Page 88 - Indian National Congress

Rahul Gandhi to start his two-day visit to poll-bound Karnataka on April 16

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will arrive in poll-bound Karnataka on a two-day visit to take part in a host of events, including party rally in Kolar on Sunday. This is the maiden visit of Gandhi to the state after his disqualification from the Lok Sabha following his conviction in a 2019 defamation case. According to party sources, the former Congress president is expected to reach Bengaluru in the morning and then proceed to Kolar by a helicopter. Gandhi will address a public meeting in Kolar as part of Congress' 'Jai Bharat' rally. During the 2019 Lok Sabha election campaign in Kolar, Rahul Gandhi had made the Modi surname remark, which led to his conviction by a Gujarat court and his subsequent disqualification from Parliament. The Kolar event, which was earlier called 'Satyameva Jayate', was scheduled to take place on April 5, but was postponed twice. The even renamed as 'Jai Bharat' rally was rescheduled to April 16. After his address in Kolar, the Congress leader will retur

Serious attempt to undermine every institution: MP Shashi Tharoor

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has claimed there is a serious undermining of every autonomous institution right across the spectrum and it seems the government has only the "loyalty" criterion before appointing individuals to head them. In an interaction at the Press Club here on Saturday on 'The need for an independent media as a vital link for democracy', Tharoor said intimidation of the press was a legitimate issue, and if he has a voice in the party manifesto, he would certainly suggest that this should be made an issue and the party would stand for guaranteeing the freedom of press and non-interference. The MP from Kerala also said before the 2019 elections, he had warned that victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would result in an attempt to create a Hindu Pakistan. He said in the first few months after the BJP government stormed to power in 2019, he wasn't far off from his prediction as the government brought a legislation on triple talaq and the abolition of special

Asking questions is our duty, we will not stop: Jairam Ramesh to Centre

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh addressed the media on Saturday, stating that the Modi government is trying to suppress the truth but that the Congress Party will not be deterred

Congress calls for JPC probe after industrialist Chang says he's Taiwanese

The Congress pointed to Adani Group's alleged China links on Friday and asserted that the only way forward is a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe to investigate all the relevant aspects of the matter. The Opposition party's assertion came after a director in PMC Projects (India) Pvt Ltd Morris Chang, whose nationality triggered a row over the Adani group's alleged links with Chinese entities, said, "I am a Taiwanese citizen." Chang was being called a Chinese national because of his passport, linking the ports-to-energy conglomerate run by Gautam Adani to China. PMC Projects (India) Pvt Ltd constructs ports, terminals, rail lines, power lines and other infrastructure assets for Adani Group. In a statement, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said that in the 'Hum Adani ke Hain Kaun (HAHK)' series under which the Congress posed questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the party had asked him about his "favourite business group's links with the Chinese

Saddened by Laxman Savadi's decision to join Congress, says CM Bommai

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday said he was "saddened" by the decision of former Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi to part ways with the BJP and join the Congress. "...I'm feeling very sad, we shared a close bond. Sometimes such political situations arise," Bommai said. "He might have found his political future in the Congress. We will do our job in our party." Rebelling against the BJP denying him the ticket from Athani in Belagavi district, Savadi on Wednesday announced his decision to resign from the primary membership of the party. Sitting MLA Mahesh Kumathalli, who was backed by BJP's Belagavi strongman and former Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi, was given the ticket in Athani. Savadi is a three-time MLA from Athani but lost in the 2018 elections to Kumathalli (then in the Congress). Kumathalli was among the group of 17 defectors, including Jarkiholi, who helped the BJP bring down the Congress-JD(S) coalition and form its government under the leadership of B S Yediyurap

Congress criticises removal of Maulana Azad references from NCERT textbook

The Congress on Thursday lashed out at the government over the removal of references to India's first education minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad in the new NCERT class 11 political science textbook, saying there is a concerted attempt to "re-write" history and pass on a "distorted legacy built on lies". References to freedom fighter and India's first education minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad have been removed from the new class 11 political science textbook by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). Addressing a press conference on the issue at the AICC headquarters here, Congress spokesperson Anshul Avijit said there is a concerted attempt by this government to "re-write" history and pass on a "concocted, distorted legacy built on lies and untruth to the next generation". In the NCERT class 11 book of political science, Maulana Azad's name has been unceremoniously deleted which is a huge travesty of history, his name, stature, personality and contributio

Rajasthan Cong in-charge Randhawa meets Rahul over Gehlot-Pilot issue

Congress in-charge of Rajasthan, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, met senior party leader Rahul Gandhi here on Thursday, two days after Sachin Pilot observed a fast in Jaipur

Rahul's conviction 'litmus test' for Indian judiciary: Anand Sharma

Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma on Wednesday said Rahul Gandhi's conviction and disqualification from Lok Sabha is "deeply flawed" in law and hoped it will be corrected as it will be a "litmus test" for the Indian judiciary. Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters, the senior party spokesperson said though much has been said about the decision of conviction and disqualification of Rahul Gandhi, it "is deeply flawed in law and in the Constitution". "If the same yardstick were to be applied, perhaps the Indian Parliament would have been hollowed out. Most major leaders of political parties would have been out of Parliament for decades. That has not happened," he said. "This will be a litmus test for the Indian judiciary too. I have no doubt that what is wrong will be corrected, a flawed decision in law will be reversed and I say that of my understanding in law and Constitution," Sharma said. Asked about his own occupation of a government accommodation, he said he h

Cong blames Guj govt of sitting on OBC panel report, seeks Guv intervention

The Congress on Tuesday sought Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat's intervention alleging the government is purposely sitting on the report of a panel looking into the nature and implications of backwardness in local bodies, an exercise necessary for fixing OBC quota in panchayat polls. The Congress claimed that elections to several local bodies could not be held despite the expiry of their five-year terms because the report of the KS Jhaveri commission, formed last July by the state government, was not made public. A delegation led by senior legislators of Congress, Amit Chavda and Arjun Modhwadia, met Devvrat at Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar and handed him a memorandum seeking his intervention in making the report public and issuing necessary instructions about the declaration of elections based on the recommended OBC reservation. "Though the commission's tenure ended on March 12, the government is not releasing the report as a conspiracy to finish the political existence of OBCs (Other

Launching fresh attacks, Cong mentions Adani Group's alleged 'China links'

Firing a fresh salvo at the government, the Congress on Sunday pointed to Adani Group's alleged China links and asked why the conglomerate is still being permitted to operate ports in India. Attacking the Centre, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh cited a media report which claimed that the government denied security clearance in 2022 to a consortium of APM Terminals Management and Taiwan's Wan Hai Lines after agencies discovered a connection between a Wan Hai director and a Chinese firm. This blocked the consortium's bid to operate a container handling terminal at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority, Ramesh said in a statement, pointing out that it is a government policy to prevent Chinese firms and entities with Chinese connections from operating ports and terminals in India. "This raises fresh questions about the Adani Group's China links. As we have repeatedly pointed out in our Hum Adani ke Hain Kaun (HAHK) series of questions to PM Narendra Modi, Chinese citizen Chang ..

Opposition firm on demand for probe against Adani companies: Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday said the "united opposition" feels a probe into the Adani group companies is necessary and his party is in support of such a demand. Talking to reporters, Raut said he does not wish to get involved in the differences between the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party over the nature of the investigation. "The united opposition feels a probe is necessary into the Adani companies and the Shiv Sena (UBT) is part of it (opposition),'' he said . A probe monitored by the Supreme Court and an inquiry by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) can be done together, the Rajya Sabha member said. Raut said industrialists should be supported, but not corruption. Notably, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar had in an interview to NDTV on Friday said the inquiry committee appointed by the Supreme Court following allegations of stock manipulation levelled against the Adani group by US-based Hindenburg Research would be more ...

Cong has to be at the centre of coalition against BJP in 2024: Kapil Sibal

The Congress has to be at the centre of any coalition that would take on the BJP in the 2024 general elections and all Opposition parties should be more mindful of sensitivities as well as be circumspect in criticising each other's ideologies in order to build a strong alliance, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal said on Sunday. Sibal, a prominent voice in the Opposition ranks, gave a clarion call to all political parties opposed to the BJP-led government to first find a common platform which, he said, could also be his newly-launched 'Insaaf' platform for fighting injustice. In an interview with PTI, the former Union minister said the leadership question of an Opposition coalition for 2024 need not be answered at this stage and also cited the example of 2004 when the incumbent Atal Bihari Vajpayee government was voted out of power despite the Opposition not having a declared face. He asserted that the Congress certainly has to be the fulcrum and at the centre of any coalition of Opposition

Congress appoints B N Chandrappa as working president of Karnataka unit

Days ahead of the Karnataka Assembly polls, the Congress on Sunday appointed B N Chandrappa as working president of its state unit. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has appointed Chandrappa working president in the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, a party statement said. The Karnataka unit is headed by D K Shivakumar. The appointment of Chandrappa comes after Karnataka Congress working president R Dhruvanarayana passed away last month. The Congress has so far declared 142 candidates for the polls. The Congress is seeking to wrest power from the BJP in Karnataka, the only southern state where the saffron party is in power The elections to the 224-member assembly will be held on May 10 and results will be declared on May 13.

Kharge sets wheels of Oppn unity moving, despite divergence on Adani

At a time when Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar, a Congress ally in Maharashtra, has expressed doubts over Opposition's demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe

Rahul Gandhi's age is increasing but not his understanding: Tomar

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during his visit to Madhya Pradesh's Indore on Saturday

'Beware' of man who did not stay loyal to his former party: Cong to PM

The Congress on Wednesday hit back at Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia for his scathing criticism of Rahul Gandhi, and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should "beware" of a man who did not stay loyal to his former party and will also "not be loyal" to him. Scindia launched a sharp attack on Gandhi and the Congress, alleging the party has been left with no ideology except the one of a "traitor" which works against the country. The BJP leader attacked the Congress for according Rahul Gandhi a "special treatment" following his conviction in a defamation case and accused the party of pressuring the judiciary, and doing everything possible to stay relevant. Slamming Scindia for his remarks, Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said, "When Mr. Scindia talks about doing things to stay politically relevant, I can think of his own example. To stay politically relevant he changed his party, he changed his friends, he changed his loyalties and he is giving us a lecture

People still aware of 'dark days' of Siddaramaiah's govt: BJP leader

BJP National General Secretary BL Santosh on Wednesday hit out at former CM Siddaramaiah, terming his tenure as the "most corrupt, indecisive and Hindu-hating government"

Apologise for anti-Savarkar remarks: Nitin Gadkari tells Rahul Gandhi

Union minister Nitin Gadkari has asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to apologise for his critical remarks on late Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar and said no one has the right to insult him. Gandhi should realise that he insulted the Hindutva icon due to some misunderstanding, Gadkari said addressing a gathering organised as part of the 'Savarkar Gaurav Yatra' at Shankar Nagar in Maharashtra's Nagpur city on Tuesday. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said the former Congress president should show a big heart and tender an apology for his "crime". "Who has given him the right to insult Savarkar? No one will tolerate insult of Savarkar," Gadkari maintained. Gadkari, speaking in a lighter vein, thanked Gandhi for giving the BJP an opportunity to make the country's youth aware about Savarkar's life and message through the yatra. The former Congress chief has constantly targeted Savarkar by raking up the issue of his mercy plea. His latest attack came last month following his ...

CBI under Congress rule forced me to frame PM Narendra Modi: Amit Shah

Slamming the Congress for creating an unwarranted hue and cry over Rahul Gandhis ouster from the Lok Sabha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the former MP was not the first member to be disqualified

BJP accuses Cong of inviting external interference into India's matters

The BJP on Thursday seized on Congress leader Digvijay Singh's thanks to Germany for reacting to Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha to accuse the opposition party of "inviting foreign powers for interference into India's internal matters", and termed him and his party "disgrace to nation". Senior BJP leaders, including Union ministers Anurag Thakur and Kiren Rijiju, slammed the German reaction, asserting that India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership will not tolerate any foreign intervention. Their attack came after Congress leader Singh thanked the German foreign ministry and Richard Walker, Chief International Editor of Deutsche Welle, for "taking note of how Democracy is being compromised in India through the persecution of Rahul Gandhi". Singh tagged a tweet by Walker in which the senior journalist had posted a video of a German foreign ministry spokesperson reacting to Gandhi's disqualification. At a press briefing, Germany's foreign ministry spokesper