Page 11 - Indian National Congress

'Election Commission in India compromised': LoP Rahul Gandhi in Boston

Rahul Gandhi is currently on a US tour where he addressed the Indian diaspora in Boston. He will also address a gathering at Brown University on Monday

Cong to hold pressers in 57 cities to counter BJP on National Herald case

Top Congress leaders will fan out across the country to hold press conferences between April 21 and 24 to "expose the BJP's lies" in the National Herald case, its media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said on Sunday. He described the National Herald publication as a "living monument of the freedom struggle". The opposition party has been ramping up efforts to blunt the BJP's mounting attack against it in the wake of the Enforcement Directorate naming former Congress chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in its chargesheet in the National Herald case of alleged money laundering. Congress workers across the country held protests over the issue in the past week. Its general secretaries and in-charges in various states met in Delhi on Saturday to chalk out strategy to counter the "politically motivated" charges. Asserting that no crime has been committed by the Congress leadership in the case, the party said on Saturday that it would hold press conferences across the country f

Cong seeks special Parliament session, white paper on inflation rise

The Congress on Tuesday targeted the Centre over the hike in excise duty on petrol and diesel and the rise in LPG cylinder prices, demanding the government call a special session of Parliament to discuss inflation and issue a 'white paper' on the matter. Its women's wing chief Alka Lamba urged the government to immediately reduce the prices of LPG, petrol and diesel, bring a strict policy to tame the prices of essential commodities and announce a special relief package for women and the poor. "The government has turned its back on inflation. Their only goal is to fill the coffers of the government and private companies. The common person of the country is bearing the brunt of this inflation," she said at a press conference here. Lamba also compared the prices of petrol, diesel and LPG under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) dispensation and the Narendra Modi government. "In 2014, the price of petrol was Rs 72 per litre. But today, it is Rs 98 to Rs 100 per litre. In the Congres

100% smells of revenge: Warring questions Punjab govt's FIR against Bajwa

Punjab LoP Partap Singh Bajwa under fire for claiming 50 bombs have reached the state, with 18 already exploded and 32 yet to go off

Tejashwi arrives in Delhi for meeting Cong prez Kharge over Bihar polls

With the Bihar Assembly elections expected to take place in roughly six months, all the political parties have ramped up preparations

Cong turned SCs, STs, OBCs to second-class citizens: PM on Ambedkar Jayanti

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Congress on the birth anniversary of B R Ambedkar, accusing the party of turning Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs into "second-class citizens" while in power. Addressing a gathering after flagging off the first commercial flight from the Maharaja Agrasen airport here to Ayodhya and laying the foundation stone of a new terminal building at the airport, he alleged the Congress has become the destroyer of the Constitution framed by Ambedkar. The Congress "crushed" the Constitution whenever its government faced danger, Modi alleged and pointed to the 1975-77 Emergency to reinforce his claim. "The spirit of the Constitution is to have a uniform civil code, which I call a secular civil code. But the Congress never implemented it." He referred to the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code by the BJP government in Uttarakhand to say, "See the misfortune of this country. Those who carry a copy of the ...

Cong files police complaint over BJP leader's threat to MLA Mamkootathil

The row over naming a skill development centre for disabled persons after RSS founder K B Hedgewar has escalated with the Congress on Saturday lodging a complaint with the police against BJP's Palakkad district president over his allegedly threatening remarks against MLA Rahul Mamkootathil a day ago. The Congress, Youth Congress and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) activists had on Friday disrupted the skill development centre's foundation stone laying ceremony organised by the BJP-ruled Palakkad municipality. Following the disruption, the saffron party's district president Prasanth Sivan, on the same day, said Palakkad MLA Mamkootathil will not be allowed to set foot in the district. It is against this remark that the Congress has given a complaint to the police, a party source said. Responding to reporters' queries regarding the BJP leader's remarks, Mamkootathil on Saturday said as long as he has legs, he will stand firmly on them to speak against the RSS. "If they c

Congress must talk about status of INDIA bloc, says Shiv Sena (UBT)

The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Saturday said the Congress must talk about the status of the INDIA bloc and should have addressed questions about the opposition alliance in the party's recent meeting in Ahmedabad. In an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana', the Sena (UBT) pointed out that the Congress only spoke about itself in the Ahmedabad meet, and INDIA or Bharat was nowhere in the discussion. "Questions are being raised about where the INDIA bloc stands after the Lok Sabha election. The Congress needed to address this in its Ahmedabad session," the editorial said. "What happened to the alliance? Did it get buried in the ground or vanish into thin air? The responsibility to answer this question lies with the Congress president," it said. The Congress held its session on April 8-9 in Gujarat, where it has been out of power for two decades. Senior Congress leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, addressed party workers. The Sena

BJP's Bhandari accuses Cong of pro-terror stance after Rana's extradition

BJP leader Pradeep Bhandari said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's close aide, Kanhaiya, mocked the development, which he claimed exposes the party's sympathies towards those accused of terrorism

Rahul vows to 'break the wall of 50% reservation'; slams PM over US tariffs

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the Waqf (Amendment) Act is anti-Constitution and an attack on the freedom of religion, as he warned that the BJP-RSS will soon go after the rights of other minorities such as Christians and Sikhs. Addressing the AICC session on the banks of the Sabarmati river, Gandhi also said that an economic storm is approaching and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of succumbing to pressure from US President Donald Trump on the imposition of tariffs. Did you see the photograph of PM Modi hugging Trump? This time he ordered Modi ji that we will not hug but will impose new tariffs'. PM Modi did not say a word. To divert attention from this they ran a drama in Parliament for two days, he said, adding, Where is the PM hiding? Referring to PM Modi's recent meeting with Bangladesh's Chief Advisor Mohammad Yunus, Gandhi said the Bangladeshi leader "gives adverse remarks and he is sitting with him". Where is the 56-inch chest, Gandhi asked in a swipe a

Kharge alleges EVM fraud, demands return to ballot paper in elections

Alleging that the BJP won the Maharashtra assembly polls through a fraud like never before, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday made a strong pitch for having elections on ballot paper. Addressing the AICC session here, Kharge also accused the Modi government of selling off government assets to benefit crony capitalists and finishing democracy slowly. The whole world is moving from EVMs to ballot paper but we are using EVMs. This is all fraud. They ask us to prove it. You have devised such techniques that benefit the ruling party and put the opposition at a disadvantage, Kharge said. But the youngsters of this country will rise and say we want ballot paper, he said in his inaugural address at the session being held here on the banks of the Sabarmati river. What happened in Maharashtra. We raised the issue everywhere, Rahul Gandhi raised the issue strongly. What kind of voter list they madeMaharashtra election was a fraud. The same thing happened in Haryana, the Congr

Rahul Gandhi joins 'Palayan roko, naukri do' padyatra in Bihar's Begusarai

In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that he would visit Begusarai in Bihar, where he would hold the Yatra

Pilot slams govt over US tariffs, says India bending to foreign pressure

In a scathing attack on the government over the imposition of tariffs by the US, Congress general secretary Sachin Pilot on Sunday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have worked out a constructive solution during his last America visit rather than just indulging in "photo ops" and exchanging gifts. He said that at a time when the world is responding to the imposition of reciprocal tariffs by the US, the Indian government is merely buying time and leaving everything to fate. In an interview with PTI, the former minister for Corporate Affairs said the Indian government is accepting what has been given out and has not even offered a response. "I would imagine, when the PM was in Washington (in February) and met the president of the US, instead of just photo ops and exchanging gifts, something more constructive should have come out of it," Pilot said. "If our relations are as strong as the two leaders claim, then we would not have been slapped with these steep tariffs. Clearly, o

Ex-Cong leader Ashwani Kumar urges party to reflect, correct past errors

Former Congress leader Ashwani Kumar said on Sunday that the party must analyse why its appeal is shrinking and show willingness to correct its past mistakes. In an interview with PTI ahead of the AICC session at Ahmedabad, the former law minister said the party leadership must "invest its workers and leaders with dignity". Stressing that the party cannot be written off after a streak of poor performances at the polls, he cautioned the Congress against forming alliances that are ideologically unsustainable. He said the Congress party has given outstanding leadership to the nation over the years and has preserved the idea of India as an inclusive and secular republic. It is for the present leadership of the Congress party, however, to prove its mettle once again by establishing its credibility as a real challenger to the present dispensation, he said. "I have always believed that you cannot read the obituary of any political party or for that matter any political leader. It is of .

Prepare for polls for 5 yrs, not 6 months: Kharge to Cong district chiefs

The meeting at Indira Gandhi Bhawan was attended by 302 DCC presidents from Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh

Manish Tewari moves adjournment to discuss 'deteriorating' ties with US

The Congress Rajya Sabha MP has sought permission from the Chair to raise this matter for urgent discussion in the House

Anurag Thakur should resign if he can't prove allegations, says Kharge

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday hit back at Anurag Thakur for hurling "wild allegations" at him, and dared the BJP MP to prove the charges or else resign. Referring to certain remarks made by Thakur in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday during the discussion on the Waqf bill, the Congress president said the remarks have damaged his reputation. Thakur's remarks have been expunged from the records. Several opposition parties also staged a walkout from the House on the issue. Raising the issue during the morning session in the Rajya Sabha, Kharge said his life has always been an open book, and he has always upheld the highest values in public life. "After almost 60 years in politics, I do not deserve this. Yesterday, completely false and baseless charges were hurled at me in the Lok Sabha by Anurag Thakur. When he was challenged by my colleagues, he was compelled to withdraw his defamatory remarks," he said. "But the damage has been done. All the media

'Adding insult to injury': Cong on President's Rule confirmation in Manipur

The Congress on Thursday accused the government of "bulldozing" in the Lok Sabha the statutory resolution confirming the imposition of President's rule in Manipur, and said this was "adding insult to injury". Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the "frequent flier flies off again". "This time it is to Bangkok. Look East by all means but why continue to ignore Manipur?" Ramesh said on X. "And why bulldoze the proclamation on President's Rule in the state at 2AM this morning in the Lok Sabha, leaving just an hour for debate and discussion but just about enough time for the Home Minister's falsehoods, twists, and distortions? This is adding insult to injury," the Congress leader said. Ramesh's remarks came after the Lok Sabha early Thursday adopted a Statutory Resolution confirming the imposition of President's rule in Manipur. Replying to a short debate, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the governm

Waqf bill an 'attack on religious freedom': Andhra Cong chief Sharmila

Andhra Pradesh Congress Chief Y S Sharmila Reddy on Wednesday condemned the Waqf Amendment Bill as an "attempt to undermine" the religious freedom granted to Muslims under the Constitution. She called the bill a "plot" to suppress minorities and a violation of constitutional values. The APCC president claimed that the bill was part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's agenda to allegedly hurt Muslim sentiments, terming it a "black day" for India and a means to incite religious hatred. In a post on X, Sharmila said, The bill's provisions allowing government officials to supervise Waqf properties and requiring documents for properties dating back 300 years are deeply concerning, adding that, the stipulation that individuals must follow Islamic practices for five years before receiving Waqf land is unacceptable." The bill not only disrespects the religious sentiments of Muslims but also allows the government to control Waqf assets and give them to Modi's allies, she remarked. Sharmila .

'Entire opposition is against Waqf Amendment Bill,' says Cong's K Suresh

The bill will be tabled after today's Question Hour for consideration and passing, after that, an 8-hour discussion will be held, which is also subject to an increase