Page 14 - Jairam Ramesh

Exam cancellations happening due to PM's incompetence: Jairam Ramesh

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday claimed that exam cancellations are happening in the country every day because of the "total incompetence" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the "people around him". The scathing attack on the prime minister came on a day the NEET-PG examination was postponed as a "precautionary measure" in the wake of recent allegations on the integrity of certain competitive exams. The exam was scheduled to be held on Sunday. A day earlier, the June edition of the Joint Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (CSIR-UGC-NET) was postponed due to unavoidable circumstances and logistic issues. On Wednesday, UGC-NET was cancelled following inputs that the exam's integrity was compromised. Opposition parties have also claimed irregularities in the medical entrance exam NEET-UG, the results of which were announced by NTA on June 4. A probe into the alleged irregularities in this exam has been ...

Defer implementation of three new criminal laws, says Jairam Ramesh

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday demanded that the enforcement of the three criminal laws, which are to come into force from July 1, be deferred, saying the Bills were "bulldozed" through Parliament. In a post on X, Ramesh said the implementation of the Bills be deferred to enable a thorough review and re-examination by a reconstituted Standing Committee on Home Affairs as they were passed at a time when 146 MPs had been suspended. "On Dec 25 2023, the President of India had given her assent to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023,the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023. The three far-reaching Bills had been bulldozed through Parliament without proper debate and discussion, and at a time when 146 MPs had been suspended from the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha," Ramesh said. "Earlier the Bills had been bulldozed through the Standing Committee on Home Affairs without detailed interactions with stakeholders across the country and ...

People bearing double brunt of unemployment, price rise, says Jairam Ramesh

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday attacked the Narendra Modi government, claiming that it is nonchalant and not concerned about the issues of unemployment and price rise. In a post on X, Ramesh shared a media report on increase in food prices, and said people are bearing the double brunt of rising unemployment and price rise. The increase in the prices of kitchen essentials such as potatoes, onions, tomatoes, vegetables and pulses are witnessing record increase, he claimed in his post in Hindi. "But one-third prime minister is completely nonchalant and unconcerned," Ramesh said. The Congress general secretary claimed that Prime Minister Modi never talks about inflation. "Amid rising unemployment, people are being hit doubly by high inflation. For how long will the public bear the brunt?" Ramesh said.

Modi govt cannot conduct exams without leaks, frauds, alleges Congress

Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the cancellation of the UGC-NET exam, the Congress on Thursday said every year he conducts a "grand tamasha" of what he calls 'Pareeksha pe Charcha' and yet his government cannot even conduct an examination without leaks and frauds. The opposition party also asked the prime minister if he would "leak pe speak". The Union Education Ministry late on Wednesday night ordered cancellation of UGC-NET following inputs of the exam's integrity being compromised. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said every year the PM conducts a "grand tamasha of what he calls 'Pareeksha pe Charcha'." "Yet, his government cannot even conduct an examination without leaks and frauds," he added. Ramesh said the NEET UG 2024 Examination faces very serious questions that even the Education Minister has been forced to acknowledge. The integrity of the National Testing Agency (NTA) is under severe doubt, he said. Now the UGC-NET conducted just the day bef

People gave vote of no-confidence in him: Cong before Modi's Varanasi visit

On a day Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses his first event in Varanasi after the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress Tuesday said the people of his constituency gave a vote of no-confidence in him as he barely managed to edge past his Congress rival after trailing in multiple rounds of counting. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also posed a set of nine questions to the prime minister on issues concerning his constituency and asked why they have not been addressed. Ramesh asked the PM why river Ganga is "dirtier than before" even after spending Rs 20,000 crore on the Namami Gange project. He also asked why the nomination papers of 33 candidates were rejected in the Varanasi constituency during Lok Sabha polls. "The 'one-third' Pradhan Mantri is visiting Varanasi again, a few weeks after he barely eked out a victory after trailing @kashikirai for multiple rounds of counting. It was a vote of no confidence in him by the people of Varanasi. Here are 9 Varanasi-centric Questions

NCERT working on RSS directions, assaulting Constitution: Jairam Ramesh

Amid the row over revision of NCERT textbooks, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday alleged that the institution has been functioning as an RSS affiliate since 2014 and is mounting an assault on the Constitution. In a post on X, Ramesh said the National Testing Agency has blamed the NCERT for the 'grace marks' fiasco in NEET 2024. That is only drawing attention away from the NTA's own abject failures, he alleged. "However it is true that the NCERT is no longer a professional institution. It has been functioning as an RSS affiliate since 2014. It has just been revealed that its revised Class XI political science textbook criticises the idea of secularism as well as what it considers policies of political parties in this regard. "NCERT's objective is to produce textbooks, not political pamphlets and propaganda," the Congress leader said. "NCERT is mounting an assault on our country's Constitution in whose Preamble secularism features explicitly as a foundational pillar of the Ind

Govt must ensure corp takeovers are fair, monopolies not created: Cong

The Congress on Saturday said it is the government's responsibility to ensure that competition among corporates is not stifled, oligopolies or monopolies do not emerge and corporate takeovers are free and fair. It is also the government's responsibility to ensure that undue advantage arising out of access to political power is not exercised, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh said. His comments came after the Adani Group acquired Penna Cements while strengthening its share in the cement sector in southern India. "Aap chronology samajhiye (understand the chronology): September 2022: Adani acquires Ambuja Cements and ACC, to become country's second largest cement player. August 2023: Adani acquires Sanghi Industries, India's largest single-location cement unit. June 2024: Adani acquires Penna Cements, giving it substantial market share even in the last remaining region of South India." he said. "Upcoming: Adani is exploring the acquisition of Saurashtra Cement, Vadraj Cement, and

Flying to Italy for G7 to salvage diminished int'l image: Cong slams PM

The Congress on Thursday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his first visit abroad in his third term, saying he is flying to Italy to "salvage his diminished international image" at this year's G7 Summit. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the G7 Summit of the heads of state of USA, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, UK and Japan has been taking place since the late 1970s. Between 1997 and 2014, Russia was also a member, he pointed out. Since 2003, India, China, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa have also been invited to G7 Summits, Ramesh said. The most famous of the G7 Summits from India's point of view was in June 2007 in Helligendamm in Germany as it was here that the famous Singh-Merkel formula for ensuring equity in global climate change negotiations was first presented to the world, he said. "It is still talked about. Dr. Manmohan Singh and German Chancellor Angela Merkel created history. Dr. Manmohan Singh had emerged as the voice of the Global Sou

Will PM Modi deliver special category status for Andhra, asks Congress

The Congress on Wednesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give clarity on whether he would deliver the special category status for Andhra Pradesh. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh shared on X his speech in the Rajya Sabha from seven years ago about the Modi government's "failure" to deliver on the promise of the AP Reorganisation Act of 2014. "I made this speech in the Rajya Sabha seven years ago, about the Modi Government's failure to deliver on the promise of the AP Reorganisation Act of 2014. Unfortunately, it still holds true today," he said. "Unless (Chandrababu) Naidu garu takes this issue up aggressively, there is little hope that the? 'one-third' Pradhan Mantri will act," Ramesh said. He said there are five broad issues that the PM should give clarity on. "Will the prime minister deliver the special category status for Andhra Pradesh like he promised in the holy city of Tirupati in March 2014, he asked. "Will he release the pending funds for the Polavaram ..

No census in 2021, at least 140 mn deprived of NFSA benefits: Congress

The Congress on Monday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has to tell the country soon when the updated census will be conducted and demanded that it must also provide data on the population of communities categorised as OBCs to give "true meaning" to social justice enshrined in the Constitution. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said a comprehensive census essential for socioeconomic development is carried out by the Union government every 10 years. The last census was to be completed in 2021. "But Mr Modi didn't get it done. One immediate consequence of not having census 2021 conducted is that at least 14 crore Indians are being deprived of benefits under the National Food Security Act, 2013, repackaged as PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana," he said. "The 'one-third' prime minister has to tell the country soon when the updated census will be conducted," the Congress general secretary said. The decennial Census has since 1951 provided data on the population of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled

'Narendra Destructive Alliance': Cong's swipe at PM Modi before swearing-in

Taking a swipe at Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi, the Congress on Sunday said he will get himself sworn-in this evening as "the leader of the Narendra Destructive Alliance (NDA)" even though he lacks all legitimacy. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "Remember May 28th, 2023? It was the day that Narendra Modi walked into the new Parliament building with the Sengol for which a August 15th 1947 history was fabricated 'to not only justify Modi's pretensions of being Samrat but also to appeal to the Tamil electorate." "That day itself, I had exposed Modi's fakery using archival material," he said. "We now know the outcome of that drama. The Sengol remains a respected symbol of Tamil history but the Tamil electorate and indeed India's electorate has rejected Mr. Modi's pretensions," Ramesh said. The Congress leader claimed that Modi has suffered a huge personal, political, and moral defeat. Modi has been forced to bow to the Constitution that he has subverted in the

Poll results 'moral defeat' for Modi, 'morale booster' for Cong: Ramesh

The Congress on Saturday claimed the mandate of the Lok Sabha polls has been a "moral, political and personal" defeat for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said efforts were now being made to justify his "pathetic" electoral performance. The BJP has won 240 seats in the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls, falling short of the halfway mark in the 543-member House, but the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) together won 293 seats. The Congress has won 99 seats. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the drumbeat to find silver linings in the mandate that has been a "moral, political and personal" defeat for Modi has started. "It is being propagated that Mr. Narendra Modi is the first to receive a mandate thrice in a row after Jawaharlal Nehru. How leading a party to 240 seats and becoming an 'one-third' Pradhan Mantri is a mandate is not explained," the Congress leader said. "Nehru, on the other hand, got 364 seats in 1952, 371 seats in 1957, and 361 seats in 1962 - a 2/3rd majorit

BJP trying to justify 'moral, political, personal' defeat of Modi: Congress

The Congress on Saturday claimed the mandate of the Lok Sabha polls has been a "moral, political and personal" defeat for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said efforts were now being made to justify his "pathetic" electoral performance. The BJP has won 240 seats in the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls, falling short of the halfway mark in the 543-member House, but the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) together won 293 seats. The Congress has won 99 seats. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the drumbeat to find silver linings in the mandate that has been a "moral, political and personal" defeat for Modi has started. "It is being propagated that Mr. Narendra Modi is the first to receive a mandate thrice in a row after Jawaharlal Nehru. How leading a party to 240 seats and becoming an 'one-third' Pradhan Mantri is a mandate is not explained," the Congress leader said. "Nehru, on the other hand, got 364 seats in 1952, 371 seats in 1957, and 361 seats in 1962 - a 2/3rd majorit

Gandhi, Ambedkar, Shivaji statues shifted within Parliament; Cong unhappy

Statues of Mahatma Gandhi, B R Ambedkar and Chhatrapati Shivaji, among others, have been relocated within the Parliament premises as part of a landscaping exercise, a move that drew sharp criticism from the Congress on Thursday. The statues of tribal leader Birsa Munda and Maharana Pratap have also been shifted to a lawn between old Parliament building and the Parliament library. All statues are now in the same place. Reacting to the development, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on X, "Statues of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Gandhi, and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar have just been removed from their places of prominence in front of the Parliament House. This is atrocious." Attacking the BJP, Congress's media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said when Maharashtra voters did not vote for BJP, the statues of Shivaji and Ambedkar were removed from their original place in Parliament. When they did not get clean sweep in Gujarat, they removed the statue of Mahatma

India deserves faster, ecologically sustainable economic growth: Ramesh

India deserves faster economic growth that is socially just and ecologically sustainable, former environment minister and senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said on Wednesday. On World Environment Day, Ramesh called for enforcement of laws and regulations, without fear or favour and strengthening of institutions. In a post on X, Ramesh said, "June 5th is celebrated as World Environment Day to mark the opening of the first-ever UN Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm in 1972." It was in this assembly that Indira Gandhi had made her historic speech on June 14, he said. "India deserves faster economic growth that is, at the same time, socially just and ecologically sustainable. This is not an impossible trinity. It is both doable and essential," Ramesh said. "It demands enforcement of laws and regulations, without fear or favour, strengthening of institutions, and a deep understanding of and actions based on a fundamental truth that our ancient heritage teaches us," he

Financial markets were given artificial booster dose by exit polls: Cong

As financial markets went for a tumble on Tuesday after the trends of the Lok Sabha poll results showed that the BJP was not getting a majority on its own, the Congress said the markets were given an artificial booster dose by the exit polls and have now turned turbulent. The Congress also recalled the words of former prime minister Manmohan Singh in 2004 to say that the party is committed to an orderly and healthy development of the financial markets that reflect the fundamentals of the economy. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the party-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government provided a fear-free and intimidation-free 10-year period (2004-14) for the private sector that helped the country achieve its highest GDP growth. "Financial markets that were given an artificial booster dose by the exit polls are turbulent today. In this context, it is wise to recall the words of Dr Manmohan Singh on May 17th 2004, the last occasion on which the markets were faced with

Who ordered you to slow down Lok Sabha election results, Congress asks EC

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh questions Election Commission on delays in vote counting

PM Modi must take moral responsibility and resign: Congress on LS polls

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Jairam Ramesh said that the INDIA bloc's better-than-expected performance was a sign that it was time for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resign from his post

EC asks Jairam Ramesh to share details of claim on Shah calling up DMs

The Election Commission on Sunday sought factual information from Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on his claim that Home Minister Amit Shah has called up 150 district magistrates and collectors ahead of the June 4 counting of votes for the Lok sabha elections. In a letter to Ramesh, the poll panel has asked him to share details of his claim by 7 pm on Sunday. The EC referred to his post on X on June 1 in which he had claimed that "The outgoing Home Minister has been calling up DMs/Collectors. So far, he has spoken to 150 of them. This is blatant and brazen intimidation, showing how desperate the BJP is. Let it be very clear: the will of the people shall prevail, and on June 4th, Mr. Modi, Mr. Shah, and the BJP will exit, and the INDIA Janbandhan will be victorious. Officers should not get under any pressure and must uphold the Constitution. They are under watch.

Party with most seats 'natural claimant' to INDIA bloc leadership: Ramesh

Ramesh said an INDIA bloc government formed after getting the mandate from the people will be 'authoritative' but not 'authoritarian'