Page 17 - Indian National Congress

Congress saw 320% surge in donations in 2024 elections, BJP witnesses 87%

The share of electoral bonds in the BJP's total contributions dropped to less than half during the same period to 43 per cent while electoral bonds comprised 73 per cent of the Congress' donations

Delhi polls: Over 730 cases of violating model code of conduct registered

More than 730 cases of alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) have so far been registered ahead of the February 5 Delhi Assembly polls, an official said on Monday. The cases were lodged between January 7, when the MCC into force, and January 26. A total of 22,857 people were arrested under various legal provisions, including those under the Excise Act, during this period, according to a statement. Ahead of the polls, police have intensified vigilance at border checkpoints and conducted crackdowns on illegal activities, including smuggling of arms, liquor and drugs. Delhi Police has recorded 738 cases of alleged MCC violations and confiscated 364 illegal firearms and 445 cartridges, the statement said. It has also seized 61,610 litres of liquor worth more than Rs 1.8 crore, 156.411 kg of drugs worth over Rs 72 crore and more than 1,200 banned injections. Law enforcement agencies have also seized Rs 6.36 crore in cash and 37.39 kg of silver, the statement said. Polli

Congress demands hike in MGNREGA wages to Rs 400 per day in Union Budget

Accusing the Modi government of perpetuating a policy of indifference to the plight of MGNREGA workers, the Congress on Monday demanded that the Union Budget must increase MGNREGA wages and the Aadhar Based Payment Bridge Systems not be made mandatory. The opposition party demanded that MGNREGA wages be increased with the goal of hitting Rs 400 per day as a national minimum wage. In a statement, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said MGNREGA wages cannot be set by the arbitrary whims of the government. He said a Standing Committee must be established to evaluate the need for changes in the wage rate. The Aadhar Based Payment Bridge Systems (ABPS) must not be made mandatory, Ramesh said. He also put forward the demand that the number of workdays under MGNREGA must be increased from 100 to 150 days. "One of the earliest indications of Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi's uncaring attitude and shortsightedness was his mockery of MGNREGA on the floor of ..

A new address, and then a reshaped house: Cong eyes organisational revamp

"Expect a major reshuffle in Maharashtra and Rajasthan after 27 January," said a top Congress leader

No PMAY houses for Telangana if Cong names scheme 'Indiramma': Bandi Sanjay

Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar said on Saturday that no houses would be sanctioned by the Centre if the Congress government in Telangana undertook housing for the poor in the name of 'Indiramma'. He said that if the photo of PM Narendra Modi is not included on PDS ration cards and housing scheme documents, a plan would be devised for the central government to directly provide housing and ration cards to the poor. Speaking at an event in Karimnagar, where Corporation Mayor Sunil Rao and others joined the BJP, the Union MoS (Home) said the Modi government is ready to sanction houses to Telangana under the PM Awas Yojana in the upcoming allotment. However, if the Congress government tries to engage in 'gambling' under the name of the 'Indiramma' scheme (named after former PM Indira Gandhi), the Centre will not sanction even a single house, said Sanjay Kumar. He said that photos of CM A Revanth Reddy and Indira Gandhi are displayed on the ration cards, even though PDS rice and other

Cong alleges Maharashtra govt elected illegitimately, cites voter list data

Opposition Congress on Saturday alleged that the BJP-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra was "not legitimately elected" and claimed there was a suspicious addition of a large number of voters and manipulation of votes during the November 2024 assembly polls. Congress' data analytics department chairperson Praveen Chakravarty and former Maharashtra chief minister Prithiviraj Chavan made the allegations in a press conference. "The government in Maharashtra is not legitimately elected through a fair electoral process. We say this with full responsibility as India's oldest political party and as the only political party that fought for India's freedom and helped establish India as a constitutional republic," Chakaravarty said. There has been significant manipulation of the voter results in the recently-held state assembly elections in Maharashtra, he said. "Forty-eight lakh new voters were added in the electoral rolls in the assembly elections after the Lok Sabha polls, while only 3

Congress promises free 'tirth yatra' to Buddhist sites if wins Delhi polls

Congress on Saturday announced free 'tirth yatra' for Buddhist places if the party is elected in Delhi in the upcoming assembly polls. During a press conference, former Delhi MP Udit Raj said there were no schemes for Buddhist pilgrimages, which the Congress would change if it formed the government. The Delhi government organises pilgrimage for Tirupati, Ayodhya, Vaishno Devi, Balaji for senior citizens at its own expense, Raj said. "So why are there no pilgrimage schemes for the Buddhist places like Sarnath, Bodh Gaya, Lumbini, Deekshaboomi, Mhow etc.," he asked. If our government comes, we will not discriminate and will provide free pilgrimage for them also, Raj stated. The 'Mukhyamantri Teerth Yatra Yojana' was launched by the AAP government in 2019 to aid the elderly in visiting pilgrimage sites across the country. Under the scheme, the Delhi government organises free pilgrimage travel for the elderly to 15 places of various religious faiths, including Ayodhya, Dwarkadheesh,

Kejriwal BJP's 'B-team', silent over attacks on minorities: Cong's Udit Raj

Congress leader Udit Raj indirectly accused the AAP convenor of being communal, questioning his silence on the attacks against minorities in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh

Delhi polls: BJP, AAP diverting people from real issues, says Alka Lamba

Lamba, who is contesting from the Kalkaji constituency, further expressed confidence that Congress would make a comeback in Delhi

Patole demands white paper on Davos deals, slams Maha govt for liquor deals

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Friday said the Devendra Fadnavis government must release a White Paper on the investments received and jobs generated from MoUs signed during previous visits to the World Economic Forum in Davos. Addressing a press conference, Patole said Fadnavis has informed that 61 MoUs were signed entailing investments of Rs 15.70 lakh crore and having the potential to create 15.95 lakh jobs. "While significant investments in Maharashtra are welcome, the public has the right to know the specifics of these agreements and the reality behind them. Similar grand announcements have been made in the past as well. The Mahayuti government must release a White Paper on investments and job creation from previous deals at Davos," Patole said. Of the 61 companies that have signed agreements with the Maharashtra government in Davos this time, 51 are based in India, of which 43 are from Mumbai and Pune, he said, adding only 10 are foreign-based. These include a Rs .

Looks like PM has made up his mind to make rupee hit a century: Congress

In a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the falling value of the rupee against the US dollar, the Congress on Friday said the currency has fallen by 50 per cent in the last 10 years and it looks like the prime minister has made up his mind to make it hit a century. Addressing a press conference here with a magnifying glass in hand, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said she has brought it as she has lost track of how steeply the rupee has fallen and with that, the prime minister's dignity. "It was Mr Modi who said that along with the falling rupee, the prime minister's dignity and his office's grace also fall. I wonder what Prime Minister Modi has to say now," she said. "The rupee today is staring at 87 to a dollar, while he (Modi) was handed over the rupee at 58 to a dollar when he became the prime minister. The rupee has fallen by 29 against the dollar, which is a fall of 50 per cent in the last 10 years. It looks like he has made up his mind to make it hit

Cong's Ajay Maken alleges scam worth Rs 382 crore by AAP government

Maken made serious allegations against Kejriwal, claiming that the additional expenditure on three hospitals, which has been revealed in CAG reports, was the reason they were stopped from being tabled

Cong's Kharge questions Centre on 10 yrs of 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao'

Slamming, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government, Kharge alleged BJP of adopting the policy of 'save the criminals'

Rahul Gandhi defamation case: Hearing deferred again due to lawyers' strike

The hearing in the defamation case against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was adjourned again due to the continuing strike of lawyers. Plaintiff Vijay Mishra's counsel Santosh Kumar Pandey said the special MP-MLA judge Shubham Verma set January 30 as the next date of hearing to complete the cross-examination in the case. Mishra, a local BJP politician, filed a defamation complaint against Gandhi in 2018 in the court alleging that during the Karnataka elections, the Congress leader made an offensive remark about BJP leader Amit Shah which hurt his sentiments. The case was pending for five years, and when Gandhi failed to appear, the court issued a warrant in December, 2023, summoning him. While Gandhi surrendered in court in February, 2024, his statement was recorded on July 26, 2024. The special magistrate granted him bail on two sureties of Rs 25,000 each. During his appearance in court, Gandhi claimed innocence and said a political conspiracy was being plotted against him. The court

Delhi Elections 2025: AAP vs BJP vs Cong- Who promised what? A comparison

Voting for all 70 assembly seats in Delhi is scheduled for February 5, with vote counting set for February 8

Congress better alternative for Delhi, INDIA bloc united: Sachin Pilot

Congress leader Sachin Pilot added that while the INDIA alliance remains united to challenge the NDA, local units and state-level groups make decisions based on regional dynamics

Aiims Delhi addresses video posted by Rahul Gandhi on patient plight

Clarifying the video posted by Rahul Gandhi on the social media platform 'X' Aiims said that the video doesn't qualify whether all patients shown therein belong to Aiims Delhi

Delhi elections: 1,521 nominations filed by 981 candidates for 70 seats

These nomination papers have been filed by 981 candidates for 70 seats of the Delhi Assembly, said the office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi

PM Modi atoning for sins committed by Congress government: Jitendra Singh

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Friday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is atoning for the sins committed by the Congress government and the triple talaq amendment is an example. The prime minister has atoned for the Congress' sins by bringing triple talaq amendment to give justice to sisters of a particular society and uplifting the poor, he said addressing the media here. Singh, who was here to take part in the state-level 'Samvidhaan Gaurav Abhiyan' programme, said it was the Congress, which always insulted BR Ambedkar and tried to defeat him in the elections. The Congress leaders, who always ignored Baba Saheb socially and politically, are today pretending to be his own for the sake of vote bank and spreading lies by distorting the statement of the BJP leaders, but people know that the party made 88 amendments in the Constitution by using or misusing Article 356 to serve its interests, he added. The minister said that Baba Saheb had made a huge contribution in making the ...

Caste census report to be tabled in next cabinet meeting: Karnataka CM

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Friday said a report on caste census in the state would be tabled in the next meeting of the Cabinet. The Karnataka Socio-Economic and Education Survey report, commonly known as the 'Karnataka caste census', was originally scheduled to be presented in the state cabinet meeting on January 16. "We didn't table the caste census in this cabinet meeting but we will table it in the next meeting," he told reporters here. Asked what was there in the report, he said, "I don't know what is there because it has not been tabled yet." On the Mangaluru bank heist, the chief minister said he has instructed police to find out the culprits. Caste census has emerged as a contentious issue, particularly among the state's dominant communities -- the Lingayats and Vokkaligas -- who have expressed reservations about the survey done, calling it "unscientific" and have demanded that it be rejected and a fresh survey be conducted. The survey was commissioned by the .