Page 42 - Rahul Gandhi

Promises of 'Raja' false, speeches hollow: Rahul Gandhi in attack on PM

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue of unemployment, saying the promises of "Raja (king)" are false and speeches hollow. Gandhi shared a chart on Twitter showing the number of jobs lost in public sector undertakings like Coal India and LIC between 2020 to 2022. "The dreams of the youth are true, but the promises of the 'Raja' are false, and the speeches are hollow. If one had worked with integrity and honesty, how could employment have decreased instead of increasing?" he said in a tweet in Hindi. Gandhi has been using "Raja" barb to attack Modi. In a Facebook Post in Hindi, Gandhi alleged that with elections over in Uttar Pradesh, "free ration is over". "Now Antyodaya and eligible Grihasthi card holders will not get free ration in Uttar Pradesh. Now the poor will get wheat at Rs 2 per kg and rice at Rs 3 per kg from the government ration shops," Gandhi said. "The middle class people struggling with inflation are somehow liv

Exits of Azad, Sibal leave Congress' G-23 change seekers in disarray

Ghulam Nabi Azad's resignation from the Congress on Friday marked the most high-profile exit of one of the "Group of 23" (G-23) leaders, who had written to party chief Sonia Gandhi two years ago for a "collective and inclusive leadership" in the organisation, exposing the faultlines in the grand old party. The G-23, the members of which were lampooned by the party loyalists after their letter became public on August 24, 2020, has virtually disintegrated over the last two years with the resignations of Azad and Kapil Sibal, seen as the prime movers of the initiative, and others such as Shashi Tharoor, M Veerappa Moily and Mukul Wasnik making peace with the high-command. Leaders such as Jitin Prasada and Yogananda Shastri have also quit the Congress to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) respectively. Prasada is a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government now, while Shastri heads the Delhi unit of the NCP. Former Union minister Anand Sharma, w

Content of Ghulam Nabi Azad's letter not factual, timing awful: Congress

The Congress on Friday said the contents of Ghulam Nabi Azad's resignation letter were "not factual" and its timing was "awful", while asserting that it was most unfortunate that it came at a time when the entire party organisation was engaged in combating the BJP on key issues like price rise and polarisation. Congress sources said Azad's observations in the letter were more of a "personal vilification" targeting Rahul Gandhi. Addressing a press conference on Azad's resignation, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "It is most unfortunate, most regrettable that this has happened, when the Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and the entire Congress Party organization, across the country is engaged in confronting, combating, fighting the BJP on issues of 'mehangai (price rise)', unemployment and polarization." The entire Congress organisation in the last couple of weeks has been involved in preparing for the 'Mehangai Par Halla Bol rally'

Party election a farce, Rahul immature, coterie running the show: Azad

Ghulam Nabi Azad has blasted Rahul Gandhi and his coterie for the dismal performance of the party and termed the entire organisational election process a "farce and a sham"

Congress chief election likely to be delayed by a few weeks, say reports

The election of Congress president that was to end by September 20 is likely to be delayed by a few weeks with the party focused on the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' and some state units not completing formalities, sources said Thursday. The Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party's highest decision-making body, will hold a virtual meeting on Sunday to approve the exact schedule for the election. Congress president Sonia Gandhi will preside over the CWC meeting. The Congress had announced in October last year that the election of the new party president will be held between August 21 and September 20 this year. The CWC had decided that elections for block committees and one member each of the Pradesh Congress Committees will be held from April 16 to May 31, district committee chiefs will be elected between June 1 and July 20, PCC chiefs and AICC members between July 21 and August 20, and AICC president between August 21 and September 20. Sources said the process will be delayed by a few

Will Rahul Gandhi, Congress apologise on Pegasus issue: BJP on SC verdict

The BJP claimed on Thursday that the opposition's attack on the government over the Pegasus issue was all part of a "motivated campaign" aimed at weakening Prime Minister Narendra Modi. BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad wondered if Rahul Gandhi and the Congress will apologise after the Supreme Court-appointed panels probing the unauthorised use of Pegasus found some kind of malware in five mobile phones out of the 29 examined but could not conclude if it was due to the Israeli spyware. Opposition parties, so called intellectuals, some NGOs and a section of media ran a sustained campaign against the government, Prasad told a press conference. He also alleged that the Congress has so much animus against Modi and his government that it resorts to falsehood to expand the party but ends up shrinking further after its lies are exposed. He cited the Congress campaign against the government over the issue of Rafale aircraft purchase and the Central Vista project and

Nobody knows what will be decided: Gehlot on Congress President speculation

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday sought to downplay speculation that he could be made Congress chief, saying nobody knows what will be decided. Gehlot's meeting with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi led to the buzz that the two may have discussed the possibility of him being the next party president. "Sonia (Gandhi) ji has gone abroad for a checkup. (K C) Venugopal ji and me paid a courtesy call on her yesterday when we were going to Gujarat," he told reporters. Asked about the possibility of him being Congress president, Gehlot said, "This has been doing the rounds in the media for a long time. You keep talking about it. Nobody knows what is going to be decided." The veteran Congress leader added that he is concentrating on the two responsibilities given to him -- senior observer for the upcoming Gujarat assembly polls and chief minister of Rajasthan. He asserted that his efforts were directed at ensuring the Congress government is repeated in Rajasthan. Pressed by

Amid Rahul's reluctance, Sonia urges Gehlot to lead Congress: Report

Amid the countdown to the elections of the Congress party's president, the turbulence over the chief candidate's name still prevailed on Wednesday

Rahul, Priyanka to accompany Sonia Gandhi for medical check-ups abroad

Congress president Sonia Gandhi will be travelling abroad for medical check-ups and Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will accompany her, the party said on Tuesday. The party did not divulge any specific dates of travel or their places of visit but said Rahul Gandhi will address the Congress' 'Mehangai Par Halla Bol' rally here on September 4, 2022. "Congress President Sonia Gandhi will be travelling abroad for medical check-ups. She will also visit her ailing mother before she returns to New Delhi," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a statement. Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi will be travelling with the Congress president, he said. "Rahul Gandhi will address the Congress' 'Mehangai Par Halla Bol' rally in New Delhi on September 4, 2022," Ramesh said.

Congress yet to decide on dates to elect party president, says report

While sources said that the top choice is Ashok Gehlot, the Rajasthan Chief Minister had said on Monday that Rahul Gandhi should re-think his decision as it will demoralise the party workers

Cong launches website for 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', scheduled to begin on Sep 7

The yatra will pass through 12 states and culminate in Jammu and Kashmir - spanning a distance of nearly 3,500 kilometres in a time period of about 150 days.

Ease of doing drug business, Rahul attack on PM over Gujarat 'drug hauls'

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over multiple drug hauls from Gujarat and asked for how long he would be silent on the matter. His attack came days after the Anti Narcotics Cell (ANC) of Mumbai Police busted a mephedrone manufacturing unit in Gujarat and seized drugs worth Rs 1,026 crore. " 'Ease of doing drug business' in Gujarat? Mr Prime Minister, answer these questions. Drugs worth thousands of crores are reaching Gujarat. Who is spreading this poison in the holy land of Gandhi-Patel," the former Congress chief said in a tweet in Hindi. Posing a series of questions, he asked why the port owner had not been questioned so far despite drugs being recovered time and again. "Why are NCB and other government agencies still not able to nab 'Narcos' running drug cartels in Gujarat?" Gandhi said. "Narcos" is the title of a Netflix series on drug cartels in Colombia. Who are the people sitting in the government of the Centre and in Gujarat wh

Rahul Gandhi to launch Bharat Jodo Yatra after 'Dhyan' at TN Rajiv memorial

After paying homage and meditating on September 7 at the Sriperumbudur memorial, the site of assassination of his father Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi would launch the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' in Kanyakumari, a party leader said on Monday. Significantly, this is the first visit of Rahul Gandhi to the Sriperumbudur memorial near here. Leader of the Congress Legislature Party, K Selvaperunthagai told PTI: "Our leader, Rahul Gandhi Ji will be visiting the memorial on September 7. He will meditate, pay homage, pray and seek the blessings of his father Rajiv Gandhi Ji before launching the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kanyakumari." Security officials would soon visit the Sriperumbudur memorial as part of the advance liaison and preparatory drill, he said. Congress party sources indicated that work is on to ensure that appropriate arrangements are made at Sriperumbudur befitting the solemn occasion and taking into account the objective of the party's nation-wide yatra. Prayers, a

Govt earning more from taxes on common people than on corporates: Rahul

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday accused the government of imposing high taxes on common people and reducing tax to its "friends". Taking to Twitter, he also shows a graph alleging that the government is earning more revenue from taxes on common people and less from corporates due to lower tax. "Raise taxes on people, cut taxes for Mitron - the 'natural course' of action for suit-boot-loot sarkar," Gandhi said in a tweet, while sharing the graph. The graph shared by him gave a comparison of "less tax on people versus more tax on people", which shows that corporate tax over the years is coming down and tax on people is going up. The graph also showed that the percentage of revenues collected by the government over the years is higher from people than from corporates. The graph showed that in 2010 the revenue collected through tax on corporates was over 40 per cent against 24 per cent revenue from tax on people. The graph shows that in 2021, the revenue collected fro

Process to elect new Congress chief underway; party to stick to schedule

The process for the election of Congress president got underway on Sunday, with the party's election authority saying it would stick to the schedule of electing a new chief by September 20. Chairman of the party's Central Election Authority Madhusudan Mistry told PTI that it was up to the Congress Working Committee (CWC) to approve the final date for the election of the Congress chief, which could be any day between August 21 to September 20. The CWC had decided that elections for block committees and one member each of the Pradesh Congress Committee will be held from April 16 to May 31, 2022; district committee chiefs and executive will be elected between June 1 and July 20, PCC chiefs and AICC members between July 21 and August 20, 2022 and AICC president between August 21 and September 20. 'We will stick to the schedule. We have already forwarded the election schedule to the party leadership and are awaiting a nod from the CWC which will fix the final dates for the Congress ...

Chhattisgarh govt working towards inclusive society: Rahul praises Bhagel

Rahul Gandhi on Saturday commended the Chhattisgarh government and Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel "for working tirelessly towards realising its ambitious vision for a truly inclusive society".

Rahul appeals to HP govt to provide help to those affected by flash floods

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday appealed to the government of Himachal Pradesh to provide all possible help to those affected by flash floods and landslides in the state. "There has been heavy destruction in Himachal Pradesh due to landslides, cloudbursts and floods. News of mishaps coming from different parts of the state is very saddening," Gandhi said in a Facebook post in Hindi. "I appeal to the government to provide all possible help to those affected as soon as possible. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured," he said. Gandhi also expressed condolences to the bereaved families. At least 31 people were killed, 22 of them in Himachal Pradesh alone, as heavy monsoon rains triggered flash floods, landslides, and house collapses, upending normal life across large swathes of the country. The fatalities included four each in Uttarakhand and Odisha, and one in Jharkhand. Heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh since Friday caused landslides and flash floods, with offici

Rahul, Priyanka pay tributes to Rajiv Gandhi on 78th birth anniversary

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra paid tributes to their late father Rajiv Gandhi on his 78th birth anniversary at the Veer Bhumi here

Country seeing difference between PM's words, deeds: Rahul on Bilkis case

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi targeted PM Narendra Modi over the release of the convicts in the Bilkis Bano case and said the entire country is seeing the difference between his words and deeds

Rahul Gandhi greets people on Independence day, share Nehru's quote

Sharing a quote from the country's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru's 'Tryst with Destiny' speech, Rahul also posted a montage of pictures highlighting India's rich cultural tradition