RAHUL GANDHI

Bardoli:  Rahul Gandhi lands on Narendra Modi's turf today to participate in a "Vikas Khoj Yatra" or march in search of development, a direct challenge to the Gujarat Chief Minister's claim of development and growth in his state, which he pitches as a model for the nation.  Mr Gandhi will join the yatra, organised by the Congress' youth wing, at Bardoli, a tribal dominated area in south Gujarat and is expected to walk for about four kilometres before making a speech.  Bardoli is famous for Sardar Vallabhai Patel's civil disobedience campaign against the British. The Congress and Mr Modi recently engaged in a ferocious battle over Sardar Patel's legacy, after the former seemed to belatedly realise that the BJP has placed honouring the freedom fighter, a Congressman, high on its agenda. Mr Modi is building a statue in the middle of the Narmada river that he vows will be the world's largest. His party recently launched a programme aimed at c...

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday held meeting with Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and MPs from Northeast to discuss steps to prevent atrocities against people from that region. Rahul called the meeting on the backdrop of Nido Tania's death. The student from Arunachal Pradesh was allegedly killed after a brawl with some shopkeepers at Lajpat Nagar. Tania, son of Arunachal Pradesh Congress legislator Nido Pavitra, died Jan 30 after being attacked following a row over his appearance. A court here on Tuesday sent three people, arrested in connection with the death of Tania to judicial custody till February 18. The Congress vice president on Monday had gone to Jantar Mantar to address the candle light protest carried out by the Northeastern community against the death of the Arunachal Pradesh student. While addressing the protesters, the Gandhi scion said that there is only one India wherein all deserve equal respect. He further said that Nido deserves ju...

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi met 250 women from various fields in Bhopal at Minto Hall on Monday to seek inputs for the party’s Lok Sabha election manifesto. In the two-hour interaction, Mr. Gandhi made it clear that reservation for women is the foremost priority. In an indirect jibe on the BJP’s PM candidate Narendra Modi, Mr. Rahul said, “We talk a lot about becoming a superpower in the world but till the women of our country do not feel comfortable and secured, our country cannot become a superpower. And to tell you the truth, we don't want such a superpower status, where women are not empowered.” Several leaders, including Sampat Pal of Bundelkhand’s Gulabi Gang, TV star Kunickaa Lall, Assistant Solicitor-General of India Fouzia Mirza, legal activist Flavia Agnes, Indore’s visually impaired activist Fatima Jamali in addition to Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury, Krishna Tirath, Mamta Sharma and Shoba Oza attended. Transgender activist Laxmi Narayan Trip...

SP's progressive face, Akhilesh Yadav carries an iPhone & talks development. The Samajwadi state chief assures Swati Mathur his party's aggressive image is a thing of the past & he is confident of forming the next govt Swati Mathur: How well are you prepared for the assembly elections? Akhilesh Yadav: SP was the first to declare candidates. We started campaigning early. Our message was consistent: We'd continue riding the rath and our cycle until we defeat BSP. I have toured over 170 constituencies and hope to cover at least 300. Apart from anti-incumbency , what other factors may work in your favour? SP has worked hard to expose the government's real face. We have grass-roots connect. We have raised issues that concern the common man. Electricity, corruption and lack of infrastructure , cheaper fertilizers, seeds and irrigation projects are issues we've fought for. This election is being projected as a Akhilesh vs Rahul battle. Is this hype? He may be th...

NEW DELHI: Smarting under Opposition attack over the issue of Lokpal Bill, Congress today insisted that the measure is not dead and will be back soon. "The Lokpal Bill is certainly not dead. It is not even in ICU or Emergency. It is merely under rest and recovery (R and R) and it will be back soon," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said. A political war has broken out between government and opposition over Rajya Sabha's failure to pass Lokpal Bill, with both sides accusing each of carrying out "well choreographed" chaos to scuttle it. The assertion by the Rajya Sabha MP, who headed the Parliamentary Panel that went into the Lokpal Bill, comes a day after Rahul Gandhi promised not to rest till a strong Lokpal Bill with constitutional status is brought. Addressing a rally in Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh yesterday, Gandhi had hit out at the BJP for failure to give constitutional status to Lokpal. He insisted that this was not only his dream but that of the y...

Lucknow, Dec 28: In the wake of ongoing debate over Lokpal issue, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi blamed the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) for the defeat of Constitution Amendment Bill on Lokpal on Wednesday. Rahul was addressing an election meeting at Dharauhra in Lakhimpur on Wednesday. Reacting strongly over the defeat of constitutional amendment bill on Lokpal, Rahul remarked: "We (Congress) wanted to have a strong Lokpal which has constitutional status like Election Commission. But BJP did not want it so they defeated it on the floor." Rahul even claimed that BJP had earlier assured that they will besupporting the government on this issue. Rahul expressed surprise over the issue stating that senior BJP leaders were present in the parliament when voting took place and thus it was established that the action took place at their instance. Training his gun on CM Mayawati, Rahul alleged that she had earlier termed the Food Security Bill as a drama and was int...

SITAPUR: "Has Mayawati ever drunk water from a well in the past five years," asks Rahul Gandhi, rolling up his sleeves, the trademark style he has acquired before addressing a gathering. "No," roars the crowd in Sitapur, a town in central Uttar Pradesh, about 95 km north of Lucknow. "Is it not your right to get jobs in your own state," he asks and pauses for the crowd to answer. "Why do you need to migrate to other states for a livelihood," he asks again, sounding very much like a seasoned politician. Rahul, the tireless campaigner, has been a familiar sight these past four years. The Congress general secretary has hopped onto general compartments of trains, spent nights in huts and eaten with villagers, especially Dalits. But Rahul, the public speaker, has largely been in hiding. The Congress leader has been at best a hesitant speaker. That is changing. Rahul's new style of speech is as measured as it is aggressive. The crowds respond...

LUCKNOW: Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Saturday asked people to reject 'caste and communal' parties in the upcoming UP assembly elections and vote for the development. He promised if voted to power, Congress will develop the state in five years.  Addressing a rally in Kasganj, Kanshiramnagar, Rahul said: "Other parties make tall claims and promises. We made just one promise. We will bring a government that would be representative of all classes of society. For last 22 years, UP is being ruled by the parties which talk on caste and communal lines. The people of the state should give the Congress just five years, after giving other parties a chance for the past 22 years," he said.  Rahul said that UP chief minister Mayawati had on October 9, 2007 said that no one would benefit from MNREGA. "Go to Rajasthan, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Punjab. Even the poorest of the poor people would tell you what they have got from MNREGA. They ...

New Delhi, Dec 22 (IANS) Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi will be holding his first public rally in poll-bound Uttarakhand Friday, sources said. Gandhi, who has been aggresively campaigning in Uttar Pradesh, will address the rally at Parade Ground in Dehradun, the hill state's capital. Gandhi launched his party's election campaign in Uttar Pradesh, the largest state in the country, from his grandfather and India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru's Phulpur constituency Nov 14. Elections to assemblies in seven states in India, including Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, are scheduled for early next year.

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi has completed his second phase of campaigning for the UP assembly elections. He started on November 14 from Phoolpur, the Lok Sabha constituency once represented by Jawaharlal Nehru, Rahul's great-grandfather and India's first prime minister. November 14 was also Nehru's birth anniversary. The day and place was specially chosen to give the message that Rahul has the same secular and socialist leanings, the qualities which made Nehru a much-admired leader. All through the campaign, Rahul Gandhi spoke on corruption in UP. During a Youth Congress meeting in between, he said that corruption was most rampant in political parties and only the youth could cleanse it and talked about merit playing an important role in elections instead of connections. Sounds good. But the question is, do Rahul and his party act as he speaks? Can Rahul explain what role merit played to make him general secretary of the Congress? He should a...

When Digvijaya Singh was chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, the 6am queue of citizens at his home could often be seen handing their memorandums to or chatting with a young boy. Now 24, the boy is set to become the latest political son to enter the family profession. Jaivardhan Singh, son of Congress general secretary and “Raja of Raghogarh” Digvijaya, can expect some sort of rivalry with a fellow royal and Dosco, 16-year-old Scindia scion Mahaaryaman, who cut his political teeth a year ago. On December 21, Jaivardhan will start a 150km padayatra in Raghogarh, taking a short break from the MBA programme in rural development he is doing at America’s Columbia University. The former Doon School student plans to spend eight days and nights with villagers. “He will be spending nights at Dalit and tribal homes. The idea is to familiarise himself with the issues of the real India. Jaivardhan hopes to become a true follower of Rahul Gandhi,” said a Digvijaya confidant who did not want t...

RAMABAI NAGAR (UP): Rahul Gandhi said the country's telecom revolution ushered in by his father Rajiv Gandhi was authored by a "vishwakarma" , Sam Pitroda , introducing the technocrat as a poster boy of "most backward castes" (MBCs) and giving a final thrust to Congress's social engineering plank for Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. In a short speech at a packed MBC rally, Rahul played the 'pride card' for sections struggling to find a place in the OBC monolithic that Congress thinks can help it slay backward champions Mayawati and Mulayam Singh Yadav. Rahul said the cellphones in their hands were powered by a policy promoted by Rajiv Gandhi , but authored by a man (Satyanarayan Gangaram Pitroda), who is a "vishwakarma" by caste. "B a d a i h a i n w o h.... You can change the world but have been ignored and so you are backward," he said, stunning observers by his use of mascot and idiom in backward politics. The bu...

BADAUN, UP: Accusing Mayawati and Mulayam Singh Yadav of playing caste politics, Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday sought a change in power saying a "government of the poor" by Congress in Uttar Pradesh will change the future of the state. Gandhi, who is on the second day of his five-day trip in the Samajwadi Party stronghold, alleged Mayawati government was corrupt and the money meant for poor does not reach them. "Elephants normally eat leaves. But you have magic elephant in Lucknow which eats currency notes," he told a party rally here ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. Seeking a five-year stint in power, he said corruption in UP government was affecting the future of the state as no employment opportunity is generated in the state. "UPiites have built roads in Maharashtra, they work in Kerala, they help the farmers in Punjab...but they do not have roads, electricity or water in their villages. Who built the Delhi Metro? Who is working in ...

Taking his campaign to SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's bastion, Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday stepped up his offensive against SP and BSP and sought a 10-year Congress rule in UP to bring about a major transformation through fasttracking developmental work in the state.  Gandhi, who began his fiveday trip on Tuesday, said only Congress has taken up the cause of people in the state. Citing Bhatta Parsaul, where farmers were targeted in May, he said, none of the other parties barring Congress were seen there.  "In the past 20 years, what did you get? You trusted SP. What did you get back in return? You trusted BSP. What did you get? (You got) corruption. Now, we are talking about development, we are talking about the future. UP can change... In five years, we can start changing this state...," he told a political rally in Badaun/Bhimnagar.  With an eye on the crucial Muslim votebank, Gandhi waded into the minority stronghold of western UP even as the UPA government is work...

Congress leaders and activists have warned social activist Anna Hazare to stop targetting party general secretary Rahul Gandhi with the backing of the opposition. "Hazare is attacking him (Rahul Gandhi) for weakening the Lokpal Bill to help vested interests tarnish his image. Congressmen will not tolerate this," said Congress Member of Parliament PV Hanumanth Rao. Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma said: "The opposition is scared of Rahul Gandhi and Anna has become their spokesperson, especially that of the RSS. Is he a laat sahab, let him come to UP (elections), we will see him there." He was reacting to Anna Hazare's comments against Gandhi. "Anna is trying to scare Congress but we are not afraid of him. If he is 75, then Congress is 125-years-old," Verma said. Congress leader Satyavrat Chaturvedi said, "His (Anna's) word is not the one of Lord Brahma. Is he Satyawadi Harishchandra?, I do not agree with this." Cong...

Rahul Gandhi slammed the governments in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh for Bundelkhand's backwardness, saying lack of development in the region was because of diversion of funds from central welfare schemes.  Continuing with his tirade against the Mayawati government for corruption, Rahul said the Centre had approved a development package for the parched region but the money was not reaching the cause of digging wells and building infrastructure as intended.  The attack, without naming the UP chief minister, comes after Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia's recent visit to Bundelkhand to review implementation of the special package. He had expressed dissatisfaction over the use of development money.  The focus on Bundelkhand is not new for Rahul, having put the region on the centrestage early in his political campaign against Mayawati's regime and having nudged the Centre to approve a Rs 7,000 crore package for development.  ...

Notwithstanding the telecom minister Kapil Sibal threatening to block Google for permitting objectionable material against Congress leaders, party general secretary and tech-savvy Rahul Gandhi is taking help of Google Apps to keep his ears to the ground. Indian Youth Congress has tied up with Google to lend its apps services to help Gandhi and other party leaders remain constantly in touch with the foot soldiers. Managing director of Google APAC Doug Farber here on Tuesday said working with the Youth Congress was a fantastic experience. Google Apps is independently customisable version of several Google products under a custom domain name, web applications with several functions to remain in touch via Gmail, Google Groups, Google Calender, Talk, Docs and Sites. Explaining how the technology was helping the party cadres, head of Google Enterprise Pradeep Agarwal said it was a low cost solutions to replace communication gadgets like fax, telephone and other parapherenalia. The...

In the backdrop of persistent reports that Rahul Gandhi may be elevated to the position of working president of the Congress, the party gave clear indications on Tuesday that his role would expand.  Without going into the specifics of the future position for Rahul, already a General Secretary, Media Department chief Janardan Dwivedi said that there was no suspense that he would have a bigger role in the party.  "There is no suspense about it. He has a role, which is increasing constantly. In natural course, his role will go on increasing. This is what Congressmen want and this is what in their opinion is natural. There is no doubt about it that Congressmen want his role to increase," Dwivedi, who is also General Secretary, told reporters.  The statement by Dwivedi came in the backdrop of speculation that the young leader could be made Working President in a month or two or it could be as early as November 19, Indira Gandhi's birth anniversary. One of the media rep...