Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi may be well above 40 years of age, but his party activists on Friday insisted on disallowing anybody above 35 to enter the venue of a Youth Congress meet convened by him in Varanasi.
'I just invited PM Modi for Kalki Dham for shilanyas, so what crime did I commit as a Congressman?'
"At 37, I am an old person in India. The majority of India is younger than me," said Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, asking the youth to plunge into politics and prevail upon political parties to usher in internal democracy. Noting that 70 per cent of India's population is young, Rahul, on a campaign trail ahead of the Assembly elections in Karnataka, said while old (people) are to be respected for their experience, there is value and strength in youth as well.
Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary Vinod Tawde on Wednesday dismissed the allegations of distributing money to influence voters, saying he was well aware of the rules and not foolish to indulge in such an activity at the hotel of political opponents.
Sources in the state Congress said that several party MLAs and ministers, who are close to Baghel, already reached Delhi on Thursday, while many legislators, ministers and senior leaders went to the national capital this morning.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam cadres are said to be upset over AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi not calling on party patriarch and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, a practice followed by Congress leaders during their visit to Tamil Nadu.
In her maiden speech at a political rally, Sunita also asked people whether Kejriwal should resign as Chief Minister.
Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi had told United States ambassador Timothy Roemer that the growth of 'radicalised Hindu groups', which create religious tensions in India, could pose a bigger threat to the country than activities of groups like Lashkar-e-Tayiba.
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday asked party activists to strengthen the party in West Bengal so that it could be a deciding factor in the forthcoming elections and said he wanted an alliance with the Trinamool Congress on honourable terms.
Dismissing suggestions that Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi's idea of giving constitutional status to Lokpal Bill was a delaying tactic by the Congress, the ruling party made it clear that it was for the collective wisdom of the Standing Committee and Parliament to accept the proposal.
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Thursday asked party workers to dispel doubts about the party regaining power in Tamil Nadu in the future, but urged them to strengthen it by focusing more on local body polls instead of being 'preoccupied' with Parliament or assembly elections. "Most youth Congress leaders are preoccupied with assembly and parliamentary elections and do not care about panchayat and local bodies. We have to strengthen it from the grassroots," he said
Expressing deep concern over rising corruption in the country, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Monday emphasised upon the need for strict action against the menace.
In an obvious afterthought, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Friday was at pains to dispel the common impression that the statewide protest demonstrations organised to mark the day as "sharm karo" (feel ashamed) day had anything to do with the Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi's birthday.
The latest annual report of the finance ministry has disclosed that the agency funded seven projects worth USD 750 million in 2023-24.
Hitting out at opposition parties for calling his visit to Dalit homes as "madness", Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said he would continue to indulge in such an act all his life.
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Thursday recalled history and asked the people in Meerut to oust the Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh the way they had once freed the country from the yoke of the British rule.
Irani said the show of strength by the Congress is aimed at putting pressure on the probe agency, and asserted that nobody is above the law "even Rahul Gandhi".
The Congress accused the government of withdrawing security personnel from around Rahul Gandhi as the Bharat Jodo Yatra reached near Qazigund in Jammu and Kashmir.
Pointedly blaming Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi for the United Progressive Alliance's government's nod to Foreign Direct Investment in retail, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati made it clear on Saturday that she would oppose the move tooth and nail."The Bahujan Samaj Party will launch a strong movement against the policy in case the UPA government manages to get the approval of Parliament," she declared.
In an apparent attempt to invoke the Gujarati pride in the poll bound state, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi took potshots at Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, saying the Bharatiya Janata Party stalwart is pursuing his personal agenda at the expense of the common people.
Addressing a tribal rally marking 'Adivasi Adhikar Diwas' (Rights Day) in Jagannathpur village at the foothills of Niyamgiri hills close to Vedanta's alumina refinery, he said he would he would be their "soldier" in Delhi and continue their fight
The comments on Twitter came hours after the first political rally on Tuesday of the newly appointed Congress general secretary in which Priyanka told electorates that their votes are a "weapon" which should be used wisely, disregarding useless issues and tall claims made by others.
Ahead of the launch of its 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' on Wednesday, the Congress said it is a turning point in Indian politics and marks a 'new beginning'.
In a major organisational rejig ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress on Saturday appointed Avinash Pande the general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, replacing Priyanka Gandhi Vadra while Sachin Pilot was made the general secretary in-charge of Chhattisgarh.
Several opposition MPs on Wednesday greeted their Bharatiya Janata Party counterparts in Parliament premises with the tricolour in one hand and a red rose in the other, as they urged the ruling party to ensure that the House functions and all issues, including the Adani matter, is discussed.
The rains played spoilsport at Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi's much hyped farmer's rally in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday. Volunteers seemed to be at their wits' end to directing the crowds at the Numaish Ground in Aligarh.
Joining the debate on austerity, All India Congress Committee General Secretary Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said politicians should be austere all the time -- a stark reminder to two the Union ministers who had to check out of five-star hotels in Chennai a couple of days ago following an embarrassing media exposure.
The meeting was sought by the Malaysian Prime Minister, who wanted to have discussions with the young Congress leader about various aspects of his party, sources said.
If you are rich and if you have money, you can buy the Indian examination system, Rahul claimed.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday once again expressed his keenness to have Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi in his Cabinet.
Kerala Chief Minister and veteran Marxist leader Pinarayi Vijayan intensified his attack on the Congress, alleging that its general secretary, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, is contesting the Wayanad Lok Sabha by-election with the backing of Jamaat-e-Islami.
In a veiled attack on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, All India Congress Committee General Secretary Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused him of practising "politics of anger" and said it was time people switch to the power of "love", preached by the Mahatma, to ensure progress of Gujarat.
The documents, which are meant to be used as a campaign material for the party, would be available on the party's website.
A fake driving license has been issued in the name of All India Congress Committee General Secretary Rahul Gandhi in Bihar's Sarna district, following which the state government on Tuesday ordered a probe into it. The present address in the fake license was that of the district magistrate's residence (Chapra) while the permanent address was of Parliament Street, New Delhi. The license also mentioned late Rajiv Gandhi as the father of the license holder.
Sixteen Congress secretaries drafted a letter on September 2 to be sent to party general secretaries and Congress Working Committee members, criticising senior leaders (without names, of course!) for their comments, asking the old guard to introspect about what went wrong at the general election.
The meeting comes a day after Danish Ali faced verbal abuse from BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri in Lok Sabha.
'We waded through the wet mud into the school, and what we saw were dead bodies strewn all over.' 'We could also see parts of human bodies buried under the wet mud.' 'It was a sight I will never forget in my life. Total devastation everywhere.'
Rahul Gandhi mostly stayed away from the elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, choosing to focus on the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
June 19 is All India Congress Committee General Secretary Rahul Gandhi's birthday. It would be his first after the party's almost decisive victory in the Lok Sabha elections. And the party wants to say 'thank you' to the young leader in style and substance.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday locked horns with Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi over central funds to Bihar and dared the Congress leader to stop the allocation to the state, saying the funds are not given at somebody's 'meharbani' (favour).