<p>Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Wednesday accused Congress of "encouraging corruption, Naxalism, terrorism and misrule" during its rule in the country.</p>

<p>Addressing a campaign rally for the second phase of Assembly polls in Raigarh, Adityanath also accused Congress of "insulting martyrdom" of security forces engaged in anti-Naxal operations by terming Maoists as "revolutionaries".</p>

<p>"Congress has done nothing except divide the society on the basis of caste, region, religion and language, he said.</p>

<p>During its 55-year rule in the country, Congress always encouraged poverty, misrule, terrorism, Naxalism and corruption, he said.</p>

<p>Without naming UP Congress chief Raj Babbar, Adityanath said, "a leader of UP Congress had termed Naxals as revolutionaries which is an insult to the martyrdom of security forces fighting Maoists".</p>

<p>Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP with a slogan of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas has launched public welfare schemes for the inclusive development of people belonging to all sections of society, he said.</p>

<p>During the Congress rule, mining and forest mafia, cattle trafficking and Naxalism were "at an all-time high" in Chhattisgarh but the BJP government contained all these ills, he said.</p>

<p>"Earlier, Rs 100 released from Delhi became Rs 10 on reaching people because the remaining Rs 90 was embezzled by dalals (middlemen ) of Congress. But now it has changed and Rs 100 released by the Modi government remains Rs 100 when the amount reaches people through digital payment mode," he said.</p>

<p>Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan were considered as Bimaru states during the Congress rule, he said. Now, these states are considered among the developed states after BJP government came to power there, he said.</p>


Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Wednesday accused Congress of "encouraging corruption, Naxalism, terrorism and misrule" during its rule in the country.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Wednesday accused Congress of "encouraging corruption, Naxalism, terrorism and misrule" during its rule in the country. Addressing a campaign rally for the second phase of Assembly polls in Raigarh, Adityanath also accused Congress of "insulting martyrdom" of security forces engaged in anti-Naxal operations by terming Maoists as "revolutionaries". "Congress has done nothing except divide the society on the basis of caste, region, religion and language, he said. During its 55-year rule in the country, Congress always encouraged poverty, misrule, terrorism, Naxalism and corruption, he said. Without naming UP Congress chief Raj Babbar, Adityanath said, "a leader of UP Congress had termed Naxals as revolutionaries which is an insult to the martyrdom of security forces fighting Maoists". Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP with a slogan of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas has launched public welfare schemes for the inclusive development of people belonging to all sections of society, he said. During the Congress rule, mining and forest mafia, cattle trafficking and Naxalism were "at an all-time high" in Chhattisgarh but the BJP government contained all these ills, he said. "Earlier, Rs 100 released from Delhi became Rs 10 on reaching people because the remaining Rs 90 was embezzled by dalals (middlemen ) of Congress. But now it has changed and Rs 100 released by the Modi government remains Rs 100 when the amount reaches people through digital payment mode," he said. Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan were considered as Bimaru states during the Congress rule, he said. Now, these states are considered among the developed states after BJP government came to power there, he said.

Congress encouraged corruption, Naxalism: Yogi Adityanath

<p>On the second anniversary of demonetisation on Thursday, the Congress party poured scorn on Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Centre`s move, calling it a `black day` for Indian democracy and economy."</p>

<p>The cost and destruction of demonetisation was endured by every citizen of this country other than few crony capitalist friends of Prime Minister Modi. Demonetisation was a black day for our democracy and our economy," read a post on the official Twitter handle of the Congress party.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The cost &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DestructionByDemonetisation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DestructionByDemonetisation</a> was endured by every citizen of this country other than few crony capitalist friends of PM Modi. Demonetisation was a black day for our democracy &amp; our economy. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NotebandiKiDoosriBarsi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NotebandiKiDoosriBarsi</a> <a href="https://t.co/hpKDlSAEFt">pic.twitter.com/hpKDlSAEFt</a></p>
— Congress (@INCIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/INCIndia/status/1060361263295971329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Resonating similar sentiments, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also took to the micro-blogging site and wrote, "#DarkDay Today is the second anniversary of #DeMonetisation disaster. From the moment it was announced I said so. Renowned economists, common people and all experts now all agree."</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DarkDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DarkDay</a> Today is the second anniversary of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DeMonetisation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DeMonetisation</a> disaster. From the moment it was announced I said so. Renowned economists, common people and all experts now all agree.</p>
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/MamataOfficial/status/1060343918993190912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>"On November 8, 2016, @narendramodi announced demonetisation alias Notebandi. It was an epic failure. Over 100 people died standing in bank queues. On second Barsi of This TUGLAKI FIRMAN, please observe 2 minutes silence for martyrs of this folly," Congress leader Manish Tewari tweeted.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">On 8 Nov2016 <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@narendramodi</a> announced Demonetisation alias Notebandi. It was an epic failure.Over 100 people died standing in bank queues. On second Barsi of This TUGLAKI FIRMAN please observe 2 minutes silence for martyrs of this folly. <a href="https://t.co/7a9rqsbYNc">https://t.co/7a9rqsbYNc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/2ndbarsinotebandi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#2ndbarsinotebandi</a> <a href="https://t.co/LSREZJdH5O">pic.twitter.com/LSREZJdH5O</a></p>
— Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) <a href="https://twitter.com/ManishTewari/status/1060358904071311361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>"We of course are not going to do that! For we are civilised. However @narendramodi 730 days later don`t you think you should stand up at 8 PM today evening and just apologise to the nation. After all, it is but human to err- It is another matter that over 100 people died due to it," read another tweet.</p>

<p>The Congress party is expected to observe a `black day` to mark the second anniversary of demonetisation.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Last year, too, the Congress and other opposition parties protested at various places across India against the central government`s drive.</p>

<p>"Two years ago, a disaster struck India`s economy. So much so that the PM has now stopped speaking about demonetisation after ruining lives of ordinary citizens. History will remember this day as a black day. When you cast your vote for Lok Sabha-never forget notebandi," tweeted Congress leader Ahmed Patel.</p>

<p>On November 8, 2016, the Centre had declared Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes as non-legal and introduced new Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes. Since then, various opposition leaders have highly criticised the Centre`s move, while the members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies have backed the decision.</p>


On the second anniversary of demonetisation on Thursday, the Congress party poured scorn on Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Centre`s move, calling it a `black day` for Indian democracy and economy.

On the second anniversary of demonetisation on Thursday, the Congress party poured scorn on Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Centre`s move, calling it a `black day` for Indian democracy and economy." The cost and destruction of demonetisation was endured by every citizen of this country other than few crony capitalist friends of Prime Minister Modi. Demonetisation was a black day for our democracy and our economy," read a post on the official Twitter handle of the Congress party. The cost & #DestructionByDemonetisation was endured by every citizen of this country other than few crony capitalist friends of PM Modi. Demonetisation was a black day for our democracy & our economy. #NotebandiKiDoosriBarsi pic.twitter.com/hpKDlSAEFt — Congress (@INCIndia) November 8, 2018 × Resonating similar sentiments, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also took to the micro-blogging site and wrote, "#DarkDay Today is the second anniversary of #DeMonetisation disaster. From the moment it was announced I said so. Renowned economists, common people and all experts now all agree." #DarkDay Today is the second anniversary of #DeMonetisation disaster. From the moment it was announced I said so. Renowned economists, common people and all experts now all agree. — Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) November 8, 2018 × "On November 8, 2016, @narendramodi announced demonetisation alias Notebandi. It was an epic failure. Over 100 people died standing in bank queues. On second Barsi of This TUGLAKI FIRMAN, please observe 2 minutes silence for martyrs of this folly," Congress leader Manish Tewari tweeted. On 8 Nov2016 @narendramodi announced Demonetisation alias Notebandi. It was an epic failure.Over 100 people died standing in bank queues. On second Barsi of This TUGLAKI FIRMAN please observe 2 minutes silence for martyrs of this folly. https://t.co/7a9rqsbYNc #2ndbarsinotebandi pic.twitter.com/LSREZJdH5O — Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) November 8, 2018 × "We of course are not going to do that! For we are civilised. However @narendramodi 730 days later don`t you think you should stand up at 8 PM today evening and just apologise to the nation. After all, it is but human to err- It is another matter that over 100 people died due to it," read another tweet. The Congress party is expected to observe a `black day` to mark the second anniversary of demonetisation. Last year, too, the Congress and other opposition parties protested at various places across India against the central government`s drive. "Two years ago, a disaster struck India`s economy. So much so that the PM has now stopped speaking about demonetisation after ruining lives of ordinary citizens. History will remember this day as a black day. When you cast your vote for Lok Sabha-never forget notebandi," tweeted Congress leader Ahmed Patel. On November 8, 2016, the Centre had declared Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes as non-legal and introduced new Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes. Since then, various opposition leaders have highly criticised the Centre`s move, while the members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies have backed the decision.

On its second anniversary, Congress calls demonetisation a 'black day'

<p>Senior Congress leaders have been entrusted with the task of sorting out differences between party leaders from Madhya Pradesh over allotment of tickets for the November 28 assembly elections as talks at the central election committee meeting remained inconclusive, sources said on Thursday.</p>

<p>According to sources, during the meeting of the central election committee on late on Wednesday, Congress leaders Digvijaya Singh and Jyotiraditya Scindia exchanged heated notes in the presence of party chief Rahul Gandhi.</p>

<p>The CEC meeting for Madhya Pradesh remained inconclusive after it continued till hours beyond midnight.</p>

<p>This was followed by a meeting of the leaders from Madhya Pradesh and the central screening committee of the state chaired by Madhusudan Mistry with Ahmed Patel, Ashok Gehlot and M Veerappa Moily.</p>

<p>While batting for their respective candidates, Scindia and Singh exchanged heated notes, the sources said.</p>

<p>This forced Gandhi to ask Patel, Gehlot and Moily to sit with the "warring" leaders and resolve the differences, they said.</p>

<p>"The senior leaders have also been asked to first evolve a consensus among the various factions of Madhya Pradesh Congress and hold the next meeting," a senior leaders told PTI.</p>

<p>Insiders say a third meeting of the CEC, the party's body for selecting candidates, for Madhya Pradesh to be held on Thursday evening was cancelled as no consensus could be brought about between the various state leaders over party tickets.</p>

<p>The meeting is now likely to be held on Friday.</p>

<p>No candidate has been announced for the state polls.</p>

<p>The process of nominations for Madhya Pradesh starts Friday with the issue of gazette notification.</p>

<p>Asked about the issue, AICC general secretary Gehlot denied reports of any differences between the leaders and claimed that the party leadership in Madhya Pradesh was united.</p>

<p>"There was no such fight between the leaders as reported in a section of the media. All the leaders in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are united," he said.</p>

<p>Gehlot said lengthy meetings of the CEC have taken place to ensure that the candidate selection process ends soon.</p>

<p>"Long meetings are taking place to speed up the selection process for candidates," he said.</p>

<p>Singh also rejected reports about any differences with Scindia or any argument with him in Gandhi's presence.</p>

<p>"It is being wrongly reported in press that I and Jyotiraditya Scindia ji had any argument and Rahul ji had to intervene. All of us in MP Congress are one and determined to defeat the corrupt BJP Government in MP," he said.</p>


Senior Congress leaders have been entrusted with the task of sorting out differences between party leaders from Madhya Pradesh over allotment of tickets for the November 28 assembly elections as talks at the central election committee meeting remained inconclusive, sources said on Thursday.

Senior Congress leaders have been entrusted with the task of sorting out differences between party leaders from Madhya Pradesh over allotment of tickets for the November 28 assembly elections as talks at the central election committee meeting remained inconclusive, sources said on Thursday. According to sources, during the meeting of the central election committee on late on Wednesday, Congress leaders Digvijaya Singh and Jyotiraditya Scindia exchanged heated notes in the presence of party chief Rahul Gandhi. The CEC meeting for Madhya Pradesh remained inconclusive after it continued till hours beyond midnight. This was followed by a meeting of the leaders from Madhya Pradesh and the central screening committee of the state chaired by Madhusudan Mistry with Ahmed Patel, Ashok Gehlot and M Veerappa Moily. While batting for their respective candidates, Scindia and Singh exchanged heated notes, the sources said. This forced Gandhi to ask Patel, Gehlot and Moily to sit with the "warring" leaders and resolve the differences, they said. "The senior leaders have also been asked to first evolve a consensus among the various factions of Madhya Pradesh Congress and hold the next meeting," a senior leaders told PTI. Insiders say a third meeting of the CEC, the party's body for selecting candidates, for Madhya Pradesh to be held on Thursday evening was cancelled as no consensus could be brought about between the various state leaders over party tickets. The meeting is now likely to be held on Friday. No candidate has been announced for the state polls. The process of nominations for Madhya Pradesh starts Friday with the issue of gazette notification. Asked about the issue, AICC general secretary Gehlot denied reports of any differences between the leaders and claimed that the party leadership in Madhya Pradesh was united. "There was no such fight between the leaders as reported in a section of the media. All the leaders in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are united," he said. Gehlot said lengthy meetings of the CEC have taken place to ensure that the candidate selection process ends soon. "Long meetings are taking place to speed up the selection process for candidates," he said. Singh also rejected reports about any differences with Scindia or any argument with him in Gandhi's presence. "It is being wrongly reported in press that I and Jyotiraditya Scindia ji had any argument and Rahul ji had to intervene. All of us in MP Congress are one and determined to defeat the corrupt BJP Government in MP," he said.

Madhya Pradesh elections: Talks over Congress's ticket allotment inconclusive

<p>Former Union Minister and Delhi state unit chief Ajay Maken has expressed complete disagreement with the idea that Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) should have an electoral tie-up to keep the BJP away. He also said that a fragmented Opposition will not work against the BJP and Congress will have to regain its space as the principal party opposed to BJP as in the past fragmented Opposition government have not survived for long.</p>

<p>In the interview with WION's <strong>Kartikeya Sharma</strong>, Maken also reached out his colleagues in the party. Congress is holding a grand iftaar for its potential political allies in Delhi and has chosen not to invite AAP.<br />
&nbsp<br />
<strong>WION:</strong> How do you evaluate AAP's performance in Delhi?</p>

<p><strong>Ajay Maken:</strong> AAP has slipped in Delhi. Their vote percentage has gone down consistently. From the municipal elections to Rajouri Garden by-polls, AAP's vote share has decreased. Rajouri Garden was a seat which AAP had won by a huge margin. AAP was third and came behind the Congress. This happened because they have not been able to fulfill promises.</p>

<p><strong>WION:</strong> Do you feel that Delhi has suffered because of AAP's national ambitions?</p>

<p><strong>Ajay Maken:</strong> Delhi has suffered simply because AAP does not know how to govern. Since coming to power they have been trying to create an artificial confrontation with the BJP for political reasons. One cannot rule by confrontation. Delhi is a Union Territory and one needs to build consensus with stakeholders. Being a bureaucrat, Kejriwal should have known this but again AAP does not know what governance is. We never compromised the interest of the people.</p>

<p><strong>WION:</strong> What is your view on 'one-seat-one-candidate' proposed arrangement to challenge BJP?</p>

<p><strong>Ajay Maken:</strong> My opinion is that a strong Congress is required at the Centre to counter BJP-RSS. One-seat-one-candidate is a good concept, but fragmented Opposition does not work. We have seen that in the past too. You need a strong party in the Opposition as there is a political life beyond elections too.</p>

<p><strong>WION:</strong> Should this proposal apply on Delhi as well?</p>

<p><strong>Ajay Maken:</strong> No, it should not. Even the chief minister of Punjab is opposed to this idea to stop the BJP. AAP is losing ground and when they are being rejected by people why should we supply them political oxygen? AAP is an opportunist party. It is not a secular party. Kejriwal is ideologically hollow. He was the one who tied up with Baba Ramdev and Kiran Bedi. If he gets concessions from BJP, he will side with them.</p>

<p><strong>WION:</strong> Are you saying that alliances should be state specific?</p>

<p><strong>Ajay Maken:</strong> Alliances have to be crafted on state to state basis after consulting the state leadership.</p>

<p><strong>WION:</strong> What is the Congress roadmap of recovery under you?</p>

<p><strong>Ajay Maken:</strong> Congress needs understanding within the party than help from outside. We have conducted surveys and found that people very fondly remember 15 years of Sheila Dixit's regime. We will win elections on our own. We cannot undermine the strength of the Congress workers in a state. In the past two decades Congress was able to defeat BJP thrice. In order to come back we don't need assistance. We have bench strength in leaders like Sheila Dixit, Mahabal Mishra, JP Agarwal and Sandeep Dixit. If we work together, we will defeat both AAP and BJP.</p>


The DPCC chief lashes out at Aam Aadmi Party and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, says Congress has to capability to win Delhi assembly election on its own.

Former Union Minister and Delhi state unit chief Ajay Maken has expressed complete disagreement with the idea that Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) should have an electoral tie-up to keep the BJP away. He also said that a fragmented Opposition will not work against the BJP and Congress will have to regain its space as the principal party opposed to BJP as in the past fragmented Opposition government have not survived for long. In the interview with WION's Kartikeya Sharma, Maken also reached out his colleagues in the party. Congress is holding a grand iftaar for its potential political allies in Delhi and has chosen not to invite AAP. WION: How do you evaluate AAP's performance in Delhi? Ajay Maken: AAP has slipped in Delhi. Their vote percentage has gone down consistently. From the municipal elections to Rajouri Garden by-polls, AAP's vote share has decreased. Rajouri Garden was a seat which AAP had won by a huge margin. AAP was third and came behind the Congress. This happened because they have not been able to fulfill promises. WION: Do you feel that Delhi has suffered because of AAP's national ambitions? Ajay Maken: Delhi has suffered simply because AAP does not know how to govern. Since coming to power they have been trying to create an artificial confrontation with the BJP for political reasons. One cannot rule by confrontation. Delhi is a Union Territory and one needs to build consensus with stakeholders. Being a bureaucrat, Kejriwal should have known this but again AAP does not know what governance is. We never compromised the interest of the people. WION: What is your view on 'one-seat-one-candidate' proposed arrangement to challenge BJP? Ajay Maken: My opinion is that a strong Congress is required at the Centre to counter BJP-RSS. One-seat-one-candidate is a good concept, but fragmented Opposition does not work. We have seen that in the past too. You need a strong party in the Opposition as there is a political life beyond elections too. WION: Should this proposal apply on Delhi as well? Ajay Maken: No, it should not. Even the chief minister of Punjab is opposed to this idea to stop the BJP. AAP is losing ground and when they are being rejected by people why should we supply them political oxygen? AAP is an opportunist party. It is not a secular party. Kejriwal is ideologically hollow. He was the one who tied up with Baba Ramdev and Kiran Bedi. If he gets concessions from BJP, he will side with them. WION: Are you saying that alliances should be state specific? Ajay Maken: Alliances have to be crafted on state to state basis after consulting the state leadership. WION: What is the Congress roadmap of recovery under you? Ajay Maken: Congress needs understanding within the party than help from outside. We have conducted surveys and found that people very fondly remember 15 years of Sheila Dixit's regime. We will win elections on our own. We cannot undermine the strength of the Congress workers in a state. In the past two decades Congress was able to defeat BJP thrice. In order to come back we don't need assistance. We have bench strength in leaders like Sheila Dixit, Mahabal Mishra, JP Agarwal and Sandeep Dixit. If we work together, we will defeat both AAP and BJP.

No tie-up with Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi: Congress leader Ajay Maken to WION

<p>The Congress party on Thursday repositioned itself after some of its senior leaders targeted Pranab Mukherjee for attending the RSS function in Nagpur.&nbsp;</p>

<p>After Pranab Mukherjee’s speech, Randeep Surjewala, chairman of the Congress media cell in a press conference said that they hope RSS accepts the sagacious advice of Pranab Mukherjee and change its process and path.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Pranab Mukherjee has shown the mirror to RSS by reminding them of India’s pluralism, inclusiveness, secularism and tolerance, &nbsp;Surjewala said and added that former President reminded the Modi government of “Rajdharma’' founded on multiculturalism, non-violence, diversity and assimilation of ideas.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
He also said that Congress believes in democratic dialogue and recognize the sanctity of dialogue across different thought processes, different position from the one expressed by senior leaders like Ahmed Patel and Jairam Ramesh. He said that the moot point is that is RSS willing to change?<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Congress also used this as an opportunity to ask RSS whether they agree with Pranab Mukherjee’s idea of constitutional patriotism. BJP-RSS since coming to power have been advocating the idea of cultural nationalism which stands contrary to constitutional nationalism, he said.</p>

<p>The Congress also posed a number of questions on nationalism and pluralism and asked RSS whether they would commit to the idea of Pranab’s view of plural society and nationalism. Congress also emphasized the point that former President spoke about violence in the present public discourse and requested that it should be freed of both verbal and physical forms of violence.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Many in the Congress believe that party leaders should not have jumped the gun and waited for Pranab Mukherjee’s speech. Nonetheless, by end of the day, Randeep Surjewalan repositioned the Congress Party to salvage the lost ground.</p>


Pranab Mukherjee has shown the mirror to RSS by reminding them of India’s pluralism, inclusiveness, secularism and tolerance, Surjewala said

The Congress party on Thursday repositioned itself after some of its senior leaders targeted Pranab Mukherjee for attending the RSS function in Nagpur. After Pranab Mukherjee’s speech, Randeep Surjewala, chairman of the Congress media cell in a press conference said that they hope RSS accepts the sagacious advice of Pranab Mukherjee and change its process and path. Pranab Mukherjee has shown the mirror to RSS by reminding them of India’s pluralism, inclusiveness, secularism and tolerance, Surjewala said and added that former President reminded the Modi government of “Rajdharma’' founded on multiculturalism, non-violence, diversity and assimilation of ideas. He also said that Congress believes in democratic dialogue and recognize the sanctity of dialogue across different thought processes, different position from the one expressed by senior leaders like Ahmed Patel and Jairam Ramesh. He said that the moot point is that is RSS willing to change? Congress also used this as an opportunity to ask RSS whether they agree with Pranab Mukherjee’s idea of constitutional patriotism. BJP-RSS since coming to power have been advocating the idea of cultural nationalism which stands contrary to constitutional nationalism, he said. The Congress also posed a number of questions on nationalism and pluralism and asked RSS whether they would commit to the idea of Pranab’s view of plural society and nationalism. Congress also emphasized the point that former President spoke about violence in the present public discourse and requested that it should be freed of both verbal and physical forms of violence. Many in the Congress believe that party leaders should not have jumped the gun and waited for Pranab Mukherjee’s speech. Nonetheless, by end of the day, Randeep Surjewalan repositioned the Congress Party to salvage the lost ground.

Pranab’s speech aftermath: How Congress repositioned to salvage lost ground

<p>A day after acknowledging that the Congress party was indeed facing a funding crunch, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday said that BJP is soaking up most of the political funding, partly because the money goes to those who are in power.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;''No doubt that BJP is soaking up most of the political funding, partly because the money goes to those who are in power. As a result, most of the opposition parties are facing a bit of a crisis particularly the Congress which has a nationwide presence,'' Congress leaders &nbsp;Shashi Tharoor said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Tharoor further said that most of the candidates financed their own campaign in the run-up to the Karnataka Assembly election.&nbsp;</p>

<p>''In Karnataka, while most candidates financed their own campaign, in one case we did crowdfunding effort and it was successful. The same can be repeated in general elections,'' he said and added in Kerala they were able to raise funds locally which, he said, can be repeated nationally.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On Wednesday Tharoor acknowledged that the party was facing cash crunch and asked all concerned citizens to help face the ''moneybags'' of the BJP.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">No doubt that BJP is soaking up most of the political funding,partly because money goes to those who are in power. As a result most of the oppn parties are facing a bit of a crisis particularly the Congress which has a nationwide presence: Shashi Tharoor,Congress <a href="https://t.co/im7MqRDx6x">pic.twitter.com/im7MqRDx6x</a></p>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/999841590305787905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">In Karnataka while most candidates financed their own campaign, in one case we did crowdfunding effort and it was successful.Can be repeated in general elections. In Kerala also we did yatras and were able to raise funds locally,this too can be repeated nationally: Shashi Tharoor <a href="https://t.co/B1sFmWmrKv">pic.twitter.com/B1sFmWmrKv</a></p>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/999841594516889600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I don’t think we need to be embarrassed about acknowledging that <a href="https://twitter.com/INCIndia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@incIndia</a> is facing a funding crunch: <a href="https://t.co/BnAoXYEw44">https://t.co/BnAoXYEw44</a> We should call on all concerned citizens to help us face the moneybags of the BJP</p>
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShashiTharoor/status/999326082905006080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Most of the candidates financed their own campaign in the run-up to the Karnataka Assembly election, Tharoor said

A day after acknowledging that the Congress party was indeed facing a funding crunch, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday said that BJP is soaking up most of the political funding, partly because the money goes to those who are in power. ''No doubt that BJP is soaking up most of the political funding, partly because the money goes to those who are in power. As a result, most of the opposition parties are facing a bit of a crisis particularly the Congress which has a nationwide presence,'' Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor said. Tharoor further said that most of the candidates financed their own campaign in the run-up to the Karnataka Assembly election. ''In Karnataka, while most candidates financed their own campaign, in one case we did crowdfunding effort and it was successful. The same can be repeated in general elections,'' he said and added in Kerala they were able to raise funds locally which, he said, can be repeated nationally. On Wednesday Tharoor acknowledged that the party was facing cash crunch and asked all concerned citizens to help face the ''moneybags'' of the BJP. No doubt that BJP is soaking up most of the political funding,partly because money goes to those who are in power. As a result most of the oppn parties are facing a bit of a crisis particularly the Congress which has a nationwide presence: Shashi Tharoor,Congress pic.twitter.com/im7MqRDx6x — ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2018 × In Karnataka while most candidates financed their own campaign, in one case we did crowdfunding effort and it was successful.Can be repeated in general elections. In Kerala also we did yatras and were able to raise funds locally,this too can be repeated nationally: Shashi Tharoor pic.twitter.com/B1sFmWmrKv — ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2018 × I don’t think we need to be embarrassed about acknowledging that @incIndia is facing a funding crunch: https://t.co/BnAoXYEw44 We should call on all concerned citizens to help us face the moneybags of the BJP — Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 23, 2018 ×

'BJP is soaking up most of political funding': Shashi Tharoor

<p>The big churn has begun. After the Karnataka verdict, a message seems to have gone down loud and clear in the Congress that barring few states where they are directly pitched against BJP, Congress will have to ally with regional parties.</p>

<p>Sources in the Congress say that UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi is working on a 'one constituency one candidate' plan. The idea is to have a single candidate from the opposition against BJP. The urgency stems from the fact that Congress feels that if BJP is not stopped in 2019, it may not find itself in a fighting position later.</p>

<p>However, many regional parties want Congress to play a subservient role. So, implementing this plan will be tough for the Rahul Gandhi-led party in many states like Uttar Pradesh where it is not a player or is in a weak position. Nonetheless, Congress will cooperate with regional partners and ensure that there is a united front. But the idea has Sonia Gandhi convinced and she has taken charge of this inter-party initiative. It, however, will also mean that Congress will have to deal with Mayawati who tied up with Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S) in Karnataka and has declared support for Chautalas for Haryana assembly elections.</p>

<p>The challenge for the Congress would be to retain primal position within the opposition which is being challenged by the Trinamool Congress. Sources in Congress said that it seems that regional parties like KCR-led Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) are playing the role of B-team of BJP but Congress has decided not to publicly trade so not to affect opposition unity.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Many senior leaders have also suggested drastic changes in the model of the Congress party. Sources said that many of them have said that Congress will have to turn into a cadre-based party tuned towards booth management where it can convert votes into seats. Many understand that the earlier tradition of parceling out of the party to individual leaders cannot function against Modi-Shah combine. It has been seen that when the leaders defect, they take the workers along leaving the party in a lurch. A senior source said that party has an ideology but it needs to transform itself at the booth level. This idea comes in the wake of phenomenal success of <em>panna pramukh</em> scheme of BJP with ensures that all committed voters of the party come out to vote.</p>

<p>Many insiders feel that in modern era there cannot be any sense of entitlement and many things need to be changed. Sources said that party needs to take decision faster and to be extremely aggressive about countering the BJP. The lack of quick decision-making undid Goa and Manipur mandate for the Congress. As of now Congress is giving charge to younger leadership in the state and ensuring that a state incharge should only focus on one state rather than two or three which was the case in the past.</p>

<p>Despite being in strong position in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the Congress cannot discount the might of Modi and Shah combine which have firmly positioned the guns on Gandhis.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Many senior leaders have also suggested drastic changes in the model of the Congress party.

The big churn has begun. After the Karnataka verdict, a message seems to have gone down loud and clear in the Congress that barring few states where they are directly pitched against BJP, Congress will have to ally with regional parties. Sources in the Congress say that UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi is working on a 'one constituency one candidate' plan. The idea is to have a single candidate from the opposition against BJP. The urgency stems from the fact that Congress feels that if BJP is not stopped in 2019, it may not find itself in a fighting position later. However, many regional parties want Congress to play a subservient role. So, implementing this plan will be tough for the Rahul Gandhi-led party in many states like Uttar Pradesh where it is not a player or is in a weak position. Nonetheless, Congress will cooperate with regional partners and ensure that there is a united front. But the idea has Sonia Gandhi convinced and she has taken charge of this inter-party initiative. It, however, will also mean that Congress will have to deal with Mayawati who tied up with Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S) in Karnataka and has declared support for Chautalas for Haryana assembly elections. The challenge for the Congress would be to retain primal position within the opposition which is being challenged by the Trinamool Congress. Sources in Congress said that it seems that regional parties like KCR-led Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) are playing the role of B-team of BJP but Congress has decided not to publicly trade so not to affect opposition unity. Many senior leaders have also suggested drastic changes in the model of the Congress party. Sources said that many of them have said that Congress will have to turn into a cadre-based party tuned towards booth management where it can convert votes into seats. Many understand that the earlier tradition of parceling out of the party to individual leaders cannot function against Modi-Shah combine. It has been seen that when the leaders defect, they take the workers along leaving the party in a lurch. A senior source said that party has an ideology but it needs to transform itself at the booth level. This idea comes in the wake of phenomenal success of panna pramukh scheme of BJP with ensures that all committed voters of the party come out to vote. Many insiders feel that in modern era there cannot be any sense of entitlement and many things need to be changed. Sources said that party needs to take decision faster and to be extremely aggressive about countering the BJP. The lack of quick decision-making undid Goa and Manipur mandate for the Congress. As of now Congress is giving charge to younger leadership in the state and ensuring that a state incharge should only focus on one state rather than two or three which was the case in the past. Despite being in strong position in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the Congress cannot discount the might of Modi and Shah combine which have firmly positioned the guns on Gandhis.

After Karnataka verdict, churn begins in Congress

<p>As Karnataka's political scenario gets intensive, the state's Congress Party leaders have alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to "poach" their MLAs in an attempt to establish majority to form the government in Karnataka.</p>

<p>"They (BJP) are poaching our MLAs, and we know that. Every day, there is a lot of pressure. But it not so easy, as two parties have the necessary numbers. However, we are taking all necessary steps," said Congress leader DK Shivakumar.</p>

<p>On being asked whether Congress MLAs in Karnataka would be shifted elsewhere, Shivakumar claimed that a plan has been chalked out to safeguard the former.</p>

<p>Echoing a similar stance, another Congress leader, Ramalinga Reddy, also claimed that the BJP was "trying hard" to get his party MLAs on their side.</p>

<p>"We believe in all our MLAs. BJP is trying hard to get them. They don't believe in democracy they just want power. All the people are happy, nobody is unhappy here," he said.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah re-iterated that the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance would form the government in the state.</p>

<p>"All the Congress MLAs are intact. Nobody is missing. We are confident of forming the government," he told reporters here, prior to the Congress party meeting at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office.</p>

<p>Results of the Karnataka Assembly polls announced on Tuesday evening showed that the BJP won 104 seats, emerging as the single largest party, while the Congress and JD (S) bagged 78 and 37 seats, respectively.</p>

<p>Soon after, the Congress announced that it would support the JD (S), taking their total seat share to 117, thus resulting in a fractured mandate.</p>

<p>As the results of the poll in the state have left the assembly in hung, the final decision will be taken by the Governor, Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala.</p>

<p>On a related note, JD(S) MLAs have gathered to attend the legislative party meeting, which is expected to begin shortly.</p>


On being asked whether Congress MLAs in Karnataka would be shifted elsewhere, Shivakumar claimed that a plan has been chalked out to safeguard the former

As Karnataka's political scenario gets intensive, the state's Congress Party leaders have alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to "poach" their MLAs in an attempt to establish majority to form the government in Karnataka. "They (BJP) are poaching our MLAs, and we know that. Every day, there is a lot of pressure. But it not so easy, as two parties have the necessary numbers. However, we are taking all necessary steps," said Congress leader DK Shivakumar. On being asked whether Congress MLAs in Karnataka would be shifted elsewhere, Shivakumar claimed that a plan has been chalked out to safeguard the former. Echoing a similar stance, another Congress leader, Ramalinga Reddy, also claimed that the BJP was "trying hard" to get his party MLAs on their side. "We believe in all our MLAs. BJP is trying hard to get them. They don't believe in democracy they just want power. All the people are happy, nobody is unhappy here," he said. Meanwhile, outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah re-iterated that the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance would form the government in the state. "All the Congress MLAs are intact. Nobody is missing. We are confident of forming the government," he told reporters here, prior to the Congress party meeting at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office. Results of the Karnataka Assembly polls announced on Tuesday evening showed that the BJP won 104 seats, emerging as the single largest party, while the Congress and JD (S) bagged 78 and 37 seats, respectively. Soon after, the Congress announced that it would support the JD (S), taking their total seat share to 117, thus resulting in a fractured mandate. As the results of the poll in the state have left the assembly in hung, the final decision will be taken by the Governor, Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala. On a related note, JD(S) MLAs have gathered to attend the legislative party meeting, which is expected to begin shortly.

BJP trying to poach MLAs, claim Karnataka Congress frontrunners

<p><br />
BJP MP Bharat Singh on Saturday accused the Congress party of working on their directives Christian missionaries who, he said, are a threat to the unity and integrity of the country.&nbsp</p>

<p>"Christian missionaries control the Congress. Sonia Gandhi, the mother of Congress president Rahul Gandhi works on the directions of these missionaries. These missionaries are a threat for the unity of the country," news agency PTI quoted Singh as saying while talking to reporters.&nbsp</p>

<p>Singh also alleged that the democracy in the northeastern states of the country has "weakened" due to "conversion of people there into Christianity."&nbsp</p>

<p>"The North-East is under the influence of Christian missionaries. Democracy has weakened due to the conversion of people to Christianity there. The conspiracies hatched by these missionaries are a threat for the country," he added.</p>

<p>The Ballia MP, incidentally, had also alleged recently that the Christian missionaries were behind the vandalisation of the statues of the Dalit icon and key architect of the Indian Constitution, Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar.</p>

<p>Singh further said after the Supreme Court's decision on Justice BH Loya case, Rahul Gandhi should regret his stand.</p>

<p>"Congress does not believe in democracy. After Loya case ruling by the SC, the Congress, which tried to put BJP president Amit Shah in the dock stands exposed," he added.&nbsp</p>


Singh also alleged that the democracy in the northeastern states of the country has "weakened" due to "conversion of people there into Christianity."

BJP MP Bharat Singh on Saturday accused the Congress party of working on their directives Christian missionaries who, he said, are a threat to the unity and integrity of the country. "Christian missionaries control the Congress. Sonia Gandhi, the mother of Congress president Rahul Gandhi works on the directions of these missionaries. These missionaries are a threat for the unity of the country," news agency PTI quoted Singh as saying while talking to reporters. Singh also alleged that the democracy in the northeastern states of the country has "weakened" due to "conversion of people there into Christianity." "The North-East is under the influence of Christian missionaries. Democracy has weakened due to the conversion of people to Christianity there. The conspiracies hatched by these missionaries are a threat for the country," he added. The Ballia MP, incidentally, had also alleged recently that the Christian missionaries were behind the vandalisation of the statues of the Dalit icon and key architect of the Indian Constitution, Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar. Singh further said after the Supreme Court's decision on Justice BH Loya case, Rahul Gandhi should regret his stand. "Congress does not believe in democracy. After Loya case ruling by the SC, the Congress, which tried to put BJP president Amit Shah in the dock stands exposed," he added.

Congress is working on the directives of Christian missionaries: BJP's Ballia MP

<p>The biggest challenge for the Congress post-2014 shock defeat was to change its perception in the civil society and media. Rahul Gandhi gradually made changes in various wings of the party but changes in media department were most drastic and visible. He also appointed Priyanka Chaturvedi as the Convenor of the AICC Communication.</p>

<p>She spoke to WION's Kartikeya Sharma at length on the changes made within the media department and overhaul done by Rahul.</p>

<p><strong>WION:</strong> How has media landscape changed for the Congress after 2014?</p>

<p><strong>Priyanka Chaturvedi:</strong> Before 2014, there came a point when media was not willing to give us space. We would not even get a response time on debates. But things are changing. The change is happening. Post 2014-15, the country was waiting to see implementation and policy focus of the Modi government and things he promised. However, now there is a perceptible shift. People are asking questions and media response too has changed. But tough questions need to be asked to those in power by media. The shift has taken place but it is not total.<br />
&nbsp<br />
<strong>WION:</strong> What has been the biggest challenge of the Congress party when it comes to media?</p>

<p><strong>Priyanka Chaturvedi:</strong> Many channels, websites and other publications grew during our tenure (at the Centre) but not being able to keep up with this growth phenomena is what we lacked in 2014. However, there is a shift happening through consumers. We are trying to get a right balance in our communication model. It has to be more frequent. We also need to change with the times. We are also creating a fluid and flexible structure where we are available to answering questions. We are also more people focused and by leveraging technology we are getting voices heard in the din of fake news.<br />
&nbsp<br />
<strong>WION:</strong> Why could Congress not adjust to the nature of change in the media? Why did it happen?</p>

<p><strong>Priyanka Chaturvedi:</strong> I think when a party is in power, you sometime do not understand the impact it has on your organisation. This a problem which BJP is also facing at this point of time. Sometimes management of the problem takes place at the expense of the organisation.<br />
&nbsp<br />
<strong>WION:</strong> Don't you think media houses have become easy scapegoats in fight between political parties whereas the problem of fake news emanates from anonymous accounts in social media?</p>

<p><strong>Priyanka Chaturvedi:</strong> I couldn't agree more with you. Social media is unregulated. Earlier there was a belief that media was a gatekeeper, but social media ended that. But what has happened is that social media is setting the agenda for mainstream channel and that is being carried forward by them. Why don't we have a fact check system in this context? Problem arises when mainstream media amplifies social media content without verifying it. They also need to be held accountable. Statutory bodies should be empowered rather than depending on the government to bring in regulation.</p>

<p><strong>WION:</strong> Mainstream media becomes the whipping boy whereas the problem lies somewhere else?</p>

<p><strong>Priyanka Chaturvedi:</strong> The (social media) platform is absolutely unregulated and we need a free and fair discussion on this matter. Policy needs to be created which doesn't seem to be happening.</p>

<p><strong>WION:</strong> How has your department changed over time? There was a time when 10 people were saying 10 different things about the party...</p>

<p><strong>Priyanka Chaturvedi:</strong> There are lessons we have learnt. Lot of newcomers have now got a chance to join the department. Our structure has become more flexible and we are using multiple platforms. We have ensured that our representation in regional channels goes up. The problem of accessibility is being taken care of. We are accessible, fluid, flexible and more informed. We also ensure that content to all is readily available.</p>

<p><strong>WION:</strong> What is Congress president Rahul Gandhi's vision when it comes to your department?</p>

<p><strong>Priyanka Chaturvedi:</strong> Mr Gandhi is very clear about the issue. He believes that departments need to be decentralised. The media department is also restructuring various teams at the state level. He is letting us take initiatives within the party.</p>

<p><strong>WION:</strong> But it took a long time for Rahul Gandhi to rename his Twitter handle as Rahul Gandhi from the Office of Rahul Gandhi...</p>

<p><strong>Priyanka Chaturvedi:</strong> I would not say that he took a lot of time. There are people who are not open about their own lives. Their choice of interaction is very personal. But these platforms have huge impact and when you have a government which doesn't allow opposition to speak, you have to rely on these platforms. So, you see him speaking at lot of forums engaging with lot of people, but it is being noticed and observed now. Leave opposition, even media voice is being challenged. Engaging with people and being heard is very important and that is being done from bottom to the top.</p>

<p><strong>WION:</strong> Despite increased TV, newspaper and social media presence, Congress has failed to win states. What do you have to say about that?</p>

<p><strong>Priyanka Chaturvedi: </strong>We are trying to build our entire communication narrative. Democracy goes through a cycle. Change is a constant. We will see an upswing. We witnessed a downswing earlier. Media component amplifies what the organisation does and I believe that mood of the nation is changing, and people have started to question the government.</p>

<p><strong>WION:</strong> There was lot of controversy around Cambridge Analytica. How do you respond to it?</p>

<p><strong>Priyanka Chaturvedi:</strong> It is a ridiculous charge. It was made by none other than our Law Minister. He used newspaper reports to make allegations against us. If there is any truth in the matter he should take it to the Supreme Court and wait for how SC responds to it. Cambridge Analytica, when it started operation in India, came with SCL. It had 4 co-founders and one of them, Avnish Rai, has categorically said that CA was paid by one of the BJP sympathisers to sabotage Congress campaign in 2014. However, they did not find much success in that. What you cannot do away with is the fact that OVI's vice president claimed that he worked with BJP in four election-bound states which included Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Haryana and Delhi. He also mentioned that they were working with the BJP for Mission 272. What cannot be missed is that the missed call drive was also handled by them. These are the questions which have gone unanswered. Who leveraged technology and is talking big about it? It is BJP.<br />
&nbsp<br />
<strong>WION:</strong> Mantra for the old Congress was alliances. What is the mantra of the new Congress? Is it organisation?</p>

<p><strong>Priyanka Chaturvedi:</strong> Alliances are very important in democracy. We ran a government with alliance partners and gave good growth story. Alliances with regional parties is a reality today. Perhaps we are seeing a phase where regional parties are playing an important role. It has to be balance of both organisation and alliance. Today alliance is a reality and cannot be done away with.</p>


Priyanka, Convenor of the AICC's Communication wing, speaks on reorganisation happening in the party under Rahul Gandhi's leadership and Cambridge Analytica row.

The biggest challenge for the Congress post-2014 shock defeat was to change its perception in the civil society and media. Rahul Gandhi gradually made changes in various wings of the party but changes in media department were most drastic and visible. He also appointed Priyanka Chaturvedi as the Convenor of the AICC Communication. She spoke to WION's Kartikeya Sharma at length on the changes made within the media department and overhaul done by Rahul. WION: How has media landscape changed for the Congress after 2014? Priyanka Chaturvedi: Before 2014, there came a point when media was not willing to give us space. We would not even get a response time on debates. But things are changing. The change is happening. Post 2014-15, the country was waiting to see implementation and policy focus of the Modi government and things he promised. However, now there is a perceptible shift. People are asking questions and media response too has changed. But tough questions need to be asked to those in power by media. The shift has taken place but it is not total. WION: What has been the biggest challenge of the Congress party when it comes to media? Priyanka Chaturvedi: Many channels, websites and other publications grew during our tenure (at the Centre) but not being able to keep up with this growth phenomena is what we lacked in 2014. However, there is a shift happening through consumers. We are trying to get a right balance in our communication model. It has to be more frequent. We also need to change with the times. We are also creating a fluid and flexible structure where we are available to answering questions. We are also more people focused and by leveraging technology we are getting voices heard in the din of fake news. WION: Why could Congress not adjust to the nature of change in the media? Why did it happen? Priyanka Chaturvedi: I think when a party is in power, you sometime do not understand the impact it has on your organisation. This a problem which BJP is also facing at this point of time. Sometimes management of the problem takes place at the expense of the organisation. WION: Don't you think media houses have become easy scapegoats in fight between political parties whereas the problem of fake news emanates from anonymous accounts in social media? Priyanka Chaturvedi: I couldn't agree more with you. Social media is unregulated. Earlier there was a belief that media was a gatekeeper, but social media ended that. But what has happened is that social media is setting the agenda for mainstream channel and that is being carried forward by them. Why don't we have a fact check system in this context? Problem arises when mainstream media amplifies social media content without verifying it. They also need to be held accountable. Statutory bodies should be empowered rather than depending on the government to bring in regulation. WION: Mainstream media becomes the whipping boy whereas the problem lies somewhere else? Priyanka Chaturvedi: The (social media) platform is absolutely unregulated and we need a free and fair discussion on this matter. Policy needs to be created which doesn't seem to be happening. WION: How has your department changed over time? There was a time when 10 people were saying 10 different things about the party... Priyanka Chaturvedi: There are lessons we have learnt. Lot of newcomers have now got a chance to join the department. Our structure has become more flexible and we are using multiple platforms. We have ensured that our representation in regional channels goes up. The problem of accessibility is being taken care of. We are accessible, fluid, flexible and more informed. We also ensure that content to all is readily available. WION: What is Congress president Rahul Gandhi's vision when it comes to your department? Priyanka Chaturvedi: Mr Gandhi is very clear about the issue. He believes that departments need to be decentralised. The media department is also restructuring various teams at the state level. He is letting us take initiatives within the party. WION: But it took a long time for Rahul Gandhi to rename his Twitter handle as Rahul Gandhi from the Office of Rahul Gandhi... Priyanka Chaturvedi: I would not say that he took a lot of time. There are people who are not open about their own lives. Their choice of interaction is very personal. But these platforms have huge impact and when you have a government which doesn't allow opposition to speak, you have to rely on these platforms. So, you see him speaking at lot of forums engaging with lot of people, but it is being noticed and observed now. Leave opposition, even media voice is being challenged. Engaging with people and being heard is very important and that is being done from bottom to the top. WION: Despite increased TV, newspaper and social media presence, Congress has failed to win states. What do you have to say about that? Priyanka Chaturvedi: We are trying to build our entire communication narrative. Democracy goes through a cycle. Change is a constant. We will see an upswing. We witnessed a downswing earlier. Media component amplifies what the organisation does and I believe that mood of the nation is changing, and people have started to question the government. WION: There was lot of controversy around Cambridge Analytica. How do you respond to it? Priyanka Chaturvedi: It is a ridiculous charge. It was made by none other than our Law Minister. He used newspaper reports to make allegations against us. If there is any truth in the matter he should take it to the Supreme Court and wait for how SC responds to it. Cambridge Analytica, when it started operation in India, came with SCL. It had 4 co-founders and one of them, Avnish Rai, has categorically said that CA was paid by one of the BJP sympathisers to sabotage Congress campaign in 2014. However, they did not find much success in that. What you cannot do away with is the fact that OVI's vice president claimed that he worked with BJP in four election-bound states which included Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Haryana and Delhi. He also mentioned that they were working with the BJP for Mission 272. What cannot be missed is that the missed call drive was also handled by them. These are the questions which have gone unanswered. Who leveraged technology and is talking big about it? It is BJP. WION: Mantra for the old Congress was alliances. What is the mantra of the new Congress? Is it organisation? Priyanka Chaturvedi: Alliances are very important in democracy. We ran a government with alliance partners and gave good growth story. Alliances with regional parties is a reality today. Perhaps we are seeing a phase where regional parties are playing an important role. It has to be balance of both organisation and alliance. Today alliance is a reality and cannot be done away with.

Congress becoming more decentralised under Rahul Gandhi: Priyanka Chaturvedi to WION

<p>I wonder that how human psyche and desires across different time zones resonant with each other. These days, whenever I look at the political slugfest in India, an anecdote from Mahabharata looms in my mind. Before the famous war at Kurukshetra, Vidur told Dhritarashtra, "Lord, your desperate attempt to put your son at throne will not only eradicate you and family but the worst thing is that nation and people are paying and will pay a hefty price for unjustified and directionless ambition of yours."</p>

<p>This so very well outlines the current days Congress party/Gandhi scion in particular, and also the other opposition parties as well.</p>

<p>Two pieces of news over the past week defines the very mood of politics in the nation and demonstrate the issue mentioned above. First, budget session of Parliament was washed out because of the sheer skirmish between ruling party and opposition parties. Second, when so-called Dalit activists hit the road after a Supreme Court verdict on SC/ST Act, every political party came to fore and tried to extract some political gain.</p>

<p>Rahul Gandhi in the process hit an unprecedented low. He, in a tweet eventually ended up applauding crowd involved in acts of vandalism on the streets and encouraging them. He lied through his teeth as he linked the whole issue with Modi government whereas it was a verdict passed by the apex court. Reinforcing such divides in the society for political mileage would be no less than ominous for the country.</p>

<p>In Congress, the desperation for coming back to power and to establish Rahul politically is so strong that righteousness and virtuousness have no space now. No matter how sinister the narrative is if it gives some political gain it is on. The nation would pay the price.</p>

<p>This is the nadir of parliamentary democracy these days. In a democracy, opposition parties play a big role in this system as they play (supposedly) part of a conscience-keeper and keep the government in check. But this rule has completely vanished over the past few years. Bid to scuttle whatever government does is the current era's conscience-keeping.</p>

<p>It is sad, extremely sad for one of the largest democracies in the world. Our politician of this generation needs to look back and learn some lesson from our own past, from our earlier parliamentarian.</p>

<p>During the time of Nehru, C Rajgopalachari (popularly known as Rajaji) became a very strong critic of Nehru and his policies during later years. But Rajgopalachari always maintained that there were differences in the ideology only and Nehru was still the best man for the job. When Nehru died (Nehru was 11 years younger to Rajgopalachari), Rajaji broke down. He said that he opposed Nehru for the various national issues but it was Nehru only who was capable to solve them.</p>

<p>When India decimated Pakistan during 1971 war, the whole opposition was queued up behind Indira Gandhi and applauded her unequivocally.</p>

<p>I remember that during Indira's last stint as the Prime Minister in 1980-84, despite a very bitter past between them during 1975-80, the relationship between Indira and opposition leaders were reasonably amicable.</p>

<p>However, it was during the reign of PV Narasimha Rao, the bipartisan in Indian politics was at its zenith. In 1994, Narasimha Rao sent Salman Khurshid and opposition leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee to argue India's case at the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) in Geneva. Vajpayee's articulateness proved to be astonishingly effective and resulted in the withdrawal of the Pakistan-backed resolution against India. Narasimha Rao minced no words in praising Vajpayee’s efforts.</p>

<p>The deterioration started primarily in 1999 when Vajpayee assumed power. During the UPA's reign in 2004-2014, the situation was no better either but it has literally plummeted vertically ever since Modi has come to power in 2104.</p>

<p>In its bid to revive itself in Gujarat, Congress played an ominous Patel, Dalit, OBC card in Gujarat election. Society would pay a heavy price for such divides nurtured by Congress and other opposition parties for the years to come. Parliament is not being allowed to function session after session on frivolous reasons, on the issues which are state's matter most of the times. There is hardly any great parliamentarian or statesman among current day’s opposition parties, as we had in the past.</p>

<p>The nation is suffering because of political ambition of the politicians. As famously said that, at times good thing comes with few negative riders. So democracy is good but these are the perils associated with it.</p>

<p>The onus is on us the voters to understand this game and don't let politicians take us for a ride.</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the authors and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)</em></p>


In Congress, the desperation for coming back to power and to establish Rahul politically is so strong that righteousness and virtuousness have no space now.

I wonder that how human psyche and desires across different time zones resonant with each other. These days, whenever I look at the political slugfest in India, an anecdote from Mahabharata looms in my mind. Before the famous war at Kurukshetra, Vidur told Dhritarashtra, "Lord, your desperate attempt to put your son at throne will not only eradicate you and family but the worst thing is that nation and people are paying and will pay a hefty price for unjustified and directionless ambition of yours." This so very well outlines the current days Congress party/Gandhi scion in particular, and also the other opposition parties as well. Two pieces of news over the past week defines the very mood of politics in the nation and demonstrate the issue mentioned above. First, budget session of Parliament was washed out because of the sheer skirmish between ruling party and opposition parties. Second, when so-called Dalit activists hit the road after a Supreme Court verdict on SC/ST Act, every political party came to fore and tried to extract some political gain. Rahul Gandhi in the process hit an unprecedented low. He, in a tweet eventually ended up applauding crowd involved in acts of vandalism on the streets and encouraging them. He lied through his teeth as he linked the whole issue with Modi government whereas it was a verdict passed by the apex court. Reinforcing such divides in the society for political mileage would be no less than ominous for the country. In Congress, the desperation for coming back to power and to establish Rahul politically is so strong that righteousness and virtuousness have no space now. No matter how sinister the narrative is if it gives some political gain it is on. The nation would pay the price. This is the nadir of parliamentary democracy these days. In a democracy, opposition parties play a big role in this system as they play (supposedly) part of a conscience-keeper and keep the government in check. But this rule has completely vanished over the past few years. Bid to scuttle whatever government does is the current era's conscience-keeping. It is sad, extremely sad for one of the largest democracies in the world. Our politician of this generation needs to look back and learn some lesson from our own past, from our earlier parliamentarian. During the time of Nehru, C Rajgopalachari (popularly known as Rajaji) became a very strong critic of Nehru and his policies during later years. But Rajgopalachari always maintained that there were differences in the ideology only and Nehru was still the best man for the job. When Nehru died (Nehru was 11 years younger to Rajgopalachari), Rajaji broke down. He said that he opposed Nehru for the various national issues but it was Nehru only who was capable to solve them. When India decimated Pakistan during 1971 war, the whole opposition was queued up behind Indira Gandhi and applauded her unequivocally. I remember that during Indira's last stint as the Prime Minister in 1980-84, despite a very bitter past between them during 1975-80, the relationship between Indira and opposition leaders were reasonably amicable. However, it was during the reign of PV Narasimha Rao, the bipartisan in Indian politics was at its zenith. In 1994, Narasimha Rao sent Salman Khurshid and opposition leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee to argue India's case at the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) in Geneva. Vajpayee's articulateness proved to be astonishingly effective and resulted in the withdrawal of the Pakistan-backed resolution against India. Narasimha Rao minced no words in praising Vajpayee’s efforts. The deterioration started primarily in 1999 when Vajpayee assumed power. During the UPA's reign in 2004-2014, the situation was no better either but it has literally plummeted vertically ever since Modi has come to power in 2104. In its bid to revive itself in Gujarat, Congress played an ominous Patel, Dalit, OBC card in Gujarat election. Society would pay a heavy price for such divides nurtured by Congress and other opposition parties for the years to come. Parliament is not being allowed to function session after session on frivolous reasons, on the issues which are state's matter most of the times. There is hardly any great parliamentarian or statesman among current day’s opposition parties, as we had in the past. The nation is suffering because of political ambition of the politicians. As famously said that, at times good thing comes with few negative riders. So democracy is good but these are the perils associated with it. The onus is on us the voters to understand this game and don't let politicians take us for a ride. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the authors and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Nation pays the price for diminishing conduct of opposition parties

<p>Recalling the two warring sides of the epic Mahabharat, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said the BJP, like the Kauravas, fought for power, while his party, on the lines of the Pandavas, battled for truth.</p>

<p>Centuries ago there was a huge battle on the field of Kurukshetra. The Kauravas were powerful and arrogant while the Pandavas were humble and fought for the truth. &#39;&#39;Like the Kauravas BJP and RSS are designed to fight for power, like the Pandavas, Congress is designed to fight for truth,&#39;&#39; he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Taking the ruling BJP on, Gandhi said the party sought to divert people&#39;s attention from issues such as unemployment and farm distress with &quot;fancy events&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;Instead of acknowledging the challenges facing the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi diverts our attention from our problems. We are being told that our problems only exist in our imagination,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>The BJP-RSS&#39;s goal was power, Gandhi stressed in his closing remarks at his party&#39;s plenary meeting in New Delhi.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Gandhi held that his party spoke on behalf of the country.</p>

<p>&quot;The BJP is the voice of an organisation, Congress is the voice of a nation,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>The Congress leader added that the corrupt and powerful today &quot;control conversation&quot; in the country and the &quot;name Modi symbolises the collusion between crony capitalists and the prime minister&quot;.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The name Modi symbolises the collusion between India&rsquo;s biggest businessmen and the Prime Minister. Modi gives Modi 30,000 crores of your Money and in turn, Modi gives Modi money for marketing Modi and fighting elections. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CongressPlenary?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CongressPlenary</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChangeIsNow?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChangeIsNow</a> <a href="https://t.co/T4ovQKrxnL">pic.twitter.com/T4ovQKrxnL</a></p>
&mdash; Congress (@INCIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/INCIndia/status/975325068485058560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Launching a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and ruling BJP government, Rahul Gandhi said the name &#39;&#39;Modi&#39;&#39; symbolises the collusion between India&#39;s biggest &#39;&#39;crony capitalists&#39;&#39; and the prime minister of India, he said.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We paid 570 Cr per plane &amp; Modi paid 1670 Cr for the same plane. He paid 1100 Cr more per plane. Forget fighter planes you can&rsquo;t trust such a man to buy vegetables!!! Modi is not fighting corruption Modi is corruption. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CongressPlenary?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CongressPlenary</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChangeIsNow?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChangeIsNow</a> <a href="https://t.co/u7AhEmeJhh">pic.twitter.com/u7AhEmeJhh</a></p>
&mdash; Congress (@INCIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/INCIndia/status/975330308827459584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Admitting that the last Congress government did not live up to the expectations of the people, he said that the nation was let down by the last Congress government.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&#39;&#39;I don&#39;t say it with happiness but the last govt we formed did not stand up to the expectations of the people. The people of the country were let down by us,&#39;&#39; he said.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Today the corrupt and the powerful completely control the conversation in our country. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CongressPlenary?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CongressPlenary</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChangeIsNow?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChangeIsNow</a></p>
&mdash; Congress (@INCIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/INCIndia/status/975325061497303041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&#39;&#39;Congress will take the country forward, but we are humans, we make mistakes. Modi ji thinks he is not human but an incarnation of God,&#39;&#39; he said and added that BJP is the voice of an organisation while the Congress is the voice of a nation, the Gandhi scion said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Attacking PM Modi on not speaking on the critical issues plaguing the nation, he said PM diverts our attention and jumps from one event to another from &#39;&#39;Gabbar Singh tax to yoga in Parliament&#39;&#39; but never talks about the issues. But, the Congress cannot be stopped from seeking the truth and justice, he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Charging the BJP of dividing the nation on the basis of religion and language, he said that they tell Muslims of India who never went to Pakistan and supported this great nation that you don&#39;t belong here. They tell the Tamils to &#39;&#39;change your beautiful language&#39;&#39;, they tell people of north-east we don&#39;t like what you eat, tell women to dress properly, he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Without naming the BJP president Amit Shah, he said they will accept a man accused of murder as the President of the BJP, but they will never ever accept the same in the Congress Party because they hold Congress in the highest regard.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Raking up PNB bank fraud in which diamond czar Nirav Modi is accused of Rs 13,000 crore loot, he said &#39;&#39;You can steal Rs 33,000 crore from the banks and the BJP government will protect you. Finance Minister will go silent because he and his daughter work for crony capitalists,&#39;&#39; he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Accepting the organisational shortcomings in the Congress party, the Congress president tried to assuage the senior party leaders on the occasion and said &#39;&#39;We have to change Congress. There is a wall between our leaders and workers. My first task will be to break that wall. I will consult senior leaders to destroy that wall with love,&#39;&#39; he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&#39;&#39;BJP has spread fear. People from the press are scared, for the first time we saw four Supreme Court judges running to the public for justice.There is a difference between the RSS and the Congress. We respect the country&#39;s institutions whereas they want to finish them.They only want one institution, that is RSS,&#39;&#39; Gandhi said.&nbsp;</p>


''You can steal Rs 33,000 crore from the banks and the BJP government will protect you. Finance Minister will go silent because he and his daughter work for crony capitalists,'' he said.

Recalling the two warring sides of the epic Mahabharat, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said the BJP, like the Kauravas, fought for power, while his party, on the lines of the Pandavas, battled for truth. Centuries ago there was a huge battle on the field of Kurukshetra. The Kauravas were powerful and arrogant while the Pandavas were humble and fought for the truth. ''Like the Kauravas BJP and RSS are designed to fight for power, like the Pandavas, Congress is designed to fight for truth,'' he said. Taking the ruling BJP on, Gandhi said the party sought to divert people's attention from issues such as unemployment and farm distress with "fancy events". "Instead of acknowledging the challenges facing the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi diverts our attention from our problems. We are being told that our problems only exist in our imagination," he said. The BJP-RSS's goal was power, Gandhi stressed in his closing remarks at his party's plenary meeting in New Delhi. Gandhi held that his party spoke on behalf of the country. "The BJP is the voice of an organisation, Congress is the voice of a nation," he said. The Congress leader added that the corrupt and powerful today "control conversation" in the country and the "name Modi symbolises the collusion between crony capitalists and the prime minister". The name Modi symbolises the collusion between India’s biggest businessmen and the Prime Minister. Modi gives Modi 30,000 crores of your Money and in turn, Modi gives Modi money for marketing Modi and fighting elections. #CongressPlenary #ChangeIsNow pic.twitter.com/T4ovQKrxnL — Congress (@INCIndia) March 18, 2018 × Launching a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and ruling BJP government, Rahul Gandhi said the name ''Modi'' symbolises the collusion between India's biggest ''crony capitalists'' and the prime minister of India, he said. We paid 570 Cr per plane & Modi paid 1670 Cr for the same plane. He paid 1100 Cr more per plane. Forget fighter planes you can’t trust such a man to buy vegetables!!! Modi is not fighting corruption Modi is corruption. #CongressPlenary #ChangeIsNow pic.twitter.com/u7AhEmeJhh — Congress (@INCIndia) March 18, 2018 × Admitting that the last Congress government did not live up to the expectations of the people, he said that the nation was let down by the last Congress government. ''I don't say it with happiness but the last govt we formed did not stand up to the expectations of the people. The people of the country were let down by us,'' he said. Today the corrupt and the powerful completely control the conversation in our country. #CongressPlenary #ChangeIsNow — Congress (@INCIndia) March 18, 2018 × ''Congress will take the country forward, but we are humans, we make mistakes. Modi ji thinks he is not human but an incarnation of God,'' he said and added that BJP is the voice of an organisation while the Congress is the voice of a nation, the Gandhi scion said. Attacking PM Modi on not speaking on the critical issues plaguing the nation, he said PM diverts our attention and jumps from one event to another from ''Gabbar Singh tax to yoga in Parliament'' but never talks about the issues. But, the Congress cannot be stopped from seeking the truth and justice, he said. Charging the BJP of dividing the nation on the basis of religion and language, he said that they tell Muslims of India who never went to Pakistan and supported this great nation that you don't belong here. They tell the Tamils to ''change your beautiful language'', they tell people of north-east we don't like what you eat, tell women to dress properly, he said. Without naming the BJP president Amit Shah, he said they will accept a man accused of murder as the President of the BJP, but they will never ever accept the same in the Congress Party because they hold Congress in the highest regard. Raking up PNB bank fraud in which diamond czar Nirav Modi is accused of Rs 13,000 crore loot, he said ''You can steal Rs 33,000 crore from the banks and the BJP government will protect you. Finance Minister will go silent because he and his daughter work for crony capitalists,'' he said. Accepting the organisational shortcomings in the Congress party, the Congress president tried to assuage the senior party leaders on the occasion and said ''We have to change Congress. There is a wall between our leaders and workers. My first task will be to break that wall. I will consult senior leaders to destroy that wall with love,'' he said. ''BJP has spread fear. People from the press are scared, for the first time we saw four Supreme Court judges running to the public for justice.There is a difference between the RSS and the Congress. We respect the country's institutions whereas they want to finish them.They only want one institution, that is RSS,'' Gandhi said.

BJP like Kauravas, Congress like Pandavas: Rahul Gandhi

<p>Former president of the Indian National Congress Sonia Gandhi said Friday that her party may sometime in the future have a leader from outside the Nehru-Gandhi family.</p>

<p>Replying to a question on whether there was any chance of the Congress being led by an outsider, she replied, &quot;Why not? In future, there may well be.&quot;</p>

<p>Sonia however did not answer when she was asked whether the party would survive without a Gandhi as its leader.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Referring to the prime ministership of Dr Manmohan Singh, she said she opted for him in 2004 over herserlf since he was a better candidate for the post.</p>

<p>She also dismissed the popular belief that under the UPA government, the real power was in her hands.</p>

<p>She said that she joined politics after she realised that Congress party was going through a difficult time.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Referring&nbsp;to the Bush and the Clinton families, she also highlighted the political dynasties of the US.</p>


Replying to a question on whether there is any chance of a leader from outside the family heading the Congress, she replied 'Why not? In future , there may well be'

Former president of the Indian National Congress Sonia Gandhi said Friday that her party may sometime in the future have a leader from outside the Nehru-Gandhi family. Replying to a question on whether there was any chance of the Congress being led by an outsider, she replied, "Why not? In future, there may well be." Sonia however did not answer when she was asked whether the party would survive without a Gandhi as its leader. Referring to the prime ministership of Dr Manmohan Singh, she said she opted for him in 2004 over herserlf since he was a better candidate for the post. She also dismissed the popular belief that under the UPA government, the real power was in her hands. She said that she joined politics after she realised that Congress party was going through a difficult time. Referring to the Bush and the Clinton families, she also highlighted the political dynasties of the US.

Why not? Sonia on possibility of Congress being ruled by outsider in future

<p>At a press conference held on the sidelines of the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival on Sunday, two-time Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor indicated that there may be changes in the Congress party office bearers soon. &ldquo;Give the new President Rahul Gandhi some time to review the situation and make the changes he wants to make. There will be a reshuffling of the deck as it were,&rdquo; he said.</p>

<p>Rahul Gandhi took over as the Congress president last month (December 16, 2017) his mother Sonia, two days before the results to state elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh were announced. While the Congress lost both states, their performance in Gujarat, a state which had not voted for the party in 22 years, was better than many had expected.</p>

<p>Tharoor says the Congress President is far being a &ldquo;reluctant politician&rdquo;, adding &ldquo;He&rsquo;s far from it. I don&rsquo;t think anyone would have put up with the gruelling schedule he had in Gujarat and everyone saw the results.&rdquo;</p>

<p>On the recent violent protests, especially on the release of the film &lsquo;Padmaavat&rsquo;, a penchant question on the media terrace at the Jaipur Literature Festival, Tharoor had this to say: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m very concerned as a citizen about the failure of state authorities to maintain law and order. Are some people not motivated to stop certain groups? Are some kinds of misbehaviour more acceptable than others?&rdquo;</p>

<p>The former minister of state for HRD and External Affairs also shared his Wishlist for what would be the Narendra Modi government&rsquo;s &lsquo;last budget&rsquo; before elections to Parliament are held in 2019. &ldquo;This is their last budget and it will be a political one. The economy isn&rsquo;t doing very well. They&rsquo;ll want to incentivise investments, they&rsquo;ll have to address agricultural stagnation, make good on their promise to provide employment to youth. These are my expectations, let us see what the government does.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will present the Union Budget around noon in the Lok Sabha on February 1 (Thursday). The budget session of the Parliament will begin on January 29. The first phase of the Budget session will end on February 9 and then the session will commence after a recess on March 5. The recess is used by the standing committees of parliament to deliberate on the various budgetary proposals and amendments thereto.</p>


Tharoor says the Congress President is far being a 'reluctant politician', adding 'He’s far from it. I don’t think anyone would have put up with the gruelling schedule he had in Gujarat and everyone saw the results'

At a press conference held on the sidelines of the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival on Sunday, two-time Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor indicated that there may be changes in the Congress party office bearers soon. “Give the new President Rahul Gandhi some time to review the situation and make the changes he wants to make. There will be a reshuffling of the deck as it were,” he said. Rahul Gandhi took over as the Congress president last month (December 16, 2017) his mother Sonia, two days before the results to state elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh were announced. While the Congress lost both states, their performance in Gujarat, a state which had not voted for the party in 22 years, was better than many had expected. Tharoor says the Congress President is far being a “reluctant politician”, adding “He’s far from it. I don’t think anyone would have put up with the gruelling schedule he had in Gujarat and everyone saw the results.” On the recent violent protests, especially on the release of the film ‘Padmaavat’, a penchant question on the media terrace at the Jaipur Literature Festival, Tharoor had this to say: “I’m very concerned as a citizen about the failure of state authorities to maintain law and order. Are some people not motivated to stop certain groups? Are some kinds of misbehaviour more acceptable than others?” The former minister of state for HRD and External Affairs also shared his Wishlist for what would be the Narendra Modi government’s ‘last budget’ before elections to Parliament are held in 2019. “This is their last budget and it will be a political one. The economy isn’t doing very well. They’ll want to incentivise investments, they’ll have to address agricultural stagnation, make good on their promise to provide employment to youth. These are my expectations, let us see what the government does.” Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will present the Union Budget around noon in the Lok Sabha on February 1 (Thursday). The budget session of the Parliament will begin on January 29. The first phase of the Budget session will end on February 9 and then the session will commence after a recess on March 5. The recess is used by the standing committees of parliament to deliberate on the various budgetary proposals and amendments thereto.

Rahul Gandhi needs time, there will be reshuffling of the deck in the Congress party: Shashi Tharoor

<p>The Congress Party on Monday said that it will raise special CBI Justice Loya&#39;s death case in the upcoming budget session of the parliament.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Judge Loya, who, before his death, was presiding over the high-profile Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case. BJP president Amit Shah was the prime accused in the case. Shah was subsequently discharged by the judge who succeeded Loya.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Congress to raise Judge Loya death case in upcoming budget session of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Parliament?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Parliament</a> <a href="https://t.co/nA9dZkfOpI">pic.twitter.com/nA9dZkfOpI</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/955418848378761217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Meanwhile, Supreme Court Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra started hearing a batch of PILs seeking an investigation into the suspicious death of Loya.&nbsp;</p>

<p>During the hearing, the SC transferred to itself two petitions from Bombay High Court regarding the case on Monday. The court also restrained all high courts from entertaining any petition relating to the judge&#39;s death. &nbsp;</p>

<p>The court also asked lawyers not to cast aspersions on BJP President Amit Shah.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;As of today, it was a natural death. Do not cast aspersions,&quot; the court said.</p>

<p>The court termed as &quot;serious&quot; the issues raised in the pleas; saying &quot;we must look into all documents with the utmost seriousness&quot;.&nbsp;</p>


Judge Loya, who, before he died, was presiding over the high-profile Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case.

The Congress Party on Monday said that it will raise special CBI Justice Loya's death case in the upcoming budget session of the parliament. Judge Loya, who, before his death, was presiding over the high-profile Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case. BJP president Amit Shah was the prime accused in the case. Shah was subsequently discharged by the judge who succeeded Loya. Congress to raise Judge Loya death case in upcoming budget session of #Parliament pic.twitter.com/nA9dZkfOpI — ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2018 × Meanwhile, Supreme Court Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra started hearing a batch of PILs seeking an investigation into the suspicious death of Loya. During the hearing, the SC transferred to itself two petitions from Bombay High Court regarding the case on Monday. The court also restrained all high courts from entertaining any petition relating to the judge's death. The court also asked lawyers not to cast aspersions on BJP President Amit Shah. "As of today, it was a natural death. Do not cast aspersions," the court said. The court termed as "serious" the issues raised in the pleas; saying "we must look into all documents with the utmost seriousness".

Congress to raise Judge Loya death case in upcoming budget session of Parliament

<p>As Rahul Gandhi has taken charge of Congress party, there has been a role reversal at the Gandhi household. The Congress party President&#39;s mother Sonia Gandhi was recently seen enjoying a much-deserved break in Goa.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Photos of the vacation have surfaced on the Internet which shows Mrs. Gandhi enjoying a cycle ride and posing for selfies with tourists.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The former president of Congress party reportedly flew to Goa on December 26th and would be coming back to New Delhi only in the first week of January.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to a report in News18.com, the politician is staying at a five-star property in South Goa currently.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>This photo was shared by Riteish Deshmukh who wrote, &quot;Some pictures make you happy... this is one of them. Wishing Sonia ji happiness and best of health.(sic)&quot; (Twitter)</p>
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<p>Many feel that its a holiday well deserved for the longest-serving president of the Congress party who has till recently postponed vacations to concentrate on work while her son Rahul has been taking annual vacations.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Sources close to Mrs. Gandhi have stated that she is there with some of her close friends and is spending time reading, doing her yoga and cycling around the property.&nbsp;</p>


The former president of Congress party reportedly flew to Goa on December 26 and will be coming back to New Delhi only in the first week of January

As Rahul Gandhi has taken charge of Congress party, there has been a role reversal at the Gandhi household. The Congress party President's mother Sonia Gandhi was recently seen enjoying a much-deserved break in Goa. Photos of the vacation have surfaced on the Internet which shows Mrs. Gandhi enjoying a cycle ride and posing for selfies with tourists. The former president of Congress party reportedly flew to Goa on December 26th and would be coming back to New Delhi only in the first week of January. According to a report in News18.com, the politician is staying at a five-star property in South Goa currently. This photo was shared by Riteish Deshmukh who wrote, "Some pictures make you happy... this is one of them. Wishing Sonia ji happiness and best of health.(sic)" (Twitter) × Many feel that its a holiday well deserved for the longest-serving president of the Congress party who has till recently postponed vacations to concentrate on work while her son Rahul has been taking annual vacations. Sources close to Mrs. Gandhi have stated that she is there with some of her close friends and is spending time reading, doing her yoga and cycling around the property.

Caught on camera: Sonia Gandhi in Goa on a cycle

<p>The hard work done by RSS in the civil society continues to pay dividends to BJP across the country. The best example of it is the marriage of civil society interests and political ambition in North East where RSS has been working from the 1970s.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It is because of this investment of time with civil society issues by RSS, that BJP has been able to build a political network in areas which is culturally and socially different to the ideological thinking of the RSS.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It is the confluence of social and cultural networking of RSS with BJP&rsquo;s political and electoral machine which explains the rise of BJP as an important party in the North East.</p>

<p>A similar investment was made by the Congress Party during the freedom struggle. The political action was only one part of the Congress activity, the party was involved in hundreds of other civil society issues. From nation building to character building, the Congress worked on a myriad of issues, almost crafting the mindset of the Indians. It is this mental world which has been challenged by the RSS-BJP combine in the last 50 years.</p>

<p>To understand the success, it is important to understand the work done by the RSS in North East. To start with Arunachal Pradesh, RSS runs Arunachal Vikas Parishad in Arunachal Pradesh which in other states is known as Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram. It runs schools and maintains hostels for the students. There are thousands of RSS affiliated schools in the state alone.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The RSS runs National Integration programmes which allow students from the North East to stay with different families in different parts of India. Apart from the BJP, more than 4000 trained &lsquo;sevaks&rsquo; work in Arunachal Pradesh who run Shakhas and other programmes which works at the level of social but impact the political mood. Apart from it, affiliated organisations run Civil Service Orientation Services.</p>

<p>There are programmes dedicated to students who require engineering coaching. On top of it, new Yoga Centres have also come up which focus on individual character building. Additional to this is the massive network of Bal Bari schools. Though RSS insists that it has nothing to do with the BJP but the fact is that RSS, unquestionably, has laid the ground for BJP in the North East. Central to this social action are the faceless pracharaks who devote their lives to an ideology that also ends up shaping civil society sentiments on a number of political issues.</p>

<p>The special focus is imparting lessons on cultural nationalism (which is debatable) and national integration which provides an alternative discourse to the civil society.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Unlike Congress of the 50&rsquo;s and 60&rsquo;s which was then the sole repository of nationalism, the RSS-BJP combine has shifted the axis by claiming nationalism as its own domain. Today, they claim to be the sole repository of nationalism. It has allowed them to combine culturally and socially different voices into one, like pre-colonial Congress. Congress refashioned the dominant discourse of the nation into its own image. It started before independence but was institutionalised after independence.</p>

<p>&nbsp;Earlier, the RSS-BJP too wanted to refashion the discourse of nationalism into its own image but only succeeded in the last 25 years. It is this shift which is finding an imprint in our electoral history cutting across regions. It is this worldview, aided by rapid urbanisation and consolidation of a larger Indian national identity, that is emerging as the main opposition to highly volatile, violent, dominant and majoritarian global Islam.</p>

<p>RSS-BJP&rsquo;s intensive interaction with the civil society has also succeeded in underlining its role as the only party which unites and keep India united.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Assam result broke this very myth of geographical and ideological limitations of BJP. It made them local and national at the same time.</p>

<p>Such has been the impact of the effort that the issue of food habit has been kept aside in the North East, and prayer houses have been built for local communities who worship elements of nature in the state.</p>

<p>&nbsp;Despite having an acrimonious relationship with Christian Missionary establishment all across India, RSS has worked both ends in the North East. It has organised non-Christian communities in their cultural realm preventing conversions and also engaged the existing non-Hindu religious establishment by sharing political space with them.</p>

<p>The North East also remains one of the few states where the RSS ensured that most of the pracharaks have a local tribal background. Arun Anand, a scholar who has worked on the RSS says, &quot;RSS has helped BJP identify local issues. It is for this that BJP does not look alien to the people and senior leaders go a mile to accommodate local junior leaders.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Speaking to WION, Sunil Mohanty, the RSS in charge of Arunachal Pradesh said, &quot;What we are worried about is the dilution of the living boundary. Tribals living near the border are migrating to the district headquarter for lack of amenities which is not good. Living boundary is as important as the physical boundary.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Such has been the compulsion borne out of this interaction, that the BJP had to work out suitable state-related issues against various parties.</p>

<p>&nbsp;It created space in states, such as Tripura where Congress has not been able to unseat the Left for past 15 years. The BJP also hijacked the issue of illegal migration and consolidated votes in Assam on this issue, making minority votes irrelevant. For Congress to come back today, it cannot harp on the issue of alienism of BJP.&nbsp;</p>

<p>BJP has become as indigenous as Congress in the North East. RSS-BJP combine might rest on national integrity, focusing on local issues and threat which it faces from migrant populations which can change the local political axis.</p>

<p>Though Congress recently started a Professional Congress, it still needs people who can create a daily ritual of interaction between the worker, leader and civil society. It is through this interaction that social opinion in conjunction with political action translates into mass politics. Most of its departments are defunct today and have not functioned properly for years.</p>

<p>Various frontal organisations of the Congress have an episodic and politico-electoral relationship with the civil society where intimate bond with the organisation is missing. The absence of this bond further dilutes ideological underpinning of an individual. It should worry the Congress. It is for this reason that despite a massive anti-incumbency, BJP was able to retain Gujarat by a thin margin. At the end, personal bond infused with ideology does work.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).</em></p>


It is the confluence of social and cultural networking of RSS with BJP?s political and electoral machine which explains the rise of BJP as an important party in the North East.

The hard work done by RSS in the civil society continues to pay dividends to BJP across the country. The best example of it is the marriage of civil society interests and political ambition in North East where RSS has been working from the 1970s. It is because of this investment of time with civil society issues by RSS, that BJP has been able to build a political network in areas which is culturally and socially different to the ideological thinking of the RSS. It is the confluence of social and cultural networking of RSS with BJP’s political and electoral machine which explains the rise of BJP as an important party in the North East. A similar investment was made by the Congress Party during the freedom struggle. The political action was only one part of the Congress activity, the party was involved in hundreds of other civil society issues. From nation building to character building, the Congress worked on a myriad of issues, almost crafting the mindset of the Indians. It is this mental world which has been challenged by the RSS-BJP combine in the last 50 years. To understand the success, it is important to understand the work done by the RSS in North East. To start with Arunachal Pradesh, RSS runs Arunachal Vikas Parishad in Arunachal Pradesh which in other states is known as Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram. It runs schools and maintains hostels for the students. There are thousands of RSS affiliated schools in the state alone. The RSS runs National Integration programmes which allow students from the North East to stay with different families in different parts of India. Apart from the BJP, more than 4000 trained ‘sevaks’ work in Arunachal Pradesh who run Shakhas and other programmes which works at the level of social but impact the political mood. Apart from it, affiliated organisations run Civil Service Orientation Services. There are programmes dedicated to students who require engineering coaching. On top of it, new Yoga Centres have also come up which focus on individual character building. Additional to this is the massive network of Bal Bari schools. Though RSS insists that it has nothing to do with the BJP but the fact is that RSS, unquestionably, has laid the ground for BJP in the North East. Central to this social action are the faceless pracharaks who devote their lives to an ideology that also ends up shaping civil society sentiments on a number of political issues. The special focus is imparting lessons on cultural nationalism (which is debatable) and national integration which provides an alternative discourse to the civil society. Unlike Congress of the 50’s and 60’s which was then the sole repository of nationalism, the RSS-BJP combine has shifted the axis by claiming nationalism as its own domain. Today, they claim to be the sole repository of nationalism. It has allowed them to combine culturally and socially different voices into one, like pre-colonial Congress. Congress refashioned the dominant discourse of the nation into its own image. It started before independence but was institutionalised after independence. Earlier, the RSS-BJP too wanted to refashion the discourse of nationalism into its own image but only succeeded in the last 25 years. It is this shift which is finding an imprint in our electoral history cutting across regions. It is this worldview, aided by rapid urbanisation and consolidation of a larger Indian national identity, that is emerging as the main opposition to highly volatile, violent, dominant and majoritarian global Islam. RSS-BJP’s intensive interaction with the civil society has also succeeded in underlining its role as the only party which unites and keep India united. Assam result broke this very myth of geographical and ideological limitations of BJP. It made them local and national at the same time. Such has been the impact of the effort that the issue of food habit has been kept aside in the North East, and prayer houses have been built for local communities who worship elements of nature in the state. Despite having an acrimonious relationship with Christian Missionary establishment all across India, RSS has worked both ends in the North East. It has organised non-Christian communities in their cultural realm preventing conversions and also engaged the existing non-Hindu religious establishment by sharing political space with them. The North East also remains one of the few states where the RSS ensured that most of the pracharaks have a local tribal background. Arun Anand, a scholar who has worked on the RSS says, "RSS has helped BJP identify local issues. It is for this that BJP does not look alien to the people and senior leaders go a mile to accommodate local junior leaders.” Speaking to WION, Sunil Mohanty, the RSS in charge of Arunachal Pradesh said, "What we are worried about is the dilution of the living boundary. Tribals living near the border are migrating to the district headquarter for lack of amenities which is not good. Living boundary is as important as the physical boundary.” Such has been the compulsion borne out of this interaction, that the BJP had to work out suitable state-related issues against various parties. It created space in states, such as Tripura where Congress has not been able to unseat the Left for past 15 years. The BJP also hijacked the issue of illegal migration and consolidated votes in Assam on this issue, making minority votes irrelevant. For Congress to come back today, it cannot harp on the issue of alienism of BJP. BJP has become as indigenous as Congress in the North East. RSS-BJP combine might rest on national integrity, focusing on local issues and threat which it faces from migrant populations which can change the local political axis. Though Congress recently started a Professional Congress, it still needs people who can create a daily ritual of interaction between the worker, leader and civil society. It is through this interaction that social opinion in conjunction with political action translates into mass politics. Most of its departments are defunct today and have not functioned properly for years. Various frontal organisations of the Congress have an episodic and politico-electoral relationship with the civil society where intimate bond with the organisation is missing. The absence of this bond further dilutes ideological underpinning of an individual. It should worry the Congress. It is for this reason that despite a massive anti-incumbency, BJP was able to retain Gujarat by a thin margin. At the end, personal bond infused with ideology does work. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: How RSS helped BJP to win India's North East

<p>Rahul Gandhi took over as Congress President on Saturday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Gandhi scion is taking over as the party&#39;s chief from his mother Sonia Gandhi who served as party&nbsp;president for 19 years.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Delhi: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrives at AICC HQ for Rahul Gandhi&#39;s swearing-in as Congress President; Sonia &amp; Rahul Gandhi also seated at the stage. <a href="https://t.co/l2Elo8WLS1">pic.twitter.com/l2Elo8WLS1</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/941903493542973440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>The Congress vice-president was handed over the certificate for taking over as the party&#39;s chief at a function at the party headquarters 24, Akbar Road.</p>

<p>The party&#39;s outgoing president Sonia Gandhi congratulated and blessed Rahul Gandhi for taking charge as Congress President.</p>

<p>&#39;&#39;Indira Gandhi treated me like her own daughter and I learnt a lot about India from her. In 1984, Indira ji was assassinated and I felt I had lost my mother and that incident changed my life forever,&#39;&#39; said Sonia Gandhi.</p>

<p>Since childhood, Rahul Gandhi had to bear the brunt of the violence. After joining politics he had to face blatant personal attacks, that have made him a stronger person, said Sonia Gandhi</p>

<p>&#39;&#39;Rahul is my son, so I do not think for me to praise him is right but I would say that since childhood he had to bear the brunt of the violence, after joining politics he had to face blatant personal attacks, that have made him a stronger person,&#39;&#39; she said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&#39;&#39;My support was taken away from me after Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi passed away. It took a long while to come to terms with it,&#39;&#39; Sonia Gandhi added.</p>

<p>Sonia Gandhi&#39;s address was interrupted by the noise of incessant fireworks.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Speaking on the occasion, former prime minister and Congress leader Manmohan Singh said that Rahul Gandhi was taking over as president when there are certain disturbing trends noticeable in politics.</p>

<p>&#39;&#39;Rahulji is taking over as president when there are certain disturbing trends noticeable in politics.As a distinguished academic pointed out that there are dangers that politics of fear will take over&nbsp;politics of hope, Rahul ji, we depend upon you to transform and sustain politics of hope, said Manmohan Singh.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The party&#39;s outgoing president Sonia Gandhi, Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Rahul Gandhi&#39;sister Priyanka Gandhi and her husband Robert Vadra and several Congress party leaders and cadres were present on the occasion.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Priyanka Gandhi Vadra &amp; her husband Robert Vadra reach Congress HQ at Akbar Road ahead of Rahul Gandhi taking charge as party President. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a> <a href="https://t.co/SKBGPBVKlY">pic.twitter.com/SKBGPBVKlY</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/941900787675930624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Manmohan&nbsp;also saluted Sonia Gandhi for uniting the party for 19 years and said that Rahul Gandhi would bring a sense of dedication and commitment as party president.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&#39;&#39;Now, that Sonia Ji is handing over reins of the party to Rahul ji we salute Sonia Ji for uniting the leadership, something that she has been doing since 19 years. Rahul Ji brings a new sense of dedication &amp; commitment as party president,&#39;&#39; Manmohan added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>I am sure the party will scale new heights of glory under Rahul Gandhi, he further said.&nbsp;</p>


The Congress vice-president was handed over the certificate for taking over as the party's chief at a function at the party headquarters in Delhi

Rahul Gandhi took over as Congress President on Saturday. The Gandhi scion is taking over as the party's chief from his mother Sonia Gandhi who served as party president for 19 years. Delhi: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrives at AICC HQ for Rahul Gandhi's swearing-in as Congress President; Sonia & Rahul Gandhi also seated at the stage. pic.twitter.com/l2Elo8WLS1 — ANI (@ANI) December 16, 2017 × The Congress vice-president was handed over the certificate for taking over as the party's chief at a function at the party headquarters 24, Akbar Road. The party's outgoing president Sonia Gandhi congratulated and blessed Rahul Gandhi for taking charge as Congress President. ''Indira Gandhi treated me like her own daughter and I learnt a lot about India from her. In 1984, Indira ji was assassinated and I felt I had lost my mother and that incident changed my life forever,'' said Sonia Gandhi. Since childhood, Rahul Gandhi had to bear the brunt of the violence. After joining politics he had to face blatant personal attacks, that have made him a stronger person, said Sonia Gandhi ''Rahul is my son, so I do not think for me to praise him is right but I would say that since childhood he had to bear the brunt of the violence, after joining politics he had to face blatant personal attacks, that have made him a stronger person,'' she said. ''My support was taken away from me after Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi passed away. It took a long while to come to terms with it,'' Sonia Gandhi added. Sonia Gandhi's address was interrupted by the noise of incessant fireworks. Speaking on the occasion, former prime minister and Congress leader Manmohan Singh said that Rahul Gandhi was taking over as president when there are certain disturbing trends noticeable in politics. ''Rahulji is taking over as president when there are certain disturbing trends noticeable in politics.As a distinguished academic pointed out that there are dangers that politics of fear will take over politics of hope, Rahul ji, we depend upon you to transform and sustain politics of hope, said Manmohan Singh. The party's outgoing president Sonia Gandhi, Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Rahul Gandhi'sister Priyanka Gandhi and her husband Robert Vadra and several Congress party leaders and cadres were present on the occasion. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra & her husband Robert Vadra reach Congress HQ at Akbar Road ahead of Rahul Gandhi taking charge as party President. #Delhi pic.twitter.com/SKBGPBVKlY — ANI (@ANI) December 16, 2017 × Manmohan also saluted Sonia Gandhi for uniting the party for 19 years and said that Rahul Gandhi would bring a sense of dedication and commitment as party president. ''Now, that Sonia Ji is handing over reins of the party to Rahul ji we salute Sonia Ji for uniting the leadership, something that she has been doing since 19 years. Rahul Ji brings a new sense of dedication & commitment as party president,'' Manmohan added. I am sure the party will scale new heights of glory under Rahul Gandhi, he further said.

Rahul Gandhi takes charge as Congress President

<p>After the poll planks of Shiv Bhakt and Janeu Dhari Hindu, it is quite evident that Congress has been slightly leaning towards a mild Hindutva platform. It will be historic for a party whose poll equation starts from Dalit-OBCs and ends up wooing the Muslims. Congress never tried to take Hindus as whole in their account. BJP was never shy to carry Hindutva tag but Congress distanced itself whenever they were caught doing minority appeasement. And during this high potential elections, the newly-elected president of the Grand Old Party is playing a mild Hindu card beyond Dalits and OBCs and started taking intrest in upper castes like Patidars in Gujarat and Brahmin-Thakurs in Himachal Pradesh.</p>

<p><strong>HEADS:</strong></p>

<p>As an old saying goes &quot;Diamond cuts diamond&quot;, perhaps this political technique of Rahul Gandhi may stand against the Hindutva mindset of RSS-BJP. Lots of political analysts and Congress leaning journalists who are acknowledging a sudden maturity in Rahul Gandhi think that this poll plank may add a feather in Rahul&#39;s hat. General people on the ground in Gujarat and especially the Patidars exclusively believe in Hindutva. So this electoral tool of Hinduism might woo Hindutva. In fact they would receive vote chunk from every caste instead of a particular one. The self-styled godmans and other religious yogis who have infuence in Indian political mandate won&#39;t neglect Congress because they are Muslim-only appeasers. The Hindus from states other than Gujarat might get good impression from this gesture of Rahul Gandhi. So called secular ideologues had once appreciated Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan for contributing in works of Hinduism (not Hindutva) so they might praise Mr Gandhi in the same fashion. Muslim appeasement was once the medium of Congress to show that they are secular. It is very astonishing that finally Congress realised that Muslim appeasement and this secularism won&#39;t be a lifeboat for them. Muslims Tribals-Dalits hate Hindutva put forth by BJP-RSS, but they may be comfortable with this mild Hindu card played by the Grand Old Party. The best or worst part in Indian politics is, that Indian voter doesn&#39;t care about a political trend of a party in other state i.e. a voter in Karnataka won&#39;t carry what Rahul Gandhi says in Gujarat. Moreover, the public memory is very short and weak. So that is why the people in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh, where elections are coming, voters wouldn&#39;t mind this mild Hindu card. Well the best thing which I see is that Congress party till recent years used to think that going to temples and talking on behalf of upper classes is a part of communal agenda. Now the eyes of Congress seem to have opened and leaned towards realism rather than cloud of just rationalism. Overall, this move of Congress would not only help the Grand Old Party to remove its Muslim-only tag but also would help to improve realistic upbringing in Indian politics.</p>

<p><strong>TAILS:</strong></p>

<p>In today&#39;s political phase, India needs a strong opposition having a centrist ideology which identifies state and religion as different entities. So the opposition needs to be far secular i.e. &#39;Empowerment of all and Appeasement of none&#39;. But the current move of 132-year-old party has an opposite ideology i.e. &#39;Empowerment of none but appeasement of all&#39;. This poll plank would definitely hurt our current politics. It&#39;s a matter of great debate whether the political parties should amend their ideologies in time now. I won&#39;t say what Indian political ideologies should generally do, but on this right leaned political pitch, the original centre-left Congress is the only party competent to do proper bowling. The original Congress of Gandhian ideology would propose &#39;Religion neutral, Caste neutral, only Indianity&#39; concept which is needed right now, but unfortunately Congress seems to have forgot Congress! I urge Sashi Tharoor Sir to remind their newly elected (nominated) president, about what original Congress stand for.</p>

<p>Rahul Gandhi needs to be reminded that Hindutva is the last thing that a BJP voter wants. The thing which elevated Chief Minister Narendra Modi to Prime Minister of world&#39;s largest democracy isn&#39;t actually his Hindutva background. Moreover, if there would be any shameful and genuine incident of threat on minorities then it would be impossible for the Grand old Party to present its stance before the nation. Even if a voter wants to vote for rhetoric of Hindutva then Congress is less likely to be first option for him. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also ridiculed this move of Congress and said that people would vote for original rather than a clone. Congress is questioning the incumbent government very properly, but at the same time, they need to put forth a socio-economic model before the people which have capability to stand before the economic pitches of PM Narendra Modi. Congress still has a chance, but they need to work too hard to achieve even 30 per cent of what those guys hope and quote.</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity)</em></p>


This move of Congress would not only help the grand old party to remove its Muslim-only tag but also help to improve realistic upbringing in Indian politics.

After the poll planks of Shiv Bhakt and Janeu Dhari Hindu, it is quite evident that Congress has been slightly leaning towards a mild Hindutva platform. It will be historic for a party whose poll equation starts from Dalit-OBCs and ends up wooing the Muslims. Congress never tried to take Hindus as whole in their account. BJP was never shy to carry Hindutva tag but Congress distanced itself whenever they were caught doing minority appeasement. And during this high potential elections, the newly-elected president of the Grand Old Party is playing a mild Hindu card beyond Dalits and OBCs and started taking intrest in upper castes like Patidars in Gujarat and Brahmin-Thakurs in Himachal Pradesh. HEADS: As an old saying goes "Diamond cuts diamond", perhaps this political technique of Rahul Gandhi may stand against the Hindutva mindset of RSS-BJP. Lots of political analysts and Congress leaning journalists who are acknowledging a sudden maturity in Rahul Gandhi think that this poll plank may add a feather in Rahul's hat. General people on the ground in Gujarat and especially the Patidars exclusively believe in Hindutva. So this electoral tool of Hinduism might woo Hindutva. In fact they would receive vote chunk from every caste instead of a particular one. The self-styled godmans and other religious yogis who have infuence in Indian political mandate won't neglect Congress because they are Muslim-only appeasers. The Hindus from states other than Gujarat might get good impression from this gesture of Rahul Gandhi. So called secular ideologues had once appreciated Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan for contributing in works of Hinduism (not Hindutva) so they might praise Mr Gandhi in the same fashion. Muslim appeasement was once the medium of Congress to show that they are secular. It is very astonishing that finally Congress realised that Muslim appeasement and this secularism won't be a lifeboat for them. Muslims Tribals-Dalits hate Hindutva put forth by BJP-RSS, but they may be comfortable with this mild Hindu card played by the Grand Old Party. The best or worst part in Indian politics is, that Indian voter doesn't care about a political trend of a party in other state i.e. a voter in Karnataka won't carry what Rahul Gandhi says in Gujarat. Moreover, the public memory is very short and weak. So that is why the people in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh, where elections are coming, voters wouldn't mind this mild Hindu card. Well the best thing which I see is that Congress party till recent years used to think that going to temples and talking on behalf of upper classes is a part of communal agenda. Now the eyes of Congress seem to have opened and leaned towards realism rather than cloud of just rationalism. Overall, this move of Congress would not only help the Grand Old Party to remove its Muslim-only tag but also would help to improve realistic upbringing in Indian politics. TAILS: In today's political phase, India needs a strong opposition having a centrist ideology which identifies state and religion as different entities. So the opposition needs to be far secular i.e. 'Empowerment of all and Appeasement of none'. But the current move of 132-year-old party has an opposite ideology i.e. 'Empowerment of none but appeasement of all'. This poll plank would definitely hurt our current politics. It's a matter of great debate whether the political parties should amend their ideologies in time now. I won't say what Indian political ideologies should generally do, but on this right leaned political pitch, the original centre-left Congress is the only party competent to do proper bowling. The original Congress of Gandhian ideology would propose 'Religion neutral, Caste neutral, only Indianity' concept which is needed right now, but unfortunately Congress seems to have forgot Congress! I urge Sashi Tharoor Sir to remind their newly elected (nominated) president, about what original Congress stand for. Rahul Gandhi needs to be reminded that Hindutva is the last thing that a BJP voter wants. The thing which elevated Chief Minister Narendra Modi to Prime Minister of world's largest democracy isn't actually his Hindutva background. Moreover, if there would be any shameful and genuine incident of threat on minorities then it would be impossible for the Grand old Party to present its stance before the nation. Even if a voter wants to vote for rhetoric of Hindutva then Congress is less likely to be first option for him. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also ridiculed this move of Congress and said that people would vote for original rather than a clone. Congress is questioning the incumbent government very properly, but at the same time, they need to put forth a socio-economic model before the people which have capability to stand before the economic pitches of PM Narendra Modi. Congress still has a chance, but they need to work too hard to achieve even 30 per cent of what those guys hope and quote. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity)

Opinion: Rahul Gandhi leaning towards mild Hindutva platform. And it might help Congress

<p>The job has come easy to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rahul-the-underdog-26329">Rahul Gandhi</a> as president of the Congress party but the task in front him is cut out. He takes over from <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sonia-turns-71-cong-leaders-and-workers-throng-residence-26315">Sonia Gandhi</a> who is the longest serving president of the Congress. Sonia Gandhi had certain comforts when she took over the Congress which Rahul does not enjoy, so there are less similarities between both events apart from the family name. Rahul inherits tougher and more challenging circumstances.</p>

<p>Sonia took over reins of the Congress in similar but less enduring circumstances and brought it to power by 2004. For Rahul, things are tougher. Sample this: Unlike 2003-04, Congress has collapsed in many states, number of states under Congress is miniscule, till 2003, the party still had many strong state leaders and seasoned politicians from Rajiv and Indira days which in 2017 are either not there or on the verge of retirement.</p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rahul-gandhi-elected-congress-president-unopposed-26455">Also Read: Rahul Gandhi elected Congress president, unopposed</a></strong></p>

<p>Rahul Gandhi, on the other hand, has his set of team but most of them have not served at the top rung of the UPA and for that reason for some time will have to depend on the older set when it comes to Parliament.</p>

<p>Sonia once in charge, gradually brought faces who were handpicked either by Indira or Sanjay Gandhi. Very few from the core team of Rajiv Gandhi were able to make to her inner circle. Whether it was Arjun Singh, Natwar Singh, Ambika Soni, Margaret Alva, Gulam Nabi Azad, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Priyaranjan Das Munshi, Kamalnath, Hansraj Bhardwaj, AK Antony or Ahmad Patel, they had cut teeth into politics much before Sonia Gandhi entered politics.</p>

<p>On top of it, she had to face much gentler Atal Bihari Vajpayee who never brought his political battle to the Gandhi family&#39;s home or bastion. On the other hand, Narendra Modi has done all of that. He has made dynasty an issue for Congress, charged them as un-Indian, and openly questioned the Congress abroad. All of it cannot be pinned on Rahul because political flanks were left vulnerable by the Congress and he took advantage of it. Rahul Gandhi will have to deal with all of them apart from a very visible RSS which was not the case under Vajpayee government. Rahul Gandhi will have to work through states where Congress has an organizational vacuum. These states are in plenty unlike 1999. These states are Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar. Together, they constitute more than 200 Lok Sabha seats. And it does not stop here. For the first time, even North East is vulnerable where BJP has made massive in roads. For this reason, Rahul Gandhi&#39;s journey is going to be tougher.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
But in politics nothing succeeds like success. The differentiator between Modi and the rest is that he is a vote catcher and that too a mammoth one. Secondly, despite murmurs he unites all the BJP workers if not the leaders.</p>

<p>Rahul Gandhi has neither proved to be a vote catcher nor a glue to keep the Congress united. In past, most of the Congress leaders from the state and Centre left the Congress accusing Rahul Gandhi. If Rahul Gandhi can unite the Congress party, it will be his first big step. The second step would be to have a victory solely attributable to him.</p>

<p>Third and the most important challenge for Rahul Gandhi would be to create a balance between building a coalition to keep BJP at bay and building Congress party brick by brick which has been corroded from seam by the very regional parties which had supported it at the Centre. Right now, the core has shrunk and regional parties have become assertive to a point where Congress is being treated as one amongst many.</p>

<p>Lastly, he needs to be seen as a sole challenger to Modi in India. He cannot afford another to be like Kejriwal. He has shown a bit of it in Gujarat. If this sense of challenge continues to emanate from Rahul Gandhi, he will be considered as the sole challenger by public against Modi. The public would say that Rahul Gandhi has arrived. For now, jury is out and all eyes are set on Gujarat where Congress has given a good fight.</p>

<p><strong>Watch this WION Special</strong></p>

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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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Rahul Gandhi has his set of team but most of them have not served at the top rung of the UPA and for that reason for some time will have to depend on the older set when it comes to Parliament.

The job has come easy to Rahul Gandhi as president of the Congress party but the task in front him is cut out. He takes over from Sonia Gandhi who is the longest serving president of the Congress. Sonia Gandhi had certain comforts when she took over the Congress which Rahul does not enjoy, so there are less similarities between both events apart from the family name. Rahul inherits tougher and more challenging circumstances. Sonia took over reins of the Congress in similar but less enduring circumstances and brought it to power by 2004. For Rahul, things are tougher. Sample this: Unlike 2003-04, Congress has collapsed in many states, number of states under Congress is miniscule, till 2003, the party still had many strong state leaders and seasoned politicians from Rajiv and Indira days which in 2017 are either not there or on the verge of retirement. Also Read: Rahul Gandhi elected Congress president, unopposed Rahul Gandhi, on the other hand, has his set of team but most of them have not served at the top rung of the UPA and for that reason for some time will have to depend on the older set when it comes to Parliament. Sonia once in charge, gradually brought faces who were handpicked either by Indira or Sanjay Gandhi. Very few from the core team of Rajiv Gandhi were able to make to her inner circle. Whether it was Arjun Singh, Natwar Singh, Ambika Soni, Margaret Alva, Gulam Nabi Azad, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Priyaranjan Das Munshi, Kamalnath, Hansraj Bhardwaj, AK Antony or Ahmad Patel, they had cut teeth into politics much before Sonia Gandhi entered politics. On top of it, she had to face much gentler Atal Bihari Vajpayee who never brought his political battle to the Gandhi family's home or bastion. On the other hand, Narendra Modi has done all of that. He has made dynasty an issue for Congress, charged them as un-Indian, and openly questioned the Congress abroad. All of it cannot be pinned on Rahul because political flanks were left vulnerable by the Congress and he took advantage of it. Rahul Gandhi will have to deal with all of them apart from a very visible RSS which was not the case under Vajpayee government. Rahul Gandhi will have to work through states where Congress has an organizational vacuum. These states are in plenty unlike 1999. These states are Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar. Together, they constitute more than 200 Lok Sabha seats. And it does not stop here. For the first time, even North East is vulnerable where BJP has made massive in roads. For this reason, Rahul Gandhi's journey is going to be tougher. But in politics nothing succeeds like success. The differentiator between Modi and the rest is that he is a vote catcher and that too a mammoth one. Secondly, despite murmurs he unites all the BJP workers if not the leaders. Rahul Gandhi has neither proved to be a vote catcher nor a glue to keep the Congress united. In past, most of the Congress leaders from the state and Centre left the Congress accusing Rahul Gandhi. If Rahul Gandhi can unite the Congress party, it will be his first big step. The second step would be to have a victory solely attributable to him. Third and the most important challenge for Rahul Gandhi would be to create a balance between building a coalition to keep BJP at bay and building Congress party brick by brick which has been corroded from seam by the very regional parties which had supported it at the Centre. Right now, the core has shrunk and regional parties have become assertive to a point where Congress is being treated as one amongst many. Lastly, he needs to be seen as a sole challenger to Modi in India. He cannot afford another to be like Kejriwal. He has shown a bit of it in Gujarat. If this sense of challenge continues to emanate from Rahul Gandhi, he will be considered as the sole challenger by public against Modi. The public would say that Rahul Gandhi has arrived. For now, jury is out and all eyes are set on Gujarat where Congress has given a good fight. Watch this WION Special ×

Rahul takes over as Congress president, but faces greater challenges than mother Sonia Gandhi

<p>Congress party is going to win elections in Gujarat and no one can stop it, said Rahul Gandhi on Friday.</p>

<p>Campaigning in Chotta Udaipur ahead of upcoming Assembly polls in Gujarat, Rahul Gandhi said &#39;&#39;Congress party is going to win elections in Gujarat and no one can stop it. Aandhi aa rahi hai.&#39;&#39;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Congress party is going to win elections in Gujarat &amp; no one can stop it. Aandhi aa rahi hai: Rahul Gandhi in Chotta Udaipur <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GujaratElection2017?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GujaratElection2017</a> <a href="https://t.co/3O9Thmji52">pic.twitter.com/3O9Thmji52</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/939041978280321024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The Congress vice-president also promised that he will waive off farm loans within 10 days of assuming&nbsp;power. &#39;&#39;Congress party within 10 days of winning the elections will make a policy for farmer loan waiver,&#39;&#39; he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>BJP has not yet told the people what they are going to do. In fact, their election manifesto is not yet been released, Rahul Gandhi said.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Congress party within 10 days of winning the elections will make a policy for farmer loan waiver: Rahul Gandhi in Chotta Udaipur <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GujaratElection2017?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GujaratElection2017</a> <a href="https://t.co/ctjjSoF7lQ">pic.twitter.com/ctjjSoF7lQ</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/939039603230519296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&#39;&#39;Congress party respects the designation of Prime Minister and no one in congress party can use derogatory terms against Prime minister; Modi ji can say anything about us but we are not like that and that&#39;s why we took strict action against Mani Shankar Aiyar,&#39;&#39; Rahul added.&nbsp;</p>


BJP has not yet told the people what they are going to do. In fact, their election manifesto is not yet been released, Rahul Gandhi said

Congress party is going to win elections in Gujarat and no one can stop it, said Rahul Gandhi on Friday. Campaigning in Chotta Udaipur ahead of upcoming Assembly polls in Gujarat, Rahul Gandhi said ''Congress party is going to win elections in Gujarat and no one can stop it. Aandhi aa rahi hai.'' Congress party is going to win elections in Gujarat & no one can stop it. Aandhi aa rahi hai: Rahul Gandhi in Chotta Udaipur #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/3O9Thmji52 — ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2017 × The Congress vice-president also promised that he will waive off farm loans within 10 days of assuming power. ''Congress party within 10 days of winning the elections will make a policy for farmer loan waiver,'' he added. BJP has not yet told the people what they are going to do. In fact, their election manifesto is not yet been released, Rahul Gandhi said. Congress party within 10 days of winning the elections will make a policy for farmer loan waiver: Rahul Gandhi in Chotta Udaipur #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/ctjjSoF7lQ — ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2017 × ''Congress party respects the designation of Prime Minister and no one in congress party can use derogatory terms against Prime minister; Modi ji can say anything about us but we are not like that and that's why we took strict action against Mani Shankar Aiyar,'' Rahul added.

'Aandhi aa rahi hai': Rahul Gandhi in Chotta Udaipur

<p>The Congress party on Sunday released the third list of 76 candidates for the upcoming Gujarat Assembly Elections.</p>

<p>In a press statement, the party released the names of 76 candidates for the second phase of elections.</p>

<p>Earlier on November 21, the Congress party released its second list of 13 candidates for the upcoming elections.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Congress releases its third List of 76 Candidates of Gujarat polls. <a href="https://t.co/hvJD0Mz26Z">pic.twitter.com/hvJD0Mz26Z</a></p>
&mdash; Gujarat Congress (@INCGujarat) <a href="https://twitter.com/INCGujarat/status/934868521468674048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The list was released by senior party leader Oscar Fernandes. Apart from revealing candidates for nine constituencies, the Congress party has replaced four candidates previously announced in the first list, for Junagadh, Bharuch, Kamrej, and Varachha Road.</p>

<p>Earlier, the party also released its first list of 77 candidates.</p>

<p>The elections in Gujarat will be held in two phases on December 9 and 14.</p>


The elections in Gujarat will be held in two phases on December 9 and 14

The Congress party on Sunday released the third list of 76 candidates for the upcoming Gujarat Assembly Elections. In a press statement, the party released the names of 76 candidates for the second phase of elections. Earlier on November 21, the Congress party released its second list of 13 candidates for the upcoming elections. Congress releases its third List of 76 Candidates of Gujarat polls. pic.twitter.com/hvJD0Mz26Z — Gujarat Congress (@INCGujarat) November 26, 2017 × The list was released by senior party leader Oscar Fernandes. Apart from revealing candidates for nine constituencies, the Congress party has replaced four candidates previously announced in the first list, for Junagadh, Bharuch, Kamrej, and Varachha Road. Earlier, the party also released its first list of 77 candidates. The elections in Gujarat will be held in two phases on December 9 and 14.

Gujarat elections: Congress releases third list of 76 candidates

<p>Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) workers in the late hours of Sunday clashed with the Gujarat Congress party cadres in Ahmedabad and Surat&nbsp;over ticket distribution ahead of assembly polls in the state.</p>

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&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/932424910697140224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/conflict-arises-between-patidar-and-congress-over-ticket-distribution-24557">Following the release of Congress` list of candidates which includes only three PAAS candidates,</a> angry leaders of the community also staged a protest and allegedly vandalised Congress office in Surat.</p>

<p>PAAS leader Dinesh Patel said, &quot;We&#39;ll protest against Congress tomorrow, and will rethink about extending our support to them, who are shirking their responsibility. We`ll also ask the public to rethink about Congress because they are not answering a simple question. How can we expect to be heard when our questions are also not being answered by Congress?,&quot; he said and added &quot;We`ll ask our party candidates to not file a nomination. If they still do, we`ll protest against them also,&quot; he added.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Surat: Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti workers clash with Congress workers over ticket distribution (earlier visuals) <a href="https://t.co/UWaCfyNZ3F">pic.twitter.com/UWaCfyNZ3F</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/932415119081926659?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Clashes&nbsp;also broke out between Patel and a police personnel outside the residence of Gujarat Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki.</p>

<p>Patel informed that PAAS members had to wait for hours outside after they were called to Solanki`s residence for a meeting.</p>

<p>&quot;All we want to ask him is why he declared our members` names,&quot; he told reporters.Thereafter, Patel alleged that the concerned police personnel abused and threatened to arrest him.The Patidar leader also alleged that the Police has been targeting the community, and posing a threat to their lives.</p>

<p>&quot;Police personnel are arresting us under the influence and out of uniform too. They want to kill us. Our life is under threat,&quot; he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Congress had earlier assured adequate political representation to the Patidars. However, it changed its mind after the<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/gujarat-elections-sex-cd-goes-viral-allegation-is-it-features-hardik-patel-24122" target="_blank">&nbsp;alleged sex CD</a>&nbsp;surfaced. Reports said that the Congress was ready to offer&nbsp;only 4 seats against the demand of 9 by PAAS.</p>

<p>(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>


PAAS alleged Congress announced tickets to PAAS members without consulting their core committee

Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) workers in the late hours of Sunday clashed with the Gujarat Congress party cadres in Ahmedabad and Surat over ticket distribution ahead of assembly polls in the state. #WATCH Surat: Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti workers clash with Congress workers over ticket distribution (earlier visuals) pic.twitter.com/uz5fx9oXIc — ANI (@ANI) November 20, 2017 × Following the release of Congress` list of candidates which includes only three PAAS candidates, angry leaders of the community also staged a protest and allegedly vandalised Congress office in Surat. PAAS leader Dinesh Patel said, "We'll protest against Congress tomorrow, and will rethink about extending our support to them, who are shirking their responsibility. We`ll also ask the public to rethink about Congress because they are not answering a simple question. How can we expect to be heard when our questions are also not being answered by Congress?," he said and added "We`ll ask our party candidates to not file a nomination. If they still do, we`ll protest against them also," he added. Surat: Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti workers clash with Congress workers over ticket distribution (earlier visuals) pic.twitter.com/UWaCfyNZ3F — ANI (@ANI) November 20, 2017 × Clashes also broke out between Patel and a police personnel outside the residence of Gujarat Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki. Patel informed that PAAS members had to wait for hours outside after they were called to Solanki`s residence for a meeting. "All we want to ask him is why he declared our members` names," he told reporters.Thereafter, Patel alleged that the concerned police personnel abused and threatened to arrest him.The Patidar leader also alleged that the Police has been targeting the community, and posing a threat to their lives. "Police personnel are arresting us under the influence and out of uniform too. They want to kill us. Our life is under threat," he added. The Congress had earlier assured adequate political representation to the Patidars. However, it changed its mind after the alleged sex CD surfaced. Reports said that the Congress was ready to offer only 4 seats against the demand of 9 by PAAS. (With inputs from agencies)

Watch: PAAS workers in Gujarat clash with Congress over ticket distribution

<p>After missing several deadlines Congress Working Committee (CWC) &nbsp;is expected to approve an election schedule on Monday.</p>

<p>According to the party constitution, the CWC meeting is required to approve the schedule for the election of the party president. This will be the final step for Rahul &nbsp;Gandhi to be elevated as President of the All India Congress Committee (AICC).</p>

<p>And as it is unlikely that there will be a contender to challenge Rahul, his election will be complete by mid-December.</p>

<p>The decision came after a meeting was held on Saturday.</p>

<p>The elevation of Rahul Gandhi will mean that he will also be heading the final phase of the politically crucial Gujarat elections as AICC chief.</p>

<p>Rahul&#39;s taking charge of the party will bring the end of an era of Sonia Gandi heading as party chief and it will end a long apprenticeship that saw Rahul being named vice-president in January 2013.</p>


After missing several deadlines Congress Working Committee (CWC) ?is expected to approve an election schedule on Monday

After missing several deadlines Congress Working Committee (CWC) is expected to approve an election schedule on Monday. According to the party constitution, the CWC meeting is required to approve the schedule for the election of the party president. This will be the final step for Rahul Gandhi to be elevated as President of the All India Congress Committee (AICC). And as it is unlikely that there will be a contender to challenge Rahul, his election will be complete by mid-December. The decision came after a meeting was held on Saturday. The elevation of Rahul Gandhi will mean that he will also be heading the final phase of the politically crucial Gujarat elections as AICC chief. Rahul's taking charge of the party will bring the end of an era of Sonia Gandi heading as party chief and it will end a long apprenticeship that saw Rahul being named vice-president in January 2013.

Congress will start process to make Rahul Gandhi chief on Monday

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi lashed out at Congress for not taking effective measures to curb black money in the country. &quot;We needed to do it in 1971. We have caused huge losses by not doing this since 1971,&quot; Modi told BJP MPs.</p>

<p>Narendra Modi also quoted former bureaucrat Madhav Godbole&#39;s book in which he has recorded how then Home Minister YB Chavan had recommended demonetisation to curb ill-gotten and hidden wealth.</p>

<p>&quot;Godbole says in the book that Gandhi replied saying &#39;are no more elections to be fought by the Congress&#39;? Chavan got the message and the recommendation was (dropped),&quot; Modi said.</p>

<p>&quot;This was in 1971 when everybody recommended this. Had it (demonetisation) been done in 1971, the nation wouldn&#39;t have been in this situation today.&quot;</p>

<p>Modi&#39;s remarks came during a BJP parliamentary party meeting on the last day of the winter session.</p>

<p>&nbsp;Modi further targeted Congress by saying that Congress has always put its interest over that of the country while for the BJP the nation&#39;s interests are supreme.</p>

<p>To remove corruption and black money from the society Modi again pitched for the digital economy as he made an appeal to the masses to adopt digital economy as a &#39;way of life.&#39;</p>

<p>While criticizing Congress Modi also attacked former Prime minister Manmohan Singh saying that he advocated strong measures against corruption and black money but did nothing during his rule of 10 years.</p>

<p>&nbsp;Manmohan Singh has been openly criticizing demonetisation from the start; he said that&nbsp; &quot;I don&#39;t think demonetisation was at all required, I don&#39;t think it was technically, economically necessary to launch this adventure,&quot; in 2016</p>


Prime Minister Narendra Modi lashed out at Congress for not taking effective measures to curb black money in the country. "We needed to do it in 1971. We have caused huge losses by not doing this since 1971," Modi told BJP MPs.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lashed out at Congress for not taking effective measures to curb black money in the country. "We needed to do it in 1971. We have caused huge losses by not doing this since 1971," Modi told BJP MPs. Narendra Modi also quoted former bureaucrat Madhav Godbole's book in which he has recorded how then Home Minister YB Chavan had recommended demonetisation to curb ill-gotten and hidden wealth. "Godbole says in the book that Gandhi replied saying 'are no more elections to be fought by the Congress'? Chavan got the message and the recommendation was (dropped)," Modi said. "This was in 1971 when everybody recommended this. Had it (demonetisation) been done in 1971, the nation wouldn't have been in this situation today." Modi's remarks came during a BJP parliamentary party meeting on the last day of the winter session. Modi further targeted Congress by saying that Congress has always put its interest over that of the country while for the BJP the nation's interests are supreme. To remove corruption and black money from the society Modi again pitched for the digital economy as he made an appeal to the masses to adopt digital economy as a 'way of life.' While criticizing Congress Modi also attacked former Prime minister Manmohan Singh saying that he advocated strong measures against corruption and black money but did nothing during his rule of 10 years. Manmohan Singh has been openly criticizing demonetisation from the start; he said that "I don't think demonetisation was at all required, I don't think it was technically, economically necessary to launch this adventure," in 2016

'Note ban should have done in 1971' says Narendra Modi while slamming Congress

<p>Gujarat OBC leader Alpesh Thakor came out in support of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Monday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Thakor said &quot;the BJP has given several slogans...&quot; but &quot;no work has taken place on the ground&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;The BJP has given several slogans for the SC, ST and OBCs but in reality, no work has taken place on the ground. Irrespective of what the Congress&#39; image is, Rahul Gandhi is honest, his intention is noble. He told me that we would work together and I have not asked for any post in return for my support,&quot; Thakor told News18.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Thakor is expected to join the Congress today at Rahul Gandhi&#39;s Gandhinagar rally.&nbsp;</p>

<p>News18 also reported Thakor as saying all allegations against the&nbsp;Gandhis were baseless. And asking why people were not talking about corruption in the BJP.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;Measures like GST and Demonetisation were done in haste. All black money, that the BJP claimed to be eliminating, has been turned to white. The traders have only now realised it,&rdquo; Thakor told News18.</p>


The OBC leader is expected to join the Congress today

Gujarat OBC leader Alpesh Thakor came out in support of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Monday. Thakor said "the BJP has given several slogans..." but "no work has taken place on the ground". "The BJP has given several slogans for the SC, ST and OBCs but in reality, no work has taken place on the ground. Irrespective of what the Congress' image is, Rahul Gandhi is honest, his intention is noble. He told me that we would work together and I have not asked for any post in return for my support," Thakor told News18. Thakor is expected to join the Congress today at Rahul Gandhi's Gandhinagar rally. News18 also reported Thakor as saying all allegations against the Gandhis were baseless. And asking why people were not talking about corruption in the BJP. “Measures like GST and Demonetisation were done in haste. All black money, that the BJP claimed to be eliminating, has been turned to white. The traders have only now realised it,” Thakor told News18.

BJP has given slogans, but no work on ground: Alpesh Thakor

<p>Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi has finally accepted that he is the scion of a dynasty and so be it. The comment has come at a time when Congress is fighting the battle of its life in India where it seems to be losing state after state, barring exceptions like Punjab. Earlier all the attempts by the Congress were to project the young Gandhi like a natural successor who is liked by the workers.</p>

<p>&nbsp;This could not materalise because victory eluded the Congress party in Uttar Pradesh where Rahul Gandhi pegged his political gravitas thrice.</p>

<p>But the catch is that there is a difference between economic inheritance and control of political parties by a single family. In every society, children inherit the afterglow of successful careers of their parents. It either comes in the form of recognition or mutual obligation as they are known in the social circle. The above form of inheritance is natural.</p>

<p>The control of a political party by one family continuously for 40 years is an altogether another form of dynastic politics. In no way, it can be justified by saying that India works like this. Mr Gandhi can&#39;t partake goodness of modern education and while disavow its responsibility and duty. Today, you cannot be a democrat and dynast at the same time. It is a contradiction in term. It is not only a betrayal of one&rsquo;s own education but to state it as a done thing is to compromise the lofty ideals of the republic which is about democracy and equality. Rahul Gandhi said that Congress is about a conversation but is it possible to have a conversation in the Congress where one can talk about a non-Gandhi running the Congress Party.</p>

<p>&nbsp;Today Congress is a cabal of multiple dynasties ranging from the centre to local levels all of whom owe their position to the Gandhis. One can even compare it with kingship which is sustained by like-minded clans and supported through stable succession at all levels.</p>

<p>&nbsp;Political dynasties kill democracy in political parties. They represent an abnormality in Indian political system. Rahul Gandhi&rsquo;s statement may set him free him from the dynasty debate but the truth is that he has reached the top, not because of his own fitness but because he is the son of the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The only silver lining for Rahul Gandhi is that he has started to position himself in direct contrast to Modi which was earlier missing.&nbsp;</p>

<p>From now Rahul will be judged by what he does, and not on the basis of how he has come to occupy the throne. This may sound dismissive but the fact is by stating his intention to run the system, he has set aside all apprehensions within the party. He needs acceptability and legitimacy from the public and to get it,&nbsp; he will have to work towards it.</p>


From now Rahul will be judged by what he does, and not on the basis of how he has come to occupy the throne.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi has finally accepted that he is the scion of a dynasty and so be it. The comment has come at a time when Congress is fighting the battle of its life in India where it seems to be losing state after state, barring exceptions like Punjab. Earlier all the attempts by the Congress were to project the young Gandhi like a natural successor who is liked by the workers. This could not materalise because victory eluded the Congress party in Uttar Pradesh where Rahul Gandhi pegged his political gravitas thrice. But the catch is that there is a difference between economic inheritance and control of political parties by a single family. In every society, children inherit the afterglow of successful careers of their parents. It either comes in the form of recognition or mutual obligation as they are known in the social circle. The above form of inheritance is natural. The control of a political party by one family continuously for 40 years is an altogether another form of dynastic politics. In no way, it can be justified by saying that India works like this. Mr Gandhi can't partake goodness of modern education and while disavow its responsibility and duty. Today, you cannot be a democrat and dynast at the same time. It is a contradiction in term. It is not only a betrayal of one’s own education but to state it as a done thing is to compromise the lofty ideals of the republic which is about democracy and equality. Rahul Gandhi said that Congress is about a conversation but is it possible to have a conversation in the Congress where one can talk about a non-Gandhi running the Congress Party. Today Congress is a cabal of multiple dynasties ranging from the centre to local levels all of whom owe their position to the Gandhis. One can even compare it with kingship which is sustained by like-minded clans and supported through stable succession at all levels. Political dynasties kill democracy in political parties. They represent an abnormality in Indian political system. Rahul Gandhi’s statement may set him free him from the dynasty debate but the truth is that he has reached the top, not because of his own fitness but because he is the son of the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The only silver lining for Rahul Gandhi is that he has started to position himself in direct contrast to Modi which was earlier missing. From now Rahul will be judged by what he does, and not on the basis of how he has come to occupy the throne. This may sound dismissive but the fact is by stating his intention to run the system, he has set aside all apprehensions within the party. He needs acceptability and legitimacy from the public and to get it, he will have to work towards it.

To politically succeed, Rahul Gandhi needs to prove himself beyond dynasty politics

<p>The commentators and the politically influential people in this country have started writing the epitaph of the Congress party.</p>

<p>They have all the right to believe so because, since past three years or so, the electoral fortunes of the party have seriously dithered, particularly after the miserable defeat of 2014.Their intense speculation about the future of the Grand Old Party is something which passionate flag bearers like me cannot discount, but are profoundly anguished with. The Liberals are angry at us. But we need to convert that anger into love. I am a Congressman and will remain a Congress party admirer even if I am the last man standing, although I shall do everything within my means to prevent that &lsquo;last man&rsquo; scenario.</p>

<p>I know I may be painting a pessimistic picture, and some of you who will read this will definitely not agree with my assessment. Some of you may also question my locus-standi for writing this- since I am also part of that very system, albeit a very small part in which the Congress system works, I am responsible too. But, considering that I am an eternal optimist, I shall always yearn that such an eventuality shall never come.</p>

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<h5>Congress will remain strong and&nbsp;will&nbsp;overcome its present problems. We shall again redeem India and will not let it slip into the darkness.</h5>
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<p>Congress will remain strong and&nbsp;will&nbsp;overcome its present problems. We shall again redeem India and will not let it slip into the darkness. <a href="http://countryawake.blogspot.in/2015/01/the-idea-of-congress.html">Our ideals and ideology</a> are rock solid and our commitment to secularism is unflinching. Compassion, brotherhood, love and respect are the pillars on which the Congress party stands.There are lots of inherent flaws with which our inner party system works, but there are innumerable positive aspects too.</p>

<p>In the initial years of the Modi Government, the Congress party believed that as the BJP lacks the ability to solidly govern and administer, it will never be able to live up to the expectations of people. This has actually led to the former&#39;s complacency that has turned it into a reactive force. &ldquo;Jab yeh galitiya karenge, abhi nahi toh 5-10 saal baad humara waqt aayega&rdquo; (When they will make mistakes, not today, but eventually after 5-10 years we will be back in power) was the drawing room chatter of every Congressman.&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>Both critics and admirers would agree that the single biggest mistake which the Congress party made in the UPA era was not to build its cadre, especially in states where it was organisationally weak.</h5>
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<p>Then came a period during which failures&nbsp;after failures marred BJP&#39;s image but the Congress merely acted as a reactionary force, failing to capitalise the blunders of the ruling party. Both critics and admirers would agree that the single biggest mistake which the Congress party made in the UPA era was not to build its cadre, especially in states where it was organisationally weak. An Opposition needs a rank of robust and committed workers to carry on its political work. The Congress is a mass-based party and not a cadre based one, yet it has certain unique organisational strengths, which could have been tapped into. The party&#39;s frontals are more or less defunct and, at the most, have become extremely sycophantic in nature- with almost no vision or plan of action.</p>

<p>After three years&nbsp;into the Modi Government, where the BJP is using every trick in the political book to expand its bases, the Congress is making last ditch attempts to somehow foster unity among the Opposition, without much success. The Nitish Kumar fiasco may have its opportunistic and political strokes, and broad ones indeed, yet the Congress has to somehow take its share of the blame too. I know, I will again be accused of crossing the Lakshman Rekha (Red Line) while I try to objectively put forth this assessment, but acceptance of failures is the first stepping stone to success.</p>

<p>I have been hinting and posting on social media, <a href="http://countryawake.blogspot.in/2014/05/humbled-by-mandate-thoughts-unlimited.html">since long</a>, that the Congress needs a positive agenda. A solid, implementable narrative and a new vision to take along those committed liberal voters who still believe in those ideals on which the edifice of our Constitution was laid. Time and again, I have come to the conclusion that only a positive narrative can resurrect the Congress.</p>

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<h5>Time and again, I have come to the conclusion that only a positive narrative can resurrect the Congress.</h5>
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<p>For starters, we should look at our own 2014 Manifesto. This 45-page document should be our Magna Carta to attack and question the BJP. It will give us more credibility because we shall not be merely criticising the policies, but also put forth a positive policy solution, for instance, we would go to the people of the country pointing out, &ldquo;Had the Congress been in power, there were the 5 steps it would have taken to solve agrarian distress&rdquo; and &ldquo;These are the steps that the Congress party would have taken to create more jobs&rdquo;.</p>

<p>It is not that the Congress party is not taking steps to revamp its organisational structure. The election process will be completed this year and a new team is slowly and steadily been set up. New General Secretary in-charge of the states are being appointed. The Communications department of the party is seeing new faces and a newer strategy for the same is in place now. Research and Social Media wings have also been refurbished and are working with a new vigour. Yes, we lack in media management, and that needs to be proactively dealt with. The voter connect is only possible when you gather small constituencies of groups together and focus on the liberal supporters. Laziness, complacency and arrogance should be done away with. A strong ideological resolve is needed so as solidify our support base. We all know what ails the Congress party, we should&nbsp;have solutions for the same.&nbsp;</p>

<p>No political party that has a closed system and is secretive in nature can function in a vibrant democracy. We have to open the doors for the converts as well as for the swing ones.</p>

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<h5>A large section of media has become the mouthpiece for the BJP, and the Congress needs to find an alternate for the same.</h5>
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<p>The Congress should aim to unite with other opposition parties, but that does not mean that it can tie up with any political party which is ideologically not on the same page as it is. At the end of the day, such an alliance falls through as we have seen in West Bengal and in Uttar Pradesh. Let us not repeat that. The Congress should try and build consensus, but if that is not possible, just leave these regional parties to fend for themselves. We should stop pandering to them. Let us built our own identity, we were successful because we had one. We should not leave it. Opposition unity is good for short term goals, but in the long term, we should strive for our own national space. In states, where we are dependent on regional satraps, we have only declined. Even if we win one seat, it should be on our own.</p>

<p>If we do not implement a positive agenda and restructure ourselves, then even our forefathers, who so painstakingly built this country, will not forgive us for sending India to the dark ages.</p>

<p>(All the views expressed in the article by the author are strictly personal.)</p>


The Liberals are angry at Congress. But Congress needs to convert that anger into love.

The commentators and the politically influential people in this country have started writing the epitaph of the Congress party. They have all the right to believe so because, since past three years or so, the electoral fortunes of the party have seriously dithered, particularly after the miserable defeat of 2014.Their intense speculation about the future of the Grand Old Party is something which passionate flag bearers like me cannot discount, but are profoundly anguished with. The Liberals are angry at us. But we need to convert that anger into love. I am a Congressman and will remain a Congress party admirer even if I am the last man standing, although I shall do everything within my means to prevent that ‘last man’ scenario. I know I may be painting a pessimistic picture, and some of you who will read this will definitely not agree with my assessment. Some of you may also question my locus-standi for writing this- since I am also part of that very system, albeit a very small part in which the Congress system works, I am responsible too. But, considering that I am an eternal optimist, I shall always yearn that such an eventuality shall never come. Congress will remain strong and will overcome its present problems. We shall again redeem India and will not let it slip into the darkness. × Congress will remain strong and will overcome its present problems. We shall again redeem India and will not let it slip into the darkness. Our ideals and ideology are rock solid and our commitment to secularism is unflinching. Compassion, brotherhood, love and respect are the pillars on which the Congress party stands.There are lots of inherent flaws with which our inner party system works, but there are innumerable positive aspects too. In the initial years of the Modi Government, the Congress party believed that as the BJP lacks the ability to solidly govern and administer, it will never be able to live up to the expectations of people. This has actually led to the former's complacency that has turned it into a reactive force. “Jab yeh galitiya karenge, abhi nahi toh 5-10 saal baad humara waqt aayega” (When they will make mistakes, not today, but eventually after 5-10 years we will be back in power) was the drawing room chatter of every Congressman. Both critics and admirers would agree that the single biggest mistake which the Congress party made in the UPA era was not to build its cadre, especially in states where it was organisationally weak. × Then came a period during which failures after failures marred BJP's image but the Congress merely acted as a reactionary force, failing to capitalise the blunders of the ruling party. Both critics and admirers would agree that the single biggest mistake which the Congress party made in the UPA era was not to build its cadre, especially in states where it was organisationally weak. An Opposition needs a rank of robust and committed workers to carry on its political work. The Congress is a mass-based party and not a cadre based one, yet it has certain unique organisational strengths, which could have been tapped into. The party's frontals are more or less defunct and, at the most, have become extremely sycophantic in nature- with almost no vision or plan of action. After three years into the Modi Government, where the BJP is using every trick in the political book to expand its bases, the Congress is making last ditch attempts to somehow foster unity among the Opposition, without much success. The Nitish Kumar fiasco may have its opportunistic and political strokes, and broad ones indeed, yet the Congress has to somehow take its share of the blame too. I know, I will again be accused of crossing the Lakshman Rekha (Red Line) while I try to objectively put forth this assessment, but acceptance of failures is the first stepping stone to success. I have been hinting and posting on social media, since long, that the Congress needs a positive agenda. A solid, implementable narrative and a new vision to take along those committed liberal voters who still believe in those ideals on which the edifice of our Constitution was laid. Time and again, I have come to the conclusion that only a positive narrative can resurrect the Congress. Time and again, I have come to the conclusion that only a positive narrative can resurrect the Congress. × For starters, we should look at our own 2014 Manifesto. This 45-page document should be our Magna Carta to attack and question the BJP. It will give us more credibility because we shall not be merely criticising the policies, but also put forth a positive policy solution, for instance, we would go to the people of the country pointing out, “Had the Congress been in power, there were the 5 steps it would have taken to solve agrarian distress” and “These are the steps that the Congress party would have taken to create more jobs”. It is not that the Congress party is not taking steps to revamp its organisational structure. The election process will be completed this year and a new team is slowly and steadily been set up. New General Secretary in-charge of the states are being appointed. The Communications department of the party is seeing new faces and a newer strategy for the same is in place now. Research and Social Media wings have also been refurbished and are working with a new vigour. Yes, we lack in media management, and that needs to be proactively dealt with. The voter connect is only possible when you gather small constituencies of groups together and focus on the liberal supporters. Laziness, complacency and arrogance should be done away with. A strong ideological resolve is needed so as solidify our support base. We all know what ails the Congress party, we should have solutions for the same. No political party that has a closed system and is secretive in nature can function in a vibrant democracy. We have to open the doors for the converts as well as for the swing ones. A large section of media has become the mouthpiece for the BJP, and the Congress needs to find an alternate for the same. × The Congress should aim to unite with other opposition parties, but that does not mean that it can tie up with any political party which is ideologically not on the same page as it is. At the end of the day, such an alliance falls through as we have seen in West Bengal and in Uttar Pradesh. Let us not repeat that. The Congress should try and build consensus, but if that is not possible, just leave these regional parties to fend for themselves. We should stop pandering to them. Let us built our own identity, we were successful because we had one. We should not leave it. Opposition unity is good for short term goals, but in the long term, we should strive for our own national space. In states, where we are dependent on regional satraps, we have only declined. Even if we win one seat, it should be on our own. If we do not implement a positive agenda and restructure ourselves, then even our forefathers, who so painstakingly built this country, will not forgive us for sending India to the dark ages. (All the views expressed in the article by the author are strictly personal.)

How the Congress party can be revived in India

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<p>Assembly Election results have only been coming in for just a couple hours, but the early numbers couldn&#39;t be clearer, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is already celebrating in the streets.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">BJP leading in Uttar Pradesh: Party workers celebrate in Kanpur. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ElectionResults?src=hash">#ElectionResults</a> <a href="https://t.co/KfE5Dv10iq">pic.twitter.com/KfE5Dv10iq</a></p>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/840430373486043137">March 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>In fact one BJP member, former chief minister (CM) of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah, is so&nbsp;buoyed by early results he&#39;s already looking ahead to seven years down the road.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">At this rate we might as well forget 2019 &amp; start planning/hoping for 2024.</p>
&mdash; Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) <a href="https://twitter.com/abdullah_omar/status/840423721760313344">March 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Both in Lucknow and in Delhi the BJP are also in full on celebration mode, as&nbsp;poll results suggest an&nbsp;unsurpassble lead.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">BJP leading in Uttar Pradesh: Party workers celebrate in Lucknow <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ElectionResults?src=hash">#ElectionResults</a> <a href="https://t.co/SmmoBRNKSV">pic.twitter.com/SmmoBRNKSV</a></p>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/840409622825525248">March 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">UP ministers Azam Khan (from Rampur) and Gayatri Prajapati(from Amethi) leading <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ElectionResults?src=hash">#ElectionResults</a></p>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/840403690410266625">March 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Meanwhile the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance, currently getting trounced,&nbsp;has unsurprisingly been less joyful, but not without grace.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Conceding defeat even before all the results are officially in, SP member Naresh Agarwal has said,&nbsp;&quot;we respect people&#39;s mandate&quot;.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Samajwadi party&#39;s Naresh Agarwal concedes defeat in assembly polls in UP, says &quot;we respect people&#39;s mandate&quot; <a href="https://twitter.com/ETVUPLIVE">@ETVUPLIVE</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MANMOHAN_RAI24">@MANMOHAN_RAI24</a></p>
&mdash; Qazi Faraz Ahmad (@qazifarazahmad) <a href="https://twitter.com/qazifarazahmad/status/840430426233700352">March 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Rajiv Shukla also accepted&nbsp;the loss in a statement, but not without a little snipe.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We respect the mandate, but development has lost and votebank politics has won:Rajiv Shukla,Congress on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/uttarpradeshpolls2017?src=hash">#uttarpradeshpolls2017</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ir8CTqPvyD">pic.twitter.com/Ir8CTqPvyD</a></p>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/840438506409287680">March 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>At this point it would take some kind of&nbsp;miracle for things to change.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ElectionResults?src=hash">#ElectionResults</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BJP4UP">@BJP4UP</a> records 40.6% vote share so far in UP polls, <a href="https://twitter.com/BspUp2017">@BspUp2017</a> 22.3%, SP 21%, Congress 6.6% <a href="https://twitter.com/livemint">@livemint</a></p>
&mdash; Gireesh Chandra (@Firstday75) <a href="https://twitter.com/Firstday75/status/840420653417226240">March 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>More responses to come.</p>

<p>(WION)</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The BJP are already celebrating in Delhi, and one party member is already looking ahead to 2014

Assembly Election results have only been coming in for just a couple hours, but the early numbers couldn't be clearer, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is already celebrating in the streets. BJP leading in Uttar Pradesh: Party workers celebrate in Kanpur. #ElectionResults pic.twitter.com/KfE5Dv10iq — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 11, 2017 × In fact one BJP member, former chief minister (CM) of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah, is so buoyed by early results he's already looking ahead to seven years down the road. At this rate we might as well forget 2019 & start planning/hoping for 2024. — Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) March 11, 2017 × Both in Lucknow and in Delhi the BJP are also in full on celebration mode, as poll results suggest an unsurpassble lead. BJP leading in Uttar Pradesh: Party workers celebrate in Lucknow #ElectionResults pic.twitter.com/SmmoBRNKSV — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 11, 2017 × UP ministers Azam Khan (from Rampur) and Gayatri Prajapati(from Amethi) leading #ElectionResults — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 11, 2017 × Meanwhile the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance, currently getting trounced, has unsurprisingly been less joyful, but not without grace. Conceding defeat even before all the results are officially in, SP member Naresh Agarwal has said, "we respect people's mandate". Samajwadi party's Naresh Agarwal concedes defeat in assembly polls in UP, says "we respect people's mandate" @ETVUPLIVE @MANMOHAN_RAI24 — Qazi Faraz Ahmad (@qazifarazahmad) March 11, 2017 × Rajiv Shukla also accepted the loss in a statement, but not without a little snipe. We respect the mandate, but development has lost and votebank politics has won:Rajiv Shukla,Congress on #uttarpradeshpolls2017 pic.twitter.com/Ir8CTqPvyD — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 11, 2017 × At this point it would take some kind of miracle for things to change. #ElectionResults @BJP4UP records 40.6% vote share so far in UP polls, @BspUp2017 22.3%, SP 21%, Congress 6.6% @livemint — Gireesh Chandra (@Firstday75) March 11, 2017 × More responses to come. (WION)

Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections: Reactions are pouring in

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