Category: Politics

Rahul Gandhi, a leader of the Congress party, might not attend the Gandhi Bharat event happening in Belagavi on Tuesday because he is feeling sick, according to sources. Karnataka’s Home Minister G Parameshwara reported that the rest of the Congress leaders will be there for the event, which is starting soon.

Other key figures expected to attend include Mallikarjun Kharge and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. During the event, a statue of Mahatma Gandhi will be unveiled at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, and a public meeting will take place at CPED grounds.

This Gandhi Bharat event celebrates 100 years since Mahatma Gandhi led a Congress meeting in Belagavi in 1924. The event was supposed to happen on December 27 last year but was pushed back because former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh passed away. The theme of the event is “Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan,” focusing on Gandhian ideals and the Constitution.

Lots of security measures are being prepared because important guests will be coming to the city.

Maharashtra is using a smart strategy to attract investments in many fields like manufacturing, technology, data centers, healthcare, and clean energy. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis shared this news while attending the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Fadnavis mentioned that he has important meetings set up with potential investors. He started his trip by meeting Klaus Schwab, the founder of the World Economic Forum, where they talked about working together and about clean energy, electric cars, and new industries.

He also opened the Maharashtra pavilion at the event, which is a space to connect with current and potential investors. Fadnavis expects to have a busy and successful week with many useful discussions.

When asked about the main sectors for investment in Maharashtra, he highlighted manufacturing, technology, and data centers, saying they are focused on various investment opportunities.

He met leaders from companies like Cognizant, discussing plans to set up offices in Nagpur, Nashik, and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, along with creating new centers for medicine and sports. They also talked about expanding into finance technology.

Fadnavis met Vincent Clerc, the CEO of Maersk, to discuss improving Maharashtra’s logistics and turning Vadhavan port into a key global port. He believes Maersk’s skills in ports and energy can help achieve this goal.

In another meeting with KPMG’s CEO Yezdi Nagporewalla, they discussed important topics like training workers, a clean India program, digitization, and a project called ‘MahaCyber,’ which focuses on cyber safety. The Chief Minister plans to gather ideas from companies for an Innovation City in Navi Mumbai.

The Congress party is having a big meeting in Belagavi on Tuesday. They want to show their strength in the Mumbai-Karnataka area, which is mostly controlled by the BJP, a rival political party. In the last Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won six out of seven seats in this area, hurting the Congress party’s chances as they aimed to win 20 out of the 28 seats in Karnataka.

High-profile leaders like AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi will attend the event. They are calling it “Jai Bapu-Jai Bhim-Jai Samvidhan,” which aims to send a message to the public about protecting the Constitution. The Congress is targeting Dalit communities, backward classes, and minorities in this message.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who leads the Karnataka Congress, is also focused on winning back 85 seats where the Congress lost in the 2023 elections. He hopes to win at least 15 of those seats in the next elections while retaining voters for current members.

Shivakumar has stated that the BJP has disrespected Ambedkar, an important figure in Indian history. This meeting is about honoring him and making sure the Constitution is respected for future generations. He encourages everyone, regardless of their political views, to join this important event.

The Congress party has prepared 50,000 Gandhi caps and 100,000 badges for attendees, showing their commitment to respecting Gandhiji’s legacy. Over 60 leaders, including MPs and party members, will attend this convention. The event is happening as the Congress is pushing for the government’s caste census report that has not been presented yet.

On Sunday, the Congress party criticized the Modi government’s policies, claiming they have scared investors away from India and made it harder to do business. Before the upcoming Union Budget, Congress believes the government should end what they call “raid raj” and “tax terrorism.”

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh pointed out that the Modi government has said it wants to improve how easy it is to do business in India. However, in the last ten years, private investments have dropped significantly, and many businesspeople are leaving India for other countries.

Ramesh described the current tax system, including goods and services tax (GST) and income tax, as complicated and strict, calling it “Tax Terrorism.” He explained that since 2014, private domestic investment has declined, and in the past decade, over 1.75 million Indians have moved abroad. He also mentioned that around 21,300 wealthy individuals left India between 2022 and 2025.

There are three main reasons for these issues:

1. Complicated GST: Ramesh said the GST has too many tax rates, which confuses businesses and leads to big tax losses.

2. Growing Imports from China: He claimed that India has a huge trade deficit with China, hurting local manufacturing, especially in jobs that require a lot of workers.

3. Low Wages and Spending: Ramesh pointed out that workers’ real wages have dropped under the Modi government, meaning people have less money to spend. This has hurt consumption growth even though personal debt is easy to get.

To solve these problems, Congress stressed that the Union Budget should make changes to help protect jobs in Indian manufacturing and improve wages. Ramesh stated that these changes are essential to boost investor confidence and encourage businesses to invest again.

In his post on X, Ramesh highlighted that the Union Budget for 2025/26 will be presented soon, urging the government to act quickly to fix the situation. He noted, “Nothing less will do.

On Saturday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted to ignore the Constitution but had to follow it after the BJP won fewer seats than expected in the Lok Sabha elections. Speaking at a ‘Constitution Protection Conference,’ Rahul Gandhi pretended to mimic PM Modi, making the audience laugh. Holding the Constitution close to his head, he said, “When Modiji came to Parliament after winning a third term, he acted like he wanted to throw the Constitution away. But because we fought hard, he had to abandon his boast of winning more than 400 seats.”

Some BJP leaders had said that if they won over 400 seats in the Lok Sabha, they might change the Constitution. This statement worried many people, especially Dalits and backward classes, who feared that government help for them could disappear, so they chose not to vote for the BJP.

Gandhi spoke for about 30 minutes, connecting the Constitution to a long history of progressive ideas in India. He mentioned figures like Buddha, B.R. Ambedkar, Narayana Guru, and Mahatma Phule as important advocates of these ideas.

The conference featured speakers from various backgrounds, including two former members of the NDA, a party led by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Ali Anwar, a former MP, shared his views about issues affecting the Pasmanda Muslims. Bhagirath Manjhi, known as the “mountain man,” spoke briefly, emphasizing that society’s needs should come before individual desires.

On Saturday, Rahul Gandhi, a leader from the Congress party, spoke out against the caste survey done by the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar. He said this survey was just a trick to fool the people, and he insisted that a real caste census is needed for planning development in the country.

At a meeting called ‘Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan’ in Bapu Sabhagar, Gandhi accused the BJP and RSS of damaging the Constitution and ignoring the needs of marginalized communities. He highlighted that 90% of India’s population, including Dalits, minorities, and socially disadvantaged people, are left out of the system.

Gandhi declared that his party would work hard to pass the caste census in Parliament, even in front of Prime Minister Modi. He explained that a national caste census would help understand how many people from OBCs, Dalits, and laborers are part of the government’s work and other important areas.

“The purpose of the caste census isn’t just to count the different castes but to see their role in India’s wealth,” he said. He also criticized the Bihar government for its survey, calling it a way to trick citizens. Gandhi argued that the current 50% reservation for SCs, STs, and OBCs is not enough and promised to increase it to help more people.

He further claimed that a small group of organizations, including the RSS, are controlling the country, which is not fair. Gandhi emphasized that the Constitution is not just a book; it addresses the problems faced by Dalits and marginalized people.

He also took issue with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s statement about India’s true independence being linked to the Ram temple. Gandhi pointed out that this statement goes against the Constitution. Lastly, he stated that there is a political battle between those who want to protect the Constitution and those who spread hate.

On Saturday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visited Patna and had a surprise meeting with his friend and political ally, Tejashwi Yadav, who is the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha. Gandhi stopped at a hotel to freshen up before attending a big event called the ‘Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan’.

The hotel was also busy because RJD, Tejashwi’s party, was having its national meeting there. Many supporters from both Congress and RJD were in the hotel, making it lively and crowded.

Inside the hall, Tejashwi was sitting with his father, Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is the president of RJD, and other family members who help run the party. Suddenly, the Congress supporters started chanting praises for Rahul Gandhi. Tejashwi quickly stood up and went to greet him at the entrance.

They exchanged friendly words and smiles before saying goodbye to each other, with photographers snapping photos throughout the warm interaction.

Good news for Mayawati, the leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)! On a day she turned 69, the Supreme Court of India decided to stop looking into a case about how over Rs 2,000 crore was spent on putting up statues of elephants and herself when she was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

A group of two lawyers filed this case back in 2009, claiming that the money used was wasteful. They said it was wrong to use public funds for statues that glorified Mayawati. The judges—Justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma—said that most of the concerns raised have already been answered, especially since the Election Commission now has rules about this.

Mayawati defended her actions by saying that the statues were built because people wanted it and pointed out that other political parties also put up statues of their leaders, like Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. She explained that the money was approved by the state government and followed the laws of India. The court also mentioned that Mayawati should not pay any money back for the statues since they are already there.

In short, the court has decided the issue is mostly over, and Mayawati can celebrate her birthday without worries about the case!

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court decided not to look into a request by K T Rama Rao, the working president of the BRS party, to cancel an FIR filed against him in connection with the Formula E race. After the judges, Bela M Trivedi and Prasanna B Varale, said they wouldn’t change the high court’s decision, Rao’s lawyer decided to drop the appeal, and the case was dismissed.

Earlier, on January 7, the high court refused to cancel the FIR, which meant Rao could be arrested. The high court had heard arguments from both Rao’s lawyer and the state government regarding this case, which was started by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). They claimed Rao had approved payments of about Rs 55 crore to Formula E Organisation without getting necessary approvals.

The high court pointed out that Rao may have instructed the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) to pay large amounts to a foreign company without permission from the state cabinet or finance department. The court mentioned that there should be an investigation to see if Rao acted dishonestly for his own benefit or someone else’s.

The ACB registered a case against Rao on December 19 last year for possibly causing a loss of Rs 55 crore to the state. The race planned for February 2024 was canceled when the Congress party took over the government in December 2023. Rao, who used to be the municipal administration minister, was called in by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning about these issues but asked for more time. He is the main suspect in the FIR, while senior IAS officer Arvind Kumar and retired bureaucrat B L N Reddy are also named in the case.

On Wednesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticized RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for saying India only became truly free after the Ram temple was completed. Gandhi said that this statement is an insult to every Indian and can be seen as treason. Speaking at the opening of the new Congress headquarters, he mentioned that party workers are battling against the BJP and RSS, which he believes have taken control of important government institutions and are misusing law enforcement against political opponents.

Gandhi argued that Bhagwat’s claim implies that the Indian Constitution and the fight for independence from British rule are not valid. He expressed that such statements are unacceptable; in most other countries, someone making such claims would face serious legal consequences.

“It’s time to stop listening to this nonsense,” Gandhi stated. He emphasized the Congress party has always worked with the people of India, building the nation on the values of the Constitution. He urged everyone to spread these important ideas.

He also criticized the Election Commission for not providing information about the increase in voter numbers from one election to another in Maharashtra. Gandhi questioned why the Election Commission is keeping this information secret, stating that it’s their responsibility to ensure fairness in elections. “We have a serious problem with our election system,” he concluded.