Hegde, who was arrested on Thursday, had allegedly posted that a Jain monk was attacked by a Muslim youth, they said.
Congress and Rashtriya Lok Dal held a crucial meeting in New Delhi on Thursday night to finalise seat sharing arrangements for Uttar Pradesh assembly elections to be held early next year.
United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi is said to be travelling abroad for a routine checkup in connection with her treatment.
The Congress on Monday deferred the election to the post of party president till the COVID-19 situation improves and decided to set up a group to assess losses in the recent assembly polls, with party chief Sonia Gandhi saying it has to put its house in order by facing reality and drawing lessons from the 'serious setbacks'.
The Congress on Friday criticised L K Advani for describing Manmohan Singh as the "weakest" prime minister and said the Bharatiya Janata Party leader's Jan Chetna Yatra was "a ploy" to keep himself in "national politics and power".
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday appointed All India Congress Committee secretary Mehboob Ali Kaiser as the new Bihar Pradesh Congress chief, replacing former Member of Parliament Jagdish Tytler.
Training his guns on L K Advani, Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh on Thursday alleged that the senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and his party had stoked communal hatred and were responsible for "encouraging terrorism" in the country.
Gandhi said that the basic idea of these exercises is to ask all poor people whether they are Indian or not. He also said that PM's 15 friends will not have to show any document and the money generated will go into the pockets of those 15 people.
The merger was sealed on Friday during a meeting between Badal and Rahul at the latter's residence here where Singh and All India Congress Committee General Secretary Shakeel Ahmad were also present, they said.
The alarm is understandable as neither the Congress party nor the United Progressive Alliance has said a word so far on advancing the Lok Sabha elections which are due in 2014. AICC leaders who have a closer rapport with the DMK do not buy the theory of the Dravida party trying to position itself, and suggest that the party is attempting to gear up its cadres's morale following the rout in the assembly and civil polls in the state.
Targeting All India Congress Committee general secretary Rahul Gandhi, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray said the Congress leader has no prospects of becoming prime minister of the country.
Taking on the Bharatiya Janata Party over the induction of tainted former Bahujan Samaj Party minister Babu Singh Kushwaha, Rahul Gandhi on Saturday claimed that he wanted to join the Congress after being sacked by Chief Minister Mayawati, but the party closed the doors on him. Addressing election meetings in Gorapkhpur, the All India Congress Committee general secretary also said the BJP has inducted a person who is part of the "corruption race" in the state.
In her message on the occasion of the 73rd Independence Day, she appealed to all to reinvigorate the principles of compassion, coexistence and inclusive development as the indelible features of polity, society and economy.
The chief minister claimed that MLAs have been getting calls after Governor Kalraj Mishra agreed Wednesday night to convene a session from August 14.
The ruling Bahujan Samaj Party has strongly refuted All India Congress Committee general secretary Digvijay Singh's sweeping allegations about massacre of farmers by the Uttar Pradesh police in Greater Noida's BhattaParsaul village, where a violent clash had ensued between cops and protesting local farmers earlier this month.
All India Congress Committee General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, addressed the Parliament on Lokpal issue on Friday during Zero Hour.
The Praja Rajyam Party will officially merge with the Congress on August 20, according to PRP president Chiranjeevi. "We decided to officially merge Praja Rajyam with Congress on August 20, the birth anniversary of Rajeev Gandhi. On August 20 and 21, senior party leaders will take Congress party membership at Gandhi Bhavan," Chiranjeevi said. Chiranjeevi was earlier scheduled to meet All India Congress Committee chief Sonia Gandhi between August 7 and August 10.
Talking to reporters Khatkar Kalan, he also suggested that Pakistan's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence will use farmers' unrest over the new farm laws and will try to foment trouble in the border state of Punjab.
"I have been saying it for the last 10 years that if there is anybody who is the biggest agent of the BJP, it is Mulayam Singh Yadav. If anybody dances to the tunes of the BJP, it is Mulayam Singh Yadav," Rashid Alvi, the Congress spokesperson, said while addressing a public meeting in Moradabad on Wednesday night
Making a veiled attack on the Mayawati government, Congress General Rahul Gandhi said an "elephant" in Lucknow was eating away all the money sent by the Centre for the poor in Uttar Pradesh.
Jayanthi Thangabalu, wife of Tamil Nadu Pradesh Congress Committee chief K V Thangblu, and former Union minister S Thirunavukarasu figure in the list of Congress candidates for 60 seats annnounced by the party on Wednesday for Tamil Nadu assembly elections. Other key names include All India Congress Committee secretary K Jayakkumar and senior party leaders Peter Alphanse and S Ganesan.
Former union parliamentary affairs minister Matang Singh has been re-inducted into the Congress with immediate effect, said All India Congress Committee General Secretary Singh on Saturday. However, Janardan Dwivedi, AICC media in-charge, has denied this claim.
Dissident leader Nabam Tuki was on Tuesday chosen as the new Congress Legislature Party leader in Arunachal Pradesh, signaling the end of the political drama that culminated in the resignation of Chief Minister Jarbom Gamlin. The decision to choose Tuki was taken by the Congress high command. The swearing-in of Tuki, who led the revolt against Gamlin's leadership for his alleged 'authoritarian rule', as the new chief minister is likely to take place later in the day.
Facing heat from dissidents, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jarbom Gamlin on Monday tendered his resignation to the governor, paving the way for a new incumbent for the post. A new Congress Legislature Party leader is likely to be elected on Tuesday by All India Congress Committee president Sonia Gandhi and will be subsequently sworn in as the new chief minister, party sources said.
All India Congress Committee General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, who is on a three-day visit to Tamil Nadu, visited Thanjavur on Wednesday and held meetings with Youth Congress activists and farmers.
The Congress on Thursday demanded the resignation of Karnataka Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda on moral grounds after two out of three ministers in his government were found watching a porn clip on a cell-phone in the state legislative assembly. "The BJP, which talks of high morals and ethics, has no face left. What will its president Nitin Gadkari say now on this episode," said All India Congress Committee Secretary Sudhakar Reddy.
SPG Act tweaked to ensure that commandoes accompany protectees overseas as well.
The Supreme Court judgment cancelling the licences of telecom companies in the 2G spectrum allocation case is likely to be challenged by way of a review petition, All India Congress Committee General Secretary Digvijay Singh said in Hyderabad on Friday.
The Congress on Wednesday charged Yoga guru Ramdev and social activist Anna Hazare of having a "hidden agenda" to destabilize the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre.
The state polls are due in October-November.
Rahul Gandhi is learnt to have taken All India Congress Committee general secretaries and state in-charges to task for failing to implement the Sonia Gandhi-driven Burari agenda on corruption. He was also unhappy about their failure to spread awareness about the Centre's flagship programmes in states ruled by Bharatiya Janata Party and to implement the Congress president's five-point action programme, outlined in her speech at the party plenary in Burari.
Ministers, legislators and Members of Legislative Council are understood to have raised a virtual rebellion against Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, protesting his unilateral style of functioning.
Tarun Gogoi, who steered the Congress to a spectacular win in Assam, will be sworn-in as chief minister for the third consecutive term on Wednesday, Pradesh Congress Committee sources said on Monday.
All India Congress Committee General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, addressed the Parliament on Lokpal issue on Friday during the Zero Hour. Addressing, the Lok Sabha, the Gandhi scion said, "the fight against corruption needs a strong political will." Rahul Gandhi also thanked Anna for creating awareness on the issue of corruption.
All India Congress Committee General Secretary Rahul Gandhi on Friday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh apparently to discuss the Lokpal issue.
All India Congress Committee General Secretary Rahul Gandhi today said that he was concerned over the logjam in the wake of Anna Hazare's agitation against corruption.
The Congress on Monday supported Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh's statements for a "reasoned debate" on the Lokpal Bill and that there is a "lot of scope for give and take" on the issue.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who underwent surgery in the United States recently for an unspecified ailment, is "much better". This was stated by Rahul Gandhi, who returned to New Delhi on Sunday after attending to his mother. "She is much better," Rahul told reporters. Sonia had left earlier in August for the US, where she underwent surgery.
Senior Congress leader Motilal Vora on Monday hoisted the national flag at the party headquarters in New Delhi in the absence of Sonia Gandhi, who is recuperating in a hospital in the United States. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, All India Congress Committee general secretary Rahul Gandhi, many senior Congress leaders and ministers were present on the occasion. Rahul Gandhi, who had accompanied his mother to the US, arrived in New Delhi on Sunday.
On March 30, West Bengal will elect five new members to Rajya Sabha. The ruling Trinamool Congress with its 185 members of Legislative Assembly in the state legislative assembly is in a position to elect three members to Rajya Sabha with ease.