Tag: senior Congress leader

  • Parties dreaming of an Opposition front minus Congress possibly live in fool’s paradise: Jairam Ramesh 

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday asserted that non-BJP parties that dream of opposition unity without the grand old party as the fulcrum is possible are living in a “fool’s paradise”.

    Without naming any outfit, he said many regional parties have back-stabbed the grand old party in the past to serve their own self-interests, and that such parties should stop using Congress as a punching bag.

    “There cannot be any opposition unity without the Congress as its fulcrum. That is fundamental. If any non-BJP outfit thinks any alliance sans the Congress can provide a stable government for five years, it is living in a fool’s paradise. There can never be any opposition unity minus the Congress,” Ramesh affirmed in an interview with PTI in Kolkata, where he had come to attend a party programme. 

    Although he dubbed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as the “B-team” of the BJP, Ramesh stopped short of analysing the role of the Trinamool Congress, which too, like the Arvind Kejriwal-led party, is opposed to the Congress, by saying, “It (TMC) has Congress in its name.” 

    “We have said this before. There is ample evidence to prove that AAP is the B-team of the BJP. If you look at its history or the background of its leaders, you will know it. Regarding the TMC, I am yet to make my assessment, but I think they, too, have Congress in their name,” he said.

    Without naming anyone, Ramesh said those who talk of opposition unity without the Congress only want to weaken the opposition front and the grand old party. 

    “In an alliance, you give something and receive something in return. It is an understanding. So far, the Congress has been offering, and everyone has benefited from it. And after getting benefits, they have been trying to use the Congress as a punching bag to weaken it. This has to stop now,” he said.

    Terming the Congress the “big elephant of Indian politics”, Ramesh said no one should make the mistake of “writing it off”.

    Speaking on the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra, he said a strengthened Congress and a more durable and constructive opposition would be the end product of the march.

    “We have started the Yatra over national issues. The country is going through a situation where our politics, economy, and institutions are falling apart due to the BJP and its divisive politics. Another motive of the Yatra is to galvanise the rank and file of the Congress ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls,” the former union environment minister said.

    Ramesh said the Yatra was not aimed at state elections in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls. When told that the Congress is speaking of “Bharat Jodo” when the party itself is in disarray, Ramesh said the outfit is trying to fix its internal issues. 

    “We have to set our house in order, and we are doing it. We have to fix our issues and are in the process of doing it. The Congress is a 137-year-old party; sometimes, there are some crucial moments in history when you need out-of-the-box thinking to reach out to the masses. Bharat Jodo Yatra is one such thinking and will be a game changer,” he said.

    A nearly 3,650-km-long padayatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir is being undertaken by senior leader Rahul Gandhi since September 7. The five-and-a-half month-long march aims to galvanise Congress cadres and strengthen the organisation, breathing in new energy.

    Taking a swipe at Congress ‘G-23’ leaders, senior politicians of the party who had sought an organisational overhaul and elections at all levels in a letter to the Congress president in August 2020, Ramesh said that after the age of 65, senior politicos should act as “mentors and groom next-generation leaders”.

    “Senior Congress leaders should act as mentors. I believe I am now 68 and don’t have the same energy I used to have ten or five years back. After the age of 65, one should identify people who are in their 30s and 40s and groom them for becoming next-generation leaders,” he said.

    Speaking on the ongoing desertion of senior leaders from the party, Ramesh said those who have got everything from the Congress are leaving the party.

    “There are two types of people who are leaving the Congress. The first type includes those who have benefited immensely from the party. Ghulam Nabi Azad is an example. He got everything from the party and has now left it. The second type are those leaving the Congress to escape investigative agencies which are after them for their previous sins. Dedicated Congressmen will never desert the party,” he said.

    When asked whether the idea of the Bharat Jodo Yatra to mobilise masses has been taken from the Ram Rath Yatra of the BJP in the 90s, Ramesh replied in the negative.

    “Earlier, on several occasions, the Congress and Rahul Gandhi have taken out yatras, but maybe not of this scale. And regarding BJP’s yatra, it was in response to V P Singh’s Mandal Commission. The Bharat Jodo Yatra is against the divisive politics and policies of the BJP,” he added.

    KOLKATA: Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday asserted that non-BJP parties that dream of opposition unity without the grand old party as the fulcrum is possible are living in a “fool’s paradise”.

    Without naming any outfit, he said many regional parties have back-stabbed the grand old party in the past to serve their own self-interests, and that such parties should stop using Congress as a punching bag.

    “There cannot be any opposition unity without the Congress as its fulcrum. That is fundamental. If any non-BJP outfit thinks any alliance sans the Congress can provide a stable government for five years, it is living in a fool’s paradise. There can never be any opposition unity minus the Congress,” Ramesh affirmed in an interview with PTI in Kolkata, where he had come to attend a party programme. 

    Although he dubbed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as the “B-team” of the BJP, Ramesh stopped short of analysing the role of the Trinamool Congress, which too, like the Arvind Kejriwal-led party, is opposed to the Congress, by saying, “It (TMC) has Congress in its name.” 

    “We have said this before. There is ample evidence to prove that AAP is the B-team of the BJP. If you look at its history or the background of its leaders, you will know it. Regarding the TMC, I am yet to make my assessment, but I think they, too, have Congress in their name,” he said.

    Without naming anyone, Ramesh said those who talk of opposition unity without the Congress only want to weaken the opposition front and the grand old party. 

    “In an alliance, you give something and receive something in return. It is an understanding. So far, the Congress has been offering, and everyone has benefited from it. And after getting benefits, they have been trying to use the Congress as a punching bag to weaken it. This has to stop now,” he said.

    Terming the Congress the “big elephant of Indian politics”, Ramesh said no one should make the mistake of “writing it off”.

    Speaking on the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra, he said a strengthened Congress and a more durable and constructive opposition would be the end product of the march.

    “We have started the Yatra over national issues. The country is going through a situation where our politics, economy, and institutions are falling apart due to the BJP and its divisive politics. Another motive of the Yatra is to galvanise the rank and file of the Congress ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls,” the former union environment minister said.

    Ramesh said the Yatra was not aimed at state elections in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls. When told that the Congress is speaking of “Bharat Jodo” when the party itself is in disarray, Ramesh said the outfit is trying to fix its internal issues. 

    “We have to set our house in order, and we are doing it. We have to fix our issues and are in the process of doing it. The Congress is a 137-year-old party; sometimes, there are some crucial moments in history when you need out-of-the-box thinking to reach out to the masses. Bharat Jodo Yatra is one such thinking and will be a game changer,” he said.

    A nearly 3,650-km-long padayatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir is being undertaken by senior leader Rahul Gandhi since September 7. The five-and-a-half month-long march aims to galvanise Congress cadres and strengthen the organisation, breathing in new energy.

    Taking a swipe at Congress ‘G-23’ leaders, senior politicians of the party who had sought an organisational overhaul and elections at all levels in a letter to the Congress president in August 2020, Ramesh said that after the age of 65, senior politicos should act as “mentors and groom next-generation leaders”.

    “Senior Congress leaders should act as mentors. I believe I am now 68 and don’t have the same energy I used to have ten or five years back. After the age of 65, one should identify people who are in their 30s and 40s and groom them for becoming next-generation leaders,” he said.

    Speaking on the ongoing desertion of senior leaders from the party, Ramesh said those who have got everything from the Congress are leaving the party.

    “There are two types of people who are leaving the Congress. The first type includes those who have benefited immensely from the party. Ghulam Nabi Azad is an example. He got everything from the party and has now left it. The second type are those leaving the Congress to escape investigative agencies which are after them for their previous sins. Dedicated Congressmen will never desert the party,” he said.

    When asked whether the idea of the Bharat Jodo Yatra to mobilise masses has been taken from the Ram Rath Yatra of the BJP in the 90s, Ramesh replied in the negative.

    “Earlier, on several occasions, the Congress and Rahul Gandhi have taken out yatras, but maybe not of this scale. And regarding BJP’s yatra, it was in response to V P Singh’s Mandal Commission. The Bharat Jodo Yatra is against the divisive politics and policies of the BJP,” he added.

  • Why is Modi govt charging common people for COVID-19 vaccine: Prithviraj Chavan

    By ANI
    MUMBAI: Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Tuesday questioned the central government’s decision to charge for COVID-19 vaccine in phase-II that began on March 1.

    In phase-II, people over the age of 60 and over the age of 45 with co-morbidity can get inoculated at the designated centres by paying Rs 250.

    In a press conference, Prithviraj Chavan said that in phase-I, the union government had procured 1.65 crore doses of vaccine at a cost of Rs 210 per dose.

    “According to the budget speech delivered by the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, on February 1, 2021, Rs 35,000 crore has been earmarked for the vaccination drive. In this amount, at the cost of Rs 210 per dose more than 1.5 billion doses can be procured which can inoculate 75 crore population twice covering almost the entire adult population of India. If budgetary provisions are made then, why charge common people?” Chavan asked.

    Comparing to the vaccine drives in countries like the United States of America (USA) and United Kingdom (UK), the Congress leader said, “Large countries such as the USA, UK or Canada are providing free vaccines to their citizens either through insurance scheme or by budgetary provisions.”

    He further demanded that all beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (Aayushman Bharat) must be given a free COVID-19 vaccine.

    “I demand all beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (Aayushman Bharat) must be given free COVID-19 vaccine. Unfortunately, despite lofty budgetary announcements and India being the largest supplier of the COVID-19 vaccine, the Modi government is digging into the common man’s pocket.”

    The price of the coronavirus vaccine at private facilities in the country has been capped at Rs 250 per dose, which includes Rs 100 as a service charge, according to central government sources.

    Last Friday, the health ministry had said that the COVID-19 vaccination will be free of charge at government vaccination centres. The beneficiary will have to show a photo ID document for proof of age (preferably Aadhar card or EPIC card) and a certificate of co-morbidity (if required).

    Those taking the COVID vaccine at any designated/empanelled private health facility will have to pay a pre-fixed charge.

    States and UTs were explained the simplified process of registration, which shall be through three routes: Advance Self-Registration: In this, the beneficiaries will be able to self-register in advance by downloading the Co-WIN 2.0 portal and through other IT applications such as Aarogya Setu etc.