- Thursday, April 25, 2024
India's Election Commission said on Thursday it has sought responses from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress on alleged violations of poll rules by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi. India is holding the world's largest election over seven phases, with votes due…
Campaigning concluded on Wednesday evening for the second phase of India's elections in 89 seats across 13 states set for 26 April. The initial phase, held last Friday for 102 seats across 21 states and Union territories, witnessed over 64 per cent voter turnout. The upcoming phase covers constituencies in…
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (24) seized on Congress leader Sam Pitroda's remarks on inheritance tax to step up the ruling BJP's blistering attack on the issue of "wealth redistribution". In his poll rallies, Modi framed Pitroda's comments in his wider onslaught against the Congress, asserting that they…
India's polling stations opened on Friday as prime minister Narendra Modi seeks a third term, riding on his track record of growth, welfare policies, and Hindu nationalism. Today marks the biggest phase of the election, with 166 million voters across 102 constituencies in 21 states and territories heading to the…
Campaigning officially ended on Wednesday evening for the first phase of India's general elections, involving 102 Lok Sabha (lower house of parliament) seats across 21 states and Union territories. This initial phase is set for 19 April, with key political figures from both the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA (National Democratic…
India's general elections are set to begin in just three days, on April 19. Spanning six weeks, this monumental electoral exercise will involve 968 million eligible voters, making it the largest democratic vote in the world. As the nation prepares for this massive process, the focus is on the logistical…
The Indian National Congress unveiled its manifesto on Thursday for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, outlining a slew of promises aimed at addressing various socio-economic issues across the country. Titled 'Nyay Patra', the manifesto emphasizes five key pillars of justice and 25 guarantees and was released at the All India…
Indian opposition parties united on Sunday to hold a 'Loktantra Bachao' (save democracy) rally against the arrest of a prominent leader weeks before a national election, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party of rigging the vote and harassing them with large tax demands. "Narendra Modi is trying match-fixing…
Elites may usually dislike populist leaders globally, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeing increasing support among educated voters, The Economist has said. In an article titled 'Why India's elites back Narendra Modi', the publication said, "Three factors - class politics, economics, and elite admiration for strongman rule - help…
VARIOUS constituents of the INDIA bloc condemned Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest on Thursday (21) and claimed that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is scared of the outcome of the upcoming polls and acting out of panic to create problems for the opposition. Soon after Kejriwal's arrest by…
THE top politician in India's capital New Delhi was arrested Thursday (21) in a graft probe his supporters say is aimed at sidelining opponents to prime minister Narendra Modi ahead of national elections. Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi's chief minister and a key leader in an opposition alliance challenging Modi in next…
India's Supreme Court ordered the State Bank of India (SBI) on Monday to submit all the details of electoral bonds issued under an opaque political funding system, just a month before general elections. SBI was the sole bank authorised to sell and redeem electoral bonds that was introduced in 2017…
Social media platform X said on Thursday it took down certain accounts and posts following an order by the Indian government, which local media reports say are linked to ongoing protests by farmers demanding higher prices for crops. The platform formerly known as Twitter did not provide details of the…
LEGAL doyen and veteran advocate Fali S Nariman died in New Delhi on Wednesday (21) at the age of 95. He was suffering from multiple ailments, including cardiac issues. Born on January 10, 1929, Nariman was enrolled as an advocate at the Bombay High Court in November 1950 and was…
India's main opposition Congress party said on Friday its bank accounts with Rs 2.1 billion (£20 million) in deposits had been frozen by the income tax department in connection with a dispute, just months before general elections. The party called the action "a deep assault on India's democracy", adding that…
In a landmark judgement, the Indian Supreme Court on Thursday annulled the electoral bonds scheme, saying it violates the constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression as well as the right to information. Electoral bonds were launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in 2018 to make political funding…
THE leader of India’s main Congress opposition party, Rahul Gandhi, last Sunday (14) began a new cross-country march from a troubled northeastern state, aiming to generate political momentum to take on prime minister Narendra Modi in general elections due by May. The “Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra”, or Unite India Justice…
INDIA’S prime minister, Narendra Modi, does not give press interviews, so why did he choose to give one just before Christmas to the Financial Times, of all papers? The FT, a respected newspaper with digital subscribers all over the world, has been sustained in its relentless attacks on the ruling…
INDIA'S ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday (3) appeared set to win three of four states in key regional polls, in a big boost for prime minister Narendra Modi ahead of general elections in six months. The heartland states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and the southern state…
FOUR students were killed, and over 60 were injured in a stampede during Cochin University’s annual festival in Kochi on Saturday (25) night, police said. Officials said the stampede occurred before renowned singer Nikita Gandhi was to perform at a musical festival in the open-air auditorium of the university. Four…
INDIA’S money laundering investigators on Tuesday (21) said they seized properties worth ₹7.52 billion (£72 million) in a probe linked to a nine-year-old complaint against opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia. The complaint, lodged by an MP from prime minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)…
TWO of five Indian states due to elect new legislatures this month began voting on Tuesday (7), a big test of prime minister Narendra Modi's chances of winning a third term in a national election due by May. Modi and leaders of the main opposition Congress party headed by Rahul…
INDIA'S cyber security agency is investigating complaints of mobile phone hacking by senior opposition politicians who reported receiving warning messages from Apple, information technology minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. Vaishnaw was quoted in the Indian Express newspaper as saying on Thursday (2) that CERT-In, the computer emergency response team based in…
INDIAN opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday (31) accused prime minister Narendra Modi's government of trying to hack into senior opposition politicians' mobile phones, after they reported receiving warning messages from Apple. Some of the lawmakers shared screenshots on social media of a notification quoting the iPhone manufacturer as saying:…
FIVE Indian states will elect new legislatures next month, an independent election panel said on Monday (9), beginning a process of regional polls ahead of national elections due next year. The elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram are expected to give an indication of voter mood, especially…
India’s prime minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday (15) that his government was working to end ethnic clashes in the country's remote northeast that have killed more than 150 people since May. The federal government has deployed security forces to the hilly state bordering Myanmar governed by Modi's Bharatiya Janata…
FROM Indian poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar to English great William Shakespeare, MPs quoted extensively from literature to put across their arguments over the Manipur violence. Opposition parties moved a no-confidence motion against prime minister Narendra Modi’s government over Manipur. The motion was defeated by voice vote on Thursday (10) but…
INDIA’S government defeated a no-confidence motion in parliament on Thursday (10) after a fiery speech by prime minister Narendra Modi at the climax of a three-day debate. Opposition lawmakers - who had brought the motion over months of ethnic violence in Manipur state - walked out of the chamber, prompting…
INDIA's opposition leader Rahul Gandhi condemned prime minister Narendra Modi's inaction over deadly ethnic conflict in the country's northeast on Wednesday (9), in his first parliamentary speech since his defamation conviction was suspended. Modi's administration is being forced this week to defend its conduct over months of violence in Manipur…
EVERYONE knows that the easiest way to win an election is to “encourage” the opposition candidate to stand down. In Pakistan, Imran Khan has been cancelled by the army. He should have known those who live by the army die by the army. He has been given a three-year jail…
INDIA'S main opposition leader Rahul Gandhi was restored to parliament Monday (7) after the Supreme Court last week suspended his defamation conviction over political comments criticising prime minister Narendra Modi. Gandhi is the scion of India's premier political dynasty and his reinstatement was welcomed by other members of the Congress…
THE Supreme Court of India on Friday (4) suspended opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi's conviction in a defamation case, enabling him to return to parliament and contest national elections due next year. Gandhi was convicted in March in a case brought by a lawmaker from the ruling Bharatiya Janata…
MORE than two dozen Indian opposition parties said on Tuesday (18) they had joined hands to form an alliance called "INDIA" to take on prime minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in parliamentary elections next year. Naming the alliance INDIA is seen as an attempt by the opposition…
TOP Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi appealed to the country's highest court last Saturday (15) over his conviction for defamation, one of his lawyers said, days after a lower court refused to intervene. Gandhi was sentenced to two years' jail for comments he made in 2019 which a court ruled…
A HIGH COURT in western India rejected an appeal by opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday (7) to suspend his conviction in a defamation case. The court decision quashes for now his hope of returning to parliament and contesting national elections due next year. Gandhi can now take his appeal…
India’s top opposition figure Rahul Gandhi travelled from Washington DC to New York in a truck and engaged in a conversation with the driver that centred around the everyday lives of Indian-origin truck drivers in the US. The former Congress party president’s journey in the truck during his recent visit…
Rahul Gandhi, a leading figure in India's opposition and a member of the Congress Party, openly criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dominance over Indian society during a speech at the National Press Club in Washington on Thursday (01). Gandhi remains optimistic about the opposition's prospects in the forthcoming 2024 elections…
Rahul Gandhi, India’s top opposition figure, has said his disqualification from Parliament has given him a "huge opportunity" to serve the people. The former Congress president, who is a US tour, made the remarks on Wednesday (31) night in response to a series of questions from Indian students on the…
The inauguration of the new Parliament building on Sunday (28) witnessed a significant development as 21 opposition parties boycotted the event, levelling allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for treating it as his personal "coronation." According to the opposition leaders, they believe that democracy is upheld by the people rather…
Indian politician Rahul Gandhi will visit the US in the first week of June and address Indian-Americans on June 4 in New York, sources in the Indian Overseas Congress said Tuesday (16). Gandhi, the former chief of Indian National Congress, is also likely to visit Washington DC and Los Angeles…
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday (13) thanked the people of Karnataka on party’s expected victory and said that “market of hate has been shut and shops of love have opened”. He also said that the power of crony capitalism has been defeated by the power of poor people. Speaking…
India's main opposition Congress party was set to win elections on Saturday (13) in the southern state of Karnataka defeating the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), TV channels said, a big boost ahead of national elections due next year. The election is the first of five crucial state polls this…
India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trailing the main opposition Congress party in elections held on Wednesday (10) in the southern state of Karnataka, but neither seemed set for a clear win, TV exit polls showed. The election in Karnataka, where BJP led the outgoing government, is the first…
According to Indian National Congress advocate BM Mangukia, Indian politician Rahul Gandhi has submitted an application to the Gujarat High Court on Tuesday (25), challenging the Surat sessions court's order that refused to suspend his conviction in a criminal defamation case last week, related to his "Modi surname" comment. The…
A court in Gujarat on Thursday (20) dismissed the plea of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to halt his conviction in a defamation case, causing doubts about his eligibility to run for an upcoming election next year. Last month, Gandhi was found guilty in a case filed by a lawmaker from…
The Surat Sessions Court began hearing on Thursday (13) on a plea made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi seeking a stay on his two-year jail sentence in a defamation case related to his "Modi surname" remark. BJP MLA Purnesh Modi, who filed the complaint, has opposed Gandhi's plea in court,…
India's fragmented opposition is setting aside differences to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the first time in years, potentially posing a significant threat to his dominance in the 2024 national elections - if they can maintain their unity. In response to Rahul Gandhi's conviction, 14 political parties have come…
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is expected to visit Surat city in Gujarat on Monday (03) to file an appeal in court against his criminal defamation conviction for his "Modi surname" comments. According to sources, senior Congress figures, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and the chief ministers of three Congress-ruled states, as…
Top Indian opposition figure Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday (25) his disqualification from parliament was retribution for his demanding a probe into prime minister Narendra Modi's relationship with industrialist Gautam Adani. Gandhi was stripped of his parliamentary seat on Friday (24), a day after a defamation conviction in Modi's home…
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi has been disqualified as an MP after being convicted in a defamation case and sentenced to two years in jail. The law The Representation of the People Act, 1951, the law that governs elections in India, mandates disqualification of any lawmaker who is "convicted of…
TOP opposition figure Rahul Gandhi was expelled from India's Parliament on Friday (24), a day after his defamation conviction for a remark seen as an insult against prime minister Narendra Modi. Modi's government has been widely accused of using the law to target and silence critics, and the case in…
India’s Surat court which on Thursday (23) sentenced Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to a two-year jail term in a criminal defamation case noted that the seriousness of his crime increased because a speech delivered by a member of parliament has a "very wide impact on the public." Convicting Gandhi under…
Rahul Gandhi will not face disqualification as an MP if India’s Surat appellate court suspends his conviction and two-year jail term, legal experts have said. Gandhi was on Thursday (23) found guilty of defamation over his 2019 campaign trail remark implying that prime minister Narendra Modi was a criminal. The…
The opposition leader in India, Rahul Gandhi, has been handed a two-year prison sentence in a criminal defamation case. The conviction comes as a result of comments made during an election rally in 2019, in which Gandhi referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surname. Although he has been granted bail…
The Indian Parliament witnessed uproarious scenes on Monday (20) as the members and allies of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party demanded apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for the remarks he made 'against Indian democracy' during his recent visit to the United Kingdom. Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said only…
Patrick French, a renowned British author, historian, and academic, passed away in London on Thursday after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 57 years old and is best known for his acclaimed biographies, "The World Is What It Is" and "India: A Portrait", which chronicled the lives of VS…
Shashi Tharoor, a senior leader of the Indian National Congress, on Friday (17), defended Rahul Gandhi's controversial remarks made during his recent trip to the UK. Tharoor stated that Gandhi did not call for foreign intervention in India's democracy, and his comments were not anti-national. The controversy surrounding Gandhi's remarks…
Indian politicians were united in their praise for the country's two Oscar wins on Monday as the song "Naatu Naatu" from Telugu film "RRR" and Tamil documentary "The Elephant Whisperers" created history in Los Angeles. Speaking about the achievement by Indians, prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the country…
INDIA’S Congress MP Rahul Gandhi told British parliamentarians that functioning microphones in his country’s Parliament are often “silenced” to quieten the opposition. During an event organised by veteran Indian-origin Labour MP Virendra Sharma in the Grand Committee Room within the House of Commons complex in London on Monday (6), Gandhi…
RAHUL GANDHI, the former president of India’s opposition Congress, said he is not afraid of criticism and asserted the fight in his country is between “courage and cowardice”.During his interaction with the Indian diaspora, organised by the Indian Overseas Congress in London on Sunday (6), he said of the governing…
INDIA'S opposition Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has alleged the structures of the country’s democracy are under "brutal attack" and there is a full-scale assault on its institutions. Gandhi, who is in London as part of a UK tour, told reporters on Saturday (4) that there are conversations ongoing within the…
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi focussed his lecture at the prestigious University of Cambridge on the "art of listening" and called for new thinking to promote a democratic environment globally, as opposed to a coercive one. Referencing a decline in manufacturing in democratic countries such as India and the US…
RAHUL GANDHI, the former president of India’s opposition Congress, arrived in the UK on Tuesday (28) to kick off his week-long tour with an address at the University of Cambridge. He will also hold discussions with Indian diaspora groups in London. The MP, who is a visiting fellow of the…
The opposition hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday for not responding to allegations related to industrialist Gautam Adani, which they termed "the elephant in the room", with former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi accusing Modi of "protecting" the billionaire. The opposition's attack came after Modi said the trust…
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday linked the massive rise in the business fortunes and personal wealth of businessman Gautam Adani to the Modi government coming to power in 2014, as he launched a sharp attack on the BJP dispensation over the Adani issue. His charges in Lok Sabha, the…
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday (28) reprimanded foreign newspapers for reserving adjectives like "Hindu nationalist" for the Indian government. "If you read foreign newspapers, they use words like Hindu Nationalist Government. In America or Europe, they won't say Christian Nationalist... these adjectives are reserved for us. They don't…
India's Gautam Adani, the school drop-out turned billionaire who rose to become Asia's richest man, faces possibly the biggest challenge of his career after a U.S. short-seller cast doubts on his business practices, hammering shares in his companies and his reputation. Adani, whose home state is Gujarat in western India,…
Congress leader Anil K Antony, the son of former Defence Minister A K Anthony on Wednesday (25) announced his resignation from the party, a day after he criticised the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "This is my personal decision and I do think this is the best course…
Banknote printer De La Rue, one of Britain's oldest listed companies, has said that it had been made aware of an investigation by Indian authorities into a former Indian finance secretary Arvind Mayaram in which the historical activities of De La Rue in India prior to 2016 have been implicated.…
Viewed as India’s most eligible bachelor by some, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi says he’ll get married when the right girl comes along and part of the problem is that his parents' “really lovely marriage” has set the bar very high. In a free-wheeling, light-hearted chat on food and travel platform…
Veteran actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi recently sat down for a candid conversation. Kamal Haasan, who on December 24 joined Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra as the foot march entered Delhi, discussed politics, India-China, Mahatma Gandhi, and cinema during their one-on-one when the MNM leader opened up…
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said China is adopting the same principle with India as Russia is with Ukraine, as it is threatening to alter India's boundaries. He also claimed that the Sino-Indian border conflict has a link with a weak economy, a confused nation without any vision, hatred…
President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and leaders cutting across the political spectrum on Friday condoled the death of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother Hiraben, recalling her simple and compassionate life that was an inspiration for all. Hiraben, Hiraba to many, passed away at an Ahmedabad hospital on Friday…
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday headed for a record victory in Gujarat as the counting of votes entered the last leg, giving the ruling party a lead in 100 seats and a win in another 57 seats in the 182-member state assembly. The Congress party was…
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday attacked the government over the issues of price rise, hike in GST rates and depreciating value of the Rupee and alleged that it is "unparliamentary" on the part of the prime minister to not answer questions and run away from a discussion in…
The BJP on Saturday alleged that Congress president Sonia Gandhi was the "driving force" behind the "conspiracy" to implicate then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 riots case in the state. In a press conference, party spokesperson Sambit Patra claimed that the late Ahmed Patel, who was Gandhi's…
"No one is Queen Victoria or Prince in this country that they won't be probed, law is equal for all. Everyone is probed for corruption...The public knows about the involvement of a family and Rahul Gandhi's role in misusing the country's money through the National Herald scam. It is natural…
FORMER Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday (17) alleged that prime minister Narendra Modi does not understand what the people of the country want as he cannot hear anything except the voice of his "friends". He said this a day after the government raised the upper age limit to 23…
INDIA has always set an example of truth, non-violence and brotherhood before the world and hate and unrest "is not our way", former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said amid reports of violence during protests at various places against controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammad. Protests erupted in several parts of the…
"Divided internally, India becomes weak externally. BJP's shameful bigotry has not only isolated us, but also damaged India's standing globally," Gandhi wrote on Twitter. His remarks came in the wake of international outrage over controversial remarks made by two BJP functionaries against Prophet Mohammad, after which they were suspended and…
After the Enforcement Directorate (ED) issued summonses to Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi for questioning in a money-laundering case, Union minister Anurag Thakur on Wednesday said government agencies do their job.Responding to a question on allegations by the Congress that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is using agencies to…
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday slammed the government over the killing of a Hindu woman teacher in Kulgam, saying Kashmiri Pandits are protesting but the BJP is busy celebrating eight years of the Modi government. "In Kashmir, 15 security personnel have been martyred and 18 civilians have been killed…
Well-known Indian playback singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, popularly known as KK, died on Tuesday, May 31. He was in Kolkata for a concert at Gurudas College in the Ultodanga district. He was 53. According to initial reports, Kunnath felt chest congestion after the concert and was rushed to a private hospital…
AS RAHUL GANDHI’S remarks on the current situation in India are creating ripples on social media, a civil servant confronted the Congress lawmaker in the UK, suggesting his idea of India could be “flawed and destructive”.Siddhartha Verma, an Indian Railway Traffic Service officer and Commonwealth scholar in public policy at…
INDIA's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday (24) questioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's meeting with former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. BJP’s Kapil Mishra slammed Gandhi and raised questions over the meaning of the meeting. Earlier, Corbyn was criticised for his ‘anti-semantic’ views and he has been a vocal…
The inaugural edition of the Ideas for India conference ended on Friday after three days of rich discussion on public policy. The three-day event on 18-20 May was held to celebrate India’s 75th anniversary of Independence, with speakers providing their vision for where they see India in the coming 25…
INDIA's Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi has said that democracy in India is a global public good and a central anchor for the planet. "If that cracks, it is going to cause a problem for the planet," Gandhi said at the 'Ideas for India' conference in London on Friday (20).…
INDIA's former prime minister Indira Gandhi valued Rahul Gandhi’s “grit and determination”, according to a new book. It added that she often considered him mature enough to be taken into confidence on subjects she avoided discussing even with his parents when he was barely 14. The book Leaders, Politicians, Citizens…
THE more things change in Pakistan, the more they remain the same. At the time of writing, reports from Pakistan indicate Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is to be his country’s new foreign minister in Shehbaz Sharif’s government. The 33-year-old is the son of Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan’s first and only woman prime minister…
PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi and other leaders on Friday (18) wished the country on the occasion of Holi. He called on Indians to promote brotherhood as millions celebrated Holi, the festival of colours, amid a sharp dip in Covid-19 cases in the country. The festival saw restricted celebrations last year…
INDIA’S opposition Congress has unanimously decided that Sonia Gandhi should continue as its president till organisational polls after she expressed readiness to "make any and every sacrifice" in the party's interest.The Congress suffered heavy losses in the recently held elections in five states, including in Punjab where the party was…
PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi's party won India's most populous state with a big majority, according to the count on Thursday (10) of a state assembly vote that could offer clues to the national mood before a 2024 general election. The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won or was…
INDIA has complained to Singapore about a remark its prime minister made on the number of Indian parliamentarians facing criminal charges, an Indian official said on Friday (18), in a rare instance of friction between the Asian allies. Prime minister Lee Hsien Loong made the remark in Singapore's parliament on…
VETERAN industrialist Rahul Bajaj, whose name was synonymous with road transport in India, died Saturday (12) aged 83, his company said.He "had not been keeping well", the Bajaj Group said in a statement, adding he would be cremated on Sunday in Pune, western India.Bajaj was born into the Indian elite…
INDIA's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh began voting on Thursday (10) in the first of a series of local elections that will be a key test of the popularity of prime minister Narendra Modi and his ruling party. With a population almost as big as that of Brazil, keeping…
The de facto head of India's main opposition party has complained to Twitter about "strange" activity on his account, accusing the US giant of being the "unwitting" ally of the government in curbing free speech. Rahul Gandhi of the Congress party told Twitter's CEO in a letter that growth in…
An "eternal flame" in memory of soldiers killed during the India-Pakistan War of 1971 at one of Delhi's most symbolic landmarks was put out Friday, 50 years after it was first lit. The Amar Jawan Jyoti or flame of the immortal soldier was installed at the India Gate in New…
INDIA'S Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Monday (13) removed a controversial comprehension passage and the accompanying quotations from the English examination paper of Standard 10 and decided to award full marks for it to the students. The board took the decision following an outrage over it allegedly promoting…
INDIA will scrap three agricultural reform laws that sparked almost a year of huge protests by farmers, prime minister Narendra Modi said on Friday (19) in a stunning and rare U-turn by his government. Thousands of farmers have been camped out on the borders of the capital New Delhi since…
A day after French journal Mediapart made fresh claims that the Rafale manufacturer paid £6.4 million to a middleman between 2007 to 2012, a slugfest broke about between Congress and BJP. Referring to the claims, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday (9) asked his party colleagues not to be afraid…
INDIA’S Supreme Court on Wednesday (27) ordered an independent investigation into the alleged government use of Pegasus spyware on journalists, opposition politicians and activists, with the chief justice calling the implications "Orwellian". India was one of 45 countries where tens of thousands of phone numbers were targeted by the spyware…
A BRITISH Sikh MP is among those who have criticised the revamp of the Jallianwala Bagh memorial in India. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, as it is known in India, saw British troops fire on thousands of unarmed men, women and children in the northern city of Amritsar on the afternoon…
INDIA announced plans to lease state-owned assets to the private sector in a bid to raise Rs 6 trillion ($81bn) to repair public finances battered by the pandemic and fund new infrastructure. Asia's third-largest economy was left reeling from a Covid-19 surge and strict lockdowns enforced to contain the virus,…
The alleged rape and murder of a nine-year-old, low-caste girl sparked a third day of protests in India's capital on Tuesday (3), in the latest case to spotlight the country's high levels of sexual violence. Hundreds of demonstrators have taken to the streets in New Delhi, holding banners reading "give…
INDIA’s information technology (IT) minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has also been reported to be on Pegasus list as one of the potential targets of Israeli phone hacking software, media reports claimed. More prominent Indian names- including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, former election commissioner Ashok Lavasa, election strategist Prashant Kishor, and Trinamool…
SPYWARE Pegasus, which is sold by the NSO Group of Israel, may have been used to conduct surveillance on about 300 Indians, including 40 journalists, three opposition leaders, two cabinet ministers along with several prominent officials and businessmen, reports claim. As per Paris-based outlet Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International,…
WITH problems multiplying for India’s century-old Congress party, senior leader and Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal has said that the party must bring widespread reforms across all levels of its organisation to prove that it is still a viable political alternative to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Sibal has…
LAKSHADWEEP, a normally tranquil group of islands off the southwest coast of India, has been simmering with tension over a slew of rules proposed by its administrator Praful Patel. Critics said the proposals are "anti-people" and threaten the livelihoods of the islanders. The opposition to the rule that started as…
THE Delhi High Court on Friday (28) granted three more weeks to businessman and son-in-law of Congress Party chief Sonia Gandhi, Robert Vadra to respond to the notices issued to him by the Income Tax (I-T) department under the black money law. The court said the department can continue with…
INDIAN authorities Friday (28) announced a tentative easing of the lockdown in the capital New Delhi as coronavirus infections fall in major cities after weeks of restrictions. Rural areas of the country are now seeing the brunt of a surge in cases that has overwhelmed the health care system and…
AVOIDING any public comments for weeks on India’s devastating conronavirus wave, prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday in his televised address said, he feels the pain of all Indians battling with the pandemic. The government has been throbbed by criticism of its handling of the virus. The country of 1.3…
India, the country currently being hit hardest by the pandemic, on Tuesday (20) reported its worst daily death toll, with large parts of the country now under lockdown amid a fast-rising second wave of infections. The health ministry said 1,761 people had died in the past day, bringing India's toll…
INDIA extended a record daily run of new Covid-19 infections on Friday (16), spurred by hundreds of positive tests at a major religious gathering, as politicians pushed ahead with election rallies against advice they could worsen the outbreak. India is battling a massive second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, with…
INDIA reported another record number of new Covid-19 infections on Friday (9) and daily deaths hit their highest in more than five months, as it battles a second wave of infections and states complain of a persistent vaccine shortage. Evoking memories of the last national lockdown when tens of thousands…
TEN newborns were killed on Saturday(9) in a massive fire at a hospital in Maharashtra, India's richest state, a doctor said, as leading politicians expressed grief at the loss of life. "The fire broke out at 2 a.m. (2030 GMT) today," said Pramod Khandate, civil surgeon at Bhandara District General…
HUNDREDS of Indian women, including many widows of farmers who were believed to have killed themselves over debt, joined a protest on against government reforms that farmers say threaten their livelihoods. Farmers have been protesting for nearly a month over the reforms, enacted in September, to deregulate the agriculture sector,…
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday (30) resisted calls for the repeal of farm reforms that have ignited the biggest protests by farmers in years around the national capital, saying they were being misled and that deregulation would benefit them. Thousands of people from the big farming state of…
A senior leader of India's Congress party died of coronavirus related complications on Wednesday(25), his family said. Ahmed Patel, 71, a lawmaker who was party treasurer and was seen as close to the Gandhi family that leads the party, was detected with Covid-19 a month ago and died of multi-organ…
FORMER US president Barack Obama in his memoir has likened Indian opposition figure Rahul Gandhi to a hapless student, in biting commentary on the dynastic scion who twice led his party to crushing defeats. In the book, "Promised Land," which comes out Tuesday(17), Obama writes that Gandhi has "a nervous,…
Residents set off firecrackers in the ancestral home of Kamala Harris on Sunday as India celebrated the vice president-elect's victory in the US election, as others hailed her achievement as historic and a "proud moment" for the country. Harris -- daughter of breast cancer specialist Shyamala Gopalan from the southern…
INDIAN POLICE imposed emergency laws on Thursday(1) in a village barring gatherings of more than five people after clashes erupted following the cremation of the gang-rape victim. The 19-year-old victim died from her injuries on Tuesday(29), having been attacked and gang-raped on September 14 in a field near her home…
Eight Indian lawmakers were suspended from parliament on Monday (21) for "unruly behaviour" after opposition to contentious new farming legislation sparked some of the most chaotic scenes in recent years. MPs in the upper house had on Sunday torn up copies of the legislation, broke microphones, hurled copies of the…
INDIA reported 76,472 new coronavirus cases on Saturday (29), slightly lower than the record-breaking numbers of the past couple of days, but extending a run that has made the country's outbreak currently the world's worst. India has reported a total of 3.46 million cases during the pandemic, a tally that…
Facebook is in the eye of a political storm in India after claims it failed to take action against hate speech posts by a Hindu nationalist lawmaker out of fear for its business interests. India is US-based Facebook and its messaging service WhatsApp's biggest market in terms of users, and…
With the country reporting over 50,000 COVID-19 cases for the fifth day in a row, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a swipe on Monday at prime minister Narendra Modi, who had said "the right decisions at the right time means India is better off". Gandhi put up a graph on…
INDIA's total Covid-19 cases reached 1,038,716 on Saturday (18) with 34,884 new cases reported in the last 24 hours. The virus claimed 671 lives on Friday (17) taking the total toll to 26,273., according to the health ministry. India reported its first Covid-19 case on January 30. Now, it is…
INDIA on Friday (17) became the third country in the world to record more than one million cases of the new coronavirus, behind only the US and Brazil, as infections spread further into the countryside and smaller towns. Given India's population of around 1.3 billion, experts say, one million is…
INDIA's prime minister on Tuesday (30) warned citizens against flouting rules to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, as he extended a vast social security scheme until November. Several Indian cities prepared to extend their lockdowns to combat the spread of the infection on Tuesday, with daily new cases…
The deaths of a father and son from alleged torture at the hands of police have sparked outrage across India, with many drawing parallels with the killing of George Floyd in the United States. Their case has thrown a new spotlight on police brutality just weeks after the killing of…
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday (16) interacted with a group of migrant labourers near the Sukhdev Vihar flyover in Delhi and asked them about their problems as they walked home amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown. Gandhi sat on the pavement and gave the migrant workers a patient hearing and assured…
THE Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR) has clarified that the testing ratio in India is not low. It added that there has been no COVID-19 infections in 325 of the 736 districts. India has 13,387 coronavirus positive cases in the country with 437 deaths. Recently, congress leader Rahul Gandhi said…
INDIAN government on Monday (30) said that there is no immediate plan to extend the 21-day lockdown amid fears that shutdown of businesses across the country to counter the spread of coronavirus may trigger severe economic and social distress. The clarification by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba came after hundreds of…
INDIAN National Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday (12) said Jyotiraditya Scindia forgot his ideology as he was apprehensive about his political future. He added that Scindia would not get respect in the BJP. Talking about Scindia's move to the BJP ending his long association with the Congress, Gandhi said there is…
A Delhi Police head constable, Ratan Lal, was killed in the stone-pelting after suffering a head injury, on Monday (24) as clashes broke out in northeast Delhi as pro and anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protesters pelted stones at each other. Several police personnel, including Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Shahdra, Amit…
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday (12) alleged that the Indian government is not taking the coronavirus threat seriously and called for timely action to prevent the spread of the virus. In India, three cases of coronavirus have been detected so far but there has been no casualty. "The coronavirus…
Indian National Congress, the oldest political party in India, has lost its 'face' in the national capital following its poor performance in Delhi elections on Tuesday (11). The grand-old party failed to get a single representative to Delhi assembly. Congress repeated its 2015 performance and was reduced to zero seats.…
At least 23 people were hurt at a prestigious Indian university on Sunday (5) in what police said were clashes between rival student groups but which an opposition politician blamed on a student organisation linked to prime minister Narendra Modi. Unverified videos on social media appeared to show a group…
Hundreds of people on Saturday (30) laid siege to a police station where four men are being held over the latest gruesome rape-murder to shock India. Baton-wielding police pushed back crowds from the building in the southern city of Hyderabad where they said the 27-year-old veterinary doctor, Priyanka Reddy, was…
By Amit Roy EVENTS to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi have thrown up the fact he made an effort to get through to the elite class of Indians who often benefited from British rule – and hence visited Cambridge twice. The first trip was on November…
India said Friday that it would not release a controversial report on shrinking consumer demand after a leading business daily leaked data showing that per capita spending had slumped for the first time in four decades. The report is bad news for prime minister Narendra Modi, who has struggled to…
CONSUMER spending in India has slumped for the first time in four decades, a leading business daily reported on Friday (15). Consumer demand in India's villages fell 8.8 per cent between July 2017 and June 2018, compared with 2011-12, the Business Standard reported, using unpublished National Statistical Office (NSO) data.…
EUROPEAN Union lawmakers on Tuesday (29) began the first visit by a foreign delegation to Kashmir since New Delhi revoked the region's autonomy in August, and stone-throwing protests resumed after a weeks-long lull, officials said. Local residents voiced anger that the federal government was trying to show the delegation Kashmir…
A delegation of 23 EU MPs arrived in Srinagar on Tuesday (29) for a first-hand assessment of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir to a complete shutdown and clashes between people and security forces in several parts of the city and the Valley. A convoy of security vehicles escorted the…
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday (20) hit out at India's Union minister Piyush Goyal for his remarks that Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee is "left-leaning", saying "these bigots are blinded by hatred" and have no idea what a professional is. Goyal, at a media briefing in Pune, had described Banerjee…
India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to sweep two state polls next week, the first since prime minister Narendra Modi's landslide win in a parliamentary election in May, a leading pollster said. The BJP is set to comfortably win elections in the western state of Maharashtra and the…
By Amit Roy AN INDIAN origin academic, Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee, is among three people who have been awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize for economics “for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty”. Banerjee, 58, shares the nine million Swedish krona (£728,000) prize with his wife, Esther Duflo, 46 –…
India's central bank has announced a $24-billion windfall for the cash-strapped government, giving a much-needed boost to prime minister Narendra Modi as he seeks to kickstart growth in Asia's third-biggest economy. But the payout will likely stoke fresh concerns about the Reserve Bank of India's independence following a standoff that…
Authorities on Sunday (25) defended blocking opposition Indian politicians from visiting Muslim-majority Kashmir, saying it was to "avoid controversy" weeks after stripping the restive region of its autonomy and imposing a major clampdown. India's government has been criticised by the main opposition Congress party over the contentious move on August…
INDIAN authorities need more time to restore order in Kashmir, a Supreme Court justice said on Tuesday (13) as a security clampdown entered a ninth day since New Delhi revoked the region’s special status, triggering protests. The court was hearing an activist’s petition seeking to lift curbs on communications and…
India's Sonia Gandhi on Saturday once again took the reins of the main opposition Congress party, replacing her son Rahul, who stepped down after a second straight election drubbing by prime minister Narendra Modi. The 49-year-old Rahul Gandhi, who was seeking to become the fourth member of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty…
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will appear before a metropolitan magistrate's court in Ahmedabad on Friday for the hearing of a criminal defamation suit filed against him by Ahmedabad District Cooperative Bank and its chairman Ajay Patel. Gandhi would appear before the court, said Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi. "Since the…
Indians reacted with shock and dismay on Wednesday after their stunning World Cup exit, with prime minister Narendra Modi hailing the team's "fighting spirit" and his main rival saying a billion hearts were broken. Near the end of the semi-final against New Zealand, with India still in with a chance,…
An Indian court on Friday (5) granted a 30-day parole to a woman convicted three decades ago over her role in the 1991 assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi by militants. Gandhi and 14 others were killed in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu by a female suicide…
Being born a Gandhi is traditionally a guaranteed ticket to the Indian prime minister's office, but the magic ran out for Rahul, the latest scion of the country's most famous and powerful family. The 49-year-old son, grandson and great-grandson of Indian prime ministers, resigned as head of Congress, the main…
INDIA'S Rahul Gandhi today (3) resigned as president of the main opposition Congress, taking responsibility for the party's second-straight landslide defeat to prime minister Narendra Modi in national elections. "As president of the Congress party, I am responsible for the loss of the 2019 election," he said in a statement…
Sonia Gandhi was once again elected leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) at a meeting of party MPs at the Central Hall of Parliament on Saturday (1). The meeting was attended by the party's 52 newly elected Lok Sabha MPs and Rajya Sabha members. Gandhi, who represents Uttar Pradesh's…
by RUPA JHA BBC World Service THE landslide victory last week of India’s prime minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) seems to be proof of Modi’s invincibility, at least for now. It also signals an endorsement of an increasingly nationalist stance at the seat of government.…
INDIA'S prime minister Narendra Modi was sworn in Thursday (30) in front of cheering supporters ahead of unveiling a drastically revamped government for his historic second term. Modi was the first of more than 50 cabinet ministers and deputy ministers to take the oath of office at the presidential palace…
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi will take his oath of office on Thursday (30) along with his ministers, though he suffered a setback at the start of his second term when key aide and finance minister Arun Jaitley opted out of the next government. The swearing-in ceremony at the forecourt…
Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, offered to resign on Saturday (25) after his Congress party was trounced in a second straight national election but the gesture was rejected, party officials said. While prime minister Narendra Modi triumphantly accepted pledges of allegiance from members of allied…
A record number of women are set to enter India's parliament after a marathon election that returned prime minister Narendra Modi to power, initial results showed on Friday (24). With most of the counting complete, 78 of the 542 seats in the lower house of parliament were on course to…
INDIA'S finance minister Arun Jaitley is unlikely to continue in his current role due to poor health as prime minister Narendra Modi begins his second term, according to four sources with knowledge of the matter. The sources said that Jaitley, 66, is unlikely to take up any offer to continue…
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi will hold talks on Friday (24) to form a new cabinet to tackle a stuttering economy and other challenges facing his second term after winning a big majority. Official data from the Election Commission showed Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party had won 296 of the 542…
A SECOND straight landslide election defeat for opposition Congress leader Rahul Gandhi raised serious questions Friday (24) about his leadership and cast a damaging shadow over one of the world's most prominent political dynasties. Gandhi, who even lost the family constituency seat to the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party of…
CONGRESS chief Rahul Gandhi has conceded an embarrassing defeat in his family stronghold Amethi in the state of Uttar Pradesh to Union Minister and BJP candidate Smriti Irani. "Smriti Irani has won in Amethi and I congratulate her. The people of Amethi have given their mandate," Gandhi told a news…
HINDU nationalist prime minister Narendra Modi claimed victory Thursday (23) in India's general election and vowed an "inclusive" future, with his party headed for a landslide win to crush the Gandhi dynasty's comeback hopes. With around half the 600 million votes cast counted, Election Commission data showed Modi's Bharatiya Janata…
THE Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) are leading in 61 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, according to Election Commission trends at 03.30 pm Indian standard time. Prime minister Narendra Modi is leading by a huge margin of over 400000 votes in…
Congress led-UDF in Kerala appears to be heading for a landslide in the state by continuing its lead in 19 of the total 20 Lok Sabha seats with AICC President Rahul Gandhi leading by over 380,000 votes in Wayanad. With more than 90 percent votes counted in 17 constituencies, and…
Honest, intelligent and open to new ideas is how officials of India's main opposition Congress describe their leader, Rahul Gandhi, but the party's election performance has been so poor he now risks losing even his family's traditional seat. As vote-counting trends on Thursday (23) showed prime minister Narendra Modi's ruling party…
WITH India's ruling Hindu nationalists headed for a stunning election victory on Thursday (23), prime minister Narendra Modi's powerful right hand man, Amit Shah, could reap his reward as a potential home minister, an analyst and a party official said. Shah, who has long been Modi's backroom strategist, helped run…
CONGRESS PARTY led state-level alliance- United Democratic Front (UDF) is leading in 18 out of the 20 Lok Sabha seats in the southern Indian state of Kerala with the Congress president Rahul Gandhi leading in Wayanad constituency with 1,09,612 votes. As per the trends released by the Election Commission at…
The BJP and its ally Apna Dal (S) surged ahead of their rivals in 58 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading in Varanasi by a margin of 1.22 lakh votes, according to Election Commission trends. The BJP was ahead in 57…
Counting of votes for the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections began Thursday (23) morning across the country. The counting exercise is on in over 4,000 counting centres amid concerns raised by opposition parties over alleged tampering of EVMs. They have asked the Election Commission to ensure transparency in counting. Election Commission officials said…
India began Thursday (23) the mammoth process of counting the roughly 600 million votes cast in the world's biggest election, with results due later in the day. Exit polls had pointed to a victory for prime minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist government, but the opposition are clinging to…
SEEKING to bolster the morale of his party's workers, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday (22) asked them to not be disheartened by fake exit poll results and urged them to stay alert and vigilant. His appeal to workers came a day after opposition parties raised concerns over reports of…
INDIA'S mammoth election, the biggest in the world, was a frequently bad-tempered affair and awash with insults. Ahead of the vote counting and results due on Thursday (23), here is a look back at the worst of the mudslinging during almost six weeks of campaigning. Thief Versus Prince Prime minister…
The Shiv Sena on Tuesday expressed confidence that prime minister Narendra Modi would be elected for a second term and praised Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for their "hard work." An editorial in Shiv Sena party mouthpiece Saamana said the Congress will get enough…
COUNTING of votes for the Lok Sabha elections, in which over 8,000 candidates were in the fray for 542 seats, will begin at 8.00 am on Thursday (23) and results are expected only by late evening due to tallying of voter verified paper audit trail slips with EVM count for…
INDIA'S main opposition parties Tuesday (21) alleged voting fraud in the country's general election, days after exit polls predicted a comfortable win for prime minister Narendra Modi's ruling party. Members of as many as 22 parties called on the poll watchdog and demanded that electronic machines used to record votes…
TOP opposition leaders in India will meet in the national capital Tuesday (21) to discuss the possibility of a non-NDA alliance staking claim to government formation and also move the Election Commission to press for their demand of tallying paper trail of votes (VVPATs) with electronic voting machine (EVM) figures.…
OXFORD Dictionaries was dragged into India's election last week as it rubbished a claim that "Modilie" referring to prime minister Narendra Modi is a recognised word. Rahul Gandhi, Modi's main challenger in the election, tweeted what he said was a screenshot of an online dictionary entry for the word combining the…
TOP opposition leaders will meet in the national capital Tuesday (21) to discuss the possibility of a non-NDA alliance staking claim to government formation and also move the Election Commission to press for their demand of tallying paper trail of votes (VVPATs) with electronic voting machine (EVM) figures. According to…
OPPOSITION leaders took swipes at prime minister Narendra Modi for not taking any questions at a press conference and diverting them to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah on Friday (17). Former Uttar Pradesh (UP) chief minister and Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav tweeted a picture of three…
Rahul Gandhi, vying to become the latest prime minister from India's most famous dynasty, has worked hard to shed his image as an entitled footloose princeling and political lightweight. But the great-grandson, grandson and son of three past premiers of the world's biggest democracy still faces a tough task beating…
Stern, sharp and shrewd, Narendra Modi fought his way off the streets to become one of India's most popular and polarising prime ministers. There is no middle ground between admirers and adversaries of the man -- now running for a second term -- who helped his father run a railway…
Voting ended on Sunday (19) in India's most acrimonious election in decades that will decide whether prime minister Narendra Modi gets a second term in power. As the final polling booths closed, a huge security cordon was thrown around the voting machines and boxes of paper votes used in the…
IF Uttar Pradesh were a country, it would be one of the world's most populous. And this poverty-stricken northern melting pot of over 200 million people is the biggest prize in India's election ending on Sunday (19). Uttar Pradesh (UP) has 80 parliamentary seats, the most of any state, and…
Prime minister Narendra Modi embarked on a spiritual break Saturday (18) as India's acrimonious marathon election wound to a close after almost seven weeks awash with insults, violence and fake news. On the eve of the seventh and final day of voting in the world's biggest democratic exercise, local media…
At their usual evening gathering, six retired Muslim academics outdo each other with gloomy predictions if Narendra Modi is re-elected prime minister in India's polls ending Sunday. "We are one step away from being turned into second-class citizens," Mohiuddin Azad told AFP in Azamgarh, a northern city long associated with…
INDIA'S election watchdog says it has forced Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to take down hundreds of posts during the country's election but experts say it is just a drop in an ocean of misinformation that has engulfed voters. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and opposition Congress party have thrown armies…
In January, India's main opposition Congress party seemed poised for a strong fight back against prime minister Narendra Modi after victories in three heartland states late last year. But just over four months later, even Congress officials admit the attempt to unseat Modi in the ongoing general election has suffered…
From jibes over the prime minister's wife to criticism of the main opposition leader's family holiday three decades ago, one trend stands out in this year's general election campaign in India: this time, it's personal. The world's largest democracy, with around 900 million eligible voters, wraps up polling held over…
AS India's best-known female private eye, Rajani Pandit has posed as crazy, blind, and deaf to solve murders and unmask unsuitable fiancés. But election time is a boom time for the woman dubbed "Miss Marple". In the world's biggest election ending on Sunday, Pandit and others like her are in…
With prime minister Narendra Modi and the BJP continuing their attack on the Congress over Sam Pitroda's remarks on the 1984 riots, party chief Rahul Gandhi on Monday (13) said the leader should be ashamed of himself and seek apology from the country. Rahul Gandhi was addressing a poll rally…
VOTERS in Delhi and elsewhere in India’s north lined up early on Sunday (12) to cast their ballots in the second-to-last round of a seven-phase general election, with the opposition seeking a united stand to deny prime minister Narendra Modi a second term. More than 100 million people across seven…
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi's ruling coalition is confident of a second term in office but opposition parties are talking to each other to seal an alliance, hoping to topple him after general election results are announced on May 23. The seven-phase election started on April 11 and ends on…
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday (11) alleged that the BJP, RSS and prime minister Narendra Modi had hatred towards his family, but he does not harbour the same feelings for the India's prime minister. He said that although Modi repeatedly attacked him, his father Rajiv Gandhi, grandmother Indira Gandhi…
Tens of millions voted on Sunday (12) in the penultimate round of India's increasingly bad-tempered election, with all eyes on the coveted capital New Delhi after an ugly campaign of slaps and savage pamphlets. India's almost-seven week election, the biggest on Earth with prime minister Narendra Modi seeking a new…
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday (11) slammed a Time magazine article, which called Modi "divider in chief", as an attempt to malign Modi's image, accusing its author of pursuing Pakistan's agenda. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told a press conference that article's author was a Pakistani and that…
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi is on the cover of TIME, and the American publication has called him India's "divider in chief." In the cover story “Can the World’s Largest Democracy Endure Another Five Years of a Modi Government?” journalist Aatish Taseer writes: “Of the great democracies to fall to…
THE men contesting India's general election are vying for women voters but the paltry number of female candidates shows the battle women face in Indian politics - as in so much else in Indian life. When not trading barbs, India's prime minister Narendra Modi and his political rival Rahul Gandhi…
INDIA’S top court on Thursday (9) threw out a petition seeking to bar Rahul Gandhi from contesting the ongoing general election over claims he is secretly British. The 48-year-old scion of India’s Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty is the main challenger to prime minister Narendra Modi, who is seeking a second term…
A GOVERNMENT agency report has cast fresh doubts on India's economic growth figures, in a blow to prime minister Narendra Modi as he seeks re-election in ongoing polls. Data compiled by India's National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) found that there were significant gaps in how the growth figures of Asia's…
INDIA'S once-vibrant communist parties are in danger of falling off the political map in this month's general elections as voters lose their revolutionary fervour. From 61 parliamentary seats and a key role in a coalition government formed in 2004, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and its hard left allies…
INDIA’S once-vibrant communist parties are in danger of falling off the political map in this month’s general elections as voters lose their revolutionary fervour. From 61 parliamentary seats and a key role in a coalition government formed in 2004, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and its hard left allies…
Alleging that south India received "step motherly" treatment under the Modi government, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said the south will play a key role in voting out the ruling dispensation and "overwhelmingly" side with the Congress. Emphasising that all sections of the country are equally important to the Congress…
INDIA'S northern heartland began voting on Monday (6) in the fifth phase of a staggered general election, with prime minister Narendra Modi hoping his record on national security will win him a second five-year term. More than 87 million people across seven states are eligible to vote on Monday, including in the northern state of Jammu…
Suspected militants shot dead a local leader of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party in disputed Kashmir ahead of the latest round of polling, highlighting bloodshed that has marred India's mega-election. The killing in Anantnag district of India's only Muslim-majority state is the latest in a string of attacks to…
India prime minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (5) attacked Rahul Gandhi over his alleged association with UK-based firm Backops, saying its name was akin to the Congress leader’s actions of indulging in “back office operations” and not from the front. Referring to the 10-year UPA rule under then prime minister…
With the counting day for the Lok Sabha polls less than three weeks away, the Congress on Friday urged the Election Commission (EC) to take various safeguards regarding electronic voting machines (EVMs). It also urged the EC to issue certain guidelines to ensure electoral integrity and free-and-fair polls in Amethi.…
BJP chief Amit Shah on Thursday (2) claimed the Congress and National Conference wanted Kashmir's separation from India, and vowed to scrap Article 370 if his party is voted back to power. Shah addressed three rallies in Madhya Pradesh, where three phases of Lok Sabha polls are yet to be…
Rajamma Vavathil, a retired nurse and a voter in Wayanad, says forcefully that no one should contest Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's citizenship status—after all she was one of those on duty at Delhi's Holy Family Hospital on June 19, 1970 when he was born. The 72-year-old, who was still in…
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi's re-election bid received a big fillip on Wednesday (1) after a UN Security Council committee blacklisted Masood Azhar, the head of a Pakistan-based militant group, a decade after New Delhi first demanded such an action. Azhar's Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack…
INDIA prime minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi were among prominent political leaders who on Wednesday (1) greeted the people of Gujarat on the occasion of the state's foundation day. President Ram Nath Kovind also extended his greetings on the occasion. Modi hailed Gujaratis for their courage, innovation…
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is flush with cash, giving his bloc a massive advantage over the main opposition Congress party as he seeks to win a second term in India's general election. Opaque campaign financing in the world's largest democracy makes it tricky to get…
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday (30) termed as "rubbish" the MHA notice to her brother and Congress president Rahul Gandhi on the citizenship issue, saying all know that he was born and raised here. "I have never heard such rubbish. All know Rahul Gandhi was born, raised here,"…
INDIA'S government on Tuesday (30) asked opposition leader Rahul Gandhi to respond to claims that he is a British citizen as the country's fiercely contested election battle took a bizarre twist. The home ministry wrote to the Congress party leader and scion of the famed Nehru-Gandhi dynasty after a deputy…
As 13 Rajasthan constituencies voted Monday (29), Congress president Rahul Gandhi addressed rallies in other parts of the state, attacking prime minister Narendra Modi over jobs and corruption in the Rafale military jet deal. ` "An inquiry in the Rafale deal is going to happen. Two names will emerge. One,…
Congress leader Sam Pitroda on Friday said it was Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's own decision not to contest against prime minister Narendra Modi for the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat. Speculation over Priyanka Gandhi's electoral debut from Modi's constituency ended Thursday when the Congress fielded Ajay Rai from there.…
Dispelling the impression that recent searches by the Income-Tax department were politically motivated, India prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday (26) said the law is equal for all and his residence should also be searched if he has done anything wrong. Addressing a public meeting at Sidhi in Madhya Pradesh,…
Congress president Rahul Gandhi will be the only person responsible if the BJP comes back to power, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has said as he slammed the Gandhi scion days after both the parties failed to form an alliance in Delhi for the Lok Sabha elections. He was speaking…
CONGRESS leader Priyanka Gandhi on Wednesday (24) termed prime minister Narendra Modi as "Pradhan Prachar Mantri" and accused the BJP of "wasting drinking water" to clean roads in Banda, an arid town in Uttar Pradesh's Bundelkhand region. Priyanka's comments drew a sharp reaction from chief minister Yogi Adityanath who said…
India prime minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (24) took a veiled dig at Congress president Rahul Gandhi, saying people looking at a mirror ten times a day and aspiring to become prime minister cannot even win assembly constituencies in their Lok Sabha seat. He said the Congress-led opposition, which has…
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday lashed out at the Congress over its "big ego" while continuing his attack on the BJP, suggesting that voters will walk away this time from the tea being offered by the 'chaiwala' prime minister Narendra Modi. Mocking Modi at a public meeting in Hardoi,…
VOTING began in the third and largest phase of India's staggered general election today (23), including in prime minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat and in opposition Congress party chief Rahul Gandhi's seat in southern Indian state of Kerala. In all, 188 million voters are eligible to cast ballots…
Polling will be held on Tuesday (22) for the third and largest phase of Lok Sabha election in 116 seats, including all constituencies in Gujarat and Kerala, with BJP president Amit Shah, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and several Union ministers among prominent candidates in the fray. The stakes are high…
A spokeswoman for India's main opposition Congress party quit on Friday and joined a group allied with prime minister Narendra Modi's ruling party, complaining that misbehaviour towards her by male Congress members was ignored. The resignation of Priyanka Chaturvedi, a regular on prime-time TV debates, is an embarrassing setback for…
Millions of voters across India cast ballots in the second round of the world's biggest election on Thursday (18) amid violence and protests that highlighted the intensity of animosity in the campaign. With more than a month to go before the marathon ends, prime minister Narendra Modi kept up a…
Putting a new spin on Rahul Gandhi's "why are all Modis thieves" remark, prime minister Narendra Modi Wednesday said the Congress president, by making the jibe, had maligned the backward community he hails from. Addressing a poll rally here, Modi also slammed the "dynastic politics" of Sharad Pawar and claimed…
CONGRESS president Rahul Gandhi on Monday (15) accused AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal of doing an "U-turn" on the alliance talks between the two parties and said the doors of the Congress are open, but time is running out. However, Kejriwal claimed that the talks are still on and accused Gandhi…
INDIA'S election watchdog on today (15) banned two outspoken politicians from campaigning in the country's national vote for making provocative speeches which it said could stir communal unrest. The measures came after the Supreme Court called on the election commission to get tough on hate speech during the world's biggest…
BRITAIN'S high commissioner to India laid a wreath on Saturday (13) on the 100th anniversary of the Amritsar massacre, one of the worst atrocities of colonial rule for which London is still to apologise. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, as it is known in India, saw British troops fire on thousands…
HUNDREDS of people holding candles and the national flag marched through the northern Indian city of Amritsar on Friday (12), on the eve of the centenary of the colonial-era Jallianwala Bagh massacre that British prime minister Theresa May has called a "shameful scar." On April 13, 1919, some 50 British…
INDIA'S Supreme Court today (12) ordered parties to name anonymous donors behind tens of millions of pounds in funding as hostilities intensified in the country's mega-election. The order came ahead of the second round of voting and after the election watchdog called for a clampdown on prime minister Narendra Modi's personal…
INDIANS thronged to vote on Thursday (11) at the start of a mammoth general election, with prime minister Narendra Modi seeking a second term after campaigning on a plank of national security following hostilities with neighbouring Pakistan. People trekked, rode bicycles and drove tractors to polling stations in the world's…
THE scion of the Gandhi dynasty told Indians that the country's "soul" was at stake on Thursday (11), as millions braved the hot sun to vote on day one of the world's biggest election. Opinion polls put prime minister Narendra Modi as favourite to win, but he faces a possible…
INDIA'S Supreme Court said today (10) that it will hear a request for an investigation into a £6.65 billion ($8.7bn) fighter jet deal with France's Dassault Aviation , in a setback for prime minister Narendra Modi's government. As India heads into a general election on Thursday (11), the court agreed…
CONGRESS president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday (10) filed his nomination for the Lok Sabha elections from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh. He was accompanied by mother Sonia Gandhi, sister Priyanka and brother-in-law Robert Vadra. The three-term MP will take on Union minister and BJP candidate Smriti Irani. Rahul Gandhi reached the…
Stern, sharp and shrewd, Narendra Modi fought his way off the streets to become one of India's most popular and polarising prime ministers. There is no middle ground between admirers and adversaries of the man -- now running for a second term as leader -- who helped his father run…
EARLY this year, a dozen of Bollywood's biggest names took a private jet from India's film capital of Mumbai to New Delhi for a private audience with prime minister Narendra Modi. Subsequently, actor Ranveer Singh, who has nearly 22 million followers on Instagram, posted a smiling picture of himself hugging…
INDIA'S prime minister is rallying his nationalist base as the world's biggest democracy begins a general election on Thursday (11), but it has become tighter than anticipated, thanks to dwindling incomes for farmers and scarce jobs. Polls predict prime minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party-led (BJP) alliance will just win…
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi swept to power five years ago on a business-friendly manifesto that promised to shake up Asia's third-largest economy and boost employment. As Modi, 68, seeks a second term in India's almost six-week mega-election beginning on Thursday, we looks at how he has delivered on his…
India's opposition Congress party unveiled a slick Bollywood-inspired theme song on Sunday (7), bringing celebrity muscle to its campaign as polling showed prime minister Narendra Modi's popularity soaring ahead of the start of voting next week. Congress launched the track by superstar Bollywood composer Javed Akhtar as it announced its…
For up to 14 hours a day, Nagaraj Nataraj and his wife and daughter hunch over sewing machines, churning out flags for the parties vying for votes in India's upcoming general election. They are among tens of thousands of home workers toiling to meet soaring demand for party merchandise -…
PRIYANKA Gandhi Vadra became the latest member of India's storied Nehru-Gandhi dynasty to enter politics in January, but the boost she brings the opposition campaign may not turn the tide against prime minister Narendra Modi, polls show. After years of speculation, the charismatic Vadra joined Congress to help its leader,…
Congress president Rahul Gandhi will file his nomination from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat on April 10 and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi will do the same from the Rae Bareli parliamentary constituency on April 11, party sources said on Thursday (4). Newly-appointed Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will be…
ON a humid evening in India's south, drummers and dancers heave to Kamal Haasan's blockbuster hits, whipping a huge crowd into ecstasy just as the moustachioed megastar himself steps onto the stage. There is a red carpet, confetti and coloured lights rippling over the sea of jiving fans screaming Haasan's…
IF INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi wins this spring's general election, as is widely expected, it will also be another massive victory for the marketing machine created to amplify Brand Modi into every Indian living room. Opinion polls regularly show Modi is India's most popular politician, and to turn that…
WHATSAPP launched a hotline Tuesday (2) allowing Indians to flag rumours circulating ahead of the upcoming election, a major concern in a country where fake news has fuelled violence. It comes a day after WhatsApp's parent company Facebook removed hundreds of pages promoting India's ruling and opposition parties for violating rules…
INDIA'S main opposition Congress party pledged today (2) to expand a rural employment guarantee programme, reward businesses for creating jobs and scrap an 1870 sedition law if it wins a general election that starts next week. Congress, founded in 1885, has consistently trailed prime minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata…
FACEBOOK said today (1) that it was removing 687 pages and accounts linked to India's main opposition Congress party, just days before voting begins in a general election, because of "coordinated inauthentic behaviour" on the social media platform. The announcement marks a rare action from Facebook against a prominent political…
India's prime minister Narendra Modi embarked on a campaign blitz with three huge rallies where he declared voters would reward his decision to test new weapons and bomb Pakistan with a thumping election victory. The Hindu nationalist leader addressed tens of thousands of supporters in three northern cities in his…
THE MAIN opposition Congress party's promise to give sizable cash handouts to India's poorest families if voted to power could re-energise its campaign to oust prime minister Narendra Modi at the general election starting in two weeks. Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has held the advantage in the run-up…
AT AN election rally in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, a local leader from prime minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) described how workers from the state's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) had disrupted a public meeting in January by destroying their vehicles. "So, we thrashed them in…
INDIAN authorities have seized more than $70 million worth of cash, booze and illegal drugs under special laws designed to curb vote buying during the world's biggest election, officials said Tuesday (26). Around 900 million Indians are eligible to vote in the mammoth polls, which start April 11 and run…
INDIA said Wednesday (27) it shot down a low-orbiting satellite in a missile test that proved the nation was among the world's most advanced space superpowers. In a rare address to the nation just weeks out from a national election, prime minister Narendra Modi said India had joined the United…
OPPOSITION leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday (25) vowed a "final assault on poverty" in India if elected prime minister in May, promising a minimum income for tens of millions of the country's poorest. The Congress Party leader, broadly seen as trailing the incumbent Narendra Modi in the race for top…
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi has once again chosen to contest the country's upcoming elections from the Hindu holy city of Varanasi, his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced Thursday (21). The Hindu nationalist leader successfully won his first national election in 2014 from northern Uttar Pradesh state's historic city, situated…
GANESH Bhalerao is a cartoonist hoping to go viral in the battle to secure prime minister Narendra Modi's re-election when India votes over the next two months. Hired by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to find amusing ways to lionise Modi or lampoon opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, Bhalerao is…
by AMIT ROY THE Daily Telegraph journalist who tracked down Nirav Modi to an apartment in the Centre Point building next to Tottenham Court Road Tube station in London has spoken at length about the runaway diamond jeweller who has become a big election issue in India. In his reports,…
Ganesh Bhalerao is a cartoonist hoping to go viral in the battle to secure prime minister Narendra Modi's re-election when India votes over the next two months. Hired by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to find amusing ways to lionise Modi or lampoon opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, Bhalerao is…
THE newest star in India's Nehru-Gandhi dynasty wrapped up a pre-election boat tour along the Ganges river on Wednesday (20), disembarking in Narendra Modi's home constituency to attack the prime minister's record. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, sister of Rahul Gandhi who wants to unseat Modi in elections starting on April 11,…
INDIA prime minister Narendra Modi's 'Main bhi chowkidar' campaign on Monday (18) drew more ridicule from Congress president Rahul Gandhi and party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Raising the Rafale issue, Rahul said Modi was attempting to convert the whole country into chowkidar after being "caught", while Priyanka said chowkidar are…
AN INFLUENTIAL Indian traders body called yesterday (14) for a boycott of Chinese goods, to slap Beijing for blocking a move to put a Pakistani militant leader on a UN terrorist list following a suicide attack last month. Regarded by Pakistan as its most reliable friend, China has repeatedly thwarted…
A GROUP of more than 100 experts sounded a pre-election alarm today (15) over Indian economic data, accusing prime minister Narendra Modi's government of tweaking or burying unwelcoming numbers. Modi is vulnerable over his economic record in the polls starting on April 11, in particular a failure to meet promises…
INDIAN opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday (13) promised that one third of government jobs and seats in parliament would be reserved for women if his Congress party wins power in national elections. An estimated 430 million women are eligible to vote in mammoth elections starting next month in India,…
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi launched an early-morning Twitter blitz today (13) calling directly on Bollywood and sports stars and others to urge Indians to vote in the country's upcoming mammoth elections. In 29 rapid-fire tweets, Modi tagged cricketers Virat Kohli, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and Bollywood actors Ranveer Singh and…
VISHAL Chowdhary is young, bright and armed with an MBA. But he has spent two years struggling to find work in India's sluggish jobs market -- a major headache for prime minister Narendra Modi ahead of looming elections. The government's failure to create enough jobs in Asia's third-biggest economy is…
India is not just the world's biggest democracy, its elections are also the most gruelling -- with nearly six weeks between the first round of voting on April 11 and the last. Rival politicians are permanently at daggers drawn and if prime minister Narendra Modi is to win another five-year…
Sonia Gandhi, former leader of India's main opposition Congress party, will contest the 2019 general election from the Rae Bareli seat, a family stronghold in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh that has voted for her since 2004. The Italian-born 72-year-old, who forged a Congress-led coalition government for two successive…
Lata Mangeshkar, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar are some of the Indian film personalities who hailed the Indian armed forces for carrying out air strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistan on Tuesday (26). The strike comes amid heightened tension between India and Pakistan following the February 14 suicide attack…
INDIA'S powerful Nehru-Gandhi dynasty on Monday (11) unleashed its newest star with thousands turning out to see Priyanka Gandhi Vadra speak at her first rally as the country gears up for a general election. Crowds showered rose petals on the great-granddaughter of India's founding leader Jawaharlal Nehru as she took an open…
PRIYANKA Gandhi Vadra, the popular sister of the head of India's main opposition Congress party, made her political debut on Monday (11) with a roadshow drawing thousands in the most populous state months before a general election due by May. Congress president Rahul Gandhi pulled a surprise last month by appointing…
India's main opposition Congress party said on Thursday (7) it would scrap a decree passed by prime minister Narendra Modi's government prescribing jail terms for Muslim men seeking an instant divorce if the party wins an election due by May. Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in January issued…
Facebook India said on Thursday (7) it will run disclaimers on political ads and publish details of sponsors to bring transparency in political advertising ahead of a general election due by May. Facebook has nearly 300 million users in India and political parties in recent years have embraced social media…
Prime minister Narendra Modi is lording it over India just like the British, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said in a blistering pre-election broadside published on Tuesday (5). Gandhi, great-grandson of India's first prime minister after independence from Britain in 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru, hopes to unseat Modi in the vote due…
India's government unveiled on Friday (1) a raft of budget sweeteners for farmers, the middle class and also cows, as prime minister Narendra Modi seeks to shore up support with elections looming. Thousands of farmers hit by low produce prices, crippling debt and volatile weather have killed themselves in recent…
by Amit Roy PRIYANKA GANDHI VADRA, 47, Rahul Gandhi’s younger sister by a year, has caused much excitement in India by entering politics as Congress general secretary for the central state of Uttar Pradesh. There are only a few weeks to go before India’s 17th general election, which will be…
India's opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said on Monday (28) that his party will introduce a "minimum income guarantee" for the poor if it returns to power in elections this year. The election, due by May, will see the scion of the Gandhi-Nehru dynasty seek to unseat Narendra Modi as prime…
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi's ruling coalition will emerge as the largest group in a parliamentary election expected in the next few months but will fall short of a majority required to rule, two surveys showed on Thursday (24). The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance is forecast to win 233…
Indian Prime minister Narendra Modi has claimed that he used to spend days "reflecting" alone in the jungle, in a new interview seeking to burnish his religious credentials as tough elections loom. Modi, who secured a landslide poll victory in 2014, has long touted the remarkable backstory that saw him…
Kareena Kapoor Khan on Monday (21) quashed the reports claiming that she will be contesting for Lok Sabha elections for Congress from Bhopal. The 38-year-old actor said making movies are and will always be her priority and she has no plans to join politics. "There is no truth to these…
Tens of thousands of people thronged the streets of an Indian town on Monday (21) to pay their last respects to the 111-year-old head of a Hindu religious sect known as "the walking god" to his followers. Shivakumara Swami was the head of Sree Siddaganga Mutt, a highly influential monastery…
India has sacked two executives of state-run Punjab National Bank (PNB) for allegedly failing to prevent a two billion dollar fraud, two sources said on Sunday (20), nearly a year after the country's biggest bank scam came to light and also dragged the government into the controversy. The firing of…
India's opposition parties drew half a million supporters to Kolkata's streets on Saturday (19) for the largest show of force yet against prime minister Narendra Modi as a national election looms. Police in the eastern city said 500,000 people turned out for the massive "Unite India" rally, which saw leaders…
Bindu Ammini and Kanakadurga are living on the run since infuriating Hindu traditionalists by entering one of India's holiest temples that for generations banned nearly all women. In black robes and under cover of darkness, the two women evaded a blockade to enter the remote hilltop Sabarimala temple early on January…
Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has come under fire for "misogynistic" remarks when he asked prime minister Narendra Modi to "be a man" and not field a woman, the defence minister, to defend him in debates over a controversial fighter jet deal. Gandhi, president of the Congress party, on Wednesday…
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday (9) said the prime minister got a woman to defend him in Parliament as he couldn't do so himself, a remark that appeared to trigger a sharp retort from Narendra Modi who accused the opposition of insulting Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Calling Modi a…
The Accidental Prime Minister has been mired in controversy ever since its trailer released and it has once again run into trouble. According to reports, a fresh public interest litigation has been filed in the Delhi high court seeking a ban on the trailer of the movie, which features Anupam…
Prime minister Narendra Modi's government announced plans on Monday (7) to set aside a quota of government jobs for poorer members of India's upper caste, months before what looks set to be a challenging re-election bid. India already "reserves" jobs for impoverished and disadvantaged lower castes for civil service jobs…
A complaint has been lodged against Anupam Kher and others associated with The Accidental Prime Minister, the film that has Kher essaying the role of Manmohan Singh, the economist and politician who served as the prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. The case has been filed for allegedly…
After suffering an electoral thrashing at the hands of prime minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist party in 2014, India's small regional and caste-based parties are back in the reckoning months ahead of the next general election. Losses for Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced in three key states on Tuesday -…
Buoyed by Congress' resurgence, party president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday (11) said the assembly poll outcome is a "clear message" to the Modi government that people are not happy with it and time has come for a change while asserting that his party will also win in 2019. Prime minister…
India's ruling party suffered stinging election defeats in at least two stronghold states, results showed on Tuesday (11), in a big blow to prime minister Narendra Modi before national polls in 2019. The votes held earlier this month and in November were seen as a dress rehearsal for next year…
India's ruling party looked set to lose power in three key states, official vote counts showed on Tuesday (11), likely handing prime minister Narendra Modi his biggest defeat since he took office in 2014, and only months ahead of a general election. The results in the heartland, rural states of…
Millions of Indians voted Wednesday (28) in a state election seen as a key duel between prime minister Narendra Modi and his main rival before the whole country goes to the polls in 2019. Modi's right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has governed the central state of Madhya Pradesh, home…
India's main opposition Congress party said on Monday (22) it would not name its leader Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate of an alliance seeking to defeat prime minister Narendra Modi in next year's general election. Congress is working to build an opposition front with other parties in preparation…
One of India's most prominent environmental activists has died at the age of 86 after more than 15 weeks of a hunger strike to protest against Indian government’s inaction on cleaning up the Ganges. The death of GD Agarwal, who held a PhD in environmental engineering from the University of…
Dassault Aviation said it picked India's Reliance Defence as a partner for a big military combat deal on its own, countering a French online media report that said the Indian government insisted on the firm as a condition of the contract. Prime minister Narendra Modi's purchase of 36 Rafale planes in a deal estimated to be worth $8.7 billion has become a political controversy and on Thursday (11) his rivals seized…
Rahul Gandhi, India's opposition leader and scion of the political Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, had an explosion scare after balloons at a political roadshow burst into flames near his vehicle, police said on Sunday (7). Gandhi, head of the main opposition Congress party, was leading the campaign event in Madhya Pradesh state when…
The French government said it feared damage to its relations with India after former president Francois Hollande stirred controversy about a major deal to sell fighter jets to New Delhi on Sunday (23). Hollande, who left office in May last year, said Friday (21) during a trip to India that French jet…
India's Narendra Modi was under fire Saturday after French ex-president Francois Hollande added fresh fuel to corruption allegations in a bilateral defence deal, with the prime minister branded a traitor by his chief political opponent. French defence firm Dassault picked Reliance Group, run by Indian billionaire Anil Ambani, as its…
The leader of India's opposition Congress Party has called for the resignation of finance minister Arun Jaitley over what he termed an act of "collusion" in the case of Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya - an accusation Jaitley denies. India wants to extradite the 62-year-old businessman from Britain to face criminal…
Indians set tyres on fire, vandalised petrol stations and blocked roads and railways on Monday (10) as opposition parties led nationwide demonstrations against rising fuel prices. The protests were called by the opposition Congress party led by Rahul Gandhi, who is looking to challenge prime minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party…
Nationwide protests against record high petrol and diesel prices shut down businesses, government offices and schools in many parts of India on Monday (10), and in some places protesters blocked trains and roads and vandalised vehicles. Gearing up for a general election less than nine months away and provincial polls…
by Amit Roy. LORD JONATHAN SACKS, chief rabbi from 1991 to 2013, is an eminent scholar – which makes it difficult to understand why he saw fit to compare Jeremy Corbyn’s comments on the alleged lack of humour among some British Zionists with Enoch Powell’s 1968 ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech. It is worth comparing and contrasting the two…
by Amit Roy CONGRESS party president Rahul Gandhi laid down the battle grounds in next year’s general election in India during a two-day visit to Britain last week. It would be between Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the “hatred-filled ideology of the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh)” on…
by Amit Roy. CONGRESS PARTY LEADER ‘IMPRESSED’ DURING TWO-DAY UK VISIT. EVEN Narendra Modi’s supporters in the UK – and there are many of them in the Indian community – will concede that Congress president Rahul Gandhi made a good impression during his two-day trip to London last week. “Not as dumb as I…
by PRATIK DATTANI. GANDHI’S VISIT OFFERED A STUDY IN CONTRASTS TO MODI IN LONDON. HE CAME, he saw, and he didn’t quite conquer. Rahul Gandhi’s visit to London this past week gave an insight into the kind of political leader he is trying to position himself as ahead of 2019, but also the…
India's main opposition Congress party on Thursday (30) lashed out at prime minister Narendra Modi after central bank data showed that his shock 2016 move to ban high-value notes failed to meet his key objective of flushing out money hidden from the tax man. Modi withdrew 500 and 1,000 rupee…
India's Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered five left-wing activists to be taken out of police custody and kept under house arrest amid widespread condemnation of their detention. Police detained the five on Tuesday alleging links to banned left-wing Maoist militants. Lawyers for the activists immediately took the case to the…
Indian police arrested five outspoken lawyers and left-wing activists during raids across the country on Tuesday (28) that drew condemnation from opposition parties and rights watchdogs who said it was a crackdown on critics of the government. Police said the five had been detained for their links to Maoist militants, but Rahul Gandhi, head of…
India's Congress party president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday (25) met with doctors, medical students and academicians from across the UK and Europe to initiate the process of preparing a blueprint for an affordable healthcare system in India. The working group includes medical professionals from King's College, Imperial College and the…
India's Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday (25) said that he has undergone a transformation since 2014 and does not imagine himself as the next prime minister of India. During an interaction at an event organized by Indian Journalists Association in London, the Congress chief was asked if he views…
Rahul Gandhi, leader of India's opposition Congress party, said he would seek to shift the focus of the country's economic policy towards supporting small and medium-sized firms if he won power at an upcoming election. The fourth-generation politician of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty spoke to reporters and academics in London, criticising prime…
by Amit Roy MPS LEAD TRIBUTES AS FORMER PRIME MINISTER VAJPAYEE IS LAID TO REST. IT IS one of the civilised traditions of India that when politicians pass away, even their opponents come together to pay tribute to the departed leader. THOUSANDS of mourners in white funeral dress escorted the coffin of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, India’s former prime minister,…
FORMER Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has passed away, current leader Narendra Modi said today (16). "Atal Ji's passing away is a personal and irreplaceable loss for me," Modi said in a tweet. "It was Atal Ji's exemplary leadership that set the foundations for a strong, prosperous and inclusive…
INDIA’S opposition leader on Monday (16) urged prime minister Narendra Modi to “walk his talk” by passing a long-pending bill that aims to give women a stronger voice in parliament. Rahul Gandhi offered his party’s “unconditional support” to push through the Women’s Reservation Bill, which provides for one-third of the…
India's opposition leader on Monday (16) urged prime minister Narendra Modi to "walk his talk" by passing a long-pending bill that aims to give women a stronger voice in parliament. Rahul Gandhi offered his party's "unconditional support" to push through the Women's Reservation Bill, which provides for one-third of the…
An Indian politician has taken streaming giant Netflix to court, asking that it delete "offensive scenes" and derogatory remarks about former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in its first Indian original series. The Delhi High Court adjourned the case on Thursday to give judges and respondents time to study the petition filed by…
Congress president Rahul Gandhi does not believe in the feasibility of prime minister Narendra Modi's bullet train project. Calling it a "magic train," Gandhi said if at all the project materialises then it would be under the Congress regime. “It should not be called a bullet train," Gandhi was quoted…
Shortly after a Thomson Reuters Foundation poll revealed that India was the most dangerous country for women, India's opposition leader Rahul Gandhi launched an attack on prime minister Narendra Modi calling it a shame. "While our PM tiptoes around his garden making yoga videos, India leads Afghanistan, Syria and Saudi…
INDIA’S opposition leader Rahul Gandhi pleaded not guilty on Tuesday (12) to defaming a powerful Hindu group closely linked to the ruling party of prime minister Narendra Modi. Gandhi will fight charges in court that he defamed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) organisation when he accused them of “assassinating” Indian…
India's opposition leader Rahul Gandhi pleaded not guilty on Tuesday (12) to defaming a powerful Hindu supremacist group closely linked to the ruling party of prime minister Narendra Modi. Gandhi will fight charges in court that he defamed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) organisation when he accused the Hindu movement…
1. Sonia Gandhi Temple, Telangana Soon after Telangana was created as a separate state, Sonia Gandhi temple was created by some of the Congress leaders in Mallial town. In this temple, there is a stone idol of Sonia Gandhi posing as a goddess with lotus in one hand and a…
KARNATAKA DRAMA SEEN AS SETBACK FOR MODI AHEAD OF 2019 ELECTIONS INDIAN opposition parties joined forces to snatch power from the country’s ruling party in the southern state of Karnataka, laying the stage for other such alliances in a direct challenge to prime minister Narendra Modi’s re-election bid next year. A coalition…
NINE KILLED IN POLICE FIRING AS ACTIVISTS CALL FOR CONTINUED CLOSURE OF COPPER PLANT AT LEAST nine people were killed on Tuesday (22) after police fired at protesters calling for the closure of a Vedanta Resources-controlled copper smelter in southern India, a senior police official said. Residents of the port…
India's Supreme Court ordered prime minister Narendra Modi's party to hold a vote of confidence on Saturday (19) in a key state where it has been allowed to form a government despite its lack of a majority. The order heightened political tensions in Karnataka and the opposition Congress party moved…
KARNATAKA POLL WIN VINDICATES MODI AHEAD OF 2019 ELECTIONS INDIA’S prime minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party was set on Tuesday (15) to win the largest number of seats in a big southern state poll, giving him momentum for a re-election bid next year and opening the path for more reforms. A government in…
The BJP's decision to form the government in Karnataka despite not having the numbers is making a mockery of India's constitution, said Congress president Rahul Gandhi. On Thursday (17) BJP's BS Yeddyurappa took oath as the 23rd chief minister of Karnataka, and while BJP celebrated its victory, India mourns the…
Bollywood actor and producer Uday Chopra found himself being mercilessly being trolled online after he tweeted about Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala's political affiliation. Sharing a link to Vala's Wikipedia page, Chopra referred to him as the "BJP-RSS Guy." Vala is the former Gujarat BJP leader who once vacated his seat for…
Thanking the people of Karnataka for voting for the Congress, Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday (15) said the party will continue to fight for them. The 47-year-old also praised Congress party workers and leaders for their work in the recently concluded assembly elections. "A big thank you to all those who…
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi's ruling party was set on Tuesday (15) to win the largest number of seats in a big southern state election, giving him momentum for a re-election bid next year and opening a path for more reforms. A government in Karnataka led by the Bharatiya Janata…
KARNATAKA ON INDIAN PRIME MINISTER AND BJP RADAR INDIA’S prime minister Narendra Modi has thrown himself into a campaign to win a tight state election this weekend and secure a beachhead in the south, ahead of his own re-election bid next year. Karnataka state, home to India’s Silicon Valley capital…
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said he was willing to become India's prime minister in 2019 if his party emerged as the single largest party after the Lok Sabha elections. Gandhi made this announcement while interacting with the media in Bengaluru. “If the Congress wins with the single-largest majority, then why…
India's prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday (13) promised justice after nationwide outrage mounted over the brutal gang rape and murder of an eight-year-old-girl. Demonstrations were held in New Delhi and other cities as horrific details emerged of the murder of the Muslim girl, who was repeatedly raped while being…
THE fallout over personal data harvested from social media networks reached India as the country set a deadline of Saturday (31) for British firm Cambridge Analytica to respond to questions concerning whether it improperly gathered Facebook data on Indian citizens. India will hold its general election in 2019 and the…
India's ruling and main opposition parties on Monday (26) accused each other of using social media dirty tricks to mine and share followers' personal data. Prime minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress party of Rahul Gandhi have seized upon the data breach storm surrounding Facebook and…
The hunt is still on to nab celebrity jeweler Nirav Modi, who is accused by the Punjab National Bank for swindling over Rs. 11,300 crore. Indian authorities do not know where Modi is, but some television channels say the billionaire diamond trader is holed up in a swanky hotel in New York's Manhattan.…
Marching contingents, strategic defence weaponry and colourful tableaux were on display as India celebrated its 69th Republic Day with a grand parade watched by thousands of people along with ten ASEAN leaders who attended the event as chief guests, in a historic first. Signifying India's fast growing strategic ties with…
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus Padmaavat, which has been a controversy magnet since it commenced filming in December 2016, has been cleared for release in Pakistan. The film has been given a U certification. "Central Board of Film Censors #CBFC has declared a feature film containing Indian cast & crew #Padmaavat…
INDIA’S ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won an election in prime minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat today (18), the vote count showed, but with a reduced margin, which will be a boost for the opposition. A combined opposition led by the Congress party had mounted a tough challenge…
India's Rahul Gandhi took over on Saturday as president of the main opposition Congress, becoming the sixth member of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty to head the party that has ruled the country for much of its independent history. Fireworks erupted over the party headquarters in New Delhi drowning out the voice of…
India's opposition Congress party named Rahul Gandhi as its new leader on Monday (12), capping years of speculation about the scion of the dynasty that has ruled the country for much of its independent history. The 47-year-old has long been seen as the likely successor of his mother Sonia, who took over…
A student of an Aligarh-based college affiliated to the Agra University was awarded with a marksheet bearing Salman Khan's photograph. University's discrepancy came to light when the photograph of the marksheet went viral on social media. The marksheet originally belongs to a BA first year student. The student was studying…
INDIA’S opposition Congress party will hold leadership elections next month, an official said today (20), amid growing speculation Rahul Gandhi will take over from his mother as its leader. Rahul, whose father, grandmother and great-grandfather all served as prime minister, was the party's front man in the last general election.…
Senior BJP leader and former finance minister Yashwant Sinha on Tuesday continued his criticism of the central government with respect to demonetization and the implementation of the Goods and Service Tax. Sinha also criticised the finance minister Arun Jaitley for ‘failing the people’ of the country, saying that India is…
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday during his trip to Gujarat continued his tirade against the Central government’s implementation of ‘Gabbar Singh Tax’. While addressing locals during a public meeting at Chhala village near Gandhinagar, Gandhi said, “Gabbar Singh Tax reforms have been made after the Congress put pressure…
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi along with other members of a parliamentary panel today raised questions on media reports that China was ramping up its military presence in areas close to Doklam at a meeting where the MPs were briefed by top government officials. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External…
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Friday launched a scathing attack at Congress leader Ahmed Patel and asked him to explain how a suspected ISIS terrorist was employed at a hospital where the latter was one of the trustees. One of the two ISIS terrorists, Kasim Stimberwala, who was arrested…
Facing criticism from the Tamil Nadu BJP over dialogues allegedly flaying the GST in "Mersal", the film production house today said that if needed, it would delete scenes that have caused "misunderstanding". It also said that the BJP's opposition to some dialogues in "Mersal" was "just" from its own perspective.…
Indian police on Thursday (8) briefly arrested leading opposition figure Rahul Gandhi as he tried to reach farmers striking in Madhya Pradesh, where five protesters were earlier killed in clashes. The 46-year-old Congress party leader was detained as he crossed into the volatile region in central India by bike, having…
India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party claimed victory in Assam elections on Thursday, marking the first time the Hindu nationalist party has won control of a state in the country’s restive northeast. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it was a historic victory and promised to “fulfil the dreams and aspirations” of…
He’s been called India’s Donald Trump: a media-savvy right-wing populist who is unafraid of upsetting everyone from the ruling elite to religious minorities as he rails against corruption. And after returning to parliament following a 15-year absence, Subramanian Swamy says he won’t temper his shoot-from-the-hip style that has made him…
India’s opposition Congress party staged a show of defiance on Friday, with Sonia and Rahul Gandhi leading a rally and march to parliament to resist what they called Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bid to destroy democracy. The opposition party hit back after facing a slew of corruption accusations leveled by…
IN A freewheeling conversation with the Indian Journalists’ Association, the veteran BBC broadcaster Sir Mark Tully provided a mature and dispassionate analysis of Narendra Modi’s two years as prime minister. Basically, Mark said India would never be “saffronised” and that Modi’s period in office would ultimately end in failure unless…
Head of socio-spiritual organisation BAPS and inspirer of world renowned Akshardham mandir, HH Pramukh Swami Maharaj passed away on 13 August 2016 at 6 pm. The word spread fast and the small town of Sarangpur was soon flooded with devotees and well-wishers eager for darshan. As soon as news were…
After claiming that there will be an “earthquake” if he speaks, Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday (14) alleged that he has detailed information about “personal corruption” by prime minister Narendra Modi which he wants to present in Lok Sabha but is not being allowed to do so by Modi. Parliamentary affairs…
Fugitive Indian businessman Vijay Mallya said on Friday that his Twitter account had been penetrated by a hacking group called Legion, which posted links to what it alleged were details of Mallya’s bank accounts, offshore investments and luxury cars. Mallya, a flamboyant former billionaire who made his fortune from a…
India prime minister Narendra Modi faced his biggest electoral test since coming to power when the battleground state of Uttar Pradesh, which he swept three years ago, starting its elections starting on Saturday (11) In the biggest democratic exercise on the planet this year, voting will take place in seven…
Millions of Indians went to the polls on Saturday (4) in the opening round of regional elections seen as the first major test of prime minister Narendra Modi’s party after his controversial move to ban high-value notes. Five Indian states will elect new governments over the next five weeks, with…
Millions of Indians went to the polls on Saturday (4) in the opening round of regional elections seen as the first major test of prime minister Narendra Modi’s party after his controversial move to ban high-value notes. Five Indian states will elect new governments over the next five weeks, with…
Millions of Indians went to the polls on Saturday (4) in the opening round of regional elections seen as the first major test of prime minister Narendra Modi’s party after his controversial move to ban high-value notes. Five Indian states will elect new governments over the next five weeks, with…