PM ‘sacrificing farmers’ in trade pact: Rahul
Kozhikode: Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of sacrificing India’s farmers through the proposed India–US trade deal, terming it a ‘criminal act’ to open the domestic agricultural market to American producers. Speaking at an interaction with farmers in Peravoor in Kannur, Rahul alleged that the Prime Minister was under pressure to agree to the deal due to two issues—the unreleased Epstein files and a case involving the Adani Group in the United States. “I can tell you with confidence that no Indian PM would do this. Allowing American farmers to sell soyabean, corn and fruits in India is going to destroy the foundation we have built so carefully. The whole Green Revolution and White Revolution happened because we believed that we needed a foundation built in agriculture,” Rahul said. He further alleged that US President Donald Trump was exerting pressure on the Prime Minister. Rahul also claimed that ruling party members in the Lok Sabha prevented him from speaking in Parliament as he intended to raise these matters. “The first concerns the 3.5 million Epstein files that have not been released. Please understand they are held secret by the US govt. These files have information about the PM of India,” Rahul alleged, adding that the second threat was the case involving the Adani Group in the US. “The threat to the PM is very clear- If you do not do what we want, we will release to everybody the entire financial architecture of you and BJP,” Rahul said, adding that those were the two reasons that made Modi agree to the Indo-US trade deal, which he said, amounts to destroying the agricultural foundation of India using a JCB. “Indian farmers are being sacrificed so that the PM can protect himself and can protect the financial foundation of BJP,” Rahul 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
Rahul Gandhi to visit Telangana on March 2, to address new DCC chiefs
Hyderabad: Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is likely to visit Hyderabad on March 2 as part of the party’s organisational push in the two Telugu states. As per the tentative schedule, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha will arrive at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad on Monday and proceed to Vikarabad to attend a training camp for the newly appointed District Congress Committee presidents. The DCC presidents from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are undergoing a 10-day training programme. Rahul Gandhi will address them at the valedictory session of the programme and is expected to give a roadmap to the new DCC chiefs to further strengthen the party at the grassroots levels. During the visit, chief minister A Revanth Reddy is expected to discuss with him the upcoming election to the two Rajya Sabha seats in Telangana, the finalisation of candidates, and the development works being taken up by the govt in the run-up to Telangana Formation Day on June 2. Other political and organisational matters are also likely to be discussed. Meanwhile, sources have not ruled out the possibility of Rahul Gandhi visiting the state again in the second or third week of March to address a public meeting in Mulugu district. The Telangana Congress is planning to organise a public meeting as part of the AICC’s call for a nationwide protest against the G Ram G Act. Panchayat raj minister D Anasuya alias Seethakka represents the Mulugu Assembly constituency. The AICC has appointed her as a core member of its MNREGA Bachao Sangram committee. Also, the Mulugu district has a large number of people who are enrolled under MNREGA. Though Rahul Gandhi’s visit on March 2 was confirmed by his office, TPCC leaders said they have received only a tentative green signal about his participation in the proposed public rally in Mulugu. 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
Rahul, Kharge to attend farmers’ conference in Sriganganagar proposed on March 9
Jaipur: The Rajasthan Congress would launch an agitation against the Centre’s trade deal with the United States with a farmers’ conference in Sriganganagar on March 9, Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra announced Wednesday. Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi are scheduled to address the conference, which the party says will mark the beginning of a statewide campaign against the agreement. Dotasra alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had accepted the trade deal “under pressure from the US” and claimed it would harm the interests of farmers, traders, industrialists, entrepreneurs, and handicraft artisans in Rajasthan. “The PM made a trade deal with the US, compromising the interests of the country’s farmers, which the party will oppose,” Dotasra said. “Congress workers are committed to taking every possible step and struggle to protect the interests of the country’s farmers and traders.” Dotasra said Congress workers would reach out to farmers and traders “affected by the American trade deal” and “expose the decision taken by the Centre against national interest”. 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
On whose orders will you strike a deal with Israel, Rahul asks Modi
NEW DELHI: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday expressed hope that PM Modi will raise the Gaza genocide and demand justice for Palestinians in his address to the Israeli Knesset. “India has stood for what is right throughout our history as an independent nation, we must continue to show the light of truth, peace and justice to the world,” she wrote on X. Congress neta Rahul Gandhi, referring to Epstein Files, poked fun at the PM that “at least once, you’ve already ‘danced and sung’ in Israel at Epstein’s behest – so this time, on whose orders will you strike a deal against the country’s interests?” With a colourful movie-like parody poster headlined ‘Jeffrey Ne Bana Di Jodi’ as the backdrop, Congress spokesman Pawan Khera cited email exchanges made public under Epstein Files to allege that the foundation of the India-Israel relationship post-2014 was laid down and shaped by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “The foundation of India-Israel ties post-2014 was laid down by Jeffery Epstein… (former Israeli PM) Ehud Barak, Jeffery Epstein, Hardeep Puri…this is how our foreign policy was shaped,” 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
Kharge family has meted out injustice to Dalit leaders, says Chalavadi Narayanaswamy
The Leader of Opposition in the Council says the Kharge family has deprived many Dalit leaders, including himself, of opportunities Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Chavaladi Narayanaswamy has said that the Kharge family has snatched away opportunities of many Dalit leaders, including himself. Speaking to presspersons in Dharwad on Tuesday, he took exception to Minister Priyank Kharge terming him an opportunist and said that the Kharge family has deprived him of opportunities he deserved after his four decades of service to the Congress. “Your (Priyank Kharge) father has been in politics for six decades and there is no example of him grooming a Dalit leader,” he quipped. Mr. Narayanaswamy also said that several Dalit leaders, including three-time legislators Prasad Abbayya, A. Narayanaswamy, P.M. Narendraswamy and Shivanna, have been sidelined in the Congress. “On other hand, Priyank Kharge, who has won three times, has been made a Minister on all three occasions,” he said. He also said that in Kalaburagi, the former Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh’s son has been politically suppressed by the Kharge family. Mr. Narayanaswamy also sought an answer from Priyank Kharge about allegations of them amassing wealth. The Hindu Bureau Courtesy : The Hindu Note: This news is originally published on https:/thehindu.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Proud of ‘babbar shers’ of Youth Congress: Rahul on AI meet stir
NEW DELHI: Breaking his silence on the protest at the AI Summit venue that has resulted in a police crackdown on members of Indian Youth Congress, Congress’ Rahul Gandhi Tuesday said he is proud of the “babbar shers” of Youth Congress who protested against the “compromised PM” in national interest. The remark came as Delhi Police arrested IYC members. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge condemned the arrests, while Rahul called them evidence of a dictatorial attitude and cowardice. “Congress strongly stands by the lion-hearted members of Youth Congress. Showing the mirror of truth to power is not a crime but a patriotic act,” he posted on X. Rahul said the IYC members were arrested for exposing truth about the deal with US. Kharge remarked, “Congress is never scared, Congress workers are not cowards. Modi is a coward. He is so paralysed by fear that he is unable to come to parliament to defend his govt’s policies.” Rahul has turned Cong into a joke: BJP Rahul Gandhi has reduced himself and Congress to a “running joke”, BJP said Tuesday, alleging that he exemplifies anarchic conduct, even as it rejected his reiteration of the “surrender” allegation against PM Modi over the trade agreement with the US. “The way he was spewing venom against PM Modi in MP today was not just indignified and undemocratic but also anarchic,” BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj told reporters and wondered if Rahul has become a “mouthpiece of anti-India forces”. “His statements reflect nothing but ignorance. He is behaving like an uninformed, immature and stubborn child,” she said. Courtesy : YOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Rahul dares PM to scrap Indo-US trade deal
Bhopal: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the India-US interim trade deal was sealed under “pressure” and dared PM Narendra Modi to cancel the “anti-farmer” agreement in the wake of the US Supreme Court invalidating global tariffs. “This is not a deal, this is like an arrow struck right in the heart of the farmer,” he said. The PM is “acting under the pressure of President Donald Trump because of the Epstein files and to save industrialist Gautam adani against whom there is a criminal case pending in the US”, Rahul said in his address at Congress’s first ‘Kisan Maha Chaupal’ in Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh — India’s leading soyabean producing state. The chaupal is part of the party’s national outreach against the deal. Through the trade deal, the PM has compromised the interests of India’s agriculture, textile, data and import sectors, he alleged. The roadmap on the outreach was announced last week by Congress at a meeting where party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul met leaders from J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Congress has claimed that these states will be the “most adversely” affected by the trade deal. The next chaupal will be held in Yavatmal on March 7 before Parliament reconvenes on March 9 for the second part of the budget session. The third congregation is planned in Rajasthan’s Sriganganagar. Building on Rahul’s attack on the govt, Kharge accused Modi of being a “cowardly PM” and the trade deal as a “surrender” by the govt. In the backdrop of the arrests of Youth Congress members over their shirtless protests at the global AI summit in Delhi last week, Kharge went all all out to “congratulate” them “for standing firm and confronting Modi, and drawing attention to the situation of the youth in the face of challenges such as unemployment”. “When you (PM) pledged our pride at Trump’s feet (through the deal), that very day our honour was lost,” Kharge alleged. 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
Farmers, workers bring their worries, expectations at Rahul-Kharge event
Bhopal: The loudest sounds at the Congress’s ‘Kisan Maha Chaupal’ at Jawahar Chowk on Tuesday were from slogans and loudspeakers, but the stories, almost drowned out by the shrill chants and public announcements, were conveyed through hushed conversations reflecting the many challenges faced by farmers, workers and labourers who enable city lives everyday. From an elderly woman, who came all the way from her village in a nearby district to not just to hear about the impact of the India-US trade deal but also share how badly she needed a pension for survival, to a single mother facing the challenge of eviction from the piece of land where her humble accommodation exists as the area is set for redevelopment under the smart city project, these were some of the stories shared by women as they joined thousands of others at the Congress event. For many, the event, headlined by Congress heavyweights Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, was yet another way to make themselves heard by those in places of authority for the varied concerns that affected them. Along the footpath, near a small table set up with drinking water arrangements, farmers gathered in small circles, talking about land, prices and survival — conversations shaped less by ideology and more by everyday uncertainty. Seventy-year-old GL Gour from Koudiya village in Phanda tehsil did not push his way forward. He stood patiently, listening, occasionally nodding. For him, the present is best understood by remembering the past. “Back in the day when HD Deve Gowda was prime minister, I used to sell soybean at Rs 8,000 per quintal. Now it is below Rs 4,000,” he said, in an almost matter-of-fact manner. Gour has 20 acres of land, and a family of 10 entirely dependent on agriculture. He identifies himself as an educated farmer — he passed higher secondary in 1968. “I did not come here with any political leader. I came on my own with a belief that when we fight, something will surely happen,” he told TOI. Nearby, 75-year-old Chain Singh Patel from Biccholi village in Sehore district spoke of a different kind of insecurity. His village lies in a forest area, and ownership of land remains a dream. “My grandfather was born there. We have been cultivating this land for generations, but we still don’t have patta,” he said. Asked why he made the journey to Bhopal, Patel paused before replying, “I hope something will happen”, in a voice betraying lack of conviction. Not all the journeys were short. Acche Lal Saket, 60, travelled more than 500 km from Naigarhi in Rewa district, spending the night in a general class train compartment with two friends. “I have only five acres. Earlier,it was enough to raise my family. Now, things are getting more difficult day by day,” he said, adding, “We are here in the hope of our betterment.” For 28-year-old Bhola Singh Lodhi, a small tribal farmer from Bargi in Jabalpur, the expectation was simpler. “We should get better prices for our crops,” he said, watching the crowds swell as Rahul and Kharge spoke at the Kishan Maha Choupal. Arun Patel and Sewak Ram Patel, both farmers, sat in the front row at the rally listening cautiously to every speech. When this correspondent asked them what brought them here, they said they were Soybean farmers from nearby districts. “We have come with a memorandum that we want to share with the Congress leaders about our challenges in getting compensation when crops are damaged due to rain. We also want to hear about what this trade deal is about and how it will impact us,” Patel said. As the rally continued at Jawahar Chowk, many farmers stayed back even after the speeches ended. Some folded banners carefully, others sat quietly on the pavement. They did not speak of victories or assurances — only of hope. 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
‘Let me tell you what shame is’: Rahul Gandhi attacks PM Modi, flags US trade deal & Epstein files
NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi on Monday stepped up his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of presiding over what he described as a series of national “shames”, as he went on to talk about the US trade deal and Epstein files charges. This comes after PM Modi slammed Congress for the ‘shirtless’ protest at AI Summit terming it “gandi aur nangi (dirty and shameless) politics”. “Modi ji, you talk of shame? Let me tell you what shame is. Your name, your minister’s, and your friend’s appearing together in the Epstein files, your name being linked to such a vile criminal—that’s what shame is,” he said in a post on X, along with a video message. Accusing the PM of selling out the nation to the US via the trade deal, Rahul said, “The trade deal you’ve struck with America, in which you’ve sold out the country—that’s what shame is. You’ve handed over our country’s data. You’ve wiped out the farmers. You’ve ruined the textile industry—that’s what shame is.” He brought up the Gautam Adani indictment case in the US, and alleged that the prime minister was favouring his “friends Anil Ambani, Adani”. “The entire country knows it: the case running against Adani in America has kept you awake at nights—because it’s a case against the BJP and your financial architecture. For 14 months, no action has been taken on it—that’s what shame is. Modi ji, do whatever you deem fit for your friends Anil Ambani, Adani, and yourself,” he said. “I and the lion-hearted warriors of the Congress Party will keep defending the country—we won’t retreat an inch,” he added. Bharatiya Janata Party reacted to this questioning Rahul’s basis of his claims. “Rahul Gandhi Ji, You’re a perennial ANTI INDIA lier ! There is no verified document, court record, or official investigation that names Prime Minister Narendra Modi in any Epstein-related case. STOP LYING! It was Pt Nehru who wrote letters to Edwina Mountbatten at 2 am midnight! It was you who partied when Mumbai was under terror attack! India–US trade has grown from around $74 billion in 2014 to over $190+ billion in recent years,” BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said. Union petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri has clarified over his purported links to Epstein. He said that during the eight years he spent in the United States, he met convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein “only three to four times” in a private capacity. He said the interactions occurred when he was associated with the Independent Commission on Multilateralism after retiring from the Indian foreign service, and added that he had just one email exchange with Epstein. Puri maintained that the meetings took place before he joined the Union Cabinet in 2017 and that the details were already in the public domain. 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
‘INDIA bloc is intact’: Akhilesh Yadav’s remark amid calls for leadership change in oppn camp
NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday asserted that the “INDIA bloc is intact” amid ongoing calls for a leadership change within the alliance. While talking to reporters in Chandigarh, the SP chief slammed critics and said that those who talk about “divide-and-rule politics” must be dealt with very cautiously. “The INDIA alliance is intact and will remain intact. Our priority is how to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal and how to defeat it in Uttar Pradesh,” Akhilesh said. “The election in Uttar Pradesh will not just be the 2027 election; it will also set the direction for 2029. Those who talk about divide-and-rule politics must be dealt with very cautiously. They may create such situations that divide society, so we need to remain very careful about that,” he added. This comes after veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar said that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is central to the survival of the opposition INDIA bloc. While talking to news agency IANS, Aiyar suggested that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi should allow leaders of smaller parties to steer the INDIA bloc. “Without Mamata di, the ‘I’, ‘N’, ‘D’, ‘I’, ‘A’ of the INDIA alliance will all be gone. Because Mamata Banerjee is the leader of this alliance,” Aiyar said. Earlier, Sanjaya Baru, who served as media adviser to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, said that “new ideas should” lead or manage the INDIA bloc. Additionally, Shiv Sena (UBT) also called for dialogue within the alliance and said that the opposition must not wait until polls are announced to coordinate its strategy. In an editorial, the party’s mouthpiece Saamana said, stressing that multiple inner voices are emerging within the grand old party. The statements comes e ahead of assembly elections in four states and one Union Territory — West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry. The Election Commission of India (ECI) is expected to announce the official schedule soon. 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