The grand old party is looking to retain power in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh while seeking to come to power in the other three states going to polls -- Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Mizoram.
Alleging that the Andhra Pradesh government resorted to repressive measures to put down the Telangana agitation on Friday, Telangana Rashtra Samithi president K Chandrasekhar Rao has called for a bandh in the Telangana region on Saturday.
Experts recommend awaiting the findings of the 2021 Census, which is yet to be conducted, before introducing population control policies.
'There is ample evidence to suggest that attacks on the PM's probity and his connections with business houses do not resonate with voters.'
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who is leading the party's pan-India Bharat Jodo Yatra on Sunday gave some exciting moments during the foot march as he suddenly started to sprint along with some school children, forcing others to run.
Voting for the second phase of Lok Sabha polls will be held on Friday for 88 seats in 13 states with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi seeking a second-straight term from Wayanad in Kerala.
Speaker Meira Kumar has referred Congress member L Rajagopal's resignation from the Lok Sabha opposing a separate Telangana state to the Ethics Committee.
This was in accordance with the larger strategy of creating a constitutional and political crisis in Andhra Pradesh to force Centre's hand on Telangana state. Of the 119 MLAs of the region, only 77 have sent their resignations so far.
Friday is a major day for the Telangana movement with the core committee expected to take a decision on the issue. A Member of Parliament from the region told Rediff.com that a decision to go ahead and form a separate state with 10 districts will be taken by the Congress on Friday.
Activists have divided themselves into teams and positioned themselves in front of the houses of each and every Telugu Desam Party and Congress MLA and MP.
Thousands of migrants were stranded in places across the country since the lockdown was enforced on March 25, many even attempting to walk home.
Justice B N Srikrishna, the head of five member consultative committee on the Telangana state issue, has said that the committee was keen to understand the ground reality and take the opinions of the ordinary people on the Telangana issue.
The nomination is an indication that the veteran Congress leader is not sure of victory from Raebareli, the Lok Sabha constituency she has represented for five terms.
Kicking off its consultation process over two months after it was constituted, the Justice B N Srikrishna Committee on Telangana on Friday heard a delegation led by Telangana Rashtra Samiti chief K Chandrasekhar Rao who strongly batted for a separate Telangana to be carved out of Andhra Pradesh.
There are concerns within the Congress with respect to the articulation of the party's demand for the caste census, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently accusing the grand old party of attempting to divide Hindus through its push for the Other Backward Classes.
The Centre may have set up a five-member committee on Telangana, but students who have been most vocal in their demand for a state feel the panel should only deal with select issues and not about the formation of the state.
The Congress is likely to make the Telangana issue a part of its manifesto in the forthcoming elections, reports Vicky Nanjappa
The members of the Justice Srikrishna Committee must understand the enormity of the task at hand and the burden on their shoulders. The committee must adhere to the highest standards of professionalism if its final report is to be taken seriously and not be mocked and condemned by one section or the other. The people of Andhra Pradesh, including the advocates of a separate Telangana, owe it to themselves to allow the committee to function properly and complete its work.
The Rajya Sabha has already given its nod to the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023.
A couple of years ago when the Telangana movement was at its peak, there was much talk that its formation could lead to the rise of a Naxal movement. Many Telangana supporters dismissed this view, stating that this was just another ploy by the Union government to stall the formation of the state. Vicky Nanjappa reports
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Tuesday poised to form the government for a third consecutive term with the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance getting a majority in the Lok Sabha, notwithstanding crushing losses in three Hindi heartland states after a bitterly fought election that was projected as a referendum on his popularity.
The Telangana political Joint Action Committee (JAC), spearheading the separate Telangana agitation, on Wednesday demanded that a bill for formation of the separate state be introduced in the winter session of Parliament.
As Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh remained shut on the second consecutive day in response to the 48-hour general strike call by the Telangana Joint Action Committee, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti has warned the Congress leaders of the region against any compromise with their central leaders.
The indefinite strike of the Telangana employees, officers, teachers and workers in support of a separate state has been postponed. The Telangana Joint Action Committee on Thursday decided to put it off by about four weeks in view of the holy months of Ramazan and Shravan.
Telangana Congress leaders have decided to defy party general secretary Veerappa Moily's diktat that they should withdraw from the Telangana Joint Action Committee.
The impending expulsion of Trinamool Congress (TMC) member Mahua Moitra from the Lok Sabha, three bills to replace criminal laws and a proposed law for the appointment of election commissioners are issues set to dominate the Winter Session of Parliament, with the government urging the Opposition to ensure a conducive environment for discussions in the House.
The Telangana Joint Action Committee, Telangana Rashtra Samithi and other pro-Telangana parties on Wednesday criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's remarks that the Centre was trying to arrive at a consensus on Telangana issue.
While 39 members of the all-important panel are general members, it has 32 permanent invitees, including some in-charges of state and 13 special invitees.
Normal life was disrupted in the Telangana region on Monday due to a bandh called by the Telangana Joint Action Committee to protest police action against members of parliament and Members of Legislative Assembly during Saturday's rail roko.
Those responsible for protecting MPs have failed in their constitutional duties, said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
Alleging that false cases are being foisted against those agitating for separate Telangana, the all-party Joint Action Committee, spearheading the agitation for a separate state, on Monday asked Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah to withdraw all such cases.
After the non-cooperation agitation, pro-Telangana parties and groups would now observe a 48-hour bandh in the region from tomorrow to mount pressure on the Centre to introduce a bill in the Budget session of Parliament for formation of separate Telangana.
Normal life in 10 districts of Telangana region, including Hyderabad, has come to a grinding halt due to the bandh called by an all-party joint action committee.
Telangana Rashtra Samiti chief K Chandrashekhar Rao on Tuesday said he is ready to hold talks with the Centre but will not accept any committee to look into the Telangana issue. "The Centre should immediately come forward and find a solution. We demand that it sticks to its earlier statement. We are not ready to accept any committees. Except wasting time, these committees serve no purpose," he said. "The patience of Telanagana people need not be tested unnecessarily," he said
With the party fielding three Union ministers, besides four other MPs, as candidates in the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls, it may continue with the strategy in Rajasthan.
Ministers from Andhra and Rayalseema regions of Andhra Pradesh have invited the wrath of the votaries of Telangana by calling the Telangana movement 'anti national,' 'seditious' and a 'threat to the integrity of the nation.'
The Bharatiya Janata Party replaced at least 25 sitting MPs with new faces as the party released its second list of 72 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls on Wednesday.
The Telangana Joint Action Committee has called for a bandh in Telangana region on Friday.
The Telangana Joint Action Committee has called for a bandh in Telangana region on Friday.
Even as the Congress claimed credit for the decision to form Telangana state, other parties on Tuesday gave mixed reactions with Bharatiya Janata Party claiming it would have formed the state during NDA rule but for opposition from a key ally while the Left cautioned that this may spur more such demands.
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