Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Saturday appeared to rule out early Lok Sabha polls, saying "our aim is to go till the very end".
Veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, in his latest book, argues that Pranab Mukherjee should have been made Prime Minister in 2012 instead of Manmohan Singh, who was then recovering from health issues. Aiyar believes this would have prevented the "paralysis of governance" and "doomed" any prospects the Congress might have had to form UPA-III. He also criticizes the government's handling of the Anna Hazare-led agitation and the Commonwealth Games scandal, which he believes contributed to the party's downfall in the 2014 general elections.
The scandal surrounding Lalit Modi serves as a reminder for how similar our mainstream political parties are in resisting institutional reform.
Aap ka paisa, aap ke haath (direct cash transfer). This is the new slogan with which the Congress hopes to woo back the aam admi, the poor, the marginalised and the weaker sections as the government has launched an ambitious direct cash transfer scheme with Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram calling it a 'game changer'.
After facing a difficult election, the Congress top brass including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party chief Sonia Gandhi are expected on Monday evening to deliberate on the strategy ahead. The Congress core group, headed by Gandhi, will be holding consultations at a time when exit polls would be out, giving indications of the shape of things to come when results are declared on May 16.
The former Union minister said it is 'quite heartening' to see that Gandhi has taken up the initiative to involve Kishor to come out with a strategy for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, and the party's revival plan.
Rahul Gandhi will lead Congress from the front in the Lok Sabha as well as the assembly polls this year, Union Minister Sachin Pilot said, skirting the question whether he would be projected as Prime Ministerial candidate to take on Narendra Modi.
In signals that he could well be the next prime ministerial candidate, the Congress on Monday declared that Rahul Gandhi will lead the United Progressive Alliance's campaign in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and take up an "important responsibility very soon". Congress spokesperson P C Chacko appeared confident about UPA-III, with the party planning to go for ties-ups before and after the polls in a big way.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday indicated readiness to make way for Rahul Gandhi if the United Progressive Alliance wins the Lok Sabha elections next year.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Saturday expressed anguish over the gruesome gangrape of a 23-year-old photojournalist in Mumbai.
"I feel very sad. I have no control. They are all adults," Dr Singh said while replying to queries on the sidelines of the Padma awards function in New Delhi.
Sonia Gandhi is confident about a third term for the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance.
A senior Aam Aadmi Party leader on Sunday said they may extend issue based support to a Third Front government but the party swiftly distanced itself saying there was "no question" of it backing "any front".
Union Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar said on Friday there was no Modi wave in the country but argued that the new government at the Centre should be stable in the larger interest of the economy and the country. He observed that development would be a major plank in the run up to the coming parliamentary elections.
State-owned fuel retailers, who control 95 per cent of the petrol pump sales, sell diesel at government-fixed rates, which are way lower than the cost of production.
Confusion is rampant within the Congress on what would be its role post May 16 when the results of the General Elections are announced, and whether or not the Congress should support any non-National Democratic Alliance or Third Front formation or even be a part of such an exercise. Renu Mittal reports
Accusing Narendra Modi of being "desperate" to become prime minister, the Congress on Sunday said it will remain a "pipe-dream" and the "divisive" leader's nomination will help the United Progressive Alliance to return to power for a third term.
Modi is practical person... If he comes in, he will revive the economy and create jobs, says Sanjay Suri.
Hitting out at Narendra Modi, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday demanded "legal accountability" for the "clear and inexcusable failure" of governance during the 2002 Gujarat riots and dismissed talk of clean chit to him as "politically expedient" but "far too premature".
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