News Analysis India

Tag: Rahul Gandhi

  • rahul gandhi: JD(U) blames Cong’s obduracy for INDIA bloc collapse in Bihar, targets Rahul Gandhi

    New Delhi: The JD(U) on Sunday blamed the Congress for the collapse of the INDIA bloc in Bihar, saying its leaders were interested in strengthening their party and not the opposition grouping. Janata Dal (United) spokesperson K C Tyagi told reporters that a “caucus” within the Congress wanted to capture the INDIA bloc leadership and its president Mallikarjun Kharge’s name was proposed as the chairperson of the grouping as part of the conspiracy.

    The decision taken about Kharge at the INDIA bloc meeting earlier this month had shocked the JD(U), which believed that its president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar would be named as the convenor without being saddled with any chairperson, its leaders had then said.

    Another JD(U) spokesperson, Rajib Ranjan, was more severe in targeting the Congress, alleging that it first sunk itself by trying to make a person who lacks any quality and harms the opposition alliance a prime minister. The comment was a likely swipe at Rahul Gandhi. Ranjan described the Congress as “bhasmasur” (mythological demon whose touch would burn down anyone).

    Hitting back at the Congress’ charge of opportunism against Kumar after he walked out of the opposition alliance and rejoined hands with old ally BJP, Tyagi said it is the obduracy of the main opposition party that derailed the INDIA bloc.

    He said the JD(U) had problems with the RJD, the main opposition party in Bihar, at a local level but squarely blamed the Congress for the development. “We have regret as well as relief that our leader who brought together the INDIA bloc has walked out of it,” Tyagi said. The Congress wanted to capture the ground of regional parties by making a disproportionate demand of seats in the states they are strong in, he said.

    The party “ordered” its allies like West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Bihar CM Kumar to join its Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra as if they were its workers, Tyagi added.

    The Congress never accommodated any ally in the states where it is strong, he said and cited several assembly polls.

    The INDIA bloc sorely lacked the optics needed to take on a grassroots party like the BJP, which is headed by a popular leader in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said.

  • Anurag Thakur takes jibe at I.N.D.I.A bloc amid rift rumors: 'Was bound to happen'

    Anurag Thakur takes jibe at I.N.D.I.A bloc amid rift rumors: 'Was bound to happen'

  • Nyay Yatra during Ram Mandir Pranpratishtha is a conspiracy to create communal tension: Assam CM

    Nyay Yatra during Ram Mandir Pranpratishtha is a conspiracy to create communal tension: Assam CM

  • Rahul Gandhi to be arrested after Lok Sabha elections: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

    Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, against whom an FIR has been registered here on the charge of instigating violence will be arrested after the Lok Sabha elections, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Wednesday. The Assam police suo motu registered the FIR against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and several other leaders for “wanton acts of violence” here during the party’s ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ on Tuesday.

    ”We have filed an FIR. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) will conduct the investigation and he (Gandhi) will be arrested after the Lok Sabha elections”, Sarma said on the sidelines of a programme at Nazira in Sibsagar district.

    The Lok Sabha elections are due within a few months in the country. Director General of Police G P Singh said that the case has been transferred to the Assam CID for a thorough investigation through an SIT to be constituted by the Additional Director General of Police (CID).

    Sarma had instructed the DGP to register a case against Gandhi for provoking the crowd to break barricades in an attempt to enter Guwahati city during the Yatra on Tuesday leading to a scuffle with the police in which some senior Congress leaders, including the state party President Bhupen Bora and leader of opposition in the state assembly, and four police personnel were injured.

    The FIR was filed against Congress leaders under IPC sections that deal with criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, rioting, assault or criminal force to deter public servants from discharging their duty, damaging public property and others.

  • Beginning Of Disintegration Of INDIA Bloc? AAP, TMC Decide To Go Solo; Congress Sends Peace Message |

    The Lok Sabha Election 2024 is just around three months away the fissures between the INDIA bloc are widening day by day. While the opposition bloc is yet to finalize its seat-sharing plan, Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab have decided to go solo. According to reports, Congress wanted to contest around 10 seats in Bengal and 5-6 seats in Punjab but none of the parties – AAP and TMC – agreed. 

    Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today said that the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will win all 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab. On the other hand, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee said that her party declared that the Trinamool Congress would fight alone in Bengal. “I had no discussions with the Congress party. I have always said that in Bengal, we will fight alone. I am not concerned about what will be done in the country but we are a secular party and in Bengal, we will alone will defeat BJP.” 

    Banerjee claimed that she shared many suggestions with Congress but the grand old party rejected it and thus the TMC has taken this decision. The Bengal Chief Minister also claimed she had not been informed of Rahul Gandhi’s Nyay Yatra passing through Bengal, contrary to claims by the Congress that they had invited INDIA bloc parties to join the Yatra. “They did not even bother to inform me that they would be coming to West Bengal as a matter of courtesy even though I am a part of the INDIA bloc. So there is no relation with me as far as Bengal is concerned” Mamata Banerjee said.

    Seeing the decision of the TMC and the AAP, Congress sent a message of peace. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that TMC is an important pillar of the INDIA alliance and the alliance cannot be imagined without Mamata Banerjee. “When the journey is long, there can be some speed breakers in the path, and there can be a red light as well, but that does not mean that we should stop the journey itself. The journey continues; we cross the speed breakers, and red lights turn green,” said Jairam Ramesh. He also said that the issues would be resolved soon and INDIA alliance would contest West Bengal standing united.

    RJD also tried to send a similar message. RJD leader and Rajya Sabha MP, Manoj Jha claimed that the statement was given in some particular situation and said that INDIA parties will solve the conflict.

  • Rahul Gandhi asked not to hold street-corner meeting and padyatra in Assam’s Morigaon

    Morigaon (Assam): Morigaon district commissioner on Monday asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to refrain from holding a street-corner meeting and a padayatra as part of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra as miscreants may try to disrupt peace and tranquility in the district. “On the basis of intelligence inputs, the district administration apprehends the involvement of miscreants who may try to disrupt the peace and tranquility of the district by indulging in anti-social activities taking advantage of two major events happening on the same day – The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and the Ram Lalla Pran Pratistha – simultaneously”, district commissioner Devashis Sarma said in a letter to the Congress functionaries.

    ”In the interest of Rahul Gandhi’s safety and security, who is a ‘Z plus’ protectee along with our responsibility to avert any probable law and order disruption in Morigaon district, we request that the party refrains from proposed street-corner meeting at the Bihutoli police point and padyatra from the Srimanta Sankardeva Chowk in Morigaon town”, the letter said.

    Earlier in the day, Gandhi was barred from visiting the birthplace of iconic Vaishnav saint Srimanta Sankardeva.

  • Supreme Court rejects plea seeking quashing of notification that restored Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha membership

    The Supreme Court on Friday took a stern view on the filing of “frivolous” petitions and dismissed with a cost of Rs 1 lakh a plea seeking the quashing of an August 7, 2023, notification that restored the Lok Sabha membership of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The Lok Sabha notification restored the membership of Rahul Gandhi following an apex court order staying his conviction in a 2019 defamation case over his ‘Modi’ surname remark.

    The top court had on August 4, 2023, stayed his conviction in the defamation case. Gandhi represents Wayanad in the Lower House of Parliament.

    The plea filed by Lucknow-based Ashok Pandey came up for hearing before a bench of Justices B R Gavai and Sandeep Mehta. The bench observed that Pandey had not appeared before it despite the matter being called twice for hearing.

    It also referred to two previous orders passed by the court on separate petitions filed by the petitioner.

    The bench noted that the top court had dismissed those petitions with costs of Rs 5 lakh and Rs 1 lakh respectively. “Filing of such frivolous petitions waste precious time not only of the court but also the entire registry…,” it observed while dismissing the plea and imposing the cost. The petitioner had arrayed the Lok Sabha Speaker, the Union of India, the Election Commission of India and Rahul Gandhi as respondents in the plea.

    The bench also observed that the issue raised by the petitioner was identical to the one raised in his earlier plea, which was dismissed in October last year with a cost of Rs 1 lakh.

    In the plea dismissed in October, the petitioner had challenged the restoration of Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha membership.

    Last year, the apex court had also imposed a cost of Rs 5 lakh on the petitioner for claiming in a separate PIL that the oath taken by the Bombay High Court chief justice was “defective”.

    Gandhi was disqualified as an MP on March 24 last year after a Gujarat court convicted and sentenced him to two years imprisonment for criminal defamation for comments he made about the Modi surname.

    The Gujarat High Court later dismissed his petition for a stay on conviction, observing that “purity in politics” is the need of the hour. Thereafter, the apex court had stayed his conviction in the case.

    BJP leader Purnesh Modi had filed a criminal defamation case against Gandhi in 2019 over his “How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?” remark made during an election rally in Kolar in Karnataka on April 13, 2019.

  • Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi cannot move from the middle of Guwahati city: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

    Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that it is made clear that Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi cannot move from the middle of Guwahati city and if the same is not complied government will file case and ensure two or three leaders are brought to Assam by the police.

    Sarma on Thursday said, “We will give all the necessary permission for the rally however if they insist on going right from the middle of Guwahati city, we will not arrange for police security. If they do so we will register a case of violation and after elections will arrest them. There is a medical college here and people will really dislike them if they move through the middle of Guwahati.”

    Sarma said, “Those who break the law, we will not show off; however after one or two months, two people, one which include former personnel of SPG will be arrested. They will be the government’s guest if they violate this. We may even arrest them from Siliguri in West Bengal.” He said it is not a Nyay rally but a Miya rally.” In those places where there are Miyas there will be people in the rally and in the places where there is no Miya there will be no crowd. Even Women from the Miya community will not come, only some men from the community will turn up.

    Former Youth Congress leader Angkita Dutta who alleged harassment and gender discrimination Youth Congress president Srinivas BV had moved court. She protested on Thursday seeking justice for herself. On April 19 last year, she was expelled from Assam Youth Congress.

    Sarma said, “From Congress no one can expect justice, what to expect from them as 900 people were killed in Assam Agitation, they bombed the Aizawl.” The chief minister said that the Gandhi family is the most corrupt family in the country. “From Bofors deal to ensuring safe passage to Warren Martin Anderson, CEO of Union Carbide Corporation plant in Bhopal, Gandhi’s corruption is everywhere. In fact, this family is not originally Gandhi, they are duplicate. In case of duplicate license, one is arrested however I do not know what the consequences are of having a duplicate surname, that is why they are roaming around.” Bengali speaking Muslims are often referred as Miya Muslims. Muslims comprise 34% of the 3.12 crore population of Assam, of which 4% are indigenous Assamese Muslims and the remaining mostly Bengali-speaking Muslims.

  • Rahul Gandhi addresses media from Nagaland's Kohima | Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra | Live

    Rahul Gandhi addresses media from Nagaland's Kohima | Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra | Live

  • Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra: People are asking us why PM Modi has not visited Manipur: Congress’ Jairam Ramesh

    Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, who is with Rahul Gandhi in Manipur for ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ said that people are asking us why PM Modi has not visited Manipur.

    The second day of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra resumed from Imphal West in Manipur in the early hours of Monday.

    Jairam Ramesh told that Rahul Gandhi listened to the pain of the people in Manipur.”People are asking us why PM Modi has not visited Manipur? Everyone wants Rahul Gandhi to raise this issue in parliament and ask the PM to come to Manipur and meet the people. You can see how many people have gathered here. Rahul ji listened to the pain of those who are not able to go to school and colleges and those who are still in relief camps,” he said.

    He further asserted that everyone in the violence-hit state wants a strong government.

    “There is no governance here since last 8 months. Two ministers here are working online; they are not even in Manipur. Everyone wants a government–a sensitive government and a strong government. This is also the question that you have the mandate; your party is in power here and in Delhi. You consider yourself a double-engine government; then why are the people in pain?” he added.The Yatra will be halted in Nagaland at night after it started from Sekmai, then will go to Kangpokpi and then Senapati in Manipur.Meanwhile on Sunday, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi flagged off the yatra from Manipur’s Thoubal. The yatra will cover over 6,700 kilometres over 67 days, traversing through 110 districts.

    The leaders and workers of the party paid a silent tribute to the people killed in the violence in the state before the start of the yatra.

    Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that his party started the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra to ensure justice to the people as they are facing a period of ‘great injustice’ in the country.

    “The questions arose- why the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. It is because we are going through a period of great injustice in India. It is of all kinds – social, political and economical,” Rahul Gandhi said after launching his yatra from Manipur’s Thoubal.