Page 15 - Indian National Congress

Cong claims centre wants to control EC, asks govt to hold CEC appointment

The Congress on Monday asked the government to defer its decision on the new chief election commissioner till the Supreme Court hearing on a petition challenging the constitution of the selection panel. The Congress' side was put forth by Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi during the meeting of the selection panel chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sources said. The meeting took place at the South Block office of the prime minister. Home Minister Amit Shah is the third member of the selection panel. Addressing a press conference soon after the meeting, Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said that by removing the chief justice of India from the selection committee, the government has made it clear it wants control and not to preserve the credibility of the Election Commission. Singhvi did not disclose anything on what transpired in the meeting apart from saying that Gandhi attended it. The selection committee is learnt to have recommended the name of the next CEC to

Cong asks Assam CM's info source on allegations against Gaurav Gogoi's wife

Congress leader Rashid Alvi further stated that the level of politics should not stoop so 'low' and there was a limit to everything

AAP, Cong criticise Haryana govt for using 'prison buses' for deportees

The AAP and the Congress on Sunday slammed the BJP-led Haryana government for allegedly sending buses meant for prisoners to the Amritsar airport to take back the deportees hailing from the state. A US military aircraft carrying 116 illegal Indian immigrants from the US landed at the Amritsar International Airport late on Saturday night. The fresh batch of deportees included 65 immigrants from Punjab and 33 from Haryana. Punjab NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal and Power Minister Harbhajan Singh received the Indian deportees at the airport on Saturday night. Taking a dig at neighbouring Haryana, Dhaliwal, an AAP leader, said that like last time (February 5), the state again sent two buses used to transport prisoners to take back its citizens. "I request Anil Vij, who is the transport minister, that they should not send buses used for prisoners..," Dhaliwal said. On February 5, the US had deported 104 illegal Indian immigrants to Amritsar. Of them, 33 each were from Harya

India has talent, needs clear vision to produce new tech: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said while India has the talent, it needs a strong production base, and not empty words, to build industrial prowess in new technology to give its youth jobs. In a post on X, Gandhi highlighted how China has started producing drones which are revolutionising warfare across the world, saying India needs to develop a strategy to become competitive in this area. "Drones have revolutionised warfare, combining batteries, motors and optics to manoeuver and communicate on the battlefield in unprecedented ways. But drones are not just one technology -- they are bottom-up innovations produced by a strong industrial system. "Unfortunately, PM Modi has failed to grasp this. While he delivers 'teleprompter' speeches on AI, our competitors are mastering new technologies. India needs a strong production base not empty words," he said in the post, taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "India has immense talent, scale and drive. We must have a cle

A test for Indian diplomacy: Chidambaram on 2nd round of deportees from US

Earlier, Chidambaram had alleged that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) 'crumbled badly' in handling the deportation of Indian nationals from the United States.

Ahmed Patel's son Faisal quits Cong; says felt 'marginalised, neglected'

Congress stalwart Ahmed Patel's son Faisal quits Congress; cites feeling marginalised and neglectedIn an emotional post on X on Thursday Faisal Patel shared that his journey with Congress had been challenging, stating that despite his efforts to follow in his father's footsteps, he often felt sidelined."With great pain & anguish, I have decided to stop working for @INCIndia. It's been a tough journey for many, many http://years.My late father @ahmedpatel gave his entire life working for the country, party & the #Gandhi family. I tried following his footsteps but was denied every step of the way," he posted on X.Despite this, he reaffirmed his emotional connection to the party, expressing gratitude to its leaders, workers, and supporters. Faisal will continue to work for the betterment of society in other ways."I will continue to work for mankind in any way possible. The congress party will remain my family as It has always been. I want to thank all the congress leaders, ...

Congress undertakes extensive reshuffle across key state-level roles

In a major organisational revamp, the Congress on Friday appointed former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel as general secretary in-charge of Punjab and Rajya Sabha MP Syed Naseer Hussain as general secretary for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Overall, the party replaced six general secretaries and in-charges, including heavyweights Sipak Babaria and Mohan Prakash and appointed two new general secretaries and nine in-charges. Senior party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Rajani Patil was made the in-charge of party affairs in Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh, and Karnataka Congress veteran was appointed the in-charge of Haryana, while former Rajasthan minister Harish Chaudhary was appointed the in-charge for Madhya Pradesh. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi's confidante Krishna Alla Varu, K Raju and Meenakshi Natarajan have been appointed AICC in-charges for election-bound Bihar, Jharkhand and Telangana respectively. Former Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu will ..

Kapil Sibal asks INDIA bloc to 'sit and work things out' after Delhi mess

As the BJP has clinched victory in recent Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana assembly elections, Sibal pointed out that the BJP has advantage that they fight elections under single command

Will comment after meeting: J&K CM on INDIA bloc's unity after Delhi polls

On February 8, when the Delhi poll results were announced, Abdullah took a jibe at the two INDIA bloc members, decrying the 'fighting' between Congress and AAP

Need to convey message delicately: Tharoor on US' treatment of deportees

The way a batch of Indians were deported from the US has naturally caused a great deal of anxiety, resentment and anger in India and New Delhi will have to "delicately" convey a message to Washington behind closed doors on this, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said on Monday. The MP from Thiruvananthapuram made the remarks in response to a question during an interaction at an event here on a day Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a two-nation tour with the US being in the second leg of his visit. The interaction was hosted at the Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC) on the occasion of the launch of the book 'Indian Parliament: Shaping Foreign Policy' by veteran journalist and scholar K V Prasad. PM Modi, during the two-day working visit to the United States from February 12, will hold a bilateral meeting with President Donald Trump and interact with business leaders and members of the Indian community. At the book launch event, after his speech as the chair of the session, Tharo

We ensured Centre sends relief funds: Priyanka Gandhi on Wayanad landslide

Highlighting other challenges faced by the people, she pointed out the lack of access to health and education services for Adivasi communities

Sonia Gandhi demands Centre to conduct population census at earliest

Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Monday asked the government to complete a population census at the earliest, claiming that around 14 crore people in the country are being deprived of the benefits under the food security law. In her maiden Zero Hour intervention in the Rajya Sabha, Gandhi said beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) are being identified as per the 2011 Census, and not the latest population numbers. The senior Congress leader called the NFSA introduced by the UPA government in September 2013 a landmark initiative aimed at ensuring food and nutritional security for the country's 140 crore population. The legislation, Gandhi said, played a crucial role in protecting millions of vulnerable households from starvation, particularly during the Covid-19 crisis. She also said that the quota for the beneficiaries is still determined based on the 2011 Census, which is now well over a decade old. The National Food Security Act, 2013, provides for cover

Biren Singh's exit a bid to save BJP govt in Manipur: Cong's Gaurav Gogoi

Earlier Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said that Biren Singh resigned amid mounting pressure from public, Supreme Court and Congress

AAP-Congress fight helped BJP win in Delhi Assembly polls: Saamana

The Aam Aadmi Party and Congress, both INDIA bloc members, fighting each other contributed to the Bharatiya Janata Party's victory in the Delhi assembly polls, the Shiv Sena (UBT) claimed on Monday. An editorial in the Sena (UBT) mouthpiece 'Saamana' also raised questions over the need for opposition alliances if their constituents continue to fight against each other instead of the BJP. The BJP swept aside the AAP, winning 48 of the 70 seats in the just-concluded Delhi assembly polls. The AAP secured only 22 seats, with top leaders like Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia suffering defeats. The Congress drew a blank in the national capital for the third time in a row. "In Delhi, both AAP and Congress fought to destroy each other, making things easier for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. If this continues, why even form alliances? Just fight to your heart's content!" the editorial in 'Saamana' quipped. A similar disunity among opposition parties alrea

Cong MP moves adjournment motion over treatment of Indians deported from US

Congress MP Manish Tewari claimed that, according to US estimates, approximately 725,000 undocumented Indians reside in the United States, with 24,000 currently held in detention facilities

Cong MP moves adjournment motion over arrest of 14 fishermen by SL Navy

Congress MP Manickam Tagore also pointed out that it is not an 'isolated incident' as in recent weeks, the Sri Lankan Navy has detained Indian fishermen on several occasions

Ego clashes within INDIA bloc led to BJP's Delhi win: NCP MLA Rohit Pawar

The BJP will form its government in Delhi after a gap of more than 26 years as it won 48 of the 70 seats in the assembly polls, the results of which were announced on Saturday

Delhi polls result: BJP's vote share up 7%, AAP's down 10%; Cong's rises 2%

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which was routed in the Delhi Assembly elections saw the erosion of nearly 10 percentage points in its vote share while the winner BJP not only saw a resurgence but also a significant increase in its vote share. The BJP was out of power in the national capital for over 26 years. A win on any seat remained elusive for the Congress even as it saw a marginal improvement in its vote share. AAP secured a vote share of 43.57 per cent, down from 53.57 per cent in the 2020 polls. In the 2015 Assembly elections, it had secured 54.5 per cent of the votes. In 2020 and 2015, the party won a massive mandate by securing 67 and 62 seats respectively. However, this time it was restricted to only 22 seats. The BJP, which is returning to power, secured a vote share of 45.56 per cent and won 48 seats. The saffron party's vote share rose from 38.51 per cent in 2020 and 32.3 per cent in the 2015 elections. The Congress, which was in power in Delhi for 15 years from 1998 to 2

Created atmosphere against govt, but public didn't give us mandate: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said the party succeeded in creating an atmosphere against the AAP government in Delhi but the public did not give it the mandate to rule the city. Accepting the public opinion, Kharge said the Congress will continue to raise the issues of pollution, Yamuna cleaning, electricity, roads, water and development in Delhi, and remain connected with the public. "In the Delhi Assembly polls, the Congress created an atmosphere against the government in the public interest, but the public did not give us the mandate as we had expected. We accept the public opinion," he said in a post in Hindi on X. "Every Congress leader and worker worked unitedly under adverse circumstances, but more hard work and struggle is still required," he added. The Congress on Saturday faced a third consecutive season of electoral droughts in Delhi, failing to open its account in the 70-member Assembly and suffering crushing defeats in key constituencies. The grand

'Humbly accept Delhi's mandate, fight will continue', says Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said he humbly accepts the mandate of Delhi as he thanked party workers and voters. In a post on X, he said the fight for the progress of Delhi and against pollution, price rise and corruption will continue. "We humbly accept the mandate of Delhi. Heartfelt thanks to all the Congress workers of the state for their dedication and all the voters for their support," he said in his post in Hindi. "This fight for the progress of Delhi and the rights of Delhiites against pollution, price rise and corruption will continue," Gandhi said. The Congress on Saturday faced a third consecutive season of electoral drought in Delhi, failing to open its account in the 70-member Assembly and suffering crushing defeats in key constituencies. The party also did not win any seat in Delhi in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, which it had fought in alliance with AAP.