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Indian nation pays homage to the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on his 44th death anniversary today on 27th May. UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi along with Vice President Hamid Ansari on Tuesday led the nation in paying homage to the former leader of the country.

Ansari and Gandhi paid floral tributes at Shanti Van, the memorial of Nehru. Besides them, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora and Minister of State for Urban Development Ajay Maken were also present on the occasion as priests recited hymns from sacred texts.

Chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Caste Buta Singh and senior Congress leaders Motilal Vohra and J P Aggarwal were also present to pay their homage to the leader.

An all religion prayer meeting was organised in the premises of the memorial followed by a speech given by the late Nehru played at the end of prayer meet.

Nehru, born on November 14, 1889, breathed his last in the early hours of May 27, 1964. He provided his immense contributions in the making of a strong, secular and modern India.

Tags: Congress, Gandhi, India, Jawaharlal Nehru, Nehru, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, UPA

Today, on the 17th death anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, India’s top political leaders gathered to pay homage to the late Prime Minister amid uninterrupted drizzle in the capital city, Delhi. President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi pays their tribute to Rajiv Gandhi.

The departed leader’s widow and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, along with her son Rahul and daughter Priyanka Vadra, reached his memorial ‘Vir Bhumi’ to pay their tributes.

A prayer meeting was organized in the premises of the memorial ended with the play of a speech, given in 1985 by the late Rajiv Gandhi who was assassinated on May 21, 1991, during a public meeting at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu. Seventeen other people were also killed in that explosion and 44 injured.

The day is also being observed as anti-terrorism day with seminars and discussions organised. A pledge would be later administered to people to fight against the scourge of terrorism and for maintaining peace.

Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Defence Minister A K Antony and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit also paid floral tributes to the former prime minister.

Youth Congress workers present on the occasion raised slogans in memory of the former Prime Minister.

Minster for Social Justice and Empowerment Meira Kumar, Tourism Minister Ambika Soni, Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal and senior Congress leader Motilal Vora were among others who paid tributes to their beloved leader.

Tags: Delhi, Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, Pratibha Patil, Priyanka Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi

Congress senior leader Akhilesh Das blamed the “coterie” around Rahul Gandhi making a dramatic move in the house on Tuesday and quit from the party as well as the Rajya Sabha handing over his resignation letter to the chairman Hamid Ansari.

Das, who was recently dropped from the Union Council of Ministers, represented Uttar Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha and was the minister of state for steel before last month’s Cabinet reshuffle.

“I have no faith in the Congress party,” he said in the House, taking everybody by surprise. Later, he told reporters outside Parliament that he had also sent his resignation letter to party president Sonia Gandhi and was feeling “relaxed and relieved now.”

Das alleged that “all the decisions in the party are being taken by the coterie and it is the coterie that is deciding the fate of Congress party and nation.”

Attacking Rahul Gandhi, he said, “There was a coterie surrounding the yuvraj (prince) and if the coterie was not happy with somebody, then that person had to suffer.”

Clarifying his action, Das said, “I believe there is a caucus which is doing all this. There is a power coterie. It has surrounded Rahulji and it is unfortunate that only the coterie has access to him.”

“There is a power coterie within and there is an unconstitutional power coterie. They don’t have any knowledge and they are not Congressmen and they are all surrounding the yuvraj (Rahul Gandhi) of the Congress party,” added Das.

Pointing to Rahul, he said, “He is in charge of the country… He is only the general secretary of the Youth Congress and National Students Union of India, but he is controlling the entire Congress party and he is controlling the entire nation. If he is not happy with you and his coterie is not happy with you, you cannot be in the party; you cannot be welcomed in the party.”

“They don’t have courage, but I can say that…. I am a democratic man, I am not a member of a coterie.” said Das.

On his future course of action, he said he would decide it after consulting his supporters in Lucknow.

Das said Uttar Pradesh has always been at the centre of Congress politics, but now the state too is being viewed through the “vision of this coterie”. Das also questioned the appointment of Rita Bahuguna Joshi as the president of the party’s state unit, describing her as a “daughter” of Uttaranchal.

Inflation issue was also raised by Das attacking the government for its “inability” to control rising prices.

Tags: Congress, Gandhi, India, Politics, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Saturday commented Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi to stop his “political drama”. Attacking Rahul Gandhi and the Government at the Centre she once again threatened of withdrawing her support to the UPA coalition.

Commenting Rahul’s dharna on the street along with farmers of Jhansi in Bundelkhand region, Maya told him that instead of enacting a “political drama” to hide the Congress defeat in the recent bye elections, which he has been doing for the last two days, he should, as an MP from the state, persuade the Centre to implement the special development package for Uttar Pradesh.

Mayawati said that Rahul don’t understand politics, the power which he got inherited. Mayawati claimed that he has forgotten the biggest problem of inflation faced by the people and that the Central Government could fall anytime on the issue.

After sweeping all the five bye elections this week, the BSP supremo has reiterated her threat of withdrawing her support to the government at the Centre if it failed to provide special economic package of Rs 80,000 crores for development of eastern parts and the Bundelkhand region and check inflation within three months time.

“This is the last warning,” Mayawati said adding she would be sending the letter of withdrawal of support without any warning to the President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi if the Centre failed on these two fronts.

Tags: Gandhi, Mayawati, Rahul, Rahul Gandhi, up

Congress General Secretery Rahul Gandhi was stopped by the police to meet the Divisional Commissioner in Uttar Pradesh leading the young congress leader to sit on the road on a dharna as the head of more then 200 farmers.

Rahul who landed in Jhansi on Friday afternoon was on his way to meet the DC P V Jaganmohan to solve the problems of the farmers as a part of his renewed campaign against irregularities in the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS). Farmers’ suicides have also been reported in the past from this region of Uttar Pradesh.

After landing in Jhansi, Rahul met the draught hit farmers in Ghisauli village. Farmers told him that they were denied of the employment assured under the centrally funded NREGS which guarantees 100 days engagement against a daily wage of Rs 100 during a year’s span.

Farmers telling about their problems stated, “There is some commotion when someone like you or Chief Minister Mayawati comes here; but no sooner than you all leave, officials turn apathetic once again.”

After going through their problems and other issues Rahul rushed to the DC residence along with the farmers in one of the five locally arranged buses.

Out of panic or what, Rahul was interrupted some 500 m away and stopped him there saying, “The divisional commissioner sent word that he was willing to meet Rahul alone, but would not allow him to bring the 200 — odd farmers accompanying him.”

But Rahul denied the order and sat on the roads along with the farmers.

Apparently, on getting a green signal from state capital Lucknow, the commissioner agreed to let Rahul in along with the band of farmers.

After meeting with commissioner P V Jagmohan and his team of officials, Rahul told the media, “I came here to convey the plight of these villagers to the commissioner; they are very poor people and they wanted that I must accompany them so that their grievance against serious discrepancies and irregularities in NREGS could be redressed.”

“The commissioner has promised to ensure proper implementation of NREGS in this village so that these poor farmers were duly employed and paid the prescribed wages under the provisions of the scheme.” He added.

Tags: Gandhi, Jhansi, Mayawati, Rahul, Rahul Gandhi, up

Congress president Sonia Gandhi summoned Human Resources Development Minister Arjun Singh. According to the sources Sonia is upset with Arjun Singh for projecting Rahul as PM candidate for upcoming Loksabha polls in 2009.

Senior Congress leader Arjun Singh has stated on Monday that that Rahul Gandhi, the general secretary of Congress has all the qualities of his father and is the right choice for the Prime Ministerial candidate in the upcoming Lok Sabha election in 2009. Later Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee has also supported the statement which gives rise to a hot debate. DMK minister Karunannidhi and NCP also joined the squad to support Rahul for Prime Ministerial candidate.

However, on Tuesday Congress spokesman Jayanti Natraj denied all these declarations saying that these statements were mere speculations and Congress is not serious about the issue. Later Sonia Gandhi summoned Arjun Singh to discuss the issue.

On the other side, Arjun Singh said that he is affirmed on his statement and he had not said anything wrong.

Tags: Arjun Singh, Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi

Priyanka Gandhi has confirmed that she met with her father Rajiv Gandi’s assassin Nalini in Vellore jail on March 19. Nalini is the only survival member of the assassination squad that killed the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on May 21, 1991.

Priyanka said that it was a personal visit initiated only by her. She said, “I met Nalini to make peace with the violence in my life”.

Nalini’s mother too confirmed the meeting between Nalini and Priyanka which has been described as ‘very cordial’ and lasted for about an hour.

Priyanka said, “I refuse to let anger and violence overpower me.”

She said that she only wanted to know why her father was made the target of the fatal suicide bombing that killed him at Sriperambudur on May 21 1991.

Getting very emotional while the meeting Priyanka made Nalini to sit next to her and asked why her father was killed? Nalini said that she knew nothing till the last moment, even though she was present at the assassination spot.

Nalini’s two lawyers S Duraisamy and Elangovan, who confirmed the meeting, said that it was not a spur of the moment decision, the ground for the meet was laid much before.

Nalini believes that the visit may have been prompted by the frequent letters that she sends to the Gandhi family. In a personal note to the conversation they talked about their personal families. Priyanka inquired about Nalini’s daughter and other family members, while telling her about her own.

Nalini found Priyanka to be “very simple and loveable”.

Rahul Gandhi has seconded his siter’s hand saying, “We do not want hatred and violence that’s why Priyanka met Nalini.”

He however denied meeting Nalini stating that his viewpoint was different on this matter but has no objection with Priyanka meeting with Nalini.

Tags: Gandhi, Nalini, Priyanka, Priyanka Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi

Senior Congress leader Arjun Singh said on Monday that Rahul Gandhi, the general secretary of Congress, is the right choice for the Prime Ministerial candidate in the upcoming Lok Sabha election in 2009.

He said that he has all the qualities of his father, late Sh. Rajiv Gandhi and there seems nothing wrong to name him for the post.

“Why not,” he shot back in an interview to agencies when asked whether a young leader should be projected for the top job as like it happened in 1984 when Rajiv Gandhi took over as the youngest Prime Minister after the assassination of Indira Gandhi.

“He (Rahul) has all the qualities of his father. He is making sincere efforts in acquiring the information and knowledge that is required”, the HRD minister said when specifically asked about the MP from Amethi, who is being depicted as the youth icon by the party.

On whether Congress should fight the next elections in a coalition or should fight it on its own to regain its lost ground, he avoided a direct answer. “This question you should put to others. I am not competent enough to answer that,” he said.

Singh, who had played a proactive role on the OBC reservation issue, said that UPA coordination committee would meet soon after the reconvening of parliament session on April 15 to sort out differences among allies on the creamy layer issue.

The HRD minister said a communication would be sent to the institutions, including IIMs, this week on the admission process.

On the burning subject of inflation, he said that government is making efforts to check the price hike but it will take some time to bring the effect of the efforts. He admitted that the issue will definitely impact on upcoming elections.

The price rise would be a thing of the past by the time the country goes to polls, Singh said.

Tags: Arjun Singh, Gandhi, India, PM, Rahul Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi

Sharad Pawar-led NCP, the biggest party in the ruling Manmohan Singh-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government is ready to support Congress president Sonia Gandhi or her son Rahul for the post of Prime Minister in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.

“Congress is the biggest party in the UPA. There is no question of NCP, DMK or RJD or any other party coming close to their numbers and if tomorrow Congress decides to nominate Mrs Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi, it’s not a question for NCP to decide,” NCP general secretary Praful Patel said.

Patel, the Civil Aviation Minister told that Gandhi is given a letter of support from prime minister ship four years back. There is no issue to discuss the choice for the post as Gandhi’s name is already consulted by the party.

Pawar, Union Food and Agriculture Minister, had suggested that the next Lok Sabha polls be fought under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Asked whether his party would support Rahul Gandhi if he is in a position to be nominated as the leader of the next government, Patel said, “If the UPA comes with a majority and if the Congress party so chooses, what the question is? Why is this being debated?”

Against the unfavorable remarks of party colleague D P Tripathi’s against Sonia Gandhi, Patel said that she has been very generous and she has not shown any meanness to the party.

Tags: Congress, DMK, Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, NCP, Rahul Gandhi, RJD, Sharad Pawar, Sonia Gandhi, UPA

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati while addressing a public rally on Wednesday called Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi a ‘hypocrite’. She alleged that the Congress party is fooling ‘Dalits’ for four decades.

She was addressing a rally in Murad Nagar assembly constituency where a by-election is being held after Independent MLA Raj Pal Tyagi quit his seat to join the BSP. She blamed that Congress sent Rahul to impress people and he pretends to be good for ‘Dalits’. Mayawati repeated her words that Rahul takes bath to ‘purify’ him after touching ‘Dalit’ children.

Mayawati said, “The congress is jittery because of the expanding base of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and has therefore sent Rahul Gandhi to act as a friend of Dalits.”

Commenting on her personal enmity with Mulayam Singh Yadav, the chief minister said if she had been maintaining personal enmity, Yadav would have been in jail now.

Tags: Dalit, Gandhi, Mayawati, Rahul, Rahul Gandhi, up