Page 23 - Mallikarjun Kharge

India's human capital systematically decimated under Modi govt: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said that the state of India's human capital is being "systematically decimated" by the Modi government by lowering the spending on the social sector. "The Modi Government's 'anyay kaal' spends less on education and healthcare," he said in a post on X while tagging a report that the government's expenditure on health and education has remained low in the last five years. "The state of India's human capital is being systematically decimated by lowering social spending. Crores thrown on publicity cannot ensure 'Viksit Bharat'. 2024 is the year to reclaim welfare and justice. We shall ensure Nyay," Kharge said. The Congress has been targeting the Modi government on social sector spending and have accused the government of reducing their budgets.

LS polls will be end of dynastic politics: BJP on Kharge's election remark

Hitting back at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for his "last election" barb, the BJP on Tuesday said dynastic politics under the garb of democracy is coming to an end in the country and emergence of true democracy is in the offing. Kharge on Monday had expressed apprehension that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections would be the last opportunity for the people to save democracy, and "If Narendra Modi wins another election, there will be dictatorship in the country. The BJP will rule India like Putin in Russia." Slamming Kharge for the remarks, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said, "Dynastic politics under the garb of democracy is coming to an end, and they are wondering what will be their future". "Whether it is Abdullah and Mufti families in Jammu and Kashmir, or Badals in Punjab, Hooda family in Haryana, all of them lost elections. Ashok Gehlot's son also lost, Akhilesh Yadav's wife lost election, in Bihar Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter lost election... or the biggest symbol of ..

Those who glorify Godse will not be allowed to define idea of India: Cong

On Mahatma Gandhi's death anniversary, the Congress on Tuesday asserted that the true tribute to the father of the nation would be to not let the "flame of truth and harmony" be extinguished in the "storm of hatred". The party also said that those who glorify Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse should not and will not be allowed to define the idea of India. In a post on 'X', Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge cited a quote of Mahatma Gandhi, "The enemy is fear. We think it's hate but it is fear." "On Martyrs Day, we pay our respects to Bapu, the moral compass of our nation. We must pledge to fight against those who seek to destroy his ideals based on 'sambhav' and 'sarvodaya'," Kharge said. "Let us do everything to protect the India of 'unity in diversity' and ensure justice, equality and fraternity among our people," he said. In a post on 'X' in Hindi, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said that on this very day, the ideology of hatred and violence had snatched away

No more elections will be held in India if Modi wins 2024 LS polls: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday expressed apprehension that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections would be the last opportunity for the people to save democracy, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi might prefer dictatorship in case his party wins the upcoming polls. He urged people to keep away from the BJP and its ideologue RSS, alleging that they are "like poison". "This will be the last opportunity for the people to save democracy in India. If Narendra Modi wins another election, there will be dictatorship in the country," Kharge said while addressing a party rally. On the JD(U) of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar returning to the NDA leaving the Congress on Sunday, Kharge claimed it will not have any impact on the polls. "One person quitting Mahagathbandhan will not weaken us. We will defeat BJP," he said.

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Don't let BJP win LS polls in name of religion: Congress president Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his visibility on TV, saying that he is trying to become the 11th "avatar" of Lord Vishnu. He was addressing a meeting of party workers here. Asking people to oust the BJP from power, Kharge said they should not let the saffron party win the general elections in the name of religion. He also attacked the prime minister for his visibility on TV, and said every time one switches it on, "Modi is seen holding forth". "He is trying to become the 11th avatar of Lord Vishnu," Kharge alleged. The Congress leader said religion and politics are separate things but they are being mixed by the Modi government to mislead people and get their votes. He added that while Congress leaders have laid down their lives for the country, the BJP has never any such sacrifices. "Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed their lives to keep the country united. Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Nehru spent years in jai

Reached seat-sharing understanding with some INDIA bloc partners: Kharge

Congress President M Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said his party has held talks with all alliance partners of INDIA bloc on seat-sharing for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, and reached an understanding with some of them, while the dialogue with others is at the final stages. He said the Congress has already begun preparation for the Lok Sabha polls with the ongoing 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' led by party leader Rahul Gandhi and his own visit to various places across the country. "Our party's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is going on. I have also visited Telangana, and will be travelling to Dehradun, Odisha, Bihar, Delhi, Kerala and other places. Dates have been fixed for my visits and Rahul Gandhi will also come to a few places. We have already started our preparations. It is our party work and programme, we will do, it should not be compared with other parties," Kharge told reporters here. On seat sharing with alliance partners, he said he has constituted a six-member committee headed by

Knew it would happen: Kharge on Nitish Kumar's exit from Mahagathbandhan

Meanwhile, Janata Dal (United) national president Nitish Kumar arrived at the Raj Bhavan in Patna and handed over his resignation to Governor Rajendra Arlekar on Sunday

Kharge to launch Uttarakhand's Congress poll campaign from Dehradun

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will arrive here on Sunday to address a public meeting and launch the party's campaign in the state for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. "He is going all over the country. We are grateful that he has chosen Uttarakhand to give his call for a change," senior party leader and former chief minister Harish Rawat said. "Justice is what Rahul Gandhi's Nyay Yatra is all about. The party president's programme is a part of it," he said. "All sections of society are asking for justice, be it women, unemployed youths or farmers." Kharge's meeting will be held in the Bannu School ground in the Race Course area. The party had sought the district administration's permission to hold the public meeting on the Parade ground but it was not allowed as the venue has been renovated as part of the Dehradun Smart City project and no major public programmes are being held to protect it. The Congress alleged that it was the BJP government's conspiracy to sabotage the party's

Will make all efforts to keep INDIA bloc united, says Congress prez Kharge

Congress President M Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said his party expects that those who have the desire to protect the country's Constitution and democracy, will definitely not take any hasty steps, amid indications that JD(U) was planning to revert to the BJP-led NDA. He said the Congress will make all efforts to keep the INDIA bloc united, while maintaining that he has no clarity as to what is in the JD(U) leadership's mind. Responding to a question on the possibility of JD(U) going out of the INDIA alliance, Kharge said, "Are they (JD(U)) going out? I have not got any information about it so far. I have written a letter to them (JD(U) leadership) and have tried to talk to them. I don't know clearly what is in their minds." There are strong indications that JD(U) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was planning to quit the ruling 'Mahagathbandhan' in the state and revert to the BJP-led NDA. Some JD(U) leaders like K C Tyagi have claimed that the INDIA bloc is on the ver

Justice, equality, secularism India's foundational pillars: Kharge on R-Day

He said that the pillars of fundamental rights, social justice, and political rights, ensured to every citizen by the Constitution are under attack

Congress to hold state-level workers' conventions for 2024 polls on Jan 25

Getting battle-ready for the 2024 general elections, the Congress will from Thursday start holding state-level workers' conventions where party chief Mallikarjun Kharge will preside over meetings of office bearers to energise organisational cadres. The first state-level workers' convention will be held on Thursday in Telangana where the Congress recently formed a government, ousting the K Chadrashekhar Rao government of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi. The party will then hold the state-level workers' convention in Uttarakhand on January 28, in Odisha on January 29, in Delhi on February 3, in Kerala on February 4, in Himachal Pradesh on February 10, in Punjab on February 11, in Tamil Nadu on February 13 and in Jharkhand on February 15, according to AICC general secretary, organisation, KC Venugopal. During the conventions, Kharge will preside over meetings of office bearers from the booth to the state level and further "energise our dedicated cadre", Venugopal had said in a post ...

Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra vehicles 'attacked' in Assam, Congress to file FIRs

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge stated that the party will take "appropriate legal action" against the "BJP stooges"

Panel for 'one nation, one election' should be dissolved: Cong Prez Kharge

The Congress on Friday strongly opposed the "undemocratic" idea of holding simultaneous elections in the country and said it goes against the guarantees of federalism and the basic structure of the Constitution. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge also demanded that the idea be abandoned and the high-powered committee formed to study it be dissolved. In a letter to the secretary of the committee on one nation, one election, he requested former president Ram Nath Kovind, who heads the panel, "not to allow his persona and the office of the former president of India to be abused by the Union government to subvert the constitution and parliamentary democracy in this country". "The Indian National Congress is strongly opposed to the very idea of 'One Nation, One Election'. For the sake of maintaining a thriving and a robust democracy, it is imperative that the entire idea must be abandoned and the high-powered committee dissolved," Kharge said in his letter to Niten Chandra, the secretary

More than 'Amrit Kaal', we need 'Shiksha Kaal' for India: Cong Prez Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday hit out at the Modi government over the state of education in the country, and said India shall ensure justice for its students in 2024. "More than 'Amrit Kaal', we need 'Shiksha Kaal' for India," he said in a post on X. "In 2024, India shall ensure NYAY for our students from the Modi Government, for its report card on 'Education' is marked with gross Failure," he said citing the Annual State of Education Report (ASER). Quoting from the report, he said "56.7 percent of 14 to 18-year-old students in rural India can't do class 3 math and 26.5 percent of this age group still cannot read a class 2 level text fluently in their regional language". He also noted that 25 percent of youth in the 17-18 age group have discontinued education, mostly due to "lack of interest". Kharge also posted a 35-second video along with his post that alleged that the "BJP is destroying the future of our young.

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Cong launches website to seek people's suggestions for LS poll manifesto

The Congress launched a website and an email ID on Wednesday, inviting suggestions from the public for its manifesto for this year's Lok Sabha polls. Addressing a press conference here, P Chidambaram, who heads the Manifesto Committee of the Congress, said the party is holding consultations and seeking suggestions from the public for the manifesto. He said the manifesto for the Lok Sabha election will be a "people's manifesto". "The present exercise is to receive suggestions from the members of the public. This will be a people's manifesto. So it is important to gather as many suggestions as possible in the few weeks available to us," Chidambaram said. "We want to involve the people of India in making the manifesto. We hope people from every walk of life will give their suggestions. We appeal and invite you to give suggestions you would like to be incorporated in the manifesto to make it a people's manifesto," he added. The former Union minister said at least one consultation will

YS Sharmila appointed Andhra Congress Chief after G Rudra Raju quits post

The Congress on Tuesday appointed Y S Sharmila, the daughter of former chief minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, as the new president of the party's Andhra Pradesh unit. Sharmila, the sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, had joined the Congress on January 4 in Delhi in the presence of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. "Congress president has appointed Y S Sharmila Reddy as the president of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee with immediate effect," an official announcement by the party said. "Congress president has also appointed Shri Gidugu Rudra Raju, the outgoing PCC president, as special invitee to the Congress Working Committee. The party appreciates the contributions of Gidugu Rudra Raju in his role as PCC president," the Congress said. Sharmila while thanking the Congress leadership for her appointment said she would work faithfully towards restoring the past glory of the party in the state with total commitment and integrity. "I tha

Y S Sharmila joins Congress, calls it largest secular party in India

Y S Sharmila, the daughter of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and founder of YSR Telangana Party, joined the Congress here on Thursday. She also announced the merger of her YSR Telangana Congress with the Congress, and said she would fulfil any responsibility given to her. Sharmila joined the Congress in the presence of party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and former party president Rahul Gandhi. Lauding the Congress, she said it is the largest secular party in the country as it unwaveringly serves all communities and unites all sections of people. After chairing her party meeting on Tuesday in Hyderabad, Sharmila had said she and other leaders will meet the top leadership of the Congress, including Kharge, and make a "crucial" announcement in Delhi. Sharmila is the younger sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. She said it was her father's dream to see Rahul Gandhi as prime minister and she would be happy to contribute to it. Sharmil

Startup India has become vehicle to garner publicity for PM: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged on Tuesday that the Narendra Modi government is only drum-beating about the National Startup Day and that "Startup India" has become a vehicle to garner publicity for the prime minister as it has fallen short on delivery. He also asked the government why has it not provided tax benefits to 97.5 per cent of the recognised startups in the country. "The Modi government is drumbeating and telling us to celebrate National Start Up Day. But our startup entrepreneurs, creative people and our jobless young have been pushed to the wall, since the launch of 'Startup India' in 2016 by PM Modi," Kharge said in a post on X. He said the Congress wants to ask three direct questions -- "The BJP promised Rs 20,000 crore for Startup Seed Fund in its 2019 manifesto. What happened to that? Reality: They have approved a pittance of Rs 525.27 crore for it, that also for a 4-year period starting 2021-22." "Is it true that 1,00,000 people have lost jobs in ...