Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has accused Sonia Gandhi of ignoring Telangana in her election speech in Medchal on Saturday.

K Kavitha, the daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, said, "Sonia Gandhi visited Telangana and spoke about other states rather than speaking on Telangana state."

The TRS MP from Nizamabad also called Sonia a mouthpiece of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.

"Sonia's worlds seem to be like Chandrababu Naidu's version. Congress party is trying to implement Andhra Pradesh state agenda in Telangana," Kavitha said.

It was under the Manmohan Singh government under Sonia Gandhi-led United Progressive Alliance that Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated in 2014 and Telangana was created with K Chandrasekhar Rao as its chief minister.

Further training guns at the Congress, Kavitha accused the party of practising double standards and said, "Sonia Gandhi claims one thing and speak quite the opposite of that in Telangana. But the TRS will always speak about the Telangana's rights and development."

The southern state will go to polls on December 7 to elect 119 members of the state assembly.

Kavitha urged people to attend the public meeting of Chief Minister Rao on November 26 and make it a grand success.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has accused Sonia Gandhi of ignoring Telangana in her election speech in Medchal on Saturday. K Kavitha, the daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, said, "Sonia Gandhi visited Telangana and spoke about other states rather than speaking on Telangana state.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has accused Sonia Gandhi of ignoring Telangana in her election speech in Medchal on Saturday. K Kavitha, the daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, said, "Sonia Gandhi visited Telangana and spoke about other states rather than speaking on Telangana state." The TRS MP from Nizamabad also called Sonia a mouthpiece of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. "Sonia's worlds seem to be like Chandrababu Naidu's version. Congress party is trying to implement Andhra Pradesh state agenda in Telangana," Kavitha said. It was under the Manmohan Singh government under Sonia Gandhi-led United Progressive Alliance that Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated in 2014 and Telangana was created with K Chandrasekhar Rao as its chief minister. Further training guns at the Congress, Kavitha accused the party of practising double standards and said, "Sonia Gandhi claims one thing and speak quite the opposite of that in Telangana. But the TRS will always speak about the Telangana's rights and development." The southern state will go to polls on December 7 to elect 119 members of the state assembly. Kavitha urged people to attend the public meeting of Chief Minister Rao on November 26 and make it a grand success.

TRS MP K Kavitha hits out at Sonia Gandhi, Congress

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Friday tore into Telangana's TRS government, saying it neglected minorities, women, students with Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao working only for himself and those close to him.

Development expected after Telangana's formation has not happened under TRS, she further said.

CM&nbsp;Rao cared only for himself and his own people leaving the child (Telangana) to suffer, she told an election rally at Medchal near in Telangana.

''Mothers know how important it is to look after a newborn baby. It is unfortunate that after the birth of Telangana, your responsibility fell into the hands of those who cared for themselves, but not for you,'' she said.

The UPA chairperson said that Congress is committed to special category status for Andhra Pradesh.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who also addressed the rally, said the TRS rule in Telangana was all set to end.

Only one man ran Telangana for five years; did everything to benefit his family, said, Rahul. &nbsp;

''When people of Telangana dreamed of forming the state, it was Sonia Gandhi Ji who stood by the people. If Telangana was formed, it was the public who formed it with their sweat and blood. Sonia Gandhi Ji also had a hand in its formation,'' added Rahul.&nbsp;

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Friday tore into Telangana's TRS government, saying it neglected minorities, women, students with Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao working only for himself and those close to him.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Friday tore into Telangana's TRS government, saying it neglected minorities, women, students with Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao working only for himself and those close to him. Development expected after Telangana's formation has not happened under TRS, she further said. CM Rao cared only for himself and his own people leaving the child (Telangana) to suffer, she told an election rally at Medchal near in Telangana. ''Mothers know how important it is to look after a newborn baby. It is unfortunate that after the birth of Telangana, your responsibility fell into the hands of those who cared for themselves, but not for you,'' she said. The UPA chairperson said that Congress is committed to special category status for Andhra Pradesh. Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who also addressed the rally, said the TRS rule in Telangana was all set to end. Only one man ran Telangana for five years; did everything to benefit his family, said, Rahul. ''When people of Telangana dreamed of forming the state, it was Sonia Gandhi Ji who stood by the people. If Telangana was formed, it was the public who formed it with their sweat and blood. Sonia Gandhi Ji also had a hand in its formation,'' added Rahul.

Sonia, Rahul slam TRS president Chandrasekhar Rao in his home turf

Delhi High Court has adjourned AJL (Associated Journals limited) plea seeking quashing Centre's order of eviction and told the Centre to maintain status quo till the next hearing on November 22.&nbsp;

Associated journals limited, the publishers of National Herald newspaper moved Delhi high court after they were asked to handover the possession to the centre by November 15. While the centre also warned that AJL's failure to vacate the premises will result in penalisation under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act, 1971.&nbsp;

The plea states that Centre's order for eviction is illegal, unconstitutional arbitrary, tainted with malafide and without authority and jurisdiction. However senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi arguing for the publisher (AJL) said that the prosecution had ulterior political motives.&nbsp;

On December 4th, Supreme Court bench of Justices AK Sikri and SA Nazeer will hear Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi’s appeal challenging Delhi High Court's order which had dismissed their pleas against IT departments reopening of their tax assessments for the year 2011-2012.&nbsp;

Delhi High Court has adjourned AJL (Associated Journals limited) plea seeking quashing Centre's order of eviction and told the Centre to maintain status quo till the next hearing on November 22.

Delhi High Court has adjourned AJL (Associated Journals limited) plea seeking quashing Centre's order of eviction and told the Centre to maintain status quo till the next hearing on November 22. Associated journals limited, the publishers of National Herald newspaper moved Delhi high court after they were asked to handover the possession to the centre by November 15. While the centre also warned that AJL's failure to vacate the premises will result in penalisation under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act, 1971. The plea states that Centre's order for eviction is illegal, unconstitutional arbitrary, tainted with malafide and without authority and jurisdiction. However senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi arguing for the publisher (AJL) said that the prosecution had ulterior political motives. On December 4th, Supreme Court bench of Justices AK Sikri and SA Nazeer will hear Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi’s appeal challenging Delhi High Court's order which had dismissed their pleas against IT departments reopening of their tax assessments for the year 2011-2012.

National Herald case: Maintain status quo till the next hearing, High Court to Centre

The Supreme Court Tuesday fixed December 4 for final arguments in the petitions filed by Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi challenging the Delhi High Court's order related to a case of re-opening of their 2011-12 tax assessments.

The high court had refused to give them relief in the case, giving the opportunity to the Income Tax (I-T) Department to scrutinise their records.

The Supreme Court did not issue any notice on their petitions as the I-T department was represented by its counsel.

The department had filed a caveat in the apex court that it should be heard if any appeal is filed against the high court order.

A caveat is a legal procedure by which an application is filed by any party to the litigation to pre-empt an ex-parte order.

After a brief hearing, a bench comprising justices A K Sikri and S A Abdul Nazeer said, "Since the respondent (I-T department) has put in an appearance, we are not issuing a formal notice. However, we are fixing the matter for final arguments on December 4."&nbsp;

The appeals were filed by Rahul, Sonia and veteran Congress leader Oscar Fernandes. They have challenged the September 10 verdict of the high court.

The income tax matter against the Congress leaders is linked to the National Herald case in which they are also facing a criminal case.

Senior advocates P Chidambaram, Kapil Sibal and Arvind Datar appeared for the Congress leaders.&nbsp;

When Chidambaram tried to make a submission by narrating the backgrounds leading to the income tax case, the bench said, "We are not concerned with the background but the question here is about the notice (issued by the I-T department) of the reassessment of income tax. The issue is whether the notice is valid or not".&nbsp;

At the outset, the bench was of the view that the Gandhis can raise the issue before the assessing officer.&nbsp;

However, Chidambaram said the question is about the income tax notice to them and it has to be determined whether it is correct or not.&nbsp;

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the I-T department, said the premise raised by the Gandhis and Fernandes is wrong.&nbsp;But, the bench said the issues raised in the petitions requires consideration. During the hearing, the bench also said there are two options.&nbsp;

"We will issue notice but we will say that assessing officer will proceed with the assessment. However, the final decision will not be given effect to and be placed before this court.&nbsp;

"The second option is we will hear the matter after two weeks and you all can assist us. The high court judgment is lengthy", the bench said.&nbsp;

On September 10, the Gandhis had failed to get any relief from the Delhi High Court which dismissed their challenge on reopening of their tax assessments for 2011-12.

Denial of any relief by the high court had paved the way for the I-T department to scrutinise the Congress leaders records for the assessment year.

"...The assessees' rights to urge them are reserved in the income tax proceedings," the high court had said, while "dismissing" the three separate petitions filed by Gandhis and Fernandes, which were decided through a common order.

The income tax probe against the Congress leaders has arisen from the investigation into the private criminal complaint filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy before a trial court in connection with the National Herald case, in which the trio is out on bail.

Sonia and Rahul were granted bail in the case by the trial court on December 19, 2015.

A tax evasion petition (TEP) was also addressed to the finance minister by Swamy.

In the complaint before the trial court, Sonia, Rahul and others have been accused of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by paying just Rs 50 lakh, through which Young Indian (YI), a not-for-profit organisation, had obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that the Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) owed to the Congress party.

It was alleged that YI, which was incorporated in November 2010 with a capital of Rs 50 lakh, had acquired almost all shareholdings of the AJL, which was running the National Herald newspaper.

In this process, YI had also acquired AJL's debt of Rs 90 crore.

The tax department had said the shares Rahul has in YI would lead him to have an income of Rs 154 crore and not about Rs 68 lakh, as was assessed earlier.

It has already issued a demand notice for Rs 249.15 crore to YI for the assessment year 2011-12.

The department's move followed its probe on a complaint alleging that the Gandhis had misappropriated AJL's assets while transferring their shares to the newly formed YI.

The high court had noted in its order that the premise of the reassessment notices was that the non-disclosure of the taxing event-- allotment of shares of YI-- deprived the assessing officer of the opportunity to look into the records.

It had said that in Rahul's case, the non-disclosure of share acquisition constituted tangible material justifying reassessment.

In case of Sonia and Oscar, the bench said returns filed by them were processed under Section 143(1) of the Income Tax Act, which pertains to 'Notice or intimation', and are not treated as "assessments".

The Supreme Court Tuesday fixed December 4 for final arguments in the petitions filed by Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi challenging the Delhi High Court's order related to a case of re-opening of their 2011-12 tax assessments.

The Supreme Court Tuesday fixed December 4 for final arguments in the petitions filed by Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi challenging the Delhi High Court's order related to a case of re-opening of their 2011-12 tax assessments. The high court had refused to give them relief in the case, giving the opportunity to the Income Tax (I-T) Department to scrutinise their records. The Supreme Court did not issue any notice on their petitions as the I-T department was represented by its counsel. The department had filed a caveat in the apex court that it should be heard if any appeal is filed against the high court order. A caveat is a legal procedure by which an application is filed by any party to the litigation to pre-empt an ex-parte order. After a brief hearing, a bench comprising justices A K Sikri and S A Abdul Nazeer said, "Since the respondent (I-T department) has put in an appearance, we are not issuing a formal notice. However, we are fixing the matter for final arguments on December 4." The appeals were filed by Rahul, Sonia and veteran Congress leader Oscar Fernandes. They have challenged the September 10 verdict of the high court. The income tax matter against the Congress leaders is linked to the National Herald case in which they are also facing a criminal case. Senior advocates P Chidambaram, Kapil Sibal and Arvind Datar appeared for the Congress leaders. When Chidambaram tried to make a submission by narrating the backgrounds leading to the income tax case, the bench said, "We are not concerned with the background but the question here is about the notice (issued by the I-T department) of the reassessment of income tax. The issue is whether the notice is valid or not". At the outset, the bench was of the view that the Gandhis can raise the issue before the assessing officer. However, Chidambaram said the question is about the income tax notice to them and it has to be determined whether it is correct or not. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the I-T department, said the premise raised by the Gandhis and Fernandes is wrong. But, the bench said the issues raised in the petitions requires consideration. During the hearing, the bench also said there are two options. "We will issue notice but we will say that assessing officer will proceed with the assessment. However, the final decision will not be given effect to and be placed before this court. "The second option is we will hear the matter after two weeks and you all can assist us. The high court judgment is lengthy", the bench said. On September 10, the Gandhis had failed to get any relief from the Delhi High Court which dismissed their challenge on reopening of their tax assessments for 2011-12. Denial of any relief by the high court had paved the way for the I-T department to scrutinise the Congress leaders records for the assessment year. "...The assessees' rights to urge them are reserved in the income tax proceedings," the high court had said, while "dismissing" the three separate petitions filed by Gandhis and Fernandes, which were decided through a common order. The income tax probe against the Congress leaders has arisen from the investigation into the private criminal complaint filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy before a trial court in connection with the National Herald case, in which the trio is out on bail. Sonia and Rahul were granted bail in the case by the trial court on December 19, 2015. A tax evasion petition (TEP) was also addressed to the finance minister by Swamy. In the complaint before the trial court, Sonia, Rahul and others have been accused of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by paying just Rs 50 lakh, through which Young Indian (YI), a not-for-profit organisation, had obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that the Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) owed to the Congress party. It was alleged that YI, which was incorporated in November 2010 with a capital of Rs 50 lakh, had acquired almost all shareholdings of the AJL, which was running the National Herald newspaper. In this process, YI had also acquired AJL's debt of Rs 90 crore. The tax department had said the shares Rahul has in YI would lead him to have an income of Rs 154 crore and not about Rs 68 lakh, as was assessed earlier. It has already issued a demand notice for Rs 249.15 crore to YI for the assessment year 2011-12. The department's move followed its probe on a complaint alleging that the Gandhis had misappropriated AJL's assets while transferring their shares to the newly formed YI. The high court had noted in its order that the premise of the reassessment notices was that the non-disclosure of the taxing event-- allotment of shares of YI-- deprived the assessing officer of the opportunity to look into the records. It had said that in Rahul's case, the non-disclosure of share acquisition constituted tangible material justifying reassessment. In case of Sonia and Oscar, the bench said returns filed by them were processed under Section 143(1) of the Income Tax Act, which pertains to 'Notice or intimation', and are not treated as "assessments".

SC to hear final arguments in IT case against Rahul, Sonia on December 4

Former Congress President Sonia Gandhi will campaign in Telangana on November 23, reported news agency ANI.&nbsp;

The Congress leader will address a rally in Warangal during the campaign, the report added.&nbsp;

Similarly, Congress president Rahul Gandhi will campaign in Telangana's Mahbubnagar and Khammam on November 28, 29, the report added. &nbsp;

Telangana Assembly polls will be held on December 7.&nbsp;

Telangana Chief Electoral Officer Rajat Kumar on Saturday said that the filing of nominations will start from November 12.&nbsp;

Telangana will go to polls on December 7.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao dissolved the Assembly on September 6 and called for early state elections. &nbsp;

Former Congress President Sonia Gandhi will campaign in Telangana on November 23, reported news agency ANI. The Congress leader will address a rally in Warangal during the campaign, the report added.

Former Congress President Sonia Gandhi will campaign in Telangana on November 23, reported news agency ANI. The Congress leader will address a rally in Warangal during the campaign, the report added. Similarly, Congress president Rahul Gandhi will campaign in Telangana's Mahbubnagar and Khammam on November 28, 29, the report added. Telangana Assembly polls will be held on December 7. Telangana Chief Electoral Officer Rajat Kumar on Saturday said that the filing of nominations will start from November 12. Telangana will go to polls on December 7. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao dissolved the Assembly on September 6 and called for early state elections.

Sonia Gandhi to campaign in Telangana on November 23

Congress president Rahul Gandhi Friday said he will become prime minister if allies want him but the first step is for all parties to get together and defeat the ruling BJP.

It's a two-stage process and a decision on who will be prime minister comes second, Gandhi said.&nbsp;

"We have had discussions with allies and what we decided is that this is a two-stage process stage -- one is to get together and defeat BJP and stage two is, once the election is over then we will decide what happens," the Congress president explained.&nbsp;

Probed further about the possibility of him becoming prime minister, Gandhi said, "If they (allies) want me, sure... I will."

The Congress chief, who was speaking at the HT Leadership Summit, answered questions on a range of issues, including his temple visits and the RSS.

Gandhi said he has been going to temples, gurdwaras and mosques for years, but the issue of his visits to temples has suddenly been publicised.&nbsp;

"I guess BJP doesn't like it. It infuriates them. BJP feels only they can go to temples, he said.

He said he has developed a thick skin. He can understand the criticism and is not disturbed by it. "My response is to listen."

"Leadership is an evolution. It is something which is constantly changing and you learn. At least in my evolution, I am going much more into listening to people and trying to understand them," Gandhi said.

He added that while he does not see India in blocks, he believes every Indian is a stakeholder.

Taking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP and its ideological mentor RSS, Gandhi said a single, suffocating ideology is being imposed upon 1.2 billion Indians. "The ideological centre that is fighting the BJP can only be the Congress," he said.

"I am ready to take criticisms and questions. Why can't the prime minister do the same. India desperately needs healing and listening and all sections want it," he said.

Asked about the difference between his leadership style and that of his mother, Sonia Gandhi, the Congress president said, "I have learnt a lot from her, she has taught me to be patient. I used to be much more impatient. She tells me how to be patient, sometimes I tell her she is too patient."&nbsp;

"She goes by gut feeling and I go by thinking," Gandhi said.&nbsp;

He added that he now listens more, like his mother.

Replying to a question about whether there is anyone special in his life, Gandhi smiled and replied that he has a lot of special people in his life, like his mother and sister.

He also attacked the government on various fronts, including demonetisation, foreign policy and governance.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi Friday said he will become prime minister if allies want him but the first step is for all parties to get together and defeat the ruling BJP.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi Friday said he will become prime minister if allies want him but the first step is for all parties to get together and defeat the ruling BJP. It's a two-stage process and a decision on who will be prime minister comes second, Gandhi said. "We have had discussions with allies and what we decided is that this is a two-stage process stage -- one is to get together and defeat BJP and stage two is, once the election is over then we will decide what happens," the Congress president explained. Probed further about the possibility of him becoming prime minister, Gandhi said, "If they (allies) want me, sure... I will." The Congress chief, who was speaking at the HT Leadership Summit, answered questions on a range of issues, including his temple visits and the RSS. Gandhi said he has been going to temples, gurdwaras and mosques for years, but the issue of his visits to temples has suddenly been publicised. "I guess BJP doesn't like it. It infuriates them. BJP feels only they can go to temples, he said. He said he has developed a thick skin. He can understand the criticism and is not disturbed by it. "My response is to listen." "Leadership is an evolution. It is something which is constantly changing and you learn. At least in my evolution, I am going much more into listening to people and trying to understand them," Gandhi said. He added that while he does not see India in blocks, he believes every Indian is a stakeholder. Taking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP and its ideological mentor RSS, Gandhi said a single, suffocating ideology is being imposed upon 1.2 billion Indians. "The ideological centre that is fighting the BJP can only be the Congress," he said. "I am ready to take criticisms and questions. Why can't the prime minister do the same. India desperately needs healing and listening and all sections want it," he said. Asked about the difference between his leadership style and that of his mother, Sonia Gandhi, the Congress president said, "I have learnt a lot from her, she has taught me to be patient. I used to be much more impatient. She tells me how to be patient, sometimes I tell her she is too patient." "She goes by gut feeling and I go by thinking," Gandhi said. He added that he now listens more, like his mother. Replying to a question about whether there is anyone special in his life, Gandhi smiled and replied that he has a lot of special people in his life, like his mother and sister. He also attacked the government on various fronts, including demonetisation, foreign policy and governance.

If allies want me, I will: Rahul Gandhi on becoming PM

Senior Congress leader Motilal Vora Saturday told a Delhi court that BJP leader Subramanian Swamy was trying to influence the proceedings in the National Herald case by commenting on social media.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal was told by senior advocate R S Cheema, appearing for Vora, that Swamy was indulging in "character assassination" of the accused persons by tweeting.

"The complainant (Swamy) is also insulting the lawyers appearing for the accused persons and trying to influence the ongoing probe by commenting on the merits of the case," the counsel said.

Vora, also represented by advocate Tarannum Cheema, requested the court to pass an injunction order restraining Swamy from tweeting about the case.

The court has put up the matter for further hearing on October 20 when Swamy will respond to the application.

The BJP leader, in a private criminal complaint, has accused the Gandhis and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by paying just Rs 50 lakh, through which Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YI) obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that Associate Journals Ltd owed to the Congress.

He has filed the case against Vora, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi, and others.

Swamy had earlier accused Vora of wasting the court's time by filing frivolous applications&nbsp;in the case.

In an application, Vora said he has time and again noticed that the complainant (Swamy) has been putting up various posts on social media regarding the daily proceedings of the instant case for the purpose of causing defamation of the accused and vilification of the court process.

Vora has also alleged that Swamy had been indulging in "loud and persistent publicity", amounting to an interference with the administration of justice.

The application said, before and after every date of hearing he (Swamy) unleashes hostile publicity through tweets, posts on social media or statements to the media.

All the seven accused&nbsp;the Gandhis, Motilal Vora (AICC treasurer), Oscar Fernandes (AICC general secretary), Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda and YI have denied the allegations levelled against them in the case.

The court had summoned the accused persons, besides YI, on June 26, 2014.

On December 19, 2015, it had granted bail to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Vora, Fernandes and Dubey, who had appeared before it pursuant to summonses.&nbsp;

Pitroda was also granted bail on February 20, 2016 when he had appeared in the court.

Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Vora, Fernandes, Dubey and Pitroda had been summoned for the alleged offences of misappropriation of property, criminal breach of trust and cheating, read with criminal conspiracy of the Indian Penal Code.&nbsp;

Senior Congress leader Motilal Vora Saturday told a Delhi court that BJP leader Subramanian Swamy was trying to influence the proceedings in the National Herald case by commenting on social media.

Senior Congress leader Motilal Vora Saturday told a Delhi court that BJP leader Subramanian Swamy was trying to influence the proceedings in the National Herald case by commenting on social media. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal was told by senior advocate R S Cheema, appearing for Vora, that Swamy was indulging in "character assassination" of the accused persons by tweeting. "The complainant (Swamy) is also insulting the lawyers appearing for the accused persons and trying to influence the ongoing probe by commenting on the merits of the case," the counsel said. Vora, also represented by advocate Tarannum Cheema, requested the court to pass an injunction order restraining Swamy from tweeting about the case. The court has put up the matter for further hearing on October 20 when Swamy will respond to the application. The BJP leader, in a private criminal complaint, has accused the Gandhis and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by paying just Rs 50 lakh, through which Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YI) obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that Associate Journals Ltd owed to the Congress. He has filed the case against Vora, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi, and others. Swamy had earlier accused Vora of wasting the court's time by filing frivolous applications in the case. In an application, Vora said he has time and again noticed that the complainant (Swamy) has been putting up various posts on social media regarding the daily proceedings of the instant case for the purpose of causing defamation of the accused and vilification of the court process. Vora has also alleged that Swamy had been indulging in "loud and persistent publicity", amounting to an interference with the administration of justice. The application said, before and after every date of hearing he (Swamy) unleashes hostile publicity through tweets, posts on social media or statements to the media. All the seven accused the Gandhis, Motilal Vora (AICC treasurer), Oscar Fernandes (AICC general secretary), Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda and YI have denied the allegations levelled against them in the case. The court had summoned the accused persons, besides YI, on June 26, 2014. On December 19, 2015, it had granted bail to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Vora, Fernandes and Dubey, who had appeared before it pursuant to summonses. Pitroda was also granted bail on February 20, 2016 when he had appeared in the court. Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Vora, Fernandes, Dubey and Pitroda had been summoned for the alleged offences of misappropriation of property, criminal breach of trust and cheating, read with criminal conspiracy of the Indian Penal Code.

Swamy trying to influence National Herald case proceedings by tweeting: Vora tells court

A Delhi court on Saturday allowed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy to summon those documents, officials after examination, as evidence in the National Herald case.

The court has also disallowed Swamy's petition in the case seeking Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi to either admit or deny the documents filed by him on whether they are originals.

Meanwhile, Swamy said, "What Court is saying is that instead of accused confirming or denying, you move the evidence becoming a witness yourself and summon documents and witnesses who are competent and at that stage, we'll decide on the admissibility of the documents."

Swamy, petitioner in the case had filed three applications in which he had accused Rahul and Sonia Gandhi and others of allegedly misappropriating funds.

On January 20, the court of metropolitan magistrate Ambika Singh had ordered the documents submitted by the petitioner in the case, Swamy, to be kept in a sealed cover till next hearing.

Swamy, in his plea, alleged that the Congress party granted an interest-free loan of Rs. 90.25 crore to Associated Journals Limited (AJL), owner of the National Herald newspaper. In November last year, the two Congress leaders filed their response to the application filed by Swamy.

In the response, they stated that the application filed by Swamy was not bonafide and filled with the sole object of "delaying the proceedings in a lifeless case".&nbsp;

Swamy, petitioner in the case had filed three applications in which he had accused Rahul and Sonia Gandhi and others of allegedly misappropriating funds

A Delhi court on Saturday allowed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy to summon those documents, officials after examination, as evidence in the National Herald case. The court has also disallowed Swamy's petition in the case seeking Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi to either admit or deny the documents filed by him on whether they are originals. Meanwhile, Swamy said, "What Court is saying is that instead of accused confirming or denying, you move the evidence becoming a witness yourself and summon documents and witnesses who are competent and at that stage, we'll decide on the admissibility of the documents." Swamy, petitioner in the case had filed three applications in which he had accused Rahul and Sonia Gandhi and others of allegedly misappropriating funds. On January 20, the court of metropolitan magistrate Ambika Singh had ordered the documents submitted by the petitioner in the case, Swamy, to be kept in a sealed cover till next hearing. Swamy, in his plea, alleged that the Congress party granted an interest-free loan of Rs. 90.25 crore to Associated Journals Limited (AJL), owner of the National Herald newspaper. In November last year, the two Congress leaders filed their response to the application filed by Swamy. In the response, they stated that the application filed by Swamy was not bonafide and filled with the sole object of "delaying the proceedings in a lifeless case".

National Herald: Court allows Swamy to summon papers

The final Congress-JD(S) deal is expected to be hammered out today in Bengaluru.&nbsp;

The JD(S)'s HD Kumaraswamy — who will be sworn in as chief minister of Karnataka on Wednesday — met Sonia Gandhi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday in Delhi.&nbsp;

Rahul described the meeting as "cordial".&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/congress-jds-win-in-karnataka-encouraging-formation-of-federal-front-against-bjp-138306">Congress-JD(S) win in Karnataka encouraging formation of 'federal front' against BJP</a>

But issues remain.&nbsp;

The Congress for one reportedly wants two deputy chief ministers. The Congress has 78 MLAs in Karnataka, the JD(S) has 37. (The latter won 38 seats but Kumaraswamy had contested, and won, from two seats.)&nbsp;

The Congress believes having two deputy CMs will even out the balance of power.&nbsp;

The JD(S) would rather have one.&nbsp;

The speaker's post, however, news reports said Tuesday, will go to the Congress.&nbsp;

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Speaker for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Karnataka?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Karnataka</a> Assembly will be from Congress. Name likely to be announced by evening by local leaders: Sources
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/998815050180710400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The Congress is also expected to get anywhere up to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/kumaraswamy-to-meet-sonia-rahul-today-in-delhi-congress-may-get-20-seats-in-karnatakas-33-member-cabinet-138488">20 seats</a> in the 33-member Karnataka cabinet.&nbsp;

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I had a warm and cordial meeting this evening, in Delhi, with Shri H D Kumaraswamy ji. We discussed the political situation in Karnataka and other matters of mutual interest. I will be attending his swearing in as CM of Karnataka, on Wednesday, in Bengaluru. <a href="https://t.co/sZAwX8mQut">pic.twitter.com/sZAwX8mQut</a>
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/998573614508249089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The reports added that the parties are also likely to set up a coordination committee and to draft a common minimum programme.

The reports quoted Kumaraswamy as saying that Rahul had "cleared the modalities". And that AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka KC&nbsp;Venugopal would hammer out the final details today in Bengaluru.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The JD(S)'s HD Kumaraswamy — who will be sworn in as chief minister of Karnataka on Wednesday — met Sonia Gandhi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday in Delhi

The final Congress-JD(S) deal is expected to be hammered out today in Bengaluru. The JD(S)'s HD Kumaraswamy — who will be sworn in as chief minister of Karnataka on Wednesday — met Sonia Gandhi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday in Delhi. Rahul described the meeting as "cordial". Also read: Congress-JD(S) win in Karnataka encouraging formation of 'federal front' against BJP But issues remain. The Congress for one reportedly wants two deputy chief ministers. The Congress has 78 MLAs in Karnataka, the JD(S) has 37. (The latter won 38 seats but Kumaraswamy had contested, and won, from two seats.) The Congress believes having two deputy CMs will even out the balance of power. The JD(S) would rather have one. The speaker's post, however, news reports said Tuesday, will go to the Congress. Speaker for #Karnataka Assembly will be from Congress. Name likely to be announced by evening by local leaders: Sources — ANI (@ANI) May 22, 2018 × The Congress is also expected to get anywhere up to 20 seats in the 33-member Karnataka cabinet. I had a warm and cordial meeting this evening, in Delhi, with Shri H D Kumaraswamy ji. We discussed the political situation in Karnataka and other matters of mutual interest. I will be attending his swearing in as CM of Karnataka, on Wednesday, in Bengaluru. pic.twitter.com/sZAwX8mQut — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 21, 2018 × The reports added that the parties are also likely to set up a coordination committee and to draft a common minimum programme. The reports quoted Kumaraswamy as saying that Rahul had "cleared the modalities". And that AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka KC Venugopal would hammer out the final details today in Bengaluru.

Karnataka: Final Congress-JD(S) deal to be hammered out today

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/kumaraswamy-to-meet-sonia-rahul-today-in-delhi-congress-may-get-20-seats-in-karnatakas-33-member-cabinet-138488">Kumaraswamy to meet Sonia, Rahul today in Delhi Cong may get 20 seats in Karnataka cabinet, JD(S) 13</a>

HD Kumaraswamy, who will be sworn in as Chief Minister of Karnataka on Wednesday, will be in Delhi today to meet Sonia Gandhi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-demands-probe-of-alleged-spying-on-his-campaign-138487">Trump says his presidential campaign was spied on, demands probe</a>

US President Donald Trump demanded Sunday that the Justice Department investigate whether his presidential campaign was "infiltrated" or spied on for political purposes, prompting it to announce it would look into those issues.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-installing-viewing-stands-for-audience-to-watch-dismantling-nuclear-site--138481">North Korea installing viewing stands for </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-installing-viewing-stands-for-audience-to-watch-dismantling-nuclear-site--138481">audience</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-installing-viewing-stands-for-audience-to-watch-dismantling-nuclear-site--138481"> to watch </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-installing-viewing-stands-for-audience-to-watch-dismantling-nuclear-site--138481">dismantling</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-installing-viewing-stands-for-audience-to-watch-dismantling-nuclear-site--138481"> of </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-installing-viewing-stands-for-audience-to-watch-dismantling-nuclear-site--138481">nuclear</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-installing-viewing-stands-for-audience-to-watch-dismantling-nuclear-site--138481"> test site</a>

North Korea has now decided to set up stands for viewers to watch the dismantling of its nuclear test site through satellite imagery between Wednesday (May 23) and Friday (May 25).

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-teen-domestic-help-asks-for-salary-is-chopped-into-pieces-138502">Delhi: Teen domestic help asks for salary, is chopped into pieces</a>

A 16-year-old girl was killed and her body was chopped into three pieces by the person who had brought her from Jharkhand to get her employed as a domestic help in Delhi, after she demanded her salary, police said on Sunday.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-brazilian-woman-swallows-106-cocaine-pills-in-smuggling-bid--138484">Delhi: Brazil woman who swallowed 106 cocaine pills caught at </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-brazilian-woman-swallows-106-cocaine-pills-in-smuggling-bid--138484">airport</a>

A 25-year-old Brazilian woman was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau from Indira Gandhi International Airport after she was caught smuggling cocaine that she had swallowed

Kumaraswamy to meet Sonia, Rahul today in Delhi Cong may get 20 seats in Karnataka cabinet, JD(S) 13 HD Kumaraswamy, who will be sworn in as Chief Minister of Karnataka on Wednesday, will be in Delhi today to meet Sonia Gandhi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi. Trump says his presidential campaign was spied on, demands probe US President Donald Trump demanded Sunday that the Justice Department investigate whether his presidential campaign was "infiltrated" or spied on for political purposes, prompting it to announce it would look into those issues. North Korea installing viewing stands for audience to watch dismantling of nuclear test site North Korea has now decided to set up stands for viewers to watch the dismantling of its nuclear test site through satellite imagery between Wednesday (May 23) and Friday (May 25). Delhi: Teen domestic help asks for salary, is chopped into pieces A 16-year-old girl was killed and her body was chopped into three pieces by the person who had brought her from Jharkhand to get her employed as a domestic help in Delhi, after she demanded her salary, police said on Sunday. Delhi: Brazil woman who swallowed 106 cocaine pills caught at airport A 25-year-old Brazilian woman was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau from Indira Gandhi International Airport after she was caught smuggling cocaine that she had swallowed

News brief: Big stories of the day

Karnataka CM-designate and&nbspJDS' (Janata Dal (Secular) HD Kumaraswamy on Sunday said he will be meeting Congress president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Monday, according to news agency ANI.

The JD(S) leader will also hold discussions on Cabinet expansion and how to establish a stable government in Karnataka with both, ANI added

''Tomorrow I will be going to Delhi, where I will meet Sonia ji and Rahul ji. We will decide about cabinet expansion. I will discuss everything with them on how to give a stable government for the next 5 years,'' Kumaraswamy said.&nbsp

Karnataka Governor Vajubhai R Vala on Saturday invited JD(S)&nbsplegislative party leader HD Kumaraswamy to form the next government in the state, following the resignation of BJP's BS Yeddyurappa ahead of his trust vote.

"The Governor has invited me to form the next government as the leader of the JD-S legislative party with the support of the Congress, which is our alliance partner," Kumaraswamy told reporters after meeting Vala at Raj Bhavan and staked claim to power after the three-day BJP government fell.

The Governor had given Kumaraswamy&nbsp15 days to prove majority in the 224-member legislative assembly, whose strength is currently 222.

Kumaraswamy who was earlier slated to take oath as the Chief Minister of Karnataka on May 21 between 12 noon and 1 pm-- will now swear-in on May 23.

Speaking to ANI, HD Kumaraswamy reasoned, "We are going to take oath on Wednesday, May 23, as Monday (May 21) is Rajiv Gandhi's death anniversary and so that is not a proper date."

The JD(S) leader will also hold discussions on Cabinet expansion and how to establish a stable government in Karnataka

Karnataka CM-designate and&nbspJDS' (Janata Dal (Secular) HD Kumaraswamy on Sunday said he will be meeting Congress president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Monday, according to news agency ANI. The JD(S) leader will also hold discussions on Cabinet expansion and how to establish a stable government in Karnataka with both, ANI added ''Tomorrow I will be going to Delhi, where I will meet Sonia ji and Rahul ji. We will decide about cabinet expansion. I will discuss everything with them on how to give a stable government for the next 5 years,'' Kumaraswamy said. Karnataka Governor Vajubhai R Vala on Saturday invited JD(S)&nbsplegislative party leader HD Kumaraswamy to form the next government in the state, following the resignation of BJP's BS Yeddyurappa ahead of his trust vote. "The Governor has invited me to form the next government as the leader of the JD-S legislative party with the support of the Congress, which is our alliance partner," Kumaraswamy told reporters after meeting Vala at Raj Bhavan and staked claim to power after the three-day BJP government fell. The Governor had given Kumaraswamy&nbsp15 days to prove majority in the 224-member legislative assembly, whose strength is currently 222. Kumaraswamy who was earlier slated to take oath as the Chief Minister of Karnataka on May 21 between 12 noon and 1 pm-- will now swear-in on May 23. Speaking to ANI, HD Kumaraswamy reasoned, "We are going to take oath on Wednesday, May 23, as Monday (May 21) is Rajiv Gandhi's death anniversary and so that is not a proper date."

HD Kumaraswamy to meet Sonia, Rahul tomorrow in Delhi

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. 
&nbsp; 
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.

&nbsp;

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

The JD(S) said Tuesday that it was doing "doing everything to keep BJP out of power" in Karnataka after the Congress offered it support to form a government in the state.&nbsp;

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"Congress has extended its support, we have accepted it. We will jointly go to meet governor after 5.30 pm today," ANI quoted JD(S) spokesman Danish Ali as saying.&nbsp;

The Congress' Ghulam Nabi Azad had announced earlier on Tuesday that his party had offered&nbsp;support to the JD(S).&nbsp;

"We had a telephonic conversation with Deve Gowda ji&nbsp;and Kumaraswamy. They have accepted our offer. Hopefully, we will be together," Azad said.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Karnataka has a total of 224 assembly seats, but only 222 seats went to the polls this election. (Voting was postponed in two seats.)

The halfway mark then is 112 seats.&nbsp;

Official EC trends at the moment say the BJP has won or is leading in 104 seats, the Congress in 78, the JD(S)+ in 37, and Others 3.&nbsp;

That would give the JD(S)-Congress a total of 115 seats.&nbsp;

News reports had said earlier that former Congress President Sonia Gandhi had spoken&nbsp;with Ghulam Nabi Azad, who then spoke with JD(S) leader HD Deve Gowda and his son HD Kumaraswamy.&nbsp;

Azad said he had told Gowda and Kumaraswamy that the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/in-case-of-hung-verdict-both-siddaramaiah--yeddyurappa-may-have-to-give-up-karnataka-cm-ambitions-136655">picking of a chief minister</a> would be left to them.&nbsp;

Should the JD(S) accept the Congress' offer, it is expected that Kumaraswamy will take the CM's post.&nbsp;

The Congress' KC Venugopal meanwhile said the JD(S) and Congress would together meet the governor in the evening today to stake their claim to forming a government in the state.&nbsp;

&nbsp;What happens next will depend&nbsp;on the governor, Vajubhai Vala. Vala was appointed by the Modi government four years ago.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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We had a telephonic conversation with Deve Gowda ji & Kumaraswamy. They have accepted our offer. Hopefully, we will be together: Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KarnatakaElections2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KarnatakaElections2018</a> <a href="https://t.co/OemBerpX7r">pic.twitter.com/OemBerpX7r</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/996320637332275200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
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We (Congress & JDS) are jointly meeting the Governor in the evening today: KC Venugopal, Congress. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KarnatakaElections2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KarnatakaElections2018</a> <a href="https://t.co/jUd5cVaSNu">pic.twitter.com/jUd5cVaSNu</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/996321482300010496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
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News reports Tuesday meanwhile said the BJP too had reached out to Deve Gowda.&nbsp;

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JP Nadda, Dharmendra Pradhan & Prakash Javadekar are going to Bengaluru today. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KarnatakaElections2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KarnatakaElections2018</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/996329945793155072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

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JD(S) had always maintained that HD Kumaraswamy will be CM. As per results, we're doing everything to keep BJP out of power. Congress has extended its support, we have accepted it. We will jointly go to meet Governor after 5.30 pm today: Danish Ali, JD(S) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KarnatakaElections2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KarnatakaElections2018</a> <a href="https://t.co/qCfgOhGM9t">pic.twitter.com/qCfgOhGM9t</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/996330925909725184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

&nbsp;

 
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The Congress' Ghulam Nabi Azad said the picking of a chief minister would be left to the JD(S)

The JD(S) said Tuesday that it was doing "doing everything to keep BJP out of power" in Karnataka after the Congress offered it support to form a government in the state. × "Congress has extended its support, we have accepted it. We will jointly go to meet governor after 5.30 pm today," ANI quoted JD(S) spokesman Danish Ali as saying. The Congress' Ghulam Nabi Azad had announced earlier on Tuesday that his party had offered support to the JD(S). "We had a telephonic conversation with Deve Gowda ji and Kumaraswamy. They have accepted our offer. Hopefully, we will be together," Azad said. Karnataka has a total of 224 assembly seats, but only 222 seats went to the polls this election. (Voting was postponed in two seats.) The halfway mark then is 112 seats. Official EC trends at the moment say the BJP has won or is leading in 104 seats, the Congress in 78, the JD(S)+ in 37, and Others 3. That would give the JD(S)-Congress a total of 115 seats. News reports had said earlier that former Congress President Sonia Gandhi had spoken with Ghulam Nabi Azad, who then spoke with JD(S) leader HD Deve Gowda and his son HD Kumaraswamy. Azad said he had told Gowda and Kumaraswamy that the picking of a chief minister would be left to them. Should the JD(S) accept the Congress' offer, it is expected that Kumaraswamy will take the CM's post. The Congress' KC Venugopal meanwhile said the JD(S) and Congress would together meet the governor in the evening today to stake their claim to forming a government in the state. What happens next will depend on the governor, Vajubhai Vala. Vala was appointed by the Modi government four years ago. We had a telephonic conversation with Deve Gowda ji & Kumaraswamy. They have accepted our offer. Hopefully, we will be together: Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress. #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/OemBerpX7r — ANI (@ANI) May 15, 2018 × We (Congress & JDS) are jointly meeting the Governor in the evening today: KC Venugopal, Congress. #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/jUd5cVaSNu — ANI (@ANI) May 15, 2018 × News reports Tuesday meanwhile said the BJP too had reached out to Deve Gowda. JP Nadda, Dharmendra Pradhan & Prakash Javadekar are going to Bengaluru today. #KarnatakaElections2018 — ANI (@ANI) May 15, 2018 × JD(S) had always maintained that HD Kumaraswamy will be CM. As per results, we're doing everything to keep BJP out of power. Congress has extended its support, we have accepted it. We will jointly go to meet Governor after 5.30 pm today: Danish Ali, JD(S) #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/qCfgOhGM9t — ANI (@ANI) May 15, 2018 ×

'Doing everything to keep BJP out of power,' says JD(S)

Congress President Rahul Gandhi responded Thursday to Prime Minister Modi's and the BJP's frequent jibes about his mother's Italian heritage. &nbsp;

"My mother is Italian. She has lived a large part of her life in India. She is more Indian than many people I see," Rahul said.&nbsp;

He was speaking to reporters in Bengaluru after winding up his campaigning for the Karnataka polls.&nbsp;

Today is the last day of campaigning. The state which goes to the polls on May 12.&nbsp;

Sonia had been in Karnataka earlier this week to address a campaign rally. She said there that Modi "<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/karnataka-elections-sonia-hits-campaign-trail-after-2-years-says-wherever-modi-goes-he-distorts-historical-facts-135515">distorts facts</a>".&nbsp;

Ahead of her visit, the BJP had tweeted: “Today, Ms. Antonio Maino is here in K’taka to save her last citadel from falling! Madam Maino, K’taka needs no lessons from the person who was solely responsible for wasting India’s 10 precious years. And to Congress, need to remind you of your ‘import’ jibe?”

PM Modi too had rake up the issue of Sonia's roots.&nbsp;

At a campaign rally, Modi had challenged Rahul "to speak for 15 minutes on the achievements of your government in Karnataka without reading from a piece of paper. You can speak in Hindi, English or your mother's mother tongue.”

"I have now learnt to deal with the Prime Minister. When he can't respond, he distracts," Rahul said.

"This election is not about Rahul," he added.&nbsp;

That was a reference to Modi wondering whether the country would ever accept such an "immature and naamdar (famous)" leader for the post of prime minister.&nbsp;

That came after Rahul replied in the affirmative to a question asking him whether he would <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/is-rahul-gandhi-ready-to-be-pm-why-not-says-congress-president-135428">take over as prime minister</a> should the Congress win in 2019.&nbsp;

Rahul added that Modi sees him as a "threat".

"Modi has anger inside... he has anger for everybody, not just me ...and sees a threat in me," Rahul said.

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Today, Ms. Antonio Maino is here in K'taka to save her last citadel from falling! 
 
Madam Maino, K'taka needs no lessons from the person who was solely responsible for wasting India's 10 precious years. 
 
And to Congress, need to remind you of your 'import' jibe? <a href="https://t.co/7NmhjuoMOM">https://t.co/7NmhjuoMOM</a>
— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) <a href="https://twitter.com/BJP4Karnataka/status/993690918309023744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Rahul said the Congress would win the May 12 elections — the results will be out on the 15th — and that the opposition had restricted itself to making personal attacks on him during the campaign.

The BJP, he added, feels "uncomfortable" when he visits a temple.

"I don't think the BJP understands the term Hindu," Rahul said.&nbsp;

(With inputs from PTI)

The Congress President was responding to Prime Minister Modi's and the BJP's frequent jibes about his mother's Italian heritage

Congress President Rahul Gandhi responded Thursday to Prime Minister Modi's and the BJP's frequent jibes about his mother's Italian heritage. "My mother is Italian. She has lived a large part of her life in India. She is more Indian than many people I see," Rahul said. He was speaking to reporters in Bengaluru after winding up his campaigning for the Karnataka polls. Today is the last day of campaigning. The state which goes to the polls on May 12. Sonia had been in Karnataka earlier this week to address a campaign rally. She said there that Modi "distorts facts". Ahead of her visit, the BJP had tweeted: “Today, Ms. Antonio Maino is here in K’taka to save her last citadel from falling! Madam Maino, K’taka needs no lessons from the person who was solely responsible for wasting India’s 10 precious years. And to Congress, need to remind you of your ‘import’ jibe?” PM Modi too had rake up the issue of Sonia's roots. At a campaign rally, Modi had challenged Rahul "to speak for 15 minutes on the achievements of your government in Karnataka without reading from a piece of paper. You can speak in Hindi, English or your mother's mother tongue.” "I have now learnt to deal with the Prime Minister. When he can't respond, he distracts," Rahul said. "This election is not about Rahul," he added. That was a reference to Modi wondering whether the country would ever accept such an "immature and naamdar (famous)" leader for the post of prime minister. That came after Rahul replied in the affirmative to a question asking him whether he would take over as prime minister should the Congress win in 2019. Rahul added that Modi sees him as a "threat". "Modi has anger inside... he has anger for everybody, not just me ...and sees a threat in me," Rahul said. Today, Ms. Antonio Maino is here in K'taka to save her last citadel from falling! Madam Maino, K'taka needs no lessons from the person who was solely responsible for wasting India's 10 precious years. And to Congress, need to remind you of your 'import' jibe? https://t.co/7NmhjuoMOM — BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) May 8, 2018 × Rahul said the Congress would win the May 12 elections — the results will be out on the 15th — and that the opposition had restricted itself to making personal attacks on him during the campaign. The BJP, he added, feels "uncomfortable" when he visits a temple. "I don't think the BJP understands the term Hindu," Rahul said. (With inputs from PTI)

'My mother more Indian than many', says Rahul Gandhi after PM Modi's jibe

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi hit the campaign trail Tuesday after two years, and immediately went on the attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.&nbsp;

"Wherever Modiji goes, he says wrong things and distorts historical facts," Sonia said. "He (Modi) uses the names of heroes from our history for his political motives," she added. &nbsp;

Sonia was speaking in Bijapur. Karnataka goes to the polls on May 12.&nbsp;

Sonia added that Modi was proud of the fact that he is a very good orator. &nbsp;

She added that she agreed with the fact. That "he speaks like an actor." But that "speeches cannot fill empty stomachs, food is needed for that."&nbsp;

She added that Modi can stand no dissent.&nbsp;

"Modi ji par Congress-mukt bharat ka junoon hai, unhe iska bhoot laga hai. Congress-mukt bharat toh chhodiye, woh apne saamne kisi ko bardaash nahi kar sakte."&nbsp;

The Karnataka campaign, like Gujarat before it, has been getting uglier by the day. Modi has accused the state's Congress government of corruption, and of doing nothing for the "development" of the state. The Congress has turned around and asked what BS Yeddyurappa's BJP government did for the state.&nbsp;

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/karnataka-ministers-were-in-delhi-during-the-famine-says-pm-modi-during-karnataka-election-rally-135460">Karnataka ministers were in Delhi during </a><a class="gr-progress" href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/karnataka-ministers-were-in-delhi-during-the-famine-says-pm-modi-during-karnataka-election-rally-135460">famine</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/karnataka-ministers-were-in-delhi-during-the-famine-says-pm-modi-during-karnataka-election-rally-135460">, says PM Modi</a>

Sonia continued that charge today.&nbsp;

The Congress has worked for the development of Karnataka, she said, adding "you must know that the central government is working in a biased manner when it comes to Karnataka."&nbsp;

"All states that suffered drought were given compensation (by centre). Karnataka was provided with the least. This was like rubbing salting into the wounds of farmers," she said.&nbsp;

"I ask Modi ji, is this your 'sabka-saath, sabka-vikas'?" she added.&nbsp;

She said that Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah had wanted to meet Prime Minister over the Karnataka drought issue but that he refused.&nbsp;

"By doing this he has insulted not only the farmers but also the state of Karnataka," she added.&nbsp;

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Standing by each other & working together, that is the essence of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Karnataka?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Karnataka</a> & of India: Sonia Gandhi in Bijapur <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KarnatakaElections2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KarnatakaElections2018</a> <a href="https://t.co/zJTcDQ8pkc">pic.twitter.com/zJTcDQ8pkc</a>
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She said she agreed that Modi was a very good speaker. That 'he speaks like an actor.' But that 'speeches cannot fill empty stomachs'

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi hit the campaign trail Tuesday after two years, and immediately went on the attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Wherever Modiji goes, he says wrong things and distorts historical facts," Sonia said. "He (Modi) uses the names of heroes from our history for his political motives," she added. Sonia was speaking in Bijapur. Karnataka goes to the polls on May 12. Sonia added that Modi was proud of the fact that he is a very good orator. She added that she agreed with the fact. That "he speaks like an actor." But that "speeches cannot fill empty stomachs, food is needed for that." She added that Modi can stand no dissent. "Modi ji par Congress-mukt bharat ka junoon hai, unhe iska bhoot laga hai. Congress-mukt bharat toh chhodiye, woh apne saamne kisi ko bardaash nahi kar sakte." The Karnataka campaign, like Gujarat before it, has been getting uglier by the day. Modi has accused the state's Congress government of corruption, and of doing nothing for the "development" of the state. The Congress has turned around and asked what BS Yeddyurappa's BJP government did for the state. Also read: Karnataka ministers were in Delhi during famine, says PM Modi Sonia continued that charge today. The Congress has worked for the development of Karnataka, she said, adding "you must know that the central government is working in a biased manner when it comes to Karnataka." "All states that suffered drought were given compensation (by centre). Karnataka was provided with the least. This was like rubbing salting into the wounds of farmers," she said. "I ask Modi ji, is this your 'sabka-saath, sabka-vikas'?" she added. She said that Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah had wanted to meet Prime Minister over the Karnataka drought issue but that he refused. "By doing this he has insulted not only the farmers but also the state of Karnataka," she added. Standing by each other & working together, that is the essence of #Karnataka & of India: Sonia Gandhi in Bijapur #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/zJTcDQ8pkc — ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2018 ×

Karnataka elections: Sonia hits campaign trail after 2 years. Says wherever Modi goes, he distorts facts

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi will campaign in Karnataka on May 8.

The two leaders will hold a rally in the same district.

Sonia Gandhi, who did not campaign in the Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and the North East assembly elections, is campaigning after a gap of one and a half years.

Karnataka goes to polls on May 12.

Counting for the elections will take place on May 15.

Sonia Gandhi, who did not campaign in the Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and the North East assembly elections, is campaigning after a one and a half years

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi will campaign in Karnataka on May 8. The two leaders will hold a rally in the same district. Sonia Gandhi, who did not campaign in the Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and the North East assembly elections, is campaigning after a gap of one and a half years. Karnataka goes to polls on May 12. Counting for the elections will take place on May 15.

PM Modi, Sonia Gandhi to campaign in Karnataka on May 8

Launching a scathing attack on the Modi government, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi today accused it of "betraying" the people by not keeping its promises and alleged that corruption had taken "deeper roots" since it came to 
power.

In her address to the 'Jan Aakrosh' rally at Ramlila Maidan here, the UPA chairperson alleged that the government has left no stone unturned in undermining institutions and targeting political rivals by misusing central agencies.

She also made a reference to the "serious crisis" that had gripped the top judiciary, saying it had never happened before.

Sonia Gandhi claimed all sections of the society were unhappy and angry with the government as none of the promises made to them were fulfilled.

In her 10-minute address, she said unlike truth prevailing in the past, today falsehood, hatred and violence were ruling the roost.&nbsp;

The Congress leader cautioned the people to remain alert in the "sensitive" phase that the country was passing through.

"What happened to Modi ji's slogan 'Na khaunga, na khane dunga' (would not take bribes, nor let anyone do so) as the roots of corruption have become deeper under his watch," she said.

Sonia Gandhi charged the government with muzzling dissenting voices and dividing communities with an eye on electoral gains.

"For all of us, the country is passing through a sensitive phase and we need to take it seriously. That is why I want to tell you to remain alert," she said, adding that the people should strengthen their voice along with party president Rahul Gandhi to fight divisive forces.

"We will fight unitedly the directionless, anti-people Modi government, which has made false promises and betrayed the people," she said.&nbsp;

The former Congress chief said, "I am confident that the voice raised at the rally at the historic Ramlila Maidan will resonate across every household and our fight will be successful in the days to come."

She said, "This government has not left any stone unturned in undermining constitutional institutions. Political rivals are being targeted through government agencies. "The media cannot play its role and it is being stopped from doing so," she said, adding institutions were built with a lot of hard work in the last 60-65 years and need to be strengthened.

"All this is being done at the behest of an organisation, which follows a certain mindset," the Congress leader said, in an apparent reference to the RSS, the BJP's ideological mentor.

Urging people to unite under Rahul Gandhi's leadership, Sonia Gandhi said, "We will fight Modi ji and his colleagues who are weakening the foundations of the Constitution for their personal interests.&nbsp;

"We will fight those who are imposing their will and not the law of the land. We will fight those who want to annihilate our Ganga-Jamuni culture," she said.

The chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party said leaders of the party in the past sacrificed everything as they wanted to create an India based on the values of truth, love and non-violence.&nbsp;

"But what has happened in the last four years is there before all of us. I feel pained to see that falsehood, hatred and violence is rampant in the country today instead of truth, love and non-violence.&nbsp;

"Those who raise voice for justice become victims of Modi government's anger. They (the BJP) take their majority in the Lok Sabha as a licence to work at their whims and fancies. They think it is their right to muzzle voices at every level," she added.&nbsp;

In her address to the 'Jan Aakrosh' rally at Ramlila Maidan here, the UPA chairperson alleged that the government has left no stone unturned in undermining institutions and targeting political rivals by misusing central agencies

Launching a scathing attack on the Modi government, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi today accused it of "betraying" the people by not keeping its promises and alleged that corruption had taken "deeper roots" since it came to power. In her address to the 'Jan Aakrosh' rally at Ramlila Maidan here, the UPA chairperson alleged that the government has left no stone unturned in undermining institutions and targeting political rivals by misusing central agencies. She also made a reference to the "serious crisis" that had gripped the top judiciary, saying it had never happened before. Sonia Gandhi claimed all sections of the society were unhappy and angry with the government as none of the promises made to them were fulfilled. In her 10-minute address, she said unlike truth prevailing in the past, today falsehood, hatred and violence were ruling the roost. The Congress leader cautioned the people to remain alert in the "sensitive" phase that the country was passing through. "What happened to Modi ji's slogan 'Na khaunga, na khane dunga' (would not take bribes, nor let anyone do so) as the roots of corruption have become deeper under his watch," she said. Sonia Gandhi charged the government with muzzling dissenting voices and dividing communities with an eye on electoral gains. "For all of us, the country is passing through a sensitive phase and we need to take it seriously. That is why I want to tell you to remain alert," she said, adding that the people should strengthen their voice along with party president Rahul Gandhi to fight divisive forces. "We will fight unitedly the directionless, anti-people Modi government, which has made false promises and betrayed the people," she said. The former Congress chief said, "I am confident that the voice raised at the rally at the historic Ramlila Maidan will resonate across every household and our fight will be successful in the days to come." She said, "This government has not left any stone unturned in undermining constitutional institutions. Political rivals are being targeted through government agencies. "The media cannot play its role and it is being stopped from doing so," she said, adding institutions were built with a lot of hard work in the last 60-65 years and need to be strengthened. "All this is being done at the behest of an organisation, which follows a certain mindset," the Congress leader said, in an apparent reference to the RSS, the BJP's ideological mentor. Urging people to unite under Rahul Gandhi's leadership, Sonia Gandhi said, "We will fight Modi ji and his colleagues who are weakening the foundations of the Constitution for their personal interests. "We will fight those who are imposing their will and not the law of the land. We will fight those who want to annihilate our Ganga-Jamuni culture," she said. The chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party said leaders of the party in the past sacrificed everything as they wanted to create an India based on the values of truth, love and non-violence. "But what has happened in the last four years is there before all of us. I feel pained to see that falsehood, hatred and violence is rampant in the country today instead of truth, love and non-violence. "Those who raise voice for justice become victims of Modi government's anger. They (the BJP) take their majority in the Lok Sabha as a licence to work at their whims and fancies. They think it is their right to muzzle voices at every level," she added.

Modi government betrayed people, corruption has taken deeper roots under it: Sonia

As expected, Congress President Rahul Gandhi hit the ground running and went on the attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government at his Jan Aakrosh (public outrage) rally.&nbsp;

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Rahul attacked the government over virtually everything that has gone wrong for the government in recent times.&nbsp;

Rahul said the people's money has gone into Nirav Modi's pocket, attacked Modi over the Rafale deal, BJP President Amit Shah over the alleged sudden increase in his son's income, and accused the government of interfering in the judiciary.&nbsp;

He also spoke of farmer debt and the recent rapes in Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir and Unnao in Uttar Pradesh that&nbsp;have rattled the country.&nbsp;

The rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan is currently underway. &nbsp;

The Congress helped unite the country over the last 70 years, said Rahul. This government however, he added, is spreading lies and hate.&nbsp;

The minorities&nbsp;everywhere are being attacked but PM Modi does not bother to respond to such incidents, said Rahul.&nbsp;

He added that that unemployment has reached peak levels, and that demonetisation and the "Gabbar Singh"&nbsp;Tax (GST) have hurt the national economy.

Rahul added that when PM Modi speaks, people have to search hard for shreds of truth within his speeches.&nbsp;

The Congress President that everywhere he travelled in the country, he asked people if they were happy with the government at the centre. And that the answer was a resounding "no".&nbsp;

Rahul added that the Congress will emerge victorious in the upcoming Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh assembly polls, as also in the 2019 general polls.

Sonia Gandhi spoke before Rahul, saying corruption had increased under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.&nbsp;

"Modi ji had said 'na khaunga na khane dunga' but corruption has increased," she said.&nbsp;

"Aaj desh mein asatya aur anyay ka bolbala hai. Whoever raises (their) voice has to bear the brunt of Modi government's anger," she added.&nbsp;

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh also addressed the rally, saying,&nbsp;"Our democratic institutions are under attack. Parliament is not being allowed to function and legislation is being bulldozed."

"Our democracy is in danger and we must all work together to protect it," he added.&nbsp;

The "Jan Akrosh Rally" comes shortly ahead of the crucial Karnataka elections to be held on May 12.&nbsp;

Rahul attacked Modi and the centre over virtually everything that has gone wrong for the government in recent times

As expected, Congress President Rahul Gandhi hit the ground running and went on the attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government at his Jan Aakrosh (public outrage) rally. × Rahul attacked the government over virtually everything that has gone wrong for the government in recent times. Rahul said the people's money has gone into Nirav Modi's pocket, attacked Modi over the Rafale deal, BJP President Amit Shah over the alleged sudden increase in his son's income, and accused the government of interfering in the judiciary. He also spoke of farmer debt and the recent rapes in Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir and Unnao in Uttar Pradesh that have rattled the country. The rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan is currently underway. The Congress helped unite the country over the last 70 years, said Rahul. This government however, he added, is spreading lies and hate. The minorities everywhere are being attacked but PM Modi does not bother to respond to such incidents, said Rahul. He added that that unemployment has reached peak levels, and that demonetisation and the "Gabbar Singh" Tax (GST) have hurt the national economy. Rahul added that when PM Modi speaks, people have to search hard for shreds of truth within his speeches. The Congress President that everywhere he travelled in the country, he asked people if they were happy with the government at the centre. And that the answer was a resounding "no". Rahul added that the Congress will emerge victorious in the upcoming Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh assembly polls, as also in the 2019 general polls. Sonia Gandhi spoke before Rahul, saying corruption had increased under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Modi ji had said 'na khaunga na khane dunga' but corruption has increased," she said. "Aaj desh mein asatya aur anyay ka bolbala hai. Whoever raises (their) voice has to bear the brunt of Modi government's anger," she added. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh also addressed the rally, saying, "Our democratic institutions are under attack. Parliament is not being allowed to function and legislation is being bulldozed." "Our democracy is in danger and we must all work together to protect it," he added. The "Jan Akrosh Rally" comes shortly ahead of the crucial Karnataka elections to be held on May 12.

Congress will win in 2019, this government spreads lies and hate: Rahul slams Modi at Jan Aakrosh rally in Delhi

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday that the Congress was wrong in giving an impeachment notice against Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra.

The Trinamool Congress did not support the impeachment move, she said.

“The Congress was wrong to give impeachment notice against the CJI. The Congress wanted us to support it. But we did not,” she told a news channel.

“I told Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi not to go for impeachment,” Banerjee said, adding that her party did not want to interfere in the judiciary.

Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday rejected the notice by seven opposition parties, led by the Congress, to impeach the Chief Justice of India on five grounds of “misbehaviour”, saying the allegations were neither “tenable nor admissible”.

Also Read:<a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/india-news/decision-to-reject-impeachment-motion-against-cji-was-not-hasty-venkaiah-naidu-132555">&nbsp;Decision to reject impeachment motion against CJI was not hasty — Venkaiah Naidu</a>

Naidu’s order, which came within two days of the notice being submitted to him, was slammed as “hasty, illegal and ill-informed” by the Congress.&nbsp;

Banerjee,&nbsp;who is seen as a key player in a possible grouping of non-BJP political parties ahead of the next Lok Sabha elections, termed the decision of Congress and other opposition parties of impeachment notice against the CJI as "wrong".

A strident critic of the BJP-led central government and its policies, Banerjee had recently called for unity among all the anti-BJP forces to defeat the saffron party in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

Earlier on Tuesday, Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu said his decision was "<a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/india-news/decision-to-reject-impeachment-motion-against-cji-was-not-hasty-venkaiah-naidu-132555">timely and not a hasty one</a>" and came after over a month of due diligence.

(With inputs from PTI)

"Congress was wrong to move impeachment notice against CJI Dipak Misra. The Congress wanted us to support it. But we did not," the TMC chief said.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday that the Congress was wrong in giving an impeachment notice against Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra. The Trinamool Congress did not support the impeachment move, she said. “The Congress was wrong to give impeachment notice against the CJI. The Congress wanted us to support it. But we did not,” she told a news channel. “I told Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi not to go for impeachment,” Banerjee said, adding that her party did not want to interfere in the judiciary. Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday rejected the notice by seven opposition parties, led by the Congress, to impeach the Chief Justice of India on five grounds of “misbehaviour”, saying the allegations were neither “tenable nor admissible”. Also Read: Decision to reject impeachment motion against CJI was not hasty — Venkaiah Naidu Naidu’s order, which came within two days of the notice being submitted to him, was slammed as “hasty, illegal and ill-informed” by the Congress. Banerjee, who is seen as a key player in a possible grouping of non-BJP political parties ahead of the next Lok Sabha elections, termed the decision of Congress and other opposition parties of impeachment notice against the CJI as "wrong". A strident critic of the BJP-led central government and its policies, Banerjee had recently called for unity among all the anti-BJP forces to defeat the saffron party in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Earlier on Tuesday, Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu said his decision was "timely and not a hasty one" and came after over a month of due diligence. (With inputs from PTI)

Told Sonia Gandhi, Rahul not to go ahead with impeachment notice against CJI, says Mamata Banerjee

A minor fire broke out at the venue of a public meeting of BJP president Amit Shah, triggering panic and commotion in the audience.&nbsp;

Shah was addressing a public rally in Sonia Gandhi's constituency of Raebareli on Saturday when a short circuit outside the main gate caused mild chaos.

Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were present on the dais at the time of the incident.

State BJP chief Mahendranath Pandey was addressing the gathering when smoke and sparks were noticed.

There was a short break in the programme due to the incident but soon the BJP leaders could be again seen making speeches and going about their schedule.&nbsp;

Shah was addressing a public rally in Sonia Gandhi's constituency of Raebareli on Saturday when a short circuit outside the main gate caused mild chaos

A minor fire broke out at the venue of a public meeting of BJP president Amit Shah, triggering panic and commotion in the audience. Shah was addressing a public rally in Sonia Gandhi's constituency of Raebareli on Saturday when a short circuit outside the main gate caused mild chaos. Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were present on the dais at the time of the incident. State BJP chief Mahendranath Pandey was addressing the gathering when smoke and sparks were noticed. There was a short break in the programme due to the incident but soon the BJP leaders could be again seen making speeches and going about their schedule.

Fire breaks out during Amit Shah's rally in Raebareli

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday assured the people of Amethi that in 15 years the constituency will be as developed as Singapore and California.

Addressing a gathering after inaugurating a school here in his parliamentary constituency, the Congress chief also accused the Centre and state government for halting the progress of the state by taking away the big projects.

"After 10-15 years, when people would mention Singapore and California, they will also mention Amethi in the same breath," Rahul said.

He further said Amethi will become world famous education hub soon and nobody can stop this from happening.

The Gandhi scion is on a three-day visit to the family's pocket borough constituency of Amethi and Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh. His mother and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi are the Member of Parliament from Raebareli.

Taking a swipe at PM Modi on the cash crunch crisis, Gandhi said: “Desh ki puri Janta ko line mein lagaya… Apke job se 500 ka note cheena, Nirav Modi Ji ke Jeb mein dala. Pradhan Mantri ek shabda nahi kehte. Parliament mein khare hone se darte hain… (People were forced to stand in queues. Rs 500 notes were snatched from you and put in Nirav Modi’s pocket. Prime Minister does not say a word… He is afraid of facing Parliament).”

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(With inputs from ANI)

Congress president Rahul Gandhi is on a three-day visit to Amethi and his mother Sonia Gandhi's constituency Rae Bareli.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday assured the people of Amethi that in 15 years the constituency will be as developed as Singapore and California. Addressing a gathering after inaugurating a school here in his parliamentary constituency, the Congress chief also accused the Centre and state government for halting the progress of the state by taking away the big projects. "After 10-15 years, when people would mention Singapore and California, they will also mention Amethi in the same breath," Rahul said. He further said Amethi will become world famous education hub soon and nobody can stop this from happening. The Gandhi scion is on a three-day visit to the family's pocket borough constituency of Amethi and Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh. His mother and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi are the Member of Parliament from Raebareli. Taking a swipe at PM Modi on the cash crunch crisis, Gandhi said: “Desh ki puri Janta ko line mein lagaya… Apke job se 500 ka note cheena, Nirav Modi Ji ke Jeb mein dala. Pradhan Mantri ek shabda nahi kehte. Parliament mein khare hone se darte hain… (People were forced to stand in queues. Rs 500 notes were snatched from you and put in Nirav Modi’s pocket. Prime Minister does not say a word… He is afraid of facing Parliament).” #WATCH: Congress President Rahul Gandhi says 'After 10-15 years when people mention Singapore and California, they will also mention Amethi in the same breath' (17.4.18) pic.twitter.com/Y1lDhye8zC — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 18, 2018 × (With inputs from ANI)

Watch: In 15 years, Amethi will be like Singapore, California, says Rahul Gandhi

Art imitates life, they say. So it is natural that characters that are written in films are mostly inspired from real life. Richa Chadha, who is known for essaying realistic characters is going to be seen in &nbspSudhir Mishra's Daasdev this week. The actress, who plays a new-age Paro in the film that's inspired by Devdas, will be seen playing a politician in the film.&nbsp 
 
Richa Chadha who plays Paro in the film is not only Devdas’ lover but also his competition. During the prep for this film, apart from understanding the landscape of UP politics, learning the body language of politicians and the dialect from the region, Richa also researched on many women MPs and MLA’s for her role in the film. 
 
Her look is inspired by various powerhouse women in politics like Sonia Gandhi, Poonam Mahajan and Dimple Yadav. We cannot wait to see her avatar in the film and hope her role is as strong as the women who have inspired it.&nbsp 
 
Sources close to the actress say, “The film is set against a strong set up of politics in hinterland India. In this tale, the women especially the role of Paro is shown to be a strong woman who takes on Dev in the game of politics. Richa’s character was etched taking references of appearances of several established woman political leaders to show authenticity to the character”.

<img alt="richa_0.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/richa_0.jpg" width="770" /> 
 
Richa Chadha has had a busy year with back to back shooting. She is currently shooting for Anubhav Sinha’s Abhi Toh Party Shuru Hui Hai in Lucknow, and is also promoting Daasdev.&nbsp 
Daasdev is the modern interpretation of Devdas, directed by Sudhir Mishra with a stellar cast starring Richa Chadha, Rahul Bhatt, Aditi Rao Hydari, Saurabh Shukla and Vinit Kumar Singh to name a few.

The actress will be seen playing a politician in Sudhir Mishra's next.

Art imitates life, they say. So it is natural that characters that are written in films are mostly inspired from real life. Richa Chadha, who is known for essaying realistic characters is going to be seen in &nbspSudhir Mishra's Daasdev this week. The actress, who plays a new-age Paro in the film that's inspired by Devdas, will be seen playing a politician in the film. Richa Chadha who plays Paro in the film is not only Devdas’ lover but also his competition. During the prep for this film, apart from understanding the landscape of UP politics, learning the body language of politicians and the dialect from the region, Richa also researched on many women MPs and MLA’s for her role in the film. Her look is inspired by various powerhouse women in politics like Sonia Gandhi, Poonam Mahajan and Dimple Yadav. We cannot wait to see her avatar in the film and hope her role is as strong as the women who have inspired it. Sources close to the actress say, “The film is set against a strong set up of politics in hinterland India. In this tale, the women especially the role of Paro is shown to be a strong woman who takes on Dev in the game of politics. Richa’s character was etched taking references of appearances of several established woman political leaders to show authenticity to the character”. Richa Chadha has had a busy year with back to back shooting. She is currently shooting for Anubhav Sinha’s Abhi Toh Party Shuru Hui Hai in Lucknow, and is also promoting Daasdev. Daasdev is the modern interpretation of Devdas, directed by Sudhir Mishra with a stellar cast starring Richa Chadha, Rahul Bhatt, Aditi Rao Hydari, Saurabh Shukla and Vinit Kumar Singh to name a few.

Richa Chadha took inspiration from these female-politicians for her role in 'Daasdev'

Former Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi inaugurated a photo exhibition of the former prime minister late Indira Gandhi in Moscow earlier today.&nbsp;

At the exhibition, Sonia Gandhi expressed her happiness over visiting the Russian capital after thirteen years. "I have fond memories of my many visits here and to St. Petersburg and the gracious hospitality of President Putin in 2005," she added.

The exhibition was organised and inaugurated to commemorate the centenary anniversary of late Indira Gandhi. The event exhibited the expanse of her life and times as a remarkable political personality.

"This exhibition tells the story of a courageous, compelling and charismatic leader who left an indelible imprint not only on her own country, not only on the India-USSR relationship but on the world stage as well," said Sonia Gandhi. &nbsp;

"It is only appropriate that Moscow is the first place where this photo exhibition is on display outside India," she added

Indira Gandhi was India’s only woman prime minister, incidentally, many mothers in the Soviet Union named their daughters after her.&nbsp;

In her speech at the exhibition, Sonia Gandhi fondly traced her family's ties with Russia.&nbsp;

"The ties of my family with your country date back to 1927 when Indira Gandhi’s grandfather Motilal Nehru, father Jawaharlal Nehru and mother Kamala first visited Moscow. It was this journey that inspired Jawaharlal Nehru to write his very first book, ‘Soviet Russia: Some Random Sketches and Impressions’. Indira Gandhi herself made her first trip to Russia in 1953," Gandhi expressed.

She shared that her mother-in-law's (Indira Gandhi) letters to her father Jawahar Lal Nehru expressed how excited and deeply moved she was by Moscow and its people.

"From St. Petersburg, then Leningrad - she wrote, and I quote: Leningrad is truly a beautiful city… It is still the city of Peter the Great… The Hermitage Museum has a wonderful collection of European paintings—the collection of arts from China, Ancient Egypt and a small one consisting of mainly armour from India," Gandhi read out from one of Indira Gandhi's letters.

"The USSR—and especially Russia—held a special place, both in her head and her heart. After all, she had grown-up in the shadow of not only her father but of two other remarkable men: the Father of our Nation, Mahatma Gandhi who derived inspiration from Leo Tolstoy, and India’s first Nobel Laureate, the poet Rabindranath Tagore, who often expressed his admiration for Alexander Pushkin," Gandhi further added.&nbsp;

At the exhibition, Sonia Gandhi went on to talk about the exuberance and the strength with which late Indira Gandhi lived her life and led the nation. Sonia Gandhi recalled Indira Gandhi's passion for Russian literature, her diplomacy skills and her ability to emerge as one of the most powerful leaders in the history of Indian polity.

"During the 16 years of her Prime Ministership, India and the Soviet Union shared a special partnership. There were a genuine warmth and a rare chemistry between Indira Gandhi and the Russian leaders. She was an influential and tireless global voice for peace and disarmament. Within India, she shared a rare rapport with the poor and disadvantaged sections of society. They saw in her the protector of their rights and the champion of their hopes and aspirations," Sonia Gandhi added.&nbsp;

Sonia Gandhi reflected on the "excellent relationship" enjoyed by India and Russia and credited the same to Indira Gandhi's legacy -- "a legacy that has been consolidated by President Putin and successive Indian prime ministers," Gandhi concluded.&nbsp;

In her speech at the exhibition, Sonia Gandhi fondly traced her family's ties with Russia

Former Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi inaugurated a photo exhibition of the former prime minister late Indira Gandhi in Moscow earlier today. At the exhibition, Sonia Gandhi expressed her happiness over visiting the Russian capital after thirteen years. "I have fond memories of my many visits here and to St. Petersburg and the gracious hospitality of President Putin in 2005," she added. The exhibition was organised and inaugurated to commemorate the centenary anniversary of late Indira Gandhi. The event exhibited the expanse of her life and times as a remarkable political personality. "This exhibition tells the story of a courageous, compelling and charismatic leader who left an indelible imprint not only on her own country, not only on the India-USSR relationship but on the world stage as well," said Sonia Gandhi. "It is only appropriate that Moscow is the first place where this photo exhibition is on display outside India," she added Indira Gandhi was India’s only woman prime minister, incidentally, many mothers in the Soviet Union named their daughters after her. In her speech at the exhibition, Sonia Gandhi fondly traced her family's ties with Russia. "The ties of my family with your country date back to 1927 when Indira Gandhi’s grandfather Motilal Nehru, father Jawaharlal Nehru and mother Kamala first visited Moscow. It was this journey that inspired Jawaharlal Nehru to write his very first book, ‘Soviet Russia: Some Random Sketches and Impressions’. Indira Gandhi herself made her first trip to Russia in 1953," Gandhi expressed. She shared that her mother-in-law's (Indira Gandhi) letters to her father Jawahar Lal Nehru expressed how excited and deeply moved she was by Moscow and its people. "From St. Petersburg, then Leningrad - she wrote, and I quote: Leningrad is truly a beautiful city… It is still the city of Peter the Great… The Hermitage Museum has a wonderful collection of European paintings—the collection of arts from China, Ancient Egypt and a small one consisting of mainly armour from India," Gandhi read out from one of Indira Gandhi's letters. "The USSR—and especially Russia—held a special place, both in her head and her heart. After all, she had grown-up in the shadow of not only her father but of two other remarkable men: the Father of our Nation, Mahatma Gandhi who derived inspiration from Leo Tolstoy, and India’s first Nobel Laureate, the poet Rabindranath Tagore, who often expressed his admiration for Alexander Pushkin," Gandhi further added. At the exhibition, Sonia Gandhi went on to talk about the exuberance and the strength with which late Indira Gandhi lived her life and led the nation. Sonia Gandhi recalled Indira Gandhi's passion for Russian literature, her diplomacy skills and her ability to emerge as one of the most powerful leaders in the history of Indian polity. "During the 16 years of her Prime Ministership, India and the Soviet Union shared a special partnership. There were a genuine warmth and a rare chemistry between Indira Gandhi and the Russian leaders. She was an influential and tireless global voice for peace and disarmament. Within India, she shared a rare rapport with the poor and disadvantaged sections of society. They saw in her the protector of their rights and the champion of their hopes and aspirations," Sonia Gandhi added. Sonia Gandhi reflected on the "excellent relationship" enjoyed by India and Russia and credited the same to Indira Gandhi's legacy -- "a legacy that has been consolidated by President Putin and successive Indian prime ministers," Gandhi concluded.

Indira Gandhi exhibition in Moscow: She was deeply moved by city, its people, says Sonia

German actress Suzanne Bernert is all set to portray former Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the upcoming political movie `The Accidental Prime Minister`.

Married to actor Akhil Mishra, Bernert has acted in a number of Indian films and TV shows in various languages.

The 35-year-old speaks Bengali, Marathi, and Hindi fluently and is an expert Lavani dancer.She has earlier&nbsp;also portrayed the former Congress President in a television series titled `Pradhanmantri`.

Based on Sanjaya Baru`s book on the life of former Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, the film will see veteran actor Anupam Kher in the lead role.

The 63-year-old, on Thursday, treated his fans and followers by sharing his first look from the film.

Directed by Vijay Gutte, `The Accidental Prime Minister` also stars Akshaye Khanna and is slated to release on December 21.&nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;

Suzanne Bernert is all set to portray former Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the upcoming political movie `The Accidental Prime Minister`.

German actress Suzanne Bernert is all set to portray former Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the upcoming political movie `The Accidental Prime Minister`. Married to actor Akhil Mishra, Bernert has acted in a number of Indian films and TV shows in various languages. The 35-year-old speaks Bengali, Marathi, and Hindi fluently and is an expert Lavani dancer.She has earlier also portrayed the former Congress President in a television series titled `Pradhanmantri`. Based on Sanjaya Baru`s book on the life of former Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, the film will see veteran actor Anupam Kher in the lead role. The 63-year-old, on Thursday, treated his fans and followers by sharing his first look from the film. Directed by Vijay Gutte, `The Accidental Prime Minister` also stars Akshaye Khanna and is slated to release on December 21.

German actress Suzanne Bernert to play Sonia Gandhi in 'The Accidental Prime Minister'

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee&nbsp;met with the&nbsp;Nationalist&nbsp;Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar and is also expected to meet UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi tomorrow.&nbsp;

She is in Delhi on a four-day&nbsp;visit to the national capital.

Mamata's visit is being seen as part of an attempt to cobble together opposition support against the BJP for the upcoming national elections polls in 2019.

Also read: Opposition parties are uniting: Sharad Yadav

Mamata's meet with the opposition leaders' closely follows the dinner gathering hosted by Sonia earlier this month.&nbsp;

Congress President Rahul Gandhi had met one-to-one with Pawar after the dinner, leading to the NCP saying the meet indicated Rahul was serious about forging a broad alliance.&nbsp;

A broad alliance against the BJP has been the talk of the season, especially now with it having been proved to work after the UP Lok Sabha bypolls which the BSP sat out, thus allowing the SP to win the Gorakhpur and Phulpur seats.&nbsp;

The two seats&nbsp;had been vacated by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.

Both the SP's Akhilesh and the BSP's Mayawati have since said that their "understanding" will continue, although Mayawati has added that their bypoll tie-up will not continue.&nbsp;

Mamata has so far said her meeting with Sonia will be a "personal visit", and that she has been concerned about Gandhi's health.&nbsp;It is not yet known whether she will also meet with Rahul.&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

Mamata's visit is being seen as part of an attempt to cobble together opposition support against the BJP for the upcoming national elections polls in 2019

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met with the Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar and is also expected to meet UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi tomorrow. She is in Delhi on a four-day visit to the national capital. Mamata's visit is being seen as part of an attempt to cobble together opposition support against the BJP for the upcoming national elections polls in 2019. Also read: Opposition parties are uniting: Sharad Yadav Mamata's meet with the opposition leaders' closely follows the dinner gathering hosted by Sonia earlier this month. Congress President Rahul Gandhi had met one-to-one with Pawar after the dinner, leading to the NCP saying the meet indicated Rahul was serious about forging a broad alliance. A broad alliance against the BJP has been the talk of the season, especially now with it having been proved to work after the UP Lok Sabha bypolls which the BSP sat out, thus allowing the SP to win the Gorakhpur and Phulpur seats. The two seats had been vacated by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya. Both the SP's Akhilesh and the BSP's Mayawati have since said that their "understanding" will continue, although Mayawati has added that their bypoll tie-up will not continue. Mamata has so far said her meeting with Sonia will be a "personal visit", and that she has been concerned about Gandhi's health. It is not yet known whether she will also meet with Rahul.

Mamata in Delhi, meets Sharad Pawar, will also meet Sonia Gandhi

Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav has hinted on forming a big alliance for the upcoming elections in 2019.&nbsp

He said that the opposition was working towards uniting against the BJP.

Referring to the BJP led NDA government he said that the country was in danger and that the current government should be out of power in 2019.&nbsp

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Opposition parties in country are uniting & we are working towards it. Country is in danger & present govt should be out of power in 2019. Our effort for coming elections in 2019 is that a big alliance should be formed by uniting the opposition parties: Sharad Yadav in Kanpur <a href="https://t.co/1xyxj4NfKr">pic.twitter.com/1xyxj4NfKr</a>
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/977999062522892288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Earlier this month, former&nbsp<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sonia-gandhi-dinner-for-opposition-not-for-politics-but-friendship-says-congress-35700" target="_blank">Congress President Sonia Gandhi</a>&nbspalso hosted a dinner for leader of the major opposition parties.&nbsp

Those who were present on the occasion included Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Party's Ramgopal Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party's Satish Mishra, Rashtriya Janata Dal's Tejashwi Yadav, Hindustani Awam Morcha's Jitan Ram Manjhi and National Conference's Omar Abdullah including&nbspSharad Yadav.

The dinner was seen as an attempt to set the tone for opposition unity in the run-up to the next general elections.

The JD(U) leader said the country was in danger and that the current government should be ousted in 2019

Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav has hinted on forming a big alliance for the upcoming elections in 2019. He said that the opposition was working towards uniting against the BJP. Referring to the BJP led NDA government he said that the country was in danger and that the current government should be out of power in 2019. Opposition parties in country are uniting & we are working towards it. Country is in danger & present govt should be out of power in 2019. Our effort for coming elections in 2019 is that a big alliance should be formed by uniting the opposition parties: Sharad Yadav in Kanpur pic.twitter.com/1xyxj4NfKr — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 25, 2018 × Earlier this month, former Congress President Sonia Gandhi&nbspalso hosted a dinner for leader of the major opposition parties. Those who were present on the occasion included Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Party's Ramgopal Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party's Satish Mishra, Rashtriya Janata Dal's Tejashwi Yadav, Hindustani Awam Morcha's Jitan Ram Manjhi and National Conference's Omar Abdullah including&nbspSharad Yadav. The dinner was seen as an attempt to set the tone for opposition unity in the run-up to the next general elections.

Opposition parties are uniting: Sharad Yadav

Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was rushed back to Delhi from Shimla on Friday morning owing to ill-health.

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Last night I received a call saying that she was not well. We were asked to send ambulance with a doctor to accompany her to Chandigarh. Her blood pressure was high, condition was stable: Dr Ramesh Chandra, Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla on Sonia Gandhi&#39;s health condition <a href="https://t.co/BL8oCeQPdS">pic.twitter.com/BL8oCeQPdS</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/977092984473899010?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Sonia was first taken to Chandigarh from Shimla after she refused to get examined at the Indira Gandhi Medical College in Shimla.

The former Congress President was later brought to Delhi from Chandigarh on a special aircraft.&nbsp;

Sonia Gandhi was on a private visit to Shimla along with her daughter Priyanka Vadra.

They arrived in the city on Wednesday and stayed at a five-star luxury hotel, Wildflower Hall, near Charabra.

&nbsp;

Sonia Gandhi was on a private visit to Shimla along with her daughter Priyanka Vadra

Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was rushed back to Delhi from Shimla on Friday morning owing to ill-health. Last night I received a call saying that she was not well. We were asked to send ambulance with a doctor to accompany her to Chandigarh. Her blood pressure was high, condition was stable: Dr Ramesh Chandra, Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla on Sonia Gandhi's health condition pic.twitter.com/BL8oCeQPdS — ANI (@ANI) March 23, 2018 × Sonia was first taken to Chandigarh from Shimla after she refused to get examined at the Indira Gandhi Medical College in Shimla. The former Congress President was later brought to Delhi from Chandigarh on a special aircraft. Sonia Gandhi was on a private visit to Shimla along with her daughter Priyanka Vadra. They arrived in the city on Wednesday and stayed at a five-star luxury hotel, Wildflower Hall, near Charabra.

Sonia Gandhi rushed to Delhi from Shimla due to ill-health

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi launched a spirited defence of much beleaguered Congress Party and accused the Modi government of doing everything to destroy the Congress Party.

Sonia said that despite the onslaught, Congress is not going to back down. Sonia said that present dispensation tinkering with constitutional propriety and not following the Parliamentary traditions.

She also reminded her colleagues that Indira Gandhi&rsquo;s victory in Chikmanglur by election paved the way to success as she won the 1980 Lok Sabha elections with a solid majority.&nbsp;

Though she did not mention Gorakhpur and Phoolpur bye-elections, the message was not missed. Strong words like &quot;draamebazi&quot; were used by Sonia Gandhi to target the government. She even accused the government of the day to weaken projects started by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The Congress Party&rsquo;s political resolution also echoed the similar sentiment. Out of 12 pages, one and a half were dedicated to RSS-BJP. The resolution accused the government of systematically attacking the foundational principles of the constitution.&nbsp;

The Political resolution also charged the government subverting educational, cultural and historical institutions facilitating their capture by BJP&rsquo;s ideological affiliates. The draft also accused the government of misusing the office Governors in the state.

The resolution also stated that Congress remains opposed to simultaneous elections as it goes against the grain of the Constitution.&nbsp;Surprisingly, even the media made way for the Political Resolution.

The plenary also devoted an hour to media which was discussed by Randeep Surjewala, Kumar Ketkar, Divya Spandana, Rajeev Gowda, Sushmita Sen and Mrinal Pande. The resolution said that government is muzzling the voice of the media whereas the panelist during plenary debated the issue of neutrality and media.

Sonia said that despite the onslaught, Congress is not going to back down. Sonia said that present dispensation tinkering with constitutional propriety and not following the Parliamentary traditions.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi launched a spirited defence of much beleaguered Congress Party and accused the Modi government of doing everything to destroy the Congress Party. Sonia said that despite the onslaught, Congress is not going to back down. Sonia said that present dispensation tinkering with constitutional propriety and not following the Parliamentary traditions. She also reminded her colleagues that Indira Gandhi’s victory in Chikmanglur by election paved the way to success as she won the 1980 Lok Sabha elections with a solid majority. Though she did not mention Gorakhpur and Phoolpur bye-elections, the message was not missed. Strong words like "draamebazi" were used by Sonia Gandhi to target the government. She even accused the government of the day to weaken projects started by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The Congress Party’s political resolution also echoed the similar sentiment. Out of 12 pages, one and a half were dedicated to RSS-BJP. The resolution accused the government of systematically attacking the foundational principles of the constitution. The Political resolution also charged the government subverting educational, cultural and historical institutions facilitating their capture by BJP’s ideological affiliates. The draft also accused the government of misusing the office Governors in the state. The resolution also stated that Congress remains opposed to simultaneous elections as it goes against the grain of the Constitution. Surprisingly, even the media made way for the Political Resolution. The plenary also devoted an hour to media which was discussed by Randeep Surjewala, Kumar Ketkar, Divya Spandana, Rajeev Gowda, Sushmita Sen and Mrinal Pande. The resolution said that government is muzzling the voice of the media whereas the panelist during plenary debated the issue of neutrality and media.

Sonia accuses Modi government of 'tinkering with constitutional propriety'

Lambasting Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government over poor policies, corruption and deteriorating law and order situation in the country, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Saturday looked all charged up at the 84th Congress plenary session, being held here.

After finishing the speech, as Sonia was walking towards her seat, Congress president and her son Rahul Gandhi got up from his chair and gave her a warm hug.

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Delhi: Sonia Gandhi hugs Rahul Gandhi after after completing her speech at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CongressPlenarySession?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CongressPlenarySession</a> <a href="https://t.co/66NhMrsf4e">pic.twitter.com/66NhMrsf4e</a>
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The soft and loving moment was captured well by the cameras, as the attendees cheered on.

Earlier, Sonia said the ruling dispensation was undoing the work of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government.

&quot;The Modi government is not interested in addressing the needs of the poor. They are just ignoring and weakening the welfare programmes that we implemented it when we were in power,&quot; Sonia said during the session, which began yesterday.

&quot;In the last four years, this arrogant (Modi) government has left no stone unturned to destroy Congress. But Congress has never cowered down and it will never cower down,&quot; she asserted.

The former Congress president continued her tirade against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government claiming that her party was &quot;exposing fraud and corruption&quot; by the Modi government using proof.

Commenting on the rise of communal violence and lawlessness in the country under the BJP government, Sonia added, &quot;Wherever there is a non-Congress government, our friends are taking a stand against anarchy and violence in different places. They are continuing with their work and braving all of it. It is the Congress party which takes stand against injustice and raises its voice against it (violence).&quot;

Vowing to make India free from political vendetta and corruption, Sonia underscored that it was important for all to address the challenges and called for efforts to fulfill a &#39;corruption-free India&#39; under the leadership of her son and Congress President Rahul Gandhi respectively.

She also took a jibe at the BJP-led government&#39;s slogans of &#39;Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas&#39; and &#39;Na khaaoonga na khaane doona&#39;, saying that it was nothing but &quot;drama and tactic&quot; by the prime minister to garner votes.

Sonia went on to say that during former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh&#39;s rule at the Centre for 10 years, India had achieved a very high economic growth.

Citing the example of late Indira Gandhi&#39;s stunning victory at Chikmagalur in Karnataka 40 years ago, the Congress veteran further said the party had to rediscover the &#39;magic&#39; of winning the next year&#39;s general elections, adding that the Congress party&#39;s victory would be equal to a victory for the country.

Sonia also praised Rahul for taking over as the Congress President at such a &#39;challenging time&#39; and underscored that under her son&#39;s leadership, the party would reach new heights.

The grand-old party at the plenary session will ratify Rahul&#39;s appointment as the Congress president and select members for the Congress Working Committee.&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

After finishing the speech, as Sonia was walking towards her seat, Congress president and her son Rahul Gandhi got up from his chair and gave her a warm hug.

Lambasting Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government over poor policies, corruption and deteriorating law and order situation in the country, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Saturday looked all charged up at the 84th Congress plenary session, being held here. After finishing the speech, as Sonia was walking towards her seat, Congress president and her son Rahul Gandhi got up from his chair and gave her a warm hug. Delhi: Sonia Gandhi hugs Rahul Gandhi after after completing her speech at #CongressPlenarySession pic.twitter.com/66NhMrsf4e — ANI (@ANI) March 17, 2018 × The soft and loving moment was captured well by the cameras, as the attendees cheered on. Earlier, Sonia said the ruling dispensation was undoing the work of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government. "The Modi government is not interested in addressing the needs of the poor. They are just ignoring and weakening the welfare programmes that we implemented it when we were in power," Sonia said during the session, which began yesterday. "In the last four years, this arrogant (Modi) government has left no stone unturned to destroy Congress. But Congress has never cowered down and it will never cower down," she asserted. The former Congress president continued her tirade against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government claiming that her party was "exposing fraud and corruption" by the Modi government using proof. Commenting on the rise of communal violence and lawlessness in the country under the BJP government, Sonia added, "Wherever there is a non-Congress government, our friends are taking a stand against anarchy and violence in different places. They are continuing with their work and braving all of it. It is the Congress party which takes stand against injustice and raises its voice against it (violence)." Vowing to make India free from political vendetta and corruption, Sonia underscored that it was important for all to address the challenges and called for efforts to fulfill a 'corruption-free India' under the leadership of her son and Congress President Rahul Gandhi respectively. She also took a jibe at the BJP-led government's slogans of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' and 'Na khaaoonga na khaane doona', saying that it was nothing but "drama and tactic" by the prime minister to garner votes. Sonia went on to say that during former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's rule at the Centre for 10 years, India had achieved a very high economic growth. Citing the example of late Indira Gandhi's stunning victory at Chikmagalur in Karnataka 40 years ago, the Congress veteran further said the party had to rediscover the 'magic' of winning the next year's general elections, adding that the Congress party's victory would be equal to a victory for the country. Sonia also praised Rahul for taking over as the Congress President at such a 'challenging time' and underscored that under her son's leadership, the party would reach new heights. The grand-old party at the plenary session will ratify Rahul's appointment as the Congress president and select members for the Congress Working Committee.

'Son-mom' moment captured at Congress plenary session

Coming down hard on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi said on Saturday that the ruling dispensation was undoing the work of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government.

&quot;The Modi government is not interested in addressing the needs of the poor. They are just ignoring and weakening the welfare programmes that we implemented it when we were in power,&quot; Sonia said while addressing party leaders at the 84th Congress plenary session, being held here.

&quot;In the last four years, this arrogant (Modi) government has left no stone unturned to destroy Congress. But Congress has never cowered down and it will never cower down,&quot; she asserted.

The former Congress president continued her tirade against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government claiming that her party was &quot;exposing fraud and corruption&quot; by the Modi government using proof.

Commenting on the rise of communal violence and lawlessness in the country under the BJP government, Sonia added, &quot;Wherever there is a non-Congress government, our friends are taking a stand against anarchy and violence in different places. They are continuing with their work and braving all of it. It is the Congress party which takes stand against injustice and raises its voice against it (violence).&quot;

Vowing to make India free from political vendetta and corruption, Sonia underscored that it was important for all to address the challenges and called for efforts to fulfill a &#39;corruption-free India&#39; under the leadership of her son and Congress President Rahul Gandhi respectively.

She also took a jibe at the BJP-led government&#39;s slogans of &#39;Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas&#39; and &#39;Na khaaoonga na khaane doona&#39;, saying that it was nothing but &quot;drama and tactic&quot; by the prime minister to garner votes.

Sonia went on to say that during former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh&#39;s rule at the Centre for 10 years, India had achieved a very high economic growth.

Citing the example of late Indira Gandhi&#39;s stunning victory at Chikmagalur in Karnataka 40 years ago, the Congress veteran further said the party had to rediscover the &#39;magic&#39; of winning the next year&#39;s general elections, adding that the Congress party&#39;s victory would be equal to a victory for the country.

Sonia also praised Rahul for taking over as the Congress President at such a &#39;challenging time&#39; and underscored that under her son&#39;s leadership, the party would reach new heights.

The grand-old party at the plenary session will ratify Rahul&#39;s appointment as the Congress President and select members for the Congress Working Committee.

Vowing to make India free from political vendetta and corruption, Sonia underscored that it was important for all to address the challenges

Coming down hard on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi said on Saturday that the ruling dispensation was undoing the work of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government. "The Modi government is not interested in addressing the needs of the poor. They are just ignoring and weakening the welfare programmes that we implemented it when we were in power," Sonia said while addressing party leaders at the 84th Congress plenary session, being held here. "In the last four years, this arrogant (Modi) government has left no stone unturned to destroy Congress. But Congress has never cowered down and it will never cower down," she asserted. The former Congress president continued her tirade against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government claiming that her party was "exposing fraud and corruption" by the Modi government using proof. Commenting on the rise of communal violence and lawlessness in the country under the BJP government, Sonia added, "Wherever there is a non-Congress government, our friends are taking a stand against anarchy and violence in different places. They are continuing with their work and braving all of it. It is the Congress party which takes stand against injustice and raises its voice against it (violence)." Vowing to make India free from political vendetta and corruption, Sonia underscored that it was important for all to address the challenges and called for efforts to fulfill a 'corruption-free India' under the leadership of her son and Congress President Rahul Gandhi respectively. She also took a jibe at the BJP-led government's slogans of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' and 'Na khaaoonga na khaane doona', saying that it was nothing but "drama and tactic" by the prime minister to garner votes. Sonia went on to say that during former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's rule at the Centre for 10 years, India had achieved a very high economic growth. Citing the example of late Indira Gandhi's stunning victory at Chikmagalur in Karnataka 40 years ago, the Congress veteran further said the party had to rediscover the 'magic' of winning the next year's general elections, adding that the Congress party's victory would be equal to a victory for the country. Sonia also praised Rahul for taking over as the Congress President at such a 'challenging time' and underscored that under her son's leadership, the party would reach new heights. The grand-old party at the plenary session will ratify Rahul's appointment as the Congress President and select members for the Congress Working Committee.

PM Modi govt weakening UPA's welfare schemes: Sonia Gandhi

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pakistan-to-skip-wto-meet-in-new-delhi-36145">Pakistan to skip WTO meet in New Delhi</a>

India last month invited Pakistan Commerce Minister Pervez Malik to participate in the informal WTO ministerial meeting scheduled to be held in New Delhi on March 19-20 and Islamabad had initially accepted the invitation.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sonias-strong-attack-on-modi-government-36152">Sonia accuses Modi government of &#39;tinkering with constitutional propriety&#39;</a>

Sonia said that despite the onslaught, Congress is not going to back down. Sonia said that present dispensation tinkering with constitutional propriety and not following the Parliamentary traditions

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/ditch-evms-and-go-back-to-paper-ballots-congress-urges-ec-36159">Ditch EVMs and go back to paper ballots: Congress urges EC</a>

The Congress today urged the Election Commission (EC) to go back to the traditional practice of paper ballots for future elections. The party said that going back to paper ballots is necessary in the wake of &quot;misgivings on misuse&quot; of EVMs. The statement came earlier today during its 84th plenary session.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/russia-expels-23-british-diplomats-as-crisis-over-nerve-toxin-attack-deepens-36156    ">Russia expels 23 British diplomats as </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/russia-expels-23-british-diplomats-as-crisis-over-nerve-toxin-attack-deepens-36156    ">crisis</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/russia-expels-23-british-diplomats-as-crisis-over-nerve-toxin-attack-deepens-36156    "> over nerve toxin attack deepens&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</a>

Russia expelled 23 British diplomats on Saturday in a carefully calibrated retaliatory move against London, which has accused the Kremlin of orchestrating a nerve toxin attack on a former Russian double agent and his daughter in southern England.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-story-could-end-with-mass-unemployment-nobel-winner-paul-krugman-36154">India story could end with mass unemployment: Nobel-winner Paul Krugman</a>

&ldquo;India&rsquo;s lack in the manufacturing sector could work against it, as it doesn&#39;t have the jobs essential to sustain the projected growth in demography. You have to find jobs for people,&rdquo; he said

Pakistan to skip WTO meet in New Delhi India last month invited Pakistan Commerce Minister Pervez Malik to participate in the informal WTO ministerial meeting scheduled to be held in New Delhi on March 19-20 and Islamabad had initially accepted the invitation. Sonia accuses Modi government of 'tinkering with constitutional propriety' Sonia said that despite the onslaught, Congress is not going to back down. Sonia said that present dispensation tinkering with constitutional propriety and not following the Parliamentary traditions Ditch EVMs and go back to paper ballots: Congress urges EC The Congress today urged the Election Commission (EC) to go back to the traditional practice of paper ballots for future elections. The party said that going back to paper ballots is necessary in the wake of "misgivings on misuse" of EVMs. The statement came earlier today during its 84th plenary session. Russia expels 23 British diplomats as crisis over nerve toxin attack deepens Russia expelled 23 British diplomats on Saturday in a carefully calibrated retaliatory move against London, which has accused the Kremlin of orchestrating a nerve toxin attack on a former Russian double agent and his daughter in southern England. India story could end with mass unemployment: Nobel-winner Paul Krugman “India’s lack in the manufacturing sector could work against it, as it doesn't have the jobs essential to sustain the projected growth in demography. You have to find jobs for people,” he said

WION Evening News Brief, March 17, 2018

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