CPI (M) leader Subhashini Ali raised a question regarding Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s candidacy from the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency and asked why the Congress leader is not fighting from the BJP stronghold.
Tag: Congress
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`Rahul Gandhi Should Fight From BJP`s Stronghold, Not From Kerala`: CPI(M) Slams Congress
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`Shocked By Betrayal` BJP MP Ajay Nishad Quits Party Ahead Of Lok Sabha Polls
Ajay Nishad was reportedly miffed with the BJP after he was denied a ticket from Muzaffarpur.
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‘They Simply Did Not Care…’: S Jaishankar Blasts Congress, DMK Over Katchatheevu |
New Delhi: An island located in the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka has emerged as a contentious topic in Indian political discourse. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar addressed the issue on Monday and criticized the Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) for their stance, suggesting they are treating the matter irresponsibly.
“Now, every political party in Tamil Nadu has taken a position on this. Two parties, the Congress and the DMK, have approached this matter as though they have no responsibility for it. As though the situation is for today’s central government to resolve, there is no history to this, this has just happened, they are the people who are taking up the cause; that is the way they would like to project it,” stated the External Affairs Minister during a press briefing.
The EAM said that over the past two decades, Sri Lanka has detained 6184 Indian fishermen and seized, detained, or apprehended 1175 Indian fishing vessels…Over the last five years, the matters concerning Katchatheevu and the Fisherman’s issue have been consistently brought up in Parliament through questions, debates, and discussions within the consultative committee, he added.
“The then CM of Tamil Nadu has written to me numerous times. And my record shows that to the current CM, I have replied 21 times on this issue…It is an issue which has been very much debated in parliament and in the Tamil Nadu circles. It has been the subject of correspondence between the union government and the state government,” said Jaishankar indicating that this issue is not new. It has been ongoing and actively discussed both in Parliament and among Tamil Nadu circles, he said.
Jaishankar further slammed the then government of not caring much about the issue. He said, ” We are talking about 1958 and 1960… The main people in the case wanted to make sure that at least we should get the fishing rights… The island was given away in 1974 and the fishing rights were given away in 1976… One, the most basic recurring (aspect) is the indifference shown by the then central government and the PMs about the territory of India…” he added.
Historically, the island situated between Rameswaram (India) and Sri Lanka has been utilised by fishermen from both countries. In 1974, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi recognized Katchatheevu as Sri Lankan territory through the “Indo-Sri Lankan Maritime Agreement.” The 1974 Agreement concerning historic waters in the Palk Strait and the Palk Bay between Sri Lanka and India officially affirmed Sri Lanka’s sovereignty over the island.
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`Undeclared Emergency Imposed…`: Tejashwi Yadav Hits Out At BJP – Watch
Tejashwi Yadav questioned PM Modi about his promise of giving two crore jobs every year.
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Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Congress Releases List Of 27 Star Campaigners For J&K; Check All Names |
New Delhi: The Indian National Congress (INC) released a list of 27 star campaigners on Saturday for Jammu and Kashmir, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, among others.
These leaders will campaign for the party candidates in Jammu and Kashmir during the Lok Sabha elections scheduled to be held in five phases. The list of star campaigners for the parliamentary elections in J-K was submitted by INC general secretary KC Venugopal to the Secretary Election Commission of India.
The list of star campaigners included Mallikargjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Ambika Soni, KC Venugopal, Sachin Pilot, Bharatsingh Solanki, Vikar Rasool Wani, GA Mir, Tariq Hameed Karra, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Revanth Reddy and Harish Rawat.
The list of 27 names also included Pramod Tewari, Pawan Khera, Ranjeet Ranjan, TS Singh Deo, Imran Pratapgarhi, Raj Babbar, Pirzada Mohd Sayeed, Manoj Yadav, Tara Chand, Raman Bhalla, Chowdhary Lal Singh, GN Monga, Shameema Raina and Akash Bharat.
The following leaders of the Indian National Congress would be campaigning as per Section 77 (1) of the Representation of People Act 1951 for the first and second phases of general elections to the Lok Sabha from Jammu and Kashmir in 2024.
Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held soon after the Lok Sabha polls, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said earlier, as he announced the dates for the general election and four state polls, as well as 26 Assembly by-polls.
The Lok Sabha polls in the Union Territory will be held in the first five phases on April 19 (Udhampur), April 26 (Jammu), May 7 (Anantnag-Rajouri), May 13 (Srinagar) and May 20 (Baramulla).
The counting of votes will be taken up on June 4.
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Congress To Stage Massive Nationwide Protest Today Against Income Tax Notices |
New Delhi: In response to notices from IT department, Congress party is all set to stage a nationwide protest today. The party has been asked to pay over Rs 1,800 crore.
Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal has directed all state branches to organize protests at the headquarters of PCC (Pradesh Congress Committee) and district Congress Committees on Saturday.
“Eight years of Income Tax returns of the INC have been reopened on baseless, manufactured grounds to levy patently illegal Income Tax demand orders totalling thousands of crores of rupees. This is nothing but a blatant and naked attack on the very principals of democracy,” Venugopal said in a letter addressed to party workers on Friday.“Now in a patently illegal and undemocratic action, the Income Tax Department – has launched its next premeditated, diabolical campaign against the INC. Eight years of Income Tax returns of the INC have been reopened on baseless, manufactured grounds to levy patently illegal Income Tax Demand orders totalling thousands of crores of rupees. This is nothing but a blatant and naked attack on the very principals of democracy,” he stated in a letter.
“In light of this egregious attack on democracy and the imposition of tax terrorism on our party amidst the crucial Lok Sabha elections, All Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs) are requested to hold massive public demonstrations at the State and District headquarters in their respective states tomorrow and the following day, involving senior leaders and party functionaries. Massive protest demonstrations shall be held in all constituencies, led by our party candidates. Protest demonstrations, including Mashal Juloos, shall be conducted in all districts by the District Congress Committees,” he added.
General Secretary and spokesperson of Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee Swarnim Chaturvedi said the BJP-led central government is continuously attacking democracy and democratic systems in the country.
Public demonstrations will be organised by the district Congress committees at all the district headquarters of Rajasthan on Saturday, he said.
All senior leaders, office bearers, and workers of the Congress will participate, he added.
As part of a well-planned conspiracy of the central government, the bank accounts of the Congress party were frozen and now undemocratic action is being taken against it by the Income Tax Department which has asked it to pay Rs 1,823.08 crore, he said.
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Lok Sabha Polls: Kangana Ranaut Hits Out At Supriya Shrinate For ‘Mandi Me Bhav’ Post; Congress Leader Clarifies |
New Delhi: Kangana Ranaut slammed Congress leader Supriya Shrinate after the latter posted an image of the BJP candidate from Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi with a caption that sparked controversy. Supriya Shrinate posted an image of Ranuat on her Instagram with the caption “Kya Bhav Chal Raha Hai Mandi Me Koi Batayega?” which roughly translates to ‘What’s the market price.’ Though the post was taken down by Shrinate after an uproar, the damage was done.
Mandi is the Lok Sabha constituency in Himachal Pradesh however the word Mandi is also used to describe a place where some particular items are sold like vegetables, it’s Sabzi MandSometimes, the phrase is allegedly used as a slang to describe the place where people pay prostitutes for their services. Therefore, the Congress leader’s Instagram post consisting Ranaut’s photo using the same slang after the latter’s candidature from the Mandi seat on BJP ticket, sparked a controversy.
Kangana clapped back at Srinate asking her to rise above the curiosity of the body and not to use the challenging circumstances of sex workers in a slur. Underlining her work in cinema where she played roles ranging from a warrior to a prostitute, Kangana said every woman deserves dignity.
“Dear Supriya ji In the last 20 years of my career as an artist I have played all kinds of women. From a naive girl in Queen to a seductive spy in Dhaakad, from a goddess in Manikarnika to a demon in Chandramukhi, from a prostitute in Rajjo to a revolutionary leader in Thalaivii,” wrote Kangana on X.
Dear Supriya ji
In the last 20 years of my career as an artist I have played all kinds of women. From a naive girl in Queen to a seductive spy in Dhaakad, from a goddess in Manikarnika to a demon in Chandramukhi, from a prostitute in Rajjo to a revolutionary leader in Thalaivii.… pic.twitter.com/GJbhJTQAzW
— Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) March 25, 2024“We must free our daughters from the shackles of prejudices, we must rise above the curiosity about their body parts and above all we must refrain from using sex workers’ challenging lives or circumstances as some kind of abuse or slur… every woman deserves her dignity,” she stated. Kangana Ranaut was nominated as BJP’s candidate from the Mandi Lok Sabha seat on Sunday for the 2024 general elections.
Meanwhile, Supriya Shrinate has released a video and said that several people have access to her Facebook and Instagram accounts and one of those people made the objectionable and she is trying to find out the person behind the objectionable post.
“Many people have access to my Facebook and Instagram accounts. One of these people had posted a very disgusting and objectionable post today. As soon as I came to know about this, I removed that post. Anyone who knows me knows very well that I don’t make personal remarks about any woman,” wrote Shrinate On X.
मेरे फेसबुक और इंस्टा के अकाउंट पर कई लोगों का एक्सेस है. इसमें से किसी व्यक्ति ने आज एक बेहद घृणित और आपत्तिजनक पोस्ट किया था.
मुझे जैसे ही इसकी जानकारी हुई मैंने वह पोस्ट हटा दिया. जो भी मुझे जानते हैं, वह यह अच्छी तरह से जानते हैं कि मैं किसी भी महिला के लिए व्यक्तिगत भोंडी… pic.twitter.com/CFDNXuxmo2
— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) March 25, 2024Lok Sabha polls are scheduled to commence on Aril 19 and will be held in seven phases across the country and vote counting is scheduled for June 4. Polling in Himachal Pradesh will take place in a single phase on June 1.
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Who Is Rohan Gupta? The Man Who Has Put Congress In A Tight Spot In Gujarat |
NEW DELHI: In a surprising turn of events, Rohan Gupta, the Congress candidate from the Ahmedabad East constituency, has withdrawn his candidature merely six days after being nominated. Citing his father’s critical health condition, Gupta expressed his inability to continue in the electoral race in a statement posted on the social media platform ‘X’. “Due to a serious medical condition, my father has been admitted to hospital and I am withdrawing my candidature for the Ahmedabad east parliament seat as a Congress Candidate. I will extend complete support to the new candidate nominated by the party,” Gupta said.
Due to serious medical condition , my father is admitted in hospital and I am withdrawing my candidature for Ahmedabad east parliament seat as Congress Candidate. I will extend complete support to the new candidate nominated by party. pic.twitter.com/oPVNBd7DqV
— Rohan Gupta (@rohanrgupta) March 18, 2024
This abrupt decision has dealt a significant blow to the Congress party, intensifying the challenge of securing a suitable replacement candidate at such a crucial juncture, just days before the impending Lok Sabha elections.
Gupta, a familiar face in television news debates, was poised to contest from a seat currently held by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Hasmukh Patel. The sudden withdrawal has not only disrupted the party’s electoral strategy but has also left Gujarat Congress leaders visibly dismayed and grappling with the urgent task of finding an alternative candidate.
Who Is Rohan Gupta?
Rohan Gupta, aged 46, emerged as a prominent figure within the Congress ranks, known for his articulate presence in national media discussions. He has been a former head of the Congress’s social media team, His nomination on March 13 was seen as a strategic move by the party to bolster its prospects in the upcoming polls. However, Gupta’s past controversy, which led to his removal as head of the Congress’s social media team two years ago, resurfaced in the wake of his candidacy. Despite this setback, the party endorsed his candidacy, only to face this unexpected setback.
The Congress, which had announced seven candidates in Gujarat, including sitting MLAs and former legislators, now finds itself in a precarious position following Gupta’s withdrawal. With the state set to vote on May 7 in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections, the party faces the formidable task of regrouping and reasserting its electoral presence amidst the BJP’s stronghold.
Countdown To Elections In Gujarat
As the electoral clock ticks closer to polling day, the Congress must swiftly navigate the aftermath of Gupta’s departure while striving to regain momentum in Gujarat’s political landscape. With the BJP’s dominant performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the upcoming elections pose a critical test for the Congress’s resurgence in the state. As the nation awaits the unfolding dynamics of the electoral battlefield, the Congress grapples with the challenge of reshaping its strategy and reclaiming lost ground in the heartland of Gujarat.
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PM Modi Accuses Opposition Of Undermining Hindu ‘Shakti’, Invokes Tamil Nadu’s Goddesses |
New Delhi: In a charged rally in Tamil Nadu’s Salem, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday kept up the attack on the INDIA bloc over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Shakti’ remark, saying the opposition alliance displayed its “ill-intention” by declaring to destroy it. The opposition alliance, of which the Congress and the DMK are key constituents, repeatedly insults Hinduism but never targets any other faith, he said, addressing a BJP rally here. “INDI alliance people repeatedly deliberately insult Hindu faith; every statement made by them against it is well thought out,” he said. In Hinduism, Shakthi means “Matru shakthi, naari shakti,” he said, referring to women power.
The Prime Minister invoked the sacredness of Tamil Nadu’s revered deities, referring to Mariamman, Kanchi Kamakshi, and Madurai Meenakshi as embodiments of ‘Shakti’. He accused the Congress, DMK, and INDI alliance of threatening to destroy this spiritual ‘Shakti’, which is central to Tamil culture.
National poet Subramania Bharathi worshipped mother India as ‘Shakti,’ he said. “Tamil Nadu will punish those who talk of destroying Shakti. I am a shakti upasak (worshipper),” Modi said.
#WATCH | Tamil Nadu: Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, “…Mariamman yahan ki Shakti hai. In Tamil Nadu Kanchi Kamakshi is ‘Shakti’, Madurai Meenakshi is ‘Shakti’…Congress, DMK & INDI alliance says they will destory this (Shakti)…” pic.twitter.com/EGsctQcp5a
— ANI (@ANI) March 19, 2024Reflecting on the treatment of women by the INDI alliance, Modi brought up the past behavior of DMK leaders towards the late former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, calling it a testament to the DMK’s true nature. In an emotional tribute, the Prime Minister remembered the late K.N. Lakshmanan, former State BJP president, and his significant contributions to the party’s growth in Tamil Nadu.
PM Modi made a bold statement, asserting that Tamil Nadu has resolved to cast every vote for the BJP-NDA in the upcoming elections on April 19th, signaling a shift in the political landscape of the state.
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J&K Assembly Polls Soon After Lok Sabha Elections: CEC Rajiv Kumar |
NEW DELHI: Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, on Saturday said that assembly elections in J&K will be held soon. CEC Rajiv Kumar, while addressing a press conference, stated that assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held soon after the Lok Sabha polls.
Speaking to reporters, CEC Rajiv Kumar addressed the issue of holding simultaneous central and state elections in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Kumar cited security concerns as a primary obstacle, leading the poll panel to deem it unfeasible at this time. However, he emphasized the panel’s dedication to conducting elections in the region, assuring that they would proceed following the Lok Sabha polls.
Kumar highlighted the consensus among all parties in J&K regarding the desire for Assembly elections to coincide with parliamentary polls. Despite this shared sentiment, logistical challenges presented a significant hurdle. The sheer number of candidates expected in each Assembly segment, averaging between 10 to 12, would necessitate substantial security arrangements. Kumar explained that accommodating over 1,000 candidates would be impractical given the existing constraints.
Nevertheless, Kumar reaffirmed the commitment of the poll panel to facilitate elections in J&K. He assured that once the current electoral processes conclude, the panel would prioritize holding polls in the region. This statement underscores the panel’s acknowledgement of the importance of democratic participation in J&K, despite the complexities involved in ensuring a secure and efficient electoral process.
Importantly, the Lok Sabha elections in J&K will be held in five phases – April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13 and May 2.
National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah, however, said that it is disheartening to see that the Election Commission of India has decided not to conduct Parliamentary and Assembly polls simultaneously in Jammu and Kashmir. Abdullah said that on one hand, the poll body has also decided to conduct Assembly elections in four states which will be coinciding with the Lok Sabha polls but Jammu and Kashmir has been denied this opportunity.
Lok Sabha Election 2024 Full Schedule
The CEC also announced the dates for the Lok Sabha elections 2024, which will be held in 7 phases starting from April 19. Phase 1 voting will be held on April 19, Phase 2 voting will be held on April 26, Phase 3 voting will be held on May 7, Phase 4 voting will be held on May 13, Phase 5 voting will be on May 20, Phase 6 voting will take place on May 25 and Phase 7 voting will be held on June 1. Counting of votes will be held on 4 June.
Phase 1 voting will be held on April 19, Phase 2 voting will be held on April 26, Phase 3 voting will be held on May 7, Phase 4 voting will be held on May 13,
Phase 5 voting will be on May 20, Phase 6 voting will take place on May 25 and Phase 7 voting will be held on June 1. The results will be announced on June 4.
With the formal announcement of the 2024 Lok Sabha election schedule, the Model Code of Conduct has also come into effect across the country. It may be noted that the tenure of the present Lok Sabha ends on June 16 and a new House must be constituted before that. In 2019, the general elections were held over seven phases from April 11 to May 19, with results declared four days later. The BJP-led National Democratic (NDA) won a total of 303 seats, leaving the grand-old party behind at 52 seats, in the 2019 general elections.
Total 96.8 Crore Voters Eligible To Cast Votes: CEC
A total of 96.8 crore voters will be eligible to cast their vote in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said on Saturday. Addressing a press conference here to announce the dates of Lok Sabha elections and assembly polls to four states, Rajiv Kumar said there will be 10.5 lakh polling stations and 1.5 crore polling officials and security staff will be deployed to conduct the elections in the world’s largest democracy.
“We are committed to giving the nation a truly festive, democratic environment. The term of the 17th Lok Sabha is due to expire on 16th June 2024. The terms of the Legislative Assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim are also due to expire in June 2024. Elections are due in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
Kumar said approximately 49.7 crore voters are male and 47.1 crore voters are female.
“We have 1.8 crore first-time voters and 19.47 crore voters between the age group of 20-29 years,” he said, adding that 88.4 lakh voters are of PwD category, 2.18 lakhs are centenarians and 48,000 are transgenders.