New Delhi, The nation today paid homage to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who was killed in a suicide bomb attack on this day 21 years ago. President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the departed leader's wife and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi went to the late leader's memorial 'Vir Bhumi' here and paid their respects. Rahul and Priyanka also paid floral tributes at the memorial of their father, who was assassinated on May 21, 1991 at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu during a poll campaign. Vice President Hamid Ansari, Delhi Lt Governor Tejinder Khanna, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Parliamentary Affairs Minister P K Bansal and Urban Development also paid homage to Gandhi. Priyanka's husband Robert Vadra was present on the occasion. School children waving national flags were also present at the memorial. A speech by the late prime minister, during which he talked about preserving the dignity of institutions, was played at the ...
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New Delhi, Congress president Sonia Gandhi Wednesday asked her party MPs to avoid factionalism, fight the opposition as one "disciplined team" and speak in one voice for the achievements of the government led by her party. "We must shed all manner of factional behaviour and fight as one disciplined team at all levels. That will be the single most important factor to decide whether we win or lose," Gandhi told a meeting of Congress MPs which was also attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. In her speech, the Congress president talked tough and said that people of the country were looking to the party. She asked her MPs to "show our commitment and unity if we are to convert this sentiment into electoral victories". She asked her party leaders to "expose the opposition's double-speak and its obstructive behaviour" and "defend and project the government's achievements" as it had become "fashionable to criticise the government". "We must speak forcefully and with confidence on what we have achieved and there is much we have to show despite difficult economic times. We must project our government's accomplishments and our ambitious legislative ...
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New Delhi, Asking partymen to draw lessons from the previous polls, Congress president Sonia Gandhi today said that leaders must shed factional behaviour and fight as one disciplined team as the party braces to face a series of state elections in the coming months. "We must all shed all manner of factional behaviour, and fight as one disciplined team at all levels. That will be the single-most important factor to decide whether we win or lose. "People look to us-- but we need to show them our commitment and our unity if we are to convert this sentiment into electoral victories," Gandhi said addressing a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party here, which was also attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Commenting on the elections results in the five states including Uttar Pradesh, where the party could not perform as expected, Gandhi said, "While we can take satisfaction in the fact that we returned to power in Manipur for the third time and formed the government in Uttarakhand, the results in Punjab and Goa are very disappointing. "In Uttar Pradesh, even though we did not perform as well as we had hoped to, we increased our vote share quite considerably and ...
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Chandigarh, As simmering tension runs across Punjab Congress after its loss in the assembly elections earlier this month, a number of Congressmen, including MLAs, met on Thursday to express their anguish and decided to refer the matter to AICC president Sonia Gandhi so that she can decide on the leadership issue. The Congressmen, including four sitting MLAs, met at the house of Amloh MLA Randeep Singh Nabha. Sources said they demanded that a meeting of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee should be held with a neutral observer so that growing dissensions within the party are resolved within the PPCC. Those present reportedly expressed aguish over the poll debacle and how the morale of party is at a low. Sources said it was decided that they would approach Sonia Gandhi and leave it to her to decide who she wanted as leader of Punjab Congress. "We will appeal her that president of the party in the state should get a five-year term as that would prevent a regular scramble for the post," said a ...
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Chennai, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has told DMK chief M. Karunanidhi that a suitable outcome would be reached on the Sri Lankan issue soon, according to her letter released Monday. Acknowledging the DMK's chief March 9 letter, Gandhi in her letter dated March 15, copies of which were released to the media by the DMK here, said: "I have been informed that the government is fully aware of the important issues involved and is engaged with all parties to find a just solution." "I believe the prime minister is writing to you in this regard. I hope that a suitable outcome is reached soon," she said. Amid increasing pressure from coalition ally DMK, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday assured parliament that India was "inclined" to vote in favour of a UN resolution over Sri Lanka's "war crimes" and hoped it will ensure the Tamil community in Sri Lanka "equality, justice and self-respect". Karunanidhi was quick to welcome the prime minister's assurance, describing it as "a victory for the Sri Lankan ...
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New Delhi, There was no question of the prime minister stepping down, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said Wednesday after the party's dismal show in state elections and stressed that the results will not "damage" the UPA government. "The question does not arise," Gandhi said when asked if there was a possibility of Manmohan Singh stepping down and the Congress selecting another leader for the post. "I do not think the results will damage the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government," Gandhi told reporters outside her residence after reviewing the results in five states with party leaders here. Asked who would be the party's candidate for prime minister in the Lok Sabha elections of 2014, she said: "This is 2012." The party came a poor fourth in Uttar Pradesh, barely scraped past the BJP in Uttarakhand and lost in Goa and Punjab. The only silver lining was Manipur where it retained ...
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New York, A US based Sikh group, has approached Secretary of State Hillary Clinton demanding the exclusion of Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi from the United States. "Sonia Gandhi's entry and presence in the US is in violation of section 212(a)(3)(E)(ii) & (iii) of the Immigration and Nationality Act and section 604 of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998," the Sikhs for Justic (SFJ) said in a letter to Cliunton. These laws prohibit entry into the US of any individual who, outside of the US, has ordered, incited, assisted or in any way participated in the commission of any act of torture or extra judicial killing, SFJ legal advisor, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun wrote. Sonia Gandhi is "inadmissible" to the US because as President of the Indian National Congress party she has been actively covering up the Sikh genocide and shielding her party leaders who were key players in executing the atrocities of November 1984, he said. SFJ alleged that India's Congress party had organized the genocide to avenge the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh ...
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Roorkee, Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government for not utilising the funds sent by central government, during her campaign in poll bound Uttarakhand's Roorkee city. "The state government has betrayed people of Uttarakhand for the past couple of years," Gandhi said. She blamed that the state government has not properly utilized the funds sent by central government. Gandhi urged the people of Uttarakhand to vote in favour of the Congress and help in 'developing' the north Indian state. She is scheduled to address another election rally at Uttarakhand's Tehri city. Uttarakhand will go to polls on Jan ...
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Thane, Authorities have initiated a probe into a case of bogus ration card issued in the name of Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi that surfaced in Thane district of Maharashtra on Wednesday, media reports said. The card was discovered lying in the parking space of Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) on Saturday by two activists Praveen Pandey and Premchand Jha. The two are members of an NGO called Ulhasnagar Bachao Abhiyan. The details on the ration card said that it was issued by Thane ration authority in first week of August last year. It also featured name of her children - Rahul Gandhi (41) and Priyanka Gandhi (39). Apart from the Delhi address of their residence 10, Janpath, the document also showed the annual income of the family as Rs. 30,000. The card has already been used twice to procure some products including kerosene oil etc. However, the Ulhasnagar rationing department has collected the card from the two activists and a probe into the case has been ...
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New Delhi, Still nursing the sting of ally Trinamool Congress opposing the Lokpal Bill in the Rajya Sabha citing issues of federal autonomy, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government wants to take the states into confidence on Sonia Gandhi's dream project - the National Food Security Bill, 2011. The bill was tabled in the Lok Sabha during the winter session of parliament last year and will now go to the standing committee concerned. If the panel's report is submitted in the budget session, likely to start mid-March, the bill could be taken up for consideration and passage in the same session. Keeping that in mind and the reservations of states like Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh against the bill, the government is planning a meet with state food ministers in mid-February to bring them on board. "We have requested Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to address the meet," a food ministry official said. Sources said though the food ministry consulted the states before it tabled the bill in parliament, issues related to procurement of grain to meet the requirements of the bill would be taken up at the meet. More importantly, the meet will focus on ...
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New Delhi, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday lambasted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the failure of the constitutional amendment over the Lokpal Bill in the Lok Sabha, saying the incident exposed the main opposition party’s duplicity. “The BJP had actually committed for constitutional status for the Lokpal Bill in the standing committee and yesterday they voted against it and denied constitutional status,” Gandhi, the chairperson of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition said. “Yesterday we have seen the real face of the BJP...we wanted to give a solid Lokpal Bill but they refused," she said. The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday is expected to take up the Lokpal Bill after it was passed by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, though the fate of the long-awaited anti-graft law appeared largely uncertain over burgeoning dissent among lawmakers. Some reports said that the bill might be taken up on Thursday. Questions were raised on how an increasingly isolated government would ensure that its draft of the Lokpal Bill, which has been widely criticised as weak, sails smoothly in the upper house, after MPs in the lower house appeared far from a ...
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New Delhi, Naming Congress Chairperson Sonia Gandhi as the moving spirit for the latest move to create a mechanism to deal with corruption in public life, the Government today put for consideration of the Lok Sabha the anti-graft Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011, which had seen a stormy introduction in the House on December 22. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V Narayansamy stating the circumstances leading to the Government decision to bring in what he called the ''landmark'' legislation, sought to dismiss the Opposition charge that it was a weak bill, and asserted that no other legislation had sought to create an anti-graft body that had powers of investigation and prosecution. During his about 20-minute speech, the Minister took pot shots at the BJP for having opposed inclusion of the office of the Prime Minister in the ambit of the Lokpal when it ruled at the Centre. This led to loud reaction from the Opposition benches, impelling Speaker Meira Kumar to intervene. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was not seen in the initial proceedings of the House, joined in as the Lokpal Bill was taken up. UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Finance Minister Pranab ...
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Ralegan Siddhi (Maharashtra), Social activist Anna Hazare Thursday threatened to stage a sit-in and court arrest outside Congress president Sonia Gandhi's residence in New Delhi to protest against the government's "useless" Lokpal bill. "This is a useless bill. Unless you bring the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) under the ambit of the Lokpal, the Lokpal law will serve no purpose," Hazare told reporters at his home here, on a day the government is scheduled to table the legislation in the Lok Sabha to be passed in parliament. He said he would go on a three-day hunger strike from Dec 27-29 and would launch "jail bharo" struggle. "My jail bharo protest will be outside the residence of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi," the 74-year-old activist said. She said if Gandhi, who is also the chairperson of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) combine, thought the government's Lokpal bill was strong "let her debate this infront of the media or else we will make her understand how weak this is. But let her come face to face". He said the government lacked the will power to curb rampant corruption in the ...
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New Delhi, Congress president Sonia Gandhi Wednesday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for obstructing important legislations that the government was bringing to fight corruption and to address grievances of the people. Addressing Congress MPs at Parliament House, the Congress president said the BJP had not reconciled to its defeat in the 2004 Lok Sabha election and then the 2009 elections and thus was creating all possible obstacles in the passage of important legislations. Briefing journalists on the address, union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said a canard was being spread that the government and the party were not on the same side on several issues. ...
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New Delhi, Congress president Sonia Gandhi Friday said implementing development programmes is the answer to Left-wing extremism, which is posing a challenge to public order and governance in several regions, especially tribal areas. "If we implement the developmental programmes, we will be able to bring back many of them (the Left-wing extremists) to the national mainstream," Gandhi said while opening a conference on tribal empowerment, organised by the Mahila Congress here. "The central government and state governments are duty-bound to implement the developmental schemes," Gandhi said. The central government is planning a new legislation that will give the tribals economic dividends when their land is taken over for mining operations, she added. Over the years, the Congress governments at the centre had enacted several laws and implemented many schemes which empowered tribals and helped their progress, Gandhi said. "Indiraji (late prime minister Indira Gandhi) is still fondly remembered in tribal homes in the country," she said. Gandhi said the steps taken by Rajiv Gandhi (her husband and former prime minister) enabled tribal women to occupy key positions in ...
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