Page 38 - Indian National Congress

Three Maha Congress MLAs skip key party meeting ahead of council polls

Amid talks of cross-voting, three of the 37 Congress MLAs in Maharashtra skipped a meeting called by the party ahead of the legislative council polls on Friday. Zeeshan Siddique, Jitesh Antapurkar and Sanjay Jagtap were absent in the meeting held here on Thursday night. Antapurkar is close to former chief minister Ashok Chavan, who switched to BJP a few months ago, while Zeeshan's father Baba Siddique joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Sanjay Jagtap skipped the meeting as he was in wari' (annual pilgrimage procession) and on his to the temple town of Pandharpur. The party said Jagtap had informed the leadership about his absence. However, Sulabha Khodke, whose husband is a close aide of Ajit Pawar, and Hiraman Khoskar, said to be in touch with the NCP, attended the meeting. Senior Congress leader Nitin Raut told PTI that his party is in a comfortable position. It is the ruling alliance which is scared which is why they have held their MLAs hostage, ...

INLD-BSP to jointly contest Haryana polls with Abhay Chautala as CM face

The Indian National Lok Dal has decided to again join hands with its former ally Bahujan Samaj Party for the Haryana Assembly polls scheduled later this year, the leaders of the two parties announced on Thursday. Under the arrangement, out of 90 assembly seats in Haryana, the BSP will contest 37 seats leaving the rest for its senior partner in Haryana, where the ruling BJP is eyeing to come to power for third time in a row. Addressing a joint press conference with the BSP at Nayagaon on the outskirts of Chandigarh, INLD leader Abhay Chautala said this alliance is not based on any selfish interests, but has been formed keeping in mind people's feelings. The BSP and INLD's thinking is how the poor will get justice and how weaker sections will get empowered, he said. "In Haryana, we have decided to jointly fight the upcoming assembly elections. Today, the feeling of common people is to oust the BJP from power and keep the Congress party at bay, which looted the state for 10 years ...

Jairam Ramesh seeks breach of privilege proceedings against PM Modi

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has sought breach of privilege proceedings against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Rajya Sabha for allegedly making "derogatory" remarks against former chairman of the Upper House Hamid Ansari. In his letter to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, Ramesh also alleged that no prime minister has ever attacked a former speaker of Lok Sabha or chairman of Rajya Sabha in the manner in which Modi has done. "I wish to bring to your notice a serious incident of breach of privilege and contempt of the House on the part of the Prime Minister of India. On July 2, 2024, prime minister while replying to the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address in Lok Sabha inter alia stated: 'No matter how many numbers they claim, when we came in 2014, our strength in the Rajya Sabha was very low, and the Chair's inclination was somewhat on the other side'," the Congress leader said. Notwithstanding the fact that the prime minister did not specifically too

Modi govt's only mission is to make sure youth are jobless, alleges Kharge

The Modi government has only one mission and that is to "keep the youth jobless", Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged on Tuesday in a scathing attack against the Centre on the issue of unemployment. The Modi government may be refuting independent economic reports like the one by Citigroup on unemployment but how will it deny government data, Kharge asked in a lengthy post on X citing various reports. "The truth is that Modi government is solely responsible for shattering the dreams of crores of youth in the last 10 years," he alleged. Kharge said the latest government data punctures the government's claims. According to NSSO's (National Sample Survey Office) Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises, in the manufacturing sector, 54 lakh jobs were lost in unincorporated units in the seven years between 2015 and 2023, he said. "In 2010-11, 10.8 crore employees were employed in unincorporated, non-agricultural enterprises across India, which has become 10.96 crore

Criminal law in concurrent list, states can make amendments: Chidambaram

Congress leader P Chidambaram on Tuesday welcomed the Tamil Nadu government's decision to appoint a committee to suggest state-specific amendments to the three new criminal laws and asserted that criminal law is a concurrent list subject which makes the state legislature competent to make amendments. He also stressed that criminal laws that are in consonance with modern principles of criminal jurisprudence must be enacted. "I welcome the decision of the government of Tamil Nadu to appoint a Committee to suggest state amendments to the three criminal laws that came into force on 1 July 2024," the former home minister said in a post on X. Criminal Law is a subject in the concurrent list of the Constitution and the state legislature is competent to make amendments, Chidambaram said. "I also welcome the appointment of Justice (retd) Mr K.Sathyanarayanan as the one-person Committee. I request the Committee to hold consultations with all stakeholders including judges, lawyers, police, la

Rahul urges PM Modi to visit violence-hit Manipur, offers support for peace

PM Modi, during his address in the Rajya Sabha last week, reaffirmed that the central government is making efforts to normalise the situation in Manipur

Victories, setbacks part of journey in democracy: Rahul to Rishi Sunak

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday extended commiserations to the UK's Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak on the party's recent electoral defeat, saying victories and setbacks are inevitable part of democracy and "we must take both in our stride". In his letter to Sunak, Gandhi hailed the former British prime minister's dedication to public service and commitment to the British people. "I would like to extend my commiserations on the recent electoral outcome. Victories and setbacks are both an inevitable part of the journey in a democracy and we must take both in our stride," the Congress leader said. "Your dedication to public service and commitment to your people are commendable. I also deeply value the efforts you made to strengthen the ties between India and the UK during your term in office," he said. Gandhi expressed confidence that Sunak would continue to contribute to public life with his experience. "I wish you all the best for your future ..

Rahul Gandhi asks Centre, state to support those affected by Assam floods

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday expressed concern over the flood situation in Assam and urged the Central and state governments to expeditiously extend all possible support to those affected. The flood situation in Assam remained critical on Saturday with six more people losing their lives and nearly 24 lakh people affected, according to an official bulletin. In a post on X, Gandhi said, "The flood situation in Assam is becoming increasingly dangerous. My thoughts are with our brothers and sisters reeling under the deluge." "Deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I appeal to Congress leaders and workers to provide help in rescue and rehabilitation operations," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said. "I urge the Central and state governments to compassionately and expeditiously extend all possible support to those affected," he said. The devastating floods claimed the lives of two persons in Charaideo and one each in Goalpara, Morigaon, Sonitpur and Tinsukia

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Rahul Gandhi to visit Manipur on Monday, meet violence-affected people

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will visit Manipur on Monday and meet the violence-affected people in different districts of the state. State Congress president K Meghachandra said Gandhi would travel from Delhi to Silchar on a flight, and from there would head to Jiribam district where fresh violence happened on June 6. "Gandhi will visit some relief camps in the district. He will then return to the Silchar airport, and from there, take a flight to Imphal," Meghachandra said. "After landing in Imphal, he will head to Churachandpur district where he will interact with people living in relief camps," he said. From Churachandpur, Gandhi will get to Moirang in Bishnupur district by road and visit some relief camps. He will then return to Imphal where a meeting with Governor Anusuiya Uikey is being planned. "He will then leave the state," Meghachandra said. This is Gandhi's first visit to the state after the Lok Sabha elections, in which the Congress won both the ...

Andhra, Telangana CMs to meet to discuss pending inter-state issues

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his Telangana counterpart A Revanth Reddy will meet here on Saturday to resolve pending issues related to bifurcation of undivided Andhra. The meeting will take place at the government's Mahatma Jyoti Rao Phule Praja Bhavan here this evening. Telangana came into existence on June 2, 2014, following the division of undivided Andhra Pradesh. Ten years after separation, several issues such as bifurcation of assets, state-run institutions, power bills dues, transfer of leftover employees to their native states are still unresolved between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Hyderabad ceased to be the common capital for both the states from June 2 this year as per the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. The metropolis is now the capital city of Telangana only. According to official sources, the division of various state-run institutions and corporations of the undivided state, listed in Schedule 9 and Schedule 10 of the Andhra Prades

Rahul on Guj visit; to address party workers, meet Rajkot fire victims' kin

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will be on a visit to Ahmedabad city in Gujarat on Saturday, where he will address party workers, a leader said. Gandhi will also meet the family members of those who lost their lives in various tragedies in Gujarat in the recent past, including the Rajkot game zone fire, the boat capsize incident in Vadodara and Morbi bridge collapse. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha is visiting Gujarat days after BJP and Congress workers clashed outside the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) office here over alleged anti-Hindu remarks made by Gandhi in the Lok Sabha. Following the clash, complaints were lodged against each other by both sides and FIRs were registered, leading to the arrest of five Congress workers. Talking to reporters on Friday, Gujarat Congress president Shaktisinh Gohil said Gandhi will also meet the family members of those five Congress workers who are currently in police custody. "Rahul Gandhi will arrive at the GPCC office

Hathras stampede: Main suspect Madhukar surrenders, says Advocate AP Singh

Union Minister Nityanand Rai on Friday said the Central government has extended cooperation to the Uttar Pradesh government in the investigation into the stampede in Hathras

Crony capitalism thriving under Modi: Congress on Jio, Airtel tariff hikes

Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala questioned the Centre's intent, asking how the companies were unilaterally allowed to increase the rates without any oversight and regulation

Uproar in Kerala Assembly after UDF accuses SFI of violence; CM defends it

The Kerala assembly witnessed an uproar on Thursday as the opposition Congress accused the SFI of indulging in criminal activities in state campuses, prompting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to defend the Left student outfit and counter-allege atrocities by the Congress-backed KSU. The Congress-led UDF alleged that the CM and CPI(M) were providing political patronage to its student outfit -- Students Federation of India (SFI) -- which they claimed was responsible for violent and criminal activities in university campuses and beyond, across the state. The allegation was made by the opposition in the notice moved by several UDF MLAs, including M Vincent, seeking adjournment of the House proceedings to discuss the alleged beating up of a leader of the Kerala Students Union (KSU), the student wing of the Congress, by the SFI on the University of Kerala campus here. The opposition's motion was rejected by Vijayan who said that the police have registered cases in connection with the ...

Modi govt failed to deliver on promises, alleges Congress MP Pramod Tiwari

Senior Congress leader Pramod Tiwari accused the Narendra Modi government on Tuesday of betraying people during its 10-year rule, saying it failed to deliver on promises, whether on bringing back black money, stopping corruption or controlling price rise. Participating in a discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the Motion of Thanks for the president's address to a joint sitting of Parliament, Tiwari said the prices of several commodities have touched a multi-decade high, but the issue found no reference in President Droupadi Murmu's speech. Similary, there is no roadmap to address the problem of unemployment, the rate of which is also at a multi-year high, and there was no mention of it in Murmu's address, the Congress leader said. He said the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) failed to deliver on any of the promises it made to people and it reflected in the results of the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls, where the party lost a significant number of seats. "You must ponder on why you .

Rahul Gandhi accuses BJP of dividing people; parts of his speech expunged

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi launched a no-holds-barred attack on the BJP in the Lok Sabha on Monday, accusing the leaders of the ruling party of dividing people on communal lines, drawing massive protests from the treasury benches, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi slamming the Congress leader for calling the entire Hindu community violent. Besides Modi, who intervened twice, at least five cabinet ministers interjected during Gandhi's speech that lasted for about an hour and 40 minutes, with Home Minister Amit Shah demanding an apology from him. "It is not just one religion that talks about courage. In fact, all our religions talk about courage," Gandhi said in his debut speech as the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha that was watched by his mother Sonia Gandhi and sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from the visitors' gallery. The Congress leader was speaking during the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the president's address to a joint sitting of Parliament. Gandhi quoted ...

No vision, direction in President's address to Parliament: Kharge

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said there was no vision or direction in the President's address to Parliament and attacked the ruling party for only giving slogans and not doing development works. Participating in the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address in the Rajya Sabha, Kharge said the President's speech has "ignored" the challenges faced by the country and has tried to hide the government's failure. He said there was no mention about the poor, Dalits and minorities in the President's address. Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said Opposition parties talk about the plight of common man, while Modiji does only 'Mann Ki Baat'. The Congress president also attacked the prime minister for not visiting Manipur, which has been burning from the last one year, and said he is an expert in only giving slogans. Accusing PM Modi of trying to divide society through his speeches during the polls, he said no prime minist

Time for proper strategy to decrease dependence on China: Jairam Ramesh

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged that the conglomerate company has reportedly selected eight Chinese companies to help its solar projects

Veteran united Andhra Pradesh Congress leader D Srinivas passes away

Former Andhra Pradesh (undivided) Congress president D Srinivas died here on Saturday, his son and Nizamabad MP D Arvind said. He was 76. Srinivas had been unwell for the past few days, family sources said. He was the PCC president during the 2004 and 2009 assembly and general elections. He was also a minister in former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy's cabinet. He left Congress and became a BRS Rajya Sabha Member from 2016 to 2022 and later rejoined the grand old party. Chief Revanth Reddy, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, Telangana ministers, and senior leaders of the Congress party expressed condolences over his demise.