Giving the clearest indication yet that Pawan Kumar Bansal would be its contestant of choice for the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat, the Congress on Thursday said that the purported "taint" on the former rail minister was all a matter of "speculation which has nothing to do with the truth".
Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla has stoked a controversy by reportedly calling all Indians "Hindus". However, she sought to clarify her comments on Friday, saying she had called all Indians Hindi, the Arabic term for people living in India and what she said was "not in relation to the religion but in relation to identity as nationality". She did not call them Hindus, she said.
A court in Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday summoned actor Sanjay Dutt on April 24 in connection to the case filed against him, for his jadoo ki jhappi and pappi (magical hug and kiss) remark on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, during last year's Lok Sabha polls.Chief Judicial Magistrate Anirudh Kumar Tewari issued the summons for Dutt's appearance when the charge-sheet filed in the case came up before the court.
"Does he (Amitabh) condemn the role of Narendra Modi in the 2002 Gujarat pogrom of 2002 or he endorses it?...What does he say about the Gujarat massacre and fake encounters that took place since Modi took over," Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari asked at a briefingin New Delhi.
On Thursday, the city witnessed traffic jams due to heavy rains.
The government has ruled out amending the RTI Act to give immunity to political parties from providing information after the recent CIC's landmark order brought them under the ambit of the transparency law.
Earlier in the day, the Chinese embassy in Delhi first posted and later removed a statement on its website saying that the two met after the Congress denied it as "fake news".
Former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore again failed to get any relief from the Punjab and Haryana High Court which adjourned till July 1 his plea challenging his 18-month jail term in the Ruchika molestation case.
With the Bharatiya Janata Party taking Jaswant Singh back into its fold, the Congress on Thursday said the opposition party should explain to the country whether it endorses his views on Pakistan founder M A Jinnah. "The BJP has become like a revolving door of a hotel. It throws out people outside at one time and brings them inside the next time," said party spokesman Manish Tewari. Tewari added that the BJP should give an explanation to the country on the issue.
Amid media reports about conferment of Qatar nationality on noted painter M F Husain, the Congress on Thursday said if the artist chooses to return to India, it is government's responsibility to provide him full security.
The Congress on Friday indicated that it will not seek any action against Telecom Minister A Raja after raids on the office of Department of Telecom (DoT) in connection with alleged irregularities in allocation of 2G spectrum to new players, saying the FIR only named officials.
Surjewala said the party's 10-day agitation was formalised at a meeting in which Rahul Gandhi participated in, but neither he nor Sonia Gandhi would be participating in the state and district level programmes.
The apex court said it has imposed certain conditions on Purohit while granting bail.
Describing the Bharatiya Janata Party as a defeated army with vanquished generals, the Congress on Monday said it was the only party of governance and that the people of Maharashtra would repose their faith in its coalition with the Nationalist Congress Party.
The Congress party on Friday advised Uttar Pradesh government to strengthen its intelligence network, which proved to be a failure during the recent surprise visit of the party general secretary Rahul Gandhi to rural areas in the eastern part of the state.
The Uttar Pradesh Engineers Association on Friday postponed their state-wide strike in protest against the murder of senior engineer M K Gupta allegedly by a Bahujan Samaj Party legislator after Public Works Department Minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui assured them of stern action.
Describing Pakistan as "Somalia of South Asia", Congress today said the terror attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore is a result of Pakistan's long-standing policy of ceding its territory to fundamentalists and the Taliban.
The notices were issued on Tuesday after damage of nearly Rs 25 lakh was assessed across the district by the police and the administration.
Amid opposition charge of political vendetta in the sacking of Mizoram Governor Kamla Beniwal, the government on Thursday said the decision was prompted by "serious allegations" against her and insisted there was no politics behind it.
Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar has been honoured with the first Yash Chopra Memorial Award for her contribution to Hindi cinema.
The party also made it clear that no one will be permitted to undermine or weaken the party and its leadership. The CWC also resolved that inner-party issues cannot be deliberated through the media or in public fora and all such issues must be raised within the party 'in the interest of propriety and discipline'.
"It is a good step though taken rather late. The opposition has been bringing out the phantom of Bofors from the cupboard and slaying it again and again for the last 23 years," party spokesperson Manish Tewari said.
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi will head a six-member United Progressive Alliance -Samajwadi Party Coordination Committee. The committee has Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Defence Minister A K Antony as its members.The constitution of the Committee indicates that the SP, like the Left, would support the government from outside. The development also suggests that they would exert influence like that of the Left.
"You are 74 years old and no 56!!! can stop you," Karti wrote to his father as he wished him on his birthday.
The Congress on Wednesday accused Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami of being favourable to the Bharatiya Janata Party and cited two incidents -- the CD case and distribution of sarees during a rally -- to buttress its point. "For three years, the BJP has accused Election Commissioner Navin Chawla of supporting the Congress. The Congress has rejected it several times. Now, we would like to point out how the CEC has been favourable to the BJP," said a Cong leader.
The Congress today said there was no contradiction between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's suggestion for tougher anti-terror laws and Union Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi's remark that existing laws are sufficient to tackle the problem. Asked whether the statements by the two leaders ran counter to each other, Congress spokesman Manish Tewari said "there is no contradiction and they are only parts of various suggestions to fight terror.
The Code on Social Security, 2020 gives a lot of comfort to gig firms which recognise cab drivers or food delivery executives as 'independent contractors' who directly do business with customers with the help of their digitised platforms.
Andhra Pradesh Governor N D Tewari on Thursday described the tragic death of Chief Minister Y S Rajshekhera Reddy and four others in a helicopter crash, approximately 40 nautical miles east of Kurnool, as one of the saddest moments in his career, and added that it would take him some time to recover from it.Telugu Desam Party leader Yerran Naidu said, "We are shocked by YSR's death"."He was a very hands-on chief minister," said Renuka Chowdhury.
Talking to rediff.com from Jammu, Abdullah said that this was a remote possibility unless the Congress decides to rig the elections. "The United Progressive Alliance government had assured us that it would hold free and fair elections which is the right of the people. If this is denied to the electorate then the government is going back on its words," he said.
Terming the Third Front as the "biggest mirage" of Indian politics, the Congress on Thursday said whenever the grouping has resurrected, it has only helped the communal forces.
'Is a woman's integrity decided on the basis of her wardrobe and sexual confidence?' 'Guilty questions such primitive beliefs and the whole 'she asked for it' mentality,' says Sukanya Verma.
One of the most awaited films of the year you may not have heard of.
Ignoring controversies surrounding him over Adarsh housing scam, the Congress has decided to field ex-Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan for the Lok Sabha polls and has fielded Madhusudan Mistry, a close aide of party vice president Rahul Gandhi to take on Narendra Modi in Vadodara. Anita Katyal reports
Singh had moved the High Court last week challenging the assembly's September 10 decision to strip him of his membership and declaring his Patiala seat vacant after a House Committee indicted him and three others in the case. The committee charged them with releasing 32.10 acres of Improvement Trust, Amritsar land for development by private colonisers in violation of rules following a complaint by a senior Congress leader Bir Devinder Singh.
Embattled former chief minister Amarinder Singh moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday, challenging his expulsion from the state Assembly.
Congress sources said the prime minister wanted to wait till after the Republic Day celebrations on January 26 but he felt uneasy on Friday morning and doctors attending upon him did not want to take any chances and decided to go ahead with the surgery.
Rs 200-cr burden likely for TV rating agencies.
India has taken all steps that are essential to secure the release of Sarabjit Singh, who is on death row in Pakistan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told a delegation of leaders from Punjab. "A delegation of leaders from Punjab met the Prime Minister. The issue of Sarabjit Singh was prominently raised by the delegation and they apprised him of the unanimous resolution passed by the Assembly for his release," AICC spokesman Manish Tewari told reporters.
Jawahar Sircar says his earnest request to ministry was to help strengthen public institutions.
In her complaint to the DCW, the student has said she has received 'rape' threats on social media allegedly from members of the ABVP after she condemned 'violence in name of nationalism' in the backdrop of Ramjas incident.
