After following Congress president Rahul Gandhi and the party's official Twitter handle, he began following senior leaders P Chidambaram, Kapil Sibal, Ahmed Patel, Ashok Gehlot, Ajay Maken, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sachin Pilot and CP Joshi from this month.
The Congress is all set to hardsell itself as probably the only major political party in the world to touch the major milestone of completing 125 years on 28 December 2010, the party will also commemorate the 25th death anniversary of Indira Gandhi on 31st October, 2009.
Upholding principles was a luxury when there were charismatic leaders capable of winning elections without stooping low to indulge in identity politics, observes Virendra Kapoor.
The present generation of the Nehru-Gandhi family is often accused of dynasty rule but going by the record, other parties have also fielded their family members for the Lok Sabha polls in Vidarbha region. Youth leader and Congress general secretary, Mukul Wasnik, Washim Shiv Sena Member of Parliament Bhawana Gawali, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Sudhakar Naik, Kamaltai Gavai, Chitlekha Bhosale are some of the prominent leaders whose family had represented the constituency
Former Union minister and controversial Bharatiya Janata Party MP Anantkumar Hegde has once again stoked a row by calling the freedom struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi a "drama". However, this is not the first time a leader from the ruling party has insulted the Father of the Nation. Here are other instances when BJP leaders took a swipe at Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
Will Priyanka Gandhi emerge as the surprise Congress candidate for the top job?
Ashok Chavan's choice as Maharashtra Chief Minister once again drives home the clout of political inheritance in the Congress.Ashok Chavan, 50, inherited the political legacy of his late father and former Chief Minister S B Chavan, becoming the first father-son duo in the state's history to adorn the chief ministerial chair. The senior Chavan was a loyalist of the Nehru-Gandhi family.
"The prime minister is afflicted with an unhealthy mindset," Sharma said.
While the bulk of the speeches were lessons in sycophancy, there were some eye-openers, workers who had come prepared to speak the truth and as they articulated the sentiments of the silent majority present there, there was loud applause and genuine appreciation. One such example was Umaid Sheikh from Ahmednagar in Maharashtra who said that Sheila Dixit only won in Delhi because of her performance while the others were winning because of the Gandhi name.
Several leaders, including many MPs, wrote to Sonia Gandhi, either calling for her to continue or urging Rahul Gandhi to take charge.
While the Congress alleged that the Modi government was indulging in political vendetta, the Bharatiya Janata Party claimed that it is a legal matter.
Congress is the only other horse in the race for national power, never mind how distant. Narendra Modi and Amit Shah know better than to take the Congress lightly, observes Shekhar Gupta.
"A Hero is only necessary when systems fail." This was how young Congress leader Rahul Gandhi put it while attempting to suggest that loss of lives among security forces could have been perhaps avoided during the Mumbai terror attack if the system had not failed.
An uncompromising champion of democracy and a moderate face of Islam, Benazir Bhutto's death in a suicide attack on Thursday, brought a gory end to her volatile political career spanning over two decades.
Exasperated over naming of popular projects after members of the Nehru-Gandhi family, the BJP on Tuesday asked the ruling party whether the country was devoid of any other great leader. "All new institutions and programmes are named after Rajiv Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. All limits of sycophancy have been crossed by this government," BJP deputy leader in the Lok Sabha V K Malhotra said.
The Congress president has resigned from more than 10 posts she has been holding.
"I will get married soon," said Rahul Gandhi, the 38-year-old scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family. He was replying to a question at a roadshow on Tuesday on whether he had any plans to tie the knot.
It was the first visit to the shrine by the 38-year-old scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family who was escorted by employees of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee to the sanctum sanctorum where he was given a siropa (robe of honour) by a priest.
A wise politician would disarm his critics, try to take them along, co-opt them, or, at least, take the criticism in his stride. Developing a thick skin ought to be an essential part of any politician's toolkit, notes Virendra Kapoor.
Taking a dig at Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar said he feared that there were grim indicators of Indian democracy being concentrated in one person's hand after the marginalisation of party veterans like LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi.
Rahul stopped one athlete going for his coaching class on his tracks and rightly guessed the sport -- boxing -- he has taken up. He spent the next few moments trading punches with the surprised youngster, much to the amusement of the crowd."He asked me to show a cross-right punch while I was delivering hooks, he corrected me. He seems to know the game. He suggested me to graduate to bantam weight from my lightweight category," said Imran Khan, a student.
'No chief minister there has completed a full term other than Sucheta Kripalani in the mid-1960s.'
Former British prime minister Tony Blair showered praise on the Nehru-Gandhi family scion Rahul Gandhi, saying he stood out as the "most talented" and "insightful" of the younger generation of politicians worldwide. "He (Rahul) has got a first-class mind and great commitment to India... And you know he is one of those politicians that can take a step back and look at, what I call the big picture, and he's definitely someone who does that," Blair told a TV channel.
He challenged the Congress to select someone 'capable' as its president, who did not belong to 'that one family'.
Irani attacked Rahul Gandhi on his home turf on the food park issue, charging that he was more interested in protecting the interests of a business house.
The renovation of the property is underway, encompassing painting of walls, cleaning, and other necessary repairs befitting the new entrant's stature and requirements. The bungalow, spread over about 1.5 acres, belongs to the family of veteran Congress leader the late Sheila Kaul, who was the sister-in-law of India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Virendra Singh Rawat reports.
Shaktisinh Gohil asserted that the Gandhi family had always shown large-heartedness and never aspired for power.
Will 'Bhaiyyaji', as Priyanka is called in UP, contest against Modi?
Can Gandhi handle the rough and tumble of 24X7 Indian politics with aggressive rivals such as Modi and BJP President Amit Shah to counter?
While it made sense for Capt Amarinder Singh to support the Gandhis since none of the 23 'rebels' had any mass base, the truce was important for his ambition to lead the party in the February 2022 state elections. Archis Mohan reports.
Congress president warns against the divisive agenda of the NDA at the Aligarh Muslim University
The National Democratic Alliance convener alleged that it was a "conspiracy to demoralise the armed forces" whether it was Kargil purchases, the Tehelka expose or the coffin issue.
Modi said he used the 'bitter medicine' of demonetisation to bring back money into banking system.
A fictionalised account of Sonia Gandhi's life by Spanish author Javier Moro which could not be published in India after Congress objected to its contents a few years ago has finally hit book stores in the country.
By Monday morning, a dozen dissidents were ready to leave the Pilot camp. Having found a hole at the bottom of his boat, Pilot, with dwindling numbers, in sheer desperation, connected with Priyanka Gandhi, reveals Prakash Bhandari.
Shankarrao Bhaurao Chavan was one of the last Gandhi family loyalists, who had the opportunity to closely watch all three prime ministers from the Nehru-Gandhi clan.
'Coronavirus has occasioned us to see how copious Modi's mojo bag is,' says Shreekant Sambrani.
