Page 13 - Indian National Congress

CEC Gyanesh Kumar takes bold steps to resolve long-pending election issues

For the first time in decades, ECI has officially invited suggestions from all National and State-recognized political parties within the legal framework by April 30, 2025

Congress didn't allow peace in Assam, PM Modi restored it: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday alleged that the Congress did not allow peace to prevail in Assam, but PM Narendra Modi restored it, developed infrastructure and ensured employment for the youth of the northeastern state. Shah was speaking after inaugurating the revamped Lachit Barphukan Police Academy here. Over 10,000 youths have laid down arms and joined the mainstream in Assam, with peace returning to the state during the last 10 years, he said. The Narendra Modi-led government will bring in Rs 3 lakh crore infrastructure projects in Assam in addition to the Rs 5 lakh crore proposed investment at a recent business summit in the state, Shah said. Policing in Assam was earlier for fighting terrorists, but now it is people-centric, and this has led to the increase in conviction rate from 5 per cent to 25 per cent in the last three years. It will cross the national average soon, the home minister asserted. Shah, who is on a three-day visit to Assam and Mizoram, also said

Drug menace: Congress demands disbanding of SFI, targets Pinarayi Vijayan

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Saturday alleged that SFI is mainly responsible for the widespread drug distribution and consumption in colleges and hostels in Kerala and CM Vijayan is "encouraging" them. He also demanded the disbanding of the Students Federation of India (SFI), the student organisation of ruling CPI(M). The Congress's sharp reaction came in the wake of police seizing two kilograms of ganja from the men's hostel of a Government Polytechnic College in Kalamassery in Kochi on Thursday night and arresting two students. CPI(M) strongly rejected the charges saying that there is an agenda to eliminate SFI. The incident triggered a blame game among student outfit leaders, including those from the Kerala Students Union (KSU) and the SFI, over the alleged involvement of their activists in the crime. The Congress leadership has been alleging that SFI leaders were involved in the ganja seizure case and the left outfit is playing a key role in the spread of drug

Former Cong MLA Bamber Thakur shot by assailiants in Himachal's Bilaspur

Former Congress MLA Bamber Thakur was allegedly shot at by unidentified assailants at his home in Himachal Pradesh's Bilaspur, police said on Friday and added a manhunt had been launched to nab the accused. Thakur and his personal security officer were injured in the attack. Thakur, who suffered a bullet injury in his leg, was referred to the Indira Gandhi Medical College in Shimla while his personal security officer was admitted to AIIMS, Bilaspur. Taking serious note of the attack, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said in a video statement, "I spoke to Bamber Thakur and urged him to go to AIIMS but he wished to be treated at the Indira Gandhi Medical College The deputy commissioner has been instructed to do the needful." Directions have been issued to erect road barricades to nab the accused, he added. Thakur and several others were sitting in the courtyard of his wife's government accommodation when four people came in and opened fire. According to a witness, the attacker

Oppn alleges energy projects along Indo-Pak border compromise security

Opposition members, mainly from the Congress and DMK, on Wednesday held a noisy protest in the Lok Sabha over clearance granted to a renewable energy project near the India-Pakistan border. Asking a supplementary during Question Hour, Manish Tewari of the Congress said national security and energy security have to go hand in hand. He claimed the mixed renewable energy project will run up to one kilometer of the International Border (IB) and noted that as per security protocol, any big infrastructure project should be at least 10 km away from the IB. He asked whether any relaxation was granted to the proposed project. The government asserted that nods and licences to any proposal are granted after obtaining clearances from the Centre, the state and relevant agencies. New and Renewable Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi said the government is keen to produce renewable energy in the country. He said clearances are sought from the central, state government and relevant agencies before lic

Congress MP files motion in LS on manufacturing crisis, China trade deficit

Manickam Tagore sharply criticized the government's flagship initiative, Make in India, which was intended to boost domestic manufacturing and employment opportunities

'Country can be called Bharat, India or Hindustan': CM Omar Abdullah to RSS

Abdullah also noted that both 'Bharat' and 'India' are written on the Prime Minister's plane and highlighted the names of the armed forces

Matter related to duplicate voter card numbers a 'legacy issue': EC sources

The poll body had recently clarified that irrespective of the EPIC number, an elector can cast a vote only at their designated polling station

'Unfortunate to reduce tariffs on US under Trump's pressure': Manish Tewari

Tiwari criticised the NDA-led government, saying that India has a history and a tradition of never buckling under any pressure and suggested that government should've accepted reciprocal tariffs

'He came as a youtuber': Shiv Sena criticises Rahul Gandhi's Dharavi visit

Sanjay Nirupam criticised the priorities of the Congress leader, alleging that the Congress' Mumbai unit has been "bankrupt" by votes and money alike, but Rahul Gandhi still could not meet them

Congress slams EC's response on duplicate voter IDs as 'duplicitous'

The Congress on Friday termed as "duplicitous" the Election Commission's explanation on duplicate voter ID numbers and asked the poll body to come clean on the issue. Amid allegations of a cover-up over duplicate voter identity card numbers, the poll panel earlier in the day said it would address the "decades-long" matter in the next three months. "The Congress party rejects this feeble and duplicitous explanation by the ECI and reiterates its demands to come clean on the sanctity of voter lists in India," the Congress' Empowered Action Group of Leaders and Experts (EAGLE) said in a statement. The group said the Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued a duplicitous response on the issue of the same voter IDs being allotted to multiple voters. "The ECI, in its response, hides behind its processes to offer a feeble explanation. Shockingly but not surprisingly, the ECI has been forced to admit that its voter lists are flawed and not trustworthy," it said. The EC, in a letter is

Cong protests in Uttarakhand's Rudrapur against party leader's 'harassment'

Congress workers led by Leader of Opposition in Uttarakhand Assembly Yashpal Arya have caused a ruckus outside the office of the senior superintendent of police here to protest the alleged harassment of party leader Sarwar Khan by the force. Sarwar Khan was recently taken to the Kiccha police station for interrogation following a complaint from a man that the Congress leader had attacked him during the recently held cooperative elections. On Thursday, several Congress workers and leaders, including Kiccha MLA Tilak Raj Behad, led by Arya marched to the SSP's office demanding that they be allowed to meet the officer in his chamber, an official at Sidcul police station said. He said the protesters got into a scuffle with the police personnel who stopped them at the SSP's office gate. The high voltage drama lasted for hours till late in the evening as the Congress leaders demanded the removal of the Kiccha police station SHO, accusing him of "acting as a BJP agent and harassing" a sen

PM focused on 'tareef' not tariffs, must stand up to US threats: Ramesh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is only interested in 'tareef' and not concerned with tariffs, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Friday and wondered where is the PM's "56 inch chest" in dealing with US threats on the the reciprocal tariff issue. In an interview with PTI, Ramesh said the Congress will raise the issue of US President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariff threats during the upcoming second half of the Budget session and called for a bipartisan collective resolve to deal with the threats. The Congress leader also alleged that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has been speaking like an American envoy and a spokesperson for that country. "Our prime minister wants to hear only 'tareef (praise)', he is not concerned about tariffs. 'Tareef kum, aur tariff pe baat kijiye (talk about the tariffs issue and less about your praise)," Ramesh said. He said Trump is redoing the entire rules of international trade and asserted that the US President's whole idea of ...

Cong flags US downsizing NOAA, urges India to boost earth sciences research

The Congress on Friday claimed the downsizing at the US' National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration could adversely impact India, and said the country will have to enhance its own research capacity and capability in earth sciences very significantly. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared on X a media report which claimed the move to downsize the US meteorological body could hurt its data collection around the world. "Right now the Modi government's priority appears to be a trade deal to deal with President Trump's threats on tariffs. But his actions in other areas too could have adverse impacts on India," Ramesh said on X. "The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has been of great importance to our understanding of the monsoon. But NOAA has been identified by President Trump for downsizing and big cuts," he said. Ramesh said the NOAA collects global data on parameters like temperature, salinity, and sea levels that are cruc

WATCH: Mani Shankar Aiyar calls Rajiv Gandhi 'two-time failure', sparks row

It is not the first time when Congress had to face embarrassment because of Mani Shankar Aiyar's remarks

BJP slams Karnataka Cong over alleged 4% Muslim quota in govt contracts

State BJP president B Y Vijayendra alleged that while development work across the state had come to a halt, the Congress government is focused on extending reservations to religious minorities

Shama Mohamed faces backlash for fat-shaming Rohit Sharma: Who is she?

Congress party spokesperson Shama Mohamed is facing criticism over her comments about Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma

Tharoor takes a U-turn: Slams Kerala's startup woes, calls for more MSMEs

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor shared his displeasure about the state's startup ecosystem whose growth is continuing to decline

I'm a loyal Congress worker, those questioning me are deluded: Shivakumar

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday said he was a loyal Congress worker and anyone questioning his dedication to the party and the Gandhi family is in illusion. He also asserted that the party will come back to power in the 2028 Assembly polls. Shivakumar was reacting to speculation about his recent meeting with party central leaders in Delhi, and talks about in political circles, especially in the ruling party, about the chief minister change, later this year, under a "rotational chief minister" or "power-sharing" formula. "I have not put any condition on any one and there is no need to put any condition. I'm a Karyakarta, I work according to what the party tells me. Putting conditions or blackmailing is not in my blood. I'm a loyal Congress worker," Shivakumar said, in response to a question on speculation about his visit to Delhi and that he had apparently put some conditions on party leaders. Speaking to reporters here, he said, "If anyone, let them be from

Cong slams govt for low consumption, inequality; urges rural income boost

Flagging issues of low consumption expenditure and inequality, the Congress on Friday said the way out of this quagmire is to shift the focus of policymaking from cronyism to bottom-up empowerment and that it must begin with kickstarting rural incomes. In a statement, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh cited the Indus Valley Annual Report 2025, an examination of India's economic landscape and start-up ecosystem by the noted VC firm Blume Ventures, to attack the government. The report offers a granular look into the Indian economy, he noted. Flagging India's consumption story and inequality, Ramesh said India's per capita consumption expenditure is only USD 1,493 -- less than a third of China's. India's consumption of several key lifestyle goods (e.g. two-wheelers, air conditioners, footwear, FMCG, etc.) is alarmingly low. India accounted for 7 per cent of global AC units sold, whereas China accounted for 55 per cent, Ramesh said. He said India's ...