Keyword : Rahul Gandhi

Prince of the waiting game finally makes a move

[This was the cover story of Governance Now a couple of years ago, September 16-30, 2010 to be precise. Little seems to have changed in the intervening period, except that this week Rahul Gandh

Rahul’s introspection attracts social world

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi  has taken leave from party affairs and the parliament to `reflect` and `think` about party’s future after poor performances in series of elections.

Venkaiah’s remarks on introspection shakes parliament

It was an inauspicious start to the railway budget presentation in parliament on Thursday morning. Led by Congress president Sonia Gandhi the opposition parties stalled parliamentary business over

Rahul again shakes parliament, this time it is `snoopgate-2`

In parliament on Monday, the Congress party raised what it called ‘Snoopgate-2 , the alleged espionage of its vice president Rahul Gandhi by Delhi police. On March 12, Delhi po

Rahul Gandhi back from sabbatical, trends on Twitter

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday returned from his 56-day ‘sabbatical’. He was on an unexplained leave amid speculations about his possible elevation as p

Beyond the return of the prodigal

Rahul Gandhi’s disappearance and reappearance have led to much discussion and debate. That is surprising, because he is a leader far outshined by his mother, in a party far outshined by Modi&

Govt has little time for important bills as parliament session resumes

Temperatures are going to rise both outside parliament and inside. Lok Sabha resumed its budget session after a break and Rajya Sabha sitting is from Aril 23. The debate over land bill is going to

This is govt of suit and boot, says Rahul and slams land ordinance

The land acquisition ordinance was tabled in the Lok Sabha on Monday by minister of state for parliamentary affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy. The ordinance was promulgated by President Pranab Mukherjee on

Rahul Gandhi brings corporates again in net neutrality debate

Continuing his theme of rich versus poor that began with land bill speech, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the Modi government of trying to give away internet space to cor

Rajasthan farmer commits suicide as Kejriwal holds rally

Politicians never learn especially Indian politicians about propriety.  A farmer committed suicide during AAP`s rally in Delhi against the controversial land acquisition bill and the political

Rahul to take out padayatra for farmers’ cause

Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi is on a maiden two-day visit to Telangana from Thursday that includes a 15-km `padayatra` in Adilabad district. Rahul`s visit is to highlight the

Lalit Modi’s name dropping makes it miserable for Sushma

Lalit Modi is keeping the pot boiling and adding to the discomfort of Sushma Swaraj even as the Congress attack questioned Narendra Modi on why he was protecting his foreign minister and termed the

PM Modi and Rahul in political shootout

Today is the day of loaded political discourse that can also serve as lessons to politicians. While Congress leader Rahul Gandhi remained stuck to the rhetorical mud-slinging, prime minister Narend

With farmers on agenda, Rahul seeds Cong revival in TN and AP

The countdown to the 2016 assembly elections began in Tamil Nadu with the byelection to RK Nagar, where chief minister J Jayalalithaa contested and won with a huge margin. The impending assembly el

Gadkari tells Rahul Gandhi to say sorry to Sushma or face defamation case

After his brother-in-law Robert Vadra, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi is now facing fire over his stray remarks.  Rahul Gandhi had accused Sushma Swaraj of committing a criminal act by h

Non-bailable warrant against Lalit Modi should bring Cong back to parliament

Will the Congress return to the parliamentary business now? A special court on Wednesday allowed the issuance of a non bailable warrant against Lalit Modi in a money laundering case. With this warr

Talking and taking a walk to Rashtrapati Bhavan will not help India

India woke up today to another day of uncertainty and ceaseless cacophony created by the politicians. Television screens screamed that today is last day of parliament`s monsoon session and no legis

Evening digest: After storming BCCI office, Sena threatens Pak umpire to leave India

Shiv Sena threatened Pakistani cricket umpire Aleem Dar on Monday to quit the current series between India and South Africa, shortly after storming BCCI’s Mumbai office to protest a planned m

Evening digest: Odd & even number vehicles on alternate days in Delhi due to pollution

In a major step to counter the deadly pollution levels in the national capital, the Delhi government has decided to allow odd and even number vehicles to be on the roads on alternate days, starting

Morning briefing: UN chief welcomes India, Pak decision to engage in dialogue

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon today welcomed the decision by India and Pakistan to engage in a comprehensive dialogue to discuss peace and security issues and hoped for progress in their efforts

Kanhaiya, this is not fair: you must thank these people for your stardom

Though Jhandewalan sees a rat in this story, JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar has become a star of sorts overnight – or over 22 days. With the “freedom” speech on Thursday night, fo

Congress: Once a dream, today a nightmare

On May 19, after the results of the assembly elections were announced, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi tweeted, “We will work harder till we win the confidence & trust of people.&rdq

Price rise: Rahul Gandhi pulls up Modi government

 Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday took the Modi government to task for price rise, particularly of food items like lentils. “Today in villages people are raisin

Rahul Gandhi and the art of waiting

 As reports suggest that Rahul Gandhi may indeed come to head the grand old party, we republish this analysis of the Congress vice president by a prominent social scientist, first publishe

Survey: What do *you* think of the currency ban?

You have read (or heard or seen) countless analyses, points-counterpoints, theories-conspiracy theories and allegations-counter-allegations on the historic move to ban high-denomination currency no

Will Modi go UP or down? Here’s why all eyes are on Uttar Pradesh polls

The dangal is on. The election commission has announced dates to the assembly elections to five states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa, and Manipur.  Chief election c

A Tetrapack of juicy nothings

The latest buzz on social media is about whether or not Rahul Gandhi, while campaigning in Manipur, said he would be happy to see ‘coconut juice’ from the state being sold in London wit

Private agency to assess Tamil Nadu Congress

 A private agency has been hired to assess the functioning of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC). Sources say Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has tied up with the private agency t

Threat still there to Niyamgiri: Green Nobel winner Prafulla Samantra

Prafulla Samantra, a social activist from Odisha has bagged the Goldman Environmental Prize, described as the Green Nobel Prize, for his long struggle to save the Niyamgiri hills from bauxite minin

Why on earth did Rahul Gandhi meet Chinese envoy?

 There is a huge difference between chalk and cheese. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, it appears, has not developed acumen to decipher it. He is not a quick learner. But, when a major st

The central challenge of India is job creation: Rahul Gandhi

 For the first time in our history, India has the opportunity to wipe out poverty. If India is able to lift another 350 million people out of poverty by 2030, it would be an achievement that t

Too little, too late: Congress on GST changes

The Congress has criticised the changes made in the Goods and Services Tax (GST), say

In poll-bound Gujarat, what Rahul misses is Modi’s organisational strength

The assembly elections in Gujarat are expected by December, and the Elections Commission is touring the state on Monday to check the preparedness. It is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home st

RSS not considering entry of women in shakhas

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Thursday clarified that it is not considering the entry of women in shakhas. The shakhas refers to the meetings of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sang

A war of words over demonetisation

Prime minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday batted for demonetisation, while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called it a tragedy as November 8 marked a year since the note ban took place. &ldq

Rahul should stop flaunting lineage as asset

As terror mastermind Hafeez Saeed walked free in Pakistan, Rahul Gandhi tweeted to ridicule prime minister Narendra Modi’s diplomacy, and in response BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao called

In Gujarat polls, forget conventional calculations, Modi will win hands down

Gujarat has always been a riddle for those who tend to apply conventional academic or intellectual tools to unravel the mystery. When confusion gets confounded, such analysts invent subterfuge to c

Nehru, Kripalani, Bose… Rahul Gandhi has big shoes to fill

Rahul Gandhi, who becomes the Congress chief on Monday without opposition, is taking up a position that was once occupied by stalwarts like Jawaharlal Nehru, JB Kripalani and Subhas Chandra Bose.

Lesser known facts about Rahul Gandhi

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi may get elected unopposed t

Congress leaders who could have been party president

The election for the Congress presidentship turned out to be a stroll in the park for Rahul Gandhi as nobody else filed nomination papers. It is not that the Congress doesn’t h

Gujarat Elections: Is BJP putting a new electoral strategy to test?

As the first phase of the Gujarat elections is on, one question that political pundits and common people alike are asking is: who is likely to win? Indeed, these elections are vital for the BJP, no

Gujarat Elections: For BJP, voters show both pride and prejudice

Familiarity, it is said, breeds contempt. But a two-decade-long association of a political party with the electorate is bound to unleash demons of contempt, jealousy and disaffection. 

The fairy-tale thriller

Assembly elections in Gujarat, since 2002, have been like Churchill’s description of Russia – with a little twist: wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma, but eventually a non-riddle.

Ascent and dissent

Rahul Gandhi has become the president of India’s grand old party. Nobody else wanted to, since none contested. By any parameter, it is not a welcome move in a democracy. Regardless of your vi

BJP takes early lead in Gujarat, Himachal

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) surged ahead in the first hour of vote count in both Gujarat as well as Himachal Pradesh.   The initial trends on Monday indicate that th

Could there be hung assemblies in Gujarat, Himachal?

An hour of vote count has showed that it is not going to be an easy win for the BJP in Gujarat as well as Himachal Pradesh, as had been predicted by the numerous exit polls. While th

Rahul Gandhi’s rise comes at the right moment

In future, the Gujarat elections might as well be remembered for the arrival of Rahul Gandhi.   Going by the leads, the Congress is certainly not going to win, and few ha

Modi flashes V sign

Prime minister Narendra Modi flashed the victory sign before entering parliament, as trends indicated that the Bharatiya Janata Party was all set to retain Gujarat and win in Himachal Pradesh.

Twitter erupts in laughter with #GujaratVerdict

Going by the leads, the BJP is set to establish its stronghold in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. Confident of his party’s victory, prime minister Narendra Modi even flashed a victory sign whil

Modi credits good governance for Gujarat, HP victories

Prime minister Narendra Modi has thanked voters of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh and credit good governance for his party’s victories in the state assemblies. “I bow to th

A short and succinct history of Gujarat elections

1934 The first elections After the British law paved the way for representational assemblies, the first elections were held in 1934. Gujarat was then part o

For a Gujarati, BJP is what CPM was for a Bengali (with a rider)

The BJP is set to form the sixth government in Gujarat. Not counting a bump in 1996-98 thanks to its own rebel Shankarsinh Vaghela, the party has been in power since 1995, and shows no signs of ant

Development, religion, hindutva most discussed terms in #GujaratElection, says Twitter

Prime minister Narendra Modi emerged as the most mentioned personality, while Vijay Rupani emerged as the most mentioned candidate on Twitter, the social media giant said in a release.

On the campaign trail

“They have money, marketing, television and media at their disposal. But, Congress is going to win the assembly election in Karnataka because we have the poor, the farmers and the labourers s

Our freedoms are under attack: Sonia Gandhi

“Parliament is a forum for exchange of views. If you are not allowed to speak, then what is the point? We might as well shut down and go home,” said Congress leader Sonia Gandhi at the

Dry ATMs: Rahul takes a dig at govt

As media reports spoke of ATMs across the country going dry, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a dig at the government even as the finance ministry reviewed the situation and blamed it on “un

Congress’s real agenda is Save Dynasty: Amit Shah

As the Congress leads a bunch of opposition parties in preparing to move an impeachment motion against the chief justice of India, Dipak Misra, BJP president has said its real agenda is not to save

Rahul Gandhi accuses Modi of ignoring sr BJP leaders

Recently, while addressing a rally in Mumbai, Congress president Rahul Gandhi took a dig at prime minister, Narendra Modi. Gandhi called the PM as a “watchman of a handful of superrich”

Opposition is less than the sum of its parts

Narendra Modi has finally emerged as the architect of unity – of opposition unity, that is. Though it took the Congress and other non-NDA parties four years to learn this lesson, it has come

Rahul’s messianic words don’t match dirty deeds of politics

Self-deception is an essential trait of a revolutionary, particularly of the Marxist variety. Rahul Gandhi as the Congress president seems too eager to internalise this trait in his politics.

RaGa puts a Cheshire cat on Rajiv’s big tree

You needn’t be thoroughly familiar with Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to know about the Cheshire cat. Characters like Humpty Dumpty, the Red Queen and

Gaslighting: Decoding Rahul’s falsehoods against Modi & RSS

Demagoguery is elemental to politics. But the use of lies, rather patent lies, as an instrument of politics is a new trend. In the age of social media lies peddled with confidence acquire features

What’s wrong with the Indian PSUs?

The recent move by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to borrow Rs 962 crore from banks to pay salaries to its employees has once again exposed the sorry state of the public sector undertaking

Betting on nostalgia

“Aandhi” (Storm), director Gulzar’s movie starring Suchitra Sen and Sanjeev Kumar, was made in 1975, when Indira Gandhi reigned supreme in Indian politics. The film, based on Ka

Why AAP-Congress alliance could be a threat for BJP

The Congress party has unanimously supported Sheila Dikhshit`s decision to reject an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi. With the Congress shutting the prospect of alliance, the natio

Dequoting Rahul Gandhi`s Nyay scheme

“Today is a historic day.. It is on this day that the Congress party launched its final assault on poverty. 5 Crore of the poorest families in India, will receive Rs. 72,000 Per Y

Congress campaign: Perennially catching up?

The general elections of 2019 commence on April 11 and the last phase of campaigning in the 91 constituencies of 21 states is under way. Both prime minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rah

“Socialism is the most relevant ideology and will never wither away”

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is an archetypal Indian socialist, a Lohiaite whose tribe is practically extinct. In his personal life, he is extremely austere. In his political life, he is s

In pictures: Phase 5 of Lok Sabha Elections begin

The fifth of the seven phases of general election 2019 is currently underway and a total of 51 seats across seven States have gone to polls.   Voting will take place in a

No open and shut case: Rajan on exit options

Former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan has cautioned that after opening up if you are forced to shut down it would that be devastating for economic activity as it would create a trust deficit. It would

BJP-RSS have never had elected presidents to date: Pawan Khera

In a scathing attack on the government, PawanKhera, national spokesperson of the Congress party, has said that the BJP is remote-controlled by RSS, an unregistered organisation that decides who the

If Rahul is in race to prove himself a better Hindu, our efforts have paid off: Ram Madhav

Ram Madhav, a member of the RSS National Executive, has said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi proudly proclaiming to be a better Hindu is a welcome step and the opposition’s newfound claim t

Chintan Shivir 2022: Will Congress regain its lost mojo?

The Congress is scheduled to hold a Chintan Shivir (meaning, ‘introspection camp’) from May 13th to 15th in Udaipur and it has identified six specific areas for introspection. These are

Govt has saddled the country with Rs 200 lakh crore debt: Kharge

Hitting out at prime minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that it has saddled the country with a debt of Rs 200 lakh crore and atrocities against Dalits have increased

NDA ahead, but I.N.D.I.A. makes gains

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance was cruising comfortably ahead to form the government for the third time, though the Congress-led INDI Alliance made surprising gains to change the ongoing

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now


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