BJP and RSS leaders are once again pushing to remove the words 'secular' and 'socialist' from the Constitution's Preamble, showing a deeper effort to change India's identity from a diverse, multi-religious republic to a Hindu-first nation, even though they don't have the numbers in Parliament to officially change the Constitution, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
With just the right amount of rhetoric, provocation and promises, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi's much-publicised padyatra struck a chord. Each step he took looked impromptu -- there were no announcements or itineraries or discussions.
On Thursday, he had visited relief camps in Churachandpur, one of the worst affected towns in the ethnic rioting, which has plagued the northeastern state for the last two months.
The ruling Congress party in Maharashtra is seeking party general secretary Rahul Gandhi's help to take on Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray in order to consolidate its position by luring youths in the party organisation.
"We are going to have a meeting with our partners tomorrow. These questions will be raised and answered there," Gandhi told a press conference in New Delhi when asked if the Congress and its allies will approach parties that are part of the National Democratic Alliance to try and form a government.
A 62-year-old woman was killed on Tuesday when a rifle of an Armed Reserve Police constable went off accidentally at the corporation office in Madurai, giving anxious moments to security men deployed for the visit of All India Congress Committee General Secretary Rahul Gandhi to the city later in the day.
Rahul Gandhi visits the Mata Kheer Bhawani temple and the Hazratbal shrine in Kashmir.
When it comes to the Congress and Wayanad, the only way the scepticism in the minds of some in Kerala may be addressed is by the Gandhi family proving that they are more than a passing caravan in town, reports Shyam G Menon.
The Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party's highest decision-making body, will hold a virtual meeting on Sunday to approve the exact schedule of dates for the election of the Congress president.
In a terse snub to Bharatiya Janata Party and its 'India Shining' campaign, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Friday said it shone only for the leaders of the saffron brigade and not for the common people.
All India Congress Committee in-charge for Chhattisgarh P L Punia and AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal were also present during the meeting convened by Rahul Gandhi at his residence.
Born on 19 November, 1917, Indira Gandhi served as prime minister from 1966 to 1977 and then again from 1980 until her assassination in 1984.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi on Saturday cruised to her maiden electoral victory, from the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, with a margin of over 4.1 lakh votes against Communist Party of India-Marxist-led Left Democratic Front's Sathyan Mokeri, according to figures released by the Election Commission.
Biman Basu, the senior-most Marxist leader in the country, pays homage to a comrade he has known and admired since the 1980s.
Gandhi claimed that Dalits, tribals, and Other Backward Classes were made bonded labourers and their participation was lacking in big companies, hospitals, schools, colleges and courts.
Seeking to challenge Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi's bid to attract Dalits, Bharatiya Janata Party chief Nitin Gadkari walked the extra mile to show his concern for the community on the eve of the three-day party meet beginning in Indore on Wednesday.
The mortal remains of former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh were consigned to flames at the Nigambodh Ghat in New Delhi on Saturday amid the chanting of religious hymns. The funeral pyre was lit by his eldest daughter Upinder Singh.
Brushing aside opposition's criticism that his visits to dalit households was a political stunt, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said he doesn't believe in the caste system and his purpose was to reach out to the poor people.
Unfazed by criticism from various quarters, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday stuck to his controversial remarks on people from Uttar Pradesh begging in other states, terming it as an "unpleasant truth".
Union minister Smriti Irani reacted furiously to the Congress leader's barb at the prime minister over the Rafale purchase and the tense situation in Manipur.
In a significant move, the Centre on Wednesday announced that caste enumeration will be part of the next population census, with the inclusion of caste details for the first time since independence hailed by the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies as a historic step to help design truly equitable and focused policies.
The last minute decision of the Congress to withdraw Rahul Gandhi's name as the lead speaker on the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha led to heated exchanges between the opposition and treasury benches on Tuesday.
Sources said the process was stuck since Rahul Gandhi is not willing to contest the election for the post of Congress president, although all the efforts to convince him are still going on.
The Congress on Friday said the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is being organised by the party to raise voice against the 'injustice' of the last 10 years, as it released a 'Nyay anthem' with the tagline 'Saho Mat, Daro Mat (do not suffer, do not be scared)'.
The interim panel headed by him would take the place of the Congress Working Committee, the apex decision-making body, till a new CWC is formed after Kharge's election is ratified at the party plenary.
The party is divided on the leadership matter with a section demanding collective leadership and another reposing faith in the Gandhi family.
Voting for the second phase of Lok Sabha polls will be held on Friday for 88 seats in 13 states with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi seeking a second-straight term from Wayanad in Kerala.
The Congress general secretary asked the prime minister, in Lucknow on Tuesday to inaugurate a programme of the 'Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav' celebrations, to visit Lakhimpur Kheri and give justice to the farmers.
The Congress on Friday said its top leaders, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, President Sonia Gandhi and General Secretary Rahul Gandhi will campaign in poll-bound Gujarat.
The Mahayuti landslide in Maharashtra will leave the state assembly without a leader of opposition as no party outside the ruling alliance has been able to get the mandatory minimum 29 seats.
Chief ministers of 3 Congress-ruled states, other national and state party leaders are also likely to accompany Rahul to the court.
The Congress leadership on Friday held separate meetings to review its performances in the assembly polls in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, and said its defeat in the two states at the hands of the BJP was unexpected.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has called for tough decisions and unity within the party after the Congress suffered electoral defeats in Maharashtra and Haryana. In a meeting with top party leaders, Kharge highlighted the need to strengthen the organization from the grassroots, fix accountability, and address internal bickering. He also urged leaders to remain united and avoid public criticism of each other. The Congress chief expressed concern over the party's performance in state elections despite a strong showing in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year. He acknowledged the need to learn from the setbacks and improve the party's strategy and communication to counter its rivals' propaganda.
'I do not care if we lose the next elections. In India, too much is said about short term gains... But this agreement is about long-term gains, about the future of India. We will go ahead with it as this agreement is based on courage,' he said.
Speaking to the media, Gehlot, who is in Kerala to take part in the Bharat Jodo Yatra, said, "I said earlier that I will request him (Rahul Gandhi) to accept this post when all the Congress Committees are passing resolutions in this regard. He made it clear that no one from the Gandhi family will become the next chief. He said he has decided this due to some reasons, a non-Gandhi family member will become the party chief."
The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on Monday slapped a fine of Rs 50 lakh on a former Samajwadi Party MLA for alleging that Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi had gang raped a woman from Amethi along with.
A party without a 'high command' would be 'anarchy,' he said.
Even when the Congress is facing the toughest challenge in its long history, it shows no sign of turning a new leaf and injecting internal democracy to revive its fortunes, argues Virendra Kapoor.
According to an agreement reached after the telephonic conversation between Priyanka Gandhi and Yadav, the Congress has now got seats such as Sitapur and Barabanki.
The Congress on Friday welcomed the statements of opposition leaders condemning Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha and said it was now time for the party to take on the job of building the opposition unity in a "systematic way".
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