Page 2 - Indian National Congress

India-Russia ties stem from 1955 Indo-Soviet partnership: Congress

Ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India, the Congress on Thursday recalled Soviet leaders Nikolai Bulganin and Nikita Khrushchev's tour of India and said the India-Russia ties are the direct outcome and continuation of the Indo-Soviet partnership cemented for the first time in late half of 1955. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh noted that the 23rd annual summit between the President of Russia and the Prime Minister of India in the last 26 years begins today. "These ties go back even longer.Exactly 70 years ago the top two leaders of the USSR came to India. Nikolai Bulganin and Nikita Khrushchev were here for an extraordinary 19 days: from November 18 to 30, 1955, and again from Dec 7 to 14, 1955. This followed Jawaharlal Nehru's journey to the USSR six months earlier," Ramesh said. The Bulganin-Khrushchev visit established the foundations of close Indo-Soviet collaboration of which the Bhilai Steel Plant and IIT Bombay were only tw

Sanchar Saathi row: Compulsory apps 'troubling' for democracy, says Tharoor

Amid the Sanchar Saathi application row, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday said making anything compulsory in a democracy is troubling and asserted that the government should explain everything to the public instead of just passing an order. The Department of Telecom (DoT) has directed manufacturers and importers of mobile handsets to ensure that its fraud reporting app Sanchar Saathi is pre-installed in all new devices within 90 days. Responding to questions on the issue outside Parliament, Tharoor said, "I have not studied the issue in detail but common sense tells me that these apps can be useful provided they are voluntary. Everyone who needs them should be able to download them." "Making anything compulsory in a democracy is troubling. But I need to look more into the logic of the government. The government should explain everything to the public instead of just passing an order that the media reports. We need to have a discussion where the government explains wh

'Political vendetta': Congress slams fresh FIR in National Herald case

The Congress on Tuesday attacked the Modi government over the filing of a fresh FIR in the National Herald case and said it is confident that the judiciary will see through this "political vendetta and mindless attempts to hound". Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said 12 years on, and suddenly, there is a new FIR in the old case on the Gandhi family targeting the Congress party. "Simply because the Modi government and the ED have exhausted their supply of fresh smears. When facts ran thin, theatrics stepped in: selective prosecutions, recycled allegations, and a thinly veiled attempt to keep opponents in the dock," Kharge said on X. "We are confident that the Judiciary will see through this political vendetta and mindless attempts to hound!" he said. The Congress had on Monday also slammed the Centre over the FIR, describing the move as "harassment" by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and a tactic by the Modi government to divert public attention from real issues. Speaking to

Karnataka power tussle: Shivakumar to meet CM Siddaramaiah over breakfast

The meeting follows a high-level interaction between the two leaders on Saturday morning at Siddaramaiah's Cauvery residence

Congress unveils 10-point action plan to tackle Mumbai's air quality crisis

The Mumbai Congress on Sunday unveiled a comprehensive action plan outlining emergency, medium-term and long-term measures to tackle the city's deteriorating air quality and growing environmental stress. The 10-point plan titled "Mumbai Congress Mission Wipe Out Pollution" focuses on emergency response during severe AQI levels, strengthening citizen health protections, large-scale afforestation, and enhancing accountability in pollution management. Former Maharashtra minister and Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad unveiled the document at Marine Drive along with other party leaders. Gaikwad, in a post on X, said that the rising pollution in Mumbai is a result of a contractor and builder-friendly, apathetic government's inaction. She accused the Mahayuti government of poisoning Mumbai's air, and alleged that its greed is threatening people's lives and the city's future. "The Mumbai Congress will fight for your fundamental right to clean air. Today, we launched our Clean Air Acti

Congress appoints new chiefs for 41 district units in Chhattisgarh

The All India Congress Committee (AICC) has appointed presidents for its 41 district units in Chhattisgarh as part of the party's organisational restructuring in the state, a party functionary said on Saturday. The appointments as per the choice of Congress workers are part of a comprehensive organisational overhaul under 'Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan', aimed at strengthening the party's urban and grassroots structure in the state, said Dhananjay Singh Thakur, senior spokesperson of the state Congress. The list of appointments, which includes five women leaders, was issued on Friday late evening. The move comes a day after senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot, who is the party's state in-charge, concluded his two-day visit to Chhattisgarh. AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal, in a statement, said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has approved the proposal for the appointment of heads of district Congress committees as part of the 'Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan'. He said that under this

Sabarimala missing gold: Chennithala accuses Kerala CM of shielding accused

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Saturday accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of trying to protect the accused in the Sabarimala gold loss case. The incident had hurt the sentiments of Lord Ayyappa devotees across the world, he said, and added that the government was the prime accused in the case. The Congress leader said former presidents of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), A Padmakumar and N Vasu, had already been arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), but they could not do anything alone without "political support". He alleged that CM Vijayan was trying to protect them and others accused in the gold missing case. Referring to the reported reference of Padmakumar about the involvement of a "god-like person" in the case, Chennithala said, "in Marxist party who is god-like other than Pinarayi Vijayan?" "The present investigation into the case is not extending to the ministers as they have the support of the CM and the government. People of the state

Siddaramaiah-Shivakumar meet clears air over Karnataka leadership row

Breakfast meeting between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar helped settle speculation over leadership issues, with leaders asserting there are no differences and they will follow the high command's guidance

Rahul Gandhi condoles demise of former Union Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal

Expressing solidarity with the family during their time of grief, Gandhi added, "In this difficult time, my condolences are with his grieving family, supporters, and well-wishers"

Congress has 'sense of timing' to resolve leadership issue: Priyank Kharge

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Friday said the Congress high command possesses the sense of timing to resolve the intensifying "power tussle" between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar. He said the 130-year-old party will intervene at the right time. Speaking to reporters, the minister said Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have agreed to travel to Delhi for a meeting when summoned by the party high command. "Nobody has given any official invitation or statement on the meeting in New Delhi. The CM and the Deputy CM have said that they will go to Delhi if they are invited by the Congress president or AICC general secretary and Karnataka in charge Randeep Singh Surjewala. Let the invitation come from Delhi, then only it will be decided," Kharge, who is Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's son, said. Asked about the increasing confusion, Kharge said, "The high command has the sense of timing. It will take a call, keeping in mind the right time." He urged peo

26 BLOs deaths in 20 days like 'murder in daylight': Supriya Shrinate

Earlier, on Wednesday, she accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of "blatant vote theft" through the SIR of electoral rolls in West Bengal

Will settle CM leadership issue after talks with senior leaders: Kharge

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said he will call for a meeting of senior leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar in New Delhi to discuss the raging leadership issue in Karnataka. He said the leaders will discuss on the way forward and settle the issue, and there by put an end to the "confusion" that is there. The power tussle within the ruling party has intensified, amid speculations about chief minister change in the state after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, in the backdrop of an alleged "power-sharing" agreement involving Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar in 2023. "After going to Delhi, I will call three-four important leaders and discuss. After the discussion, we will say how to go ahead; there by put an end to the confusion," Kharge told reporters here. Asked of the CM and his deputy will be called to Delhi, he said, "we should certainly call them and discuss.

Priyank Kharge denies talks with Rahul Gandhi on Karnataka CM change

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday played down reports that he has held discussions with top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on the leadership change issue in the state, during a recent meeting, and has conveyed the latter's message to CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar. Maintaining that the Congress high command will decide and give clarity on the issue of CM change in Karnataka, he said, he met Gandhi to explain about KEO (Knowledge-driven, Economical, Open-source), an AI-ready personal computer, that was launched during the recent Bengaluru tech summit, and to discuss on "vote chori" cases in the state. The power tussle within the ruling party has intensified, amid speculations about chief minister change in the state, after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, citing purported "power-sharing" agreement involving Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar in 2023. According to reports Kharge has conveyed Rahul Gandhi's messa

Ambedkar, Constitution subjected to 'ferocious assault' by RSS: Congress

The Congress on Tuesday recalled that BR Ambedkar had moved the resolution in the Constituent Assembly 76 years ago for the formal adoption of the draft Constitution and claimed that Ambedkar as well as the Constitution were then subject to a "ferocious assault" by the RSS which has continued since. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh also recalled that in his closing speech before moving the resolution, Ambedkar had hailed the role of the Congress in drafting the Constitution. Today, exactly 76 years ago, Dr. Ambedkar moved the resolution in the Constituent Assembly for the formal adoption of the Draft Constitution of India, he said. "Ambedkar's closing speech on that occasion is undoubtedly one of the greatest ever made by anybody anywhere in the 20th century," Ramesh said on X. "During the initial part of his speech, Dr. Ambedkar had said this: 'The task of the Drafting Committee would have been a very difficult one if this Constituent Assembly had

Congress to rally against alleged 'vote chori' at Ramlila Maidan on Dec 14

The Congress on Friday announced that it will hold a rally on December 14 at Ramlila Maidan here, against the alleged "vote chori". It alleged that the Election Commission of India (ECI) is now a "blatantly partisan player" that is "completely destroying" the very concept of a level-playing field for all political parties during elections. Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal said the spectre of "vote chori" is the biggest danger looming over our democracy today. "To send a message across the nation against these attempts to destroy our Constitution, the Congress will hold the 'Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod' Maha Rally on December 14 (1.30 pm onwards) at Ramlila Maidan, New Delhi," he said on X. "We have received crores of signatures from every corner of India, rejecting the BJP-ECI's nefarious tactics like adding bogus voters, deleting opposition-inclined voters, and manipulating voter rolls at a mass scale," Venugopal said. Every Indian has seen how the ECI bends rule

Congress rules out alliance with MNS for BMC polls, cites party's violence

The Congress on Friday reiterated its political aversion to MNS for the upcoming civic body polls, saying the party will never tie up with those who break the law or intimidate, a reference to the sons-of-the-soil brand of politics of the Raj Thackeray-led party. Hitting back, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Sandeep Deshpande said the Raj Thackeray-led party is an independent entity and not a member of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which includes Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and NCP (SP). "Raj Thackeray makes decisions in our party. We have nothing to do with what anyone says," he said. The Congress recently announced that it would contest the elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) independently, apparently due to the growing proximity between Sena (UBT), led by Uddhav Thackeray, and his cousin Raj Thackeray's MNS. The solo contest plan had prompted Sena (UBT) to ask Congress not to rush into any decision and emphasise the importance of the Opposition unity. "The

Nehru's works offer 'compass' to India's evolving conscience: Rahul Gandhi

India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru's writings are not just history, they are a record of India's evolving conscience, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Friday, asserting that for anyone seeking to understand the nation's democratic journey, his words remain a powerful compass. Gandhi's remarks came over the completion of the digitisation of 'Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru'. The 'Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru' is now online with an entire set of 100 volumes, containing some 35,000 documents and about 3,000 illustrations related to the country's first prime minister, digitised and available free of cost for downloading. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also hailed the development. "Facts are facts and will not disappear on account of your likes' Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. In an era of deliberate distortion, disinformation and misinformation regarding Pandit Nehru and his colossal achievements for India, it is worthwhile to digitise his writings for truth an

'Diplomatic setback': Congress on US panel report citing Pak's 'success'

The Congress on Thursday described as "yet another severe setback" to India's diplomacy a US commission reportedly mentioning in its report of "Pakistan's military success over India" in a four-day clash, and asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of External Affairs will register their objections to it. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said US President Donald Trump has claimed 60 times so far that he had "halted Operation Sindoor" but the prime minister has kept "completely quiet". The party's communications in-charge said the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission has just submitted its annual report to the US Congress. The commission set up jointly by the US Senate and House of Representatives has twelve independent members, Ramesh pointed out. "The 2025 Annual Report is almost 800 pages long. The sections on pages 108 and 109 are simply astonishing and beyond understanding. It describes the Pahalgam terror attack of April 2025 orchestrated

Bihar elections results fuel speculation on INDIA bloc's future in UP

The sweeping victory of the BJP-led NDA in the Bihar Assembly elections has caused ripples across the country, but perhaps more pronounced in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh, where Assembly elections are due in 2027. Political circles across Uttar Pradesh are abuzz with conversations about whether the model that helped the opposition secure substantial gains against the NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections can survive the shockwave sent from neighbouring Bihar. The results have not only boosted the morale of the ruling BJP, but have also introduced fresh doubts, tensions, and strategic recalculations in the opposition camp. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's sharp political attack -- calling the Congress "Muslim League" and a "Maoist" party and predicting an impending split in the party -- ?has further intensified the debate. His remarks are being interpreted as not just an assessment of the Congress' internal state but also as a strategic attempt to shape the political narrative ahead

NDA's Bihar encore: Task cut out for RJD; Cong stares at existential crisis

Congress posted one of its weakest-ever results in Bihar, prompting PM Modi to forecast a split, while RJD too failed to widen its caste coalition despite a strong vote share and young-voter outreach