A day after Narendra Modi's close aide Amit Shah called Azamgarh a 'base of terrorists', the Congress, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party have rallied together, demanding Shah's arrest and a ban by the Election Commission from campaigning in Uttar Pradesh.
The two-member commission will be headed by former Calcutta high court Chief Justice Jyotirmay Bhattacharya. Former Supreme Court judge Madan Bhimrao Lokur is its other member.
The Congress vice-president's office and staff have been revamped after the party's electoral defeat in 2014
Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Saturday assailed Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's remarks and asked him not to "divide the nation" on the basis of religion.
The number of disgruntled leaders in the party is swelling.
In an exclusive interview with Rediff.com's Anita Katyal, Singh speaks about his candidature from Varanasi, the party's prospects in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and how the Congress is likely to fare in Andhra Pradesh.
Adityanath spent hours reviewing the arrangements for the ceremony at the Ram Janmabhoomi, where the temple will be constructed following the go-ahead last year by the Supreme Court.
A bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud also ordered video recording and possible live streaming of the assembly proceedings when the Kamal Nath led Congress government would undertake the floor test.
The Congress dismissed as "very, very immature" Sushma Swaraj's remarks on Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin, saying the Congress chief can become the prime minister "tomorrow if the party decides" and she doesn't need anyone's approval.
'If the leadership gets wrong information, what results you can expect?'
The party managed only 52 seats on its own and many of its top leadership, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Jyotiraditya Scindia were defeated in the polls.
In the wake of a final verdict on the Batla House encounter case, the National Investigation Agency and police teams from several states are all set to launch another manhunt for the head honchos of the Indian Mujahideen.
'We cannot capture the mind space of today's youth by evoking past sacrifices. Politics is about hope; hope for the future. The Congress hankers about the past too much.'
Jairam Ramesh said the Congress has to be the "fulcrum" of any Opposition alliance to take on the BJP in the 2024 general elections as it is the only political force with a pan-India presence.
Yechury recounted the non-violent traditions of the country citing the Maurya Empire's acceptance of the Buddhist philosophy.
Reiterating that the secularism for Congress meant building trust among various communities, Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Friday accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi of creating divisions among Hindus and Muslims.
In some ways, Jyotiraditya parting ways with the Gandhis was similar to the saga of the Gandhis and the Bachchans, largely a story of friendship that turned sour. A fascinating excerpt from Rasheed Kidwai's The House Of Scindias: A Saga Of Power, Politics And Intrigue.
The BJP, which is toying with the idea of forming the next government at the Centre feels that it does not want the headache of bifurcating a state, where a majority have expressed a negative view, says Vicky Nanjappa.
'The only reason why it has taken him in is to rile the Congress and also to show, yet again, how fleet-footed the saffron camp is when it comes to raiding the pastures of its rivals,' notes Amulya Ganguli.
Bypolls to 28 assembly constituencies in the state will be held on November 3. In order to return to power in the state, the Congress has to win all 28 seats, while the ruling BJP only needs nine seats to reach the majority mark of 116 in the 230-member House.
The Congress on Monday deferred the election to the post of party president till the COVID-19 situation improves and decided to set up a group to assess losses in the recent assembly polls, with party chief Sonia Gandhi saying it has to put its house in order by facing reality and drawing lessons from the 'serious setbacks'.
When the United Progressive Alliance had completed four years of its second term in power, Congress President Sonia Gandhi had publicly said at a dinner hosted for coalition partners that her party stood by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh: "We respect him and stand by him." That was in May 2013.
The Union cabinet is likely to meet on October 3 or 4 to take a call on possible withdrawal of the controversial ordinance on convicted lawmakers, whose fate appears to have already been sealed after Rahul Gandhi's strong denunciation of it.
Even as Central Bureau of Investigation probes the Ishrat Jahan and Sadiq Jamal alleged fake encounter cases, at least 555 such alleged extra judicial killings have been reported in the country, including 138 in Uttar Pradesh, in the last four years.
'We need to have a prosperous J-K, where all communities must prosper including Dogras, Gujjars, Sikhs, Muslims and Pandits.' 'Prosperity is the first signal of peace.'
The suspended Rajya Sabha parliamentarians, who spent the night on the lawns near Mahatma Gandhi's statue in what several old-timers said was the first such overnight protest in the complex, got a surprise visitor in the morning -- Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh who came with tea and snacks.
However, the Telangana statehood was not even on the agenda of the assembly which reconvened on Thursday morning.
Congress leader Manak Agarwal's demand for a CBI inquiry into the godman's suicide has set off a controversy.
Patel, 71, who was critical for a few days, was admitted to the Medanta hospital in Gurugram on November 15 after he developed complications. His son Faisal said he died at 3.30 am.
Amid clamour in the Congress to declare Rahul Gandhi its prime ministerial candidate, party leader Digvijay Singh on Friday appeared advocating caution, noting that in a parliamentary system it is the elected members of Parliament and assemblies who choose their leader.
The National Commission for Women has also directed them to immediately remove these posts and refrain from sharing such posts in future.
Office space allotted to its functionaries at the Congress headquarters on 24 Akbar Road has, over the years, emerged as a reliable yardstick to measure a leader's standing in the party hierarchy, says Anita Katyal.
With election results just around the corner, Congress is floating the idea of an 'enlarged' United Progressive Alliance-III taking on board new allies and keeping their options open on leadership issues to stop Narendra Modi.
In the wake of widespread violence and protests by anti-bifurcation agitators in Andhra Pradesh, Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Monday sought to assuage the feelings of Seemandhra people, saying their genuine concerns on security, education, employment in Hyderabad would be taken care of.
Former chief minister of Goa and Congress veteran Luizinho Faleiro, resigned as an MLA and a primary member of the party on Monday claiming the state party unit is run by a 'coterie' of leaders even as he praised Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee saying the country needs a leader like her to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Congress members alleged breach of propriety and constitutional norms in the consultations Goa Governor Mridula Sinha held with Jaitley.
WhatsApp, last month, sued Israeli surveillance firm NSO Group, accusing it of helping those buying its spyware Pegasus break into the phones of roughly 1,400 users across four continents.
Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on Thursday said he would like to contest next Lok Sabha election from Vidisha seat in Madhya Pradesh, currently represented by Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj.
'Mahatma Gandhi, even for those on the extreme Hindu Right who believe he founded the politics of Muslim 'appeasement', is suicidal to target,' asserts Shekhar Gupta.
Elections for 19 Rajya Sabha seats spread across eight states will be held on Friday with the contest in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan promising to be a close affair between the BJP and the Congress.
