‘No interest in that right now’: Rahul Gandhi on Sonia Gandhi memoir row, cites ‘crime’ against Kharge
NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said he had “no interest” in the controversy surrounding the upcoming memoir of his mother and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, saying his sole focus at present was the “crime” committed against party chief Mallikarjun Kharge. The Lok Sabha leader of opposition was responding to a reporter’s question at his press conference on the “purification” ritual conducted after Kharge’s rally in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, earlier this month. “I call it a digression strategy. I have absolutely no interest in that right now. My interest lies in the crime that has been committed against Kharge ji,” Rahul Gandhi said, demanding “justice” for the veteran politican. The controversy surrounding Sonia Gandhi’s biography, titled “Belonging: A Journey Of Love,” arose from reports that publisher Penguin Random House India had declined to publish the book after she rejected proposed editorial changes. However, Penguin Random House India clarified in a statement on Friday that it was not the publisher of “Belonging” in India. “Any suggestion that Penguin Random House India decided not to publish ‘Belonging’ because the author declined editorial changes does not accurately reflect the circumstances,” the publisher said in a statement. However, it acknowledged that it remained “keen to publish the book”, while stressing that fact-checking and recommending editorial changes were part of its responsibility as a publisher. “As a publisher, it is both our prerogative and our responsibility to fact check and provide authors with recommendations that are in the best interests of their books. This is a normal part of the publishing process. Throughout the relevant discussions, Penguin Random House India’s position was that we remained willing and keen to publish the book. We will not comment further on confidential discussions with the author,” the statement added. On August 20, the birth anniversary of his father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi expressed his excitement over Sonia Gandhi’s biography. “I am happy, and so proud, that your story—‘Belonging: A Journey of Love’—will finally be read by the millions of people who love you. I know how hard it was for someone as private as you to tell the world your beautiful story. Today, on his birthday, I can see Papa smiling and looking down proudly at his beautiful Sonia,” the Congress MP wrote on X. The book is scheduled to be published on November 10. 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
UP Cong reshuffle: From Priyanka’s circle to Rahul’s camp?
Lucknow: The recent organisational rejig in UP Congress is more than a routine change of roles, believe party insiders. To some of them, the changes speak for ‘the party moving towards a new set of leaders, seen as closer to Rahul Gandhi, to steer the UP unit ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.’ “While the meteoric rise of new in charge Rajendra Pal Gautam – who left AAP to join Congress – is already a talking point among old-timers with references to Gautam’s proximity with Rahul, murmurs that newly appointed deputies given to him are handpicked by the Rae Bareli MP are doing the rounds,” a senior organisational member told TOI. To note, on Aug 6, All India Congress Committee general secretary appointed Abhishek Dutt, Kunal Choudhary, Jagdish Chander Jangid, Sanjeev Arya, Varun Choudhary and Abdul Hannan as AICC secretaries attached to AICC in charge. The party also appreciated the outgoing in-charges – Dheeraj Gurjar, Nilanshu Chaturvedi, Pradeep Narwal, Rajesh Tiwari, Satyanarayan Patel and Tauquir Alam. “All the six co-in-charges given a role in UP were groomed by Rahul under the Youth Congress Transformation Programme. Launched in 2006 from Punjab, this programme aimed to raise young leadership in the grand old party,” said a functionary, adding, “This exercise was based on performance… Those who do well grow up the ranks in the Congress organization. And all the co-in-charges for UP have walked past this route.” During the 2022 state elections, Priyanka Gandhi and her team were at the helm of affairs in UP though her journey began in 2019 with the role of general secretary in charge of eastern UP. With her came a group of young leaders who over time became an important and effective link between Priyanka and UP. The main man in Team Priyanka was Sandeep Singh – former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union president. “As personal secretary to Priyanka, Sandeep exuded influence and controlled matters in ways which upset scores of old-timers besides turning certain functionaries virtually redundant,” said a former departmental head in UPCC, adding that the new appointments have edged Team Priyanka out. Adding that two of Singh’s associates – Pradeep Narwal and Tauqeer Alam – were also from JNU and were later appointed as AICC secretaries along with Dheeraj Gurjar, he further said, “Together they completed the coterie (that also had Mohit Pandey and Anil Yadav in the wider team) which became involved in all the key decisions and was accused of causing infighting and factionalism inside India’s politically significant state unit.” Brushing this debate aside, UP Congress in charge Rajendra Pal Gautam said, “All this is bogus. There are no camps. Congress is one party. Those saying this are peddling propaganda.” UP Congress president Ajay Rai said, “These so-called interpretations appear to be manufactured propaganda planted by BJP to dampen our high spirits ahead of the 2027 elections. They have failed on all fronts and are now using rumour mills to create confusion in our base. But they will not succeed.” 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
‘Not publisher of Sonia Gandhi’s memoir’: Penguin rejects ‘editorial changes’ claim
NEW DELHI: Penguin Random House India on Friday clarified that it is not the publisher of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love in India. The Publishing house rejected reports that it decided against publishing the book because the author declined editorial changes. In a statement posted on X, the publishing house said it had remained “willing and keen to publish” the memoir and stressed that fact-checking and providing editorial recommendations are a normal part of the publishing process. “In response to the news reports about Sonia Gandhi’s book ‘Belonging’, Penguin Random House India is not the publisher of ‘Belonging’ in India. Any suggestion that Penguin Random House India decided not to publish ‘Belonging’ because the author declined editorial changes does not accurately reflect the circumstances. As a publisher, it is both our prerogative and our responsibility to fact check and provide authors with recommendations that are in the best interests of their books. This is a normal part of the publishing process. Throughout the relevant discussions, Penguin Random House India’s position was that we remained willing and keen to publish the book. We will not comment further on confidential discussions with the author.” — PenguinIndia (@PenguinIndia) The clarification comes weeks after US publisher Alfred A Knopf, an imprint of Penguin Random House, announced that Belonging would be released on November 10. The status of the memoir’s publisher or distributor in India remains unclear. An e-commerce listing has shown an ebook edition of Belonging available for pre-order at Rs 2,615, with William Collins, an imprint of HarperCollins UK, listed as its publisher. Sonia Gandhi, 79, is expected to offer a personal account of her life, including her childhood in post-war Italy, her marriage into the Nehru-Gandhi family and the death of her husband Rajiv Gandhi, according to Alfred A Knopf. The memoir will also cover her entry into the “public world of politics” following Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination and her decision to turn down the prime minister’s post in 2004. The publisher had earlier described the book as tracing Sonia Gandhi’s life “from her childhood in post-war Italy, to the romance that brings her to India, to the shattering losses that will reshape not only her own future but also that of her adopted home”. Sonia Gandhi has rarely discussed her private life at length in public, making the memoir one of the most closely watched political books ahead of its release. 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
‘We are very clear’: TN minister says Rahul Gandhi is INDIA bloc’s PM pick for 2029
NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu minister P Viswanathan on Friday dismissed calls to project TVK chief Vijay C Joseph as the INDIA bloc’s prime ministerial candidate for the 2029 Lok Sabha polls, asserting that Rahul Gandhi is the “definitive” choice.“As Congress leaders, we are very clear. Our beloved leader and leader of the opposition, Rahul Gandhi, is the INDIA bloc’s prime ministerial candidate for 2029,” Viswanathan said. His remarks came after several TVK leaders pushed for Vijay to be projected as a prime ministerial candidate for 2029 Lok Sabha polls , drawing sharp reaction from Congress. TVK leaders, including KA Sengottaiyan and D Sarathkumar, have compared Vijay with former Tamil Nadu chief ministers MGR and Jayalalithaa, claiming he would not only rule Tamil Nadu but also lead the country in the future. TVK legislator Kallanai, who organised an event marking the party’s 100 days in office, said people had immense faith in Vijay’s leadership. He expressed confidence that Vijay would eventually lead the country and hoist the national flag at the Red Fort as a representative of the Tamil people, news agency PTI reported. Meanwhile, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said that while party workers may have deep admiration for their leader, national leadership ultimately depends on securing the numbers required to form a government. “I fully accept that they have great love, affection, expectation, and admiration for their party leadership. This is their party. What they say within their party makes no difference to the public discourse. In public discourse, what you should ask about is policy and the law. Their wishes within a party make no difference to me,” Chidambaram told reporters, according to ANI. He said every political party has its own ambitions and aspirations, but any prime ministerial aspirant must ultimately have the numbers to command a majority in the Lok Sabha. “Every party has dreams, ambitions, and desires. One cannot pass laws to stop that. Everyone expresses their own wishes and talks about their favourite leader in their party. But we know what the political reality is. There are 543 constituencies,” Chidambaram said. According to the Constitution, the leader of whichever alliance wins 272 constituencies, or whichever party wins, will be the Prime Minister of India. Anyone who achieves that number can become the Prime Minister, individually or collectively. You and I both know what that political reality is,” he added. 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
‘Modi govt has created two systems in country’: Rahul Gandhi targets NCLT
NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday criticised the Centre over the functioning of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), alleging that the system treats ordinary borrowers differently from large corporate borrowers.Calling the NCLT the “Leader-Company Loot Tribunal”, Rahul contrasted the treatment of farmers, salaried workers and students with that of what he described as a select group of wealthy businesspersons. “If a farmer doesn’t pay 50 thousand, his land gets auctioned off. If a salaried person misses even one EMI, bank goons show up at the house. Poor students can’t even get loans for education,” Rahul said in a post on X. — RahulGandhi (@RahulGandhi) “But for select “friends,” bank money is like personal property – withdraw as much as you want, repay whatever you feel like,” he added. He accused the Narendra Modi government of creating unequal systems for different sections of society. “The Modi government has created two systems in the country – one for a handful of billionaires, and another for everyone else,” Rahul added. Meanwhile, Essel Group chairman Subhash Chandra on Thursday said reports about his personal insolvency proceedings before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) had presented an inaccurate picture of the claims against him. He stressed that he was a personal guarantor and had not personally borrowed money from any lender. In a statement issued by his office, Chandra said the total claims filed in the insolvency proceedings should not be equated with the amount currently outstanding. According to Chandra, lenders had filed claims totalling around Rs 22,006 crore, of which Rs 21,696 crore had been admitted. However, he said the claims of lenders who had objected to his repayment plan amounted to Rs 3,992 crore. Of this, Rs 620 crore had already been settled, leaving Rs 3,372 crore, he said. 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
BJP cites ‘jhooth ki goonj’ site to hit out at Rahul Gandhi
NEW DELHI: BJP Thursday latched on to claims made by the website ‘jhooth ki goonj’, which has sought to expose Rahul Gandhi’s assertions in his ‘chhatron ki goonj’ events, to dub him a “flag-bearer of lies” and said truth will prevail over his propaganda. “Rahul’s every lie will be countered with facts. The ‘jhooth ki goonj’ website is exposing every lie of his. The louder propaganda echoes, the faster truth will emerge,” BJP spokesperson Anil Banluni said. Party neta Sudhanshu Trivedi said Rahul is full of frustration and envy vis-a-vis PM Modi, but every lie of his is being exposed. The website, whose creator’s identity is not clear, has said that Rahul has so far made 40 claims, mostly directed against govt, and all of them are either false or misleading. BJP members shared its link on their handles to promote the website amid Rahul’s efforts to connect with the youth to sharpen his pitch against govt. He is scheduled to continue with the programme across the country. 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
Dissidents push for Hindu Pradesh Congress Committee chief to end Punjab crisis
NEW DELHI: Congress is again mulling the idea of appointing a Hindu state president in Punjab amid a push from dissidents for a compromise to end the turmoil in the state unit. Well-placed sources said the deadlock in the dissidence-ridden organisation has cast a cloud over the upcoming election campaign, and the party brass is cut up about the unsuccessful fire-fighting efforts of key managers. A group of dissidents that includes senior netas like Charanjit Channi and Sukhjinder Randhawa has been seeking the replacement of state chief Amarinder Raja Warring ever since the AICC announced a clutch of poll-related panels while sticking with Warring at the helm two months ago. Now, sources said, the dissidents themselves have proposed that a Hindu Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief be appointed. This group has also conveyed that they will be on board with such a replacement, even though each one of them has been fancying their chances till now, they added. With the state chief and the leader of opposition both belonging to the Jatt Sikh community, the idea of a Hindu PCC chief is meant to bring balance to the organisational set-up. This was the original idea before the AICC decided to retain Warring at the top. An insider said the party is looking at its options and may have to make some change in the leadership position — either the Punjab chief or AICC in-charge, or both. While it is too close to the elections for such an organisational overhaul, the sources said the crisis has to be defused. Sources also dismissed the notion that Rahul Gandhi will soon kickstart the state campaign in the form of a bus journey, arguing that the bus would bring all the squabbling netas together and, thereby, enforce peace. A party manager said Rahul will only start the bus journey after the organisational bickering is over. “The campaign will be about the state and state Congress. It needs an agenda so that the party can set a narrative for voters,” he said. “The state netas will have to come together and draw up a plan for winning the election together. Only then will Rahul get into it,” the party functionary said. Also, Rahul will be a part of the bus campaign for 2-3 days, and state netas will steer the rest of it for around 20 days. While Congress was hopeful of its chances in the AAP-governed state, persistent infighting in the local unit has raised concerns about its prospects. Inputs that forces like jailed MP Amritpal Singh’s “Waaris Punjab De” may be gaining ground have further alarmed some strategists. 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
Caste count method in Census ‘misleading’: Congress letter to PM
NEW DELHI: Terming the methodology for caste count adopted in Census 2027 “misleading” as it will not give a headcount of OBCs, leaders of opposition in Parliament, Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, have written to PM Narendra Modi demanding the Census questionnaire on caste notified recently be abandoned and a new one be drafted. They underlined that the word “OBC” has not even been used in the Census. In the backdrop of the controversy triggered by the questionnaire, Kharge and Rahul told the PM “your govt” has adopted an “open-ended question” to collect information about caste, and enumerators will have to take for an answer whatever a person replies to the caste question. They argued that a caste is known by different names and sub-castes depending on the region, which would result in one caste being recorded by thousands of names. “This would result in lakhs of castes being registered in the country, and the entire data recorded in the caste census would become useless,” the letter said. “We don’t approve of the caste census being done through this methodology. Govt should cancel the present questionnaire and prepare a fresh one through consultations with political parties, experts, and the public so that a correct headcount of every caste and community is collected and the caste census is precise, relevant, and beneficial,” it said. It said a readymade solution to the problem is that a “drop-down menu” comprising a list of castes be added to the questionnaire. “This very methodology is used for counting SCs and STs (in Census)… This methodology was adopted in the surveys of Bihar and Telangana. We are enclosing the caste lists of the two surveys for understanding.” Further, the letter said such a list of castes for Census can easily be compiled on the basis of the existing Socially and Educationally Backward Classes list and data from the Anthropological Survey of India. Releasing the letter, AICC spokesperson Jairam Ramesh and OBC department chairperson Anil Jaihind said govt had, in an affidavit to SC in Sept 2021, submitted that a “drop-down menu” with a list of castes will have to be used if a caste census were to be done. Ramesh said census enumerators can carry the said list of OBCs and record precise answers. He accused govt of “sabotaging” the caste census. 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
‘Questions don’t stop with batons’: Rahul Gandhi attacks Bihar govt over BPSC protests
NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday waded into Bihar’s escalating BPSC row, questioning the Samrat Choudhary-led government over allegations of exam irregularities and paper leaks. He referred to the police crackdown on protesting students, saying, “questions don’t stop with batons.” His statement came a day after a clash broke out between students and police in Bihar’s capital, with police using water cannons and barricades to stop the protesters from marching. Rahul described it as a “straightforward” question on behalf of Bihar’s students and posted on X: “Why the irregularities in recruitment exams? Why no action on allegations of paper leaks? And how long will this tampering with the future of the youth continue?” He then targeted the long-standing BJP-JD(U)-led government in Bihar, saying, “The controversy over BPSC exams is not of today. Students have been on the streets for a long time over the recruitment process, exam pattern, delays, and transparency.” — RahulGandhi (@RahulGandhi) The Lok Sabha leader of opposition also referred to the use of an AK-47 by a security personnel during an earlier student protest in Bihar, which coincided with student protests in Delhi and across the country over NEET fiasco. “But instead of answering, what is the government doing? It’s wielding batons and water cannons. It’s taking students into custody. In Siwan, there was even firing with an AK 47 on protesters,” the former Congress chief said. He added in his post: “This is not just a question of police action. This is a question of the mindset of that BJP government, which has no answers – and that’s why it’s turning the police into a weapon to evade accountability.” “The BJP government should understand this – questions don’t stop with batons. You can’t snatch away someone’s future by instilling fear,” the Rae Bareli added. Bihar students had marched towards Raj Bhavan and chief minister Samrat Choudhary’s residence to stage a “gherao”, but faced police barricading and some of them were detained in Patna. 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
Allahabad High Court refuses to allow hijab in schools, says uniform rules must be followed
The petitioner argued that wearing a hijab was linked to her religious belief. Wearing it granted her fundamental rights such as privacy, personal liberty, and freedom of speech. LUCKNOW: The Allahabad High Court, on Monday, refused to allow students to wear hijab in schools. The court said that following the school uniform rules was mandatory as it helped promote a sense of equality among children and also gave the school its own identity. The High Court said uniforms helped maintain an environment free from religious discrimination. Therefore, no student could insist on changing the dress code prescribed by the school. “Permission to wear a hijab on an individual basis cannot be granted. This would be against the very concept of a uniform. It would shift the authority to determine school discipline from the institution to individual students,” observed the court. A division bench, comprising Justice JJ Munir and Justice Inderjeet Singh, made those remarks while dismissing the petition of a minor student, Sukaina Rizvi, who had sought permission to attend classes wearing a hijab along with the school’s prescribed dress code. Petitioner Sukaina Rizvi is an 11th-grade student at Tagore Public School in Attarsuiya, Prayagraj. She filed a petition in the High Court through her mother. The student argued that she had been attending school wearing a hijab from classes 6 to 10, and no objections were ever raised. The student also attached her old identity card and a group photo from the school with the petition. The student stated that she now wanted to attend school in the 11th grade wearing a hijab, but was not being granted permission. “We also complained to the DM, upon which the District Inspector of Schools (DIOS) sought a report. The school principal clarified that this is an educational institution where there is a uniform dress code for all students. Granting a special exemption to one student would disrupt the school’s system,” the petitioner told the court. The petitioner argued that wearing a hijab was linked to her religious belief. Wearing it granted her fundamental rights such as privacy, personal liberty, and freedom of speech. In such a situation, the school should be directed not to stop her from wearing a hijab. The court said: “Only the school administration has the complete right to decide the dress code.” The court stated that as long as the school’s dress code for all children was framed with the right intent and did not discriminate against anyone, the school administration had the absolute right to decide what the dress would be. The bench added that even if the school had previously allowed the scarf (hijab), it did not mean that it had become a permanent right of the students forever. The school administration was free to change its rules. It was not compelled to continue with old exemptions, observed the bench. The court stated: “Wearing hijab is not an essential part of the Islamic religion. Wherever this issue has been raised, the High Court’s opinion has been consistent that wearing a headscarf (hijab) for women is not an essential part of the Islamic religion.” It is not as if the religion would be in danger without it, or that a woman would be excluded from the religion if she did not wear it. No facts or evidence had been presented to prove this either, said the court. In its verdict, the Allahabad High Court referred to an old judgment of the Kerala, Bombay, and Karnataka High Courts. In the case of ‘Fatima Tasneem vs State of Kerala’, the court had stated that while on the one hand, a student had the right to wear clothes of their choice, on the other hand, a school or institution had the right to enforce its own rules and regulations. It added that when there was a conflict or dispute between these two rights, the larger interest and discipline of the institution would be given more importance than individual preference. The court stated that the school was not imposing any restrictions on the student’s faith, but was merely expecting adherence to institutional discipline and uniforms. Following this, the court dismissed the petition. Namita Bajpai Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights