Ghulam Nabi Azad's resignation from the Congress on Friday marked the most high-profile exit of one of the "Group of 23" (G-23) leaders, who had written to party chief Sonia Gandhi two years ago for a "collective and inclusive leadership" in the organisation, exposing the faultlines in the grand old party.
As indicated earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not attend the get together at the Rashtrapati Bhawan like last year.
The Congress on Friday called senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad's resignation 'unfortunate' and termed the timing 'awful', saying it has come at a time when the party is engaged in combating the Bharatiya Janata Party on various issues.
'The Congress is not pragmatic about politics or about people.' 'Rahul's intention is good, but good intention does not win you elections.'
Addressing a joint press conference after a meeting of 26 opposition parties in Bengaluru, Kharge said, "This was a very important meeting to save democracy and the Constitution in the interest of the people of the country."
Congress says K Chandrashekhar Rao backstabbed it; Chandrababu Naidu detests him.
'...only if we sort it out with Pakistan.'
'Modiji has a vision for the country, not just to fight the elections but about achieving certain goals for the country.' 'Congress does not even have a vision for 25 days.'
'Oommen Chandy always had time for his people and valued their voices.' 'There was no rest for him as long as the betterment of his fellow citizens was at stake.' Ambassador Venu Rajamony, who knew the former Kerala chief minister for half a century, salutes a beloved leader who worked tirelessly for the welfare of its people.
The Congress on Saturday made a stunning comeback in Karnataka ousting the Bharatiya Janata Party from its lone southern citadel with a comfortable majority in a morale booster win that will be key for reviving its electoral fortunes ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
'Dune deserves all the raves it has been getting.'
'The Bharat Jodo Yatra has done very well in the south, and if they are able to pull voters in the south and rely on their allies in the north like in Bihar, UP and do well in Rajasthan, then there are chances that there might be a formidable opposition or at least a force to fight the BJP.'
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In the years after Mahatma Gandhi, India has only suffered in the hands of "fake Gandhis", believes Narendra Modi.
'The Congress can exist without (someone from) the Nehru-Gandhi family being its president.'
The issue of Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin cropped up yet again with Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushma Swaraj saying on Thursday she was still opposed to the idea of her becoming the prime minister.
'Putra-moh Congress ko nasht kar raha hai (Sonia Gandhi's love for Rahul Gandhi is destroying the Congress).'
The Year of the Rabbit, according to the Chinese calendar, began on Sunday, January 22.
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Kharge said that while there are very responsible people in the party who were doing their duty, some people had assumed that lack of responsibility will be ignored.
A few former MLAs, considered to be his loyalists and a few supporters, turned up at Sidhu's residence in Patiala Friday morning to extend moral support to him.
After another hiatus that lasted a decade, the actress makes a comeback once again, this time in JugJugg Jeeyo, where she taps into her comic side to play Anil Kapoor's wife.
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There are lessons for the Congress to learn from the Karnataka elections of how burying the hatchet among top leaders and not washing dirty linen in public can help, says Ramesh Menon.
As Azad ended his decades-old association with the party, leaders across political spectrum praised his contribution to Jammu and Kashmir, with the BJP hailing him as a "towering leader".
Sharad Pawar reckons that the NCP has value as a united, going concern, not as a gaggle of leaders in search of followers, notes Shreekant Sambrani.
She lamented the fact that people were being viciously attacked for holding different beliefs in the "prevalent atmosphere of intolerance".
However, Gehlot, said he will make one last-ditch effort to convince Rahul to take up the party president's post.
He also recalled that his mother Sonia Gandhi would always be worried when his father would fly a plane.
Asked about the organisational changes made by Gandhi and the subsequent reported statements by some leaders who had written to her over party reforms, Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said he had not seen a single statement by any Congress leader on the issue and cannot comment on that.
'It is a film with a good human concept that would touch people around the world.' 'We are honouring a film that deserves to be at the Oscars.'
In his resignation letter to Sonia Gandhi he said that despite knowing him "for the better part of his 52 years in public life" and "that too at a deeply personal level", she never "understood" him or his "character".
The petitioners claim the summons was served via hospital staff, a claim refuted by sources close to the Congress president. George Joseph reports from New York.
A flop Bharat Jodo Yatra could unleash more resignations from a party which under its current leadership is dying a slow death, warns Virendra Kapoor.
The hits and misses of the week.
Escalating its attack against Mani Shankar Aiyar, the BJP called his remarks "treasonous" and demanded an apology from Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.
Eyeing the revival of the crisis-ridden party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the party chief Sonia Gandhi described the march as a "landmark occasion" and hoped that the march would help rejuvenate the grand old party.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday rejected the Congress's demand for Sushma Swaraj's resignation as the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha for dancing at Rajghat and said the party is proud of her. "The BJP would like to state categorically that the appointment (of the Leader of the Opposition) is made by the party leadership and the MPs and not by Congress president Sonia Gandhi," said BJP national spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
"This bunch of illiterate people cannot probably differentiate between 'shall' and 'consider'," the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister said.
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