Page 76 - Rahul Gandhi

LS polls: Rahul, Tharoor in fray; Hema Malini, Om Birla seek hat-trick

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor, and actor-turned-politician Arun Govil are among the key candidates in the fray for the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls with BJP's Hema Malini, Om Birla and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat seeking a hat-trick of wins from their respective constituencies. Staggered over seven stages, the first phase of the elections held last Friday for 102 seats across 21 states and Union territories saw a voter turnout of around 65.5 per cent. In the second phase of Lok Sabha polls on Friday, polling is scheduled in all 20 seats of Kerala, 14 of the 28 seats in Karnataka, 13 seats in Rajasthan, eight seats each in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, seven in Madhya Pradesh, five each in Assam and Bihar, three seats each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and one seat each in Manipur, Tripura and Jammu and Kashmir. Gandhi is the sitting MP from Wayanad in Kerala and is seeking re-election. He is pitted against CPI's Annie Raja and BJP's K Surendran. In the 201

Congress' 'dangerous intentions' visible: PM reacts on Pitroda's remark

PM lying since election slipping away from BJP grasp: Rahul Gandhi

Highlights of the day: Results for JEE-Main announced, says National Testing Agency

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Campaigning ends for phase two of Lok Sabha elections in 89 seats

Campaigning ended on Wednesday for five Lok Sabha seats in Bihar where electors will decide the fate of 50 candidate in the second phase of polling on April 26. Leading the NDA charge, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally in Purnea, a seat which is being contested by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U). Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressed his first election meeting in Bihar at Bhagalpur, a seat the party is contesting after more than two decades. The party has fielded MLA Ajeet Sharma against JD(U) MP Ajay Mandal from the seat. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed rallies in Kishanganj, the lone seat the party secured in Bihar in 2019, and at Katihar, where former Union minister Tariq Anwar is trying to wrest back his pocket borough from JD(U) MP Dulal Chandra Goswami. The Congress is contesting nine of the state's 40 Lok Sabha seats, and three of these are going to polls in the second phase. The JD(U) holds all but one of the five seats going to polls in

No force can stop caste census, it's my mission to secure justice: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said those who call themselves "deshbhakt" are scared of the 'X-ray' of caste census but no force can stop it and his life mission is to secure justice for 90 per cent of population, as he hit back at the BJP amid the row on the issue of wealth redistribution. Addressing the 'Samajik Nyay Sammelan' here, Gandhi said he was targeted by the BJP and the prime minister for just talking about finding how much injustice had been done to 90 per cent of the population. "I am not interested in caste but in 'nyay' (justice). I am saying that gross injustice is being done to 90 per cent of the population. I have not even said till date that we will take any action on that. "I just said let us find out how much injustice is being done. There should be no objection to that. If you get injured and I say that get an X-ray done, no one should object to that," the Congress leader said. The former Congress asserted that it is his life mission to ensure justi

Priyanka Gandhi accuses BJP, PM of diverting attention from real issues

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleged on Wednesday the prices of essential commodities are rising under BJP rule, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the saffron party are diverting attention from real issues even during the election campaign. Launching a scathing attack on the BJP and the Prime Minister at a corner meeting in Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency where her brother Rahul Gandhi is seeking re-election, she said the BJP government led by Modi failed to address issues like price rise and unemployment. She said the Lok Sabha election is an opportunity to "protect democracy and the Constitution of India." Priyanka alleged the prices of petrol, diesel and other essential commodities have risen "exponentially" in the last 10 years of BJP rule. Similarly, she stated the unemployment rate has increased. However, she alleged the Prime Minister and BJP leaders will not address these problems. "They will not speak about development; they will not speak about real issues," t

Delhi BJP protests near Cong HQ, accuses Rahul of 'disintegrating' India

The Delhi BJP on Wednesday staged a protest near the Congress party headquarters here, claiming that Rahul Gandhi was indulging in politics to disintegrate India. The BJP also said that the Congress manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls was an "insult" to the culture of the country. Ahead of Lok Sabha polls, the BJP including Prime Minister Narendra Modi have launched a frontal attack on the Congress alleging its manifesto smacks of appeasement and that if it came to power, it would redistribute people's wealth and also give reservations to Muslims from the quotas for SC, ST and OBC communities. Senior BJP leaders, including national general secretary Tarun Chugh, Delhi state president Virendra Sachdeva, and Delhi BJP Mahila Morcha president Richa Pandey, took part in the protest. Chugh said the manifesto of the Congress "conspired" to "snatch away" property and jewellery of women and give it to the minorities. He alleged the Congress manifesto was an "insult" to the culture of the ..

No force can stop caste census, 'deshbhakts' are scared of X-ray: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying those who call themselves 'deshbhakt' are scared of the 'X-ray' of caste census but "no force" can stop it. Addressing the 'Samajik Nyay Sammelan' here, Gandhi said he is not interested in caste but in 'nyay' (justice) and asserted that it is his life's mission to ensure justice for the 90 percent of the population against whom injustice has been done. "As soon as our government is formed, the first thing that would be done is a caste census," Gandhi said. He said the Congress manifesto talks about the X-ray and the income inequality created by Modi. Modi has transferred Rs 16 lakh crore to select business people and the Congress is going to return a small amount to the 90 per cent of the population, he said. "We have calculated...what we felt is justice and that help should be given, we put it down in the manifesto," he said of the party's guarantees mentioned in the ...

Cong wants to implement religion-based quota to preserve vote bank: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday hit out at the Congress, saying the "vote bank hungry" party wanted to implement reservation on the basis of religion. Addressing a poll rally in Ambikapur, the headquarters of Surguja district in Chhattisgarh, PM Modi also said the Congress wanted to impose inheritance tax in the country and snatch the rights of people's children. Some forces want a "weak" government of the Congress and "INDI" alliance in the country as they thought that if India becomes 'atmanirbhar' (self-reliant), their shops will be shut, he said. "Today when I have come to Surguja, I want to present the Muslim League thinking of the Congress in front of the country. When their manifesto was released, on the same day I had said, and saying today also that the Congress manifesto has the imprint of Muslim League," Modi said. When the Constitution was being drafted, it was decided under the leadership of Babasaheb Ambedkar that there would be no reservation on the basis o

Group of suspected Maoists in Wayanad call for boycott of LS polls

A four-member group of suspected armed Maoists reached an area under Thalappuzha police station in this hill district on Wednesday morning, urging the people there to boycott the April 26 Lok Sabha polls. A police officer said a group of police personnel has gone to Kambamala after learning about the Maoist presence in the area. However, he did not elaborate. Meanwhile, locals said the Maoists reached the area around 6.15 am and raised slogans. The ultras also urged the people to boycott voting, they said. The Maoists were in their uniforms and were carrying guns. They spent around 20 minutes in the area, the locals added. A purported video of the Maoists interacting with the locals surfaced later. It also showed that there were people, mainly workers, at the junction at the time of their arrival.

PM waived off loans worth Rs 16 trn of his billionaire friends, says Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of waiving off loans worth Rs 16 lakh crore of his billionaire friends, and said the country will never forgive him for this "crime". In a post in Hindi on X, he said this money could have been used to cure the pain of Indians but was spent on creating hype for the ilk of those like 'Adanis'. "Narendra Modi has waived off the loans of his billionaire friends amounting to Rs 1,60,00,00,00,00,000 i.e. 16 lakh crore rupees. With this much money: 16 crore youth could have got jobs of Rs 1 lakh per year, by giving Rs 1 lakh per year to 16 crore women, the lives of their families could have been changed. Countless suicides could have been prevented by waiving off the loans of 10 crore farmer families," he said. "The entire country could have been provided gas cylinders for just Rs 400 for 20 years. The entire expenses of the Indian Army could have been borne for 3 years. Education up to graduation could have be

LS polls: War of words between Cong, BJP leaders intensifies in Kolhapur

Congress leader Satej Patil and BJP Rajya Sabha MP Dhananjay Mahadik engaged in a war of words in Kolhapur in western Maharashtra on Tuesday after Patil warned the opposition not to obstruct his party's workers while they campaigned. If opponents created obstructions, he will confront them with a stick, Patil reportedly said. Mahadik responded by asking whether Patil wanted start riots by using such language. "I want to tell the opponents not to mess with us while we campaign. You do your campaign but do not try to mess with us," the Congress leader said. Mahadik told reporters that nobody was obstructing people from other parties. "Using the language of stick, does he want to start riots here," the BJP MP asked, claiming that Patil was already sensing defeat of his party. In Kolhapur, Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj of Congress is pitted against Shiv Sena's current MP Sanjay Mandlik.

Highlights of the day: India completes delivery of 1st batch of BrahMos missiles to Philippines

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LS polls highlights: 'My mother sacrificed her mangalsutra for India', says Priyanka Gandhi amid row

General Elections 2024 news updates: Catch all the news updates on the announcements related to Lok Sabha polls here

PM Modi's 'infiltrators' remark: What did ex-PM Manmohan Singh say in 2006?

Lok Sabha elections 2024: During a rally in Rajasthan, PM Narendra Modi claimed that former PM Manmohan Singh believed that Muslims had 'first claim on resources' and wealth of the nation

Referred to Gandhi's old name due to his recent statements: Kerala CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday defended his recent recollection of Rahul Gandhi's "old name", stating that it was in response to certain statements made by the Congress leader during campaigning in the state, which according to the left leader, helped the BJP and agencies under its control. Vijayan said that such a conduct from the Congress leader was "completely immature" and therefore, Gandhi should not simply repeat what some of his party's leaders in the state tell him. "That is why I said he should not go back to his old name," he said at a press meet held here. Vijayan was responding to a reporter's query regarding the correctness of him making such a remark when in the past the CPI(M) had taken a stand against such personal attacks. Vijayan had referred to Gandhi's old name on April 19 a day after the Congress leader had wondered why the Marxist veteran was not jailed by the BJP government at the Centre, unlike two other Chief Ministers of opposition-ruled

Lok Sabha polls 2024: Rahul Gandhi seeks another term from Wayanad

Kerala is one of the few states where the Congress still has a strong presence

Highlights: Reliance Industries Q4 profit falls nearly 2% on higher expenses

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Rahul will try to create division, don't fall for it, says Irani in Amethi

Union minister and local MP Smriti Irani on Monday alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will come to Amethi after April 26 and divide the people in the name of casteism and visit one temple after the other. Addressing roadside meetings during her election campaign in Bhetua and Bhadar areas here, Irani said, "After the voting in Wayanad on April 26, Rahul Gandhi will come here to tell everyone that Amethi is his family and stoke the fire of casteism in the society here." She added, "Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party rejected the invitation for the consecration ceremony of Lord Shri Ram in Ayodhya but he will be seen roaming around the temples in Amethi. So there is a need to be careful and alert." In a major upset for the Congress in 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Irani wrested Amethi from Rahul Gandhi, who had held the constituency for 15 years. The Congress has not yet declared its candidate from the seat but local party workers are rooting for Rahul Gandhi to contest again. T

PM resorted to 'hate speech' after disappointment in first phase: Congress

Congress accuses Prime Minister Modi of using 'poisonous language' to divert attention from real issues, intensifying attacks after his controversial wealth redistribution remarks