New Delhi: The Congress on Monday disapproved of the arrest of cartoonist Aseem Trivedi on the charge of sedition saying the action was a bit "over-stretched" and "not called for". At the same time, the AICC advocated for "reasonable restrictions" on freedom of speech and called for respecting the national emblems. The remarks by the AICC spokesperson Manish Tewari came as the party-led government in Maharashtra said it was trying...
06:57 PM, Sep 10, 2012
New Delhi: With BJP's disruption of Parliament clearly weighing heavily on its mind, Congress on Sunday cautioned that politicians were "writing their own obituaries prematurely" by making legislative institutions dysfunctional. Party spokesperson Manish Tewari was reacting to President Pranab Mukherjee urging political parties to work out a mechanism to resolve differences to ensure that the Parliament can function. "The growing irrelevence of parliamentary and legislative institutions is subversive of the...
02:53 AM, Sep 10, 2012
New Delhi: Taking on the BJP for its repeated disruptions of Parliament over coal blocks allocations and demanding Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's resignation as a pre-condition for debate in the House, the Congress on Sunday said that if the BJP took the case so seriously, it must ask its Chief Ministers, who were implicated in the issue, to resign first. "If the BJP takes the CAG reports that seriously, it...
12:10 PM, Sep 02, 2012
New Delhi: Continuing its criticism of the Opposition on its repeated obstruction of Parliament over the coal blocks allocations, the Congress on Tuesday said that its workers would go on the streets and expose the BJP. "The Congress workers will go to the people and tell them the truth about the BJP," said spokesperson Manish Tewari. He added, "2014 is still 22 months away. (There is ample time for the...
11:26 AM, Aug 28, 2012
Congress Spokesperson Manish Tewari said that the Opposition has no case against Finance Minister P Chidambaram. ...
11:59 AM, Aug 24, 2012
New Delhi: With three CAG reports giving fresh ammuntion to the opposition to target the government, Congress on Saturday accused the auditor of sensationalising its reports and crossing the line. The party spoke of "long-term implications" if any Constitutional institution does not maintain the "fine balance and decides to transgress". Seeking to trash the CAG report on coal blocs allocation, which has led to BJP demand for the resignation of...
05:25 AM, Aug 19, 2012
New Delhi: The Congress party on Tuesday thanked Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee for deciding to support the candidature of UPA nominee Pranab Mukherjee in the presidential elections. Addressing mediapersons, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari expressed hopes that with the support of the Trinamool Congress, Mukherjee would win the presidential elections with a huge margin. Meanwhile, another Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi termed the decision of the West Bengal Chief Minister as...
05:24 PM, Jul 17, 2012
New Delhi: As crisis hit ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hard in Karnataka with its nine ministers resigning, the Congress on Saturday reminded voters in the state of the "legacy of corruption and instability" of the BJP government in the state ahead of assembly polls early next year. "The legacy of four-and-half-year BJP rule in Karnataka has been systemic corruption, instability and a game of glass and mirros. We hope...
10:20 PM, Jun 30, 2012
New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday dismissed the Standard and Poor's report on India, saying that it was not "gospel truth". The report had said that roadblocks for reforms in India were on account of division of roles between party President Sonia Gandhi and 'unelected' Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "The report betrays very poor appreciation of India's democratic system and government's functioning. The same report points out higher growth for...
08:36 PM, Jun 12, 2012
New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday asserted that there were no differences within the UPA over the presidential candidate, adding that coalition chairman Sonia Gandhi had been authorised to take a final call on the issue. "The CWC has authorised Congress president Sonia Gandhi to take the final decision about the presidential candidate of the party," said Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari. He, however, said that the party had not taken...
04:53 PM, Jun 12, 2012
New Delhi: Defeated in municipal corporation polls in Punjab, Congress on Monday alleged that the ruling SAD-BJP combine had unleashed unprecedented "state terror" and reduced the elections to a "joke". "There was no election in Punjab. It was a joke. It was complete subversion of the democratic process through state terror and intimidation," party spokesman Manish Tewari said. Tewari, who is himself a Lok Sabha member from the state, claimed...
02:45 AM, Jun 12, 2012
New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday hit back at Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for calling it a sinking ship, saying he was making wild allegations to divert attention from the real issues in his state ahead of polls and claimed it was BJP which had been "slamdunked" in water by its "lose canons". "The only boat that is slam dunked in water is the BJP because of all the...
03:40 AM, Jun 11, 2012
New Delhi: Hitting back at Narendra Modi for his criticism of the UPA, Congress on Saturday said the soul of Hitler's propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels seemed to have entered the "frustrated" Gujarat Chief Minister and accused him of crossing the "Laxmanrekha". "Gujarat Chief Minister is a frustrated man. It seems the soul of Joseph Goebbels, the propaganda minister during the Nazi regime of Hitler in Germany, has gone inside him....
10:11 PM, May 26, 2012
New Delhi: As controversies dogged BJP's national executive meeting in Mumbai, Congress on Friday took a dig at the principal opposition terming it a "splintered and fractured" party. Party spokesperson Manish Tewari said the meet exposed the "spectre of one President, one super President and a couple of hyper Presidents, which make up the quorum of BJP". Trashing the resolutions passed by the BJP's national executive, he said the entire...
02:40 AM, May 26, 2012
New Delhi: Hemmed in by the Opposition and UPA constituents, which are protesting against petrol price hike, Congress on Friday sought to put up a brave front saying there was nothing wrong if allies express their concern on the issue. Party spokesperson Manish Tewari also indicated that a revision in prices could be made in the next few days. "We do hope that our sentiment will be respected. We had...
12:37 AM, May 26, 2012
New Delhi: In the backdrop of strong protests by UPA allies and the Opposition over the steep hike in petrol price, Congress on Thursday hinted at the possibility of a partial rollback and expressed hope that the government would be able to find a way out to ease the burden on the common man. "The party is hopeful that some kind of a modus vivendi involving the central government, state...
06:12 PM, May 24, 2012
After the Finance Minister's speech on the economy, it needs to be discussed what steps are needed to tackle it. ...
09:52 PM, May 17, 2012
New Delhi: A day after BJP's former Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa praised Sonia Gandhi, the Congress snubbed him on Monday, saying their party president doesn't need any certificate. "Neither the Congress nor its president needs a certificate from anyone," spokesperson Manish Tewari said. He said the Bharatiya Janata Party had been plagued by infighting since taking power in Karnataka in 2008. "I hope the people of Karnataka will take...
02:59 AM, May 15, 2012
New Delhi: Disapproving of the on-going strike by Air India pilots, Congress today asked them to realise their "folly" and immediately withdraw it, saying they are "stretching the patience" of even those Parliamentarians, who always batted for strengthening the airline. "By continuing the strike, the pilots or rather a section of pilots, are stretching the patience of even those Parliamentarians" who have always fought for taking Air India to its...
07:10 PM, May 10, 2012
New Delhi: With the government's move to set up NCTC facing stiff opposition from non-Congress states, the Congress on Monday said they should first answer whether they will able to tackle the challenge posed by terrorism without the Centre's involvement. "The fundamental thing is that whether terror is a local issue. If the argument rests on a premise that the central government in a federal set up should not have...
12:46 AM, May 08, 2012
