Page 37 - Indian National Congress

FM's Budget speech more focused on posturing than action, says Congress

The Congress on Tuesday claimed that the government seems to have finally come around to "tacitly admitting that mass unemployment is a national crisis" that requires urgent attention, as it slammed Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's budget speech as being "more focused on posturing than action". The opposition party's assertion came after Sitharaman in her budget speech announced that the government will launch three employment-linked schemes. These schemes will be based on enrolment in the Employees' Provident Fund Organization (EPFO), Sitharaman said in the Lok Sabha. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "After ten years of denial -- where neither the non-biological PM nor his party's Lok Sabha Elections Manifesto would even mention jobs -- the Union Government seems to have finally come around to tacitly admitting that mass unemployment is a national crisis that requires urgent attention." "It's far too late, and as it turns out, far too ..

Nudged out amid current controversy: Cong on UPSC chairman resignation

With the UPSC chairman Manoj Soni resigning citing personal reasons, the Congress on Saturday said he apparently "nudged out" given the current controversy in which the UPSC is involved. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh also said the sanctity and autonomy of all Constitutional bodies have been badly damaged since 2014 -- the year Narendra Modi became prime minister. Soni has resigned citing personal reasons before the expiry of his tenure in May 2029, official sources said on Saturday. His resignation is "not in any way connected to controversies and allegations surrounding the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) after probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar issue came to the fore," they said. Reacting to the development, Ramesh said, "The sanctity, character, autonomy, and professionalism of all Constitutional bodies have been badly damaged since 2014. But at times even the self-anointed non-biological PM is forced to say enough in enough." He ad

SC to hear petitions seeking SIT probe in electoral bonds scheme on July 22

A top court bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud on Friday took the note of the submissions made by senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan and listed the PILs for July 22

Decoded: Why did Karnataka introduce 70% quota for locals in private jobs

The now paused bill mandated a 50 per cent quota for administrative roles and a 75 per cent quota for non-administrative roles in the private sector for the locals, triggering a massive row

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah deletes 100% job quota post, shares clarification

A controversy erupted after Siddaramaiah, in a now-deleted post on 'X', had said that Karnataka had approved a Bill mandating the private industries to give reservation to local Kannadigas in jobs

Doda terror attack: What happened to 'grand claims'? made by PM, asks Cong

The Congress on Tuesday hit out at the Centre after four soldiers were killed in an encounter in Doda, and asked what happened to all those "grand claims" made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Jammu and Kashmir. Four army personnel, including an officer, died after being injured in a gunfight with heavily armed terrorists in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Tuesday. The latest incident comes a week after a terrorist ambush on an Army patrol in the remote Machedi forest belt in Kathua district claimed the lives of five soldiers and injured as many. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said he was deeply distressed by the martyrdom of the four brave soldiers, including an officer. "Our heart goes out to the families of our bravehearts, who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of Bharat Mata. Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured, and we wish him a speedy and complete recovery," he said. No words of strong and unequivocal condemnation will suffice

Rahul has matured as politician, will be tested as Oppn leader: Amartya Sen

The nonagenarian also opined that Rahul's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' has not only shaped him as a national leader but also enriched the country's political landscape

9 terror attacks within 38 days of PM Modi govt: Cong after J-K encounter

Party President Mallikarjun Kharge also questioned the Central government alleging that the government was acting as if it were business as usual

Bihar CM should 'strike', he's in position to get it done, says Congress

The Congress on Monday sought to know what Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is doing about the demand for special category status for the state and asserted that "he should strike" as he is in a position to get this done now. The opposition party's remarks come after Bihar ministers claimed that the latest report of NITI Aayog's Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index 2023-24 vindicated the state's long-standing demand for greater central financial assistance. On July 12, NITI Aayog released the SDG India Index 2023-24 -- an assessment of the country's sustainable development. Bihar has figured at the bottom of the index despite improvements on some parameters. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said senior ministers in Bihar are now arguing that NITI Aayog's latest analysis vindicates their demand for special category status in the matter of Central assistance to the state. "Basically this would mean that instead of 70 per cent of such ...

Cong attacks BJP over its 'Rahul encourages violence against PM' remark

The Congress on Monday slammed the BJP for its allegation that Rahul Gandhi encouraged violence against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying "cheap politics" should not be played on the issue of security of leaders. The BJP on Sunday had targeted the Leader of Opposition following the assassination attempt on former US president Donald Trump. "Third Time Fail Rahul Gandhi has often encouraged and justified violence against Prime Minister Modi, who he has lost election to, several times now. How can India ever forget how Punjab Police, then under the Congress, deliberately compromised PM's security, when his convoy was left stranded on a flyover," BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya had said. Hitting back at the BJP, Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said, "Cheap politics should not be played on the issue of security of leaders. The Congress party lost Mahatma ji to Right Wing terrorists. We lost two prime ministers at the hands of terrorists. We lost our ..

BJP protests against Congress govt in K'taka, alleges rampant corruption

The opposition BJP legislators in Karnataka on Monday staged a demonstration against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led Congress government alleging rampant corruption in the state. The legislators led by BJP state president B Y Vijayendra and the Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka staged a sit-in demonstration near the Maharshi Valmiki statue near the Legislative House amid drizzles. Holding placards, they raised slogans condemning the Congress government. They also took out a march with banners denouncing the government. Later speaking to reporters, Vijayendra accused the government of being against Dalits and Scheduled Tribes and said the BJP will continue its fight against it inside and outside the Karnataka Assembly. "The investigation into the Rs 187 crore Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation scam has revealed that the money was utilised in the Lok Sabha election," he alleged. He claimed that the family of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah wa

Congress appoints Gaurav Gogoi as party's deputy leader in Lok Sabha

Gaurav Gogoi will be the deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha and a letter regarding the decision has been sent to Speaker Om Birla. Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has written to Birla, informing him about the appointment of the deputy leader, chief whip and two whips for the Congress party in the Lower House of Parliament, AICC general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal said on X. While Gogoi will be the party's deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, eight-time MP from Kerala Kodikunnil Suresh will be its chief whip, he said. Virudhunagar MP Manickam Tagore and Kishanganj MP Mohammad Jawed will be the party's whips in the Lower House, Venugopal added. Earlier, the party had named Rahul Gandhi as the leader of opposition and subsequently, he was appointed to the post. "Guided by LoP Rahul Gandhi ji, the Congress and INDIA parties will energetically champion the people's causes in the Lok Sabha," Venugopal said. Gogoi was the party's deputy leader in

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'Negative politics': Priyanka slams BJP over 'Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas'

In a scathing attack on the BJP, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday said it comes as no surprise that those who opposed the Constitution and called for its abolition would indulge in the "negative politics" of marking 'Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas'. Her remarks came a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the government has decided to observe June 25, the day Emergency was declared in 1975, as 'Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas' to commemorate the "massive contributions" of those who endured inhuman pains of the period. Reacting to the development, Priyanka Gandhi said the great people of India have achieved Independence and their Constitution by fighting a historic battle. "Those who made the Constitution, those who have faith in the Constitution, will only protect the Constitution," she said in a post in Hindi on 'X'. "Those who opposed the implementation of the Constitution, formed a commission to review the Constitution, called for the abolition of the Constituti

Assembly bypolls: INDIA bloc wins 3 seats, leading in 8; BJP leading in 1

INDIA bloc parties won three assembly seats and were leading on eight, while the BJP and an Independent were ahead on one each as votes were counted on Saturday for the by-elections held earlier this week, according to the trends on the EC website. AAP's Mohinder Bhagat won the Jalandhar West seat in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's wife and Congress candidate Kamlesh Thakur won in Dehra and TMC's Krishna Kalyani in West Bengal's Raiganj. The Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), AAP and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) are the INDIA bloc parties that fielded candidates in the bypolls held on Wednesday in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Tamil Nadu. In Punjab, Bhagat won the Jalandhar West seat by defeating his nearest rival and BJP nominee Sheetal Angural by a margin of 37,325 votes, the Election Commission (EC) said. The seat fell vacant after Angural resigned as the AAP legislator and joined the BJP in

Congress candidates lead in Manglaur, Badrinath seats of Uttarakhand

Congress candidates for the Badrinath and Manglaur assembly bypolls in Uttarakhand were leading in both the seats on Saturday, officials said. The counting of votes for the by-elections in the two assembly constituencies, held on Wednesday, began at 8 am. Congress' Qazi Nizamuddin was ahead by 87,365 votes against the BJP's Kartar Singh Bhadana in the sixth round of counting in Manglaur. BSP's Ubaidur Rahman, who was behind Nizamuddin at the second spot in the initial rounds of counting, is now trailing at the third spot in the seat. The seat was with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) but fell vacant after Rahman's father and sitting MLA Sarwat Karim Ansari died in October 2023. In the Badrinath assembly seat, Congress' Lakhpat Singh Butola was leading by 1,935 votes against BJP's Rajendra Bhandari in the seventh round of counting. The seat fell vacant after Bhandari resigned from the Congress and the state assembly to join the BJP just before the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year.

Assembly bypolls results: INDIA bloc candidates lead in 11 of 13 seats

Candidates of INDIA bloc parties -- Congress, AAP, TMC and DMK -- on Saturday were leading in 11 of the 13 assembly seats where bypolls were held earlier this week, according to the counting trends on the Election Commission (EC) website. While the BJP was in the lead in Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur, its partner in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the JD(U), was leading in Rupauli in Bihar. Voting for the bypolls in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Tamil Nadu were held on Wednesday. In Punjab, Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Jalandhar West assembly bypoll candidate Mohinder Bhagat appears to be heading for a victory from the seat as he was leading by more than 23,000 votes against his nearest rival and Congress nominee Surinder Kaur, according to the EC. Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidates Krishna Kalyani, Mukut Nami Adhikari, Madhuparna Tahkur and Supti Pandey are in the lead in assembly bypolls in Raiganj, Ranaghat Dakshin, Bagda and ...

Himachal Pradesh bypolls: Cong leading in all three assembly by-polls

Congress' candidates, including Himachal Pradesh Chief Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's wife, are in the lead in all three assembly constituencies in the state where bypolls were held earlier this week, officials said on Saturday. The counting of votes for the by-elections in Dehra, Hamirpur and Nalagarh, held on Wednesday, began at 8 am. Sukhu's wife Kamlesh Thakur was leading by 636 votes against her nearest rival and BJP candidate Hoshiyar Singh after the fifth round of counting, the officials said. In the Hamirpur assembly seat, Congress' Pushpinder Verma was ahead by 1,704 votes against BJP candidate Ashish Sharma after the second round of counting, they said. Congress candidate Hardeep Singh Baba was leading by 646 votes in the first round against BJP candidate K L Thakur in the Nalagarh assembly seat, the officials. Thirteen candidates were in the fray from the three seats. The Nalagarh assembly constituency had recorded the highest polling at 79.04 per cent, followed by Hamirpur

June 4 to go down as 'Modi Mukti Diwas': Cong on 'Samvidahaan Hatya Diwas'

The Congress on Friday slammed the government's move to declare June 25, the day the Emergency was declared in 1975, as 'Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas' as yet another "headline-grabbing exercise in hypocrisy" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also accused the BJP of insulting Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar by using a word like "murder" with the "sacred word Constitution". Taking a swipe at the government over the decision, the opposition party said that from now on, the people of India will observe "Aajivika Hatya Diwas" on November 8, the day demonetisation was announced in 2016. Kharge alleged the BJP-RSS wants to implement 'Manusmriti' by erasing the Constitution so the rights of Dalits, tribals and backward classes can be attacked. In a post in Hindi on X, he said, "Narendra Modi ji, in the last 10 years, your government has marked 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas' everyday. You have snatched self-respect from every poor and deprived section of the country every

BJP's dream of changing Constitution was shattered, says Pawan Khera

On June 4 those who were dreaming of crossing 400 were reduced to 240, Khera said