Page 6 - Jairam Ramesh

India enriched enormously by integration of Sikkim, says Jairam Ramesh

On the 50th anniversary of Sikkim's statehood, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday said India has been enriched enormously by the integration of Sikkim and the state has a number of impressive achievements to its credit. The Congress general secretary in-charge communications said the 36th Constitution Amendment Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on April 23, 1975, and by the Rajya Sabha three days later. Subsequently after the President's assent, the 36th Amendment was enacted and on May 16, 1975--exactly fifty years ago--Sikkim became the 22nd state of India with special provisions for it and its people enshrined in Article 371-F of the Constitution, he recalled. "The Republic of India has been enriched enormously by the integration of Sikkim. The state has a number of impressive achievements to its credit," Ramesh said. P.N. Dhar's book called Indira Gandhi, the 'Emergency' and Indian Democracy (2001) is the topmost insider's account of how the merger happened, he said. "My

'Adani scam cannot be covered up': Congress after SECI CMD sacked

With the government sacking R P Gupta as the Chairman and Managing Director of Solar Energy Corporation of India, the Congress on Monday sought to link it to charges against billionaire Gautam Adani and his associates by US authorities and said the Adani "scam" cannot be covered up. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the public sector Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) was indicted on November 20, 2024, by US authorities in the chargesheet against Gautam Adani and his close associates. "It was based on SECI's recommendation that different states entered into purchase agreements with Adani. Bribes worth Rs 2,029 crores were then reportedly offered and promised to Indian government officials in exchange for these agreements, which were then finalised," Ramesh said. In an implicit admission of corruption, in December 2024, SECI changed the way it issues power tenders, he said. "Now the CMD of SECI, occupied by a post-retirement bureaucrat ...

As India-Pak agree on stoppage of firing, leaders hope for lasting peace

Indian leaders, including Kapil Sibal, Mehbooba Mufti, and Omar Abdullah, react to the India-Pakistan ceasefire announcement, calling for peace, relief, and political discussions on the way forward

Congress slams PM Modi, Shah over Manipur crisis on anniversary of violence

The Congress on Saturday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi "continues to shun" Manipur and Union Home Minister Amit Shah proved to be a "big failure" in managing the situation in the state which has been in the grip of ethnic strife since 2023. Congress General Secretary In-charge, Communications, Jairam Ramesh said the BJP formed a government in Manipur with a massive mandate in February 2022, and exactly two years ago today, the state erupted in sectarian violence. "What began on May 3, 2023, therefore, was the self-dictated, self-directed derailment of the so-called double engine sarkar in the state. Three months later, the Supreme Court was compelled to declare that there had been an absolute breakdown of Constitutional machinery in the state," Ramesh said on X. Faced with a no-confidence motion to be moved by the Congress in the state assembly, the Modi government forced the CM to resign and finally imposed President's Rule on February 13, 2025 -- twenty months after th

Congress urges govt to oppose IMF's $1.3 billion loan consideration to Pak

This statement from Congress comes just days after the deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam region, which the party blamed on Pakistan

Kejriwal, BJP created false CWG scam, must apologise to Cong: Jairam Ramesh

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal should apologise to the Congress

Cong slams govt over rising 'inequality', cites World Bank poverty report

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged that while the Modi government is presenting the World Bank report as a success story, it raises serious concerns about persistent inequality

Election rules row: SC gives EC 3 weeks to reply to Jairam Ramesh plea

The Supreme Court on Thursday granted three more weeks to the Election Commission to respond to the pleas of Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh and others against the recent amendments to the 1961 election rules. A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar had issued a notice to the Centre and the poll panel on January 15 on Ramesh's plea and sought a response. Senior advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for the poll panel, sought three more weeks to file the reply. The bench allowed Singh's prayer and set the July 21 week for hearing. Aside from Ramesh, two similar PILs filed by Shyam Lal Pal and activist Anjali Bhardwaj are pending. Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Singhvi represented Ramesh. The petitioners have said the amendments to the 1961 Conduct of Election Rules were made "very cleverly" and barred any access to CCTV footage claiming it would reveal the identity of the voter. Singhvi previously said voting choices were never rev

Congress to challenge Waqf Bill in the Supreme Court, says Jairam Ramesh

The Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025, was tabled and passed in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. Congress will challenge its constitutionality in the Supreme Court

'Adding insult to injury': Cong on President's Rule confirmation in Manipur

The Congress on Thursday accused the government of "bulldozing" in the Lok Sabha the statutory resolution confirming the imposition of President's rule in Manipur, and said this was "adding insult to injury". Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the "frequent flier flies off again". "This time it is to Bangkok. Look East by all means but why continue to ignore Manipur?" Ramesh said on X. "And why bulldoze the proclamation on President's Rule in the state at 2AM this morning in the Lok Sabha, leaving just an hour for debate and discussion but just about enough time for the Home Minister's falsehoods, twists, and distortions? This is adding insult to injury," the Congress leader said. Ramesh's remarks came after the Lok Sabha early Thursday adopted a Statutory Resolution confirming the imposition of President's rule in Manipur. Replying to a short debate, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the governm

Congress attacks PM Modi over giving 'clean chit' to China on podcast

Jairam Ramesh played purportedly a clip of PM Modi from 2020, where in the video the PM is heard saying "no one has crossed our borders, or any of our posts are captured by someone else"

Cong flagging threats to economy, when will PM listen: Jairam Ramesh

The Congress on Saturday said it has flagged a decade-long real income stagnation, a consumption boom entirely driven by the expansion of credit and deepening inequality as the three threats to the economy, and wondered what will it take for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hear them. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh cited the remarks of Chief Investment Officer of Marcellus Investments, Saurabh Mukherjea, to press his argument. "In a podcast interview, Chief Investment Officer of Marcellus Investments, the well-known Saurabh Mukherjea has identified three threats to the Indian economy which the Congress has been flagging for months," Ramesh said in a post on X. He said Mukherjea has identified "a pernicious, decade long real income stagnation for the majority of India's working people" and a "consumption boom which is entirely driven by the expansion of credit and is therefore highly unsustainable". The Congress leader said that Mukherjea had also .

'GSTitis' hits donuts: Jairam Ramesh slams GST amid misclassification row

Jairam Ramesh labels the ongoing GST issue as 'GSTitis,' as Mad Over Donuts faces a Rs 100 crore tax notice for wrongly classifying donuts under GST laws

Congress questions Starlink agreement, says PM Modi orchestrated deal

Elon Musk's SpaceX has entered into an agreement with telecom provider Airtel to introduce Starlink services in India. A day after Airtel, a deal was signed between Reliance's Jio Platforms and SpaceX

PM focused on 'tareef' not tariffs, must stand up to US threats: Ramesh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is only interested in 'tareef' and not concerned with tariffs, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Friday and wondered where is the PM's "56 inch chest" in dealing with US threats on the the reciprocal tariff issue. In an interview with PTI, Ramesh said the Congress will raise the issue of US President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariff threats during the upcoming second half of the Budget session and called for a bipartisan collective resolve to deal with the threats. The Congress leader also alleged that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has been speaking like an American envoy and a spokesperson for that country. "Our prime minister wants to hear only 'tareef (praise)', he is not concerned about tariffs. 'Tareef kum, aur tariff pe baat kijiye (talk about the tariffs issue and less about your praise)," Ramesh said. He said Trump is redoing the entire rules of international trade and asserted that the US President's whole idea of ...

Cong flags US downsizing NOAA, urges India to boost earth sciences research

The Congress on Friday claimed the downsizing at the US' National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration could adversely impact India, and said the country will have to enhance its own research capacity and capability in earth sciences very significantly. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared on X a media report which claimed the move to downsize the US meteorological body could hurt its data collection around the world. "Right now the Modi government's priority appears to be a trade deal to deal with President Trump's threats on tariffs. But his actions in other areas too could have adverse impacts on India," Ramesh said on X. "The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has been of great importance to our understanding of the monsoon. But NOAA has been identified by President Trump for downsizing and big cuts," he said. Ramesh said the NOAA collects global data on parameters like temperature, salinity, and sea levels that are cruc

K'taka demonstrating how growth, sustainability can go together: Ramesh

Hailing the Karnataka government's decision to declare its lands in the Yelahanka taluk of Bengaluru Urban district as the Greater Hesaraghatta Grassland Conservation Reserve, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday said the Siddaramaiah-led dispensation was demonstrating how economic growth, social development and ecological sustainability could go hand-in-hand. The Karnataka government on Monday notified 5,678 acres and 32 guntas of land in the Yelahanka taluk as the Greater Hesaraghatta Grassland Conservation Reserve. The notification came after the state Cabinet last month decided to declare the grassland as a conservation reserve. Reacting to the development, former Union environment minister Ramesh said the Karnataka government had been attracting very many new investments since May 2023. It has also been implementing historic income support, food security and other guarantees, he added. "Now, it has taken a bold decision to finally declare about 5,700 acres of government

Why hasn't Bihar been given Special Category Status as promised: Cong to PM

The Congress on Monday posed questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Bihar, asking why hasn't the state been granted Special Category Status as promised and why are so many essential projects lying incomplete there. Ahead of Prime Minister Modi's visit to Bihar, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh posed four questions for him. "Where are the promised airports for Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, and Purnea," Ramesh asked in his post on X. "The PM promised an airport in Purnea on 18th August, 2015. Six years and three Nitish Kumar U-turns later, his government is yet to fulfil the promise," Ramesh said. In a 2019 rally, Modi promised to open Patahi Airport in Muzaffarpur and in 2023, Home Minister Amit Shah also pledged to kickstart operations at the Patahi airport, while the BJP promised a fully operational airport by Diwali 2023, he said. "However, an AAI ground team from March 2024 found that the land plot has broken boundary walls, and buffaloes roam t

BJP, Assam CM launching smear campaign against Gogoi: Jairam Ramesh

The Congress on Sunday accused the BJP and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of indulging in an "atrocious smear campaign" and "character assassination" against Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, adding that legal action is being initiated in the matter. Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said this is being done as Gogoi won the Jorhat Lok Sabha seat and is exposing the Assam chief minister's corruption. "The Assam CM and the BJP have begun an atrocious smear campaign targeting my colleague Gaurav Gogoi. This is character assassination of the worst type. Legal action is being initiated right away," Ramesh said in a post on X. "The smear campaign is because Gaurav Gogoi won the Jorhat Lok Sabha seat in June 2024 in spite of the Assam CM and other ministers camping in Jorhat and campaigning against him. It is also because the Jorhat MP has been in the forefront, revealing the blatant corruption and blackdeeds of the Assam CM," he said. Ramesh added, "the Assa

Why Manipur Guv not summoning Assembly for mandated session: Congress

Noting that Article 174 (1) of the Constitution stipulates that there cannot be more than a six month gap between two assembly sessions, the Congress on Tuesday asked why the Manipur governor is "violating" the article by not summoning the Manipur Assembly for its constitutionally mandated session. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said today is the last day for a constitutionally mandated sitting of the Manipur Legislative Assembly's session. Article 174 (1) of the Constitution of India stipulates there cannot be more than a six month gap between the last sitting of an assembly session and the first sitting of the next assembly session, he said. "Why is the Manipur Governor violating Article 174(1) by not summoning the Manipur Legislative Assembly for its constitutionally mandated assembly session?" Ramesh said. The session was declared null and void because the BJP could not appoint a successor to the CM against whom the Congress was scheduled to