Page 37 - Indian National Congress

Parliament session Day 2: NDA to announce Speaker, 281 MPs to be sworn in

By noon, the name of the next Speaker will be decided. Given the support from NDA allies, it is expected that the Speaker will be a nominee from the Bharatiya Janata Party

BJP leaders launch sharp attack on Congress on 1975 Emergency anniversary

The BJP on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Congress on the 49th anniversary of the Emergency, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah saying it is the biggest example of the opposition party's long history of killing democracy and harming it repeatedly. BJP president J P Nadda said on 'X' that those who claim to be the guardians of Indian democracy today had spared no efforts to suppress the voices raised in the defence of constitutional values. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the Emergency, imposed by the then-prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1975 before she lifted it in 1977 and called for elections, is a black chapter in Indian democracy which cannot be forgotten. Dictatorship and misuse of power were on brazen display during the period, Singh said on 'X', adding that it raises a big question mark on the commitment to democracy of several political parties. The BJP's trenchant criticism of the Congress came amid a coordinated campaign by opposition parties to paint the ...

Lok Sabha session: People want substance not slogans, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said people have given his government mandate for a third consecutive term and have put a stamp of approval on its policies and intentions. He also said that the 18th Lok Sabha begins on Monday with a resolve of building a 'Shreshtha Bharat' and 'Viksit Bharat'. Addressing the media in Parliament complex at the beginning of the first session of the new Lok Sabha, PM Modi asserted that his government will take everyone along in fulfilling the aspirations of the people. Modi also noted that Emergency's 50th anniversary falls on June 25, and described it as a "black spot" on India's democracy when Constitution was discarded. Welcoming new MPs, he said the 18th Lok Sabha commences with a dream of building a developed India by 2047. People expect good steps from the opposition but it has been disappointing so far, he said while expressing hope that it will fulfil its role and maintain democracy's decorum. India needs a responsible opposition and

Govt must focus on current issues: Oppn slams Modi over 'Emergency' remark

Opposition leaders hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his "Emergency" remark on Monday, questioning his government's style of functioning and saying that it needs to focus on present issues. Addressing the media in the Parliament complex ahead of the start of the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, Modi mentioned that the anniversary of the Emergency falls on June 25 and termed it a black spot in India's parliamentary history when the Constitution was discarded and the country turned into a prison. Reacting to the remark, Mahua Moitra of the TMC said the BJP fell short of a majority in the election because the people of the country have realised that it is against the Constitution. "From 303, the BJP is down to 240, they are running a minority government. They kept saying '400-paar' but could not even get a simple majority. "The only reason is that the people of the country have understood that there is BJP on one side and the Constitution on the other. People have chose

NEET row: Cong attacks Centre, says no action against NTA chairman

The Congress on Monday alleged that there has been no action against chairman of the National Testing Agency (NTA) P K Joshi, who is "holding interviews" for appointment of VCs and Directors of premier educational institutes across the country. Congress leader Pawan Khera claimed that last week, Joshi interviewed candidates for the post of Vice Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi University Wardha and today he will interview candidates for directorship of the prestigious Indian Institute for Advanced Study (Shimla). He asked whether it was true that the candidates to be interviewed for the coveted post in the institutes are Sanjeev Kumar Sharma and Rajnish Kumar Shukla. "Despite NTA being in the eye of a self created storm, not only has there been no action against its chairman, PK Joshi, he quietly continues to hold interviews for appointment of VCs and Directors at premier educational institutions," Khera said in a post on X. "Should NTA/PK Joshi be allowed to be part of any such select

Who Is Bhartruhari Mahtab? BJP's pro-tem speaker who sparked controversy

BJP MP Bhartruhari Mahtab was sworn in as the pro-tem Speaker by President Droupadi Murmu in the 18th Lok Sabha's first Parliament session on June 24

MMRDA continues repair work on approach road connecting Atal Setu in Mumbai

Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole inspected the cracks spotted on the Mumbai-Trans Harbour Link

Priyanka wishes Rahul on his birthday; calls him 'argumentative guide'

As Rahul Gandhi turned 54, his sister Priyanka Gandhi on Wednesday posted a heartfelt message for him on social media and said he was her "friend, argumentative guide, philosopher and leader". Rahul Gandhi, a former Congress president and MP from Rae Bareli, has instructed all Congress workers to avoid any grand celebrations, and instead celebrate this occasion by engaging in humanitarian efforts and charity. In a post on X, Priyanka Gandhi said, "Happy Birthday to my sweet brother whose unique perspective on life, the universe and everything lights up the path." "Always my friend, my fellow traveller, argumentative guide, philosopher and leader. Keep shining (star emojis), love you the most!" the Congress general secretary said. The brother-sister duo often share heartfelt messages for each other on various occasions and post funny exchanges between them.

Why hasn't Bihar been granted special category status: Cong to PM Modi

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bihar, the Congress on Wednesday attacked him and asked why hasn't the state been granted special category status as promised by him. The opposition party also asked why Patna University has been denied central university status. "As the 'one-third' Pradhan Mantri visits Bihar to inaugurate Nalanda University, some questions from the campaign that we hope he answers now - Why hasn't Bihar been granted Special Category Status as the PM had promised?" Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X. "In 2014, when campaigning for his current position, Mr. Modi effectively promised special category status for Bihar. As per the Centre's own Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) Report, Bihar ranks as the poorest state in India, and 52% of the state's population lacks access to requisite health, education, and living standards," he said. In 2013, the Raghuram Rajan Committee recommended a new methodology for devolving funds that is bas

Didn't want my wife to contest polls, but Cong brass insisted: HP CM Sukhu

Congress leader and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu Wednesday said he did not want his wife to contest elections, but the party high command insisted she should, and announced her candidature for the Dehra assembly seat bypoll. Sukhu's wife Kamlesh Thakur's name appear in the list of candidates released by Congress general secretary K C Venugopal on Tuesday. She has been fielded from the Dehra seat against two-time Independent MLA Hoshiyar Singh, who is contesting this election on a BJP ticket. "I was not willing that my wife contests elections but could not refuse to the Congress High command" Sukhu told reporters late on Tuesday night. He said the party leadership had told him during the Lok Sabha elections too that Thakur should contest the elections "but I was not willing". "This time again when the High Command insisted, I could not refuse" given what the political scenario in the state demanded. He said his wife emerged as the front-runner in the part

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi resigns from Wayanad seat of Lok Sabha

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has resigned from the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat of Kerala and retained the Rae Bareli constituency in Uttar Pradesh, the Lok Sabha Secretariat said on Tuesday. A Lok Sabha bulletin said his resignation has been accepted with effect from June 18. Ending speculation on the issue, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge announced on Monday the decision on the two seats after the party's top brass held discussions at his residence in the national capital. Rahul Gandhi's sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will make her electoral debut by contesting the Wayanad bypoll. Following Rahul Gandhi's resignation from one of the two seats he had won, the Congress' tally in the Lower House now stands at 98. The Wayanad seat will be the first constituency to go for a bypoll in the 18th Lok Sabha. "Shri Rahul Gandhi, an elected member of Lok Sabha from two constituencies viz Wayanad and Rae Bareli parliamentary constituencies of Kerala and Uttar Pradesh, respectively, has resigned h

Jolt to Cong in Haryana: Kiran Choudhry, daughter Shruti quit; to join BJP

In a jolt to the Congress in Haryana where assembly polls are due in October, senior leader Kiran Choudhry and her daughter Shruti Choudhry quit the party and will join the ruling BJP on Wednesday. Both Kiran Choudhry and Shruti Choudhry resigned from the primary membership of the Congress on Tuesday. Shruti Choudhry was also the working president of the Haryana unit of the Congress. Kiran Choudhry, who is also a sitting MLA, told PTI that both she and Shruti, a former MP, will be joining the BJP on Wednesday. Kiran Choudhry snapped her four-decade long association with the Congress. Their joining is likely to come as a big boost to the BJP in Haryana with few months remaining for the polls. Kiran Choudhry, daughter-in-law of former Haryana chief minister Bansi Lal, is considered as bete noire of senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda. She and her daughter sent separate resignation letters to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge in which they took a veiled dig at Hooda. While

Kerala BJP mocks Cong over Priyanka Gandhi's candidature from Wayanad

The BJP in Kerala on Tuesday continued to mock the Congress party's decision to field Priyanka Gandhi in Wayanad, which was vacated by Rahul Gandhi, and said the grand old party may consider her husband Robert Vadra in the upcoming by-poll in Palakkad assembly segment. BJP state chief K Surendran and senior leader V Muraleedharan criticised the Congress leadership over their decision and alleged that they had cheated the people of Wayanad. Surendran, who had contested against Rahul Gandhi in the April 26 Lok Sabha polls in the hill constituency, said it is once again proven beyond doubt that the Congress is the only "tool" for the so-called Nehru-Gandhi family to serve their family's interests. In a post on 'X', he said: "Mr @RahulGandhi claimed that Wayanad is his family. Now he has decided the candidature of his own sister claimed that Wayanad is his family. Now he has decided the candidature of his own sister @priyankagandhi to the upcoming by-election in Wayanad. Hope that Mr ..

Rahul in Raebareli, Priyanka in Wayanad: What it means for the Congress

On Monday, Rahul Gandhi announced that he would represent the Raebareli Lok Sabha seat in Parliament, vacating the Wayanad seat in Kerala, where Priyanka Gandhi would now fight the bye-election

Rahul, Aaditya should apologise for remarks over EVMs: Sanjay Nirupam

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam on Monday said Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray should apologise for disseminating "false" information based on a news report on the EVMs. A political slugfest erupted on Sunday over EVM tampering claims with Gandhi, Thackeray and other opposition leaders citing a media report which alleged that a relative of Shiv Sena's Mumbai North West Lok Sabha seat candidate Ravindra Waikar was found using a mobile phone "connected" to an EVM during the counting of votes on June 4. The media report said a relative of Waikar, who won from seat by just 48 votes, had used a mobile phone to "unlock" an electronic voting machine (EVM) when the votes were being counted. Vandana Suryavanshi, returning officer of the constituency, however, dismissed the report in 'mid-day' newspaper as "false news" and said a defamation notice has been issued to the publication. She asserted that the EVM is a standalone system, not programmable and has

NCERT working on RSS directions, assaulting Constitution: Jairam Ramesh

Amid the row over revision of NCERT textbooks, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday alleged that the institution has been functioning as an RSS affiliate since 2014 and is mounting an assault on the Constitution. In a post on X, Ramesh said the National Testing Agency has blamed the NCERT for the 'grace marks' fiasco in NEET 2024. That is only drawing attention away from the NTA's own abject failures, he alleged. "However it is true that the NCERT is no longer a professional institution. It has been functioning as an RSS affiliate since 2014. It has just been revealed that its revised Class XI political science textbook criticises the idea of secularism as well as what it considers policies of political parties in this regard. "NCERT's objective is to produce textbooks, not political pamphlets and propaganda," the Congress leader said. "NCERT is mounting an assault on our country's Constitution in whose Preamble secularism features explicitly as a foundational pillar of the Ind

On calling Indira Gandhi 'mother' of India, Union min Gopi now takes U-turn

While retracting his earlier statement, Suresh Gopi continued to praise Indira Gandhi, labelling the former Prime Minister as the "real architect" of India post-independence

Political uproar over EVM 'unlocking'; Elon Musk joins debate. Key points

After claims that a relative of a Shiv Sena candidate used a phone to 'unlock' an EVM during vote counting, the poll body denied the allegations. Elon Musk's tweet on EVM hacking sparked a debate

EVMs in India are 'black box', nobody allowed to scrutinise them: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said EVMs in India are a "black box" which nobody is allowed to scrutinise, and asserted that "serious concerns" are being raised about transparency in India's electoral process. "Democracy ends up becoming a sham and prone to fraud when institutions lack accountability," Gandhi said and tagged a media report which claimed that a relative of Shiv Sena's candidate, who won the polls from Mumbai's north west by 48 votes, had a phone that unlocks an EVM. The former Congress president also tagged the post on X by Elon Musk in which he talked about eliminating EVMs. "We should eliminate electronic voting machines. The risk of being hacked by humans or AI, while small, is still too high," Musk had said in his post. The opposition parties have been raising concerns over EVMs for some time now and had demanded a 100 per cent count of the VVPAT slips which was not allowed.

Delhi water crisis: AAP MLAs write to Jal Shakti Min, urge intervention

The AAP MLAs have written a letter to Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Paatil urging his intervention to solve the water crisis faced by the national capital amid the prevailing intense heatwave. Calling the situation "very critical", AAP's chief whip in Delhi Assembly Dilip Pandey on Saturday said the Yamuna water issue was an inter-state issue that required coordination of the Jal Shakti Ministry. Pandey said that in the letter from the AAP MLAs, time has been sought to meet the minister for a discussion on the matter. The AAP leader also said that instead of indulging in politics, all parties should work for a solution to resolve the water crisis and provide respite to the people of Delhi. "The entire matter is related to intervene state coordination and without Centre's intervention no solution will come out," Pandey told a press conference. The ruling AAP has accused the BJP ruled Haryana of stopping Delhi's share of Yamuna Water. Delhi's Water Minister Atishi has claimed that wa