Page 3 - Mallikarjun Kharge

Rahul, Kharge accuse BJP of poll manipulation in Bihar; slam ECI

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and stalwart Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused the BJP of making attempts to "steal (chori) the elections in Bihar, as it did in Maharashtra" last year. Addressing the party's 'Samvidhan Bachao Samavesh' here, the Congress leaders also accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of not doing its duty but working for the interest of the BJP. We will prevent the BJP and ECI from stealing the elections in Bihar," Gandhi said. The Congress has been alleging that the manipulation of the voters' list helped a BJP-led alliance win the Maharashtra assembly polls in 2024. Gandhi alleged that Odisha's new BJP government is run by industrialist Gautam Adani, for whom, the leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha claimed, the Rath Yatra in Puri was halted. He also wooed the party's grassroot workers, saying: You are Babbar Sher' (lions), do not fear anyone and fight for justice. At closed door meetings after the public meeting, the party top brass, in a mes

Cong slams BJP over Gujarat bridge collapse, says party busy in speeches

The Congress on Thursday slammed the BJP over the bridge collapse in Gujarat, saying the party's leadership and government have crossed all limits of indifference as they remain busy in making speeches and issuing advertisements in the name of "governance". The opposition party also alleged that there was a leadership crisis, corruption all around and incompetence prevailing under the BJP rule, and asserted that the people would give a befitting reply when the time comes. Thirteen people were killed as several vehicles plunged into the Mahisagar river after a portion of a four-decade-old bridge collapsed in Gujarat's Vadodara district on Wednesday morning, officials said. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, "Accidents have become a common thing in the country. Sometimes a train accident, sometimes a bridge developing cracks soon after inauguration. The country has not yet recovered from the plane crash and yesterday the news of a bridge collapse came from Gujarat," he said

Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar's proposed meet with Kharge, Rahul raises eyebrows

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar's proposed meeting with the party high command has raised eyebrows in the political circle. The two leaders are likely to meet Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday evening, sources said. Though Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have said that their Delhi visit pertained to their official work, their meeting with the top leaders assumes significance in the wake of ministers and MLAs indicating leadership change in the state and dissidence in the party. The Congress general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala is camping in Bengaluru and has been holding meetings with the ministers and MLAs to resolve their issues. Surjewala on Tuesday declined to comment on the ongoing discussions regarding the leadership change in the state, suggesting that it is no longer pertinent and also indicated that such decisions rest with the party high

Kharge used 'objectionable' words against Prez Murmu, Kovind, alleges BJP

The BJP on Tuesday accused Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge of insulting President Droupadi Murmu and her predecessor Ram Nath Kovind by using certain "objectionable" words against them, and demanded a public apology from him and his party. This came a day after Kharge, while speaking at an event in Chhattisgarh, reportedly mispronounced the names of President Murmu and her predecessor Kovind but quickly corrected himself. Addressing a public rally in Raipur on Monday, the Congress president also said that "The BJP always speaks about making (Droupadi) Murmu ji and (Ram Nath) Kovind ji presidents of the country but did the party do all this to snatch our assets, forests, water and land". At a press conference here, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia charged that Kharge used "objectionable words for President Droupadi Murmu ji and former President Ram Nath Kovind ji. This shows the "anti-Dalit, anti-Adivasi and anti-Constitution" mindset of the Congress in its DNA, he ...

Opportunist govt destroyed law and order in Bihar: Kharge takes dig at NDA

Taking to X, Kharge highlighted the rising crime in the state, noting yesterday's Purnia witchcraft murder case and the murders of businessmen in the state

When people rise, BJP backtracks: Kharge on revision of electoral rolls

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused the BJP on Sunday of conspiring to deprive the people of Bihar of their voter rights through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and said the voters of the state would teach the saffron party a lesson for its attack on democracy and the Constitution. He cited a new advertisement issued by the Election Commission (EC), urging the voters of Bihar to only fill a form under the SIR, and alleged that "when people rise, BJP backtracks". "With the support of the Election Commission, the master plan that the BJP had devised to deprive crores of people in Bihar of their voting rights now seems to be ensnaring the BJP itself," Kharge alleged in a post in Hindi on X. He said from the very first day, the Congress has been raising its voice against the SIR. "Why are people who have been voting election after election being asked to show their documents for voting? "Forcibly depriving the poor, weak, deprived, Dalits, oppressed a

Surjewala rules out leadership reshuffle amid Karnataka Congress buzz

Congress General Secretary Randeep Surjewala's visit to Karnataka gained significance after several MLAs recently expressed their dissatisfaction with the government's functioning

Will fight tooth and nail if any word is touched in Constitution: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said that the party will fight tooth and nail if any word is touched in the Constitution. He was reacting to RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale's call to review the words 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble. Speaking to reporters at his house in Bengaluru, Kharge called Hosabale "a man of Manusmriti". "He doesn't want the poor class people to come up. And what was practiced thousands of years ago, he wants the same to continue. That's why he doesn't like socialism, secularism and liberty, equality and fraternity," the Congress president said. According to Kharge, this is not only Hosabale's line, but that of RSS' line. Hosabale, while addressing an event on the Emergency recently, said that "the preamble of the Constitution Baba Saheb Ambedkar made never had these words." "During the Emergency, when fundamental rights were suspended, Parliament did not work, and judiciary became lame, then these words were added." The

'Wings are yours': Tharoor posts cryptic message after Kharge's Modi snub

Congress chief Kharge criticised Tharoor for praising PM Modi in a recent article on Operation Sindoor; the MP responded with a poetic post, fuelling talk of internal dissent

Kharge slams Centre's Emergency commemoration as political diversion

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accuses the BJP of distracting from its failures with a circular on 'Samvidhan Hatya Divas', and calls the Modi govt an 'undeclared emergency'

'Modi first, country later': Kharge takes dig at Tharoor over PM remarks

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge criticises Shashi Tharoor for repeatedly praising PM Modi amid internal rift over Operation Sindoor and growing differences within the party

PM Modi wishes Prez Murmu on birthday, praises her efforts to empower poor

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted President Droupadi Murmu on her 67th birthday on Friday, and said her life and leadership continue to inspire crores of people across the country. "Warmest birthday wishes to Rashtrapati Ji. Her life and leadership continue to inspire crores of people across the country. Her unwavering commitment to public service, social justice and inclusive development are a beacon of hope and strength for everyone," Modi said on X. "She has always worked to empower the poor and downtrodden. May she be blessed with a long and healthy life in service of the people," he added. Murmu is India's first tribal president and assumed the office in 2022.

Making cuts in implementation of MGNREGA crime against Constitution: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday alleged that the Modi government is trying to destroy MGNREGA and said making cuts in the implementation of this scheme is a "crime against the Constitution". The Congress president shared on X a media report which claimed that for the first time, the government has capped spending under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) at 60 per cent of its annual allocation for the first half of the financial year 2025-26. In a post in Hindi on X, Kharge said, "The Modi government is trying to destroy MGNREGA, the lifeline of the poor. The Modi government has now fixed the limit of MGNREGA expenditure at 60% for the first 6 months of the year". Making cuts in the implementation of MGNREGA, which ensures the Right to Work under the Constitution, is a "crime against the Constitution", he said. Posing questions from the Congress' side, Kharge asked whether the Modi government is doing this only because it wants to

Karnataka to finalise caste census timeline, complete survey in 90 days

The Karnataka cabinet will decide the timeline for the caste re-enumeration to be conducted in the state within 90 days, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said on Tuesday, promising a "transparent" process that protects the interests of all sections of society. He was speaking after the party announced the decision on the caste recount following a high-level meeting with Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was also among the leaders present during the deliberations. "Several ministers and communities have expressed apprehensions, and keeping this in mind, the party leadership has decided to re-enumerate castes in the state," Siddaramaiah told reporters. "We have agreed to that. The party has decided to complete the survey and submit the report within 90 days." Shivakumar, who is also the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, emphasised that the census would be conducted transparently while taking all

Last 11 years a blow to country's democracy, economy, social fabric: Kharge

The Congress on Monday said the Modi government in the last 11 years has dealt a deep blow to the country's democracy, economy and social fabric. In a post on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the government has only "smeared the ink of dictatorship" on every page of the Constitution in these 11 years. "The BJP-RSS has weakened every constitutional institution and attacked their autonomy, " he said. Whether it is going against public opinion and toppling governments through the back door or forcibly imposing one-party dictatorship, during this period, the rights of the states have been ignored and the federal structure has weakened," Kharge said. Kharge said efforts are constantly being made to spread an environment of "hatred, threats and fear". "The exploitation of Dalits, tribals, backwards, minority and weaker sections has increased continuously. The conspiracy to deprive them of reservation and equal rights continues. The unending violence in Manipur is th

Kharge urges Centre to release funds for northeastern states hit by floods

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday attacked the Modi government over the flood situation in the northeastern states, and hoped Prime Minister Narendra Modi will open the floodgates of his PM CARES Fund, where he claimed crores lie without any audit. Referring to Assam, he said PM Modi had promised in 2016 to make the state flood-free but it seems the BJP's double engine governments have betrayed Assam. In a post on X, he noted that the northeast is reeling under devastating floods, landslides and heavy rains. Assam, Arunachal, Manipur, Sikkim and Meghalaya are among the worst affected states, where many lives have been lost and lakhs of people have been affected, he observed. Congress leaders and workers must do everything to provide assistance to the people, he said. "In 2016, BJP had promised to make a 'Flood-Free' Assam. In 2022, Home Minister, Amit Shah repeated this promise. "Looking at the visuals from the so-called 'SMART CITY' Guwahati, one is reminded how Mo

Kharge's photo missing from Congress poster in Goa, BJP slams party

The Goa Congress is facing criticism for failing to include a photo of its national president Mallikarjun Kharge in a banner put up during the Statehood Day celebration last week. While the Congress claimed Kharge's picture was "erroneously" left out from the banner, the ruling BJP alleged the opposition party "humiliated its Dalit president". The state Congress had organised a meeting in Panaji on the occasion of Goa Statehood Day on May 30, after it cancelled a public meeting scheduled at Navelim (in South Goa) where Kharge was supposed to be present. A banner during the event carried pictures of senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Goa party chief Amit Patkar and Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, but Kharge's photo was missing. The Goa BJP posted a photo of the banner on its X handle on Saturday along with a message claiming the Congress has "humiliated their Dalit president." "Mallikarjun Kharge's photo deliberately left out from Congress' official Goa Statehood

Modi govt spreads lies about economy to hide massive failures, says Kharge

He stated that a promise of doubling farmers' income was not fulfilled, so they had to eat rubber bullets, whereas women's security is currently in tatters

Jawaharlal Nehru death anniversary: PM Modi, other top leaders pay tributes

Jawaharlal Nehru was India's first PM after independence and died of a heart attack on 27th May 1964. Many political leaders like PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi and others paid their tributes to the leader

Kharge-Rahul turned Congress into laughing stock: UP Deputy CM Maurya

Targeting Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Friday said the "boring and tiresome duo" has turned the grand old party into a "laughing stock". In a post on X, Maurya said, "The boring and tiresome duo of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and the party's 'permanent' president Rahul Gandhi has turned the ageing party into a laughing stock. "There is a huge difference between this duo, who have little understanding of international affairs, and the leaders in their party who understand worldly matters." Maurya also said that while some Congress leaders who understand economic and foreign affairs are positive about the Modi government on Operation Sindoor, the Kharge-Gandhi duo has "donned the cloak of extreme negativity". "Ever since the success of Operation Sindoor, the duo went into mourning and turned bitter because the Indian Army entered and attacked Pakistan with ..