Page 11 - Indian National Congress

Union ministers, BJD, Cong leaders lock horns in bypoll-bound Odisha seat

As the battle intensifies for the December 5 bypoll to Padampur, three major political parties of Odisha -- the ruling BJD, the BJP and the Congress -- go all out to woo the people of the assembly constituency, with their top leaders hitting the campaign trail. Two union ministers -- Narendra Singh Tomar and Ashwini Vaishnaw hit out at the BJD government on Sunday over farmers' issues and other development work, as they stepped up campaign for BJP candidate Pradip Purohit, the party's Odisha unit Krushak Morcha chief. Similarly, at least 10 ministers and nearly three dozen MLAs of the BJD descended on the battleground to canvass for nominee Barsha Singh Bariha. Odisha Congress chief Sarat Pattnayak and leaders Jaydev Jena and Niranjan Patnaik were seen electioneering for party candidate Satya Bhusan Sahu in the segment. Addressing two election meetings, jointly with railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, in the bypoll-bound Odisha seat, where farmers form a sizeable chunk of the ...

From corruption to Purvanchali identity, big issues in the elections to MCD

The upcoming civic elections in Delhi (polling on December 4) have pushed all the three parties - the BJP, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and Congress - into pulling out their big campaigning guns

The 'traitor' trait in the Congress

Paul Brass's research on the Congress factions in Uttar Pradesh in the 1960s and 1970s holds true even today. Factions in the party are active and alive, and not merely in UP

MCD elections 2022: Congress promises RO water purifiers to poor in Delhi

The Congress on Thursday promised to provide RO water purifiers to the poor if voted to power in the municipal elections here as it launched its 'Saaf Paani Wali Dilli, Sheila Dikshit Wali Dilli' campaign for the polls. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections will be held on December 4 and votes will be counted on December 7. Launching the campaign, Congress Delhi president Anil Chaudhary said the party's MCD election campaign will centre around issues affecting people and that only the Congress will provide solutions to the "water crisis situation" in the national capital. Lashing out at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), he alleged that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has cheated the poor people of Delhi by promising free 20 kilolitres of water. The water people get is unfit for consumption, Chaudhary said. "Our slogan for the MCD election will be 'Gandhe Pani Ka Hal, RO Jal' to make Delhi 'Beemari Mukt' (free of diseases) as clean water is everyone's right," he said. Earlier,

Gujarat polls 2022: Rahul Gandhi to hold rallies in Rajkot, Surat on Nov 21

Amid the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will address rallies in poll-bound Gujarat for the first time since elections were announced in the coastal state.

Bharat Jodo Yatra: Maha leg ends, Rahul says experience in state enriching

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said his experience was enriching as the Bharat Jodo Yatra wound up its Maharashtra leg during the day with a 'Light of Unity' show in Nimkhed in Buldhana district. He said he learnt a lot during his 14 days and the experience in the land of Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj and Mahatma Phule was enriching. "I will always cherish this experience," he said, adding he interacted with farmers, youth, women, Dalits and backward classes and deprived sections of the society on the socio political situation in the country. The Bharat Jodo Yatra, which began in Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7, reached Jalgaon Jamod from Bhendval during the day. The march, which had reached the Madhya Pradesh border by the evening, will halt at Nimkhedi for two-days before moving into Burhanpur in the neighbouring state.

Uddhav must dump Cong over Rahul's Savarkar remarks: Union minister Danve

Union minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Raosaheb Danve on Saturday said Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray must break his party's alliance with the Congress over Rahul Gandhi's remarks on Hindutva ideologue and freedom fighter VD savarkar. Rahul Gandhi, whose Bharat Jodo Yatra is currently passing through Maharashtra, on Thursday held a press conference at Wadegaon in Akola district, where he claimed Savarkar helped the British rulers and wrote a mercy petition to them out of fear, thereby betraying Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru and other leaders of the freedom struggle. "Thackeray and his son Aaditya must announce if they intend to break the alliance with the Congress. Balasaheb Thackeray spread the message of Swatantryaveer Savarkar across Maharashtra, and now his son and grandson are sitting with a party that insults the freedom fighter," Danve told reporters. Slamming Rahul Gandhi, the Union minister said, "Such statements have come from a ..

BJP distorting facts about Nehru-Gandhi family for political gains: JK Cong

BJP is trying to distort historical facts to belittle the great works of party stalwarts, especially that of the Nehru-Gandhi family, to serve their vested interests, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president said here on Saturday. The party unit paid rich tributes to former prime minister Indira Gandhi on her 105th birth anniversary on Saturday. Congress workers led by president Vikar Rasool Wani assembled at Indira chowk here to garland the statue of Gandhi, followed by the main function at party headquarters where senior leaders paid their tributes to the first female prime minister of the country, a party spokesperson said. He said similar functions were also held at several district and block headquarters across the union territory. "The present BJP regime (at the centre) is making every effort to distort the historical facts to divert the attention of the nation from the contribution of Congress and its great leaders, especially the Nehru-Gandhi family,"

Bharat Jodo Yatra continues in Maharashtra, Rahul interacts with locals

The Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi resumed on Thursday morning in Maharashtra's Akola district after a night halt at a factory. Gandhi waved at the crowd gathered on the route and interacted with locals. He will address a press conference on Thursday afternoon. It is the 71st day of the foot march, which began on September 7 from Kanniyakumari in Tamil Nadu, and the 11th day of its Maharashtra leg. On Thursday, the yatra began at 6 am from Patur after a night halt at a ginning pressing factory. It will proceed to Balapur in the evening and reach Shegaon in Buldhana district on Friday morning. On Wednesday, Gandhi targeted the Centre and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claiming their policies have destroyed the Indian economy and broken the back of farmers. He said small and medium business enterprises, and not big industrial houses, generate large-scale employment, but they were at the receiving end of the Centre's 2016 note-ban exercise and the w

Ajay Maken unwilling to continue as Congress' Rajasthan in-charge

Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken has expressed his unwillingness to continue as the in-charge of Rajasthan, where he had failed to convene a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party in September amid a rebellion by MLAs. In a letter to party president Mallikarjun Kharge on November 8, Maken cited the developments of September 25 and asked the party chief to appoint someone in place of him, sources said on Wednesday. The development comes ahead of the Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi entering Rajasthan in the first week of December. Maken and Kharge had gone to Jaipur as central observers for holding a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in September amid charges and counter-charges by both factions in favour of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot. The CLP meeting could not take place, but some MLAs considered loyal to the chief minister, held a separate meeting at the residence of state minister Shanti Dhariwal, who opposed Pilot as ...

Congress leaders Kharge, Rahul Gandhi pay tributes to Birsa Munda

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi led party leaders in paying tributes to freedom fighter and tribal leader Birsa Munda on his birth anniversary on Tuesday. They also congratulated the people of Jharkhand on the state's formation day. In a tweet in Hindi, Kharge said Munda raised his voice against the British rule for the protection of water, jungle, land and tribal civilisation and culture. "Heartiest congratulations on Jharkhand foundation day to all the sisters and brothers of resources-rich Jharkhand," he said. Gandhi said Munda's struggle and passion to raise his voice for the rights of tribals will always be an inspiration. "Tributes to the great freedom fighter and revered leader of the tribal community Birsa Munda ji on his birth anniversary," he tweeted in Hindi. Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh said on Munda's birth anniversary, it must be recalled that the Modi government has "ensured that tribal rights t

Bharat Jodo Yatra's forced RSS chief to visit madrasa, mosque: Digvijaya

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday said RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was "compelled" to visit a madrasa and a mosque due to the impact of Rahul Gandhi-led 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' and soon Prime Minister Narendra Modi will start wearing a "topi" (cap). Singh, who heads the organising committee for the Yatra, claimed PM Modi wears a "topi"- an apparent reference to the skull cap worn by Muslims- in Saudi Arabia and other countries but avoids doing so after returning to India. The BJP is targeting Rahul Gandhi these days because (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan) Bhagwat started visiting madrasa and masjid within a month of the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'. PM Modi will also start wearing a topi in a few days, Singh told reporters. Narendra Modi had refused to put on a skull cap offered by a Muslim cleric during his sadbhavna fast in Ahmedabad in September 2011 when he was chief minister of Gujarat. Bhagwat visited a mosque and a madrasa (Islamic seminary) in Delhi in September and held

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Nehru birth anniv: Bharat Jodo Yatris to get copies of 'Discovery of India'

The Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi entered its 68th day as it resumed from Kalamnuri in Hingoli district of Maharashtra on Monday after a one-day break. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said 600 copies of Jawaharlal Nehru's book 'Discovery of India' will be distributed to the yatra participants on Monday, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of India's first prime minister. The Bharat Jodo Yatra took a one-day break in Maharashtra on Sunday. It proceeded from Kalamnuri in Hingoli to Washim on Monday. Today is 68th day of #BharatJodoYatra & also 133rd birth anniversary of Nehru. We are in Hingoli district & coincidentally a fine book on him in Marathi has just come out in addition to one in English & Hindi," Ramesh said in a tweet. (Mo)Distorians will continue to distort, defame and denigrate but Nehru continues to inspire & his relevance has only increased after 2014. 600 copies of Nehru's iconic, The Discovery of India, will be distributed to

HP polls: Confident of winning 40-45 seats, says Cong chief Pratibha Singh

After casting her vote at Rampur in Shimla in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls, Congress MP and state chief Pratibha Singh on Saturday appealed to vote for development and work while exuding confidence of winning 40-45 seats in 68 members Assembly."We'd like to tell people of Himachal Pradesh to vote for development & work. Congress always worked for development & in the time to come only Congress can take that work forward in the state. We're confident of winning 40-45 seats," Pratibha Singh said.Pratibha Singh and party MLA Vikramaditya on Saturday cast their vote at Rampur in Shimla in the assembly polls.Vikramaditya who is a son of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, and also a sitting MLA from Shimla Rural was entrusted by the Congress once again and given a ticket against BJP's Ravi Mehta, AAP's Prem Thakur."We would like to request the people to take Himachal forward and cast their votes in public interest, in the interest of Himachal Pradesh - to make it the .

Voting begins in HP as BJP eyes return to power, Cong battles for change

Voters across Himachal Pradesh queued up outside polling booths on Saturday to elect a new state government, a crucial test for the BJP hoping to beat precedent and return to power as well as for the Congress looking for electoral revival. Voting began at 8 am on a slow note in the hill state but began to pick up as the morning progressed and the winter chill eased a bit. The polling will continue till 5 pm in all 68 assembly constituencies. In an early morning message to voters, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged them to enthusiastically participate in the "festival of democracy" and register a voting record. In a tweet, Modi also greeted the young voters who will be exercising their franchise for the first time. Chief Minister Jairam Thakur echoed him and said every vote will help build a prosperous Himachal Pradesh. "First vote, then refreshments. Dear fellow state residents, today is the day of voting. My humble request to all voters of Himachal Pradesh is to participate in th

Social media has enabled voices of outsiders to be heard, says Tharoor

Social media has enabled the voices of the outsider to be heard in a system dominated by elites and made government institutions more accountable, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said here on Friday. Speaking during a debate on 'Social Media Strengthens Democracy' at the Tata Literature Festival, he said social media gives voice to the voiceless and this can be seen in the way popular protests have been organized in many countries in recent times. Mobilisation through social media helped usher in democracy in a country like Tunisia, Tharoor said. He also pointed out how social media was used by pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong, and how it helped movements like Black Lives Matter, Occupy Wall Street and agitations for abortion rights in the US and anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) protest in India. Social media has permitted the outsider also to be heard in the narrative that has traditionally been dominated by elites, insiders and for the first time the outsider gets to have

BJP, Congress fight it out as Himachal Pradesh all set to vote on Saturday

Rebels could spoil the party for several official candidates

Gujarat polls: 21 sitting Congress MLAs in party's 2nd list of candidates

The Congress, which has been out of power in Gujarat for more than two decades, has fielded 21 of its sitting MLAs in the state for next month's Assembly elections. In its second list of 46 candidates, the grand old party has also named four Muslim candidates. The Gujarat Assembly elections will be held in two phases - on December 1 and 5, and the counting of votes will be taken up on December 8. Of the total 182 seats of the Gujarat Assembly, voting for the 89 seats will be held on December 1 in the first phase. On November 4, the Congress had announced its first list having names of candidates for 43 seats of both first phase and second phase of polls. But in the second list, all the 46 candidates are for the first phase. The Congress has so far announced candidates for 68 seats of the first phase, while announcement is awaited for 21 seats, including Morbi, Talala, Bhavnagar-Rural, Dhari, Kodinar, Rapar, Bharuch, Rajkot East, Rajkot West, Jambusar, Navsari and Jamnagar Rural. A

BJP lashes at Cong over Tytler's inclusion in municipal poll committee

Slamming Congress for its move, Manjinder Sirsa alleged that Tytler's hands are 'stained with the blood of Sikhs' and the party gave him the status of its election committee