Congress

Kharge calls for fresh elections on ballot papers, says all polls 'illegal'

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday demanded dissolving the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, saying that all the elections were illegal and even Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Ministers of all the states were illegal. He said fresh polls should be conducted on ballot papers. "Today, the entire country is being run on illegal elections. Modi is an illegal Prime Minister, Shah is an illegal minister, and all the chief ministers who have been elected anywhere are illegal. All of them should be dissolved, elections should be held, and elections should be conducted through ballot papers," he told reporters here. Kharge alleged that the EVMs were being misused and said that "their own people" are saying this. He alleged that the ongoing SIR of the electoral roll has many irregularities and is undermining democracy, pointing out that the government is making many mistakes in the process. He said the opposition would continue to hold agitations across

Can't defend the indefensible: Priyanka Kakkar quits AAP, joins Congress

AAP national spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar on Saturday quit the party and joined the Congress, saying she could no longer defend the indefensible. Kakkar joined the Congress along with former Uttar Pradesh MLA Shyam Sunder Sharma and Rajat Rakesh Tandon in the presence of senior party leaders, including Rajiv Shukla, Pawan Khera and the party's Delhi unit chief Devendra Yadav. Welcoming her and others into the party, Congress general secretary Naseer Hussain said Kakkar has been a former chief national spokesperson of AAP, Shyam Sundar Sharma is a former MLA from Uttar Pradesh, while Rajat Rakesh Tandon hails from the family of freedom fighter Purushottam Das Tandon. "Today, from Ladakh to Kanyakumari, people are placing their trust in the leadership of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition (in the Lok Sabha) Rahul Gandhi and joining the Congress. We welcome everyone with open hearts," Hussain said. "Today is a day of great joy. Shyam Sundar Sharma, who is .

Pargat Singh vows to strengthen Cong in Punjab as state chief, serve people

After his appointment as the Punjab Congress president, Pargat Singh on Saturday thanked the party leadership for entrusting him with the responsibility and said he will work with dedication to strengthen the party and serve people in the state. The Congress appointed Singh as the president of the Punjab PCC on Friday after Amrinder Singh Raja Warring submitted his resignation. "I sincerely thank Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, K C Venugopal, Punjab Congress in-charge Sachin Pilot and all senior Congress leaders for entrusting me with the responsibility of president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee," Singh said in a post on X. "I will work with complete dedication and commitment to strengthen Congress in Punjab and serve the people of our state," he added. Singh, 61, is a former Indian Hockey captain who led the Indian team in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics. He made his entry into the political arena with the Shiromani

Rahul Gandhi visits Balaghat, meets families after 32 tribal child deaths

The Congress leader met Baiga families and said he would raise the deaths in the Lok Sabha, while Madhya Pradesh Deputy CM Rajendra Shukla called his visit a political stunt

INDIA bloc plans 'Save Democracy' protests over 'vote chori' allegations

Senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi during the bloc's coordination meeting, in New Delhi on Wednesday photo: pti

EC in 'damage control' mode; CEC's resignation or prosecution needed: Cong

The Congress on Saturday said the Election Commission was in "damage control" mode after differences within the poll body came out following a media "expose" and demanded that the ongoing SIR exercise that has "disenfranchised crores" is suspended immediately. The Congress also said that nothing short of CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation or prosecution will suffice. The opposition party's reaction came after the Election Commission issued a statement asserting that all Special Intensive Revision (SIR) orders were issued after approval from all three Election Commissioners and the changes in Form 6, through which names are included in the voters' list, have been upheld by the Supreme Court. The poll body also claimed that the letters sent by commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi to the Cabinet Secretary were not related to any policy matter of the Commission or its IT division, but to the working of an officer on deputation to it. Reacting sharply to the EC statement, ...

'Remove Gyanesh Kumar': Opposition after report flags major rift in ECI

Opposition parties slammed CEC Gyanesh Kumar after an investigation by The Indian Express claimed there is a major rift within the poll panel over decisions related to SIR and electoral rolls

Trump got appeasement, India suffered humiliation: Cong on H-1B fee renewal

The Congress accused the Narendra Modi government on Saturday of bending backwards to appease US President Donald Trump and claimed that while Trump got appeasement, India suffered humiliation. "Trump has extended the USD 100,000 H-1B visa fee for another 12 months -- a move that will hit Indian IT, tech professionals and the student talent pipeline hard. "The impact: F-1. H-1B: Harder for Indian students to enter the US workforce. Fewer jobs: Smaller firms may avoid sponsorships altogether. Talent drain: More professionals may look to the UK, Canada and Australia. Remittance risk: Lower migration could mean lower remittances to India over time," Congress's media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said in a post on X. "Modi bent over backwards to appease Trump. Trump got the appeasement. India took the humiliation and the hit," he said. Trump has extended by a year the requirement for a USD 100,000 payment for certain H-1B visa petitions, the White House said. In a presiden

Only way to counter 'bully' is to resist him forcefully: Congress on Trump

The Congress on Saturday said the only way to counter a "bully" is to resist him "forcefully", after US President Donald Trump signed the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act that seeks to impose steep levies on Moscow and its top energy buyers like China and India. AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh said this in a post on X after Trump signed the law. "The only way to counter a bully is to resist him forcefully," he said. "On Friday, September 18, 2026, the President signed into law: H.R. 5334, the 'Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026,' which authorises and expands statutory sanctions, tariffs, and prohibitions on Russia and extends existing sanctions on Iran," the White House said. The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, which seeks to impose sanctions on Russia's leadership and energy sector, as well as on collaborators with Moscow's defence industry and its so-called "shadow fleet". The Act also authorises Presid

Cong's Nandigram bypoll candidate Milan Pradhan sent to custody till Oct 3

The Congress' Nandigram bypoll candidate Milan Pradhan was sent to judicial custody till October 3 by a local court, a day after his arrest on multiple charges, including murder, that dates back 19 years. Pradhan was produced before the Haldia Subdivisional Court following his arrest on Friday. The West Bengal Police said Pradhan was arrested based on four pending arrest warrants for his alleged involvement in non-bailable cases related to rioting, murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping and criminal intimidation, which were filed during the 2007 anti-land acquisition movement in Nandigram. He was also booked under relevant sections of the Arms Act, police said. A counsel appearing for Pradhan said, "The court has remanded Milan Pradhan to judicial custody for 14 days in connection with the three warrants associated with cases in Nandigram police station. He will be produced before the Contai court on Monday in connection with the fourth warrant issued in cases registered with the ..

Cong claims its candidate for Nandigram bypoll arrested over 2007 protest

Congress candidate for the upcoming Nandigram assembly bypoll, Milan Pradhan, was arrested on Friday for his alleged involvement in the 2007 anti-land acquisition movement there, a senior party leader claimed. Another party leader, Subhasish Bhattacharya, was also arrested for allegedly preventing the police from apprehending Pradhan, he said. Pradhan, who has been named in more than 12 cases over the Nandigram land movement, was picked up from a hotel in Chandipur in Purba Medinipur district, the Congress leader said. "This is nothing but a dirty game of the BJP. Milan had been spearheading the Nandigram movement in 2007. He had been named in at least 12 cases since then. But today, because he has successfully filed his nomination, the police were made to arrest him," he told PTI. Earlier in the day, former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had announced her party's support for the Congress in the October 6 Nandigram bypoll, hours after her candidate withdrew from the ...

Congress rejects claim its MPs backed fee on high-value UPI payments

Congress says no specific UPI fee proposal was discussed by the finance panel, disputing the government's claim of MPs' support

Keralam's game is on

The Kerala CM is using his time to build a UDF legacy. But for him, life may not be this tranquil forever plain politics 

An avoidable tragedy: Congress slams Modi govt over Delhi building collapse

The Congress on Sunday attacked the Modi government after a building housing a boys' hostel collapsed in southwest Delhi's Satya Niketan area, with party leader Rahul Gandhi asserting that every student's life is precious and their protection must be ensured under all circumstances. The five-storey building in a congested bylane in Satya Niketan near Delhi University's South Campus collapsed this afternoon, leaving three students dead and many trapped under the debris, officials said. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the building collapse is deeply distressing and "an avoidable tragedy". "Every effort must be made to rescue those trapped and ensure the best possible treatment for the injured," Kharge said on X. NSUI workers and Congress leaders are already on the ground, helping students, victims and their families in every possible way, the Congress chief said, adding that "we stand firmly with them in this difficult hour". "This tragedy also exposes the unsafe, overcro

Congress reshuffles key posts, names Sachin Pilot Punjab poll in-charge

Punjab goes to polls early next year while assembly elections in Gujarat will be held later next year

FIR filed against Rahul Gandhi over Haldwani 'purification' remarks

An FIR has been registered against Rahul Gandhi, following a complaint by a member of the Valmiki community in Haldwani alleging that the Congress leader gave a casteist spin to a religious ritual held at the venue of the AICC chief's programme, police said on Sunday. The FIR has been registered under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) concerning the promotion of enmity between groups and deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, has also been invoked, police said. Amit Kumar, a resident of Jawahar Nagar and a Shri Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas member, claimed in the complaint filed at the Haldwani police station that he was present during the "ritual and cleanliness drive" and Gandhi's remarks made in Delhi at a press conference on August 29 hurt the sentiments of the community. He accused Gandhi of portraying those associated with the ritual as practising ...

Rahul Gandhi's new Gen Z playbook: Less script, more spontaneity

The Congress leader's communication team is experimenting with informal interactions, youth-driven content and post-hoc virality analysis. Anushka Bhardwaj explains

Cong leaders in Keralam back Sonia Gandhi amid controversy over memoir

Ministers in Keralam on Friday backed Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi amid a controversy over the publication of her memoir, 'Belonging: A Journey of Love', in India. The reactions came after Penguin Random House India said it was not the publisher of Sonia Gandhi's memoir. Earlier this month, American publisher Alfred A Knopf, an imprint of Penguin Random House, announced that the book would be released on November 10. The statement came after a report in The Indian Express claimed that the publisher had backed out after Gandhi refused to make "editorial changes" to the manuscript. Higher Education Minister Roji M John, in a Facebook post, praised Sonia Gandhi for refusing to alter her memoir and recalled the personal tragedies she had faced, including the assassinations of former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. John said Sonia Gandhi had initially sought to stay away from politics but later took up the leadership of the Congress due to ...

Cong calls Fadnavis' APTEL bias charge against private firms 'hypocrisy'

The Congress on Wednesday said Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' reported letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagging the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity's bias in favour of private power companies was full of "hypocrisy" and that he should also question decisions that have benefited the Adani group. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the Maharashtra chief minister has apparently protested to the prime minister that the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) is heavily biased in favour of private power companies. "The major recipient of APTEL's favours in Maharashtra in 2025 and 2026 has been the Modani conglomerate. At least 4 cases have been decided in its favour," Ramesh said on X, referring to the Adani group. The Congress uses the term 'Modani' to allege collusion between the conglomerate and the Modi government. Ramesh alleged that the Maharashtra government has itself bent over backwards to favour 'Modani' not only i

'Achche din' keep wrecking common person's budget: Cong slams Modi govt

The Congress on Wednesday attacked the Modi government over rising prices of essential commodities, saying the "achche din" promised by the BJP have instead left the common person's budget repeatedly battered by food inflation. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that the BJP wants to dodge accountability for its misdeeds through distracting stunts and nonsensical talk but the Congress and the public would continue to raise questions over inflation. "Take a look at the state of the common man's kitchen during festivals -- onion prices have risen by up to 59 per cent in a year, Rs 50-60 per kg in many cities; sugar Rs 60-70 per kg, up to Rs 72 per kg in some places; mustard oil over Rs 200 per litre; food inflation 5.52 per cent; wholesale inflation 9.78 per cent," he said. "It's been 12 years of BJP government, and the reality of 'achche din' is that sometimes lentils, sometimes vegetables, sometimes oil, sometimes sugar keep wrecking the common person's budget," Kharge ...