Page 14 - Indian National Congress

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

PM Modi blames Congress policies for encouraging Naxalism in Chhattisgarh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said Naxalism got encouragement for decades in Chhattisgarh and other states due to policies of Congress. Addressing a public meeting in Mohbhattha village in Bilaspur district, Modi said the situation is rapidly changing and a new era of peace is setting in Naxal-affected areas. "Over the decades, Naxalism got encouragement in many states including Chhattisgarh due to policies of Congress. Whichever region lagged in development, Naxalism flourished there, but what did the party that ran the government for 60 years do? It declared such districts as backward and turned away from its responsibility," he said. He said many mothers lost their beloved sons and many sisters lost their brothers (in Maoist violence). "The indifference of erstwhile governments was like adding fuel to the fire. You (Chhattisgarh) have also suffered it (the Naxal menace). The (previous) Congress government never took care of amenities of poor tribals," Modi said and list

Govt turning banks into 'collection agents of loot': Kharge on ATM fee hike

The Congress on Saturday hit out at the Modi government after the RBI's decision to allow banks to increase charges on ATM cash withdrawals, and said banks have been reduced to "collection agents" to "loot" citizens. Giving a list of charges levied by banks, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said a "painful" price rise and "unbridled loot" was the BJP's mantra. "Our banks have been unfortunately made 'collection agents' by the Modi government! ATM withdrawal charges to be costlier," Kharge said in a post on X. "The Modi government has extracted at least Rs 43,500 crore due to non-maintenance of minimum balance from savings accounts and Jan Dhan accounts combined, between 2018 and 2024," he said. "Other bank charges to LOOT citizens - an inactivity fee, which is Rs 100-200 every year. Bank statement issuance fee is Rs 50-100. Rs 20-25 per quarter is charged for SMS alerts. Banks charge 1-3 per cent as loan processing fees," he added. The Congress chief also claimed that if a lo

'Need to upskill our youth': Sibal stresses skill development at UIA meet

Sibal emphasized that strengthening the manufacturing sector would create jobs and improve India's strategic and economic standing

ICICI Bank refutes allegations of illegal staff termination

Terms allegations of termination of 782 employees 'voluntary abandonment of services'

Rahul Gandhi likely to visit US from April 19, to speak at Brown University

Earlier in September 2024, Rahul Gandhi was on a three-day visit to the US. During his visit, he travelled to Dallas, where he interacted with students and teachers at the University of Texas

Lok Sabha being run in 'undemocratic' manner, says LoP Rahul Gandhi

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday claimed that he was not being given a chance to speak and the House was being run in an "undemocratic manner". His remarks came after Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla asked him to follow the rules of procedure that members are expected to observe to uphold the dignity of the House. It was not immediately clear what was the reason for the Speaker to make the observation. Gandhi said the Speaker made remarks about him and then adjourned the House without giving him an opportunity to speak. He said that in the last week he had not been allowed to speak. About 70 Congress Lok Sabha MPs, including deputy leader of Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, party general secretary KC Venugopal and party's whip in the Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore, met the Lok Sabha speaker and raised the "denial" of opportunity to Gandhi to speak in the House, party sources said.

CBI raid part of probe; not politically motivated: Chhattisgarh dy CM

Slamming the Congress, the Deputy CM said that every time such actions are taken, Congress links it to politics

Suspended Cong MLAs forcibly 'evicted' from Odisha Assembly, claim leaders

The suspended Congress MLAs, who were staging a sit-in the Well of the House protesting action against them, were forcibly evicted from the Assembly and dropped near the Congress Bhawan, a party leader alleged on Wednesday. The MLAs were "forcibly evicted" from the Assembly on Tuesday night and they had to spend the night on the street at Master Canteen, he said. "We were manhandled and forcibly evicted from the Assembly at the dead of the night. This is grossly illegal and undemocratic," alleged party MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati, one of the two Congress MLAs who was not suspended. Odisha Congress president Bhakta Charan Das and AICC in-charge of Odisha, Ajay Kumar Lallu are sitting on dharna in the Master Canteen area on Wednesday protesting the suspension of 12 party MLAs. Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Rama Chandra Kadam alleged that the party MLAs during their stay in the Assembly, were denied food, water and even toilet facility. Kadam was injured in the Assembly on ...

BJP cites book on Bofors to demand Sonia, Rahul's resignations as MPs

The BJP on Tuesday cited a book by a journalist, who is credited with exposing the alleged Bofors scam, to attack Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, and demanded they quit as MPs till they make a full disclosure about their relations with alleged Italian middleman Ottavio Quattrocchi. BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia claimed the "huge revelations" made by Chitra Subramaniam in her book 'Bofors Gate' are worrisome, and alleged that Quattrocchi used his proximity to the then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and his wife Sonia Gandhi to pull strings in finalising defence deals. There was no immediate reaction from the Congress to the BJP's allegations and the demands made at the press conference. It has long been alleged that Quattrocchi, who is no more, enjoyed warm ties with Sonia Gandhi, who is also of Italian origin, and used it to his business advantage in India. He was one of the accused in the CBI's long-winded probe into the alleged bribery in the Bofors gun deal after the kick

Manish Tewari files motion to discuss alleged aberrations in judiciary

The Congress MP called on the government to provide a comprehensive statement on the floor of the House regarding the incidents in question

Anurag Thakur slams Congress for 4% quota in govt contracts in Karnataka

He claimed that the Karnataka government's decision to provide 4 per cent reservation to minority contractors is against the law and added that they will have to face consequences

Sonia, Rahul to attend CWC meet in Ahmedabad on 8 April: Gujarat Cong chief

Senior Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will attend the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting here on April 8, the party's Gujarat unit chief Shaktisinh Gohil said on Friday. The CWC meeting will be followed by a session of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) on April 9, said Gohil, who is also a party spokesperson. The meeting of the CWC, the highest decision-making body of the Congress, will be held at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial complex in Shahibaug area at 11:30 am on April 8, he said. "The meeting will be attended by several key leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge. Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states as well as the party's state presidents will also attend this meeting," said Gohil. A CWC meeting had been held at the same venue in 2019 ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. After the April 8 meeting, party leaders will visit the Sabarmati Ashram in the city in the evening to pay

Cong demands speaker, state BJP chief resign after U'khand FM's exit

Former Uttarakhand Assembly speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal on Friday said the resignation of cabinet minister Premchand Agarwal was not enough and demanded the resignations of incumbent Speaker Ritu Khanduri Bhushan and state BJP president Mahendra Bhatt also from their posts for not being fair to the hill people despite representing the hills themselves. Agarwal, who held key portfolios like finance and parliamentary affairs in the Pushkar Singh Dhami cabinet, resigned after his "unparliamentary" remarks against the hill people during the Budget Session created a major controversy. Kunjwal accused Speaker Bhushan of behaving in the House in a partisan manner like a political party leader despite occupying a constitutional post when the Agarwal episode was going on. Daughter of former chief minister B C Khanduri, the Speaker is an MLA from Kotdwar. "The Chair is supposed to be neutral. But her conduct was obviously partisan. "She should have asked Agarwal to immediately take back hi

Sitting or retired HC judge must inquire Colonel assault case: Cong leader

Punjab Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa on Friday demanded that a sitting or retired high court judge should inquire the complaint by an Army Colonel that he and his son were thrashed by 12 state police officials. "We demand an inquiry by a sitting or retired high court judge into the incident," Bajwa told reporters in Chandigarh, ahead of the opening day of the budget session of Punjab Assembly. Calling it a serious incident, the Congress leader said all the "erring" Punjab police officials should be arrested and dismissed from service. "Recently, (AAP national convener) Arvind Kejriwal was in Punjab, but neither he nor Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann have uttered a word about the incident," he said. Bajwa, who is Leader of Opposition in Punjab, also slammed the Bhagwant Mann government over the "deceitful" detention of several farmer leaders. He said the heavy barricades at the protest sites in Shambhu and Khanauri border were not put up by Punjab farmers, but the Haryana

'Caste census is necessary to reveal inequality to light': Rahul Gandhi

During a recent interview, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the Mahad Satyagraha and said it was "not just a fight for access to water but a struggle for equality and dignity"