Rahul Gandhi is already No. 2 in Congress party, Janardan Dwivedi says

October 31, 2012
Rahul_formally_congress

New Delhi, October 31: The build-up to Rahul Gandhi's elevation as Congress number two has started with the emphatic assertion that there is no doubt about his position in the party.

Asked when he would be formally designated as secretary general or working president, AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said, "Something is due. It may happen when it is ready. Rahul Gandhi is number two in the party. His place is after the Congress president. It is not a hidden fact. There is no ambiguity about it. PM Manmohan Singh has said that Rahul is the future leader. There is no shying away from it."

The proclamation of Rahul's imminent coronation amid speculation over the timing of AICC reshuffle to promote him indicated that it is time for bugles for another generation of Gandhis to take over the party.

The recast of Congress organization will come after the Sunday rejig of the Union ministry which saw promotion and induction of young ministers who are seen as the party's GenNext. It is a prelude to Rahul taking over the organization as the launch pad for the 2014 elections.

Dwivedi made it clear that even as general secretary, Rahul was the first among equals and that the designation, whenever it comes, would merely be a de jure stamp on what is already de facto. "This has been accepted by every forum in the party — from block level to the plenary," he said.

The definitive tone marks the onset of "succession season", likely to end with 2014 polls. Partymen say it may not be succession in literal terms since Sonia Gandhi was still going to be the party chief but Rahul would soon be handling day-to-day management of the party after he is delineated number two.

Rahul is expected to be designated as either 'secretary general' or "working president'. He is presently general secretary in charge of youth outfits.

"It is part of the succession plan," a leader said.

The timing of AICC rejig to promote Rahul's takeover is planned to complement the reshuffle of the Union ministry that would convey a sense of purpose in the ruling camp which has been in disarray. The corruption issue and the policy paralysis at the Centre have hurt the popular perception about Congress.

Rahul's elevation would be part of his projection as prime ministerial candidate in 2014 polls with a message that the party was looking to move on from the old guard that has represented old politics.

The rejig will help Congress steal a march on the leadership issue over the opposition NDA, which is still to settle its PM candidate in view of jostling among the BJP satraps.


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News Network
January 9,2020

Dubai, Jan 9: A roadshow promoting Gujarat as an education hub of India will be held here from January 17, officials said.

Representatives of 22 universities and four colleges from Gujarat will be part of the two-day event organised by the Indian Consulate in Dubai.

"The roadshow will provide a glimpse of the thriving education sector in Gujarat and enable the interested candidates to get a first-hand understanding of the rich resources of the state in order to pursue higher education," according to a statement released by the Indian Consulate here on Wednesday.

A delegation led by Gujarat's Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama will take part in the event under the 'Study in Gujarat' campaign, the statement said.

The Principal Secretary of the state's Higher and Technical Education, Anju Sharma, will participate in the roadshow, which will conclude on January 18.

The participating educational institutions include Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, Gujarat Forensic Science University, Nirma University, LD College of Engineering, Gujarat Arts and Science College, Vishwakarma Government College and SAL College.

"In the last decade and a half, Gujarat has been successful in establishing its identity as the leading educational hub of India. State of the art infrastructure, safe environment, curriculum at par with international standards and industry exposure gives students an edge during the course of their study," the statement said.

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News Network
June 3,2020

Jammu, Jun 3: A mob on Tuesday disrupted the last rites of a coronavirus victim in Jammu and Kashmir and forced his family members to flee with the half-burnt body, prompting intervention by the administration which later ensured the cremation at another place as per protocol.

A 72-year-old man, hailing from Doda district, became the fourth victim of the novel coronavirus to die in Jammu region. He breathed his last at the Government Medical College (GMC) hospital on Monday.

"We had set out for the funeral along with a revenue official and a medical team, and had lit the pyre at a cremation ground in Domana area when a large group of local residents appeared at the scene and disrupted the last rites," son of the deceased said.

Only close relatives of the deceased, including his wife and two sons, were present during the cremation. They had to flee with the half-burnt body in an ambulance to save their skin from the mob which pelted stones and attacked them with sticks.

"We had sought permission from the government to take the body to our home district for the last rites, but we were told that all necessary arrangements were in place, and that we would not face any trouble during the cremation," the victim's son said.

He also alleged that the security officials present at the scene were of no help.

Two policemen who were present there failed to act against the unruly crowd, while the accompanying revenue official went missing, he said.

"The ambulance driver and other staff from the hospital helped us a lot and managed to take us back to the GMC hospital with the body the government should have come out with a better plan to conduct the last rites of coronavirus victims, taking into consideration the past experience and problems encountered during the funeral of such victims," the victim's son said.

Later, the body was taken to a cremation ground at Bhagwati Nagar area of the city, where it was consigned to flames in the afternoon in presence of senior civil officials, including additional deputy commissioner and sub-divisional magistrate under tight security.

"My uncle was admitted in the hospital last week and died on Monday afternoon. He was suffering from various ailments, especially lungs and heart diseases. Before shifting him to GMC hospital Jammu, he underwent a coronavirus test in Doda which came negative," nephew of the deceased said.

However, he said, the victim's second test after his admission in the GMC hospital came positive on Sunday.

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News Network
July 3,2020

New Delhi, Jul 3: India reported the highest ever single-day spike of 20,903 COVID-19 cases in 24 hours on Friday, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

With these new cases, India's coronavirus tally has risen to 6,25,544 cases of which 2,27,439 patients are active cases while 3,79,892 patients have been cured/discharged/migrated.

379 more deaths due to COVID-19 were reported in the country in the last 24 hours, taking the number of deaths due to the infection to 18,213.

As per the Health Ministry, Maharashtra -- the worst-affected state from the virus -- has a total of 1,86,626 cases including 8,178 fatalities while Tamil Nadu has 98,392 coronavirus cases in the state inclusive of 1,321 fatalities.

Delhi has reported 92,175 cases so far inclusive of 2,864 patients succumbing to the virus.

The Indian Council of Medical Research on Friday said that the total number of samples tested till July 2 is 92,97,749 of which 2,41,576 samples were tested on Thursday.

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