Page 5 - Congress

Samajwadi Party likely to take the fight to Raebareli and Amethi

New tidings are on the political horizon of UP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls

Disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from LS as per rules: Ramdas Athawale

The disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from Parliament has got nothing to do with the BJP or the NDA, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale said here on Sunday. The decision to disqualify Gandhi was taken by Lok Sabha secretariat as per the rules, the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment said here. Athawale also announced his Republican Party of India (RPI)'s decision to back the NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Gandhi, 52, was disqualified from the Lok Sabha on March 24, a day after a court in Gujarat's Surat convicted him in a 2019 defamation case. "Disqualification of Rahul Gandhi was not BJP's decision. This decision was by the Parliament. A Lakshwadweep MP was also disqualified from Lok Sabha as per rules," Athawale told reporters here. Mohammed Faizal of NCP was disqualified from the Lok Sabha in January this year after he was convicted in an attempt to murder case. He was reinstated last week by the Lok Sabha secretariat, just hours before his ple

Congress de facto 'fulcrum', Shashi Tharoor welcomes Opposition unity

Welcoming the recent "wave of Opposition unity", Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor on Sunday said the Congress will "de facto" be the fulcrum around which other parties converge, but asserted that if he were in the party leadership, he would not "crow about it" and encourage one of the smaller outfits to play the role of convenor of an alliance to take on the BJP in the 2024 general election. In an interview with PTI, Tharoor said Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha following his conviction in a 2019 defamation case has generated a "surprising wave of Opposition unity" with many parties having begun to feel the truth of the adage -- united we stand, divided we fall. The former Union minister also said if most of the Opposition parties have now found a new reason to come together and stop dividing each other's vote, the BJP might find it much harder to win a majority in the 2024 elections. Asked about Congress leader Digvijaya Singh's 'thank you Germany' tweet after that country

Rahul Gandhi to file appeal in Gujarat court on Monday against conviction

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will on Monday file an appeal before a court in Surat in Gujarat against his conviction in a criminal defamation case. Gandhi is likely to remain present in the sessions court when the plea will be filed challenging the lower court's order sentencing him to two years in jail, sources said on Sunday. "A petition challenging the lower court order will be filed in the sessions court of Surat on Monday, with Rahul Gandhi remaining present," a member of his legal team said requesting anonymity. Senior state and national leaders of the Congress will accompany him to Surat, sources said. The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma here had on March 23 convicted Gandhi and sentenced him to two years in jail in a 2019 criminal defamation case filed against him over his Modi surname remarks. It had held 52-year-old Gandhi guilty under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 499 and 500. The court had also granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to

Cong should set its house in order for role in Oppn unity, says Deve Gowda

Amid the buzz around forging opposition unity ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Janata Dal (Secular) patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda said on Sunday that the Congress should set its house in order first. In an interview to PTI, he also said there are many options before opposition parties and this nation has a wealth of leadership. Upbeat about JD(S)' prospects in the May 10 Assembly polls in Karnataka, the veteran leader who has withdrawn from active campaigning due to age- related ailments said it will set the tone for other state elections this year and the Parliamentary elections in 2024. 1. How do you see JD(S) prospects in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections? What is going to be the JD(S) strategy and focus of the campaign? My party will do well across Karnataka. A lot of people who are cynical and focusing only on the two national parties will be surprised. We are not seeking votes for a divisive agenda. We are seeking votes in the name of an inclusiv

UP Congress leader booked for his objectionable remarks on PM Modi

Congress state general secretary Sachin Chaudhary has been booked by the Uttar Pradesh police for allegedly making objectionable remarks against Prime Minister Modi, a senior police official said

Bhupender Yadav, Jairam sparred over Forest Bill sent to Select Committee

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and former union minister Jairam Ramesh sparred on Saturday over the government's move to send the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023 to a select committee of the two Houses with the Congress leader stating that it should have been sent to the Standing Committee on Environment for scrutiny.In response to Jairam Ramesh's earlier remarks, Bhupender Yadav tweeted a list of the bills sent by Congress governments in the past to the select committees."Jairam Ramesh says referring the Forest Conservation Amendment Bill to a Joint Committee is "devaluation and denigration" of processes. Will serve him well to take a hard look at how many Bills introduced in Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha were sent by Cong govts to the Joint Committee," Yadav said.Jairam Ramesh, a Congress general secretary, responded by stating that Standing Committees came into existence only in 1993 and the minister should have done "better homework""Standing Committees ...

Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu out from Patiala jail after 10 months

Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu walked free on Saturday after spending nearly 10 months in Patiala central jail in a 1988 road rage death case. He was wearing a sky blue jacket when he came out of jail. There were expectations that he would be released by afternoon but he came out of jail at 5:53 pm. The 59-year-old's supporters had assembled since morning outside the prison to accord him a grand welcome upon his release and they could be heard chanting 'Navjot Sidhu zindabad'. Several Congress leaders including Amritsar MP Gurjit Aujla, former Punjab Congress chiefs Shamsher Singh Dullo, Mohinder Singh Kaypee and Lal Singh, former MLA Navtej Singh Cheema, other leaders Ashwani Sekhri, Sukhwinder Singh Danny were also waiting for the return of Sidhu. The former state Congress chief was jailed on May 20 last year after being sentenced to one-year rigorous imprisonment by the Supreme Court over the death of the 65-year-old Gurnam Singh in a road rage case in 1988.

K'taka polls: BJP leadership meet to decide candidates, Cong okays 2nd list

CM Bommai had stated that it would take a week's time for the party to announce a list of candidates

Gujarat Cong to organise more than 300 sammelans, invites Rahul Gandhi

The Gujarat Congress will organise more than 300 'sammelans' (conventions) across the state this month to highlight what it calls the failure of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, and has invited party leader Rahul Gandhi to be a part of the same, a senior party functionary said on Saturday. Talking to reporters, state Congress president Jagdish Thakor said the party plans to organise sammelans in 251 talukas, 33 districts and eight metro centres in two phases, between April 6-12 and April 15-25. Gandhi has been invited to Gujarat between April 20 and April 25 to lend his support, he said. Gandhi was last in Surat on March 23 to appear before a court, which convicted him in a criminal defamation case and sentenced him to two years' imprisonment, eventually leading to his disqualification as a member of the Lok Sabha. The protests will be carried out irrespective of whether the police grant permission, Thakor said. Denying permission for peaceful protests has become a nor

Former BJP MP from Madhya Pradesh, Makhan Singh Solanki joins Congress

Digvijay Singh said," Makhan Singh Solanki has expressed his clear intentions of joining our party. BJP never respected him"

Rahul's disqualification unfortunate, BJP misusing power: Pratibha Singh

Addressing a media conference in Shimla on Friday, she said, "This has never been seen before in the history of the country. It is for the first time democracy is being strangled like this."

Amritpal dares to demand Khalistan due to BJP, RSS' 'Hindu Rashtra': Gehlot

"Politics is being done in the name of religion in the country. But if you take along the people belonging to every religion and caste for the country's good, this country will remain united," he said

Democracy in country in danger: Rajasthan CM over Rahul's disqualification

Where is the country heading? Democracy is in danger. ED, IT and CBI raids are ongoing. The judiciary is under pressure. How long will this go on? CM said

Rahul Gandhi to hold 'Jai Bharat' rally in poll-bound Karnataka on Apr 9

The election rally will be the first such public meeting of Rahul Gandhi after he was disqualified as a member of Lok Sabha

Congress in U'khand plans month-long protests against 'murder of democracy'

Uttarakhand Congress has readied a nearly month-long plan starting April to protest against the ongoing "murder of democracy" and a "conspiracy" to wipe out the opposition by framing its leaders who speak against the BJP-led government, a party member said on Saturday. Describing Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as an MP and the eviction notice to him to vacate his official bungalow as part of the alleged conspiracy, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Karan Mahara said a protest in different modes will be carried out in the state throughout the month of April against the "murder of democracy". The protests will include a postcard campaign, lodging written complaints at police stations across Uttarakhand against senior BJP leaders who have used unparliamentary words against Congress leaders in the past and holding political rallies across the state, he said at a press conference. Written complaints will be lodged against Bharatiya Janata Party leaders who had compared Sonia ..

Karnataka BJP MLA Gopalakrishna resigns as legislator, set to join Congress

Kudligi BJP MLA N Y Gopalakrishna on Friday resigned as legislator, ahead of the May 10 Assembly polls in Karnataka, and is likely to join the Congress. Gopalakrishna met Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri at his office here and submitted the resignation. According to reports, he had recently met senior State Congress leaders D K Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah, and held discussions. Gopalakrishna was earlier with the Congress and had got elected from Molakalmuru Assembly segment in Chitradurga district four times (1997, 1999, 2004 and 2008). On not getting the Congress ticket in 2018, he had joined the BJP ahead of the elections. The party gave him a ticket from Kudligi in Vijayanagara district instead of Molakalmuru, as senior leader Sriramulu was fielded from there. He had won from there. Earlier this month, two MLCs from BJP -- Puttanna and Baburao Chinchansur -- quit from their Legislative Council membership to join the Congress. JD(S) MLA S R Srinivas (Gubbi Srinivas alias Vasu

K'taka: Cong, BJP lodge complaint against each other about code violation

The BJP and Congress have lodged complaints against each other with the Election Commission about Model Code of Conduct violations. While the Congress alleged that cookers and other inducement materials were found at Byatarayanapura in Bengaluru, the BJP charged that former chief minister Siddaramaiah distributed cash in Varuna in Mysuru. In his complaint, Congress candidate and former minister Krishna Byre Gowda alleged that about six days ago GST officers raided a premise and seized the inducement material worth Rs 3.6 crore. The BJP MLC Chalavadi Narayanaswamy lodged the complaint on Wednesday in which he alleged that Siddaramaiah went to his constituency and distributed money. Meanwhile, Congress state president D K Shivakumar landed in trouble for allegedly throwing cash among people during an election campaign in Mandya on Tuesday. The police registered a non-cognisable offence against him. Assembly elections in Karnataka would be held on May 10.

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Shinde-Fadnavis govt must go after SC remarks, says Maha Cong prez Patole

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Thursday demanded that the Eknath Shinde-Bharatiya Janata Party government leave office immediately, alleging the Supreme Court has expressed anger over religious disputes getting out of hand in the state and flagged instances of alleged hate speech. In a statement, Patole alleged the state government has dealt a big blow to the image of Maharashtra in the last nine months. Communal disputes are on the rise in the state due to inflammatory speeches made by members of some organisations, but the Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government is not taking any action against them, alleged the state Congress president. The Supreme Court has expressed anger against the Maharashtra government and dubbed it "impotent" as due to their inaction religious disputes are getting out of hand in the state, he added. The Shinde-Fadnavis government, which assumed charge on June 30, 2022, has no right to remain in office and it should quit immediately, said the