Page 98 - Indian National Congress

Target 151: BJP sets eyes on the prize in Gujarat Assembly elections

The greatest solace for the BJP was the Congress' inability to mount a robust campaign. But a bigger imponderable was how the Aam Aadmi Party would fare

Kharge makes strong pitch for fixing accountability in Cong organisation

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday strongly pitched for organisational accountability from top to bottom, and said those unable to fulfil their responsibilities will have to make way for their colleagues. In his opening remarks at the first meeting of the Congress steering committee constituted by him, Kharge asked state in-charges to submit a roadmap for movement on people's issues in the next 30 to 90 days. "I believe that the biggest part of our responsibility towards the party and the country is -- organisational accountability from top to bottom. If the Congress organisation is strong, accountable, lives up to the expectations of the people, then only we will be able to win elections and serve the people of the country," the Congress chief said. In a stern message to office-bearers, Kharge also said that while there are very responsible people in the party who were doing their duty, some people had assumed that lack of responsibility will be ignored. "This is neit

Cong to seek discussions on reservation, border, economy in winter session

The Congress on Saturday decided to seek discussions on issues of EWS reservation, state of the economy and situation at the border during Parliament's winter session, even as many of its leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, are unlikely to be present due to the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Besides these, the party during its parliamentary strategy group's meeting at Sonia Gandhi's residence also decided to raise the issue of "weakening" of constitutional institutions in the country. Sonia Gandhi is the chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party. During the session, which begins on December 7, the party is seeking to corner the government on the border issue with China, economic situation in the country, "weakening" of constitutional institutions and reservations for economically weaker sections (EWS). It will seek discussions on all these issues. Three big issues have emerged from the Congress' side for this short session of Parliament of 17 days, All India Congress Committee general ...

BJP revamps Punjab unit; many ex-Cong leaders appointed as office bearers

The BJP on Saturday announced revamping of its Punjab unit, adjusting former Congress leaders including the daughter of former chief minister Amarinder Singh. The appointment of new office bearers was approved by the BJP president J P Nadda, the party said. Jai Inder Kaur, the daughter of Amarinder Singh was among 11 state vice presidents announced by the party. The announcement came a day after the BJP made Amarinder Singh and Sunil Jakhar as members of the party's national executive. Former Congress leaders --Kewal Singh Dhillon, Raj Kumar Verka, Arvind Khanna and Fatehjang Bajwa, who had joined the BJP, found their place as state vice president, as per the list of new appointments announced by the party. Party leaders Dr Subhash Sharma, Rakesh Rathore, Dyal Singh Sodhi, Jagmohan Singh Raju and former Akali MLA Jagdeep Singh Nakai have also been appointed as party's vice president. Former Congress MLA and ex-minister Gurpreet Singh Kangar, BJP leaders Jiwan Gupta, Bikramjit Ch

Yogi Adityanath calls for Congress 'mukt' Gujarat, cites UP's example

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Yogi Adityanath on Saturday appealed to people to rid Gujarat of Congress which he said would solve all problems. He was addressing a rally in support of the BJP contestant in Khambhat town of Anand district on the last day of the campaigning for the second and final phase of the Gujarat Assembly elections. Out of the total 182 seats, polling for 89 seats was held on December 1. The remaining 93 constituencies will vote on December 5. The counting of votes will be taken up on December 8. Adityanath dubbed both Congress and Aam Aadmi Party as a "threat to security and a barrier to development". "Mahatma Gandhi had once said the Congress party should be disbanded once India achieves Independence. Now it is your responsibility to do that. A 'Congress-mukt' Gujarat will solve all your problems," he said. Adityanath said the people of UP gave just two seats to Congress and nil to AAP in the last Assembly elections "as they knew both th

Gehlot vs Pilot: Groups fight for dominance in Bharat Jodo Yatra hoardings

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot may have put up a united front before AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal, but their supporters are reportedly showing one-upmanship on the ground ahead of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Supporters of the two leaders are competing in Hadoti to highlight their dominance, which is visible from the hoardings in the region. This has also led to blame games between leaders of the two factions. Pramod Sharma, who contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from the Congress in Jhalawar, alleged that the Pilot camp has been attempting to weaken Gehlot's influence. Sharma targeted Jhalawar district in-charge minister Pramod Jain Bhaya alleging that he was weakening the party's roots by leading a separate group of local people, and thereby sidelining efforts of the party's other workers. "The particular group (Bhaya's group) is going ahead everywhere only with Sachin Pilot. In many posters and hoardings that have ou

Delhi set for high-stake MCD polls; 14.5 million electors eligible to vote

The stage is set for the high-stakes civic polls in Delhi on Sunday, with poll authorities and security forces all geared up for the elections, largely being seen as a three-way contest among the AAP, the BJP and the Congress. Over 1.45 crore electors are eligible to exercise their franchise in the elections to the 250 wards of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, in which 1,349 candidates are in the fray. Polling will be held from 8 am to 5:30 pm and the votes will be counted on December 7. According to data shared by the State Election Commission officials, the total number of voters in Delhi is 1,45,05,358 -- 78,93,418 males, 66,10,879 females and 1,061 transgender persons. There are 250 wards in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). This will be the first civic election after the fresh delimitation exercise, and the poll will be held days after the first phase of the Gujarat assembly elections, and a day ahead of its second phase. Authorities have set up 13,638 polling stati

LIVE: Court acquits Umar Khalid in Delhi riots case, to stay in custody

Special Public Prosecutor Madhukar Pandey confirmed that Umar Khalid and Khalid Saifi were discharged in the matter by the court of Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala

Hearing of defamation case against Rahul Gandhi adjourned to Jan 7

The hearing of the defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was on Saturday adjourned to January 7 by a court in Bhiwandi in Maharashtra's Thane district as he is busy with the nationwide Bharat Jodo Yatra. The exemption from personal appearance for Gandhi was granted by Bhiwandi Judicial Magistrate First Class IC Wadikar. "The defamation matter came up for hearing on Saturday. It has been adjourned for January 7, when arguments will be heard regarding permanent exemption of Gandhi," the Congress leader's advocate Narayan Iyer told PTI. The complainant Rahul Kunte was not present in court either during the day as he is out of station. The defamation case relates to comments made by the Congress leader during a speech on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the death of Mahatma Gandhi.

Union ministers, BJD, Cong leaders lock horns in bypoll-bound Odisha seat

As the battle intensifies for the December 5 bypoll to Padampur, three major political parties of Odisha -- the ruling BJD, the BJP and the Congress -- go all out to woo the people of the assembly constituency, with their top leaders hitting the campaign trail. Two union ministers -- Narendra Singh Tomar and Ashwini Vaishnaw hit out at the BJD government on Sunday over farmers' issues and other development work, as they stepped up campaign for BJP candidate Pradip Purohit, the party's Odisha unit Krushak Morcha chief. Similarly, at least 10 ministers and nearly three dozen MLAs of the BJD descended on the battleground to canvass for nominee Barsha Singh Bariha. Odisha Congress chief Sarat Pattnayak and leaders Jaydev Jena and Niranjan Patnaik were seen electioneering for party candidate Satya Bhusan Sahu in the segment. Addressing two election meetings, jointly with railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, in the bypoll-bound Odisha seat, where farmers form a sizeable chunk of the ...

From corruption to Purvanchali identity, big issues in the elections to MCD

The upcoming civic elections in Delhi (polling on December 4) have pushed all the three parties - the BJP, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and Congress - into pulling out their big campaigning guns

The 'traitor' trait in the Congress

Paul Brass's research on the Congress factions in Uttar Pradesh in the 1960s and 1970s holds true even today. Factions in the party are active and alive, and not merely in UP

MCD elections 2022: Congress promises RO water purifiers to poor in Delhi

The Congress on Thursday promised to provide RO water purifiers to the poor if voted to power in the municipal elections here as it launched its 'Saaf Paani Wali Dilli, Sheila Dikshit Wali Dilli' campaign for the polls. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections will be held on December 4 and votes will be counted on December 7. Launching the campaign, Congress Delhi president Anil Chaudhary said the party's MCD election campaign will centre around issues affecting people and that only the Congress will provide solutions to the "water crisis situation" in the national capital. Lashing out at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), he alleged that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has cheated the poor people of Delhi by promising free 20 kilolitres of water. The water people get is unfit for consumption, Chaudhary said. "Our slogan for the MCD election will be 'Gandhe Pani Ka Hal, RO Jal' to make Delhi 'Beemari Mukt' (free of diseases) as clean water is everyone's right," he said. Earlier,

Gujarat polls 2022: Rahul Gandhi to hold rallies in Rajkot, Surat on Nov 21

Amid the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will address rallies in poll-bound Gujarat for the first time since elections were announced in the coastal state.

Bharat Jodo Yatra: Maha leg ends, Rahul says experience in state enriching

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said his experience was enriching as the Bharat Jodo Yatra wound up its Maharashtra leg during the day with a 'Light of Unity' show in Nimkhed in Buldhana district. He said he learnt a lot during his 14 days and the experience in the land of Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj and Mahatma Phule was enriching. "I will always cherish this experience," he said, adding he interacted with farmers, youth, women, Dalits and backward classes and deprived sections of the society on the socio political situation in the country. The Bharat Jodo Yatra, which began in Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7, reached Jalgaon Jamod from Bhendval during the day. The march, which had reached the Madhya Pradesh border by the evening, will halt at Nimkhedi for two-days before moving into Burhanpur in the neighbouring state.

Uddhav must dump Cong over Rahul's Savarkar remarks: Union minister Danve

Union minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Raosaheb Danve on Saturday said Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray must break his party's alliance with the Congress over Rahul Gandhi's remarks on Hindutva ideologue and freedom fighter VD savarkar. Rahul Gandhi, whose Bharat Jodo Yatra is currently passing through Maharashtra, on Thursday held a press conference at Wadegaon in Akola district, where he claimed Savarkar helped the British rulers and wrote a mercy petition to them out of fear, thereby betraying Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru and other leaders of the freedom struggle. "Thackeray and his son Aaditya must announce if they intend to break the alliance with the Congress. Balasaheb Thackeray spread the message of Swatantryaveer Savarkar across Maharashtra, and now his son and grandson are sitting with a party that insults the freedom fighter," Danve told reporters. Slamming Rahul Gandhi, the Union minister said, "Such statements have come from a ..

BJP distorting facts about Nehru-Gandhi family for political gains: JK Cong

BJP is trying to distort historical facts to belittle the great works of party stalwarts, especially that of the Nehru-Gandhi family, to serve their vested interests, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president said here on Saturday. The party unit paid rich tributes to former prime minister Indira Gandhi on her 105th birth anniversary on Saturday. Congress workers led by president Vikar Rasool Wani assembled at Indira chowk here to garland the statue of Gandhi, followed by the main function at party headquarters where senior leaders paid their tributes to the first female prime minister of the country, a party spokesperson said. He said similar functions were also held at several district and block headquarters across the union territory. "The present BJP regime (at the centre) is making every effort to distort the historical facts to divert the attention of the nation from the contribution of Congress and its great leaders, especially the Nehru-Gandhi family,"

Bharat Jodo Yatra continues in Maharashtra, Rahul interacts with locals

The Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi resumed on Thursday morning in Maharashtra's Akola district after a night halt at a factory. Gandhi waved at the crowd gathered on the route and interacted with locals. He will address a press conference on Thursday afternoon. It is the 71st day of the foot march, which began on September 7 from Kanniyakumari in Tamil Nadu, and the 11th day of its Maharashtra leg. On Thursday, the yatra began at 6 am from Patur after a night halt at a ginning pressing factory. It will proceed to Balapur in the evening and reach Shegaon in Buldhana district on Friday morning. On Wednesday, Gandhi targeted the Centre and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claiming their policies have destroyed the Indian economy and broken the back of farmers. He said small and medium business enterprises, and not big industrial houses, generate large-scale employment, but they were at the receiving end of the Centre's 2016 note-ban exercise and the w

Ajay Maken unwilling to continue as Congress' Rajasthan in-charge

Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken has expressed his unwillingness to continue as the in-charge of Rajasthan, where he had failed to convene a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party in September amid a rebellion by MLAs. In a letter to party president Mallikarjun Kharge on November 8, Maken cited the developments of September 25 and asked the party chief to appoint someone in place of him, sources said on Wednesday. The development comes ahead of the Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi entering Rajasthan in the first week of December. Maken and Kharge had gone to Jaipur as central observers for holding a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in September amid charges and counter-charges by both factions in favour of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot. The CLP meeting could not take place, but some MLAs considered loyal to the chief minister, held a separate meeting at the residence of state minister Shanti Dhariwal, who opposed Pilot as ...

Congress leaders Kharge, Rahul Gandhi pay tributes to Birsa Munda

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi led party leaders in paying tributes to freedom fighter and tribal leader Birsa Munda on his birth anniversary on Tuesday. They also congratulated the people of Jharkhand on the state's formation day. In a tweet in Hindi, Kharge said Munda raised his voice against the British rule for the protection of water, jungle, land and tribal civilisation and culture. "Heartiest congratulations on Jharkhand foundation day to all the sisters and brothers of resources-rich Jharkhand," he said. Gandhi said Munda's struggle and passion to raise his voice for the rights of tribals will always be an inspiration. "Tributes to the great freedom fighter and revered leader of the tribal community Birsa Munda ji on his birth anniversary," he tweeted in Hindi. Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh said on Munda's birth anniversary, it must be recalled that the Modi government has "ensured that tribal rights t