Latest news with #BharatJodoYatra
New Indian Express
21 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Congress Padayatra from July 31 to consolidate base
HYDERABAD: In a bid to consolidate its grassroots presence ahead of local body elections, the ruling Congress in the state will be undertaking an extensive padayatra campaign. Modelled on the spirit of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, the padayatra campaign will traverse all the 10 erstwhile districts of the state, combining public outreach with organisational consolidation. The padayatra will commence daily at 10 am and terminate at 3 pm, covering a stretch of about 10 to 14 km. Leading this campaign will be TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud along with AICC Telangana in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan. The two leaders will be walking through various Assembly constituencies, concluding each leg of the journey with public meetings and interaction sessions involving local Congress leaders. Apart from the padayatra, the programme will also have a special focus on community activities such as 'Swachhadhanam Pachadhanam,' promoting cleanliness and environmental awareness. These events are expected to reinforce the party's commitment to grassroots activism and public service. The campaign will begin on July 31 and continue till August 6, before pausing temporarily for the Independence Day celebrations. During the course of the yatra, meetings will be held with district-level leaders including sitting and former legislators, Members of Parliament, mandal-level and block-level leaders. These sessions will concentrate on planning strategies for the local body elections and strengthening the party structure at the ground level.
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Congress worker silenced over bridge collapse
In the grand tradition of shooting the messenger, the grand old party has possibly taken innovation a step further: they've denied their own messenger a microphone. The worker who dared raise concerns about the crumbling of the Gambhira bridge, the same incident that killed 11 — was barred from meeting Rahul Gandhi. Perhaps the bridge fell under the weight of internal factionalism? With bridges within the Congress collapsing faster than infrastructure, it's clear the real construction issue is party unity. Rahul's Bharat Jodo Yatra may span the nation, but in Gujarat, the party can't even build a bridge between itself and its own conscience. Talk of the state, indeed. 'More AAP leaders may be jailed ahead of polls' Former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal has raised concerns that two more of his party leaders may soon be jailed. Speaking at a rally on Thursday protesting the arrest of AAP MLA Chatur Vasava in Gujarat, Kejriwal accused the BJP of using arrests as a tool to intimidate political opponents. He warned that AAP leaders Isudan Gadhvi and Gopal Italia could be targeted too and possibly arrested before the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections. Despite the pressure, Kejriwal asserted that neither he nor his party would be deterred by such 'vengeful tactics'.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Shabbir calls for Bahujan unity
Hyderabad: State govt advisor Mohammed Ali Shabbir on Sunday called upon the Bahujan communities to stand strongly in support of the Congress to save the Constitution from the efforts being made to allegedly change it on the lines of 'Manusmriti'. Addressing the 'Bahujan Alai-Balai' programme in Kamareddy organised by the All India Ambedkar Yuvajana Sangham, he said it is the foremost responsibility of the Bahujan samaj to protect the Constitution. The BJP's slogan of 'Ab ki baar 400 paar' was countered by Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra. "Those trying to change the Constitution and bring in 'Manusmriti' will not succeed as long as the Congress is there and Bahujans stand behind the party. For the first time in the country, the Congress govt is going to implement 42% BC reservations in the local bodies," he said. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad He urged the Bahujan communities to unite in the upcoming local elections. "Let us all stand together and support the Congress. Show your strength by ensuring the victory of the Congress-supported candidates," he said.
United News of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- United News of India
Telangana led way in caste census, BJP trying to derail BC empowerment: Ponnam Prabhakar
New Delhi/Hyderabad, July 25 (UNI) Telangana Transport and BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on Friday said the Congress government in Telangana has taken decisive steps to implement a caste census despite not being in power at the Centre, and condemned BJP leaders for attempting to undermine the process. Speaking to the media at Telangana Bhavan in New Delhi after a meeting with AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi, Prabhakar said Rahul Gandhi had emphasised the need for a caste census during the Bharat Jodo Yatra and promised to implement it if voted to power. Telangana, he said, took the lead by initiating the caste census on February 4, 2024. Despite delays due to the Lok Sabha elections, the state government successfully completed the enumeration with 3.5 crore people voluntarily participating. The collected data, comprising over 80 crore documents, was digitised, reviewed by a subcommittee, and approved by the state cabinet. The resulting legislation to implement 42 per cent reservation for BCs in education and local bodies was passed and sent to the Governor, and later to the President for approval on April 30, 2025. Prabhakar slammed Union Minister G Kishan Reddy and BJP leaders for opposing the bill and accused them of betraying the Backward Classes. 'What has BJP done more than us for BCs? Instead of supporting this historic move, they are trying to spread misinformation and dilute our efforts,' he said, citing BJP's past opposition to the Mandal Commission and social justice policies. He also questioned why BJP, while claiming to support BCs, failed to appoint a BC as the Leader of the Opposition in Telangana or maintain BC leadership in their own party. 'Our Congress party stands as the brand ambassador of social justice. We are not blaming any party, but facts must be examined,' he said. He urged BJP leaders to stop creating divisions and instead support the caste census and reservations for BCs. 'This is not just about Telangana, but a nationwide movement to ensure social justice,' he said, reiterating the Congress' commitment to fight for the rights of weaker sections. Ministers Konda Surekha and Vakiti Srihari were also present during the interaction. UNI VV ARN
Hans India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
SC extends relief for Rahul Gandhi in Veer Savarkar defamation case
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday extended its order staying the summons issued to Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case related to his alleged derogatory remarks about freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. In November 2022, during his Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi made defamatory remarks against Savarkar at a rally in Maharashtra's Akola. A Bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and AG Masih deferred the scheduled hearing for four weeks after a letter seeking adjournment was submitted in the matter. In the meantime, the Justice Datta-led Bench ordered extension of the interim relief originally granted to Rahul Gandhi on April 25. Further, it asked the complainant, advocate Nripendra Pandey, to file his reply within two weeks and granted liberty to Rahul Gandhi to file a rejoinder affidavit, if any, within two weeks thereafter. In an earlier hearing, the apex court had cautioned Rahul Gandhi against making 'irresponsible statements', specifically asking him not to speak anything against freedom fighters. The Supreme Court had warned that if the Congress leader made any such comments in the future, it would initiate "suo motu" action against him. 'Let's be clear, any further statement and we will take suo moto! We will not allow you to speak anything about our freedom fighters. They have given us freedom, and this is how we treat them?' said the Justice Datta-led bench as it dealt with Rahul Gandhi's petition to quash a 2022 defamation case filed against him. After senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Rahul Gandhi, gave an oral undertaking that the Congress leader would refrain from making such comments in future, the apex court had passed an interim order staying the order of the lower court summoning him to face trial for the offences under Sections 153-A and 505 of the now-repealed Indian Penal Code (IPC). Before this, the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court had declined to exercise its inherent powers in favour of Rahul Gandhi, who had sought the quashing of the entire legal proceedings. A single-judge Bench of Justice Subhash Vidyarthi, in its order passed on April 4, said that Rahul Gandhi had the statutory remedy of filing a revision against the order of the trial court. Under the IPC, 1860, Section 153-A addressed the offence of 'promoting enmity between different groups based on religion, race, caste, etc.," and Section 505 dealt with 'statements conducing to public mischief".
