Page 59 - Indian National Congress

T'gana govt should hand over Kaleshwaram probe to CBI: BJP's Ramchander Rao

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader N Ramchander Rao has demanded the state government to immediately hand over the Kaleshwaram project investigation to the CBI

Modi govt a curse for farmers, says Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and described the government as a 'curse' for the country's farmers

Former Congress MLA Anshuman Mohanty whot quit 2 days ago, joins BJD

Former Congress MLA Anshuman Mohanty joined the ruling Biju Janata Dal here. Mohanty, who was also the Congress Kendrapara District president, had quit the party two days ago. Many of his supporters also joined the BJD in the presence of senior leaders including organisational secretary Pranab Prakash Das at the BJD headquarters here on Friday. Later Mohanty visited Naveen Niwas, the residence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and met him. Mohanty was the Rajnagar MLA from 2014 to 2019. He, however, lost the 2019 election to BJD's Dhruba Sahoo.

BJP's two-day national council meeting with 11,500 delagates to begin today

A two-day meeting of nearly 11,500 BJP delegates drawn from across the country begins here on Saturday, as the party's top brass led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gets set to outline its campaign themes for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. From its elected panchayat heads to district presidents and Union ministers, the BJP's 'national council' meeting is going to be the ruling party's biggest organisational get-together in recent memory -- an exercise aimed at galvanising its cadre for the polls. The meet -- scheduled to start in the afternoon -- will be preceded by a meeting of the party's national office-bearers, who will finalise some of the key agenda items for the conversation. BJP chief JP Nadda will inaugurate the meeting and Modi will on Sunday deliver the valedictory address, a speech that is likely to draw the broader contours of the party's campaign and exhort its members to go all out to achieve his target for the party to win 370 seats in the elections. The meeting,

Central govt doing injustice to farmers: Cong leader Jairam Ramesh

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over farmers' protest, alleging that the Center is doing injustice to them. Interacting with media persons in Rohtas, Ramesh said, When the Modi government brought three black laws, the farmers sat on strike for almost a year. After that, the government withdrew the laws and made many promises to the farmers. These promises have not been fulfilled till date. He was referring to three laws that the Modi government had passed in June 2020, stating that those would bring reforms to the farm sector. However, cultivators started protesting against the legislations in November and ended their agitation after Parliament repealed the three laws in the same month next year. Now, when the farmers are coming to Delhi again, the Central government is raining tear gas shells on them and spreading nails on their path. The Modi government is committing huge atrocities on them and doing injusti

I-T dept freezes Cong's bank accounts, appellate tribunal de-freezes later

The Congress on Friday said Income Tax authorities had frozen its main bank accounts, impacting all political activity. However, the accounts were later de-frozen by the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal pending a further hearing next week. Party leader Vivek Tankha, who appeared before the tribunal against the order, said the party was now allowed to operate its bank accounts. The tribunal will hear the matter next Wednesday before a final decision is taken on the matter. Tankha said he told the tribunal that the Congress would not be able to participate in the "festival of elections" in case its accounts remain frozen. Earlier in the day, treasurer Ajay Maken said the Income Tax department had frozen the Congress' main bank accounts on "flimsy grounds" and this affected all political activity of the party barely two weeks before general elections are announced. The accounts, including that of the Indian Youth Congress, were frozen on an Income Tax demand of Rs 210 crore for 2018-19,

Karnataka budget: CM Siddaramaiah defends guarantees, attacks Centre

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday strongly defended his government's guarantee schemes, asserting that they are not "election gimmicks", while strongly criticising the Centre for its "anti-people" decisions. Presenting the state budget for 2024-25 in the Legislative Assembly, he said the tax slabs for Indian Made Liquor (IML) and beer are proposed to be revised, in order to rationalise them and make them competitive with neighbouring states. This was Siddaramaiah's record 15th budget as Finance Minister of Karnataka, and the second under the present Congress regime. He said his government is marching ahead towards setting a new example of Karnataka Model of Development founded on the principles of justice, equality and fraternity enshrined in our Constitution. Claiming that the UPA Government during its tenure at the Centre, had taken up people-centric schemes and legislations to provide food security, healthcare, education, employment, Siddaramaiah said, "however, th

I-T dept freezes Cong's accounts, party says political activity affected

The Income Tax department has frozen the Congress' four main bank accounts on "flimsy grounds", party treasurer Ajay Maken claimed on Friday and alleged that democracy was in danger in the country. This has affected all political activity of the party, Maken said at a press conference. Sources later said nine accounts had been frozen. The accounts were frozen on an Income Tax demand of Rs 210 crore for 2018-19, an election year, Maken said. "For the first time in the country's history, accounts of the principal opposition party have been frozen by the tax authorities on flimsy grounds, barely two weeks before the announcement of general elections," Maken told reporters. He appealed to the judiciary to save democracy as it was in danger and said the country is headed towards one-party democracy. Maken said the party has already appealed to the Income Tax appellate authority.

Didn't decide overnight, Oppn imploding: Ashok Chavan on quitting Congress

Ashok Chavan's remarks followed on Thursday, hours after he filed his Rajya Sabha nomination on a BJP ticket. He quit the Congress on Monday

Congress govt will give legal status to MSP, says Mallikarjun Kharge

Farmers, who had embarked on 'Delhi Chalo' protest over their demands on Tuesday, have continued with their agitation

RS polls: 4 BJP, 1 Cong candidate file nominations from Madhya Pradesh

All four BJP candidates, including Union minister L Murugan, and one Congress candidate from Madhya Pradesh filed their nominations on Thursday for the Rajya Sabha elections to be held later this month. Murugan, BJP Kisan Morcha's national vice president Banshilal Gurjar, state party women's wing chief Maya Naroliya and Valmiki Dham Ashram head Umesh Nath Maharaj, who has been nominated by the BJP, filed their nominations before the returning officer in the state assembly complex here. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, state BJP president V D Sharma and ministers including Kailash Vijayvargiya and Prahlad Patel were present on the occasion. Earlier, Yadav welcomed Umesh Nath Maharaj and Murugan on their arrival in the state capital Bhopal for filing their nominations for the Rajya Sabha polls scheduled on February 27. The Election Commission had on January 29 released the date for the Rajya Sabha elections to 56 seats from 15 states, includ

Sonia Gandhi to miss LS polls, sends emotional message to Rae Bareli voters

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday informed voters of her Rae Bareli constituency in Uttar Pradesh that she will not contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls due to health and age issues. In an emotional message to the constituents of the segment she has represented since 2004, the 77-year-old also threw subtle hints of a possible entry of a member of her family from the Rae Bareli segment. "I am proud to say that whatever I am today, I am because of you and I have always done my best to honour your trust. Now on account of health and age issues, I will not contest the next Lok Sabha election," she said in the message. "After this decision, I will not have the opportunity to serve you directly but my heart and soul will always remain with you. I know that you will stand by me and my family in future, just as you have in the past," she said in the message written in Hindi. The message to the voters comes a day after the former Congress president filed her nomination for

Govt must stop implementing such ideas in future: Kharge on electoral bond

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court decision to strike down the electoral bonds scheme and hoped the government will stop resorting to "such mischievous ideas" in the future. He said the Congress party had called the scheme "opaque and undemocratic" when it was launched. Subsequently, in the 2019 manifesto, the Congress promised to scrap the Modi government's "dubious scheme". "We welcome the decision of the Supreme Court today, which has struck down this 'Black Money Conversion' scheme of the Modi Government, calling it 'Unconstitutional'. "We remember how the Modi Govt, PMO and FM bulldozed every institution - RBI, Election Commission, Parliament and Opposition to fill BJP's coffers. No wonder, 95% of the funding under this scheme was received by BJP," Kharge said in a post in X. "We hope that Modi Government will stop resorting to such mischievous ideas in future and listens to the Supreme Court, so that Democracy, Transparency and ...

BJP's JP Nadda to file nomination today from Gujarat for Rajya Sabha polls

Bharatiya Janata Party national president JP Nadda will file the nomination for Rajya Sabha from Gujarat on Thursday

Rahul Gandhi led 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' to resume with rally in Bihar

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will on Thursday pick up the threads of his 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' with a public meeting in Bihar's Aurangabad district, about 150 km from the state capital. According to senior party leader and MLC Prem Chandra Mishra, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge is also likely to address the rally. "Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge are likely to reach Gaya by flight and take a helicopter for Aurangabad. Thereafter, Gandhi will resume the Yatra", Mishra told PTI over phone. Notably, Gandhi was last seen in Bihar a fortnight ago when his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra had covered four districts of the Seemanchal region. According to Mishra, after the rally, Gandhi is likely to interact with farmers in Tekari Vidhan Sabha area, which falls in Gaya district but is a part of the Aurangabad Lok Sabha constituency. "Gandhi will spend the night at Sasaram. On Friday he will travel to Kaimur district from where we will see him off into the adjoining state of Uttar Pradesh"

Congress delaying investigation of 40% commission charges: Ex-CM Bommai

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday ordered the government to submit the probe report within six weeks

Highlights: SC to decide on validity of electoral bond scheme tomorrow

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Rajya Sabha elections: Congress fields Sonia Gandhi, Singhvi in first list

The Congress has released the names of four candidates, one each for Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Bihar, for Rajya Sabha biennial elections, slated for Feb 27

Farmer protest: Rahul Gandhi speaks with injured farmer, attacks Modi govt

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has spoken with a farmer injured in police action during the tillers' protest march, and accused the Modi government of having a "dictatorial attitude" towards the country's food providers. Gandhi's telephonic conversation on Tuesday night with the injured farmer, Gurmeet Singh, was facilitated by Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Raja Warring who visited a government hospital in Rajpura town of Patiala district after the farmers clashed with Haryana Police. In a post in Hindi on his WhatsApp channel, Gandhi said, "Talked on phone to former soldier Gurmeet Singh ji, who was seriously injured in police atrocities during the farmers' movement." "Equired about his health and expressed support to him for their peaceful movement demanding their rights," the former Congress chief said. "He is a youth as well as a farmer - instead of hailing him, this dictatorial attitude of the Modi government towards the country's protector and food provider is putting democra

Rajasthan Congress welcomes Sonia Gandhi's nomination for Rajya Sabha

Sonia Gandhi left her residence early on Wednesday morning for Rajasthan from where she will file her nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections