The Congress party has accused the Indian government of imposing new charges on UPI transactions due to pressure from the United States, specifically to benefit American card companies. The opposition party demanded the withdrawal of the decision, calling it "anti-national" and alleging it fills the coffers of US firms while burdening Indian citizens. The government, however, clarified that the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) charges apply only to commercial transactions above Rs 2,000 and are not levied on consumers, a stance supported by the BJP which accused Congress of spreading "fake news".
HarperCollins India has announced the publication of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's memoir, "Belonging: A Journey of Love," in India on November 10. The highly anticipated book will offer insights into her personal life and India's political journey, covering her childhood, marriage into the Nehru-Gandhi family, and entry into politics.
The Indian government has introduced a 0.4% fee on UPI transactions above Rs 2,000 for merchants, effective October 15, sparking strong opposition from political parties and traders. Despite accusations of foreign influence and demands for a rollback, the finance ministry and top functionaries have stated there will be no reversal, citing the need for a self-sustaining digital payments ecosystem.
The opposition has intensified its criticism of the government's decision to impose a 0.4 per cent Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on UPI transactions above Rs 2,000, effective October 15. Leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Jairam Ramesh allege the move is a result of US pressure, particularly from American card companies, and demand an immediate rollback, warning of increased costs for consumers.
The Supreme Court has quashed all FIRs against students who participated in the Cockroach Janta Party-led protests, stating the cases should not affect their future, while the government affirmed its commitment to youth welfare.
Uttar Pradesh assembly Speaker Satish Mahana has found himself at the centre of a controversy after he was seen walking away while the national anthem was played at an event in Unnao, drawing flak from the opposition. Mahana, however, claimed that the anthem was not played where he was given the guard of honour.
The Mumbai police on Thursday ordered a probe and removed a police driver from the duty roster after a viral video purportedly showed him threatening student protesters with false narcotics charges if they returned to demonstrate.
The Election Commission on Wednesday slapped show-cause notices on Bharatiya Janata Party leader Dilip Ghosh and Congress leader Supriya Shrinate for their offensive remarks against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Kangana Ranaut respectively.
A day after his resignation was accepted by the Ram temple trust, its former general secretary Champat Rai on Tuesday said he would respond to all allegations of donation embezzlement after the SIT submits its final report, even as opposition parties alleged a "cover-up" and stepped up the demand for its dissolution.
The Election Commission on Monday censured BJP leader Dilip Ghosh and Congress'd Supriya Shrinate for derogatory remarks against the dignity of women.
Amid the ongoing debate over remarks made by Hindu spiritual leader Devkinandan Thakur against actor Shah Rukh Khan over the inclusion of a Bangladeshi player in the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate questioned the role of the BCCI and the ICC in allowing Bangladeshi players to be part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction pool.
'As soon as I came to know, I deleted that post. Everyone who knows me, also knows very well that I can never make personal and indecent comments towards any woman. I wanted to know how this happened,' she said.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu called Kangana Ranaut the 'daughter of Himachal' amid the backlash the Congress is facing over a purportedly objectionable post against the actress-turned politician.
The Congress on Tuesday distanced itself from party MP Shashi Tharoor's remarks in an article in which he stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's energy, dynamism and willingness to engage remained a 'prime asset' for India on the global stage.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for gifting 'Melody' toffees to Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, calling it a 'gimmick' while India faces an 'economic storm'. He accused Modi of prioritising public relations over addressing the struggles of farmers, labourers, and youth, a sentiment echoed by other Congress leaders.
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said the BJP is consistently losing ground, which is why "the PM's love for Muslim League has resurfaced".
Hitting back, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate posted a picture of Afridi with BJP leader Anurag Thakur to say that the ruling party should be ashamed for asking questions from the Congress while it itself maintain ties with them.
A court in Ahmedabad in Gujarat has directed the Congress and four of its leaders to remove a deep fake video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and industrialist Gautam Adani from social media platforms.
The Congress party in India has accused the government of "impropriety" in the sudden termination of KV Subramanian's position as India's executive director at the IMF, alleging it was linked to the Union Bank of India's purchase of two lakh copies of his book. The party also questioned the government's stance on Pakistan's request for a loan from the IMF.
The Congress has been in the crosshairs after demeaning remarks on Ranaut and Mandi were posted on the social media handles of its leaders Supriya Shrinate and H S Ahir.
The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday said it had filed a chargesheet on April 9 in a money laundering case related to the National Herald newspaper. Apart from Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, the chargesheet also names senior Congress leaders Sam Pitroda and Suman Dubey as co-accused.
The Congress on Wednesday questioned the Election Commission's move to get a post on electoral bonds scheme deleted from social media platform X and said that the issue raised in the post makes the government 'extremely uncomfortable'.
It was only last month that Ranaut faced backlash for advocating the return of the three farm laws repealed in 2021.
Soon after Kharge's remarks, Tharoor put out a cryptic post on X in which there was an image of a bird with the caption --"Don't ask permission to fly. The wings are yours. And the sky belongs to no one..."
No politician should use such language, the Bharatiya Janata Party said on Friday as it chastised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her choice of words targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
'Such a remark does not behove the Prime Minister. Also, you have brought the country's youth to this point. There are no jobs. The only option is to fix punctures or sell fritters. Muslims don't just make punctures. I can list what Muslims have made'
Posting a picture of Gandhi walking with the girl wearing a hijab, Patra tweeted in Hindi, "When votes are accounted for on the basis of religion then it is called appeasement."
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said her "sympathies" were with the BJP as big leaders of the INDIA bloc who are known to be good speakers have made it to the House.
The Congress party alleged that the BJP government has asked social media platform 'X' to remove Home Minister Amit Shah's speech from the Rajya Sabha, which they claim insulted Babasaheb Ambedkar. The party cited an email from 'X' to support their claim. The BJP has not yet commented on the matter, and 'X' has refused to delete the speech, citing freedom of speech. The Congress accused Shah of insulting the architect of the Indian Constitution and demanded his resignation.
The Congress on Thursday claimed its leader Pawan Khera was deplaned from a flight to Raipur, where he was going to attend the party's plenary session.
BJP leader Vinod Tawde has demanded an apology from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate for making "false and baseless" allegations against him in the cash-for-votes incident in Maharashtra. Tawde was accused by the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi of distributing Rs 5 crore to woo voters. He has sent a legal notice to the Congress leaders, claiming they were aware the story was fabricated and demanding an unconditional apology within 24 hours. If the apology is not forthcoming, Tawde has threatened to initiate criminal and civil proceedings against the trio.
The controversy followed after another Madhya Pradesh minister, Vijay Shah, came under fire for remarks about Col Sofiya Qureshi who conducted media briefings on Operation Sindoor along with Wing Commander Vyomika Singh.
"Vishwaguru has created a new model of democracy where there are symbols and buildings of democracy but the soil of democracy is now missing," he said.
The Congress shared on X an undated video of Ranaut in which she is purportedly saying in Hindi, "Farm laws that have been repealed should be brought back. I think this may get controversial. The laws in farmers' interest be brought back. Farmers should themselves demand this (to bring farm laws back) so that there is no hindrance to their prosperity.
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate strongly criticised Vishwas, calling his remarks "cheap" and "lewd."
Trinamool Congress national spokesperson Saket Gokhale was earlier arrested in December for a tweet endorsing an alleged fake news report about Prime Minister Modi's visit to Gujarat's Morbi town after the collapse of a suspension bridge in October. Gokhale was detained at Jaipur in Rajasthan and taken to Ahmedabad before getting a bail.
As Election 2024 hurtles towards result day in a medley of mangalsutra, mujra, mutton, machli and other barbs, these may sound like character names from Hindi comics of yore. Instead, these are the mocking, sometimes vicious monikers given by political rivals to each other.
Gandhi was seen sitting behind a few rows of seats, which were occupied by members of the Indian contingent that took part in the recently-held Paris Games.
The youngest in the CWC is 31-year-old Neeraj Kundan, who is an ex-officio member of the body as the president of the National Students Union of India, the students' wing of the party.
Annapoorna chain of restaurants owner Srinivasan is seen purportedly highlighting concerns over varying GST rates. In the second video, Srinivasan was seen purportedly apologising in person to the Finance Minister.
