National Politics

Former union minister Shashi Tharoor on Sunday said people in Karnataka were tired of "40 per cent commission" and wanted "100 per cent commitment" that the Congress party would give if it were voted to power in the upcoming Assembly election. He also said that the Congress was prepared to tackle the "serious deficiencies" in state-level and urban-level governance in Bengaluru and the entire state of Karnataka. I think the people in this state are tired of the 40 per cent commission. What they want is 100 per cent commitment and that's what we will give 100 per cent commitment to the well-being of the people of Karnataka, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said at a press conference here. In poll-bound Karnataka where the Assembly election is just a month away, the Congress has been accusing the BJP-led state government of collecting 40 per cent commission from contractors, unaided private schools and even some religious institutions on the grants that they receive from the ...

Ahead of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls due this year-end, the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government has appointed chairmen of three development authorities in the state. As per an order issued on Wednesday night, Rajesh Yadav has been appointed chairman of Dewas Development Authority, Pitamber Topnani as chairman of the Katni Development Authority and Dilip Shah as chairman of the Singrauli Development Authority, an official said on Thursday. Their tenure will be effective from the date of assuming charge and continue till further orders, the official added.

Week-long celebrations, including cleanliness and plantation drives, bike rallies, group meals, medical camps, have been organised in Gujarat to mark BJP's 43rd foundation day on Thursday (April 6).

BJP National General Secretary BL Santosh on Wednesday hit out at former CM Siddaramaiah, terming his tenure as the "most corrupt, indecisive and Hindu-hating government"

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday accused the Centre of double standards, saying while it disqualified Rahul Gandhi with lightning speed, a Gujarat MP who was convicted in a criminal case did not face the same action. Kharge was referring to the BJP's Amreli MP Naranbhai Bhikhabhai Kachhadia, who was awarded a three-year jail term by a court. Kachhadia's conviction was later quashed by the Supreme Court. Gandhi was convicted by a lower court in Gujarat's Surat and sentenced to prison for two years on March 23 for a speech in which he linked Prime Minister Narendra Modi's last name with two fugitive businessmen, remarking how the "thieves" shared the same last name. A day later, he was disqualified as a member of the Lok Sabha. Kharge said the Gujarat MP was allowed to attend the Parliament but a person who speaks the truth has been kept out of Parliament. "The height of the Modi government's hypocrisy and double standards -- a BJP MP from Gujarat is awarded a ...

Union minister Nitin Gadkari has asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to apologise for his critical remarks on late Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar and said no one has the right to insult him. Gandhi should realise that he insulted the Hindutva icon due to some misunderstanding, Gadkari said addressing a gathering organised as part of the 'Savarkar Gaurav Yatra' at Shankar Nagar in Maharashtra's Nagpur city on Tuesday. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said the former Congress president should show a big heart and tender an apology for his "crime". "Who has given him the right to insult Savarkar? No one will tolerate insult of Savarkar," Gadkari maintained. Gadkari, speaking in a lighter vein, thanked Gandhi for giving the BJP an opportunity to make the country's youth aware about Savarkar's life and message through the yatra. The former Congress chief has constantly targeted Savarkar by raking up the issue of his mercy plea. His latest attack came last month following his ...

Along with Congress members, MPs belonging to the DMK, NCP, the Left and BRS also wore black

Ashok Lahiri's book is a collection of thoughtful observations on India's economic journey since 1947, spiced up with views on our society and its politics

Plenary weakens prospects of a united front

BJP MP Varun Gandhi on Wednesday said political parties have encouraged an entitlement mentality and created a "cradle-to-grave" welfare state by offering freebies. Gandhi, who has been voicing concern about various governance issues, said there is a need to have a conversation about widespread abuse of public funds by offering freebies. Making such promises is an insult to voters, when many such promises are simply left unfulfilled or partially so, Gandhi told PTI while talking about his latest book "The Indian Metropolis" which discusses challenges that Indian cities face. "All political parties offer freebies now and through it an entitlement mentality has been encouraged, creating a cradle-to-grave welfare state," he said. However, he added that not every scheme or manifesto promise is a freebie free food at schools, for students, as offered under the Mid-Day Meal scheme should not be classified as a freebie, given that it helps improve the health of our children. He further

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday said the more AAP will grow, the more cases will be filed against its leaders, following the MHA's sanction to the CBI to prosecute him in a case of alleged collection of "political intelligence". In a communication to the principal secretary to the Delhi Lieutenant Governor, the home ministry said the sanction to prosecute Sisodia was granted under Section 17 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. "Filing cases against one's rivals is a sign of a weak and coward person. The more AAP will grow, the more cases will be filed against us," he said in a tweet in Hindi. Early this month, the CBI had said it found in its preliminary inquiry that the feedback unit (FBU) set up by the Delhi government to check corruption allegedly collected "political intelligence" and the agency recommended that an FIR be registered against Sisodia.

Adherence to gender diversity rules alone is not good enough. To comply with a corporate governance mandate is one thing, but to give opportunity to talented women quite another

Of the 259 hopefuls contesting the Tripura Assembly polls, 45, or 17%, are crorepatis

Maharashtra Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat on Tuesday resigned as the state legislature party head, a day after his letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over friction with state unit chief Nana Patole came out, party sources said. Patole, however, said he was not aware of any such move by Thorat and claimed that his predecessor doesn't speak with us, while the BJP said its doors are open if the Congress leader wishes to switch sides. Thorat, who represents the Sangamner constituency in Ahmednagar district, has sent his resignation to the party high command, said the sources. The Congress leader is the maternal uncle of Satyajit Tambe who recently won the Legislative Council election from the Nashik division graduates constituency as an independent candidate. An aide of Thorat had earlier said that the Congress leader had written to the Congress central leadership citing his inability to work with Patole due to the latter's "anger" towards him. Thorat also said he was n

Taking Mohan Bhagwat on after his remark that all people are equal before God, Samajwadi Party leaders have asked the RSS chief to clarify the ground reality of the caste system and get casteist comments removed from Ramcharitmanas. At a public event in Mumbai Sunday, Bhagwat had said everyone is equal in the eyes of God. All these things were created by priests, which is wrong, he said. Bhagwat's comment came against the backdrop of the controversy triggered by SP's Swami Prasad Maurya after he recently demanded the "removal of portions from Hindu epic Ramcharitmanas that he said denigrated Dalits and women. Reacting to Bhagwat's remarks that caste doesn't exist before God, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav tweeted in Hindi on Monday, Please clarify what is the reality of the caste system before human beings. While Yadav limited himself to this comment, Maurya reiterated his demand to expunge the offending portions from Ramcharitmanas. "By saying that the caste system was created by pundit

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The Rahul message has no political relevance. It's all been a gigantic waste of time - which is plentiful for Congress - and money, which is not

By stopping in smallest, most remote of villages, Gandhi has sold himself as one among the masses, and capable of counteracting BJP's efforts to push Hindu majoritarian views in a secular nation

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said some people deliberately spread wrong news about the China issue knowing it is not true for politics and by talking about some land, which was taken by China in 1962, they give the impression this happened recently, the remarks viewed as a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Jaishankar was interacting with the audience in a question-answer session during the launch of 'Bharat Marg', the Marathi translation of his book 'The India Way', in Pune. He also said the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) is a technical matter and Indus commissioners of both countries will talk to each other on this issue. Queried about some people or leaders from political parties lacking confidence in India while speaking about China (military stand-off), he said there are some people in the Opposition who have such thinking which he finds difficult to understand. He, however, added sometimes such people spread wrong news or information about China on purpose

No discussion on extension of the tenure of party president JP Nadda -- which ends this month, was held