Page 2 - Rajiv Gandhi

Rajiv scrapped inheritance tax to save Indira Gandhi's wealth: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday alleged that former PM Rajiv Gandhi had abolished inheritance tax in 1985 after his mother Indira Gandhi's death to save her wealth from going to the government, as he continued his relentless attack on the Congress over wealth redistribution and inheritance tax. Modi also claimed at a poll rally in Morena in Madhya Pradesh that after benefitting from the abolition of estate duty--a levy imposed on inherited movable and immovable assets, the Congress now wants to bring back the levy. As the political slugfest over the issue of inheritance tax escalated on the eve of the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress hit back at Modi, calling his remarks on Rajiv Gandhi "lies". The opposition party also cited the then finance minister V P Singh's budget speech in 1985 on scrapping of inheritance tax. If the Congress comes to power, it will snatch more than half of the earnings of the people through inheritance tax, Modi claimed. A day afte

Three ex-convicts in Rajiv Gandhi assassination record statements in Lanka

Three ex-convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case returned to Sri Lanka on Wednesday and recorded their statements upon arrival, nearly two years after being freed by India's Supreme Court. The trio, who had earlier served a three-decade prison term in connection with the killing of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, were met by the Colombo Police crime investigation department to record their statements as they returned to their homeland from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Murugan, Robert Payas and Jayakumar arrived at the Colombo International Airport here around 11 am (local time) on Wednesday on a flight from Chennai, police officials said. Their statements were recorded for over 5 hours, the officials said. The trio and Santhan, the fourth convict, had been released from prison in 2022 and were lodged in a special camp in Tiruchirappalli, and on Tuesday night brought to Chennai to be repatriated to Sri Lanka. On March 1, the remains of Santhan alias T Suthendiraraja, who died i

Caste census against 'Indira-Rajiv legacy': Congress leader Anand Sharma

Anand Sharma invoked Congress' historical position on the issue under the regime of former PMs Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi and advised the party to refrain from indulging in identity politics

Gehlot calls for immediate release of Rajiv Gandhi Scholarship funds

Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot has demanded that the state government should release the amount to the youths selected under the Rajiv Gandhi Scholarship Scheme without any delay. He had also written a letter to Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma in this regard. Gehlot said on X, "The Rajiv Gandhi Scholarship for Academic Excellence scheme, started by our government with the aim of providing free education to 500 children abroad, is also stuck in the new government. Due to this, children studying abroad are facing problems". He claimed that 346 students are not getting scholarship despite selection in the scheme. Gehlot said the students who came to meet him gave him this information. The Congress leader had written a letter to Chief Minister Sharma over the issue. Now again the students and their families have come together to say that even after more than a week has passed, they have not received the scholarship. "I would like to again request Chief Minister Bhajanl

Cong, not Rajiv responsible for unlocking of Babri Masjid gates: Aiyar

Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has said the party and not former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was responsible for unlocking of Babri Masjid gates and asserted that the "BJP-planted" Arun Nehru was behind it. Aiyar also said his guess is that had Gandhi been alive and been the prime minister instead of P V Narasimha Rao, Babri Masjid would still be standing, the BJP would have been given an appropriate riposte and he would have found a solution similar to the one that the Supreme Court arrived at years later. He hailed the Congress top brass' decision to decline the invitation for the January 22 Ram temple consecration ceremony. Aiyar was speaking on Friday at the launch of his book "The Rajiv I Knew And Why He Was India's Most Misunderstood Prime Minister", published by Juggernaut. "He (Gandhi) was saying keep the masjid and build the temple. The Supreme Court said make the temple and make the masjid somewhere else. In a sense, the judgement is the same as the conclusion

Hyderabad, Bengaluru among most punctual airports globally: Cirium

The Hyderabad airport, securing the second spot on the list, is operated by a consortium led by the GMR Group

40 years of Maruti 800: Jairam Ramesh recalls contribution of Indira, Rajiv

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday recalled the launch of people's car Maruti 800 40 years ago, and said Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi played a quiet but hugely effective role in the background. Former environment minister Ramesh also said that while celebrating Maruti-Suzuki and its multiple impacts, let us also pause and worry a bit from the inequality and climate change point of view that more than 50 per cent of car sales are now of SUVs. In a post on X, Ramesh said, "Today 40 years ago, the consumer revolution overtook India and its engineering industry got transformed. The Maruti 800, the people's car was launched and the nation recalls Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, who played a quiet but hugely effective role in the background." It is also important to recall O Suzuki and V Krishnamurthy who made the landmark Suzuki-Maruti joint venture possible, he noted. Krishnamurthy had earlier built BHEL and was to later turn around SAIL, Ramesh pointed out. "One of th

Rajiv Gandhi assassination: Steps taken for deportation of Lankan convicts

The Centre has informed the Madras High Court that it has taken steps to deport all the four Sri Lankans, convicted in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, to Sri Lanka. Foreigners Regional Registration Officer P Ve Arunshakthikumar, Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs stated this in his counter affidavit filed on Thursday, in response to a petition filed by S Nalini, one of the seven convicts ordered to be released by the Supreme Court last year. She had sought a direction to the authorities to release her husband Sriharan alias Murugan from the Special Camp (Foreigners Detention Centre), Tiruchirapally, to enable him to live with her in the city. In her petition, Nalini said when she was arrested she was pregnant, and her daughter was born on December 19, 1992 while she was detained in the Chengalpattu sub-jail. Her daughter was now married and living with her husband and child in London. Nalini submitted her daughter is a citizen of the United Kingdom and that Muruga

Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel transfers Rs 2,000 cr to beneficiaries

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday transferred Rs 2,055.6 crore into the accounts of beneficiaries as part of the Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana (RGKNY) and other schemes

Rajiv Gandhi paved way for women empowerment...: Rajasthan CM Gehlot

Calling late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi a visionary and a forward-thinking leader, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said on Sunday that former PMs legacy included fostering women's empowerment through measures such as introducing reservations for women in Panchayats and Municipalities.Gehlot said, "I had the opportunity to work with former PM Rajiv Gandhi. when I was just 34 years old he made me the state Congress chief.""He was a visionary & took various steps for women empowerment and the development of the country. He sacrificed his life for the country as he wanted to establish peace in the sub-continent."Speaking to reporters, CM Gehlot said, "Rajivji was a far-sighted leader. He paved the way for women empowerment including 1/3 reservation of women in Panchayat and Municipals. He also lowered the age of voting to 18 years from 21 years. He took many revolutionary decisions". On the renaming of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library as the Prime Ministers' Museum and ..

Rajiv Gandhi's political career ended in very brutal manner, says Sonia

Rajiv Gandhi took over the charge of the Congress in 1984 following the assassination of his mother and then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi

Rajiv's stellar performance as PM earned him place among top leaders: Cong

The Congress on Sunday remembered former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi on his birth anniversary, saying he was a "true patriot" and "great son" of India who made invaluable contributions in the making of 21st century India. Paying rich tributes to Rajiv Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge described him as an architect of Digital India and said his stellar performance as prime minister earned him a place among top leaders of the world. He said Rajiv Gandhi was a leader who inspired hope among millions of Indians. "On the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Rajiv Gandhi, we remember his incomparable contribution by paying heartfelt tributes to him. "With his stellar performance as the Prime Minister, he has earned himself a place among the top leaders of the world.Rajiv ji played a unique role in the making of 21st century India," Kharge said on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Rajiv Gandhi was a great son of India. He was a leader who inspired hope among millions of Indians," h

Rajiv Gandhi had 'Mr Clean' image, PM Modi has same reputation: Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has said late Rajiv Gandhi was known as 'Mr Clean', and Prime Minister Narendra Modi enjoys the same reputation. Pawar, who split the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and joined the BJP-Shiv Sena government last month, was speaking to reporters in Pune on Tuesday after attending a ceremony where Modi received the Lokmanya Tilak National Award. He said the people of Pune welcomed Modi by standing on both sides of roads when his convoy was passing. "I and Devendra ji (deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis) were in the same car in the convoy. We did not see any black flags during Modi's journey to the venue. In fact, we saw that people, standing on both sides of the road, welcomed and greeted him," said Pawar, when pointed out that NCP workers (of the rival faction) staged a protest and showed black flags during the prime minister's visit. "Any prime minister will think of having a good atmosphere in the country from the law and order point of view.

Party in power at Centre concerned about itself, rather than nation: Cong

The Congress in Kerala on Sunday lashed out at the BJP, alleging that the party in power at the Centre is more concerned about itself rather than the country, a sharp contrast to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi who put the nation first before everything. The view was expressed by veteran Congress leader and former Union Defence Minister A K Antony while speaking on the occasion of Rajiv Gandhi's death anniversary. "When he (Rajiv Gandhi) was Prime Minister he put the country first before the interests of the party. However, the party (BJP) in power at the Centre is more concerned about itself than the nation. "They are not concerned if the country burns, if there is communal violence or if there is any other form of unrest. They are only concerned with ensuring they remain in power," Antony alleged at the remembrance ceremony held at Indira Bhavan here. He claimed that when Rajiv Gandhi was PM, he ensured peace in Punjab, Assam and Mizoram at the cost of the Congress's power in

PM Narendra Modi pays tributes to Rajiv Gandhi on his death anniversary

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid tributes to Congress leader Rajiv Gandhi on his death anniversary. India's prime minister between 1984 and 1989, Gandhi was assassinated by LTTE terrorists at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu in 1991 during an election campaign. Modi tweeted, "I pay tributes to former PM Shri Rajiv Gandhi Ji on his death anniversary.

Land transfer for Rajiv Gandhi Schools going on at fast pace: Officials

The process of transferring land to the Education Department for the construction of Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding Schools in the five assembly constituencies here is going on at a fast pace, officials said on Monday. Hamirpur Deputy Commissioner Hemraj Bairwa said that the land transfer process for the day boarding schools in the five assembly constituencies of the Hamirpur district -- Hamirpur, Nadaun, Sujanpur, Barsar and Bhoranj -- is being completed on a priority basis. The land has been transferred to the Education Department in most of the cases while the work on the remaining ones will be completed at the earliest, he said. The administration is hopeful that the classes in the new schools would start from the next academic session, Bairwa said. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu from the Nadaun assembly constituency represents the Hamirpur district. The DC said that the Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding School Scheme is one of the flagship schemes of the state government. Under th

Martyr PM's son who walked for unity can never insult country: Priyanka

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday said a martyred prime minister's son who walked thousands of kilometres for national unity can never insult the country as the Congress held a nationwide protest against the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from the Lok Sabha. Priyanka Gandhi was addressing a gathering at Rajghat -- the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi -- here to protest against Rahul Gandhi's conviction in a 2019 defamation case and his subsequent disqualification from the Lok Sabha. She said the time had come to raise a voice against an "arrogant government" as barring Rahul Gandhi from contesting elections does not bode well for the country and its democracy. The Congress leader alleged that Rahul Gandhi was disqualified for questioning the prime minister on industrialist Gautam Adani and people will give a befitting reply to those behind the action. "My family's blood has ploughed democracy in this country. We are ready to do anything for this country's ...

The President vs the Prime Minister

India's Presidents were never intended to be rubber stamps, but could they manoeuvre things to strike fear into the heart of a Prime Minister?

I-T Dept's survey operation at BBC offices and memories of another 'raid'

Such incidents reinforce the impression that the government is hiding something

Rahul Gandhi visits memorials of former Prime Ministers, Mahatma Gandhi

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi visited the memorials of Mahatma Gandhi and several former prime ministers here on Monday morning. He visited Veer Bhumi, Shakti Sthal and Shanti Van, the memorials of former prime ministers Rajiv Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. Rahul Gandhi also visited Rajghat, the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi, and Vijay Ghat, the memorial of former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. He paid tributes to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at his memorial Sadaiv Atal. The Congress leader had initially planned to pay homage to the former prime ministers on Saturday after his Bharat Jodo Yatra march but later rescheduled it to Monday morning.