Page 7 - Indian National Congress

MVA constituents will deliberate on contesting civic polls together: Pawar

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Friday said that the constituents of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will deliberate on contesting the upcoming civic elections in Maharashtra together. As the Supreme Court has directed that municipal elections be conducted in the state, the process will begin soon, Pawar told reporters in Baramati. Though we have not yet held discussions with the Congress, our party, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), the Shetkari Kamgar Paksh, and other parties will come together and explore the possibility of contesting the polls together. A final decision will be taken, as we wish to fight the polls together, he said. Asked whether the MVA would jointly contest the civic polls in Mumbai, he said no such discussion has taken place so far. Among us, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) has a strong base in Mumbai, and their opinion will be taken into consideration, he added. The Bal Thackeray-founded undivided Shiv Sena had controlled the cash-rich Brihanmum

Will demand for removal of 50% cap on quota during Monsoon session: Cong

The Congress on Friday reiterated its demand of making the Bihar reservations law a part of the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, amending the Constitution to overcome the 50 per cent ceiling for reservations and implementing Article 15(5) which enables reservations for SCs, STs, OBCs, and EBCs in private educational institutions. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said most definitely the party will take up these three issues of fundamental importance to social justice and empowerment in the upcoming Monsoon session of Parliament. "The PM is in Bihar today. On the basis of the caste survey conducted by the erstwhile INDIA bloc Government in Bihar, the Bihar Government had proposed 65% reservation for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, OBCs, and EBCs. This is under challenge in the Courts," Ramesh said on X. The double engine government in Bihar has all but given up, he said. But there are three ways out that the Congress has been demanding for lon

Rahul Gandhi's new official address: Bungalow No 5, Sunehri Bagh Road

Bungalow No. 5, Sunehri Bagh Road, will be Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's new address and he has started the process of shifting on the occasion of his birthday on Thursday but will start living there before the next Parliament session, party sources said. Gandhi has agreed to have 5, Sunehri Bagh Road as his official residence, they said. He started shifting his belongings from Thursday to the new accommodation, the sources said. Gandhi will start living in that bungalow in a few days from now before the Monsoon Session of Parliament begins on July 21, they said. Last year, parliamentary sources had said Gandhi had been offered the bungalow and a response is awaited from his end. Since Gandhi became an MP, his residence had been 12, Tughlaq Lane. However, he had vacated that house after he was disqualified from Lok Sabha in 2023, following his conviction in a defamation case. Gandhi then moved into the 10, Janpath residence of his mother Sonia Gandhi and has been living th

Hope PM will agree to debate on China during Monsoon Session: Congress

The Congress on Thursday said it has been calling for a detailed debate on China for the last five years and hopes that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will finally agree to such a discussion in the forthcoming Monsoon session of Parliament. The opposition party also said it is important to collectively work towards a national consensus on vital national security and economic challenges posed by China's emergence as the world's dominant manufacturing power and as the world's second-largest economy. Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said, "Today is the fifth anniversary of PM Modi's infamous clean chit to China, when he said 'Na koi hamari seema mein ghus aaya hai, na hi koi ghusa hua hai' only four days after 20 of our brave soldiers gave their lives for the nation in Galwan on 15 June, 2020." This sorry episode concluded with a withdrawal agreement on October 21, 2024, under which Indian patrols require Chinese concurrence to reach their patrolling .

Cong takes a swipe at PM Modi, says Indian diplomacy is being shattered

The Congress on Wednesday took a swipe at the Modi government over reports that Pakistan Army Chief Gen Asim Munir would be having lunch with US President Donald Trump, and said Indian diplomacy is being "shattered" and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "totally silent". Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh also said President Trump himself has "trumpeted" 14 times that he brought about a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, meaning he ended Operation Sindoor. "Field Marshal Asim Munir, the man whose inflammatory, incendiary and provocative remarks were linked directly to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attacks, is having lunch today with President Trump in the White House," Ramesh said. Is this why President Trump abandoned the G7 Summit a day early denying Mr. Narendra Modi a "huge hug", he asked. "Gen. Michael Kurilla, the US Central Command Chief calls Pakistan a 'phenomenal' partner in counter-terrorism operations. This is triple jhatka to Howdy Modi

ED summons D K Suresh in Aishwarya Gowda 'fraud' case; deposition on Thurs

The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Congress leader D K Suresh, younger brother of Karnataka deputy CM D K Shivakumar, for questioning in an alleged cheating case linked to a money laundering probe against a local woman, official sources said on Tuesday. Suresh, a former MP, has been asked to depose on June 19 and get his statement recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said. The federal probe agency had arrested the local woman -- 33-year-old Aishwarya Gowda -- in April following searches against her and Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni. The ED had then said in a statement that the woman claimed proximity with various "high-profile" politicians and cheated people by promising them high returns against gold, cash and bank deposits. She is alleged to have used the name of Suresh and claimed to be his sister. Suresh had also lodged a complaint with the Bengaluru Police, saying his name was being "misused". The ED is understood to have recorded the

Instead of 'acche din', 'days of debt' have arrived: Cong dig at Modi govt

Taking a swipe at the Centre, the Congress on Tuesday claimed that the economic condition of the common people in India is "very worrying" and that instead of the 'acche din' promised by the Modi government, days of debt have arrived. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh cited a media report which claimed that despite the increase in the income of the people in the country and inflation being under control, household savings have decreased for the third consecutive year. "People's savings in the country are decreasing, debt is increasing! This clearly means that on one hand inflation is increasing, on the other hand people's income is decreasing. As a result, people are either withdrawing their savings or are forced to survive by taking loans," Ramesh said in a post in Hindi on X. "The bottom line is that the economic condition of the common people in India is very worrying, but the Modi government is completely careless!" he alleged. "It is clear that

Cong to campaign against RSS-BJP 'hurdles' in Ambedkar statue installation

Madhya Pradesh Congress leaders on Tuesday said the party will launch a campaign against "hurdles" being created by the RSS-BJP in the installation of Dr BR Ambedkar's statue at the Gwalior bench complex of the MP High Court. Efforts were being made by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to negate Ambedkar's contribution as the architect of the Constitution, the opposition Congress leaders alleged at a press conference here. The Congress displayed posters and hoardings recently put up in Gwalior and alleged the BJP was trying to present BN Rau, a former civil servant and constitutional advisor to the Constituent Assembly, as the main architect of the Constitution. Congress general secretary and Madhya Pradesh in-charge Harish Chaudhary said it was unfortunate that a "controversy" was being created over the installation of Ambedkar's statue in the HC bench premises in Gwalior. "Under a well-planned conspiracy, questions are being raised on the

Sonia Gandhi responding well to treatment; diet being monitored: Hospital

Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi who was hospitalised owing to a stomach-related issue is responding well to treatment but her discharge date has not yet been decided, the hospital said on Tuesday. The 78-year-old Congress leader was admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on Sunday evening. In a statement, chairman of the hospital Ajay Swaroop, said, "She is stable and responding well to treatment. She is recovering from a stomach infection. Her diet is being closely monitored, and she remains under observation. As a precautionary measure, her discharge date has not yet been decided." "Our team of doctors, Dr S Nundy and Dr Amitabh Yadav, is closely monitoring her health and diet, he added On June 9, the former Congress president underwent a medical check-up at the same hospital. Two days before the check-up, she underwent some tests at the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) in Shimla after she complained of high blood pressure.

Open to alliance in UP but focused on rebuilding strength on ground: Cong

Congress is in the middle of a month-long organisation-building campaign across all 75 districts in Uttar Pradesh (UP) to strengthen its grassroots presence and the party is hopeful of striking a respectful and suitable alliance to take on the BJP in the 2027 assembly polls. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance delivered a strong performancethe Congress winning six of the 17 seats it contested and the SP bagging 37 seatsreducing the BJP's tally from 62 to 33 in UP, the most populous state in the country. Perhaps that is why Congress general secretary and Uttar Pradesh in-charge Avinash Pande told PTI that while the party is focused on rebuilding its grassroots presence across the state, it would, in all likelihood, look to enter into a respectable and suitable alliance under the INDIA bloc to take on the BJP in the next round of elections. For the moment however, Pande said, the party in the middle of "Sangathan Srijan" (organisation building) ...

Sonia Gandhi stable, doctors monitoring her: Sir Ganga Ram Hospital

Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who is undergoing treatment for a stomach-related issue at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, is currently stable, an official statement said on Monday. The 78-year-old Congress leader was admitted to the hospital on Sunday evening. In the statement, Dr Ajay Swaroop, Chairman, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said, She was admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital at 9 pm yesterday (15.06.2025, Sunday), under the Department of Surgical Gastroenterology for a stomach-related issue. She is currently stable, and the doctors are closely monitoring her health." On June 9, the former Congress president underwent a medical check-up at the same hospital. Two days before the check-up, she underwent some tests at the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) in Shimla after she complained of high blood pressure.

Congress slams Shah's remarks on Ahmedabad crash as 'insensitive'

The Congress on Friday termed Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks in Ahmedabad following a plane crash "insensitive", and said the least he could offer is a promise of accountability, not a "shrug and a lecture on fate". Sharing a brief clip from the home minister's remarks, Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said Shah's "nobody can stop accidents" remark was an abdication. "When a plane crashes and people die, the least a home minister can offer is a promise of accountability, not a shrug and a lecture on fate. Nobody can stop accidents' is an abdication. If nothing can be prevented, why do we have ministries at all," Khera asked in a post on X. "Aviation accidents are not acts of God - they are preventable. That's why we have aviation regulators, safety protocols, and crisis response systems," Khera said. Going by the home minister's logic, should we stop investing in safety infrastructure, regulation, or crisis preparedness altogether, Khera asked. "Just le

India suffered 3 setbacks from US: Cong blames govt's foreign policy

The Congress on Thursday claimed India has suffered three "huge diplomatic setbacks" from the US which is constantly hyphenating India and Pakistan and that the Modi government's foreign policy has "failed" as it is driven by domestic political considerations. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the US' recent statements were both a "challenge and a warning" and required serious thinking "when the PM is only interested in playing divisive politics". He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should leave aside his "stubbornness" to call an all-party meeting and a special session of Parliament. "Yesterday, Indian foreign policy and diplomacy received three huge, undeniable setbacks. The General of the US Central Command gives a statement that Pakistan is a phenomenal partner in counter-terrorism. What is phenomenal? On May 2, 2011, Osama Bin Laden was found in Abbottabad and you are calling that country a phenomenal partner," Ramesh told PTI. So, th

Maximum boasts, minimum achievements: Cong slams Shah's 'peace' remark

The Congress on Tuesday said it was "bizarre" of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to claim that peace had been established in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast, alleging that his assertion was meant to divert attention from his own "colossal failures." The opposition party also said that never has India had a Union home minister whose tenure has been one of "maximum boasts, minimum achievements." In a post in Hindi on X, Shah had on Monday said that the 11 years of the Narendra Modi government was a "golden period" of resolve, endeavour and dedication towards public service. "Naxalism is on its last legs, peace has been established in Jammu-Kashmir and the Northeast, India now responds to terrorist attacks by entering the homes of terrorists. This shows the changing picture of India under the Modi government," he said. Responding to the remarks, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh on X said Shah's claim was "bizarre" since Manipur continues to burn and

Cong questions PM Modi for not holding 'undoctored' press conferences

The Congress on Monday stepped up its attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not holding an "undoctored" press conference and asked why is he still "running away" or whether it is taking time to prepare the questions and answers and find suitable persons to query him in a "servile manner". Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said on Sunday the party had challenged the PM to have his first-ever "unscripted, undoctored" press conference on the completion of his 11 years in office. "Today, the BJP President J. P. Nadda has been fielded to meet the press at 12 noon to highlight the 11 year millstone (not milestone)," he said. "Why is the Prime Minister still running away? Or is it taking time to prepare the questions and answers and find suitable persons to 'query' him in a servile manner? Or is Bharat Mandapam not fully ready?" Ramesh said on X. There was no immediate response from the BJP or the government on the Congress' attack. The Congress on Su

Congress leaders are doing politics on Op Sindoor: Minister Anupriya Patel

Union Minister Anupriya Patel added that when India's parliamentary delegation visited foreign countries recently, they received widespread support for India's stand against terrorism

Rahul Gandhi dismissing mandate of people as they rejected him: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, instead of introspecting on the defeat in the 2024 state assembly polls, has been repudiating the mandate given by the people because they rejected him. The leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha is preparing his excuses for future defeats in the upcoming assembly elections, including Bihar, Fadnavis said in his articles published in the Indian Express and Marathi daily Loksatta. On Saturday, Gandhi, in an article published in several newspapers and in posts on X, claimed the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections were a "blueprint for rigging democracy" and alleged this "match-fixing" would next happen in Bihar. In a post on X, Gandhi outlined the alleged electoral irregularities in a stepwise manner fake voters are added, voter turnout is inflated, bogus voting is facilitated, and evidence is subsequently hidden. The Election Commission rejected the charge, saying defaming the poll panel after an .

Rahul upset over electoral losses: Maharashtra BJP chief on rigging claims

Election Commission described Rahul Gandhi's allegations relating to Maharashtra polls as an "affront to the rule of law"

'PM must wake up from his sleep': Cong on 'rising' economic inequalities

The Congress on Friday slammed the government over the alleged rise in the gap between the rich and the poor and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi must "wake up from his sleep" otherwise the country would face terrible consequences. Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, shared a media report on X, which claimed that the number of super-rich is increasing rapidly. Citing the World Wealth Report 2025, the report said that 33,000 high net worth individuals -- HNIs -- were added in the country in 2024. "Due to the capitalist policies of the Modi government, the gap between the rich and the poor is constantly increasing. The rich are becoming richer and the poor are becoming poorer," Ramesh said in a post in Hindi on X. Due to rising unemployment and inflation in the country, 80 crore people have to be given government ration, while the number of 'super rich' has increased to 3.78 lakh, he said. "The common people of the country are forced to survive by

Infirmities to caste-tech: How Census questions have changed since 1872

The evolution of India's Census questions over 150 years reflects the state's shifting priorities, from caste and infirmities to migration, fertility and tech-driven caste data