Mass resignations in Congress, after Rahul Gandhi remains adamant on decision to step down

Agencies
June 29, 2019

Jun 28: A flurry of resignations has emerged within the Congress, following party president Rahul Gandhi's adamancy to resign from the post after facing a humiliating defeat in the general elections.

As many as 145 office bearers have tendered a mass resignation during a meeting conducted in the Congress office and set an example for the senior members of the party to follow the suit of taking the moral responsibility behind dismal performance in the 17th Lok Sabha elections.

Deepak Babaria, Congress General Secretary in-charge of Madhya Pradesh today resigned from his post.

Meanwhile, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee, Girish Chodankar Congress took to Twitter and said, "Firm decision of Rahul Gandhi ji to not withdraw resignation as Congress President, morally does not permit me to continue. The defeat is our collective responsibility, hence I hereby tender my resignation forthwith as Goa Congress President."

While Gandhi is sticking to his decision to resign, on the other hand, an in-house tussle has also begun between the seniors and youth leaders of the Congress. Somewhere, the battle in the party is between 'elderly vs youth'.

On Friday, the chief of Congress' legal department, Vivek Tankha resigned from the post and asked others to follow his example.

In a series of tweets on Friday, Tankha said, "We all should submit our resignations from party positions and give Rahul ji a free hand to choose his team. I welcome Mr Kamalnath's statement to that effect. I unequivocally submit my resignation as AICC Dept chairman Law, RTI & HR. Party cannot afford a stalemate for too long."

Similarly, Rajesh Lilothia, who was a party candidate from North West Delhi, resigned as the Delhi Congress Working President. Following suit, Secretary of Overseas Congress Virendra Vashisht and former Secretary Prakash Joshi also stepped down.

The other prominent names who have resigned were Bihar Congress Secretary in-charge Virendra Rathod, Odisha Congress's in-charge secretary Anil Chaudhary, former secretary in-charge Prakash Joshi, and media panellist Sanjay Chopra. All these leaders were active in the party when Gandhi was the general secretary in-charge of the Youth Congress.

Speaking to ANI, Secretary of Overseas Congress Virendra Vashisht said, "We have resigned from our posts in 'honour of Rahul Gandhi'. We want Rahul Gandhi to remain on the post of Congress President."

Former Congress Secretary Prakash Joshi, who was present in a meeting at the Congress headquarters here today, said that the leaders resigned as Gandhi was not the only reason behind the disastrous defeat in the recently held Lok Sabha elections and maintained that the entire party is responsible behind the loss.

Joshi further said, "The senior leaders should also accept the truth and submit the resignations."

A few days ago, Joshi had posted a post on a social networking site against senior Congress leader Anand Sharma, alleging him of destroying the image of Rahul Gandhi.

The present situation showed that a youth faction supporting Gandhi has started criticising the senior leaders of the party for not taking the moral responsibility of the defeat.

Gandhi, who has announced his decision to quit from the party post following its dismal performance in the general elections, had earlier expressed his unhappiness that none of the state leaders had taken responsibility.

On Wednesday, the workers of Youth Congress gathered outside the residence of Gandhi in the national capital, appealing him not to step down from the party's president post.

Later, Gandhi, who met leaders, asserted that he will not remain at the president post of the Congress but will continue to work actively for the party.

However, according to sources, Gandhi has reiterated that he will not change his decision of resigning from the post.

Gandhi, who became the party president in 2017, offered to step down from his post at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on May 25, taking moral responsibility for Congress' dismal performance in the 17th general elections.

However, his resignation offer was unanimously rejected by the CWC.

So far, several top leaders have met Gandhi and urged him to continue to lead the party.

Despite senior members making serious attempts to convince the 49-year-old party chief to rethink his decision, he remains unfazed.

The Congress won 52 seats in the recent general elections, which is just eight more than 2014 in the outgoing Lok Sabha.

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News Network
January 29,2020

New Delhi, Jan 29: The Janata Dal (United) today expelled its vice-president Prashant Kishor and senior leader Pavan Kumar accusing them of "anti-party" activities.

Both the leaders have been attacking the party leadership over its pro-CAA stand.

The spat between Nitish Kumar and Kishor was out in the open yesterday when the former reminded the political strategist that he was inducted into the party on the recommendation of Union home minister Amit Shah.

It all began when Nitish, while talking to the media here, said, “I don’t have any problem if he (Kishor) wants to leave the party. But if he wants to stay, then he will have to follow the basic structure of the party.”

Varma had also questioned the JDU's alliance with the BJP in Delhi Assembly polls while Kishor has more than once voiced his differences with the party known on the issue of CAA and NRC.
 

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Agencies
June 25,2020

New Delhi, Jun 25: The Congress on Thursday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi why has not India gained anything from the "strange bonhomie" which it claimed he shared with China.

Seeking to turn the tables on the ruling party, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said the BJP also shared bonhomie with the Communist Party of China (CPC) with several party-level exchanges taking place in the past.

He sought to know whether India's borders have become safe after these exchanges in the last many years.

The Congress leader asked what has the country gained out of these exchange delegations and why are the borders insecure despite the bonds that the two ruling parties of India and China share with each other.

"There is a strange kind of bonhomie between Narendra Modi and China, a two decade old bonhomie. Why doesn't the country get the benefit of that bonhomie," he asked at a virtual press conference.

Khera said all that the Congress will continue to question is about the political will that just does not get visible when it comes to China.

"Whatever is happening on the border today, is it despite the bonhomie which you have with China, or is it because of the bonhomie which you have with China. The country needs to know," he asked.

"We do want to ask you, if as president of the party, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari and Amit Shah have been sending delegations,  strengthening the bonds between the Communist Party of China and the BJP. What has the country gained out of these bonds? Why are the borders insecure despite these bonds that you have," he also asked.

The ruling has hit out at the Congress for signing an MoU with China's Communist Party and has questioned its "bond" with the ruling party in China.

Khera also asked what role did the India Foundation, an organisation run by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval's son has in strengthening the bonds with China.

"Why does India Foundation keep visiting these countries? Who do they meet? What's the outcome? What's the role of NSA Ajit Doval's son- Shaurya Doval? He keeps attending these meetings through India Foundation? These are important questions in the light of what is happening," he asked.

Khera said the prime minister is showing "red eyes" to those who are asking him questions instead of showing them to the enemy.

"It is time to stand with the Army and show red eyes to China," he said.

The Congress leader said questions will be asked to Modi especially when there are definitive reports, satellite images of incursions in the Ladakh region of India by the Chinese.

He alleged that China laps up the comment of Modi and uses it across the world that the Indian prime minister says that China is in its own territory and Galwan is theirs.

"After a lot of pressure, PMO contradicted what the prime minister said. This kind of a goof up is unpardonable," he alleged.

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News Network
February 18,2020

New Delhi, Feb 18: India emerged as the world's fifth-largest economy by overtaking the UK and France in 2019, says a report.

A US-based think tank World Population Review in its report said that India is developing into an open-market economy from its previous autarkic policies.

"India's economy is the fifth-largest in the world with a GDP of $2.94 trillion, overtaking the UK and France in 2019 to take the fifth spot," it said.

The size of the UK economy is $2.83 trillion and that of France is $2.71 trillion.

The report further said that in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms, India's GDP (PPP) is $10.51 trillion, exceeding that of Japan and Germany. Due to India's high population, India's GDP per capita is $2,170 (for comparison, the US is $62,794).

India's real GDP growth, however, it said is expected to weaken for the third straight year from 7.5 per cent to 5 per cent.

The report observed that India's economic liberalisation began in the early 1990s and included industrial deregulation, reduced control on foreign trade and investment, and privatisation of state-owned enterprises.

"These measures have helped India accelerate economic growth," it said.

India's service sector is the fast-growing sector in the world accounting for 60 per cent of the economy and 28 per of employment, the report said, adding that manufacturing and agriculture are two other significant sectors of the economy.

The US-based World Population Review is an independent organisation without any political affiliations.

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