Page 80 - Rahul Gandhi

Will abide by party's decision, says Rahul on contesting from Amethi

Amid intense speculation over whether he would contest the Lok Sabha polls from Uttar Pradesh's Amethi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said he would abide by his party's decision on it. Gandhi made the remarks at a joint press conference here with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. Asked whether he would contest from Amethi besides Wayanad, Gandhi said, "On Amethi, the party will decide. Whatever order I get, I will abide by that." "In our party, these decisions are taken in the CEC (Central Election Committee) meeting," he stressed. Both Amethi and Wayanad will go to polls on April 26. There is speculation that besides his declared seat of Wayanad in Kerala, Gandhi might also contest the Lok Sabha polls from Amethi, a seat he represented for three straight terms earlier, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from Rae Bareli, a seat that was previously held by her mother, Sonia Gandhi. Both seats are considered bastions of the Gandhi family and the local units of the Congress h

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Lok Sabha election a fight between two ideologies, says Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday termed the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as a battle between two ideologies -- INDIA bloc "fighting for Constitution" on the one hand and BJP, which wants to "abolish constitution and democracy," on the other. He said if the INDIA bloc is voted to power, it will be "a government of ordinary citizens, farmers, labourers and traders", while highlighting his party's manifesto for the polls. This is a fight between two ideologies. There is Congress and INDIA bloc on one hand, which fought for the Constitution, gave Constitution and democracy to the country. On the other hand there is BJP, which wants to abolish the Constitution and democracy and is placing their people in all the institutions, Gandhi said, addressing an election rally here. While the BJP-government "belonged to 22 to 25 rich people", Congress will give a government which will work for the ordinary citizens, farmers, labourers and traders, he said. He alleged that the BJP-led ...

Will Rahul Gandhi contest from Amethi? Here's what the Congress leader said

There has been widespread speculation that Rahul Gandhi, who has already filed his nomination from Wayanad, will also contest from Amethi

“Ye BJP wala question hai”: Rahul Gandhi reacts to questions on Amethi, Raebareli seats

When asked whether he will contest the Lok Sabha elections from Amethi or Raebareli, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi says, "This is BJP's question, very good. Whatever order I will get, I will follow it.

Referring to electoral bonds, Rahul calls PM Modi 'champion of corruption'

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged the electoral bonds scheme was the biggest "extortion scheme" in the world and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the "champion of corruption". Addressing a joint press conference with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav here, Gandhi said there is a strong undercurrent in favour of the opposition INDIA bloc in the Lok Sabha elections and the BJP will be limited to 150 seats. Yadav said the winds of change will start blowing from Ghaziabad in western Uttar Pradesh to Ghazipur and the BJP will be given a grand farewell in the Lok Sabha elections. "We have to ensure that not a single vote is divided in the Lok Sabha polls," Yadav said. Criticising the now-scrapped electoral bonds, Gandhi said the prime minister claims that the scheme was brought to bring transparency in poll funding but then why was it struck down by the Supreme Court. "The electoral bonds scheme is the biggest extortion scheme in the world. India's businessmen kn

INDIA bloc will win from Ghaziabad to Ghazipur: SP chief Akhilesh Yadav

Asserting that "winds of change" are blowing from western Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said there will be an INDIA bloc "clean sweep" from Ghaziabad to Ghazipur. He also urged the people to ensure that their votes are not divided and asked them to guard their booths to ensure a wipeout of the BJP. Yadav made the remarks during a joint press conference with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, their first during the Lok Sabha election cycle. "The first phase of the Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh are going to be held. The winds that are blowing from the west are going to change the environment of the whole of Uttar Pradesh and the country," Yadav said with Gandhi and other Congress leaders by his side. "Today we are sitting in Ghaziabad. There will be a clean sweep of the INDIA bloc over the BJP from Ghaziabad to Ghazipur," the Samajwadi Party chief said. He claimed that farmers are distressed as all the BJP's promises and claims have turned out to be

PM skipped upper Assam out of fear of facing tea garden workers: Congress

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's election rally in Nalbari on Wednesday, senior Congress leader Pawan Khera claimed that the PM skipped upper Assam where polls are due in the first phase as he was "afraid" of facing tea garden workers for "not fulfilling" promises. Stating that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 'Nyay Yatra' was not permitted in Guwahati in view of commuters' problems, Khera criticised Modi for holding a roadshow through the busy Guwahati-Shillong Road on Tuesday evening, claiming that it created problems for all, from patients to office-goers since the morning. Addressing a press conference here, Khera said, "We don't know why the prime minister is not coming to upper Assam. He is going to Nalbari where elections are in the third phase. Perhaps he is afraid of facing tea garden workers here as their daily wages are still at Rs 250 and four-laning of national highway is yet to be completed." Elections to five Lok Sabha constituencies - Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Kazirang

First we need to win polls, says Kharge on INDIA bloc's PM choice

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is already charting programmes for next five years calling all secretaries, and "this kind of overconfidence and arrogance is not good for the country and democracy." He said, who will be the INDIA bloc's Prime Ministerial face is a matter to be settled only after the results. "First we need to win the elections." In an interview to PTI, the Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka said after Congress won Assembly elections in Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh things are looking "positive and good." "Our guarantee schemes have proved that people want programmes and schemes that have benefits like reduction in prices. These have caught the eye of the voter," he said. Reacting to Modi's claims about NDA winning over 400 seats in the Lok Sabha polls, Kharge said, "Luckily, he has not said 'ab ki baar 600 par'. This egoistic propaganda, undermining the opposition and portraying that everything is me is ...

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Rahul says key issue of LS polls is RSS-BJP's intent to change Constitution

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Rahul slams PM Modi over electoral bonds, calls it 'form of extortion'

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched an attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday over the electoral bonds issue, describing it as a "form of extortion" and alleging "intimidatory tactics" against targeted businessmen. "There are some people in every small town or village who extort money on the streets by threatening physical harm. In Malayalam, you call this extortion 'kolla adikkal' (loot), but Modi calls it electoral bonds. What a common thief is doing on the streets, the PM is doing at an international level," Gandhi alleged. During his campaign in Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, the Congress candidate accused the BJP-led central government of using sophisticated tactics to threaten targeted businessmen. He also lashed out at Modi, accusing him of helping a few rich businessmen in the country. "At the electoral bond level, the threats are much more sophisticated. The ED, CBI and Income Tax people will come, they will interrogate and at the end of it, they will

Lok Sabha polls: Rahul Gandhi attacks PM Modi, calls him instrument of rich

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him an instrument of a few rich businessmen in the country. Gandhi alleged that Modi's job was to distract people from the real issues in the country, protect the richest businessmen in India and "forgive their bank loans". "PM Narendra Modi is the instrument of five or six of the biggest, richest businessmen in India," the sitting MP from Wayanad contended. He claimed that Modi has given around Rs 16 lakh crores to 20-25 people in the country. "But he does not talk of the issues farmers are facing in the country, the unemployment or the price rise," Gandhi said while speaking to party supporters, workers and the huge crowd that turned up for his roadshow from Kodiyathur in this district. On the electoral bonds issue, he said the bonds were a form of extortion carried out by PM Modi. Accusing the BJP and the RSS of trying to destroy and change the Constitution, he said that this was

Agnipath scheme 'insult' to those who dream of protecting country: Rahul

Hitting out at the Modi government over the Agnipath military recruitment scheme, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday alleged that this scheme was formulated in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office and imposed on the armed forces. Gandhi said that as soon as the INDIA bloc's government is formed at the Centre, the Agnipath military scheme will be scrapped and the old permanent recruitment process be brought back. In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said, "The Agnipath scheme is an insult to the Indian Army and the brave youth who dream of protecting the country. This is not a scheme of the Indian Army but a scheme that was formulated in Narendra Modi's office which has been imposed on the Army." "Martyrs cannot be treated differently, every person who makes the supreme sacrifice for the country should be given the status of a martyr," he said. "As soon as the INDIA government is formed, we will immediately scrap this scheme and bring back the old permanent recruitment process," th

Congress won't decide citizenship on basis of caste, religion: Rahul Gandhi

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday assured the people that if the Congress is voted to power, citizenship will not be decided on the basis of caste, religion or language, but on the principle of the idea of India. He said the job of the grand old party is to protect the Constitution and the democratic structure of India. Addressing a massive election rally of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in this northern Kerala district, he said that the Constitution protects the rights of every single Indian regardless of their religion, the state s/he comes from, the language s/he speaks and the culture s/he is part of. "We will never decide citizenship on the basis of caste religion or language. We will decide citizenship based on the idea of India, nothing less," Gandhi asserted. It is the "sacred duty" of the Congress to protect every single voice of this country regardless of caste, religion, language or age, he told the crowd, including hundreds of UDF workers gathered ...

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LS polls: EC inspects helicopters of Rahul Gandhi, Abhishek Banerjee

Surveillance and inspection of non-scheduled aircraft and helicopters by the agencies during poll season is part of standing instructions, the Election Commission sources said Monday as authorities checked the helicopter of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Tamil Nadu. A few days back, the helicopter of TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee was also inspected by the authorities in West Bengal. Responding to queries on the issue, the sources referred to the EC's statement issued on Monday on the seizures made by the authorities in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections. The statement referred to Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar's remarks while announcing the poll schedule where he had stressed on strict compliance of BCAS instructions on surveillance and inspection of non-scheduled aircraft and helicopters by the Income Tax department, airport authorities and the SPs of concerned districts. "The Commission during reviews had always emphasised that there will be multi-pronged surveillance

India didn't get freedom to be colonised by RSS ideology: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday launched the second phase of his Lok sabha poll campaign here by attacking the ruling BJP and RSS saying India did not get the freedom from the British only to be colonised by the ideology of the Sangh Parivar. He said the BJP and Prime Minister Modi see only one nation, one language and one leader and this is a fundamental misunderstanding of our country. While addressing party workers and voters in this high range constituency as part of the campaign, the Wayanad MP also exuded confidence that the grand-old party would come back to power both in the state and at the Centre. India is like a bouquet of flowers and each one has to be respected because it promotes the beauty of the entire bouquet, the Wayanad MP said. "This idea that India should have only one leader is an insult to every single young Indian," he said. Citing the example of language, he said it is not something that can be imposed from the top and that it comes out from inside