Page 7 - Mallikarjun Kharge

Rahul Gandhi, Kharge on two-day visit to J&K starting from Srinagar

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will be on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir beginning Wednesday for key meetings ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. Earlier the two leaders were scheduled to visit Jammu first and then travel to Srinagar. But now they will start their visit from Srinagar, AICC General Secretary Gulam Ahmed Mir told PTI. Mir, who is camping in Srinagar, said the two will engage in extensive meetings with party leaders and workers in 10 districts of the Kashmir valley on Thursday. After their interaction in Srinagar, they will fly to Jammu in the afternoon to continue their interactions with the cadres of 10 districts of the region. They will thereafter leave for Delhi, he said. "They will take a full feedback about grassroot level preparations for the elections", he said. The visit comes after Congress president Kharge and Gandhi met general secretaries, in-charges and screening committee member

Kharge, Rahul to visit Jammu, Srinagar in preparation for Assembly polls

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi will be visiting Jammu and Srinagar on August 21 and 22 for key meetings in preparation for the upcoming assembly elections. The visit comes after Congress president Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi met general secretaries, in-charges and screening committee members of four poll-bound states on Monday. "On 21st and 22nd August, Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge ji and Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi ji will be visiting Jammu and Srinagar for key meetings in preparation for the upcoming assembly elections," Congress general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal said on X. Congress National General Secretary Gulam Ahmed Mir told PTI in Jammu that "Kharge ji and Rahul ji will be visiting Jammu and Kashmir for two days, starting tomorrow. They will arrive in Jammu tomorrow afternoon". Mir said that during their stay, they will engage in extensive meetings with leaders

BJP's Partition Day an attempt to spread hatred, divisive thinking: Kharge

Launching a scathing attack on the BJP-led government, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge Thursday said the rulers of today are encouraging divisive thinking and marking the Partition Horrors Remembrance Day with the intention of spreading hatred. In his address at the AICC headquarters here on the occasion of the 78th Independence Day, Kharge slammed the RSS, saying that the Sangh Parivar promoted Britishers' divide-and-rule policy for their own benefit. "Unity in diversity is our strength and not a weakness. Some people propagate that we got independence easily but the truth is that lakhs of people made sacrifices, left their homes and even people from well-to-do families spent time in jails," he said. Instead of walking the path shown by them, the rulers of today are giving encouragement to divisive thinking, he said. "They mark Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Diwas with the intention of spreading hatred. Those who did not participate in the Independence movement give advice to th

Some trying to destroy brotherhood; be ready to make sacrifices: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said "some forces" are trying to destroy "our brotherhood" by forcibly imposing their views, and urged people to be ready to make sacrifices to protect the Constitution. In his message on the occasion of the 78th Independence Day, Kharge also said it is a matter of concern that constitutional and autonomous institutions have been turned into "puppets" by the government. Democracy and the Constitution are the biggest shields for 140 crore Indians, Kharge said and asserted that "we will protect them till our last breath". "The opposition is like oxygen for democracy. Along with stopping the unconstitutional attitude of the government, it also raises the issues of the public," he said in a video message posted on X. "The dream of our freedom fighters was to maintain unity in diversity. But some forces are trying to destroy our brotherhood by forcibly imposing their views on the country," Kharge alleged. "Therefore, it is important tha

Kharge accuses Modi govt of using 'dubious employment data for PR'

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday accused the Modi government of using "dubious employment data for PR", and said no amount of "whitewashing" can change the truth that lakhs of job aspirants have to daily struggle on the road with very few jobs. Kharge shared a media report on X which claimed that for 1,257 vacancies for the post of woman constables and woman constable drivers, the Mumbai Police received 1.11 lakh applications from across the state. "Unemployment has been the biggest curse under Modi government," Kharge said. "The Modi government is using dubious employment data which is grossly inflated by counting 'unpaid labour' and 'one-hour work per week', as a ridiculous PR exercise!" he said in his post on X. In Maharashtra, where 1.11 lakh women applied for a mere 1,257 Mumbai Police constable posts, many of them forced to spend the night on the pavement with toddlers, is a grim reminder of the grave unemployment situation, he said. "A suicide helpline num

Congress holds meeting of state chiefs, general secys ahead of state polls

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday held a meeting with all general secretaries, state unit chiefs and AICC state in-charges here as the party gets battle-ready for the upcoming round of assembly polls. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, general secretaries Jairam Ramesh and KC Venugopal, among others, were part of the meeting at the AICC headquarters here. Sources said the party chief took stock of the preparations for the upcoming polls in Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand later this year. Polls could also be held in Jammu and Kashmir this year. With assembly polls in key states coming up, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi had said at a parliamentary party meeting recently that the "mahaul (public mood)" is in the party's favour but had cautioned against complacency and over confidence after the goodwill generated for it in the Lok Sabha elections. Leaders of poll-bound states have been holding meetings with Venugopal and the party leadershi

Govt should have nullified SC's 'creamy layer' judgement via Parl: Kharge

Asserting that the idea of denying reservation to SCs and STs on account of the creamy layer concept is "condemnable", Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said the government should have bought a legislation in Parliament to nullify the Supreme Court judgement on the issue. Earlier this month, a seven-judge Bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud ruled in a 6:1 majority judgement that state governments were permitted to sub-classify communities within the SC list based on empirical data. Supreme Court judge Justice B R Gavai had said that states must evolve a policy for identifying the creamy layer even among the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Schedule Tribes (ST) and deny them the benefit of reservation. "Who do you want to benefit by bringing a creamy layer? By bringing a creamy layer (concept) on one hand you are denying untouchables and giving to those who have enjoyed privileges for thousands of years. I condemn this," Kharge told reporters ...

'B' in BJP's Budget stands for 'betrayal', alleges Cong President Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday accused the Modi government of indulging in "tokenism" by bringing in "so-called employment-linked incentive schemes", and said the 'B' in the Union Budget stands for "betrayal". Kharge alleged that the Modi government's Budget has mere internships forced upon the industry with no long-term solution in sight. He said that a week into the 'Kursi Bachao Budget', the academia and the industry awaits clarity from the Modi government on its "tokenism" regarding the "so-called 'employment-linked incentive' schemes". "Crores of youth want a permanent solution to their plight of Jobs, but Narendra Modi ji's government bitterly deceives them by not even giving a temporary solution!" he alleged. "We ask two questions to the Modi government on these sham schemes -? When will the Modi government provide details of the schemes?" he said. Neither the youth nor the industry which is to be nudged, according to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman,

'It serves nation': Rajya Sabha chairman rebuts SP leader over RSS remark

Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman, Jagdeep Dhankhar, said RSS has full constitutional rights to participate in the development journey of this nation

Mallikarjun Kharge cites security challenges related to China and Pakistan

Citing security challenges related to China and Pakistan, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge urged the Centre on Tuesday to take Parliament into confidence and alleged that in its "false bravado and hollow propaganda", it has forgotten that it also has the responsibility to protect India's strategic interests. Kharge said new developments at India's two-front security paradigm have yet again exposed the Narendra Modi government's rank apathy. "Is it not true that China has built and operationalised a bridge connecting the north and south banks of Pangong Lake, which allows it to have a strategic dominance in the sector, close to our LAC?" the Congress chief asked in a post on X. "Is it not a fact that China has started constructing a new village along the LAC in the Demchok sector, which along with Depsang, is a point of standoff, post-Galwan?" he asked. On Pakistan, Kharge asked whether it is not true that since Prime Minister Modi took oath, there have been 25 terror attacks i

Parliament updates: There's undeclared emergency in country, says Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha news: Catch all the news updates related to the developments in the Parliament here

INDIA bloc MPs protest in Parliament for discrimination in Union Budget

INDIA bloc MPs, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, staged a protest in Parliament premises on Wednesday over the alleged discrimination against opposition-ruled states in the Union Budget. Besides Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, several MPs of the Congress, TMC, Samajwadi Party, DMK and the Left joined the protest held on the steps leading up to the Makar Dwar of Parliament. Protesting against the budget, Kharge said, "This Budget is anti-people, no one has got justice. They have talked about special package but special status has not been given. This is a deceptive budget and injustice to the people." The MPs raised placards such as 'We want India budget not NDA budget' and 'NDA betrays India in Budget'. "Yesterday, through the budget, the government of India violated all the principles to keep the federal system," Congress general secretary, organisation, K

K'taka job quota Bill put on hold after Mallikarjun Kharge's intervention

According to sources in the Congress, Siddaramaiah announced the withdrawal of the bill on Wednesday evening after the Congress's central leadership, including Kharge intervened

Kharge urges strict action against culprits in murder of VIP chief's father

Condemning the brutal murder of Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani's father, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday demanded strict action against the culprits at the earliest and justice for his INDIA bloc partner. Jitan Sahani, father of Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani, was found murdered at his ancestral home in Bihar's Darbhanga district, police said on Tuesday. Jitan Sahani's body, with several stab injuries and cut marks on his chest and stomach, was found inside his room at his house in Biraul area this morning. In a post in Hindi on X, Kharge said, "The brutal murder of Shri Jitan Sahni, father of Shri Mukesh Sahni, founder of Vikassheel Insaan Party in Bihar and former state minister, is extremely sad and condemnable." "We express our deepest condolences to his family. May God give them the strength to bear this loss," Kharge said. "We demand that strict action be taken against the culprits at the earliest and that our INDIA bloc

Cong slams govt on NRA, asks why agency did not conduct exam in 4 years

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday alleged that the BJP-RSS has taken up the task of "destroying the education system" and asked why has the National Recruitment Agency (NRA) not conducted a single exam in the last four years. Kharge's reaction came on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks in Mumbai on Saturday emphasising that creation of eight crore new jobs in the last three to four years has "silenced" those spreading fake narratives about unemployment. In a post in Hindi on X, Kharge said, "Narendra Modi ji, yesterday you were weaving a web of lies about providing jobs in Mumbai. I want to remind you again what you said while announcing NRA - National Recruitment Agency." "In August 2020 you said - 'NRA will prove to be a boon for crores of youths. Through the Common Eligibility Test, it will eliminate multiple examinations and save precious time as well as resources. This will also give a big boost to transparency'," he posted. "We have 3 questions - Why has the

Budget 2024: Kharge attacks PM Modi on 5 economic issues on inflation, jobs

Budget 2024: In a post on social media platform 'X', Kharge pointed out economic problems related to inflation, and problems faced by youth and farmers

Modi govt's only mission is to make sure youth are jobless, alleges Kharge

The Modi government has only one mission and that is to "keep the youth jobless", Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged on Tuesday in a scathing attack against the Centre on the issue of unemployment. The Modi government may be refuting independent economic reports like the one by Citigroup on unemployment but how will it deny government data, Kharge asked in a lengthy post on X citing various reports. "The truth is that Modi government is solely responsible for shattering the dreams of crores of youth in the last 10 years," he alleged. Kharge said the latest government data punctures the government's claims. According to NSSO's (National Sample Survey Office) Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises, in the manufacturing sector, 54 lakh jobs were lost in unincorporated units in the seven years between 2015 and 2023, he said. "In 2010-11, 10.8 crore employees were employed in unincorporated, non-agricultural enterprises across India, which has become 10.96 crore

Take nation into confidence on border situation at LAC: Kharge to govt

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday reiterated his party's demand that the government must take the nation into confidence on the situation at the border with China. Kharge shared a media report on X which cited satellite images to claim that China's military is digging in for the long haul in the area around Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh, having constructed underground bunkers to store weapons and fuel and hardened shelters for armoured vehicles at a key base in the region. "How can China build a military base near Pangong Tso on land which was under Indian occupation until May 2020," Kharge said. While there was no immediate reaction from the BJP or the Centre on Kharge's post, the ruling party and government have in the past rejected all allegations on the issue by the Congress. India has asserted with China the importance of achieving "complete disengagement" from the remaining areas in eastern Ladakh for restoring peace and tranquillity. In his post, Kharge said,

Cong demands NEET-UG be conducted again, all 'leak scams' investigated

The Congress demanded Saturday that the medical entrance exam NEET-UG be conducted again and all "paper leak scams" thoroughly investigated under the Supreme Court's supervision. Amid the growing clamour for the cancellation of the controversy-ridden NEET-UG 2024 over alleged malpractices, the Centre and the National Testing Agency told the apex court on Friday that scrapping it without any proof of large-scale breach of confidentiality would be counterproductive as it could "seriously jeopardise" lakhs of honest candidates. The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses, and the Union education ministry have been at the centre of media debates and protests by students and political parties over alleged large-scale malpractices ranging from question paper leaks to impersonation in the test held on May 5. In a post on 'X' in Hindi, Congress president ...

Parliament session highlights: PM Modi condoles the Hathras incident in Parliament

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha news updates: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is delivering his reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address in the Lok Sabha