Prominent G-23 members including Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Kapil Sibal and Manish Tewari have not been included in the Congress list of star campaigners for West Bengal assembly elections.
"The prime minister is afflicted with an unhealthy mindset," Sharma said.
"Rai is a grass root worker, who is a sitting Congress MLA and has fought a number of elections successfully and he will be the best candidate in Varanasi", party spokesman Randeep Surjewala told reporters announcing the candidature.
The group is also reported to be seeking the ouster of some Rahul Gandhi loyalists from key AICC positions and top on their target are AICC general secretary Organisation K C Venugopal, chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala and general secretary Ajay Maken.
The meeting of the Congress' top decision-making body has been convened after demands from some quarters within the party to discuss important issues, including some defections in the recent past.
The Congress on Thursday came down hard on Union ministers for making "boastful and jingoistic" statements on the Army operation in Myanmar and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give them "mentoring and counselling".
In an apparent message to the G23, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Saturday said she is a full-time, hands-on party president and there is no need for leaders to speak to her through the media.
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Congress has questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "absence" in Delhi and his engagement in state election campaigns at a time when unabated ceasefire violations continued from across the border.
According to government statistics, Indian IT firms support 280,000 jobs in the US and have contributed about $15 billion to the US Treasury in the past five years.
The highest polling of 72.35 per cent was recorded in Sirmour district followed by 68.48 per cent in Solan and 67.67 per cent in Una and 67.5 per cent in Lahaul and Spiti. The high-altitude district of Lahaul and Spiti had recorded 21.95 per cent, the lowest, till 1 pm, but polling was brisk as the sun came out.
According to a schedule of her five-day visit provided by her Trinamool Congress, Banerjee is slated to meet Modi at 4 pm on Tuesday.
Angry members of the Congress and other opposition parties forced adjournments of the proceedings as they questioned the NOTA provision for these elections.
The battered Congress has slammed the BJP on its decision to hike rail fares, the power crisis in the Capital and the abduction of Indians in Iraq. Anita Katyal reports how the Congress is wasting no time to criticise the ruling party.
BJP president Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari were among those who addressed public meetings in different parts of the state on Sunday.
The government wants to introduce a nationwide goods and services tax to revive its stalled reform programme.
'Elections and audience interest in specific movies are often independent factors.'
Mukesh Agnihotri, the leader of opposition in the outgoing assembly, was administered the oath as the deputy chief minister.
The Himachal Congress on Wednesday said party chief Sonia Gandhi will only decide the name of the chief ministerial candidate.
Gandhi came along with Mukherjee and while the former president left after sometime, the Congress chief offered to drop him back but Mukherjee politely refused.
'Ghulam Nabi Azad and Kapil Sibal are the two people who have been marked and punished'
Hundreds of Congress workers on Monday clashed with the police during a protest against the BJP government's Land Acquisition Bill, saying it was anti-farmer.
The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance were ranged against each other both inside and outside the Parliament on the opening day of the budget session on Monday.
The Congress on Saturday hit back at Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi for opining that the party had no claim to the post of the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and alleged that his view on the matter was aimed at "pleasing the political masters".
Congress said it expects the truth to prevail after the report on the Rafale deal is made public.
Deadlock in Rajya Sabha continued for the fourth day on Thursday as opposition kept demanding a reply by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a debate on religious conversions, which the government steadfastly rejected.
The ambit of the G-23 grouping increased this time as some more leaders -- Patiala MP Preneet Kaur, former Gujarat chief minister Shankar Singh Vaghela, former union minister Mani Shankar Aiyar and former Haryana speaker Kuldeep Sharma -- joined them.
Indian industry, particularly the IT sector has been concerned over increasing resistance to outsourcing in the developed world.
Shashi Tharoor has also been retained as the chairman of the panel on Information Technology.
Congress on Tuesday dubbed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a 'dream merchant', who came to power by selling "false hopes" and dismissed the 100 days of his rule as high on rhetoric and low on performance.
Targeting Rahul Gandhi, the BJP on Wednesday asked the Congress whether it has the capacity to accept defeat of his leadership in the election battle against Narendra Modi.
Efforts are on to convince West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee to support FDI in multi-brand retail which is coming up for consideration of the Union Cabinet on Thursday evening.
Congress members trooped into the Well of the House, raising slogans against the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi after Leader of the House and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said no discussion other than on proclamation of President's Rule in Uttarakhand can take place.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday asked party leaders from Himachal Pradesh to put up a united front and help the party regain power in the state.
Hardening further its stand on 'Modigate', the Congress on Tuesday demanded a Supreme Court-monitored special investigation team probe into the "scandal".
Rahul Gandhi pressed Modi to 'say something' on the issue.
The Congress party's consistent foreign policy has made India expand and diversify its commerce base and, as a result, it is poised to figure among the top three economies of the world by 2030, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said on Monday.
Voices of opposition to FDI in retail from within the United Progressive Alliance gained momentum on Tuesday with a Congress member of Parliament from poll-bound Uttar Pradesh criticising the decision, saying it will hurt the poor and its timing was not right.
Earlier, only Azad was scheduled to meet Sonia Gandhi.
Sheela Bhatt explores and explains the Rahul Gandhi phenomenon and what it means for the Congress party and the nation's politics.
A day ahead of polling in Amritsar Lok Sabha seat, senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley on Tuesday expressed confidence that his issue-centric campaign will succeed against the "rude and discourteous" campaign of his Congress rival Amarinder Singh.
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