Page 4 - Jairam Ramesh

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

Congress slams govt assertion on India being among 'most equal' countries

The Congress on Monday termed as "fraudulent" and "intellectually dishonest" the government's assertion that India is among the world's most equal countries, and said the Modi government cannot simply wish away the stark reality of deepening inequalities by "doctoring data". The opposition party's attack came after an official release, citing World Bank data, said inequality in India has come down significantly between 2011-12 and 2022-23, making it the fourth-most equal country globally. The Congress demanded that the Press Information Bureau (PIB) must clarify as to the origins of this press release and retract it immediately. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "Aap chronology samajhiye. The World Bank released its Poverty and Equity Brief for India in April 2025. Immediately after, the Congress released a statement identifying the several warning signs that the World Bank had flashed for poverty and inequality in India - including warnings abo

'Out-of-touch claim': Congress slams NDA govt on income equality data

Congress disputes India's Gini Index-based equality ranking, citing 28.1% poverty rate and widening disparity as evidence of flawed data and government spin

All-party meetings just formality, no outcome from talks: Jairam Ramesh

Jairam Ramesh said Congress has consistently been asking for a discussion on the strategic challenges, economic challenges, diplomatic challenges being posed by China

Meeting held under pressure: Jairam Ramesh attacks ECI over INDIA bloc meet

The Congress leader noted that the Election Commission earlier refused a meeting, however, later only allowed two leaders from a party, due to which some leaders could not even meet the officials

Cong slams Modi govt over rise in per capita debt of individual borrowers

The Congress on Wednesday slammed the Centre over the rise in the per capita debt of individual borrowers and said the government is constantly trying to hide the real shortcomings by taking the help of statistics and experts, but the debt burden on the country is at its peak in "Modi Raj". Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared screenshots of media reports to attack the government. One media report stated that the average debt of every person in the country has increased by Rs 90,000 in the last two years and the per capita debt of individual borrowers increased to Rs 4.8 lakh in March 2025 from Rs 3.9 lakh in March 2023. The other report shared by Ramesh said 25.7 per cent of the common man's disposable income is going towards paying EMIs of loans which are non-productive for him in the future. "Debt of 'Achhe Din'! The Modi government has ruined the country's economy in the last eleven years. No effort was made to improve the lives of the people

Investment depression result of Modi govt's policies of suppression: Cong

The Congress on Saturday said the country's economic and investment growth is sluggish due to the Narendra Modi government's "policies of suppression and oppression". In a post on X, Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh said India's economic growth "stubbornly refuses" to accelerate at the desired and perfectly feasible rate. The most important reason for this failure, he said, is that private corporate investment continues to remain sluggish in spite of the generous tax cuts in September 2019 and the PLI (production-linked incentive) cash handouts. Ramesh said the Modi Government's own survey indicates that private sector capital expenditure may well be 25 per cent lower in 2025-26 as compared to the previous year. "Informed analysts have opined that while banks are willing to lend, companies are unwilling to borrow since the investment environment is not seen to be conducive to expansion. "Growing demand creates a climate for investment. There are undoubtedl

Trump used trade deal as instrument for India-Pak ceasefire: Jairam Ramesh

With US President Donald Trump announcing that a "very big" trade deal is on the cards with India, the Congress on Friday took a swipe at the government and said it seems that India gets to know decisions of great importance to it from the White House. The opposition party's swipe at the government came after President Donald Trump said a "very big" trade deal is on the cards with India, hinting at significant progress in the negotiation process of a long-awaited bilateral trade agreement between the two countries. "We are having some great deals. We have one coming up, maybe with India. Very big one. Where we're going to open up India," said Trump while speaking at the 'Big Beautiful Bill' event at the White House. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said that "after repeating 16 times" that he used a trade deal as an instrument to bring about a ceasefire between India & Pakistan, Trump has now announced that the India-US trade agreement is going to .

Cong slams BJP, says Modi govt left no stones unturned in ruining economy

The Congress on Tuesday attacked the Centre over interest rates on savings accounts reportedly reaching the lowest level in 25 years, alleging that the Modi government has in the last 11 years left no stone unturned in "ruining" the country's rapidly growing economy. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared a media report on X which claimed that the 1% cut in repo rate by the RBI has forced banks to reduce their deposit rates, pushing savings account interest rates to a 25-year low. "In the last 11 years, the Modi government has left no stone unturned in ruining the country's rapidly growing economy. Starting with demonetization, new experiments are being conducted on the people of the country every year, they are being tortured in new ways everyday," Ramesh said in a post on X in Hindi. The interest rates on savings accounts have reached the lowest level in 25 years, which is directly hitting the pockets of the elderly and the common citizens, he ...

Govt using tech to deny social welfare to vulnerable sections: Congress

The Congress on Monday attacked the Modi government over the Women and Child Development Ministry ordering face recognition authentication to be made mandatory for anganwadi beneficiaries, alleging that it is systematically using technology to exclude the most vulnerable sections of society from social welfare entitlements. The opposition party also said Digital India must enable, not disempower, and it must not remain a "Preach Inclusion Practice Exclusion (PIPE) dream". The ministry has directed all states and Union territories to implement a mandatory face recognition system for take-home ration distribution and child attendance monitoring at anganwadi centres. According to a letter issued by the ministry last month, the face recognition feature will now be accessible within the beneficiary profiles on the Poshan tracker application. Beneficiaries will also have the option to self-register using the citizen module of the tracker for e-KYC and photo capture. Reacting to the ...

Amit Shah a disgrace to the post once held by Sardar Patel: Jairam Ramesh

Union Home Minister has failed singularly in bringing the terrorists who carried out the brutal terror attacks in Pahalgam to justice, Ramesh added

Hope PM will agree to debate on China during Monsoon Session: Congress

The Congress on Thursday said it has been calling for a detailed debate on China for the last five years and hopes that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will finally agree to such a discussion in the forthcoming Monsoon session of Parliament. The opposition party also said it is important to collectively work towards a national consensus on vital national security and economic challenges posed by China's emergence as the world's dominant manufacturing power and as the world's second-largest economy. Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said, "Today is the fifth anniversary of PM Modi's infamous clean chit to China, when he said 'Na koi hamari seema mein ghus aaya hai, na hi koi ghusa hua hai' only four days after 20 of our brave soldiers gave their lives for the nation in Galwan on 15 June, 2020." This sorry episode concluded with a withdrawal agreement on October 21, 2024, under which Indian patrols require Chinese concurrence to reach their patrolling .

Cong takes a swipe at PM Modi, says Indian diplomacy is being shattered

The Congress on Wednesday took a swipe at the Modi government over reports that Pakistan Army Chief Gen Asim Munir would be having lunch with US President Donald Trump, and said Indian diplomacy is being "shattered" and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "totally silent". Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh also said President Trump himself has "trumpeted" 14 times that he brought about a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, meaning he ended Operation Sindoor. "Field Marshal Asim Munir, the man whose inflammatory, incendiary and provocative remarks were linked directly to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attacks, is having lunch today with President Trump in the White House," Ramesh said. Is this why President Trump abandoned the G7 Summit a day early denying Mr. Narendra Modi a "huge hug", he asked. "Gen. Michael Kurilla, the US Central Command Chief calls Pakistan a 'phenomenal' partner in counter-terrorism operations. This is triple jhatka to Howdy Modi

Instead of 'acche din', 'days of debt' have arrived: Cong dig at Modi govt

Taking a swipe at the Centre, the Congress on Tuesday claimed that the economic condition of the common people in India is "very worrying" and that instead of the 'acche din' promised by the Modi government, days of debt have arrived. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh cited a media report which claimed that despite the increase in the income of the people in the country and inflation being under control, household savings have decreased for the third consecutive year. "People's savings in the country are decreasing, debt is increasing! This clearly means that on one hand inflation is increasing, on the other hand people's income is decreasing. As a result, people are either withdrawing their savings or are forced to survive by taking loans," Ramesh said in a post in Hindi on X. "The bottom line is that the economic condition of the common people in India is very worrying, but the Modi government is completely careless!" he alleged. "It is clear that