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Rajnath Singh criticizes the Sachar Committee findings and the Congress, saying, “Counting Muslims in.”

Rajnath Singh asserted that the Congress manifesto demonstrates devious attempts to impose a religious quota in the event of an election.

The Congress party’s manifesto ideas for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections have drawn criticism from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who stated that the grand old party has indicated that it would implement religion-based reservation if it were to win the majority of the vote. During a speech to the public in Visakhapatnam, Rajnath Singh angrily denounced the Congress for what he saw as attempts to sow religious division within the armed forces and other institutions.

The Sachar Committee Report from 2006, published during the Congress administration and suggesting a head count of Muslim military personnel, was reminiscent of Singh’s remarks.

He called the move a dangerous attempt to instill religious beliefs in the armed forces and denounced it as unprecedented in India’s post-independence history.

In its 2006 report, the Sachar Committee recommended that the number of Muslims serving in the armed forces during the Congress regime be counted. Singh claims that in the history of independent India, there has never been an attempt to divide the forces in the name of religion.

“We strongly opposed this action.” On the other hand, I think this accurately portrays Congress,” he went on.

He charged that Congress was hiding a larger plot to sow discord among government agencies and the workforce.

The grand old party once again alluded to religious minorities being given preference in government employment on the current platform, which, if put into effect, might even apply to positions in the armed forces. This idea has an impact on the nation’s cohesiveness. Isn’t this an extremely alarming circumstance for our nation? Singh posed a rhetorical question.

The Sachar Committee report’s influence on everything the Congress has stated regarding “minority welfare” in its manifesto concerns me.

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Today, key Congress members will gather to approve the manifesto; the poll panel may clear more names.

The party’s highest executive body will also debate and vote on a motion regarding electoral bond data.

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) will meet on Tuesday morning for the last time before the general election to approve the party’s poll manifesto, among other things. In the evening, the central election committee is expected to clear the candidate list for the first phase of the polls scheduled on April 19, functionaries said.

Congress members will gather

The working committee meeting, set for 10 a.m., is expected to focus on endorsing the manifesto. The gathering is also anticipated to approve a resolution recognizing former party head Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which began in Manipur on January 14 and finished in Mumbai on March 17.

“There are numerous pressing concerns before the party. However, the CWC may be strained for time to examine all contentious issues because the major goal of the conference is to endorse the Congress manifesto,” a committee member said on the condition of anonymity.

The party’s highest executive body will also meet to examine and vote on the electoral bond data. The changes occurred a day after the Election Commission uploaded the data, which was one day before the Supreme Court’s deadline in the high-profile case. Between April 12, 2019, and February 15, 2024, around 1,260 corporations and individuals purchased 22,217 bonds valued at ₹12,155.51 crore.

During this period, 23 political parties redeemed 20,421 bonds worth ₹12,769.09 crore. The Bharatiya Janata Party led the pack with ₹6,061 crore (47.5% of total redeemed value), followed by the Trinamool Congress with ₹1,610 crore (12.6%) and Congress with ₹1,422 crore (11.1%).

The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is set to be another highlight of the gathering, after Gandhi completed the east-to-west part of the march last year.

The party’s poll panel is anticipated to clear the remaining candidates for the first round of the election in 18 states and three Union Territories. The meeting was originally set for March 15, but was canceled because the main leaders were participating in the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.

The Congress has cleared 82 individuals in two poll committee meetings. On Tuesday, it will focus on Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Bihar, Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, and other states.

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Amid Himachal Crisis, Navjot Singh Sidhu slams 6 Congress MLAs; urges for ‘purge’ in party

Himachal political crisis: Six MLAs from the Congress party cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha polls, causing a political turmoil in the state.

Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the six party lawmakers who voted in favour of the BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha polls in Himachal Pradesh, causing political turmoil in the hill state. Calling for an “assessment of assets and liabilities” of the party, the former Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief said that the defeat of senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi in the Rajya Sabha elections is not just his loss but a larger one.

“The Himachal fiasco calls for an assessment of assets and liabilities for The Grand Old Party ??? …. “Masqueraders” on plum posts covertly dancing to the tunes of agencies like CBI, ED and IT have spelt dooms day for us many a times!,” Sidhu wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

According to the Congress leader, it is essential to purge the party of those who “prioritize personal gain over the collective good” as their actions “inflict profound wounds on the party’s existence”.

“…The wounds might heal but the mental scars will remain…Their gain is the congress worker’s biggest pain…Loyalty is not everything but the only thing,” he added.

Even though the Congress holds 40 seats in the 68-member assembly in Himachal Pradesh, the state government is facing a crisis after six MLAs crossed sides and are learnt to be in touch with the BJP. Currently, the BJP holds 25 seats, while the remaining three seats are held by independents.

The surprising defeat of Congress in the Rajya Sabha polls has prompted the BJP to challenge Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sikhu-led government and demand a show of strength in the House.

Meanwhile, Sukhu has refuted all reports of him resigning from the post, asserting that he will prove a majority in the House.

“Neither anyone asked for my resignation nor have I presented my resignation to anyone. We will prove the majority. We will win, the people of Himachal will win,” the Himachal CM said.

He added, “I am not someone who will get scared and I can say this with guarantee that the Congress is going to win…The BJP is spreading rumours of my resignation. The Congress is united.”

This article was published on Hindustantimes.News!

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Delhi Excise policy case: ED issues 8th summons to Arvind Kejriwal, CM asked to appear on March 4!

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal skipped the seventh summons on Monday, saying he would appear before the agency if a court ordered him to do so.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal yet again for questioning in the Delhi Excise policy ‘scam’. The Chief Minister has been asked to appear before the probe agency on March 4. This is for the eight time that Kejriwal has been summoned by the ED in connection with the money laundering case linked to the excise policy “scam”. 

Kejriwal, 55, skipped the seventh summons on Monday, saying he would appear before the agency if a court ordered him to do so. Kejriwal alleged that the summons was a tool to pressure him into leaving the INDIA block.

The ED had recently filed a fresh complaint before a Delhi court against Kejriwal for disobeying its summons in this case. A Delhi court then directed the chief minister to appear before the court on March 16. 

Click here for Arvind Kejriwal Full Biography!

In a statement, the AAP said the probe agency should wait for its order instead of sending summonses repeatedly.

However, while issuing the eighth summons, the Enforcement Directorate rejected the contention that a fresh notice for Kejriwal’s attendance was wrong as the matter was sub-judice, news agency PTI reported.

On February 14,  the ED had issued a sixth summons to the Delhi Chief Minister in the money laundering probe related to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 case, asking him to join the investigation on February 19.

The fresh summons to the Delhi Chief Minister were issued after he skipped the fifth summons on February 2.

Arvind Kejriwal had earlier skipped five previous summons issued by the ED on February 2, January 18, January 3, November 2 and December 22, calling them “illegal and politically motivated. He had also written to the ED seeking their withdrawal.

Kejriwal’s name has been mentioned multiple times in chargesheets filed by the ED in the case. The agency said that the accused were in touch with him regarding the preparation of the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22. The ED had claimed in its chargesheet that the AAP used “proceeds of crime” to the tune of about ₹45 crore in its Goa election campaign.

It is alleged that the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge repeatedly refuted by the AAP.

AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, and communications in-charge of the party Vijay Nair have been arrested in this case by the ED till now.

This article was published on Livemint.com!

Also Read : Big setback for BJP as its Karnataka MLA cross-votes for Congress in Rajya Sabha elections!

Big setback for BJP as its Karnataka MLA cross-votes for Congress in Rajya Sabha elections

Doddanagouda G. Patil said the party will take action against the MLA.

Rajya Sabha elections

Bengaluru: Karnataka MLA ST Somashekar has cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha elections in favour of the Congress, said BJP chief whip Doddanagouda G. Patil on Tuesday. Voting for four seats from the state for the Upper House of the Parliament took place today.

BJP chief whip Doddanagouda G. Patil said the party will take action against the MLA.

It is confirmed that ST Somashekar has cross-voted. We are discussing what can be done and what action to be taken,” he said. ST Somashekar, before casting his vote, made a cryptic remark.

“I will vote in favour of those who assure me and give confidence that they will give funds for the water and other management in my constituency,” he said. The BJP put a brave face after Somashekhar’s decision.

BJP MLA Basanagouda R Patil (Yatnal) said: “Sometimes such things happen. The party had given clear direction to vote for BJP-JD(S) candidates.”

Reacting to the reports, Congress MLA Dinesh Gundu Rao said: “We all are intact. For the BJP, it has become a practice to use any method to win.”

Five candidates — Ajay Maken, Syed Naseer Hussain and G C Chandrasekhar (all Congress), Narayansa Bandage (BJP) and Kupendra Reddy (JD(S)) — are in the fray.

Three Congress and one BJP MP are retiring in Karnataka. It is expected that the BJP will again win just one seat in the Congress-ruled state.

Each Rajya Sabha candidate needs at least 45 votes in the 224-MLA Karnataka Assembly to win a Rajya Sabha seat from the state. With 135 MLAs, the Congress has the exact number to elect its three candidates – Ajay Maken, Nasir Hussain and G C Chandrashekhar.

The BJP has 66 MLAs, which means it can easily get its main candidate, party worker Narayansa Bhandage, elected.

In Uttar Pradesh, many Samajwadi Party MLAs have reportedly cross-voted for the Bharatiya Janata Party.

This article was published on Indianexpress.com!

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Rahul Gandhi ‘taken into custody for 30-45 minutes’ in defamation case, gets bail, says lawyer!

The case was filed by a BJP leader for allegedly making objectionable comments against Amit Shah.

Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was on Tuesday granted bail by the Sultanpur court in a 2018 defamation case filed by BJP leader Vijay Mishra for the former’s remarks against home minister Amit Shah. The court took him into custody for 30-45 minutes, said his lawyer.

Speaking about Rahul’s bail advocate Santosh Pandey said, “He (Rahul Gandhi) surrendered in the court today. He surrendered and the court took him into custody for 30-45 minutes. After that, his bail application was submitted and was accepted (by the court)… The further date has not been given yet. His lawyer said that he is innocent and he has not made any defamatory statement…”.

Pandey further said that Rahul Gandhi could be given a maximum punishment of 2 years if sufficient evidence was found against him. Rahul was granted bail by Judge Yogesh Yadav after filling bail bonds.

The defamation case was filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for allegedly making objectionable comments against Shah at a press conference in Bengaluru on May 8 that year. Amit Shah was the BJP president when Gandhi made the remark. Rahul Gandhi attacked the BJP and said that the party claimed to believe in honest and clean politics but has a party president who is an “accused” in a murder case.

Reacting to the development Mishra told ANI,”I was the vice president of BJP when this incident happened. Rahul Gandhi had accused Amit Shah in Bengaluru that he is a murderer. When I heard these allegations, I felt very pained because I am a 33-year-old worker of the party. I filed a complaint regarding this through my lawyer and this continued for almost 5 years…”

“The BJP is the biggest party of the country. Calling its (then) president a murderer is unjustifiable,” he added.

This Article Was Originally Published on Hindustantimes News!

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Sonia Gandhi files nomination for Rajya Sabha elections from Rajasthan!

Sonia Gandhi, who is chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, was Congress president for almost 22 years between 1998 and 2022 and is a five-time Lok Sabha MP from Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh.

Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi filed her nomination for the Rajya Sabha election from Rajasthan on Wednesday. Party MP Rahul Gandhi, party’s general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and state party president Govind Singh Dotasra were also present.

Sonia Gandhi, who is chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, was Congress president for almost 22 years between 1998 and 2022 and is a five-time Lok Sabha MP from Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh.

The move to file nominations for Rajya Sabha comes ahead of Lok Sabha polls expected to be held in April-May this year.

There are 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Rajasthan. In the upcoming biennial elections, three seats in the State are up for grabs. The ruling BJP is set to get two of the seats, while the Opposition Congress will get one, based on their respective strengths in the State Assembly.

The two BJP candidates are BJP State vice-president and former Minister Chunnilal Garasiya, and former Sumerpur MLA Madan Rathore.

The BJP has 115 and the Congress 70 MLAs in the 200-member State Assembly. A minimum of 67 votes will be required to win one Rajya Sabha seat in the event of a contest.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was last elected to Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan, is retiring in April this year. The term of Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav will come to an end this April. Besides one Rajya Sabha seat in the State has become vacant after the resignation of the BJP’s Kirodi Lal Meena.

The Congress party announced on Wednesday the first list of candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha Biennial Elections to be held in various states.

According to an official release from the All India Congress Committee (AICC), “Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has approved the candidature of Sonia Gandhi from Rajasthan and Dr. Akhilesh Prasad Singh from Bihar. Additionally, Abhishek Manu Singhvi has been fielded from Himachal Pradesh and Chandrakant Handore from Maharashtra.”The last day for filing nomination papers is February 15. The term for Rajya Sabha MPs is six years and elections are held after every two years for 33 per cent of the seats.

Currently, the Rajya Sabha has a strength of 245 members.

Out of the total 245 members, which 233 are representatives of the States and Union territories of Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir (w.e.f. 31.10. 2019) and 12 are nominated by the President. 12 are directly nominated by the President who are veterans in the field of art, literature, sports, science etc.

Based on population, each state is allocated a certain number of candidates in the Upper House.

Members of the state legislative assemblies choose Rajya Sabha members through an indirect election system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote (SVT).

This Article Was Originally Published On Hindustan times News!

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Criticises PM Modi’s speech in Rajya Sabha, calls it ‘heap of lies’!

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of saying false things about the UPA government and claimed that his speech in the Rajya Sabha was only focused on criticising the Congress!

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi

Hitting back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that every speech of the Prime Minister is just a ‘heap of lies’ and warned that such anger is a harbinger of destruction, not development. 

In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi said, “Be it election platform or Parliament, every speech of the Prime Minister is just a ‘heap of lies’. He has become so engrossed in his lies, his applause, and his media that every question related to the public makes him angry. Anger is a guarantee of destruction, not development.”

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of saying false things about the UPA government and claimed that his speech in the Rajya Sabha was only focused on criticising the Congress. Speaking about PM Modi’s reply to the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address in the Rajya Sabha, Kharge on Wednesday said the Prime Minister did not talk about price rise, unemployment, and economic inequality.

Congress chief further said that NDA itself means No Data Available government. The Congress chief said during the 10 years of the UPA rule, the average GDP growth rate was 8.13 percent and asked why is it only 5.6 percent during the current government’s tenure.

He further mentioned that according to the World Bank, India became the third-largest economy in 2011. But PM Modi is not ready to accept this. 

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi hit out at the Congress for creating a north-south divide and ripped through the grand old party for allegedly working against the “interests of the nation.”

This article is sourced from Hindustantimes News!

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Rahul Gandhi is to be charged by police for “provoking crowd,” according to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s directive!

“Dive into the political heat as Rahul Gandhi faces potential charges for ‘provoking crowd’ as per Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s directive. Stay informed on this unfolding legal and political drama with insights into the implications and reactions surrounding the controversial situation.”

This comes after clashes broke out between Congress workers and Assam police after the ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra was stopped from entering Guwahati.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday asked state police to file a case against Rahul Gandhi for ‘provoking crowd’ amid Congress workers were stopped from entering Guwahati during the ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.

Nearly 5,000 Congress workers, along with Rahul Gandhi, trying to enter Guwahati on Tuesday were intercepted after the party restarted its flagship ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ in Assam today. Following this, party workers clashed with police officials and broke police barriers. Cops resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the crowd.

Addressing a gathering close to the Guwahati border, Rahul Gandhi said his party workers would never break the rules and disrupt law and order; however, “this doesn’t mean that we are weak”.

“Assam CM, the Union Home Minister and the PM can break the rules, but we (Congress) would never do such a thing. However, this doesn’t mean that we are weak. Congress workers are ‘Babbar Sher’,” he said, standing atop a bus.

Before leaving for Guwahati, the former Congress chief alleged that Union home minister Amit Shah instructed the Assam CM to stop him from meeting students, which was scheduled for today.

This article is sourced from Hindustantimes News!

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Congress ‘declines’ invitation to Lord Ram Lalla ‘Pran Pratistha’, calls it an “RSS, BJP event”

Ram Mandir

New Delhi [India], January 10 (ANI): Calling the Ram Temple inauguration an event of the
BJP and RSS, Congress has turned down the invitation for the ‘Pran Pratistha’ ceremony
of Lord Ram Lalla, scheduled later this month in Ayodhya.

The senior Congress leaders–Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan
Chowdhury–have ‘declined! the invitation for the grand event in Ayodhya, the party’s
general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a statement.

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“Last month, the Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha
Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson, Smt. Sonia Gandhi
and the Leader of the Congress Party in the Lok Sabha Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury
received an invitation to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Ram Mandir at
Ayodhya to be held on January 22nd, 2024,” he said in the statement.

“Lord Ram is worshipped by millions in our country. Religion is a personal matter. But
the RSS/BIP have long made a political project of the temple in Ayodhya. The
inauguration of the incomplete temple by the leaders of the BJP and the RSS has been
obviously brought forward for electoral gain. While abiding by the 2019 Supreme Court
judgment and honouring the sentiments of millions who revere Lord Ram, Shri
Mallikarjun Kharge, Smt. Sonia Gandhi and Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have
respectfully declined the invitation to what is clearly an RSS/BJP event,” it added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend the installation of the idol of Ram Lalla at
the grand temple on January 22. As per temple officials, the ceremony will be held over a span of seven days starting from January 16.

Preparations are underway in full swing for the Ram Temple ‘Pran Pratishtha’ on January
22, which will draw dignitaries and people from all walks of life. The Shri Ram
Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has decided to enthrone Ram Lalla at the sanctum-
sanctorum of the Ram Temple at noon on January 22. Vedic rituals for the Pran-
Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya will begin on January 16, a week before the main ceremony.

A priest from Varanasi, Lakshmi Kant Dixit, will perform the main rituals of the
consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla on January 22. From January 14 to January 22,
Ayodhya will mark the Amrit Mahotsav. Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Rama, holds
great spiritual, historical, and cultural significance for the people of India.

This article was orginally published on ANI news!