Page 15 - Mallikarjun Kharge

Kharge hits back at PM; says 'undeclared emergency' enforced in last 10 yrs

The Congress on Tuesday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his comments on the Emergency, and accused him of enforcing an "undeclared emergency" in the last 10 years. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the prime minister is raking up the past only to hide his failures. He also said that PM Modi talks of consensus and cooperation but does just the opposite. "Narendra Modi ji, the country is looking forward to the future but you keep scratching the past to hide your failures. In the last 10 years, you made 140 crore Indians realise what 'undeclared emergency' is, which caused a deep trauma to democracy and the Constitution," Kharge said in a post in Hindi on X. "Breaking parties, toppling elected governments through the backdoor, misuse of agencies like ED, CBI, IT against 95 percent of opposition leaders, putting chief ministers in jail, and using the official machinery before elections and disturbing the level playing field, is this not undeclared emergency," he ..

Will support NDA Speaker if Deputy Speaker post goes to INDIA: Rahul Gandhi

After the controversy around pro-tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab's selection, it is anticipated that the Speaker will be a BJP nominee, with incumbent Om Birla being the frontrunner

Lok Sabha session highlights: BJP chief Nadda named Leader of House in Rajya Sabha

Parliament session updates: PM Modi was the first one to take oath as the Leader of the House. This is PM Modi's third term as a member of the Lok Sabha

INDIA bloc's show of unity in Parliament, raise call to save Constitution

INDIA bloc MPs gathered in the Parliament complex on Monday in a show of strength on the first day of the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, holding copies of the Constitution and raising slogans on "saving democracy". Opposition leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party leader Rahul Gandhi, Trinamool Congress' Sudip Bandyopadhyay, DMK's TR Baalu, among others assembled at the spot where the Gandhi statue once stood in the Parliament complex. Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi also joined the MPs. Holding copies of the Constitution in their hands, they raised slogans such as "long live Constitution", "we will save Constitution", "save our democracy". Rahul Gandhi said they would not allow the Constitution to be "attacked" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. "This attack is not acceptable to us and that is why we held the Constitution and took oath," he said. "Our message is reaching the public and no power can touch the Constit

Buck stops at top echelons of PM Modi govt in NEET 'scam', says Cong

The Congress on Sunday hit out at the Modi government over the bureaucratic reshuffle in the National Testing Agency after alleged irregularities in NEET-UG, saying the buck stops at the doorstep of the top echelons of the regime. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the National Testing Agency (NTA) was projected to be an autonomous body, but in reality was made to serve the "devious interests" of the BJP/RSS. "In the NEET Scam, the buck stops at the doorstep of the top echelons of the Modi Government. Shuffling the bureaucrats is no solution to the endemic problem in the Education system rotted by the BJP," he said in a post on X. For students to get justice, Modi government must be held accountable, he said. The Centre on Saturday had shunted out NTA's Director General Subodh Singh and handed over the probe into the irregularities in medical entrance exam NEET-UG to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The Education Ministry has also set up a seven-member pa

Cong says govt destroying railways, asks for Ashwini Vaishnaw's resignation

Accusing the government of "destroying" Indian Railways, the Congress on Tuesday demanded Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's resignation in the wake of the Kanchanjunga Express accident and said that he has no moral right to remain in the position. The opposition party also took a swipe at Vaishnaw for reaching the accident site riding pillion on a motorcycle, asking whether he is a rail minister or a "reel minister". Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said whenever there is a train accident, Modi government's railway minister reaches the spot under the glare of cameras and behaves as if everything is fine. "Narendra Modi ji, tell us who should be held accountable, the Railway Minister or you?" the Congress chief asked. Kharge posed seven questions to the government and demanded answers. After a major accident like Balasore, why was not even a single kilometer of the much-hyped "Kavach" anti-train collision system added, he asked. "Why are nearly 3 lakh posts vacant in the ..

Saddened by 'character assassination', Maliwal urges INDIA leaders to meet

Swati Maliwal says she was beaten at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's house and then her 'character was assassinated'

'Utter mismanagement' of railway ministry: Kharge on WB train accident

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday slammed the Modi government for "utter mismanagement" of the Railway Ministry as he condoled the loss of lives in the West Bengal train accident. "Extremely distressed by the Kanchanjunga Express train collision accident in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, where many people have lost their lives and several have been injured," he said. "The scenes of the accident are painful. Our heart goes out to the families of the victims. In this hour of grief, we express our solidarity and condolences to each one of them. We wish a speedy recovery to the injured. Immediate and full compensation must be provided to the victims," he demanded. Kharge alleged that in the past 10 years, the Modi government has indulged in "utter mismanagement" of the Railway Ministry. "As a responsible Opposition, it is our bounden duty to underline how the Modi Government has systematically converted the Rail Ministry into a platform of 'Camera-driven' self-promotion," the .

Sonia Gandhi re-elected as chairperson of Congress Parliamentary Party

At a meeting of party MPs, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge proposed Sonia Gandhi's name as the chairperson of the parliamentary party

Kharge to attend Modi's swearing-in ceremony; several Oppn leaders to skip

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge would be attending the swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi as prime minister on Sunday evening, sources close to him said. An invite was sent to Kharge and Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi for the ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Sources close to Kharge said he would be attending the function.

We will take action to meet public's wish of not being ruled by BJP: Kharge

INDIA bloc partners will take appropriate steps at the appropriate time to realise the people's desire not to be ruled by the BJP government, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Wednesday following the opposition alliance's first meeting after the Lok Sabha poll results. Addressing the media after the nearly two-hour meeting which was seen as the alliance keeping its options open and not staking claim at government formation for now, he said the opposition leaders resolved to continue their fight against the "fascist rule" of the BJP led by Narendra Modi even as they thanked the people for their overwhelming support to the INDIA bloc. "We will take appropriate steps at the appropriate time to realise people's desire not to be ruled by the BJP's government," Kharge said while reading out a statement adopted by all the alliance constituents after the deliberations at his residence. He said the decision has been taken by all constituents of the INDIA bloc in one voice. The .

Don't be intimidated: Kharge to bureaucrats ahead of Lok Sabha polls result

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday wrote an open letter to the country's bureaucracy on the eve of counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections, urging officers to adhere to the Constitution and serve the nation without fear, favour and ill-will against anybody. "Do not get intimidated by anyone. Do not bow down to any Unconstitutional means. Do not be afraid of anyone and discharge your duties, based on merit, on this counting day," he wrote. "We owe it to future generations, a vibrant Democracy and a long-lasting Constitution, as penned by the makers of modern India," he said. The counting of votes polled in the Lok Sabha polls will be held om Tuesday. "In this hope that India remains truly Democratic in nature, I extend good wishes to each one of you, and expect that our eternal ideals of the Constitution remain untarnished," the Congress chief said. In his appeal to all civil servants and officers, he said he is writing in his capacity of the Leader of the Opposi

Cong Chief Kharge, Rahul hold key meet with party's LS polls candidates

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former AICC chief Rahul Gandhi held a meeting on Sunday with the party's Lok Sabha candidates, legislative party leaders and state unit chiefs via video conferencing, and urged them to be alert and put in place measures to check any attempts of rigging on poll counting day, sources said. Kharge, Gandhi, party general secretaries Jairam Ramesh and K C Venugopal, along with other senior leaders, interacted with the party's Lok Sabha candidates and reviewed the preparations for the counting day on June 4. The meeting comes a day after exit polls predicted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will retain power for a third straight term, with the BJP-led NDA expected to win a big majority in the Lok Sabha polls. Ramesh has said that the exit polls that came out Saturday evening are "completely bogus" and have been "orchestrated and masterminded by the man whose exit is inevitable and guaranteed on June 4". "These are all part of the psychological .

'INDIA' bloc will win over 295 Lok Sabha seats, says Kharge after Oppn meet

He said the opposition parties have sought time from the Election Commission on Sunday to raise their concerns and urge the poll body to address them

Festival of democracy to be successful when it defeats dictators: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge urged people on Saturday to vote for change and asserted that the "festival of democracy" will be considered successful only when democratic powers defeat the dictatorial ones. He said the last phase of voting to save the Constitution and democracy was underway in the country and the INDIA bloc was fighting the dictatorial powers with courage. "The battle is now in its final phase. The public has stood firmly with us in every phase. After six phases, people want to see us win," Kharge said in a post on 'X'. The people want to see the Congress' guarantees fulfilled, he added. "This time the country has supported and sided with 'Yuva Nyay, Kisaan Nyay, Nari Nyay, Shramik Nyay and Hissedari Nyay. "This festival of democracy will be considered successful only when the democratic powers defeat the dictatorial powers," the Congress leader said. "Today, when you press the EVM button for 57 seats in 8 states and Union territories, think about the Pre

Battleground 2024: After longest poll campaign, top leaders head to temples

As the campaigning ended for the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha polls, the PM began his 45-hour long meditation at Kanniyakumari's Vivekananda Rock Memorial

INDIA bloc's June 1 meet to discuss preparations for counting day: Kharge

The INDIA bloc will hold an informal meeting Saturday only to discuss the preparations for the counting day on June 4 and how its leaders and workers need to stay alert, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said. He said Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has informed that she is busy with the polls that day and therefore, will not be able to attend. Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here Thursday, Kharge said the meeting is being held for "our own sake" to train people and to give them information. "This is an informal meeting. In this, we will only discuss what kind of preparation we should have on the day of counting and how our people should be alert, whether it is about EVMs or the 17C form is used... Just for our own sake, we are holding this meeting to train our people and to give them information," he said. Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal also said the meeting is only for discussing about the counting preparations and the

'TMC unlikely to attend INDIA bloc meet on June 1 due to phase 7 polling'

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) is unlikely to attend a meeting of the INDIA bloc on June 1, sources said, as it coincides with the last phase of voting in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. According to sources, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has convened a meeting of the INDIA bloc leaders on the afternoon of June 1, when the last phase of polling will be underway. Sources in the TMC said the voting will be done on nine seats, including two seats in Kolkata - Kolkata Dakshin, and Kolkata Uttar, in West Bengal on the day which are crucial for the party. Other constituencies that go to polls that day in the state include Jadavpur, Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jayanagar, Mathurapur and Diamond Harbour. TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and other top leaders will be voting on the day and hence will be unable to attend the meeting, a source said, also pointing out that the party has so far attended all meetings of the opposition bloc. The sou

LS polls: China encroached on our land but PM Modi is silent, says Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday alleged that China has encroached on India's land and is constructing houses and roads but Prime Minister Narendra Modi is silent. Where is the 56-inch chest, Kharge asked, taking a dig at the prime minister in his address at a rally in Himachal Pradesh's Rohru. The Congress leader said his party is fighting to save the people of the country and the Constitution and will fill 30 lakh government vacancies if it is voted to power in the Lok Sabha elections. Kharge said, "We fought against Pakistan and got independence for Bangladesh. China encroached on our land and is constructing houses and roads and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is silent. Where is the 56-inch chest?" The Congress chief also hit out at the Centre for allegedly not providing aid to the Himachal Pradesh government in the aftermath of the 2023 floods. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had sought Rs 10,000 crore aid from the Centre after the floods

LS polls: Vote against politics of hatred, distraction, says Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge urged people to cast their ballot in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha polls on Saturday and vote against the politics of hatred, rhetoric and distraction. Kharge said that in the last five phases, the "dictatorial forces" were "deeply shaken". Voting is underway for 58 constituencies in six states and two Union territories, including all the seven seats in Delhi and the Jangal Mahal region in Bengal, in the sixth phase. In a post in Hindi on X, Kharge said this struggle to secure democracy and the Constitution has reached the last two phases. "Today is the sixth phase of voting and you have to vote. Vote for unity, justice and important everyday issues. Vote against the politics of hatred, rhetoric and distraction," the Congress chief said. He urged the people to think before pressing the button on EVMs if they want justice-based politics and economic and social security which has 'Yuva Nyay, Kisan Nyay, Nari Nyay, Shramik Nyay and Hissedaari