In a major organisational revamp, the Congress on Friday appointed former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel as general secretary in-charge of Punjab and Rajya Sabha MP Syed Naseer Hussain as general secretary for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
He succeeded Allum Veerbhadrappa, who had expressed a desire to relinquish the post six months back.
Amid fanfare, hundreds of candidates, including key politicians B S Yeddyurappa, G Parameshwara and Siddaramaiah, entered the fray on Monday for the May five assembly elections as a festive atmosphere prevailed in many segments.
The Congress said it will continue their march once the COVID third wave declines and the curbs are relaxed.
'Rahul Gandhi's problem is that he doesn't think big.' 'He looks more like an activist, while politics is like a game of chess. You attack and then defend and have a game-plan.'
The Bharatiya Janata Party government in Karnataka has committed a series of lapses in presenting the state's case before the Supreme Court and the Cauvery River Authority and is trying to cover up its mistakes by blaming the prime minister, who heads the CRA, the Congress alleged on Saturday.
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi will kick off the Karnataka leg of his Discover India trip on March 25. During his four-day visit, Rahul's main agenda would be to lure the youth into joining the Congress, according to Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president Mallikarjuna Kharge.Rahul will start his road show from Chamrajnagar on March 25. He would then travel to H D Kote, Mangalore, Hubli-Dharwad, Gadag, Bagalkot, Almatti and Raichur.
The leader, who has been sulking for some time now due to repeated denial of election tickets, said he would convene a meeting of his supporters next month to announce his decision on whether or not he will stay with the Congress.
The Congress on Wednesday asked the Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa to prove his secular credentials by banning the right wing Sri Rama Sene.
In key organisational changes, the Congress on Wednesday appointed young face Anil Chaudhary as its Delhi unit chief and named D K Shivakumar, known to be the party's chief troubleshooter in crisis situations, as the head of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee.
The Enforcement Directorate on Friday questioned Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar in the National Herald money laundering case, officials said.
The BJP on Saturday accused the Congress of repeatedly supplying "oxygen" to Pakistan, and slammed the opposition party for its leader Charanjit Singh Channi's remarks questioning the veracity of Balakot air strikes after the 2019 Pulwama terror attack. BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged that the Congress is full of pro-Pakistan leaders who make statements against India's interests, and mocked the party for its letter that had advised its functionaries to toe the official line on the issue. Patra also criticized other Congress leaders for their comments on the Pulwama and Pahalgam terror attacks, accusing them of lowering the morale of the armed forces. He further slammed the Congress for claiming credit for the government's announcement of the caste census and said the party never carried out the exercise during its over 60-year stint in power.
Priyanka Gandhi asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi will remain silent on the matter.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that offenders should be punished to the full extent of law regardless of who they are.
Prakash had initially been in talks with the BJP, soon after he left the JD-S due to differences with party chief H D Deve Gowda. However due to differences in principles, Prakash decided to join the Congress party along with around ten other of his supporters.
A case is filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party's Karnataka unit for issuing "defamatory" advertisements in mainstream newspapers.
He also asserted that everything has gone smoothly for the party in the assembly polls and the government will be formed soon.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was also in Karnataka on Thursday to take part in a programme for the 115th birth anniversary of Sri Shivakumara Swamiji at the Siddaganaga Mutt in Tumakuru.
The special court exclusively to deal with criminal cases related to elected former and sitting MPs/MLAs has taken cognisance of the offences under Sections 499 (defamation) and 500 (punishment for defamation) of the Indian Penal Code and posted the case for recording the sworn statement on July 27.
Days after the Karnataka governor granted sanction for the prosecution of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority case, the Congress' top leadership on Friday expressed its backing for him and alleged that the Centre had unleashed a systematic assault through a 'puppet governor' to destabilise an elected government.
A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Sanjay Karol deferred the matter after senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Shivakumar, said the matter is coming up before the high court on May 23.
Democracy in India is too important to be left to a leader with a limited appeal. If Rahul Gandhi cares for India, he should step aside for a new crop of leaders, suggests Harishchandra.
Amidst alleged power struggles within the ruling Congress in Karnataka, AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala has called for discipline within the party, emphasizing that the party is paramount. This comes as the state's chief minister and deputy chief minister submitted a consolidated report on the performance of 31 ministers to Surjewala, fueling speculation about a potential cabinet reshuffle.
Infosys co-founder and Unique Identification Authority of India Chairman Nandan Nilekani, tipped to contest from Bangalore South on a Congress ticket, will be officially joining the ruling party on Sunday.
Kanugolu had also made forays in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh following a directive from the party's central leadership but regional satraps Ashok Gehlot and Kamal Nath reportedly were not on the same page as the poll strategist.
Fernandes was hospitalised in July after suffering a fall while doing yoga at his house.
Khera told reporters in Hyderabad that the views of the newly-elected MLAs have been elicited and the central leadership is seized of the matter.
Siddaramaiah will be the next CM of Karnataka and D K Shivakumar his deputy, Congress sources in Delhi said on Thursday after the party arrived at a consensus on government formation in the state following hectic parleys.
The Karnataka high court on Monday sought an explanation from the Indian National Congress for collecting Rs 10,000 as party fund from its members who are aspiring candidates.
Banners have come up in front of Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar's residences in Bengaluru, erected by supporters, congratulating them for Congress win and projecting them as "next CM".
The constituency is being represented by senior BJP leader and Union minister Raosaheb Danve, who has won this seat five times on the trot.
Congress leader Narayanaswamy is seen purportedly splashing the liquid filled in a plastic bottle twice inside a city corporation office after the official there allegedly refused to provide a fake land document.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday hailed the party's performance in the Karnataka assembly polls as the victory of politics that unites the country.
Factors such as anti-incumbency, voter fatigue, and dissatisfaction among the youth contributed mainly to the poor showing of Bharat Rashtra Samithi in the Telangana legislative assembly election on Sunday.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi would sound the poll bugle of the party for the coming assembly elections in Telangana by addressing a public meeting at Khammam on Sunday.
The Congress, by and large, focused on local issues in this election and its campaign also was run by state leaders initially.
'If the parliamentary committee's report does not find substantiated charges, the process ends.'
'The Congress president knows my concerns.'
Congress Legislature Party leader and Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coordination committee chief Siddaramaiah said no one would leave the Congress and there was no disgruntlement either.
Political parties earlier used to seek vote on the basis of caste and religion, said Kejriwal.
