Congress

Anand Sharma hits out after Congress picks Anurag Sharma for RS seat

Speaking to ANI in Shimla before leaving for Delhi, Sharma said he was not in a position to comment on why he was not chosen as the party candidate

India needs steady hand at the wheel but has 'compromised PM': Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the West Asia conflict has reached India's backyard but he has not spoken, and while the country needed a steady hand at the wheel, it has a "compromised PM who has surrendered our strategic autonomy". Gandhi said the world has entered a volatile phase and "stormy seas lie ahead" "India's oil supplies are under threat, with more than 40% of our imports transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The situation is even worse for LPG and LNG," he said on X. "The conflict has reached our backyard, with an Iranian warship sunk in the Indian Ocean. Yet the Prime Minister has said nothing," Gandhi said. At a moment like this, India needs a steady hand at the wheel, he said. "Instead, India has a compromised PM who has surrendered our strategic autonomy," Gandhi alleged. His remarks came a day after a US submarine torpedoed and sank an Iranian warship in international waters off Sri Lanka's coast when it was retu

Rahul Gandhi celebrates Holi with Congress workers at party office

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi celebrated Holi with party workers at the AICC's 24, Akbar Road office here on Wednesday, as he was smeared with colours by supporters and leaders. Gandhi wished everyone a Holi filled with love and one that eliminates hatred. Surrounded by workers, leaders and journalists at the party office, Gandhi applied colours on everyone and was smeared by 'gulal' in return. Sharing pictures from the celebration on X, Gandhi said in a post in Hindi, "Heartiest greetings to all of you on the festival of colours and love, Holi. May the colours of Holi fill your lives with new hopes, new enthusiasm and countless happiness." Earlier, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge greeted people on Holi. "Holi is a festival that expresses the soul of our colorful, multicultural society. It celebrates the tradition of unity in diversity, mutual harmony, and brotherhood that has been the hallmark of our civilization for centuries," Kharge said in a post in Hindi on X. "On this

KP Unnikrishnan, former union minister and Congress leader dies at 89

Former Union Minister K P Unnikrishnan, who was regarded as one of the prominent figures in Indian politics during the 1980s and 1990s, died in the early hours of Tuesday, his family said. He was 89. He died while undergoing treatment for age-related ailments at a private hospital here, they said. Having been elected to the Lok Sabha six consecutive times from Vadakara, he served as a Union Minister in the V P Singh Cabinet, holding the portfolios of Surface Transport and Communications during 198990. During his tenure as Minister, he oversaw the evacuation of Indians during the Gulf War. Beginning his professional life as a journalist, Unnikrishnan was first elected to the Lok Sabha from Vadakara in 1971 as a Congress candidate. He subsequently represented the constituency in the Lok Sabha in 1977, 1980, 1984, 1989 and 1991. Between 1981 and 1984, he served as the leader of Congress (Secular) in Parliament, and from 1980 to 1982 he was a member of the Public Accounts Committee.

Delhi court grants bail to 9 IYC workers in AI summit protest case

A court here has granted bail to nine Indian Youth Congress workers who were arrested in connection with the "shirtless" protest at the AI summit, saying the protest constituted symbolic political critique and pre-trial detention could "illicit pre-emptive punishment". Judicial Magistrate First Class Ravi passed the order on Sunday while hearing the bail pleas of the nine accused -- Krishna Hari, Narshimha Yadav, Kundan Kumar Yadav, Ajay Kumar Singh, Jitendra Singh Yadav, Raja Gurjar, Ajay Kumar Vimal alias Bantu, Saurabh Singh and Arbaz Khan. "The protest, at highest, constituted symbolic political critique during a public event: T-shirts with leadership imagery, non-inciteful slogans bereft of communal/regional taint, and transient assembly. No evidence discloses property defacement, or delegate panic; exit was orderly via escort," the court said. It noted that the pre-trial detention, severed from any imperative necessity and devoid of persisting investigative demands, could ...

Congress and its AAP problem resurfaces after Kejriwal verdict timing row

Since its electoral debut in 2013, AAP has mostly contested in states that have seen BJP-Congress fights

Rahul, Kharge urge government to safeguard Indians in West Asia

The Congress on Saturday condemned the attacks launched on Iran by the US and Israel, and called upon the Indian government to help bring the hostilities to an end and ensure the safety of all Indians in the Middle East. The opposition party expressed concern over the escalating hostilities in the region and urged the government to ensure that all Indians living there are safe. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said his party is deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation in the Middle East, following the recent military escalation towards Iran. "Peace and stability in the region are paramount and must be preserved. "We are equally concerned about the safety and security of Indians in Iran and across the Middle East. We urge the Government of India to take all possible measures to ensure their protection and well-being," Kharge said in a post on X. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi too expressed concern and called upon the government to take immediate proactive steps to ensu

IYC president Uday Bhanu Chib gets bail in AI Summit protest case

A Delhi court has granted bail to Indian Youth Congress (IYC) president Uday Bhanu Chib, who was arrested in connection with a protest at the India AI Impact Summit. Chib was produced before the duty magistrate around 1 am on Saturday as his four-day police custody, granted by the court on February 24, came to an end. Duty Magistrate Vanshika Mehta was hearing an application by the Delhi Police seeking a seven-day extension of his custody. However, she dismissed the plea and granted him bail. Speaking to the media, Chib's counsel informed that bail was granted by the magistrate against the surety bond of Rs 50,000, and the court has also directed his client to surrender his passport and electronic gadgets. "The duty magistrate was pleased enough to grant bail to Uday Bhanu Chib and has explained in the bail order that the police crime branch has not been able to explain the reasons for seeking extension of PC remand to Uday Bhanu Chib," the IYC president's counsel said. On Februar

Arrest of Youth Congress members may have given CM Sukhu a lifeline

The political discourse seems to be poised on the precipice of a Himachali-non-Himachali tirade brought on by quarrelling policemen

Shivakumar loyalists make fresh pitch for leadership change in Karnataka

The ongoing power tussle in the ruling Congress in Karnataka intensified with supporters of Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar gathering at a hotel to discuss strategies to see their leader's elevation to the top post in the state. Magadi MLA H C Balakrishna organised the gathering where discussions were held "to end the confusion regarding power sharing". "Nearly 40 like-minded MLAs" gathered in the private hotel on Thursday night where it was decided to lobby for Shivakumar's elevation as the Chief Minister, Congress sources said. Speaking to reporters, Balakrishna, a Shivakumar loyalist, said his birthday falls on Saturday. "Since I will not be here (Bengaluru) from Friday morning as I am going out, I asked all 'like-minded people' to have a get-together on Thursday. We invited everyone and organised this gathering." When asked about what they discussed, the Magadi MLA said, "The discussion here was that in the present situation, if our party continues like this, it will be ..

Indira Gandhi and the remaking of India's democratic institutions

Srinath Raghavan is less interested in the spectacle of the Emergency than in the decisions that preceded it and endured long after

US pressure on PM over trade deal, farmers being 'sacrificed': Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday alleged that US President Donald Trump had used the Epstein files to threaten Prime Minister Narendra Modi into signing a trade deal that would "sacrifice" Indian farmers. The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha was speaking at a farmers' convention in Peravoor, Kannur district. He said the simple fact that farmers are the foundation of India is not understood by the government. He said lengthy lectures were delivered about IT and other sectors, but nothing could be built without strengthening the foundation. "If you do not respect the foundation, nothing can be built. The person who builds the foundation does not have respect or protection. We eat food every day but do not remember who puts it on our table," he said. Gandhi alleged that the Prime Minister had signed a deal with the US President that was "like digging the foundation". "Indian farmers are small farmers with low levels of mechanisation. American farmers have massive fa

'Unabashed defence of host': Congress slams PM's Israeli Parliament address

The Congress on Thursday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his address to the Israeli Parliament, saying it was an "unabashed defence of his host" premier Benjamin Netanyahu. The opposition party also recalled India's first PM Jawaharlal Nehru's July 1947 reply to Albert Einstein's letter to him on the subject of the creation of Israel. Addressing the Knesset on Wednesday, Modi described the Gaza Peace Initiative as a path towards "just and durable peace" in the region. He also delivered a message of solidarity with Israel, asserting that "terrorism anywhere threatens peace everywhere." "I also carry with me the deepest condolences of the people of India for every life lost and for every family whose world was shattered in the barbaric terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7 (2023)," Modi said. "We feel your pain. We share your grief. India stands with Israel, firmly, with full conviction, in this moment, and beyond. No cause can justify the murder of civilians. Nothing c

Nirmala Sitharaman slams congress over India AI summit protest

Sitharaman criticised the Congress for staging protest at the recently concluded AI Impact Summit, calling the demonstration "inappropriate".

Congress should regret AI Summit protest like Emergency: FM at BS Manthan

Speaking at the BS Manthan, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the demonstration by the Indian Youth Congress has shamed Indians and undermined the efforts of India's youth

Shirtless protest at AI Summit: Delhi Police nabs Youth Congress president

Delhi Police has arrested Indian Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib in connection with the shirtless protest staged by a group of IYC members at the AI Impact Summit here last week, officials said on Tuesday. With this, the total number of arrests made in the case has risen to eight. Police had earlier arrested seven Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers, including three from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, for the protest staged at the Bharat Mandapam last Friday. They have been identified as Jitendra Yadav, Raj Gujjar and Ajay Kumar. In addition, IYC's Uttar Pradesh general secretary Ritik alias Monty Shukla has been detained from Lalitpur in the state. According to police, additional sections under the BNS, including 196 (promoting enmity between different groups and acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 197 (assertions prejudicial to national integration), have been invoked in the FIR, which carry a jail term of up to three years. Charges of criminal conspiracy, ...

Congress protests in MP Assembly, says India-US deal 'threat' to farmers

Opposition Congress MLAs on Monday staged a demonstration in the Madhya Pradesh assembly to protest the India-US trade deal, terming it as a "threat" to farmers and alleging that it will seriously impact agriculture markets and the rural economy. On the sixth day of the assembly session, Congress legislators, led by Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar, gathered in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the premises, sporting masks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, and shouted slogans against the trade deal and injustice being done to farmers. "Through the protest, the Congress Legislature Party has sent a clear message that it will not tolerate any compromise on farmers' interests," Singhar told reporters. The agitation was not merely political, he said, adding that it was a strong voice raised to protect the rights, dignity, and future of the country's food providers. The India-US trade deal poses a significant threat to farmers. If cheap foreign soybean

Former Assam Congress chief Bhupen Borah joins BJP ahead of polls

Former Assam Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah on Sunday joined the ruling BJP in the presence of its state unit president Dilip Saikia here. Borah became a BJP member during a function held at the Assam BJP headquarters 'Vajpayee Bhawan'. Along with him, former Congress worker Sanju Bora, too, joined the saffron party. Borah had resigned on February 16, with the Congress high command not accepting it and senior leaders rushing to his residence, while Rahul Gandhi also spoke to him. He had asked for time to reconsider his decision, but the next day, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma went to his residence and announced that he would join the BJP on February 22. The 126-member Assam assembly is expected to go to polls in March-April.

IYC AI Summit protest was inspired by Nepal Gen Z movement: Delhi Police

The IYC's protest at the AI Impact Summit was inspired by Nepal's violent Gen Z movement that recently toppled the government there, the Delhi Police said on Saturday. Investigators are probing the financial trail behind the protest, including who funded the printing of t-shirts brandished during the demonstration, it said. The t-shirts carried messages such as 'PM is compromised', 'India-US Trade Deal' and 'Epstein Files', it said. Teams are conducting raids to locate the printing facility where the shirts were printed and to identify persons involved in arranging them, it said. The police are also questioning Indian Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib, who was examined for the second consecutive day, while a hunt is on to arrest remaining agitators allegedly linked to the protest, sources said. Earlier, the Delhi Police arrested four IYC workers and booked them at Tilak Marg Police Station under multiple provisions, including criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, assault

Put India-US trade deal on hold, renegotiate terms: Congress

The Congress on Saturday demanded that the government put the interim trade agreement on hold and renegotiate the terms of the deal after the US Supreme Court invalidated the reciprocal tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the government must also ensure that the interests of Indian farmers are fully protected during the renegotiations and asked the government to categorically state that it will not allow any import liberalisation to the American side. Speaking with reporters here, Ramesh questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the entire deal and said he should clarify on whether he agrees with Trump's statement that nothing changes in the trade deal with India. "Does Modi agree with Trump that the trade agreement with India still holds," the Congress leader asked, while pointing out there was no response from the government so far. Claiming that the India-US interim agreement will adversely affect the Indian ..