Latest news with #Congress-ruled
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'Visited 42 countries, not Manipur': Mallikarjun Kharge takes dig at PM Modi; warns against changing Constitution
Mallikarjun Kharge NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP while addressing a public event in Mysuru, Karnataka . Criticising the Prime Minister for not visiting conflict-ridden Manipur, Kharge said, "PM Modi has visited 42 countries, but not Manipur." The northeastern state has been witnessing ethnic unrest for over a year, with the opposition repeatedly questioning the Centre's handling of the crisis. Kharge also asserted that the people of India will not allow the BJP and RSS to alter the Constitution. "People of the country will not allow BJP, RSS to change Constitution," he said. Drawing a contrast between the two national parties, Kharge remarked, "In the Congress party people perform, while in Modi's BJP people only speak." Responding to claims that the Karnataka government is struggling financially, Kharge defended the Congress-ruled state's position. "Karnataka government is not bankrupt as alleged," he said, countering accusations made by BJP leaders against the Siddaramaiah-led administration.
The Print
6 days ago
- Business
- The Print
Nasscom, craft rum & now aerospace, Lokesh swoops in to pitch AP as alternative to Karnataka
Since the TDP-led NDA government took over last June, Lokesh has attempted to tap several occasions where industrialists, entrepreneurs and business bodies in Congress-ruled Karnataka expressed displeasure over the state's policies, which they saw as detrimental to their sectors. Taking a leaf out of the playbook of Telangana's former IT and industries minister K.T. Rama Rao, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader Lokesh has his eyes and ears sharply focused on 'disappointments' and complaints from Bengaluru, another IT start-up capital in the neighbouring state of Karnataka, hoping to turn frustration with Bengaluru into business for Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad: Ten years after losing the state's IT powerhouse, Hyderabad, to Telangana, Andhra Pradesh's IT minister, Nara Lokesh, is seizing any opportunity he can to attract investments as the truncated state tries to reposition itself as a leading business destination. The latest was Tuesday, when Lokesh jumped on the Siddaramaiah government's decision to scrap plans to acquire land for the aerospace park at Devanahalli near the Bengaluru international airport, following protests by farmers, offering 'a better idea' to the industry: move to Andhra Pradesh. 'Why don't you look at Andhra Pradesh instead? We have an attractive aerospace policy for you, with best-in-class incentives and over 8000 acres of ready-to-use land (just outside Bengaluru)! Hope to see you soon to talk across the table,' Lokesh wrote on X. Dear Aerospace industry, sorry to hear about this. I have a better idea for you. Why don't you look at Andhra Pradesh instead? We have an attractive aerospace policy for you, with best-in-class incentives and over 8000 acres of ready-to-use land (just outside Bengaluru)! Hope to… — Lokesh Nara (@naralokesh) July 15, 2025 Lokesh's apparent reference is to Lepakshi, just across the border in Andhra Pradesh, where the Chandrababu Naidu government has plans to develop a space city—a hub for R&D as well as manufacturing of satellites and launch vehicles. The city, proposed under the new Andhra Pradesh Space Policy (4.0), is also capitalising on its proximity to Bengaluru, home to the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) R&D hub and prominent aerospace clusters. Asked about this approach, Lokesh told ThePrint the idea is to put their 100 percent into attracting more big-ticket investments to spur Andhra Pradesh's growth. 'We are operating like a startup, showing that hunger and fire, and working overtime to get things done.' Also Read: Sriharikota, start-ups to space cities: Naidu govt aims for the cosmos with ambitious space policy Capitalising on discontent This is not the first time Lokesh has reached out to investors following discontent in Karnataka. In July last year, barely a month after becoming the minister, Lokesh touched base with Nasscom, again via X, after the IT industry body expressed serious concerns over the Karnataka government's decision to bring in legislation mandating 50-75 percent reservation of jobs in management and below levels to locals in private companies. Lokesh was prompted by a public statement by Nasscom that 'restrictions could force companies to relocate as local skilled talent becomes scarce'. Like the aerospace case, Lokesh addressed the stakeholders directly, assuring them there would be no such restrictions imposed on them in Andhra Pradesh. 'Dear @NASSCOM members, we understand your disappointment. We welcome you to expand or relocate your businesses to our IT, IT services, AI and data center cluster at Vizag.' Dear @NASSCOM members, We understand your disappointment. We welcome you to expand or relocate your businesses to our IT, IT services, AI and data center cluster at Vizag. We will offer you best-in-class facilities, uninterrupted power, infrastructure and the most suitable… — Lokesh Nara (@naralokesh) July 17, 2024 After Hyderabad's loss, Visakhapatnam, also known as Vizag, has been serving as Andhra Pradesh's IT centre, although it is just a weak shadow of the former. Similarly, last month, Lokesh's office got in touch with Aruna Urs, co-founder of Mysuru-based craft rum distiller Huli, who was fuming over license fee hikes in Karnataka. The outreach was to invite the brewer to discuss the state's excise policy and incentives for his firm to relocate to Andhra. On its part, Karnataka doesn't seem ready to cede any space to Andhra Pradesh. Replying to Lokesh's post, Karnataka's industries minister M.B. Patil wrote, 'We've built the country's strongest aerospace base over the decades, contributing 65 percent of India's aerospace output and ranking No. 1 nationally, 3rd globally. It isn't about land alone – it's about talent, innovation, and a proven ecosystem.' Dear @naralokesh, Karnataka doesn't just offer land – it offers India's No. 1 aerospace & defence ecosystem. We've built the country's strongest aerospace base over the decades, contributing 65% of India's aerospace output and ranking No. 1 nationally, 3rd globally. It isn't… — M B Patil (@MBPatil) July 16, 2025 Whether he succeeds in attracting investments with this approach or not, Lokesh seems to be following the footsteps of the former minister for IT and industries in Telangana, K.T. Rama Rao. As Hyderabad looked to beat Bengaluru in the tech sector, KTR also frequently jumped on opportunities arising from complaints about policy challenges or infrastructure issues in the Karnataka capital. When fintech Khatabook founder Ravish Naresh criticised the bad condition of roads, power cuts, inadequate water supply and other infrastructure problems in Bengaluru in 2022, KTR was quick to respond on Twitter. 'Pack your bags & move to Hyderabad! We have better physical infrastructure & equally good social infrastructure. Our airport is 1 of the best & getting in & out of city is a breeze More importantly our Govt's focus is on 3 i Mantra; innovation, infrastructure & inclusive growth,' he wrote on the micro-blogging platform. Apart from such social media invitations, KTR also aggressively pitched Hyderabad as a better city in terms of infrastructure and investment, drawing frequent comparisons to Bengaluru. 'There is inertia in Bengaluru. Come and invest in Hyderabad, which is a dynamic city,' he urged NRI entrepreneurs while addressing an Indian diaspora meeting at San Jose in 2022, while on tour in the US, scouting for investments in Telangana. Adding, 'Quality of infrastructure is twice as good in Hyderabad while cost of living is low, compared to Bengaluru.' (Edited by Sugita Katyal) Also Read: 'CEO CM' 2.0 takes stage with Amaravati as theme. Quantum Valley is Chandrababu's next centrepiece
Mint
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Mint
KTR tears into Rahul Gandhi, Revanth Reddy over caste survey: ‘Newfound zeal rings hollow'
On 17 July, Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K Kavitha will lead a 'Rail Roko' protest in Telangana demanding 42% reservation for OBCs. Though the Telangana Assembly passed bills in March to increase BC reservation from 23% to 42%, Union government approval is still pending. K Kavitha, on 8 July, urged the Union government to act quickly, warning that the protest could continue indefinitely if demands are not met. She also claimed that the caste survey done in Congress-ruled state was "flawed". BRS MLA KT Rama Rao, in an interview with LiveMint reiterated his sister's statements and hit out at the caste survey conducted by the Revanth Reddy-led Congress government in Telangana. . The SEEEPC data is unscientific, inaccurate, and incomplete. The complete survey was not tabled in the Assembly and when we brought it up, it was diverted to some cheap comments, the real discussion never happened. The detailed survey is not available on the government portal. They spent more than Rs150 crores and 50 days and there are wide gaps, many unanswered questions. The government themselves agreed that they managed to collect 96 percent data. Even if we go by their numbers, at least 16 lakh people were excluded. The 42 percent BC numbers that Revanth Reddy now speaks about is inadequate to say the least. There is no concrete answer on BC subcategorization. What is BC reservation when there is no subcategorization? How will you determine the actual reservation percentage to each caste. What is the percentage of reservation from this 42 percent to Mudirajus or Munnurukapus or Gouds or the many other castes? Without a clear BC subcategorization, tomorrow you will create an animosity between various BC castes. Hence, I say this government flounders in a quagmire of incompetence. After BRS came to power, on 2014 August 19, entire Telangana stayed home to voluntarily participate in the Samagra Kutumbha Survey. We finished the entire data collection process in one single day. All the policy decisions were based on the data from this survey. Let me say this clearly, for Congress, this is nothing but a pure political requirement for their electoral existence. Rahul Gandhi's sanctimonious posturing as a champion of social justice, while his party's actions betray the BCs through a census riddled with errors speaks volumes of their intent. For a leader who remained silent on a national caste census during Congress's decades in power, his newfound zeal rings hollow. Despite exploiting the 'Kamareddy BC Declaration' for electoral mileage, the Congress government has utterly failed the very community it solemnly pledged to uplift. Nearly two years have elapsed, yet not a single commitment to the Backward Classes has been fulfilled. Last week, in a cabinet meeting they hastily announced that there will be a 42 percent BC reservation. Anyone with the basic legal knowledge, can see through their lies. There is not a single discussion so far held by the Congress government to have a solid plan in place so that this 42 percent BC reservation does not get caught in a legal quagmire. What are they doing about the 1992 Indra Sawhney Supreme Court judgement. This hastily scripted ordinance pushed through under the cloak of urgency is nothing but another deception. If Rahul Gandhi genuinely stands for social justice, let him ensure his party honours its own blueprint. If Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is sincere, let him lead an indefinite protest in Delhi to secure constitutional sanction. If the Congress continues to renege on its BC Declaration, it will face a fierce democratic reckoning when the local body elections arrive. The BRS does not operate in the realm of tokenism. We will ensure that Congress delivers the promised 42 percent reservation. This regime suffers from a chronic deficit of originality. Over the past 20 months, What the people are witnessing is not innovation, but a shallow imitation. Most initiatives paraded as 'new' are nothing more than diluted rebrands of programmes conceived, funded, and executed during BRS's decade of governance. Congress ministers are busy cutting ribbons on our legacy – such as flyovers built under SRDP and shamelessly claiming credit for what they did not create. More troubling is the systematic erasure of Telangana's cultural identity. The proposal to remove Kakatiya Kala Thoranam and Charminar from the state emblem, and the audacious replacement of Telangana Thalli with a Congress Thalli, is a calculated attempt to distort our history. Let me address this critique head-on. The notion that BRS prioritised Rythu Bandhu at the expense of long-term investments is not only factually incorrect, it is intellectually dishonest. We infused ₹ 73,000 crore directly into farmers' accounts across 11 crop seasons without bureaucratic hurdles, without discrimination. To suggest that this came at the cost of education, healthcare, or infrastructure is to ignore the transformative footprint BRS left across sectors during our tenure. In education, we expanded residential schools, launched Mana Ooru–Mana Badi, revamped thousands of government schools, established new Intermediate and Degree colleges. In healthcare, Telangana became the only state in India with a government medical college in every district. We built Basthi Dawakhanas for urban primary care, upgraded district hospitals, and introduced KCR Kits to reduce maternal and infant mortality. In Hyderabad, we initiated construction of three TIMS super-specialty hospitals in strategic directions of the city designed to decentralize advanced medical care for the urban poor. In Warangal, we envisioned and executed the state's largest government hospital: a super-specialty institution equipped with modular operation theatres and infection-controlled infrastructure, a corporate-level facility in public hands. On the infrastructure front, from Mission Bhagiratha to Kaleshwaram Project, from rural roads to urban flyovers, Telangana witnessed an infrastructure renaissance unmatched by any newly formed state. This transformative wave also encompassed the construction of collectorate complexes, the iconic new State Secretariat Building and globally acclaimed innovation hubs like T-Hub and T-Works, each a testament to Telangana's commitment to administrative excellence and entrepreneurial ambition. Rythu Bandhu was one pillar of a multi-sectoral development strategy that resulted in increased cultivated area and the rise in paddy production to 3 crore tonnes. Under KCR garu's leadership, Telangana witnessed the highest per capita income in the country and a 238% surge in Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) since 2014, with the state contributing 5% to the national GDP. We didn't just support farmers , we built world-class irrigation infrastructure, expanded IT exports from ₹ 56,000 crore to ₹ 2.41 lakh crore, and positioned Hyderabad as a global tech hub. We ensured universal access to potable water across rural Telangana, an achievement unparalleled in scale and execution. For far too long, decades of successive central and state administrations, helmed by the Congress and BJP respectively, have reduced marginalised communities to mere electoral commodities. Their vote bank politics left most of the population in cycles of poverty even after seven and a half decades after our nation's independence. It was the BRS government, under the visionary leadership of KCR garu, that dared to break this cycle of systemic neglect with the path-breaking Dalit Bandhu scheme. This pioneering initiative provided a substantial financial grant of ₹ 10 lakh directly to Scheduled Caste families, specifically designed to empower an entire generation and propel them towards enduring economic independence, thereby fostering a cascading positive impact on subsequent generations. In stark contrast, the current Congress government, after 20 months at the helm, has not only failed to deliver on its grandiloquent promise of ₹ 12 lakh under its rechristened scheme for the same communities, not a single beneficiary has received the pledged amount, but has also perversely obstructed the ongoing implementation of Dalit Bandhu. Let me reiterate: our politics is not about symbolism, it is about systemic change. And marginalised communities will remain at the heart of our vision for Telangana's next chapter. We will ensure representation across all tiers, from gram panchayats to urban local bodies, guaranteeing that Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minorities, a decisive voice. At the same time, we will take measures for systematic economic upliftment, ensuring that caste-based occupational clusters are not left behind in the digital economy. Our focus will be on entrepreneurship incubation, access to capital, and market linkages... especially for youth and women from these marginalised sections. Let there be no ambiguity, Telangana is not merely our political commitment, it is our emotional inheritance. It's our cultural spine and our existential anchor. The BRS remains unequivocally tethered to the aspirations of the people and the destiny of our state. We are vigorously rebuilding our organizational apparatus and mobilizing cadre across constituencies to expose the Congress regime's hollow promises and chronic ineptitude. We are spearheading issue-based campaigns rooted in lived realities. The BRS will never allow the soul of Telangana to be bartered for fleeting optics or Delhi-scripted narratives. Congress with all their fake promises and white lies came to power in Telangana. Today, the government here is neither autonomous, nor dedicated. They are abusing the state to fulfil their national ambition of making Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister. Rahul Gandhi speaks aggressively about bulldozer-raaj in BJP states but is silent about the bulldozer destruction in Telangana by Hydra. The entire world took a stance on University of Hyderabad's midnight green murder. Rahul Gandhi never uttered a word. The people of Telangana have not forgotten the 420 promises, fake guarantees and hollow declarations made during the Assembly and Parliament campaigns. Nor have they forgiven the parade of Congress heavyweights who descended upon Telangana for photo ops and vanished the moment ballots were cast. Their absence is not just physical, it is moral. It is shameful that the Congress regime in Telangana has turned governance into a marketplace of commissions and kickbacks. For the first time in the history, Contractors staged a dharna in the secretariate saying they cannot pay 20 percent commission for bill clearances. Such shame! While the Prime Minister and Home Minister repeatedly visit Telangana and thunder that the state has become an 'ATM for Congress' alleging the collection of an RR tax, one must ask the obvious: If the central government is indeed aware of rampant corruption, why hasn't it ordered a probe through national investigative agencies? The truth is glaring - Revanth Reddy and the BJP are hand in glove. They lack the strength to take on the BRS independently and have resorted to an unholy backroom alliance to silence the only credible and courageous voice of Telangana, the BRS. Two and a half decades ago, the BRS was born not in the pursuit of political power, but as a resolute people's movement. People of Telangana will always be the heart and soul of this party. We are and we will be wholly dedicated to uphold the wishes of the people, their intrinsic rights and to demand the cherished pride of our land. We were never mere political convenience. Whether steering the state from the helm of governance or now, in our role as a vigilant opposition, our unwavering commitment to the aspirations of four crore Telangana citizens remains absolute and eternal. So, it is not a transition but a mere transfer of power, which is nothing but the crux of any democracy. We were born out people's needs, we were given a change to shape the future of the state, not once but twice. And today we sit in the opposition, fighting for rights and identity of people of Telangana. The core will remain, how we will do it has slightly changed. After two successful terms, what happened during 2023 Assembly elections is not an earth- shattering defeat. Yes, we lost…but by a mere 1.9% margin. Call it administrative fatigue or may be mild anti-incumbency…but not an outright rejection of BRS. One very pertinent aspect we realized during the internal surveys was we somehow failed to communicate our work efficiently. Over the last few years, elections are not being fought on real development, they are driven by political narratives peddled on WhatsApp. When these narratives are pushed repeatedly, even the most unrealistic piece of information becomes a gospel. Let me give you a small but a very significant example. There was a story that was pushed on social media platforms that KCR garu's official residence Pragathi Bhavan had bulletproof bathrooms. We laughed it off, did not even think of countering it. But this story developed a life of its own. Today deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka lives in the same residence. I dare them to ask if Bhatti's official residence has bullet-proofed washrooms now. Another lore is about KCR garu's thousands of acres sprawling 'farmhouse'! They went on to call him a 'farmhouse CM'. KCR garu who is a farmer at heart loves to continue his farming activities, he in his ten years of tenure never put the state's development and progress on the backburner. Today, CM Revanth Reddy who drilled these fake narratives lives in a palatial palace in Jubilee Hills. He does all his meetings at his house. Can we call him the 'Palace CM'? KCR garu's image was tarnished time and again in social media. We were too busy in administration that we never bothered about what was getting circulated in social media. When we brought it up with KCR garu, he simply asked us to focus on work, he believed everything was noise. Yes, there were minor administrative gaps. But mostly it was fake news that projected us to look like anti-people. We are working on all the feedback that we are getting now. Today, in less than two years since we lost power, there is a undeniable support for KCR garu and BRS. People openly talk about how Congress cheated them with fake promises of two-wheelers, one tula gold and what not.
India Gazette
15-07-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Rahul Gandhi should stand by victim's family, not do politics": MP Rekha Sharma on Balasore self-immolation case
New Delhi, [India], July 15 (ANI): BJP MP and former National Commission for Women (NCW) chief, Rekha Sharma, on Tuesday called the Balasore student's death a serious matter and blamed the college for not acting on her complaint. Earlier in the day, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar confirmed the death of the 20-year-old student from Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Odisha's Balasore, who had attempted self-immolation in protest over sexual harassment by her teacher. Responding to Rahul Gandhi's criticism of the BJP, Sharma urged Gandhi to support the victim's family instead of politicising the matter. She also questioned the Congress party's silence on crimes against women in West Bengal and Congress-ruled states. Speaking to ANI, Rekha Sharma said, 'This is a very serious matter. There was negligence on the part of the college for not acting on the student's complaint. Instead of doing politics on such issues, Rahul Gandhi should stand by the victim's family. I have never heard Rahul and Priyanka speak against atrocities against women in West Bengal. They remain quiet when such incidents happen in Congress-ruled states. It is important that we all stand together on matters of safety and security of women.' Sharma's remarks come after Rahul Gandhi had earlier called the student's death an 'organised murder by the BJP's system,' blaming the government for failing to protect her. Gandhi alleged that the student, who set herself on fire after facing sexual harassment, was subjected to repeated threats, torments and humiliation instead of receiving justice. In a post on X, LoP Gandhi wrote, 'The death of a daughter fighting for justice in Odisha is nothing less than a murder by the BJP's system. That brave student raised her voice against sexual harassment, but instead of delivering justice, she was threatened, tormented, and repeatedly humiliated. Those who were supposed to protect her kept breaking her.' The LoP accused the BJP government of shielding the accused and called on Prime Minister Modi to break his silence, ensuring safety and justice for the daughters of India. 'As always, the BJP's system continued to shield the accused and forced an innocent daughter to set herself on fire. This is not suicide; it is an organised murder by the system. Modi ji, whether in Odisha or Manipur, the daughters of the nation are burning, breaking, and dying. And you? You remain silent. The country doesn't need your silence; it needs answers. India's daughters need safety and justice,' the post reads. On Monday, the Department of Burn Centre, AIIMS Bhubaneswar, said in a statement that the patient was brought to the casualty on July 12 and was referred from Balasore District Headquarters Hospital to AIIMS Bhubaneswar. The 20-year-old student set herself on fire on Saturday after allegedly facing prolonged sexual harassment by her college's Head of Department. Despite lodging a formal complaint and seeking help from the principal, her pleas were ignored, leading to the tragic incident. The incident occurred at Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College. (ANI)
Time of India
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Rahul Gandhi should stand by victim's family, not do politics: MP Rekha Sharma on Balasore self-immolation case
BJP MP and former National Commission for Women (NCW) chief, Rekha Sharma , on Tuesday called the Balasore student's death a serious matter and blamed the college for not acting on her complaint. Earlier in the day, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences ( AIIMS ) Bhubaneswar confirmed the death of the 20-year-old student from Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Odisha's Balasore, who had attempted self-immolation in protest over sexual harassment by her teacher. Responding to Rahul Gandhi 's criticism of the BJP, Sharma urged Gandhi to support the victim's family instead of politicising the matter. She also questioned the Congress party's silence on crimes against women in West Bengal and Congress-ruled states. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Building Automation Systems Software Cost Might Surprise you Automation Systems | Search Ads Undo Speaking to ANI, Rekha Sharma said, "This is a very serious matter. There was negligence on the part of the college for not acting on the student's complaint. Instead of doing politics on such issues, Rahul Gandhi should stand by the victim's family. I have never heard Rahul and Priyanka speak against atrocities against women in West Bengal. They remain quiet when such incidents happen in Congress-ruled states. It is important that we all stand together on matters of safety and security of women." Sharma's remarks come after Rahul Gandhi had earlier called the student's death an "organised murder by the BJP's system," blaming the government for failing to protect her. Live Events Gandhi alleged that the student, who set herself on fire after facing sexual harassment, was subjected to repeated threats, torments and humiliation instead of receiving justice. In a post on X, LoP Gandhi wrote, "The death of a daughter fighting for justice in Odisha is nothing less than a murder by the BJP's system. That brave student raised her voice against sexual harassment, but instead of delivering justice, she was threatened, tormented, and repeatedly humiliated. Those who were supposed to protect her kept breaking her." The LoP accused the BJP government of shielding the accused and called on Prime Minister Modi to break his silence, ensuring safety and justice for the daughters of India. "As always, the BJP's system continued to shield the accused and forced an innocent daughter to set herself on fire. This is not suicide; it is an organised murder by the system. Modi ji, whether in Odisha or Manipur, the daughters of the nation are burning, breaking, and dying. And you? You remain silent. The country doesn't need your silence; it needs answers. India's daughters need safety and justice," the post reads. On Monday, the Department of Burn Centre, AIIMS Bhubaneswar, said in a statement that the patient was brought to the casualty on July 12 and was referred from Balasore District Headquarters Hospital to AIIMS Bhubaneswar. The 20-year-old student set herself on fire on Saturday after allegedly facing prolonged sexual harassment by her college's Head of Department. Despite lodging a formal complaint and seeking help from the principal, her pleas were ignored, leading to the tragic incident. The incident occurred at Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College.
