Page 397 - Congress

Congress's biggest liability is its glorious past

After the 2004 victory, Congress allowed its hangers-on and its own fake Socialist nostalgia to override the most important political argument for the day and years to come

Azad fell into trap of PM Modi, says Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Friday said he was not surprised by the resignation of his party colleague Ghulam Nabi Azad as it was clear he had fallen into the "trap" set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had shed tears for him in Parliament. He claimed if Azad (73) had been made a Rajya Sabha member again after his term in the Upper House of Parliament ended last year, he would not have resigned from the Congress. Chowdhury, who is also chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Lok Sabha, was talking to reporters here in the evening after panel members returned from a tour of the Bastar region of the state. Congress leader Azad on Friday ended his five-decade association with the party, terming it comprehensively destroyed and lashing out at former president Rahul Gandhi for demolishing its entire consultative mechanism. Asked about Azad's resignation, Chowdhury said, I am not at all surprised. I live opposite his residence (in Delhi). After the Modi

Regret Azad leaving Congress when it is going through tough times: Farooq

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Friday expressed regret over the resignation of Ghulam Nabi Azad from the Congress and said he should not have done so when the party was going through tough times. Azad resigned from all party positions on Friday. "I regret it. Ghulam Nabi gave his life to INC. He has worked for it since his college days. He rose to the highest levels in Congress he was a minister in many governments, member of working committee, general secretary. He was a pillar of the Congress party. He was like a family member to Indira, Rajiv, Sanjay Gandhi, Abdullah told reporters here. He said Azad's leaving the party when the Congress is passing through tough times was not good. "Had he left the party when it returned to its route, then it was alright, but leaving it in a vortex is not a good thing to do. Well, it is his decision, I didn't know about it and heard from the media. "I pray that God keep him safe, and pray that he does good work for the people

Azad was trying to "harm" Congress; his exit is no loss: Bhupesh Baghel

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel on Friday alleged that senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad was trying to harm the party and his exit would cause "no loss" to it

Azad's DNA Modi-fied; his remote control in hands of Modi: Congress

The Congress on Friday launched an all-out attack against Ghulam Nabi Azad after he resigned from the party, saying his "betrayal" of the party leadership reveals his true character and that his DNA has been "Modi-fied". The Opposition party also linked his resignation to the end of his Rajya Sabha tenure and claimed the "betrayal" by Azad in these times shows that his "remote control" is in the hands of Narendra Modi and that the "love" between them had also been on display in Parliament. "First Modi's tears in Parliament, then Padma Vibhushan, then the extension for residence. Ye sanyog nahi sahyog hai (It's not a coincidence, it's a collaboration)," Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet in Hindi. The sharp attack by the Congress and its leaders came within hours of 73-year-old Azad quitting the party after nearly five decades of association with the grand old party. Congress leaders said Azad's observations in the letter were more o

Allegations in Azad's letter far from truth, says Congress' Sachin Pilot

Rajasthan's former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot Friday said senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad resigned from the Congress when there was a need for the country and the party to stand against the BJP rule. Azad Friday ended his decades-long association with the Congress, and blasted the party in an explosive resignation letter to its president Sonia Gandhi. "The timing of the letter is very unfortunate. He remained on various posts over the last 50 years. Today, there was a need for the country and the party to stand against the BJP rule. This is the time of struggle, to put forth the truth and face the BJP," Pilot said. He said the allegations levelled in the letter are far from truth. Pilot said need of the hour is for experienced and young workers to come together. Party workers will continue to struggle and raise their voice against the BJP's "misrule", Pilot said.

Congress doomed beyond redemption: Amarinder Singh after Azad resigns

Former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Friday targeted the Congress, saying the party under the current leadership is "doomed beyond redemption". His statement came on a day senior Congress leader quit the party, terming it comprehensively destroyed and accusing the leadership of committing fraud in the name of "sham" internal polls. Amarinder Singh had also quit the Congress last year following his unceremonious exit as the chief minister and floated his own outfit, Punjab Lok Congress. "When you cannot retain leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad who spent his entire life with the party, there is something terminally wrong with your functioning and the way you treat your senior and seasoned leaders," Singh said in a statement. Questioning the claims of some leaders that the party had given Azad so much, Amarinder Singh said it is a reciprocal process. "The party is made by the blood and sweat and hard work of leaders," he remarked, adding, "It cannot be a one-man ...

Karnataka: Senior Congress leader Muniyappa scotches rumours on joining BJP

Amid speculation on him joining the BJP following his meeting with Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Health Minister K Sudhakar, Congress Working Committee member K H Muniyappa on Friday said there is no question of him leaving the party. The former Union Minister, upset with the decision of the State Congress leaders to admit a couple of local leaders in Kolar into the party without his knowledge, expressed pain over Ghulam Nabi Azad's decision to quit the party. He said, "He (Azad) was not treated well." "There is no question of leaving the Congress. I'm active in the party and will continue to remain so...no one has invited me to join other parties, I will remain in the Congress," Muniyappa said in response to a question on speculation that he would join other parties like the BJP. Speaking to reporters here, he clarified that he met the Chief Minister with a petition seeking funds and land for the development of "Adi Jambava mutt", along with the seer of the mutt and

Exits of Azad, Sibal leave Congress' G-23 change seekers in disarray

Ghulam Nabi Azad's resignation from the Congress on Friday marked the most high-profile exit of one of the "Group of 23" (G-23) leaders, who had written to party chief Sonia Gandhi two years ago for a "collective and inclusive leadership" in the organisation, exposing the faultlines in the grand old party. The G-23, the members of which were lampooned by the party loyalists after their letter became public on August 24, 2020, has virtually disintegrated over the last two years with the resignations of Azad and Kapil Sibal, seen as the prime movers of the initiative, and others such as Shashi Tharoor, M Veerappa Moily and Mukul Wasnik making peace with the high-command. Leaders such as Jitin Prasada and Yogananda Shastri have also quit the Congress to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) respectively. Prasada is a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government now, while Shastri heads the Delhi unit of the NCP. Former Union minister Anand Sharma, w

5 J&K Cong leaders quit in Azad's support, more resignations likely: Report

Hours after former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad quit the Congress, five senior party leaders including two former ministers resigned the party's basic membership with sources saying more are likely go. Former ministers R S Chib and G M Saroori, former MLA Mohammad Amin Bhat, former MLC Naresh Gupta and party leader Salman Nizami resigned in support of Azad, sources said. They said five more leaders are likely to quit including former MP Jugal Kishore Sharma and ex-legislators Haji Abdul Rashid, Chowdhary Mohd Akram and Gulzar Ahmad Wani. Another prominent leader, Muneer Ahmad Mir, is also likely to resign, the sources said. "Over the years as a member of the Congress Party, it has been my sincere endeavour to work for the betterment of my State - Jammu & Kashmir. I feel that in the prevailing circumstances, the Congress Party has lost its momentum in contributing towards the future of my State. "Keeping in view the turmoil that the State of J&K has ...

Karnataka CM Bommai, a 'puppet' of RSS: Congress leader Siddaramaiah

Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Friday called Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai as an "incapable" person and also a 'puppet' in the hands of the RSS. The former Chief Minister even termed the BJP government in the State as "illegal" as it was not legitimately elected by the people of the State; the saffron party came to power through "Operation Kamala." "We have an incapable Chief Minister, he has become a puppet in the hands of RSS. There is no government and there is no governance, as stated by Minister Madhuswamy himself," Siddaramaiah said. Recently, Madhuswamy's purported remarks during a telephonic conversation that the "government is not functioning, we are somehow managing" were leaked and gone viral, causing embarrassment to the government. During an interaction with mediapersons here, the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly in reference to the 40 per cent commission charge against the government by the State contractors' association, said when

Unknown sources contributed Rs 15,077 cr to parties from 2005-21: ADR

The national parties have collected more than Rs 15,077.97 crore from unknown sources between 2004-05 and 2020-21, an analysis by the poll rights body -- Association for Democratic Reforms, showed. The total income of national and regional parties from unknown sources for 2020-21 stands at Rs 690.67 crore. ADR considered eight national parties and 27 regional parties for this analysis. The national parties comprised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Indian National Congress (INC), All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), Community Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Communist Party of India (CPI) and National People's Party (NPEP). The regional parties included AAP, AGP, AIADMK, AIFB, AIMIM, AIUDF, BJD, CPI(ML)(L), DMDK, DMK, GFP, JDS, JDU, JMM, KC-M, MNS, NDPP, NPF, PMK, RLD, SAD, SDF, Shivsena, SKM, TDP, TRS and YSR-Congress. The analysis conducted on the basis of the parties' Income Tax Returns (ITR) and donations statements

LIVE update: After Azad, senior leader RS Chib quits Congress party

Live news updates: Ghulam Nabi Azad on Friday resigned from all party positions, including its primary membership, delivering another blow to the embattled party

Party election a farce, Rahul immature, coterie running the show: Azad

Ghulam Nabi Azad has blasted Rahul Gandhi and his coterie for the dismal performance of the party and termed the entire organisational election process a "farce and a sham"

Ghulam Nabi Azad's resignation 'unfortunate', timing 'awful': Congress

The Congress on Friday called senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad's resignation "unfortunate" and termed the timing "awful", saying it has come at a time when the party is engaged in combating the BJP on various issues. Azad on Friday resigned from all party positions, including its primary membership, delivering another blow to the embattled party that has seen several stalwarts bid adieu. "Ghulam Nabi Azad was a senior leader of the Congress. It is saddening that when the party fighting against inflation and polarisation, he decided to quit. "It is most unfortunate and regrettable that this has happened when the entire organisation is engaged in combating the BJP on issues of price rise and unemployment," the Congress said. Party General Secretary Jairam Ramesh also questioned the contents of the letter written by Azad. "Contents of the letter is not factual, timing is awful," he said. In a five-page no-holds-barred letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, that comes ahead of the

GNA's DNA has been 'Modi-fied': Cong's Jairam Ramesh on Ghulam Nabi Azad

Hitting back at Ghulam Nabi Azad over his criticism of the party leadership, the Congress on Friday linked his resignation to the end of his Rajya Sabha tenure and alleged his betrayal reveals his true character and that his DNA has "Modi-fied". "A man who has been treated with the greatest respect by the Congress leadership has betrayed it by his vicious personal attacks which reveals his true character. GNA's DNA has been Modi-fied," Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh tweeted. Speaking with reporters, the party's media department head Pawan Khera also lashed out at Azad and linked his resignation to end of his Rajya Sabha tenure. "As soon your Rajya Sabha term got over, you got restless. You could not stay without a post even for a second," Khera said. Azad on Friday resigned from all party positions, including its primary membership, ahead of organisational elections and accused the leadership of committing "fraud" on the party in the name of "sham

Ghulam Nabi Azab resigns from INC, points out Rahul Gandhi's behaviour

On August 17, Azad had quit from the post of chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Congress campaign committee just hours after his appointment as the head

G-23 members working to strengthen Congress, says party leader Anand Sharma

Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Anand Sharma has said that the G-23 is at the heart of the Congress party and is working to strengthen it

Karnataka Congress leader compares Jinnah with Savarkar, stirs controversy

Opposition leader in the Karnataka Legislative Council B.K. Hariprasad stirred a controversy by saying that the founder of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Veer Savarkar were "same"

Congress chief election likely to be delayed by a few weeks, say reports

The election of Congress president that was to end by September 20 is likely to be delayed by a few weeks with the party focused on the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' and some state units not completing formalities, sources said Thursday. The Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party's highest decision-making body, will hold a virtual meeting on Sunday to approve the exact schedule for the election. Congress president Sonia Gandhi will preside over the CWC meeting. The Congress had announced in October last year that the election of the new party president will be held between August 21 and September 20 this year. The CWC had decided that elections for block committees and one member each of the Pradesh Congress Committees will be held from April 16 to May 31, district committee chiefs will be elected between June 1 and July 20, PCC chiefs and AICC members between July 21 and August 20, and AICC president between August 21 and September 20. Sources said the process will be delayed by a few