The 63-year-old Sonia Gandhi has created a record of being the longest-serving Congress party president and completed over a decade since she took over the top post in the wake of the party's dismal showing in the Lok Sabha polls that saw the exit of Sitaram Kesri from the post
With the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Praja Rajyam Party clamouring to join hands with the Telangana Rashtra Samiti over the demand for a separate state, pressure is mounting on Congress president Sonia Gandhi to initiate steps to deal with the issue immediately. The growing unrest within the party, especially among the leaders of Telangana region, came to the fore on Sunday with Congress Working Committee member G Venkat Swamy openly supporting the demand for Telangana.
Former Kerala Chief Minister and Congress working committee member K Karunakaran's condition remains critical. The 91-year old Congress leader was admitted to a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.
A one day meeting of the All India Congress Committee is being held on Tuesday at Delhi's newly refurbished Talkatora stadium even as Sonia Gandhi, the president of the 125 year old Indian National Congress is all set to once again be authorised by the members to nominate the Congress Working Committee, the highest decision making body of the congress party.
Virtually cocking a snook at the Congress Working Committee which had criticised Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar failing to control the price rise, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh praised the Pawar for doing a splendid job. The praise came just a day after the CWC meeting, when the prime minister addressed the chief ministers during a conclave on price rise.
Attlee said Great Britain had concluded that the Indian element of the army was no longer reliable and that Netaji's Indian National Army had demonstrated that. That had shaken the foundation on which Britain's Indian empire rested, argues Lieutenant General Ashok Joshi (retd).
Dikshit is said to have issued a letter to all ministers and Congress MLAs asking them to follow the decision of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) and party president Sonia Gandhi in practicing austerity.
The letter was not a challenge to leadership but a parchment of action to strengthen the party, Congress MP Vivek Tankha asserted, while former union minister Mukul Wasnik said those who saw the letter as an "offence" will also soon realise that the issues raised are worth consideration.
The decision was taken at a three-hour meeting of the Congress Working Committee, the party's highest policy making body, which discussed ways and means to deal with the problem, party sources said.
Come Saturday and there may be a battle on the streets of Hyderabad between the people of Rayalseema and Telangana.
Chief ministers of Congress-ruled states gave a presentation on steps taken to control price rise.
A party source said most of the leaders, however, are hoping that Gandhi will continue to lead the party as the Nehru-Gandhi family acts as a "glue" that binds the party together.
'I think there must be some sort of a nexus between the rioters and a section of police officials which resulted in gruesome killings and arson'
The austerity bug seems to have bitten the Delhi Government also with Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit asking her ministers and Congress MLAs to voluntarily take 20 per cent less salary, on Tuesday.
The Congress president also hit out at BJP leader Kapil Mishra for making a statement that allegedly incited violence in the city. The CWC has passed a resolution on the situation in the city, she said, adding that the CWC believes that the situation is grave and an urgent action is required.
In the backdrop of the drought situation across India, the Congress and the United Progressive Alliance government on Wednesday planned to go on an austerity mode, with party chief Sonia Gandhi asking her Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assembly to accept a 20 per cent cut in salaries for a year. During the meeting of the Congress Working Committee, Sonia Gandhi asked partymen and the government to observe austerity measures.
Concerned over the drought conditions likely to affect its electoral prospects in the forthcoming assembly polls in four states, the Congress Working Committee on Wednesday met in New Delhi to explore ways and means to deal with the situation.
They are Congress President Sonia Gandhi's field marshals -- the 100 men and women who will drive the party's campaign in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. The "war team" announced on Thursday night included state-wise screening committees constituted under the leadership of a dozen leaders for selection of candidates.
A day after the Congress's second straight defeat in the national election, resignations were flying.
It was Rahul Gandhi's day out in Mumbai as he hopped out on to a local train and mingled with the people of Mumbai. Rahul's little detour send turned out to be a nightmare for Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, who set alarm bells ringing all the way to Delhi and forced Sonia Gandhi out of the Congress Working Committee meeting, being held at 24 Akbar Road.
'For people like me, we already have leaders, we have a leader in Mrs Sonia Gandhi, we have a leader in Rahul Gandhi'
Ambassador Venu Rajamony, who served as press secretary to President Pranab Mukherjee during his tenure, salutes the statesman and political legend, who passed into the ages on Monday.
The war of conflicting ideas has broken out within the Congress party. Though there is no official confirmation available, reliable sources in the United Progressive Alliance government say that Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh disagree on certain issues, which had come to the fore over the sacking of Home Minister Shivraj Patl.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi's adverse comments on the internal security situation was the proverbial last straw that saw the exit of Shivraj Patil as Union home minister.
A meeting of the Congress Working Committee, to be held on August 19, is scheduled to discuss price rise and drought. But Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has already held intensive discussions with chief ministers from across India and senior ministers in his Cabinet on drought, price rise and the measures that need to be taken by the government to minimise the effects of drought.It was initially decided that the CWC would be held last week.
The Congress is all set to appoint Siddharamiah as its new Legislative Party leader in Karnataka, in place of Kharge who is tipped to make it to the apex decision making body of the Congress party, the Congress Working Committee.
Congress leaders from Maharashtra Ashok Chavan, Prithviraj Chavan and Pradesh Congress Committee chief Balasaheb Thorat attended the meeting along with the top brass of the party, including Ahmed Patel.
Asked if it would not result in UPA disintegrating, Dwivedi snapped back: "Of course, there is UPA. But UPA does not fight elections. It is the political parties in UPA which contest elections."
In a move aimed at avoiding pressure from regional allies seeking seats in several states, the Congress on Thursday ruled out a national alliance in the coming Lok Sabha elections, limiting adjustments to the states. "We do not have an alliance at the national level. We have alliance partners and seat adjustments at the state level..." All India Congress Committee general secretary Janardan Dwivedi told reporters after a meeting of the Congress Working Committee in New Delhi.
Home Minister Shivraj Patil offered to quit at the Congress Working Committee meeting on Saturday night held in the backdrop of the Mumbai terror strikes, party sources said on Sunday.
"Only time will tell," was the cryptic reply from Congress general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi to a question from media-persons at the end of a three-hour meeting of the Congress Working Committee. Asked if Patil offered to resign at the meeting, Dwivedi quipped, "I have not heard the question."
Without Hyderabad, Telangana loses its charm. So, in spite of taking the issue forward by endorsing the demand for a new state, the CWC endorsement lacks the political force needed to make the idea instantly attractive.
A crucial meeting of the Congress Working Committee, the highest decision making body of the party, began on Thursday on issues relating to firming up of alliances, finalising the manifesto and coining the winning strategy for the Lok Sabha polls. This is the first meeting in the recent past in which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would not participate as he has recently undergone a coronary by-pass surgery.
With the Lok Sabha polls drawing near, the Congress Working Committee meeting here on Thursday is expected to finalise the strategy to take on the challenges from the Left and the Bharatiya Janata Party. Going to the Parliamentary polls for the first time after sharing power at the Centre, the Congress is likely to give finishing touches to its poll manifesto as also decide on the campaign theme.
'Final assault on poverty has begun. We will wipe out poverty from the country'
UPA chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi praised the courage and spirit of Kashmiri women who had "been through the worst during the violence in the state."
The party's top leadership, which is now looking for a replacement for Gandhi, will have a new team once the new Congress chief is appointed and some more resignations are likely to pour in till then.
With the Congress leadership reportedly inching towards a favourable decision on Telangana statehood demand, a party member of Legislative Assembly and several YSR Congress legislators from non-Telangana regions on Thursday said they have "resigned" in support of united Andhra Pradesh.
During the Emergency years (1975-77), Dhawan was among Indira Gandhi's inner circle of leaders.
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