Rahul Gandhi Archives - Page 4 of 22 - Lokmarg

Even If Rahul Contests In Rajasthan Polls, BJP Will Win: Rajyavardhan

By LokMarg 11th October 2023

After Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot claimed that the Bhartiya Janta Party had accepted defeat in the upcoming state polls, BJP leader Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore reacted sharply to Gehlot’s statement, saying that even if Congress brings Rahul Gandhi as a candidate in Rajasthan, the BJP will still win.

On Tuesday, the Rajasthan CM, while addressing a rally in Churu, asserted that PM Modi keeps visiting states again and again. After the election, will he come and open colleges here? Will he come and make roads here? What will PM Modi do?, he questioned.

He further said that the BJP is having difficulty deciding a face for there party in Rajasthan. They have given tickets to MPs, and I consider this their biggest failure. “This means they have accepted defeat”, CM Gehlot said.

Responding to Ashok Gehlot’s statement, Rathore said, “Why is Ashok Gehlot so afraid… The election is between the political parties, so let the Congress contest with their best team, and we (the BJP) will contest with our best team. We are not questioning who Congress is contesting the elections with; let them bring Rahul Gandhi as well, and we will still win double the seats.”

He further went on to say that BJP has a strategy of its own; PM Modi will go into Lok Sabha with fresh faces, and there are some fresh faces in Rajasthan as well who are influenced by the way PM Modi works and have learned from it.

“Our strategy is to go with people who have zero tolerance for corruption and who know how to make every single person benefit from the government schemes,” said Rathore.

Further responding to Congress party members’ comments that BJP released the candidate list during Pitru Paksha (Kanagat) even when the party believes in Sanatan Dharma, Rathore said, “This is being said by a party that calls Sanatan Dharma dengue and malaria. The INDIA alliance in a meeting had said to end the Sanatan dharma.”

“A party that collapsed Ram Darbar in Rajasthan, collapsed a 300-year-old Shiv Mandir, caused the death of multiple saints, promotes separatists, says if Ram Navmi is carried on then Section 144 will be imposed, says that permission will have to be taken from CM Ashok Gehlot if bhajans are to be played and on the other hand supports a particular community and supports the march of PFI which is a banned organization,” added Rathore.

He further said that the Congress party has lost all its confidence.

On some BJP members expressing their displeasure with the candidate list, Rathore said that any human would be disappointed if he has got ambitions of his own and they are not fulfilled but I completely believe that anyone who is influenced by the BJP ideology and keeps the nation as priority will pull themselves together.

“Maybe this is a strategy that at present a party worker who is being asked to be patient today, may get even a bigger opportunity in future, and there are multiple such examples within the party, and maybe it is a test by the party that if certain workers can be patient or do they want to prioritize themselves before the nation and the people, he added.

The BJP leader further said, “I am sure that it is evident to the people as well that BJP will be forming government in Rajasthan and development will be only possible when the people who are focused towards development are voted.”

Responding to Gehlot’s comment that BJP has no face for CM in Rajasthan, Rathore took a dig at the Rajasthan CM and said that should there be a face in Rajasthan that made the state rank number one in crime against women, a face that promotes separatists, a face which got multiple papers leaked or should there be a face that has received the blessings of the public since the last 20 years whether it be as a CM or PM for last 9.5 years because such a face is a guarantee of development.

For us, the face is PM Modi, as his face clarifies what he stands for, and we will make Rajasthan a complete part of PM Modi’s vision of Amritkaal, a state with zero tolerance for corruption, zero tolerance for terrorism and 100 per cent committment towards development. (ANI)

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Rahul Offers ‘Sewa’ At Golden Temple In Amritsar

By LokMarg 2nd October 2023

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Monday offered ‘Sewa’ after paying obeisance at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

As a part of the sewa the Congress leader was seen washing dishes at the Golden Temple.

Earlier today, Punjab Congress president Raja Waring said that Rahul Gandhi is on his personal, spiritual visit.

“Rahul Gandhi ji is coming to Amritsar Sahib to pay obeisance at Sachkhand Shri Harmandir Sahib. This is his personal, spiritual visit, let’s respect his privacy. Request all party workers to not be physically present for this visit. You all can show your support in spirit and meet him the next time,” the Punjab Congress president posted on X (Formerly Twitter).

Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Punjab comes after the arrest of Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira in connection with a 2015 drugs case as a ‘political vendetta’.

A Punjab court on Saturday sent Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira to 14-day judicial custody in connection with a 2015 drugs case.

“The police demanded a 7-day remand. After seeing the police’s evidence, the judge turned down their request. The court sent him to judicial remand of 14 days,” the counsel said.

Congress MLA Khaira was arrested from his Chandigarh residence on September 28 in connection with an old case registered in 2015 under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

The Aam Aadmi Party and Congress– members of the opposition’s INDIA bloc– have been at loggerheads in the border state over the arrest of Khaira.

While the Congress is calling it vindictive politics of AAP, the ruling party is terming the development as part of their “zero-tolerance policy” against drugs.

Earlier in 2015, there were two cases originated with the unearthing of a cross-border drug smuggling network in Fazilka, Punjab, leading to the seizure of heroin, gold biscuits, weapons, cartridges, and Pakistani SIM cards and the second of a fake passport racket being run in Delhi.

On February 16, 2023, a Supreme Court bench of Justices BR Gavai and Vikram Nath quashed the summoning order against Khaira in the drugs case. (ANI)

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Why Is Modi Scared Of Caste Census?: Rahul

By LokMarg 25th September 2023

Repeating what he said in the Lok Sabha during his intervention on the Women’s Reservation Bill that there are only three OBC bureaucrats working for the government of India, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi why is he scared of the caste census.

“The Government of India is being run by secretaries and cabinet secretaries. Only 3 out of 90 secretaries in the government of India are OBCs. The caste census will be an x-ray of India. With it, we will be able to find how many people belong to SC, ST, Dalit, and general categories,” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at a public meeting in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur

Asking why PM Modi is scared of the caste census, he said that I asked PM Modi to publically share the data from the Census conducted by Congress.

“Why is PM Modi scared of caste census? Why did they not release the caste census report conducted by Congress? Rahul Gandhi in Chhattisgarh,” he said.

Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Adani issue, he said that the PM has a remote control, but he presses it ‘secretly’.

“When we press the remote (during launching events of schemes), the poor get the benefit of the schemes while when the BJP does it, Adani gets ports, airports, railways contracts, and infrastructure projects, and the public sector gets privatised. There are two remotes we press the remote in front of you but when BJP presses the public sector becomes secretly,” he added.

He further said that in previous elections, we made promises regarding strengthening the foundation of Chhattisgarh which were fulfilled by us.

“We fulfilled all our promises including farmers’ loan waiver, half of the electricity bill on which PM Modi said Congress party cannot fulfil these promises and we have witnessed that we fulfilled all those promises,” he added.

The 2023 Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly election is scheduled to be held later this year to elect all 90 members of the House. Congress managed to win 68 seats while BJP was able to ensure victory on 15 seats in the 2018 Assembly elections.

Earlier in the day speaking at a rally in Bhopal, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out at the Congress and former President Rahul Gandhi by taking a jibe at Rahul’s interactions with selective groups.

“There is no value for the life of the poor for the Congress leaders born with silver spoons in their mouth. For them, the poor’s life is adventure tourism. For them, the houses and colonies of poor people have become the locations for video shootings. They have done this in the past too. BJP government is showing the developed and grand face of the country to the world” the Prime Minister said.

Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh will go to the polls along with Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram later this year. In both central Indian states there is a clear fight between the Congress and the BJP. (ANI)

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Nobody Knows When Women Reservation Will Be Implemented: Rahul

By LokMarg 22nd September 2023

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the Women’s Reservation Bill is a “distraction tactic” by the BJP-led government to take away the attention of people from demands such as caste census and said nobody knows when the legislation will be implemented.

Addressing a press conference at here a day after the Bill was passed in the Special Session of Parliament, Rahul Gandhi demanded that the data of the previous caste census should be released immediately and that a fresh caste census should be held to determine the population of OBCs and other weaker sections.

Rahul Gandhi said the party extended its full support to the Women’s Reservation Bill but there is no certainty about the date of its implementation and it requires Census and delimitation exercise. He said should have been implemented immediately.

“Women’s Reservation Bill is great but we received two footnotes that Census and Delimitation need to be done before that. Both of these will take years. The truth is that the reservation can be implemented today…This is not a complicated matter but the government doesn’t want to do that. The government has presented this before the country but it will be implemented 10 years from now. Nobody knows if this will even be implemented. This is a distraction tactic, diversion tactic,” Rahul Gandhi said.

“What is it that you are being diverted from? From OBC Census. I spoke of one institution in Parliament, that which runs the Government of India – Cabinet secretary and secretaries…I asked why only three out of 90 people belong to the OBC community?…I don’t understand that PM Modi speaks of OBCs every day but what did he do for them?” he asked.

The Congress leader had spoken about the lower representation of OBCs in the secretary-level posts at the Centre while participating in the debate on the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha. The BJP countered him by saying that it gives larger representation to OBCs and the number of MPs of the party from the community was more than the total number of parliamentarians of Congress.

The 128th Constitutional Amendment Bill 2023, also called Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, was passed during the Special Session of Parliament which began on Monday. The two Houses were adjourned sine die on Thursday, a day before the scheduled ending of the session, after the Bill was passed.

Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam is the first bill passed by Parliament in its new building. (ANI)

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Cong Sounds Poll Bugle In Telangana With Massive Rally

By LokMarg 17th September 2023

Sounding the poll bugle in Telangana with a mammoth rally, the Congress party announced six guarantees for the people of the state after the two-day Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting in Hyderabad.

General Secretary KC Venugopal said, “The Congress has announced 6 Guarantees to transform Telangana into a prosperous state so as to address the needs of the poor, backward and ensure that marginalised are uplifted and live a life of dignity.”

The Telangana Assembly election is slated to be held this year.

The Congress MP Rahul Gandhi listed out six guarantees by the party once it comes to power in the state including houses for all homeless, Rs 4,000 old age pension, Rs 2,500 monthly assistance for all women, gas cylinders for Rs 500, free bus travel for women and Rs ten lakh health insurance, besides several other things.

The first Guarantee “Indiramma Indlu” promises House site + Rs. 5 lakh and 250 sq yards plot for Telangana movement fighters

“We have promised to provide a house plot and Rs 5 lakh for the construction of a house for the homeless through the Indirimma Indlu scheme. 250-square-foot house for those who fought for the Telangana movement. Whenever we come to power you will get a house over your head,” Rahul Gandhi said.

The second Guarantee is “Mahalakshmi” Rs 2500 monthly allowance to all women,Gas cylinder at Rs. 500 and Free travel in all TSRTC buses across the state.

“Every month women will get Rs 2500. Narendra Modi has given you Rs 1000 gas cylinder, we will give you Rs 500 cylinder,” he said speaking on the Mahalaxmi scheme. “Karnataka buses are free for Karnataka women…Telangana women will also get this benefit once the Congress party comes to power,” he added.

The third Guarantee is Gruha Jyoti – 200 units free electricity

Rahul Gandhi also promised “200 units of free electricity every month through Griha Jyoti Scheme.” Moreover, under the Yuva Vikasam scheme, he promised “five lakh assistance to youths going to colleges, and for coaching fees.”

Fourth Guarantee is for the elderly: Cheyutha – Rs. 4000 pension – Rs. 10 lakh Rajiv Arogyasri insurance

The Congress MP also promised Rs 4000 monthly pension for the elderly and Rs 10 lakh health insurance under the Rajiv ArogyaShri scheme.’

Fifth Guarantee is Rythu Bharosa: Rs 15,000 annually to all farmers and tenant farmers alongwith Rs. 12,000 for agri labour and Rs. 500 bonus for paddy crops

Moreover, under Rythu Bharosa, Rahul Gandhi promised “Rs 15,000 for every acre to our farmer and Rs 12000 for every agricultural labourer.”

The sixth Guarantee is for youth i.e. Yuva Vikasam – Vidya Bharosa card worth Rs. 5 lakh for students – Telangana International Schools in every mandal

Assuring people that these guarantees will be fulfilled in the first meeting of the cabinet once Congress forms the government in the state, he asked them that they can crosscheck and verify in neighbouring Karnataka where they had promised similar guarantees and which have already been fulfilled.

The party leaders also lashed out at the Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao for his secret understanding with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and indulging in rampant corruption and benefitting his own family.

Leading the charge, party president Mallikarjun Kharge said that while the Congress delivered the promise of a separate Telangana state, KCR brought it to the brink of bankruptcy with over Rs 3.60 lakh crore debt, while the state was earlier financially surplus.

He alleged that Prime Minister Modi and the Chief Minister KCR had joined hands together.

He reminded people that it was Sonia Gandhi who had promised them a separate Telangana state and fulfilled her promise, but everything was squandered away and looted by KCR in the last ten years.

Meanwhile, former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi announced the Mahalakshmi scheme for empowering the women of Telangana. She said, that under the Mahalakshmi scheme Rs 2,500 per month, financial assistance will be given to every woman in the state. Besides, she added, gas cylinders will be provided at Rs 500 and women will get free travel facilities in TSRTC buses across the state.

Reminding people about the creation of a separate state of Telangana, she said, “I along with my colleagues have the opportunity to be a part of the birth of this great state, Telangana. Now it is our duty to elevate it to new heights.”

“It has been my dream to see the Congress government in Telangana that will work for all sections of society. Are you all going to give us your support?” she asked the public.

Earlier today, the two-day Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting in Hyderabad concluded, with party leaders expressing optimism about receiving a “clear mandate” in the upcoming assembly elections in five states.

Congress chief of all poll-bound States has given presentations during the meeting about their strategy and preparations, sources said.

Calling the upcoming polls a “do-or-die fight”, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said that the party is determined to remove the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“This two-day meeting has put up a clear-cut agenda. It is a do-or-die fight for Congressmen. In 2024 we have to remove this (BJP) government. Therefore this is a call from the CWC to the workers of the party throughout the country. Now without taking a rest, we have to fight to win,” Venugopal said after concluding the two-day Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting.

He further asserted that Congress is going to form the government in all five states.

“As far as assembly elections are concerned, we are very confident that we are going to form the government in all five states.”

Meanwhile, Congress leader Sachin Pilot who attended the meeting said that we have discussed and made strategies on how to defeat the BJP and other parties.

“This meeting was held for elections…Despite getting a complete majority, the BJP government has failed… We have discussed and made strategies on how to defeat the BJP and other parties. The Congress will win the upcoming elections in all five states,” Pilot said.

After the CWC meeting, Congress leader Ambika Soni said, “That (discussion on INDIA alliance) was not on the agenda but to fight the election, everybody gave their opinion”

Moreover, Karnataka Deputy CM and Congress leader DK Shivakumar called the meeting fruitful.

“Very very fruitful (meeting). It will change the face of Telangana, it will change the face of India…we have assured the country that Congress will come back,” Shivakumar said.

Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana will go to polls later this year. (ANI)

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Congress Fighting Against BJP-BRS-AIMIM, Says Rahul Gandhi

By LokMarg 17th September 2023

Asserting that though the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) call themselves different parties, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said that they work together in unison in Telangana but the Congress party is fighting against BJP-BRS-AIMIM combine.

“In Telangana, the Congress party is not fighting against BRS but with BRS, BJP and AIMIM combined. They call themselves different parties but they are working together unitedly,” Rahul Gandhi said speaking at Vijayabheri Sabha at Telangana’s Tukkuguda.

“I have watched the BRS with my own eyes in Parliament. Whenever BJP needed them the BRS supported them. They supported Narendra Modi while passing the Farmers’ Bill. When it came to the election for the President, Vice President they supported Narendra Modi. They supported GST,” Rahul Gandhi listed out the instances the BRS supported the BJP in Parliament.

Rahul Gandhi also alleged that the three parties chose to disturb the Congress party’s Vijayabheri Sabha by holding public meetings on the same day.

“We decided to hold a public meeting today, all three chose to hold public meetings today so that they can disturb our meeting. But Telangana supported the Congress, so they were not able to disturb us. They will call each other up in the evening and will figure something out to oppose the Congress party,” he said.

Rahul Gandhi also claimed that there are no cases against Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao or AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi since Prime Minister Narendra Modi considers them his “own people”.

“There are cases against every Opposition leader by the central agencies, whether it is the ED or the CBI. But there is no case against the Telangana Chief Minister KCR nor the AIMIM chief. They just fight against the opposition. Narendra Modi does not fight against their own people. They think your Chief Minister and AIMIM to be their own. So there is no case against them. They have broken all records of corruption but there is no case by the ED, CBI,” he said.

The Congress MP also listed out six guarantees by the party once it comes to power in the state.

“We have promised to provide a house plot and 5 lakh rupees for the construction of a house to the homeless through the Indirimma Illu scheme. 250-square-foot house for those who fought for the Telangana movement. Whenever we come to power you will get a house over your head,” Rahul Gandhi said.

Rahul Gandhi also promised “200 units of free electricity every month through Griha Jyoti Scheme.” Moreover under the Yuva Vikasam scheme he promised “five lakh assistance to youths going to colleges, and for coaching fees.”

The Congress MP also promised Rs 4000 monthly pension for the elderly and Rs 10 lakh health insurance under Rajiv ArogyaShri scheme.

Moreover, under Rythu Bharosa, Rahul Gandhi promised “Rs 15,000 for every acre to our farmer and Rs 12000 for every agricultural labourer.”

Drawing a reference from the success of their guarantees in Karnataka, Rahul Gandhi said, “In Karnataka elections, Narendra Modi said in his speech that the Congress party won’t be able to fulfill its guarantees. We gave five guarantees to Karnataka. We implemented them the day our Cabinet was sworn in. The day the Congress party will form the government here, that very day you will receive your guarantees.”

Speaking about the scams undertaken by the BRS government through their schemes, Rahul Gandhi said, “They (BRS) stole Rs 1 lakh crore in the Kaleshwaram project, they took away your land in the Dharinin portal scam,…big landowners were benefitted from the Rythu Bandhi scheme…,they leaked your public service paper. We want to give you back what they have looted.”

Telangana will go to polls by the end of this year. The state is expected to see a three-pronged contest against the Congress, BJP and BRS. The results of the assembly elections is expected to set the tone for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha polls. (ANI)

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Congress Working Committee To Meet In Hyderabad On Saturday

By LokMarg 15th September 2023

The newly constituted Congress Working Committee (CWC) will hold its first meeting in poll-bound Telangana’s Hyderabad on Saturday.

Congress President Mallikharjun Kharge will be chairing the highest decision-making body of the party to discuss the party strategy for the upcoming assembly election in the five states.

Senior leaders including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and CWC members will attend the CWC meeting.

Informing about the details of the CWC meeting at a press conference, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said, “Tomorrow we will hold the first CWC (Congress Working Committee meeting) in Hyderabad in which the preparations for the upcoming elections will be discussed. We have invited 90 people, out of which 84 people will attend.”

“Congress president will preside over the CWC meeting. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will be there. Our 4 chief ministers will also attend the meeting,” he said.

Exuding confidence that the meeting is going to be a game changer in Telangana politics, KC Venugopal said,” We will discuss the upcoming elections of the 5 states. We will surely form government in five states including Telangana. The meeting is going to be a game changer in Telangana politics. We will launch six guarantees to the people of Telangana and we will fulfil them within a month after coming to power.”

He further informed that the extended CWC meeting will also be held. Moreover, a public rally will be organised on September 17.

“We invited 159 people and 149 people will attend the extended CWC meeting on September 17. We will organise a ‘Vijayaberi public meeting ‘ on the same day. On September 18, our leaders apart from MPs will go to all Assembly constituencies,” he said.

After the rally on the same evening, the Congress president will flag off the cavalcades of CWC members, PCC presidents, CLP leaders and others to 119 Assembly constituencies of Telangana.

KC Venugopal said that the BJP is the principal enemy of the grand old party in politics and KCR’s party Bharat Rashtra Samithi is supporting anti-democratic laws in the Parliament.

“Certainly, we had past experience. Our fight is with PM Narendra Modi. Our principal enemy in politics is the BJP and their ideology. They (KCR’s party BRS) support anti-democratic laws in the Parliament, Venugopal said during a press conference in Rangareddy.

The state is set to witness a triangular contest among the BJP, the ruling BRS and the Congress. The Telangana election will serve as a litmus test for the BJP-led NDA and the INDIA alliance before the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram will also go to polls later this year. (ANI)

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INDIA, Is A Union of States: Rahul Slams Centre on ‘One Nation, One Election’

By LokMarg 3rd September 2023

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government for “toying’ with the idea of holding simultaneous Lok Sabha elections and state assembly elections in the country.

According to the Congress MP representing Wayanad in Kerala, the idea of One Nation, One Election is an attack on the “Bharat” which, as per him, is the “Union of States.

In a message on his social media post, X, formerly known as Twitter, Rahul Gandhi said, “INDIA, that is Bharat, is a Union of States. The idea of ‘one nation, one election’ is an attack on the Union and all its States.”

The Centre on Saturday constituted an eight-member committee to examine and make recommendations for holding simultaneous elections in the country.

The members of the committee, apart from former President Kovind, include Union Home Minister Amit Shah; Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury; former Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad; former Finance Commission chairman NK Singh, former Lok Sabha secretary general Subhash C Kashyap, senior advocate Harish Salve and former chief vigilance commissioner Sanjay Kothari.

The notification of the high-powered panel by the Centre came just days after it announced a special session of the Parliament from September 18 to 22, on the same day the two-day Mumbai conclave of the INDIA bloc was in progress.

However, the government remained tight-lipped on the issues to be taken up during the special session.

Opposition leaders slammed the BJP-led Centre for announcing a special session without holding prior consultations with them or informing the Business Advisory Committee.

According to the Centre, the high-level committee shall start functioning immediately and make recommendations at the earliest.

Further, according to the official notification, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal will attend the meetings of the committee as a special invitee.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, however, declined to serve on the panel, saying its “terms of reference have been prepared in a manner to guarantee its conclusions”.

Simultaneous elections for the state assemblies and the Lok Sabha were held till 1967. However, in 1968 and 1969 some legislative assemblies were dissolved prematurely followed by the dissolution of the Lok Sabha in 1970. This forced a change in electoral schedules for the states and the country. (ANI)

PM, BJP Are Nexus Of Corruption: Rahul

By LokMarg 1st September 2023

Launching an attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government over allegations concerning the Adani group, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused the PM and BJP of being a nexus of corruption and demanded a probe into the Adani matter.

“The nexus between the PM and one businessman is for every person to see. I mentioned in my press conference yesterday that the G20 is coming and India’s credibility, our nation’s credibility that the Prime Minister make his position clear and begin an enquiry on what is happened with regards to Mr Adani,” Rahul added.

He further accused the Prime Minister and the BJP are a nexus of corruption and that is the first thing that the INDIA alliance is going to demonstrate and prove.

“The Prime Minister and the BJP are a nexus of corruption and that is the first thing that the INDIA alliance is going to demonstrate and prove. The idea behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is to extract money from the poor people of this country and transfer it to a limited few. So, we are going to propose a clear path to development,” he added.

Earlier on Thursday, Rahul Gandhi accused the Prime Minister of “being quiet” and said the least that should be done is a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe.

Addressing a press conference here, Gandhi accused the Prime Minister of “protecting one person” and asked “why he is not forcing an investigation”.

Gandhi referred to the G20 Summit being hosted by India and the reports on the Adani group in two British papers and said the allegations impact perception about India.

The Congress leader said the issue affects India’s reputation, especially because of G20 Summit and alleged that PM Modi’s “reputation is on line”.

“…It is very important that the Prime Minister of India Mr Narendra Modi clears his name and categorically explains what is going on. At the very least, A JPC should be allowed and a thorough investigation should take place. I don’t understand why the PM is not forcing an investigation? Why is he quiet and people who are responsible are put behind bars? This is raising very serious questions on the PM just before G20 leaders come here…It is important that this issue is made clear before they (G20 leaders) arrive,” Gandhi said.

Gandhi, who is in Mumbai to take part in the meeting of opposition leaders, said the current flavour is G20 and it is about India’s position in the world.

“What is very important for a country like India is that there is a level playing field and transparency in our economic environment and businesses that operate here. Today morning, two global financial newspapers have raised a very important question. These are not any random newspapers. These newspapers affect investment in India and the perception of India in the rest of the world…,” he said.

“Just before the leaders of G20 are coming here, they are going to be asking what is this special company that is owned by a gentleman close to the PM and why is it in an economy like India this gentleman is being given a free ride?” he asked.

Alleging round-tripping in some funds concerning the Adani group, he asked whose money was involved. He also raised questions about the probe held in the past.

“There was an investigation, evidence was given to SEBI and SEBI gave a clean chit to Gautam Adani…So, it is clear that there is something very wrong here,” Rahul Gandhi said.

“What is amazing to me is that the gentleman who has done the investigation is today an employee of Mr Adani. What does that tell you about the nature of the investigation that the gentleman did? It is pretty clear that no investigation took place and the only reason no investigation took place is because the PM didn’t want an investigation to take place. Mr Adani cannot stop an investigation, the PM can…This is an issue that affects India’s reputation, especially because now there is the G20 taking place and India’s and PM’s reputation is on the line…,”he added.

Months after Hindenburg Research put out a report on Adani Group which allegedly claimed accounting fraud, stock price manipulation and improper use of tax havens, the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) earlier today alleged that two men who it claimed “secretly invested” in the conglomerate turn out to have “close ties to its majority owners”, the Adani family.

The Adani Group has categorically rejected the allegations levelled by the OCCRP, terming the allegations as “recycled”.

“We categorically reject these recycled allegations. These news reports appear to be yet another concerted bid by Soros-funded interests supported by a section of the foreign media to revive the meritless Hindenburg report. In fact, this was anticipated, as was reported by the media last week,” the Indian conglomerate said in a statement.

These attempts are aimed at generating profits by driving down our stock prices and these short sellers are under investigation by various authorities, the statement added.

OCCRP – as per the information on its website – is “an investigative reporting platform formed by 24 non-profit investigative centres”, spread across Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Adani Group had also denied allegations in the wake of the Hindenburg report, stating that the report by the New York-based entity was “nothing but a lie”. (ANI)

‘Political Padyatras Are Publicity Stunts, Seeking Attention’

By LokMarg 19th August 2023

Dr Shuchi Goel, a former assistant professor at St. Joseph’s Girl’s Degree College in Sardhana, says Bharat Jodo yatra was a waste of money and man-hours. Her views:

Padyatras were historically taken by politicians or common people in India to connect with society and interact with common people. The original motive was not only to connect and unite the general public but also use it as a ‘long march’ towards popularity and power; an opportunity for politicians to interact with their voters in a fruitful manner.

But whether it is a pan-India journey or a state-level padyatra, political leaders have used it in the hope for garnering support for their party whenever elections are in sight. This is an idea of attracting or persuading people. All political parties are selling or trying to sell their different ideas in order to get a huge number of votes prior to elections. So, ultimately, it is just a political stunt, no less.

The latest example to this stunt was Bharat Jodo yatra. These were theatrics to appease pamper and appeal to the anti-establishment brigade to oust the incumbent party, in this case the BJP. But, as far as I can gauge the people’s mood, the electorate may not buy the latest offering.

For, nothing in politics is done in an altruistic manner. The big question is whether the padyatra and the crowd that it was drawing would translate into voters in the upcoming elections. Many are of the opinion that instead of ‘Bharat jodo’ it was actually a seat jodo andolan.

A padyatra may be beneficial from a health point of view but otherwise it is an aimless effort which causes hundreds of traffic jams, road diversions, and inconvenience to the general public and wastage of gallons of petrol and diesel. To top it all, hundreds who join the leader of the march either leave their everyday jobs or are perhaps aimless, mindless, youth paid for simply walking to make it look like a gathering. Roadshows are done to steal the limelight, grab attention of people and the media and get clicked or to appear on news channels.

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Padyatras usually aims to project the image of an austere and organic leader, accessible to all, who relates to the difficulties and problems faced by the masses. But who does it help? If you want to act towards a cause, then do something. Take action. See that people get employment. Understand what’s happening in the education and health systems. Rectify problem areas.

How will these padyatras help? People get fooled by the fact that a leader of the stature of a celebrity is so accessible to them – they can touch him, talk to him, eat with him – that’s what appeals to them along with the misconception that they will be able to reach out to these very politicians post elections also if and when they are in power.

To an extent these padyatras are helpful in contributing to an image makeover, maybe, but it may not work for any party in terms of polls. Though there is no guarantee of success in politics, still it is an attempt at a cardinal level to reconnect and revive any party that undertakes such yatra in time for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

(The narrator has taught psychology and history, and she has been a social activist associated with awareness programmes related to education, heath, sanitation and environment)

As told to Deepa Gupta