Union ministers Vilasrao Deshmukh and Mukul Roy, actor-turned-politician Jaya Bachchan and Bharatiya Janata party leader Vinay Katiyar were among eight candidates who filed their nomination papers on Saturday for the Rajya Sabha biennial polls. The last day for filing of nominations for the March 30 elections is March 19. All the eight candidates filed their papers before the Returning Officers of the state assemblies concerned.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala accused Modi of getting pictures clicked in corporate offices while farmers are protesting on Delhi roads.
The former Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom has been ailing for the last few weeks
Hailing the Lokpal bill as the single most powerful anti-corruption law in independnent India, Congress on Thursday cautioned parties obstructing the legislation that they will face the anger of the people.
On the eve of the all-party meeting on the Lokpal issue, the Congress on Tuesday made a scathing attack on opposition parties, accusing them of seeking "approval and approbation from extra-constitutional elements" by participating in Team Anna's debate at Jantar Mantar.
Lashing out at Abhishek Singhvi on the draft Lokpal Bill, Team Anna on Wednesday accused the Congress leader of disrespecting Parliament by going against its commitment of including lower bureaucracy and Citizens' Charter in the ambit of the ombudsman.
Overturning its two key decisions within a day, the Parliamentary panel examining the Lokpal Bill on Thursday favoured exclusion of group C officials from Lokpal and not to tamper with the present selection process of Central Bureau of Investigation director despite opposition by at least 10 members.
Amid sharp differences in the Parliamentary Committee examining the Lokpal Bill on a variety of issues including bringing Prime Minister under its ambit, panel chairman Abhishek Singhvi has called a fresh meeting on Thursday evening.
Embroiled in a CD controversy, Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi on Monday resigned as chairman of a parliamentary committee and party spokesperson in a damage control exercise ahead of the resumption of the budget session Tuesday.
Amid reports about a controversial CD involving him, Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi has kept away from party briefings this week. "At this moment, we can only say this much that he was not available for briefing," Congress sources said when asked about reports that the leader had been taken off the roster of media briefings in the wake of the controversy surrounding him.
Dismissing BJP leader L K Advani's criticism of United Progressive Alliance government on corruption, Congress on Friday dubbed his yatra as a mere "lip service" and an attempt by him to remain "afloat" in his party.
Deploring the incidents witnessed in Jammu and Kashmir assembly, Congress on Monday came out in support of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is under Opposition attack following the controversy over the custodial death of a ruling National Conference worker.
After Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's strong attack on Bharatiya Janata Party over the Wikileaks issue, Congress on Thursday went on the offensive adismissing the Opposition party's demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into the cash-for-votes scam.
Congress on Wednesday used the Gujarat high court order on Lokayukta to attack Chief Minister Narendra Modi, saying the verdict was another judicial confirmation of his "hypocrisy" and the "double standards" of Bharatiya Janata Party.
The Parliamentary committee examining the Lokpal Bill has sought one more week to submit its report on the subject.
The Bharatiya Janata Party will on Thursday submit a note of dissent on the draft Lokpal bill to Abhishek Singhvi, chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee going into the Lokpal Bill.
Chairman of the Standing Committee on Lokpal Abhishek Singhvi on Thursday refused to set a deadline for finalising its crucial report but insisted that the panel was working on the issue with unparallel swiftness.
Congress on Wednesday termed as "barbaric" the attack on senior advocate Prashant Bhushan in his Supreme Court chambers and demanded strict action against the attackers.
Hitting back at the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress on Thursday dismissed as "absolute cacophony" its demand for Home Minister P Chidambaram's resignation, contending that the finance ministry note on the 2G issue cannot have any effect of guilt.
'Do not get into the calculations that you see on television...Oh if you are looking at $5 trillion economy, the country will have to grow at 12 per cent, today it is growing at 6-7 per cent'
Welcoming ending of fast by Anna Hazare, the Congress on Sunday said it is a "win-win situation" for all stakeholders.
Smarting under Opposition attack over the issue of Lokpal Bill, Congress today insisted that the measure is not dead and will be back soon.
The Congress on Friday sought to embarrass the Bharatiya Janata Party over the delay in B S Yeddyurappa's removal as Karnataka chief minister, asking whether the party was looking for an auspicious date and time for the embattled CM to resign.
The Congress on Friday rebutted former telecom minister Arun Shourie's reported claim that he had apprised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about the spectrum scam, claiming it was a 'travesty of truth'.
With the Union Cabinet expected to take up the Lokpal Bill for consideration, the Congress on Sunday kept it fingers crossed on the passage of the legislation in Parliament.
Asserting that it was for Parliament to take a final view on inclusion of Prime Minister under the ambit of Lokpal, Parliamentary Standing Committee chairman Abhishek Singhvi on Wednesday said the panel was not meant to reach out to or please Team Anna or any other group.
Congress on Saturday dismissed as 'drama' Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's attack on the Centre over Central Bureau of Investigation's plea for seeking transfer of the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case from Gujarat.
Questioning the Bharatiya Janata Party's "silence" over Lokpal Bill, Congress on Friday accused the opposition party of "political opportunism" and dared it to spell out its stand on the demand for bringing the prime minister and higher judiciary under the ambit of Lokpal.
The AIIMS has not issued any bulletin on Jaitley's health since August 10.
The Congress sought to turn tables on the Bharatiya Janata Party on the corruption issue demanding removal of its general secretary Ananth Kumar for his alleged links with corporate lobbyist Niira Radia.
Congress on Friday ridiculed L K Advani over his reiteration that Manmohan Singh is the weakest Prime Minister asking the Bharatiya Janata Party leader and his party to "bring some novelty at least in the phraseology".
The Congress on Wednesday took a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party over reports about arrested former Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa's admission in a hospital allegedly to avoid prison stay dubbing it as a "five-star jail yatra".
The senior Congress leader said there is no point debating now on why the former president accepted the invite to be the chief guest at an RSS function in Nagpur.
The Congress on Wednesday said that the cash-for-vote scam was a matter between former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh and the Bharatiya Janata Party and there is "not a shred of evidence against any Congress leader".
Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan was named a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee into the 2G spectrum scam after her colleague Abhishek Singhvi recused himself taking the plea that he had appeared for cellular operators in the court as a senior advocate.
The Congress on Monday distanced itself from party member of Parliament Suresh Kalmadi's move seeking a Joint Parliamentaey Committee probe into the Commonwealth Games issue, saying it was his independent view and the party has nothing to do with it.
"I do not answer hypothetical, speculative questions... This is purely imaginary at the moment," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi told reporters.
Navlakha, Teltumbde and several other activists have been booked by the Pune Police for their alleged Maoist links and several other charges following the violence at Koregaon Bhima village in Pune district on January 1, 2018.
The Congress virtually snubbed Andhra Pradesh MP Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy for his decision to go ahead with his controversial yatra, saying party discipline must be observed. "All true committed and loyal Congressmen must necessarily observe both the party dharma and Laxman rekha of propriety and party discipline," party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said.
The move comes days after Congress chief Sonia Gandhi asked states under party's rule to enact legislations to bypass Centre's three farm-related laws that have triggered protests by farmers.