RAHUL GANDHI

NEW DELHI: Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh Thursday described Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi as "marathon man" of politics as he sought to pin down BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on the 2002 riots and his government's social development record.  Charges and retorts came thick and fast as Ramesh and Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary Amit Shah, debating at "Panchayat Aaj Tak", accused each others' parties of trying to polarise the coming Lok Sabha polls. The duo also exchanged barbs on the "clean chit" given to Modi by an Ahmedabad court with Ramesh suggesting that verdict had to be seen in the light of the court's location.  Shah accused Congress of trying for polarisation, and charged it with seeking to make the Gujarat riots an issue though Modi had been given a clean chit.  Attacking Shah's stand, Ramesh contended that the special investigation team that probed some cases of...

New Delhi: Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi will be meeting the party general secretaries and finalising the strategy for the General Elections on Saturday. The Gandhi scion is also expected to finalise the nominations of Rajya Sabha members today in the meeting to be held in Delhi. The party general secretaries have been asked to take feedback from the concerned party members before attending the meeting.  Ex-Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit is likely to be nominated for the upcoming elections from either Haryana or Himachal Pradesh.  The last date for filing nomination for the poll is January 28, scrutiny will be held the next day. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is January 31 and the poll will be held on February 7.

Rahul Gandhi, who was declared the Congress party's chief campaigner for this year's looming electoral battle, today indicated his willingness to take up the country's top job if his name was approved by the elected representatives after the Lok Sabha polls. "In the Congress, elected MPs select the Prime Minister. If our party comes to power after the election and the MPs elect me, then I will definitely consider it," Mr Gandhi was quoted as saying by the news agency, Press Trust of India. The Congress vice-president, who is presently on a two-day visit to his parliamentary constituency Amethi, was responding to a specific query whether he would be willing to shoulder the Prime Minister's responsibility. "To select a Prime Minister is the right of the MPs and it should stay with them. Selecting a nominee before polls is not a democratic culture, but part of a personality cult," Mr Gandhi said, and cited the example of Dr Manmohan ...

Amethi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today made light of Aam Aadmi Party leader Kumar Vishwas' statement challenging him to retain his Amethi Lok Sabha seat, saying that he had a 'love affair' with the people of the constituency.  "Mera to Amethi se prem ka rishta hai. Bahut log aate jaate rehte hain" (many people have come and gone, but I have a love affair with Amethi), Mr Gandhi told NDTV today. Accompanied by his sister Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra, the Congress vice-president arrived  on a two-day visit to his parliamentary constituency yesterday.  Hours after their arrival, the AAP leader, who has been camping in the area to muster support for his election bid, likened Mr Gandhi's visits to Amethi to 'a political picnic,' and criticized him for doing precious little for the constituency's uplift.  Mr Gandhi said he had not been advertising the work done by him in his parliamentary constituency as  he had been advised by his ...

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...

Despite a majority of leaders at the Congress Working Committee meet pushing for Rahul Gandhi to be made the party's prime ministerial candidate, the party demurred from the decision and instead decided to appoint him the poll campaign chief. "We had one major resolution that has to be passed tomorrow and all the issues in it were discusses... The Congress President and Vice President placed their views on the resolution," Congress spokesperson Janardan Dwivedi told reporters, refusing to disclose all its contents. "Many of the members in the CWC wanted that he (Rahul) should be made the Prime ministerial candidate but after some debate Congress president Sonia Gandhi intervened," he said. "She said that there was no such tradition in the Congress. If someone declares their PM candidate it doesn't mean that we have to do the same," Dwivedi said. Rahul Gandhi reportedly shot down the proposal to make him the PM candidate.  PTI He said t...

Rahul Gandhi has evolved as an effective communicator and a true leader of the masses during his frantic campaign in the poll-bound Uttar Pradesh.  Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi is making the most out of his stint at the helm of party's campaign for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. The impact of his personal touch to politics' strategy will only be known on March 6 - when the counting of votes will be undertaken - but at a personal level, political commentators believe, Rahul is going from strength to strength as a leader of the masses.

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 ...

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...