Sonia Gandhi, 73, expresses desire to step down, asks colleagues to find a new Cong chief

News Network
August 23, 2020

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New Delhi, Aug 23: Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi, 73, is learnt to have asked her colleagues to find new party chief and expressed her desire to step down in a letter in the wake of many senior leaders questioning the party’s top brass.

Though the contents of Ms. Gandhi’s letter have not officially been made public, the move has prompted several other seniors leaders like Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and former Union Minister Salman Khurshid to come out in support of the Gandhis ahead of the crucial meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Monday.

The Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee held an emergency meeting to discuss the issue while more State units are supposed to back the Gandhis.

“Currently no other leader in the Congress can give the party a strong leadership,” the Punjab Chief Minister said in a statement on Sunday, adding, “any move to divide or destabilise the party would give advantage to the dictatorial forces.”

Ms. Gandhi’s letter is a response to a letter from a group of senior leaders including Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Kapil Sibal, Lok Sabha member Manish Tewari Tewari, former union minister Veerappa Moily, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda among others.

In their letter, written about two weeks ago, the group questioned the Congress party’s style of functioning and suggested sweeping reforms.

Multiple sources told this reporter that nearly 300 party functionaries across different State units have endorsed the contents of the letter ,which are likely to be made public depending on the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Monday.

The group has called for a “full time and effective leadership who are active in the field, a mechanism for collective leadership and elections to the CWC”.

The letter was leaked to a prominent newspaper after the party announced the dates for the CWC meeting as Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala had denied the existence of such a letter earlier.

The group is also said to be opposed to attempts being made hand back the reins to former party chief Rahul Gandhi and would rather push for decision making through a Parliamentary Board.

Other leaders, supporting the Gandhis, however, lashed out at the group claiming that “personal interests more than concern from the party” prompted the letter.

“Mr Azad is finishing his Rajya Sabha term early next year and is concerned about his political future. Similarly, the Lok Sabha MPs are upset at being passed over for the party leader's post and so on,” said a leader loyal to the Gandhis.

Some of the points raised in the letter have also been publicly articulated by leaders like Mr. Tewari and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor.

On August 2, in an interview to The Hindu, when Mr. Tewari was asked what could revive the party, he had said, “A full time president, elected by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in terms of Article 18(h) of the [party’s] constitution.”

“The options are: (a) Rahul Gandhi could withdraw his resignation. (b) If he is reluctant for whatever reasons then Ms. Sonia Gandhi should be persuaded to continue notwithstanding her known disinclination for the job. (c) If the two are non-sequitor then elections should be held to the presidency,” he added.

“The elected positions in the CWC should be filled through elections, the Congress Parliamentary Board should be revived, AICC sessions like in the past should be held bi-annually and the process of internal elections should be externally supervised like the IYC. However most importantly ideological and strategic clarity is imperative going forward,” Mr Tewari had said.

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News Network
November 15,2024

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Union minister Amit Shah on Friday, November 15, said PM Narendra Modi will amend the Waqf Act despite opposition from leaders like Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar.

"Modi ji wants to change the Waqf Board law, but Uddhav ji, Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule are opposing it," Shah said, addressing a rally at Umarkhed in Maharashtra's Yavatmal district.

"Uddhav ji, listen carefully, you all can protest as much as you want, but Modi ji will amend the Waqf Act," he said. Shah said there are two camps in the November 20 Maharashtra assembly polls, one of 'Pandavas' represented by the BJP-led Mahayuti and the other of 'Kauravas' represented by Maha Vikas Aghadi.

"Uddhav Thackeray claims that his Shiv Sena is the real one. Can the real Shiv Sena go against renaming Aurangabad to Sambhajinagar? Can the real Shiv Sena go against renaming Ahmednagar to Ahilyanagar? The real Shiv Sena stands with the BJP," Shah said.

"Rahul Baba used to say that his government would credit money in the accounts of the people instantly. You were unable to fulfil your promises in Himachal, Karnataka, and Telangana," he said.

Shah said the Mahayuti alliance has promised that women will get Rs 2,100 per month under the Ladki Bahin Yojana. "Kashmir is an integral part of India and no power in the world can snatch it away from us," Shah said.

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News Network
November 26,2024

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Bengaluru: The Janata Dal (Secular) is grappling with its most tumultuous political crisis yet, with speculation rife about imminent defections among its lawmakers. This storm comes in the aftermath of party scion Nikhil Kumaraswamy's humiliating defeat in the Channapatna bypoll—his third consecutive electoral loss after setbacks in Mandya (2019) and Ramanagara (2023). With the regional party’s Assembly tally shrinking to 18 from 19, questions are being raised about its survival.

The murmurs of rebellion were amplified on Monday when Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao and Congress MLA CP Yogeshwar openly hinted at possible desertions within the JD(S) ranks. Yogeshwar, newly elected from Channapatna, declared he could orchestrate a migration of JD(S) MLAs to Congress. “I’ll meet them at the Belagavi session. Within a month, they’ll be in Congress,” he confidently stated during a televised interview. Yogeshwar has a history of engineering defections, having played a pivotal role in the collapse of the JD(S)-Congress coalition government in 2019 during his stint with the BJP.

Dinesh Gundu Rao, not mincing words, slammed the JD(S) leadership for fostering "self-serving politics," criticizing the HD Deve Gowda family for failing to nurture party talent. “There’s no trust. Their MLAs will seek survival—either in BJP or Congress,” he remarked.

Meanwhile, the expelled JD(S) state president CM Ibrahim added fuel to the fire by claiming that 12-13 MLAs are "disillusioned" with the current leadership. Speculations around senior JD(S) leader GT Deve Gowda joining Congress have also intensified. DK Shivakumar, Karnataka’s Deputy CM and Congress president, described GT Deve Gowda as a “valuable leader” who might be frustrated with the party’s internal dynamics.

While Congress leaders seem eager to poach JD(S) legislators, the BJP is not far behind in targeting the floundering party. The situation signals a decisive moment for the JD(S), as its survival now hinges on how it manages this brewing storm of discontent.

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News Network
November 27,2024

Mangaluru: A five-year-long pursuit of justice continues for several youths from Dakshina Kannada who fell victim to a fraudulent food delivery job scam in Kuwait. The victims, lured by promises of lucrative overseas employment, now find themselves entangled in legal battles and financial ruin.

In a recent development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned the victims to its Mangaluru office as part of the ongoing investigation. The case, which dates back to May 28, 2019, was initially registered at the Mangaluru North police station based on a complaint filed by Usman, a resident of Jalligudde. His brother, Aboobakkar Siddique, was among the 34 victims duped by Manikya Associates, a recruitment agency operated by Prasad Shetty.

According to the complaint, the victims were promised jobs as food delivery executives in Kuwait with a salary of ₹40,000 per month. “I paid ₹80,000 to the agent and ended up spending seven harrowing months in Kuwait without any salary,” shared a victim who now works in construction. Another victim, now employed as a driver, said, “I dreamt of working abroad to support my family. I even pledged jewelry to pay the fees, but it took me years to recover financially.”

The victims allege that they were left stranded in Kuwait in January 2019 after completing all formalities. With no jobs and mounting expenses, their ordeal lasted seven months. They were eventually repatriated with the help of Indian expats and the Embassy of India in Kuwait, just two months after the complaint was filed.

The ED investigation is reportedly progressing, and victims said they were assured that their payments to the agent would be refunded soon. An ED official confirmed that efforts to ensure justice are ongoing.

For these youths, the pain of shattered dreams and financial losses has lingered for years, with many still struggling to rebuild their lives. As they await justice, their plight serves as a cautionary tale about the perils of fraudulent recruitment schemes.

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