Page 4 - Jairam Ramesh

Congress claims vindication after PM Modi proposes next-gen GST reforms

The Congress on Monday said it stands vindicated on its criticism of the "flawed" Goods and Services Tax after Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised a simplified GST structure. Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh claimed the economy has never recovered from the twin "Modi-inflicted shocks" of GST 1.0 and demonetisation. "It was the Vijay Kelkar Committee report of 2004 that led to the first announcement of GST in Mr. P. Chidambaram's Budget Speech of Feb 28, 2006. Here, Dr. Kelkar and his colleagues offer their suggestions for a transformed GST 2.0," Ramesh said in a post on X. "The Indian National Congress stands vindicated on its criticism of the flawed GST 1.0 that was pushed through on July 1, 2017, giving the economy its second serious shock after the notebandi of Nov 8, 2016. The economy has never recovered from these twin Modi-inflicted shocks," the Congress leader said in his post. The Congress has been alleging that the GST 1.0 is flawed and there ha

Cong slams PM Modi for praising RSS on Independence Day, calls it troubling

The Congress on Friday termed as "most troubling" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's praise for the RSS in his Independence Day speech, saying it is a "breach" of the spirit of constitutional and secular republic and a desperate attempt to appease the Sangh in the run-up to his 75th birthday. "The PM was tired today. Soon he will be retired," Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said and slammed the prime minister's speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort as "stale, hypocritical, insipid", claiming he recycled his oft-repeated slogans of 'Viksit Bharat' and 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' with "little" to show as measurable outcomes. "The most troubling element of the PM's speech today was his name-checking of the RSS from the ramparts of the Red Fort - a blatant breach of the spirit of a constitutional, secular republic. "It is nothing but a desperate attempt to appease the organisation in the run-up to his 75th birthday next month," AICC general secretary, communications, Ramesh said in a post on X.

Congress hits back at PM Modi over 'foeticide' remark on semiconductors

The Congress hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday for his swipe at its governments that the idea of semiconductors faced "foeticide" 50-60 years ago, saying the Semiconductors Complex Limited in Chandigarh started operations in 1983. Addressing the nation on the 79th Independence Day, Modi said the first made-in-India semiconductor chip will be launched in the market by the end of this year. "About 50-60 years ago, files on semiconductors were opened, and discussions on having a factory began. But my youths, you will be surprised that the semiconductor, which has become the strength of the world, that thought process, faced foeticide 50-60 years ago," the PM said. Modi also said that he is not at the Red Fort to criticise any government, but it is equally important for the youth to know about it. Hitting back at the prime minister, Congress general secretary in charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "One more example of what a pathological liar Mr Modi is. ...

Who pressured PM to stop Operation Sindoor: Congress after IAF revelation

The Congress party questioned PM Modi's decision to halt Operation Sindoor after the IAF chief revealed they shot down five Pakistani fighter jets and at least one more aircraft

Bruised by Trump, Modi trying to portray himself as farmers' champion: Cong

Now that he is "bruised and battered" by the "Trump onslaught", Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to portray himself as the great champion of Indian farmers, but "nobody is fooled", the Congress said on Friday. After US President Donald Trump doubled trade tariffs on India to 50 per cent over its crude oil imports from Russia, Modi on Thursday said India will never compromise on the interests of its farmers and that he was prepared to bear a significant personal cost if necessary. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said there was a time five years ago when the PM mocked protesting farmers as 'andolanjeevi' in Parliament. "Over 700 farmers were martyred in the agitation against the three black anti-farmer laws and the PM had no word expressing pain or regret or sympathy," Ramesh said on X. Farmers' organisations continue to demand a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) set on the Swaminathan formula of the comprehensive cost of cultivat

'Govt denies, distracts, lies': Congress slams Centre after SC raps Rahul

The Congress accuses the Centre of evading accountability on China border issue, calls it a 'DDLJ policy', after SC questions Rahul Gandhi's remarks on Chinese occupation of Indian territory

Congress highlights background to Sindoor debate, Trump's ceasefire claims

Ahead of a discussion in Parliament on Operation Sindoor, the Congress on Sunday recapitulated the events forming the backdrop to the debate, prominent among them US President Donald claiming "26 times" since May 10 that he stopped Operation Sindoor by threatening to cut off trade with India. The opposition party said the debate was a long time coming, but "better late than never." "The Lok Sabha is scheduled to begin a 16-hour debate on Pahalgam-Op Sindoor tomorrow and the Rajya Sabha is set to do so the day after tomorrow. The INC had been demanding a special two-day session of Parliament immediately after Operation Sindoor was abruptly halted. That demand was ignored. Nevertheless, better late than never," party leader Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X. The Pahalgam terror attack took place on April 22, but the terrorists directly responsible have still not been brought to justice, the party's general secretary, in-charge, communications, said. Reportedly, they were involved in

PM Modi's 'friendship' with President Trump proving to be hollow: Congress

The Congress on Saturday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "much boasted friendship" with US President Donald Trump is now proving to be "hollow" and cited several overtures the latter recently made to Pakistan. In a post on X, Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh also alleged that Indian diplomacy was failing in the light of the US partnering with Pakistan. "The abject failure of Indian diplomacy, especially in the past two months, is revealed most tellingly by four facts. These expose the tall claims made by the Prime Minister and his drum-beaters and cheerleaders," he said in his post. Ramesh said that since May 10, 2025, Trump has claimed 25 times that "he personally intervened to stop Operation Sindoor, threatening India and Pakistan that if they didn't bring the war to a halt, they would not have a trade agreement with the USA." On June 10, 2025, he claimed, Gen Michael Kurilla, the head of the US Central Command, hailed Pakistan as a phenomenal

India needs another FTA - Fugitive Transfer Agreement from UK: Cong

The Congress on Thursday took a swipe at the Modi government ahead of the signing of the India-UK free trade agreement, saying what India needs from that country is the announcement of another and more effective FTA - Fugitive Transfer Agreement. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "three stars of the Modi Model of bhagodanomics are still waiting for their ghar wapsi -? Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, and Lalit Modi.There may well be others too." "The India-UK FTA (Free Trade Agreement) will be signed today in London in the presence of Prime Minister Modi. What India needs from the UK is the announcement of another and more effective FTA (Fugitive Transfer Agreement)," Ramesh said on X. The India-UK FTA, billed as the UK's most economically significant bilateral trade deal since leaving the European Union, will be signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Keir Starmer. The two prime ministers will also unveil a

Jagdeep Dhankhar resigns as Vice President; here's how he made headlines

From impeachment motion against Jagdeep Dhankhar to allegations of being biased, here's how Vice President Dhankhar made headlines in his short tenure

Jagdeep Dhankhar resigns as Vice President; here's all you need to know

The 14th Vice President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar, resigned on Monday night, citing health reasons. He took office in August 2022 and was due to serve a term till August 2027. His journey at a glance

Opposition raises questions over ex Vice President Dhankhar's resignation

The opposition on Monday raised questions over Jagdeep Dhankhar's sudden resignation as the vice president, with the Congress saying that clearly, there is "far more to his totally unexpected resignation than meets the eye". The Congress also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convince Dhankhar to change his mind. In a sudden move, Dhankhar resigned from his post on Monday evening, citing medical reasons. He has sent his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu and said he is stepping down with immediate effect. "The sudden resignation of the Vice President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha is as shocking as it is inexplicable. I was with him alongside a number of other MPs till around 5 PM today and had spoken to him over the phone at 7:30 PM," Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X. "No doubt Mr Dhankhar has to give topmost priority to his health. But clearly there is far more to his totally unexpected resignation than meets the eye

PM must be present for Parl debate on 'Pahalgam-Op Sindoor-Trump': Cong

With the Monsoon session of Parliament starting on Monday, the Congress said Prime Minister Narendra Modi owes it to the country to be present when the issue of 'Pahalgam-Operation Sindoor-President Trump' is finally taken up for discussion. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh also took a swipe at Modi over his foreign visit this week, saying "48 hours later, the Super Premium Frequent Flyer" will start yet another foreign visit and the "people of Manipur will have more cause for disappointment". Prime Minister Modi will pay a four-day visit to the United Kingdom and the Maldives from Wednesday to shore up overall bilateral ties and formalise the landmark India-UK free trade deal. In a post on X before the start of the session, Ramesh said, "Very shortly the nattily dressed Prime Minister will give his usual Desh ke Naam Sandesh through the media outside the Parliament Building before the commencement of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. This will be .

Parliament Monsoon Session begins tomorrow: Here's what to expect

Ahead of the start of the monsoon session on Monday, the government convened an all-party meeting on Sunday

'Trump missile' fired 24th time, PM must make statement in Parliament: Cong

With US President Donald Trump once again repeating his claims about the India-Pakistan conflict, the Congress on Saturday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should now himself make a clear and categorical statement in Parliament on the American leader's claims over the last 70 days. The opposition party's assertion came after Trump reportedly said, "We stopped a lot of wars. And these were serious, India and Pakistan, that was going on. Planes were being shot down in the air. I think five jets were shot down, actually." "...But India and Pakistan were going at it, and they were back and forth, and it was getting bigger and bigger, and we got it solved through trade. We said, you guys want to make a trade deal. We're not making a trade deal if you're going to be throwing around weapons, and maybe nuclear weapons, both very powerful nuclear states," the US President reportedly said. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said just two days before the Monsoon

Cong MPs will sign motion against Justice Varma in LS: Jairam Ramesh

The Congress will support and its MPs will be among the signatories to the motion to be brought against Justice Yashwant Varma in the Lok Sabha, senior party leader Jairam Ramesh said on Friday, asserting that then-CJI Sanjiv Khanna had "forced our hand" in the matter by writing to the president and the prime minister. In an interview with PTI, Ramesh also stressed that the opposition would strongly push the issue of Justice Shekhar Yadav, against whom 55 opposition MPs moved an impeachment notice in the Rajya Sabha last December for allegedly delivering a hate speech at a gathering last year. A fire incident at Justice Varma's residence in the national capital in March, when he was a judge at the Delhi High Court, had led to the discovery of several burnt sacks of banknotes in the outhouse. Though the judge claimed ignorance about the cash, the Supreme Court-appointed committee indicted him after speaking to a number of witnesses and recording his statement. Justice Khanna had ...

First announce second think: Congress slams govt over problems in NMMS app

The Congress on Thursday hit out at the Modi government over the "operational problems" related to the National Mobile Monitoring System application in MGNREGA for digital verification of attendance and works, and demanded the immediate withdrawal of the "unworkable" as well as "counterproductive" model. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said FAST is the self-declared motto of the Modi government and it actually stands for - "First Announce Second Think". In May 2022, the Modi government introduced the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) app in MGNREGA for digital verification of attendance and works, and ever since this was done the Congress had been highlighting the operational problems with NMMS and how it was damaging the letter and spirit of MGNREGA, Ramesh said in a statement. "Now in a notification issued on July 8th 2025 the Union Ministry of Rural Development has finally acknowledged the various problems associated with the NMMS. It was

Trump repeated India-Pak ceasefire claim 22 times in 65 days: Jairam Ramesh

With US President Donald Trump reiterating his claim that he stopped the conflict between India and Pakistan, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday said the same claim keeps getting repeated "22 times in 65 days". Trump Monday reiterated his claim that he stopped the conflict between India and Pakistan, which could have turned into a "nuclear war", through trade. "We've been very successful in settling wars. You have India, (and) Pakistan. You have Rwanda and the Congo that was going on for 30 years," Trump said during his meeting with NATO Secretary General Rutte in the Oval Office. Tagging a video of Trump's remarks, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Ramesh said, "65 days. 22 times. The same claim. It keeps getting repeated." In his remarks, Trump said, "India, by the way, Pakistan would have been a nuclear war within another week the way that was going. That was going very badly, and we did that through trade. I said, 'we're not going to talk to you about tr

Parl discussed 1962 China invasion: Cong calls for border situation talks

The Congress on Tuesday hoped that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will "finally agree" to a discussion on China in the forthcoming Monsoon session of Parliament, and said that when Parliament could debate the border situation during the 1962 Chinese invasion then why not now. The opposition party also stressed that it is essential to build a national consensus on the critical security and economic challenges arising from China's rise as the world's leading manufacturing power and its position as the second-largest economy. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh pointed out that in his July 14 meeting with China's Vice President Han Zheng, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that the India-China bilateral relationship "has been steadily improving since the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Kazan last October" and that "continued normalisation of our ties can produce mutually beneficial outcomes". "Perhaps we ..

Congress takes swipe at PM Modi after he returns from five-nation visit

The Congress on Thursday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he returned home from his five-nation visit, saying that now that he is back, he could find time to visit Manipur, review why the Pahalgam terrorists are yet to be brought to justice and reflect on infrastructure collapses in his home state. The opposition party also said the PM could also, for a change, chair an all-party meeting to firm up the agenda for the forthcoming Monsoon session of Parliament. Prime Minister Modi returned to India this morning after his visit to five nations -Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Brazil and Namibia. During the trip, Modi also attended the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "India welcomes back its Super Premium Frequent Flier PM who is expected to be in the country for perhaps three weeks before jetting around again." "Now that he is here, he could find the time to visit Manipur wher