Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda has denied owning any land, home, or stocks in India, responding to allegations by a BJP leader that he illegally acquired 12.35 acres of government land in Bengaluru. The BJP leader, N R Ramesh, has filed a complaint with the Enforcement Directorate and the Karnataka Lokayukta, alleging that Pitroda, with the help of government officials, acquired the land for his organization, FRLHT. Pitroda, in a statement on X, categorically denied the allegations, stating he has never taken any salary during his time working with the Indian government and has never paid or accepted any bribe. He further clarified that FRLHT received a five-year lease on the land for conservation purposes, which expired in 2001 and was extended for another 10 years. Ramesh claims the lease expired in 2011 and the land, now worth over Rs 150 crore, was not reclaimed by the forest department. He has urged the ED to file a criminal case against those involved in the alleged land grab, including the officials responsible.
The Rajya Sabha, India's upper house of parliament, witnessed its second-longest sitting in history on Thursday, lasting until 4:02 am the next day. The House convened to clear the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and approve the statutory resolution on the imposition of President's Rule in Manipur. The longest sitting in Rajya Sabha history occurred on September 17, 1981, when the House sat until 4:43 am to pass the Essential Services Maintenance Bill.
However, an officer in the electricity department said the dues haven't been cleared, adding that if the payment wasn't made by Friday evening, power supply to the venue would be snapped.
'Be it tourist guides, hotels, rickshaw drivers, all have a livelihood thanks to Shah Jahan.'
Nowhere are the stories of the coming election better told than on the roads of Bihar.
The Congress on Tuesday said nobody should politicise the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in comments that came after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's remarks that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was indirectly behind it.
Sharmishtha, who has quit politics, also clarified that she has not tried to tweak her father's views about anyone.
In the early 80s, when Indira Gandhi was the prime minister, her son Rajiv was once so engrossed in explaining to his parents-in-law the features of a new navy ship that he gave some nervous moments to a bureaucrat in the defence ministry who feared he might be late for an official event that night.
'If the NDA returns with the BJP substantially ahead of the JD-U, a BJP CM bid becomes plausible; if the gap is narrow or JD-U holds pivotal seats, continuity with Nitish is the lower-risk option.'
The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday decided to release all seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, including A G Perarivalan and Nalini.
Top leaders of the two parties are campaigning in Jharkhand and Maharashtra for the ongoing assembly polls in the two states.
The Gandhi family will now get 'Z+' security by the Central Reserve Police Force on an all-India basis.
A staunch supporter of slain LTTE supremo V Prabhakaran, he also criticised the former prime minister for sending the Indian Peacekeeping Force to Sri Lanka in the 1980s.
In an interaction with former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on the impact of lockdown on India's economy, Rajiv Bajaj, MD, Bajaj Auto, said India tried to implement a hard lockdown which was still porous and ended up with the worst of both worlds.
The Congress' new headquarters located at 9A, Kotla Road in New Delhi was inaugurated on Wednesday, as the grand old party turned a page in its history after operating from its iconic 24, Akbar Road premises for the last 47 years.
'Rahul Gandhi should have prevented Nitish Kumar from going.' 'He must pacify Mamata Banerjee if he has a cause of Mohabbat Ki Dukaan.' 'He should bring this Mohabbat Ki Dukaan on the political canvas.'
On Tuesday, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi accused BJP MP Anurag Thakur of "abusing and insulting" him during the Lok Sabha discussion on the Union Budget.
Addressing the party cadre in Bengaluru, Shivakumar said, "We got 135 plus seats in the assembly elections, but I am not happy, don't come to my or Siddaramaiah's house. Our next target is the Lok Sabha elections and we must fight well."
Runs, wickets, fans and drama. Capturing all those moments and more on his canvas was British artist Andy Brown.
What will stand Shukla in good stead as minister for parliamentary affairs will be his ability to communicate across party lines and get along with most political parties. Thanks to his affable nature, Shukla has friends in the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Nationalist Congress Party and many other regional parties
Rajiv assassination convicts hospitalised
Former MLA Harshwardhan Sapkal has been appointed as the new president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), tasked with reviving the party in the state after its crushing defeat in the last year's assembly polls. Sapkal, a veteran politician, replaces Nana Patole, who held the position since 2021. The Congress aims to rebuild its base and prepare for upcoming local body polls, including those in Mumbai, Pune, Thane, and Nagpur. The party will also need to work with its allies, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), to strengthen the opposition against the ruling BJP-led alliance.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who embarked on the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' from Tamil Nadu's Kanyakumari on Wednesday, will be staying in a container for the next 150 days.
Former India captain Mohammed Azharuddin plans to approach the Telangana High Court to challenge the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) Ombudsman's order to remove his name from the North Stand at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
Cutting across party lines, leaders of various political outfits on Monday sought an explanation from Congress president Sonia Gandhi over the latest revelations by US cables WikiLeaks naming late former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in a scandal.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief M Karunanidhi on Friday appealed to Congress President Sonia Gandhi to intervene and save the lives of three death row convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, saying appeals by Tamils across the world needed to be considered in the spirit of "forget and forgive".
Aam Aadmi Party leader Kumar Vishwas on Thursday slammed Rahul Gandhi for his remark that his father Rajiv Gandhi was being denied justice, saying it was a "drama" to divert people's attention from core issues like corruption.
The Supreme Court's decision to refer the issue of remission of death sentence of Rajiv Gandhi killers to a Constitution Bench has disappointed family members of the incarcerated who have been waiting for a favourable order for their release.
Raima Sen surprised her social media followers by revealing some 'hidden gems' from her albums.
'How can anybody cast aspersions on Sonia's family without any proof?' asks former prime minister V P Singh.
MI eventually fell short by 31 runs but Rohit's fans could not be contained in a stadium that was drenched in an orange hue...
The Central Bureau of Investigation has sought extradition of the suspect.
Heather Constructions has alleged that it was given a contract for construction of Rajiv Gandhi's statue and is yet to receive dues amounting to Rs. 3.5 crore.
Former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, who was shot dead in Mumbai, was a popular figure in Bollywood circles and had earned praise for supplying life-saving medicines to patients during the Covid pandemic.
A case was registered against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in Hyderabad for his alleged remarks on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the police said on Wednesday.
Nalini, the life convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, on Saturday met her husband and a death row convict in the same case, Murugan, at the Vellore prison, jail sources said.
India-Turkiye ties are strained over Ankara's Islamabad tilt, its arms links with Pakistan, and fallout from the Pahalgam terror attack.
The innovative Rajiv Gandhi Rural Twenty20 Cricket tourney, brainchild of Rahul Gandhi, will conclude later this month, with Gandhi expected to be the chief guest at the final in Amethi. The tourney comprises 1,857 teams, just from the Amethi parliamentary constituency, participating in 1,819 matches. The winning team would get a cash prize of Rs three lakhs, while the runners up will be rich by Rs 1 lakh.
Pat Cummins, who turned 31 on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, was seen grooving to Laal Peeli Akhiyan.
