Gates interacted with the locals, especially women self-help groups, and promised he would develop the area as a hub for information technology (IT).
"Some parts of West Bengal like Purulia had been described as the most backward in the country. A comparison of the socio-economic indicators of Purulia with those in Rae Bareli and Amethi will tell the real story," an editorial in the CPI-M mouthpiece People's Democracy said.
While people voted in a fifth round that will set the tone as this election rounds into the straight, and while Modi on the stump chews the cud of personal grievances and hackneyed promises that have long since passed their use-by date, there is a rogue wave rising -- what damage it will do, we will know 16 days from today, observes Prem Panicker.
While grinding poverty remains in Amethi, the Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyojna, an umbrella body of 1,200 self-help groups, has helped several women feed their families.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday declared 13 candidates from Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha polls including actor Arun Govil, who played Lord Ram in popular TV serial Ramayan, from Meerut, while replacing sitting MP Varun Gandhi from Pilibhit with state minister Jitin Prasada.
A nominal Rs 1 would be charged from youths as entry fee to these gyms
Is it is necessary to play divisive politics to succeed in the next general elections? asks Dr Sudhir Bisht.
The SP chief said, "If the Congress behaves like this, who will stand with them."
'The Constitution of India defeated the BJP.'
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday dubbed the electoral bonds as the 'world's biggest extortion scheme' and alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the 'champion of corruption'.
Exigencies of electoral politics and individual ambitions often stoke family feuds and sibling rivalries.
For the first time in his political career, he failed to carry his party to even a working majority -- and again, for the first time in his career, he finds himself in a situation where he cannot rule by dictatorial fiat, points out Prem Panicker.
Rai said that the terminology was part of the regional dialect and there was nothing obscene about it.
'People in politics have lost the value of being connected to their own people.' 'Now it's all about vote share, vote bank, how many parties can you break and make them join you.'
Opening a new front with the Congress, the Mayawati government on Thursday created a new district named after Dalit icon Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj that would include Amethi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Lok Sabha constituency.
The bench comprising Justice Pradeep Kant and Justice Rituraj Awasthi on Wednesday stayed the Mayawati government's notification of July 1, whereby Chattrapati Shahuji Maharaj Nagar district had come into being.
Amethi, the parliamentary constituency of Congress icon Rahul Gandhi, is expected to get the country's first 'Discovery Park' which will travel from Indiana in the United States to Uttar Pradesh.
The BJP's top leadership will drop its MPs found to be facing anti-incumbency, according to its internal surveys -- a pivotal tactic to ensure the party achieves its target of winning 370 seats.
There were verbal exchanges between members of Congress and treasury benches after Leader of the Congress Mallikarjun Kharge referred to the food park scrapped by the Narendra Modi government.
'Commentators have said that dealing with allies as equals will make Modi more sensitive.' 'Remember that the people Modi is dealing with are equally autocratic in their own lairs.' 'Further, Modi always has handy the threat of dissolving Parliament and calling for fresh polls.' 'Most of his own party, and certainly his allies and opponents having blown their budgets of efforts and resources in the just concluded elections, have no stomach for this.' 'They are all greatly looking forward to the loaves and fishes of office on offer.' 'That gives Modi an unbeatable advantage in any push-comes-to-shove situation,' explains Shreekant Sambrani.
Party treasurer Ajay Maken has claimed that "democracy will be over if the action of probe agencies goes unchecked" and said the Congress has full faith in the judiciary.
In what was seen as a huge surprise for his constituents, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi will visit his parliamentary constituency of Amethi with Microsoft chief Bill Gates. The visit was kept a closely guarded secret until the news broke out late on Monday evening.
Rae Bareli and Amethi -- the respective parliamentary constituencies of United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, have ceased to enjoy a VVIP status, following withdrawal of "no power cut" order by the Akhilesh Yadav government.
72 year-old washerman, Pancham Lal, who is accorded 'VIP' status on polling days, was the first to cast his vote in the erstwhile princely state. Sharat Pradhan reports
AICC general secretary and Amethi MP Rahul Gandhi will be on a two-day tour of his constituency from January 14, Congress sources said today.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday announced Prime Minister Narendra Modi will fight again from Varanasi in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as it named 34 Union ministers in the first list of 195 candidates.
The forest department officials have filed a case against Arif under relevant sections of the wildlife protection act and issued him a notice, asking him to appear and record his statement.
It submitted a memorandum to UP Governor Vishnukant Shastri seeking a review of the governments decision to rename Amethi district after Chatrapati Sahuji Maharaj.
'His way of communication is different than the first yatra.' 'Maybe his anger and frustration stems from the fact that no one is asking hard questions to the government and he is trying to do that.'
In a veiled attack on Narendra Modi, Priyanka Gandhi on Friday said there is a leader in the country who wants power for himself and makes repeated demands to strengthen him.
Ending suspense, the Bharatiya Janata Party has picked actor-turned-politician Smriti Irani to take on Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi in Amethi.
'For the last two elections, the Congress manifesto has been thrown into the dustbin.' 'This manifesto will also be thrown into the dustbin.'
In spite of its not-so-cordial relationship, the Samajwadi Party and the Congress could join forces to counter Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi if he contests the next Lok Sabha election from Lucknow or Varanasi. Anita Katyal reports
She further said that Rahul Gandhi's words were not driven by animosity, despite his disqualification and subsequent legal victory.
'I don't want to give any headline to the media as at present my focus is on the Bharat Jodo Yatra'
In a video Smriti Irani lambasted Rahul Gandhi for not paying obeisance at the Swami Vivekananda memorial in Kanyakumari from where he set out on the yatra five days ago.
Anger cannot be an end in itself to Rahul Gandhi's politics -- it must instead catalyse a new political strategy, argues Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
Bharatiya Janata Party member of Parliament Varun Gandhi on Wednesday pitched for the release of a sarus crane from sanctuary and reuniting it with Arif Khan, who had recused and nursed the bird for around a year before the forest department took it away citing laws.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances