Page 18 - Jairam Ramesh

We broke no rules, says Jairam Ramesh on FIR against Bharat Jodo Yatra

Ramesh claimed that the state government led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was making deliberate attempts to stop people from joining the Yatra

People are asking us why PM Modi has not visited Manipur: Jairam Ramesh

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, who is with Rahul Gandhi in Manipur for 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' said that people are asking us why PM Modi has not visited Manipur

Tiger zinda hai: Jairam Ramesh rejects BJP's claims of 2024 being done deal

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has rejected the BJP's claims that the 2024 poll results are a foregone conclusion, saying "Tiger zinda hai" and that the opposition bloc will repeat the history of 2004 when the saffron party was unseated from power despite its 'shining India' campaign. In an interview with PTI, Ramesh asserted that only a strong Congress can ensure a strong opposition and the 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' is an effort to strengthen the grand old party. On how the poll preparations will be handled by the party while also managing its east to west yatra, Ramesh said a party organisation is in place and Rahul Gandhi would be part of the campaign despite his preoccupation with the yatra. "The yatra will end by the time polls start. I expect the elections to start somewhere, maybe in first week of April by which time the yatra would have been over. Meetings can always be held on Zoom. I don't see it as a problem," he said, dismissing concerns that poll preparations may b

Timing of announcement determined by PM Modi: Cong on Deora's resignation

With its senior leader Milind Deora resigning just before the start of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, the Congress on Sunday alleged that the timing of the announcement of his departure from the party was determined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh told PTI that Deora had spoken with him over phone this Friday and requested that he wanted to speak with Rahul Gandhi over his concerns over the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) laying claim to the South Mumbai Lok Sabha seat. Both Milind Deora and his father Murli Deora had served as MPs from Mumbai South. He messaged me on Friday at 8:52 AM and then at 2:47 PM I replied, Are you planning a switch?'. At 2:48 he sent a message, is speaking to you not possible?' I said I will call you and at 3:40, I spoke to him, Ramesh said. He (Deora) said he is concerned that it is a sitting Shiv Sena seat, he wanted to meet Rahul Gandhi and explain to him about the seat and also wanted me to talk to Mr. Gandhi

Cong slams Modi govt over issue of unemployment, says job famine worsened

The Congress on Thursday alleged that the country's "jobs famine" has worsened in the last ten years of Modi government, and accused the prime minister of miserably failing to fulfil his promise of creating two crore jobs every year. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said India's youth deserve growth that delivers them good quality jobs not joblessness and 'pakora' shops. According to data from Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, unemployment for youth aged 25-29 was the highest in almost four years, at 15.5 percent in December 2023, he said. "This means that unemployment now is worse than it was during the COVID-19 pandemic," he alleged. For youth aged 20-24, he said the unemployment rate hit a peak of 45.5 percent. Even for those between ages 30 and 34, the unemployment rate is at a three-year high, he claimed. "The crisis is especially bad in rural areas, and more and more families are turning to MGNREGA as there are no other jobs available," he said. "It is absolute

LIVE: PM Modi lands in Ahmedabad to take part in Vibrant Gujarat Summit

Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

EC dismisses Jairam Ramesh's concerns on VVPATs, asserts full faith in EVMs

Dismissing Congress leader Jairam Ramesh's concerns on the VVPATs, the Election Commission on Friday said that it raised "no new assertions or reasonable and legitimate doubts which require further clarifications", adding the rules governing paper slips were introduced by the grand old party-led government in 2013. In a communication to Ramesh, the poll body also expressed "full faith in the use of the EVMs in the elections" and made it clear that the latest updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) answer "adequately and comprehensively" all reasonable and legitimate aspects on the use of the EVMs in the Indian elections. "Rule 49A and 49M of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, governing VVPAT and handling of paper slips was introduced by INC (Indian National Congress) on 14th August, 2013," said the letter signed by Pramod Kumar Sharma, Principal Secretary in the Election Commission. Ramesh had written to the Election Commission on December 30 last year, requesting that a ...

Congress renames 'Bharat Nyay Yatra' to 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra'

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh, during a press conference in New Delhi, outlined the details of the campaign that will commence from Manipur on January 14

Lost all intellectual honesty: Congress' Jairam Ramesh slams EAM Jaishankar

This response came after Jaishankar, in an exclusive interview with ANI, highlighted the first Prime Minister's decision to reject the US proposal to join the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)

Congress writes to CEC, seeks time to share INDIA bloc's views on VVPATS

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has written to Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, requesting that a team of INDIA bloc leaders are provided an opportunity to meet him and his colleagues to put forward their point of view on VVPATS. In his letter to Kumar, Ramesh said that on December 20, 2023, INDIA parties' leaders had requested for an appointment with the ECI to "discuss and provide suggestions on the use of VVPATs" based on a resolution passed at meeting of leaders of the bloc held the previous day. "We have been trying to meet with the ECI to hand over a copy of this resolution and have a discussion but have not been successful so far in doing so," he said. "I once again make a request for an opportunity for a 3-4 member team of INDIA party leaders to meet with you and your colleagues and take a few minutes to put forward our point of view on VVPATS," Ramesh said. In his letter dated December 30, 2023, the Congress general secretary also pointed out that on August 9,

Will decide if Sonia, Kharge will attend Ram temple consecration: Cong

The Congress on Friday said it will take a decision at an "appropriate time" on whether party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi will attend the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh told reporters here that Gandhi and Kharge have been invited to the ceremony. "Chairperson Congress parliamentary party Sonia Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge have been invited to the inauguration of the Ram temple. A decision will be taken at an appropriate time, and communicated at an appropriate time," he said. Congress' leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has also been invited to the ceremony. The consecration ceremony will be held on January 22 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and more than 6,000 people are expected to attend it.

'Doesn't speak for party': Congress on Sam Pitroda's Ram Mandir remarks

Sam Pitroda, the current chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, sparked outrage when he said that focusing on the Ram Temple over important matters like unemployment bothers him

Rahul Gandhi to embark on 6,200 km Bharat Nyaya Yatra from January 14

Unlike the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi and his associates will travel the distance during the Nyaya Yatra in a bus interspersed with short padyatras

What will PM Modi say on insulting his opponents in last 20 years: Jairam

In this regard, Jairam Ramesh shared a video on X (former Twitter) where PM Modi is targetting senior Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

Desperate attempts being made to divert attention from MPs suspension: Cong

The Congress on Wednesday hit back at the BJP for its criticism of a TMC leader's mimicry of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, saying a "desperate attempt" is being made to divert attention from the unprecedented suspension of over 140 MPs by raising this issue. The Congress' attack came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Vice President Dhankhar and expressed great pain over the "abject theatrics" of some MPs in Parliament complex, the Vice President's office said. In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "A desperate attempt is being made to divert attention away from the unprecedented suspension of 142 MPs by raising the issue of 'mimicry'." "Remember who mimicked whom and that too in the Lok Sabha?" Ramesh said and shared a video clip of Prime Minister Modi's speech in Lok Sabha after Rahul Gandhi had hugged him in 2018. A political row broke out on Tuesday after Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee derisively mimicked Dhankhar during the ...

Why BJP MP who facilitated entry of intruders not yet questioned: Congress

The Congress slammed the government on Wednesday over the Parliament security breach issue and asked why BJP MP Pratap Simha "who facilitated the entry of the two intruders" into the Lok Sabha has not been questioned even a week after the incident. The opposition party's attack came a day after 49 more opposition lawmakers were suspended from Lok Sabha on Tuesday for unruly behaviour, taking the total number of MPs facing action in both Houses of Parliament to 141. The INDIA coalition announced nationwide anti-government protests on Friday. In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "It has been exactly a week since the very serious security breach in the Lok Sabha shocked the nation. The prime minister, home minister and the Lok Sabha speaker say that an investigation has started. So be it." "But why is it that even after seven days BJP MP Pratap Simha who facilitated the entry of the two intruders into the Lok Sabha has not yet been questioned?" he posed. Rame

PM evading LS breach debate to avoid questions on BJP MP's role: Congress

The Congress on Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of running away from a debate on the security breach in Parliament and said the reason for it is that questions will be raised on the role of the Mysuru BJP MP in facilitating the entry of those who jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber. The opposition party's attack came after Modi said the seriousness of the security breach in Parliament cannot be underestimated and called for no squabbling over the issue amid the Opposition's protests over it in Parliament. In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "The Prime Minister has finally broken his silence on the extraordinary events in the Lok Sabha on December 13th. He says probe is needed and not debate and that such a probe is on." "All that INDIA parties are asking for and will continue to press for is a statement by the Home Minister on what happened on December 13th and how exactly it happened," Ramesh said. "The PM is running away from a debate for a ve

BJP IT cell trying to divert attention from parl security breach: Congress

The Congress on Thursday accused the BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya of seeking to divert attention from the Parliament security breach, and said the intruders were given access to the House by a BJP MP. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said this after Malviya shared pictures in which a woman arrested in connection with Wednesday's incident is seen purportedly campaigning for the Congress. In a post on 'X', Ramesh said, "BJP IT Cell desperately wants to divert attention from 2 facts: 1. There was a very serious breach in the security of Parliament. 2. The intruders who breached Lok Sabha security in a shocking manner had been given access to the Parliament by Pratap Simha, BJP MP from Mysuru." Sharing the pictures on 'X', Malviya earlier said, "Regime change is a phrase Congress leaders often use." "Meet Neelam Azad, the lady who breached Parliament's security today. She is an active Congress/I.N.D.I Alliance supporter. She is an Andolanjeevi, who has been seen at ...

40 years of Maruti 800: Jairam Ramesh recalls contribution of Indira, Rajiv

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday recalled the launch of people's car Maruti 800 40 years ago, and said Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi played a quiet but hugely effective role in the background. Former environment minister Ramesh also said that while celebrating Maruti-Suzuki and its multiple impacts, let us also pause and worry a bit from the inequality and climate change point of view that more than 50 per cent of car sales are now of SUVs. In a post on X, Ramesh said, "Today 40 years ago, the consumer revolution overtook India and its engineering industry got transformed. The Maruti 800, the people's car was launched and the nation recalls Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, who played a quiet but hugely effective role in the background." It is also important to recall O Suzuki and V Krishnamurthy who made the landmark Suzuki-Maruti joint venture possible, he noted. Krishnamurthy had earlier built BHEL and was to later turn around SAIL, Ramesh pointed out. "One of th

Modi's guarantee is guarantee of inflation: Cong slams over sky high prices

The Congress on Wednesday slammed the government over "skyrocketing prices" of essential commodities, saying "Modi's guarantee is the guarantee of inflation". Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has completely failed to control inflation and they keep raising various issues to hide this "failure". In a post in Hindi on X, Ramesh said, "Modi's guarantee is the guarantee of inflation!" "Nowadays, the BJP is talking about the guarantee of the Prime Minister.Don't know about their other guarantees, but one guarantee that the country has got in the last nine and a half years is the guarantee of inflation." Due to the wrong policies of this government, inflation has already broken the record of 45 years, he said. "The prices of essential commodities are continuously skyrocketing. Due to increasing prices of food items, retail inflation has now reached 5.5 percent," Ramesh said. "The prime minister has completely failed to control inflation