‘Ordinary Indians are paying the price’: Rahul targets Centre over IndiGo crisis; calls it ‘cost of monopoly model’
NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi weighed in on the IndiGo disruption, stating that it is a consequence of the monopoly model promoted by the government, for which ordinary citizens are paying the price. He took to X to share a post emphasising the need for fair competition across all sectors rather than allowing monopolies to dominate.”IndiGo fiasco is the cost of this Govt’s monopoly model,” wrote Gandhi, “Once again, it’s ordinary Indians who pay the price – in delays, cancellations and helplessness. India deserves fair competition in every sector, not match-fixing monopolies.” IndiGo flights have triggered major disruptions at key airports across India. The airline is grappling with significant operational challenges, resulting in widespread flight cancellations, confusion among passengers, and considerable frustration as travellers are stranded, with many also losing their luggage. The flight disturbances have now escalated into a political issue, with the Opposition likely to raise the matter in Parliament. Earlier today, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi submitted a notice under Rule 180 in the Rajya Sabha, urging Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu to make a statement regarding the disruption of IndiGo’s operations, which has been causing severe inconvenience to passengers nationwide. In her notice, she stated, “The extensive disruption in IndiGo Airlines’ operations on Wednesday, which led to delays of up to seven hours and the cancellation of more than 70 flights across the country, including major hubs like Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, was due to a critical shortage of crew and other operational challenges. This situation caused substantial hardship for passengers, with several prominent domestic routes and international services, including the Mumbai-Maldives flight, severely impacted during peak hours.” She added, “This issue is of urgent public importance, as thousands of passengers were stranded, normal airport operations were disrupted, and recurring large-scale disturbances in airline services underscore the need for immediate government intervention, accountability, and measures to prevent such incidents in the future. I request that the Minister provide a statement on this matter at the earliest opportunity.” Meanwhile, IndiGo has requested temporary operational exemptions from certain Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) for its A320 fleet until February 10, 2026, and assured that full operational stability will be restored by that date, according to a statement from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/limesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Revanth invites Congress brass for Global Summit
Hyderabad: Chief minister A Revanth Reddy, along with deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka, on Wednesday invited the Congress top leadership, including Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, to the Telangana Rising Global Summit scheduled to be held at Bharat Future City on Dec 8 and 9. Revanth and Bhatti travelled to New Delhi on Tuesday night, met the AICC president, and extended the formal invitation to him. On Wednesday, the chief minister also invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi, defence minister Rajnath Singh, Union minister Manoharlal Khattar and other AICC leaders. Revanth briefed the Congress leaders on the aims and objectives of the Telangana Rising Vision document and the two-day summit. Congress MPs from Telangana have been tasked with inviting other Union ministers, while Revanth’s cabinet colleagues will extend invitations to chief ministers of various states. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/limesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Defamation case: Pune court directs Rahul Gandhi’s lawyer not to comment on unchallenged summons
Pune: A magisterial court in the city on Tuesday directed Rahul Gandhi’s lawyer not to comment on unchallenged summons in an ongoing hearing of a defamation case filed by Satyaki Savarkar, the grandnephew of Swatantryaveer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, against the Congress MP. The case relates to Gandhi’s alleged defamatory remarks against Savarkar during a speech in London. Satyaki filed an application before the court, raising an exception to a couple of paragraphs in a plea filed by Gandhi’s counsel on an earlier occasion. He submitted that the paragraphs were “serious in nature and mudslinging on the conduct of the complainant” and “cast some doubt on the functioning of the impartial judiciary system”. In his order on Tuesday, Judicial magistrate first class Amol Shriram Shinde noted, “The accused has raised some doubts on the functioning of the Court in para Nos. 11 and 13 of Exh. 117. Accused stated in para No. 11 that, complainant managed to secure the order of issuance of summons against the accused… In para No.13 accused further stated that, complainant succeeded in obtaining the summoning order through over reach rather than through lawful proof.” He said, “This court finds that if accused has any grievances against the issuance of summons order then he should challenge it before the appropriate court. But, he cannot make any comment on the order which he did not challenge. Either he has to accept the order or he has to challenge the order before the appropriate court.” In another order, the court also rejected an application filed by Gandhi’s counsel, Milind Pawar, seeking prevention of any further adjournments. The complainant intends to lead further evidence in the matter. “He must be given an opportunity to lead his evidence. A fair trial should be there. Therefore, this court finds that a short adjournment can be granted to the complainant,” the court said while posting the matter for next hearing on Dec 5. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/limesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Eye on polls, Assam Cong leaders meet Kharge, Rahul to discuss strategies
Guwahati: The Assam Congress leadership, headed by PCC president Gaurav Gogoi, met AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge and LoP Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Tuesday, focusing on strategies for the 2026 assembly election and mobilisation. Gogoi said the AICC promised full support to make Assam “BJP Mukt”. “From organisational matters to key issues concerning the Assamese society, Kharge Ji listened to Assam PCC leaders,” he said. With an eight-party opposition alliance already formed for the state election, other opposition parties are now finalising their joint strategy to challenge the BJP and its allies. This meeting was held at a crucial time before the political affairs committee meeting of Assam PCC, expected in mid-December, where the focus will likely be on finalising seat-sharing arrangements with other opposition parties. The eight-party alliance, including Left and regional parties in Assam, is facing challenges with candidates from different parties vying for the same seats. “The deliberation centred on a comprehensive review of the party’s organisational preparedness in Assam and the formulation of a robust electoral strategy for the upcoming polls. The AICC leadership offered detailed guidance and strategic directives to strengthen the party’s outreach, coordination, and election-time mobilisation,” said Bedabrata Bora for Assam PCC. The meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday with the top leadership of the AICC was chaired by Kharge and also attended by AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal, and AICC general secretary in-charge of Assam Jitendra Singh. From Assam, the delegation was led by Gaurav Gogoi and included Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Assembly Debabrata Saikia, former APCC President Bhupen Bora, MPs Rakibul Hussain and Pradyut Bordoloi, former MP Ripun Bora, Working Presidents Zakir Hussain Sikdar, Rozelina Tirkey, and Pradip Sarkar. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/limesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
‘Distractions’: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra slams Rajnath’s ‘Nehru-Babri’ remark; how Rahul responded
NEW DELHI: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday dismissed defence minister Rajnath Singh’s “Nehru–Babri Masjid” remark as a “distraction” from the issues that matter. “These are all distractions. There are many real issues that need discussion. They create a new distraction every day so that we are unable to talk about the people’s concerns,” she told reporters outside Parliament. Her brother, and Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, declined to comment, saying reporters were “wasting their time” by asking him for a reaction. The siblings are great-grandchildren of Jawaharlal Nehru, the country’s first prime minister. Addressing the ‘Sardar Sabha’ in Vadodara, Gujarat, on Tuesday, Rajnath Singh alleged that Jawaharlal Nehru wanted to use government funds to build the Babri Masjid. He added that it was then-home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who opposed the plan, and described Patel as “truly secular.” “Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was truly secular. He never believed in appeasement. When Jawaharlal Nehru spoke about spending government funds on the Babri Masjid issue, it was Patel, a son of Gujarat, who opposed it. He did not allow the Babri Masjid to be built with government money,” the senior BJP leader remarked. He added, “Nehru raised the question of reconstructing the Somnath Temple. Patel clarified that the Somnath case was different: the public had donated Rs 30 lakh, a trust had been formed, and not a single rupee of government money was used,” referring to the temple’s reconstruction in Veraval, Gujarat. Singh’s remarks came ahead of December 6, marking the 33rd anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. In November 2019, a Constitution bench of the Supreme Court delivered a unanimous verdict paving the way for the construction of Lord’s Ram temple in the city. The temple was inaugurated on January 22, 2024. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/limesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Fresh FIR against Rahul, Sonia in National Herald case
NEW DELHI: The economic offences wing of the Delhi police has registered a fresh FIR against senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, along with six other associates and business entities in an alleged case of criminal conspiracy to “fraudulently” acquire Associated Journals Ltd, then a Congress held entity having properties worth Rs 2,000 crore. The acquisition was made through Young Indian in which the Gandhis held 76% shareholding. The Delhi police FIR, dated Oct 3, is based on a complaint filed by the Headquarters Investigative Unit (HIU) of the ED, which has shared detailed findings of its investigation into National Herald money laundering case from 2008-2024. Sharing of information under Sec 66(2) of the PMLA allows ED to ask another enforcement agency to register and probe a scheduled offence, which can then become a predicate offence necessary for the ED to carry out its own investigation under the PMLA. The ongoing money laundering probe by ED is based on a private complaint from former BJP MP Subramanian Swamy and its cognisance by metropolitan magistrate’s court in Patiala House in June 2014. In this case, the central agency filed a prosecution complaint (chargesheet) under PMLA against Gandhis and other accused on April 9 before a special MPs/MLAs court here at Rouse Avenue. The court has not taken cognisance yet of the matter. Congress has consistently disputed the charges and has accused ED of carrying out a political witchunt at govt’s instance. When TOI contacted the party again on Delhi police registering an FIR, it said they are not aware of it. Besides Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, the FIR registered by the Delhi Police has named three others, including chief of Indian Overseas Congress Sam Pitroda. It also names three entities, AJL, Young Indian and the Dotex Merchandise Pvt Ltd, allegedly a Kolkata-based shell company that provided Rs 1 crore to Young India from which Gandhis paid Congress Rs 50 lakh to allegedly acquire AJL with assets allegedly worth Rs 2,000 crore. Sources said the police is likely to summon shareholders of AJL for questioning to ascertain whether the Congress consulted them and took their approval before transferring the company to Young Indian, beneficially owned by Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Was match-fixing already taking place in 11 Bihar seats? Statistics suggest otherwise.
Bihar Politics: RJD and Congress held separate meetings to review the Bihar election defeat. But what will be the gist of these meetings when both the losers and the losers were part of the Grand Alliance? In reality, they were defeated not by the NDA, but by their own stubbornness and arrogance. Patna: Both were blind, the fire was blazing ahead, yet they jumped into it. Now they are reviewing how they got burned? This is exactly what RJD and Congress did in the Bihar Assembly elections. Both insisted on jumping into the fire while they were still awake. They kept fighting for tickets, but the issue wasn’t resolved until the elections. They destroyed themselves in the battle of ‘Hum Mir Hum Hum Mir Hum Mir’. Defeat in 11 seats was certain even before the elections. Reviewing the defeat of those who deliberately lost is a mere time pass. The barn does not fill with lies. Instead of blaming each other in the name of review, we should look within ourselves to see what our mistakes were. Towards a Parting of the Ways A meeting has already been held in Delhi to review the Congress’s humiliating defeat in the Bihar Assembly elections. Now, a meeting of district presidents was held in Patna to gather feedback on the party’s poor performance. Other district organization leaders also attended this meeting. Reports were taken from each district on the reasons for the party’s defeat. After the meeting, Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee President Rajesh Ram said, “Our alliance with the RJD is only an electoral alliance; it has no organizational basis. The Congress party is expanding its organization to strengthen itself. There has been no discussion between the Congress and the RJD after the elections. Whether they will form a joint strategy as an opposition party is also unclear.” What did we gain from this reluctant alliance? There is a Bhojpuri saying: “Beman ke biyah kanpatiye senur” (unwillingly applied vermilion to the temple in the marriage). The alliance between RJD, Congress, and the Left parties was similar. Seat sharing is always clear in any electoral alliance. If a friendly fight ensues, it indicates a lack of trust among the constituent parties. Deception is inherent in the intentions. How did such powerful leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav agree to a friendly fight on 11 seats? If they had strictly adhered to alliance principles, would this have happened? Would any Congress candidate have had the courage to ignore Rahul Gandhi’s request? Is there any RJD leader who would disobey Tejashwi Yadav’s orders? But neither party made a sincere effort to avoid a friendly fight. Congress defeated RJD in Vaishali How could a heart break when a stone collides with glass? Glass collided with a stone, and it was bound to break, and it did. In 11 seats, the Grand Alliance hurled stones at each other’s glass houses. In the Vaishali seat, RJD’s Ajay Kumar and Congress’s Sanjeev Singh fought each other. JDU’s Siddharth Patel won. JDU defeated RJD by a huge margin of around 32,000 votes. Sanjeev Singh came in third. Clearly, if Congress had not contested this seat, RJD could have had the upper hand. Meaning, Congress defeated RJD. CPI defeated Congress in Rajapakad Congress’s Pratima Kumari and CPI’s Mohit Paswan contested the Rajapakad seat. However, JDU’s Mahendra Ram won. Mahendra Ram defeated Congress’s Pratima Kumari by a huge margin of 41,000 votes. CPI’s Mohit Paswan came in third. CPI defeated Congress in this seat. In the Beldaur seat, Congress’s Mithilesh Nishad and IIP’s Tanisha Bharti were contesting against each other. JDU’s Panna Singh Patel emerged victorious. Panna Singh Patel defeated Congress’s Mithilesh Nishad by around 35,000 votes. IIP defeated Congress in this seat. Congress defeats RJD in Kahalgaon In the Kahalgaon seat, Congress’s Praveen Singh Kushwaha and RJD’s Rajneesh Bharti were contesting against each other. Both lost the election, and JDU’s Shubhanand Mukesh emerged victorious. Shubhanand defeated RJD’s Rajneesh Bharti by over 50,000 votes. Congress defeated RJD in this seat, finishing fourth. Clearly, Congress should not have contested this seat. Congress suffered a humiliating defeat in the Sultanganj seat. Congress candidate Lalan Kumar received only 2,754 votes. Despite being weak, Congress insisted on contesting this seat. As a result, RJD’s Chandan Sinha’s position deteriorated. Seeing the two allies fighting each other, the public turned to JDU’s Lalit Narayan Mandal. Lalit Mandal defeated RJD’s Chandan Sinha by over 31,000 votes. VIP defeats RJD in Chainpur Mukesh Sahni’s stubbornness led to RJD’s defeat in the Chainpur seat. Brijkishore Bind of RJD and Balgovind Bind of VIP were fighting amongst themselves on this seat. Balgovind Bind is the state president of VIP. Mukesh Sahni forcibly fielded his own candidate on this seat. But the public gave a befitting reply to Mukesh Sahni. Balgovind Bind of VIP slipped to seventh place. This shows how big a leader Mukesh Sahni is of the Nishad community. Mahendra Gupta of CPI sank the boat of Santosh Mishra of Congress on Karhagar seat. Santosh Mishra was a sitting MLA. Both were defeated badly. BSP came second. Vashisht Singh of JDU won the election here. CPI defeated RJD in Bihar Sharif. Similarly, in the Bihar Sharif seat, CPI’s Shivkumar Yadav defeated Congress’s Umaid Khan. In the Bachhwara seat, CPI’s Awadhesh Rai defeated Congress’s Garib Das. BJP’s Surendra Mehta won this seat. In the Narkatiaganj seat, RJD’s Shashwat Kedar defeated RJD’s Deepak Yadav. BJP won this seat. In the Sikandra seat, Congress’s Vinod Chaudhary defeated RJD’s Uday Narayan Chaudhary. HAM’s Praful Manjhi won this seat. Congress finished fifth in Sikandra. When Congress, RJD, CPI, VIP, and IIP spent their energy trying to defeat each other, why is a meeting being held to find the reason for the defeat? It seems that perhaps a scapegoat may be found to save the honor of some senior leaders; this is the gist of the meeting. Authored by: Ashok Kumar Sharma•Edited by: Rishikesh Narayan Singh About the Author Ashok Kumar Sharma is a senior journalist
HILTP a massive land scam, KTR says in letter to Rahul
Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Industrial Land Transformation Policy (HILTP) recently introduced by the Telangana govt is one of the biggest land scams in independent India, BRS working president KT Rama Rao alleged in an open letter addressed to leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Sunday. In the letter, KTR expressed concerns that “this highly corrupt policy raised serious suspicions” across Telangana and questioned whether the Congress leadership was aware of the irregularities occurring in the state or if they were deliberately choosing to remain silent. He warned that this corrupt policy allows private companies to acquire highly valuable govt land at nominal prices, potentially costing the people of Telangana Rs 5 lakh crore. In his letter, KTR pointed out that previous govts allocated around 9,300 acres of industrial land in key clusters such as Balanagar, Jeedimetla, Sanathnagar, Uppal, Mallapur, Ramachandrapuram, and Hayathnagar in Hyderabad city. These land parcels were initially provided at subsidised rates to promote industrial growth, employment, and long-term economic development However, under the new HILTP, KTR alleged that those holding industrial lands could now convert them into commercial or residential zones by paying only 30% of the sub-registrar office (SRO) value. He accused the policy of enabling the transfer of valuable public assets to private individuals at minimal cost, thereby regularising land worth lakhs of crores at nominal prices. KTR also expressed doubts about the govt’s decision to grant fast-track approvals for the transfer of assets worth thousands of crores within just 45 days. He criticised the lack of transparency in such a hurried process, accusing the govt of handing over these lands to private individuals without proper scrutiny, solely for monetary gain. He stated that the Congress govt’s haste and the hidden political corruption within this entire policy raise numerous questions. Furthermore, KTR accused the Congress govt of having a “well-laid plan to plunder Telangana’s wealth,” valued in lakhs of crores, under the guise of relocating polluting industries outside the Outer Ring Road (ORR). He questioned why the relocation was not mandatory for all industries, alleging that the process was instead voluntary, with the govt making case-by-case decisions on land transfers. KTR highlighted the policy’s failure to set a deadline for the relocation of existing industries or to clarify whether these industries would actually move. “The policy was introduced purely for monetary gain, without identifying alternative locations for relocating industries or considering the implications of these land transfers,” he said. The BRS leader warned that instead of fostering new industrial development in the city, there could be an increase in skyscrapers and commercial complexes replacing old industrial units. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
The government is trying to intimidate… Jairam Ramesh is furious over the FIR against Sonia and Rahul. What is the matter?
An FIR has been filed against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case. The Economic Offenses Wing of the Delhi Police took this action. The Congress has called it political vendetta. New Delhi: The Congress has strongly opposed the FIR filed against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case. The party says that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are jointly targeting top Congress leaders. The Congress alleges that the government is engaging in a political effort to intimidate and suppress the opposition. The Congress says that this is a politically motivated action aimed at weakening the opposition. Party General Secretary Jairam Ramesh wrote on his social media handle “X,” “The Modi-Shah duo is continuously engaging in a political effort to intimidate and suppress the top leadership of the Congress. Those who are insecure and fearful themselves try to intimidate others. The National Herald case is completely false and baseless. Ultimately, justice will prevail. Satyamev Jayate!” In fact, the Economic Offences Wing of Delhi Police has filed a new FIR against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case. Serious charges of criminal conspiracy, fraud, and breach of trust have been leveled in this case. The FIR names a total of nine accused, including six individuals and three companies. This action was taken based on a complaint filed by the ED on October 3, 2025. The allegation is that a conspiracy was hatched to illegally seize assets worth approximately ₹2,000 crore belonging to Associated Journals Limited (AJL). AJL, the company that ran the National Herald newspaper, closed in 2008 due to financial difficulties. At that time, AJL had an interest-free loan of over ₹90 crore. What is the matter? Young India Private Limited, a company formed in 2010, purchased AJL’s assets worth over ₹2,000 crore for a mere ₹50 lakh. Sonia and Rahul Gandhi hold 76 percent of the shares in this company, making them its principal owners. It is also alleged that Young India Private Limited was created to divert public funds for private gain. Furthermore, the transfer of ₹1 crore to Young India by Dotex, an alleged Kolkata-based shell company, is also being considered part of the conspiracy. About the Author Ashok Upadhyay is a senior digital content producer at Navbharat Times Online. He has 10 years of experience in journalism. He began his journalism career in 2014 with Navbharat Times Hindi newspaper. He specializes in reporting on politics, sports, and the crime beat. Edited by: Ashok Upadhyay Courtesy: Hindi News
Victory and defeat depend on your thinking…Congress leaders paid tribute to Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji in this way.
On the occasion of the 350th martyrdom day of Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji, several prominent leaders, including Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, paid tribute. New Delhi: Top Congress leaders remembered Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji on his 350th martyrdom day. The leaders shared their messages, remembering the sacrifice of the ninth Sikh Guru, known as the “Chadar of India,” and his supreme sacrifice in protecting human values. Victory and defeat depend on your thinking: Kharge Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge wrote in a post on the social media platform X, “Victory and defeat depend on your thinking. If you accept it, you lose; if you resolve it, you win. My heartfelt tributes to the ninth Guru of Sikhism, ‘Hind ki Chadar’, Dhan-Dhan Shri Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib Ji, on his 350th martyrdom day, who sacrificed everything to protect human values, equality, and principles.” Rahul Gandhi also posted Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi wrote, “My heartfelt tributes to the ninth Guru of Sikhism, ‘Hind ki Chadar’, Shri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji, on his martyrdom day. His ideals, values, sacrifice, and dedication will always be a source of inspiration for humanity.” His lessons will always guide us: Priyanka Gandhi Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi wrote, “Respectful tributes to the ninth Guru of Sikhism, Shri Teg Bahadur Ji, on his martyrdom day. Guru Teg Bahadur Ji showed the world the path by spreading the light of righteousness, humanity, service, sacrifice, love, and unity. His lessons will always guide us all.” Guru Sahib’s teachings show the way: Congress The Congress wrote on its official Twitter handle, “We pay our humble tribute to Guru Teg Bahadur Ji on his martyrdom day. His supreme sacrifice for freedom and humanity and his everlasting teachings show a path for millions of our Sikh brothers and sisters and many more.” Kamal Nath also paid tribute Let us follow in his footsteps to stand against injustice and uphold the values of unity and humanity. Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath wrote in an Instagram post, “Humble tributes to the ninth Guru of Sikhism, Guru Teg Bahadur Ji, on his martyrdom day. His sacrifice will always inspire us to sacrifice everything to protect the truth.” My heartfelt regards.” Edited by: NBT Desk Courtesy: Hindi News