhi to join Bharat Jodo Yatra in Madhya Pradesh next week

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will join the Rahul Gandhi-led ongoing 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' in Madhya Pradesh next week. This is the first time that Vadra, general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, will be joining the yatra that commenced from Kanyakumari and will culminate in Kashmir. The yatra will enter Madhya Pradesh on November 20. Vadra is set to walk along her brother from November 23-25 in a bid to mobilise public opinion on fundamental issues of life and livelihood, party sources said. She could not join the yatra earlier as she was busy campaigning for the party in Himachal Pradesh. The yatra has so far covered nearly half the distance of 3,570 km.

Indira Gandhi left indelible imprint on the country, says Sonia Gandhi

There was an unchanging core to Indira Gandhi's personality including fierce commitment to an all-inclusive patriotism, staunch secularism; indomitable courage and fortitude and empathy for the poor

Rahul will address rallies in Rajkot, Surat for Gujarat polls: KC Venugopal

Amid the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra, Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi is all set to address public rallies in Gujarat ahead of the Assembly elections, said Congress MP KC Venugopal Saturday

'Congress is against development': Rupani on Medha Patkar joining Yatra

Former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani on Saturday attacked Congress over activist Medha Patkar joining its 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', saying she had opposed the Narmada dam project

733 lives would have been saved if Modi had spoken to farmers: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday claimed that had Prime Minister Narendra Modi established dialogue with the farmers who were protesting against the new agriculture laws, "733 lives" would have been saved. He was speaking at a corner meeting at Bhastan village in Maharashtra's Buldhana district during his Bharat Jodo Yatra. Speaking at the end of the day's march, he paid tributes to the farmers who lost their lives while protesting against the farm laws which were withdrawn by the Union government on this day last year. The Congress observed November 19 as Kisan Vijay Diwas (Farmers' Victory Day). "Farmers are the voice of this nation. The agriculture laws were anti- farmer and hence they launched an agitation on the outskirts of Delhi, but the Modi government ignored their demands," Gandhi said. The laws were meant to help a few industrialists, he alleged. "The government has police, weapons, administration, and the farmers had only their voice. Due to the arrogance of t

BJP's criticism shows Bharat Jodo Yatra is a success, says Congress

The criticism by the BJP of the Bharat Jodo Yatra and Rahul Gandhi is a clear indication of the Yatra's success, the Congress said on Saturday. Congress general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal said the Yatra, which started from Kanyakumari and has covered half the distance at 3570 km, has received the support of people from all walks of life. He said the growing participation in the Yatra reflects the love and affection of the people for former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. "The BJP targeting the Bharat Jodo Yatra is a clear indication that the Yatra is a big success and it is troubling them very much. Why should we be worried, let them criticise," he told reporters while replying to queries about comments of BJP leaders and chief ministers on the Yatra. "This shows the response we are getting from the people and the amount of love and compassion Rahul Gandhi is sharing with the people," he said. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has targeted Rahul Gandhi for his abs

Priyanka Gandhi to join Bharat Jodo Yatra in Madhya Pradesh from Nov 23-25

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will join former party chief Rahul Gandhi in the ongoing 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' in Madhya Pradesh from November 23 to 25, party sources said on Saturday. This is the first time that Vadra, general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, will be joining the yatra that commenced from Kanyakumari and will culminate in Kashmir. The yatra will enter Madhya Pradesh on November 20. Vadra is set to walk along her brother in a bid to mobilise public opinion on fundamental issues of life and livelihood, sources said. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra could not join the yatra earlier as she was busy campaigning for the party in Himachal Pradesh. The yatra has so far covered nearly half the distance of 3,570 km.