Over 20,000 Congressmen coming together to celebrate the grand old party, the Indian National Congress completing 125 years of an eventful existence. But the mood at the 83rd Congress plenary, held with all the pomp and show in a grand tent, did not reflect the grandness of the occasion.
If you were present at the 83rd Congress plenary in New Delhi on Sunday, you would have thought that there is nothing wrong with the UPA-2 government, the government is not responsible for any corruption scandal, B S Yeddyurappa is the only corrupt politician in the country, and the BJP and the RSS are responsible for all that ails the country.
P Chidambaram was conspicuous by his absence on the dais at the second day of the plenary.
The two-day Congress plenary session in New Delhi, which met following weeks of turmoil in the Congress had less of introspection on corruption and crises, and more of the general Congress agenda: Promote Rahul Gandhi, project him as a mature leader who has taken the next step towards leading the nation and bash the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former All India Congress Committee chief Sonia Gandhi will address leaders in Nava Raipur, as well as political, economic and international affairs resolutions will be deliberated upon at the party's 85th plenary session on Saturday.
On the eve of the Congress plenary, Sahim Salim captures the mood in Burari, a town in northwest Delhi, which is all geared up for the mega event.
The meeting started under the presidency of Mallikarjun Kharge but former presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were yet to arrive and are unlikely to attend the steering committee meeting.
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'They (the Modi government) are trying to silence people who speak against this government, who speak with force and speak with conviction and want to speak the truth.'
'If they are not, then the Modi government should order a JPC immediately.'
Enjoying the luxury of power at the Centre, Congress would have to trudge the middle path on key issues like alliances, lest it sends wrong singals to its allies in the coalition.
The AICC meet will be the vindication of the policy of the 'coming together of secular forces' pursued by Sonia since she took over the reins of the organisation way back in 1998.
Over 20,000 congressmen came together to celebrate the Indian National Congress completing 125 years of existence. But the mood at the 83rd plenary, held with all the pomp and show in a grand tent, did not reflect the grandness of the occasion. The mood was somber to start with, the party delegates sat quietly neither cheering nor shouting slogans as they normally do, asking Rahul Gandhi to speak.
As the All India Congress Committee Plenary session started in New Delhi, the party rank and file hoped that the Congress high command would be able to clear up the mess surrounding the party in the wake of the various scams surrounding it.
Interestingly, this is not being done surreptitiously or secretly but is a decision taken by senior AICC general secretaries who feel there is nothing wrong with the practice. This though is a first of its kind move by the AICC leaders.
If the corruption issue doesn't claim Mr Baghel, the Congress's chances in the assembly election later this year are good, observes Aditi Phadnis.
A special budget for farmers and interest-free loans for farmers and women are among the welfare programmes announced by Kadapa member of Parliament Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, which he said his YSR Congress Party would implement if it comes to power.
Ramesh told PTI that an east-to-west yatra, probably from Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh to Porbandar in Gujarat, was being considered but its format could be a bit different from the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday conducted raids at over a dozen locations in Chhattisgarh including at premises linked to state Congress leaders as part of an ongoing probe into the alleged coal levy scam, officials said.
'Rahul should have learnt so much in the last 20 years. But give him a mic and he begins to talk without thinking about its consequences.'
The Congress on Monday promised that a government led by it will conduct a nationwide caste census and implement 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies at the earliest, including adequate representation for women belonging to the OBC community.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said he has never owned a house and noted that this experience had helped him 'change' his Bharat Jodo Yatra and connect with the people.
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.
Unprecedented scenes were witnessed as Congress leaders sat on a dharna near the aircraft at the tarmac and raised slogans such as 'Jab jab Modi darta hai, police ke peeche chupta hai' and 'Tanashahi nahi chalegi'.
The Jats are a political force in Rajasthan and the community's presence in 85 assembly constituencies may tilt the balance in electoral politics.
Throwing his party's weight behind the Congress to ensure an Opposition win in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday said arguments by some favouring a front without the grand old party should be rejected.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday wrote to the Public Accounts Committee expressing his willingness to appear before the panel which is looking into the 2G spectrum allocation scam. Following up his announcement at the Congress plenary session, Dr Singh made the offer in his letter to PAC Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi. Addressing the concluding day of the Congress plenary, Dr Singh had said he would be 'happy to appear' before the PAC though there was no precedent.
Yeddyurappa was the most chanted name at the ongoing Congress plenary session at New Delhi. Almost every speaker at the plenary termed the Karnataka CM as the most corrupt chief minister in India.
Start afresh! This is the message of Congress President Sonia Gandhi to partymen from Bihar in the wake of the party's drubbing in the recently concluded Bihar assembly polls.
Second day of the Congress plenary at New Delhi will pass two crucial resolutions on Monday.
P Chidambaram was conspicuous by his absence on the dais at the second day of the plenary.
In a fiery speech at the 83rd Congress plenary in Burari, Congress president Sonia Gandhi hits out at the Opposition, report Onkar Singh and Vicky Nanjappa.
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Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, speaking on the second day of the Congress plenary meet on Monday in New Delhi, said the PM's post should be above suspicion and that he is ready to appear before the Public Accounts Committee in the 2G spectrum scam even though there was no precedent to do so.
Was the prime minister's offer to appear before the Public Accounts Committee 'precedent' an afterthought? Looks like it, if one were to go carefully through the press handout being distributed at the media centre at the Congress plenary in New Delhi.
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