Kerala Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph has defended the appointment of his brother-in-law, Benny Thomas, as his Additional Private Secretary, citing Thomas's public service record and political experience. The appointment has sparked controversy, with the opposition CPI(M) accusing the minister of nepotism and hypocrisy, demanding his resignation.
Ernakulam DCC president Mohammed Shiyas criticised the previous LDF government's neglect of the district and expressed optimism for development under the UDF regime, citing sufficient representation in the state cabinet and a focus on addressing key issues.
Police in Wayanad, Kerala, have registered a case after posters targeting Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Mallikarjun Kharge appeared on the walls of the Congress office and nearby areas. The posters also threatened that Vadra would be defeated in the next election, warning that "Wayanad will become the next Amethi".
The Odisha Congress has called on Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to convene an all-party meeting to address the increasing crime rate in the state. Protests have erupted following recent incidents, including a lynching, with demands for accountability from senior police officers.
A CPI(M) worker in Kerala has been booked for allegedly installing a flex board expressing support for Congress leader KC Venugopal in the Kerala Chief Minister race, sparking a political row.
Senior Congress leader M K Raghavan has criticised the party's decision to bar MPs from contesting in the recent Kerala Assembly elections, attributing it to the stubbornness of some party leaders rather than a high command directive.
Congress leaders in Kerala have decided to avoid naming preferred candidates for the chief minister's post to prevent internal disputes before the announcement of the Kerala Assembly election results on May 4.
The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a key ally of the Congress in Kerala, has criticised the public discussions and arguments regarding who should be the chief ministerial candidate of the United Democratic Front (UDF). IUML leader P M A Salam stated that such debates could lead to discontent among party workers and the general public.
The IUML, a key ally of the Congress-led UDF in Kerala, anticipates a more unified Congress party after the assembly election results are announced, expressing disapproval of internal disputes over the chief ministerial candidate.
Congress MP K Sudhakaran became emotional while paying tribute to a party worker, Kappadan Ramesh, at a function in Kannur. The event was organised to hand over the key of a house built for Ramesh's family. Sudhakaran also addressed speculation about his candidature in the upcoming Assembly elections.
Five KSU activists arrested for allegedly attempting to murder Kerala Health Minister Veena George were released on bail and received a warm reception. They allege political vendetta by the CPI(M) government.
Following the death of 22 children due to consumption of contaminated cough syrups in Madhya Pradesh three months ago, the Union health ministry has proposed amendments in the country's drug rules to ensure a tougher criterion for their over-the-counter (OTC) sales in India.
"How many gods are there for Hindus? Three crores? There is Hanuman for those who are not married. There is another god for those who marry twice," Reddy said.
AICC general secretary K C Venugopal announced the Congress party's goal to win 100 seats in the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections. He highlighted the party's strategy, including early candidate selection, opportunities for youth, and addressing alleged alliances between CPI(M) and BJP.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said that he had gone to Delhi to attend a wedding and to discuss with Congress office bearers, arrangements regarding an upcoming party event.
A hijab row at a Christian-run private school in Kerala appears headed for resolution after the girl's father expressed willingness to let his daughter continue studying at the school in accordance with its rules.
'We can't afford to fight each other.' 'We have to win the 2026 election.'
'The fiscal situation is extremely vulnerable. It has never been so bad in Kerala's history.'
The Congress's second AICC session in Gujarat post-Independence is being held on the 100th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's party presidency and the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
The ITF tribunal has rejected AITA's contention that its Davis Cup team could face security concerns during the World Group I Play-off tie in Islamabad, paving the way for an Indian tennis team's visit to Pakistan for the first time in 60 years.
District Congress Committee (DCC) president Muhammed Shiyas confirmed that seven Congress workers from the Western Kochi area were taken into preventive detention by the police in the early hours of Monday.
The government may not auction spectrum frequency range between 27.5-28.5 gigahertz and leave it for satellite services, according to official sources. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) had recommended a base price for this frequency range and suggested that it can be used for both mobile as well as satellite services. Two official sources acknowledged that Department of Telecom (DoT) is considering auctioning spectrum only up to 27.5 Ghz as sharing between the two services is difficult.
The direction came on an application filed in a suit by Congress member Pridhwyraj P, who was suspended from the party in 2019, seeking directions to quash the suspension order on the ground that it was in violation of the party's rules and by-laws.
DCC is the answer to your currency woes says K Veeraraghavan.
Ending his 52-year-long association with the party, P V Balachandran, a member of the KPCC executive committee, said both majority and minority communities are moving away from the Congress and the people would not stand with a party which has lost its direction.
Although the industry is disappointed with the government decision not to lower spectrum prices at a time telcos are saddled with over Rs 4-trillion debt and an estimated Rs 1.43-trillion licence fee dues, the DCC has relaxed the payment structure to offer some relief to the financially stressed sector.
Rs 3,050-crore penalty on Airtel, Voda Idea gets nod. Final decision will be taken by DoT.
Telecom companies have been desperately waiting for a bailout package from the government after a Supreme Court order put their statutory liabilities at Rs 1.47 lakh crore.
Regarding Satheesan, he said that "if we see each other at the venue, then we will see".
The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has bluntly told the government there is no reason for its members to roll out 5G networks as they will be unviable if 'captive private wireless networks' are allowed to be run by enterprises. The COAI, which has Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea as its key members, has written to Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw saying there is 'no business case for the roll out of 5G networks'. Permitting such captive networks will 'diminish the revenue so much that there will be no viable business case left for the telecom service providers and there will not remain any need for 5G network roll out by telecom service providers (TSPs)'.
Successful bidders will have to pay 25 per cent of the amount upfront for sub 1 GHz, and 50 per cent upfront for higher frequency bands.
The UP Congress reportedly passed a resolution demanding action against Prasada, a leader from Uttar Pradesh, and has accused his family of being against the Gandhi family.
In a setback to the Congress in Kerala, senior party leader K Sudhakaran on Thursday said he would not contest against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Dharmadom constituency in northern Kannur district.
'How and why did we lose so many seats in places where we were expected to win?'
IMD issued red alerts for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam and Idukki districts.
The cricketer-turned-politician thanked the party leadership for appointing him head of the Punjab unit and said he would work with every 'member of the Cong family' to fulfil the 'Jittega Punjab' mission and strengthen the party's organisation in the state.
In its letter Voda Idea has warned that it is not in a sound financial state, and added that it would be in a position to meet its liabilities only if the government initiates steps including allowing set-offs for GST credit accumulated so far, and permitting staggered mechanism for payment of balance amount of interest, penalty, and interest on penalty.
Emphasising that the LoC ceasefire should be maintained, Pakistan's highest body on security issues led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today said the country will continue to seek peaceful settlement of all outstanding issues with India.
The proposal may provide relief to the tune of Rs 9,000 crore to service providers.
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