Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday undertook a ride on the DTC bus and interacted with the drivers, conductors and marshals near the Sarojini Nagar Bus depot to discuss their issues.

In a Facebook post, Rahul Gandhi shared pictures of his interaction and the bus ride.

“There was a meeting and discussion with the driver and conductor brothers, and bus marshals in Delhi and then a fun ride in a DTC bus. A talk with loved ones on their issues!” he said in a post in Hindi on Facebook.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also posted pictures of her brother’s interaction.

“How do the drivers, conductors and marshals who run a transport corporation with thousands of buses in the service of the public manage their households? How do they manage their lives amidst inflation, rising fees of children, tensions regarding salary and pension?” she said in a post in Hindi on X.

जनता की सेवा में हजारों बसों वाला परिवहन निगम चलाने वाले ड्राइवर, कंडक्टर व मार्शल का घर कैसे चलता है? महंगाई, बच्चों की बढ़ती फीस, वेतन व पेंशन की टेंशन के बीच उनका जीवन कैसे चलता है?

देश में करोड़ों ऐसी आवाजें हैं, जो भयावह आर्थिक असुरक्षा में जीने को मजबूर हैं। उनके मन की… pic.twitter.com/NGK6P3IHgS

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) August 28, 2024

“There are crores of such voices in the country, who are forced to live in terrible economic insecurity. It is important to listen to their Mann Ki Baat. Rahul Gandhi ji is constantly listening to them and raising his voice for justice for them,” she said.

Today, he travelled in a Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus and met the drivers, conductors and marshals and shared their problems, the Congress leader added. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla chided Congress member Deepender Hooda over certain remarks as Shashi Tharoor chanted ‘Jai Hind, Jai Samvidhan (constitution)’ after taking oath as a member of the House.

“He is already taking oath on the Constitution,” Mr Birla commented when opposition members chanted ‘Jai Samvidhan’ as Mr Tharoor took oath as Lok Sabha member.

At this point, Mr Hooda, a member from Rohtak, said the Speaker should not be objecting to this.

“Don’t give me any advice on what I should or should not object to. Take your seat,” the Speaker said, addressing Mr Hooda.

Reacting to the development, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra wondered whether one cannot say ‘Jai Samvidhan’ in Parliament.

“People from the ruling party were not stopped when they raised unparliamentary and unconstitutional slogans in Parliament, but when the opposition MPs raised ‘Jai Samvidhan’ slogans, they were objected to,” she said in a post on X.

“The anti-Constitution sentiment that emerged during the elections has now taken a new form, which seeks to weaken our Constitution,” Ms Gandhi said.

“Will the Constitution, on the basis of which Parliament functions, on which every member takes oath, which gives protection of life and livelihood, be opposed to suppress the voice of the opposition?” the Congress general secretary asked.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Thiruvananthapuram:

Priyanka Gandhi’s presence in the Lok Sabha would strengthen the opposition benches and Wayanad would have a very strong person to represent them in Parliament, Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor said on Tuesday.

Mr Tharoor, speaking to the PTI on the sidelines of his ‘thanksgiving’ campaign in Neyyattinkara Assembly constituency, said Priyanka Gandhi has been a very effective orator during the election campaigns and he was happy that she decided to enter electoral politics from Kerala.

“I think Rahulji absolutely had to keep Rae Bareli, it is a very important signal to the people of Uttar Pradesh and of North India in general.

“At the same time, he did not want to feel that he was abandoning the people of Wayanad and it is better to entrust it to his own sister. So I think it is a wonderful decision,” Mr Tharoor said as he travelled through the constituency in an open vehicle, thanking the voters.

He said the same was his preference for the last few weeks, when it was clear that Rahul Gandhi had to choose one or the other.

“I certainly can mention that this was my own preference for some weeks now when it became clear that he had to choose one or the other and I thought it was the right choice and I applaud it wholeheartedly,” Mr Tharoor said.

He said Priyanka Gandhi could have been a wonderful candidate in Varanasi as well, especially looking at how good the Congress candidate did against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“I think right now, by winning in Wayanad, which she should do comfortably I believe, she is going to bring a very strong voice to the Parliament. We have all seen her speaking during the election campaign. She is one of the most impressive speakers and campaigners we have got and to have her in the Lok Sabha would be a huge asset to the party,” Mr Tharoor said.

He said it is unfortunate to single out one family and accuse them of ‘parivarvaad’, when this system is ingrained in our culture.

He said according to reports, 15 BJP MPs are from political families and it would be an underestimation as many more would be coming from political families.

“In our culture, dentists want their children to be dentists, artists want their children to be artists and it is there in politics as well,” Mr Tharoor said.

Replying to a question on whether he had given a complaint to AICC, expressing his disappointment over how the Thiruvananthapuram district Congress leaders performed during his election campaign, Mr Tharoor denied it.

“No…no. I have not complained to anyone. We all have done our part, the party workers did their part and we have a victory to speak about,” Mr Tharoor said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi was given a shoutout by party leaders including Shashi Tharoor and her husband Robert Vadra after it was announced that she would be contesting the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, a seat previously held by his brother Rahul Gandhi.

Mr Tharoor took to X, proclaiming, “No more doubt, here comes Priyanka.” Robert Vadra echoed this sentiment by sharing the same image with folded hands and a heart emoji.

न शक रहा ना शंका
लो आ गई प्रियंका !#WelcomeToWayanad@INCIndiapic.twitter.com/B9YFMouOhP

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) June 18, 2024

pic.twitter.com/bI0dgvs7HT

— Robert Vadra (@irobertvadra) June 17, 2024

Since her entry into active politics in 2019, Priyanka, 52, has been seen as a potential challenger to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, particularly from Varanasi, and as a successor to Congress veteran Sonia Gandhi in Rae Bareli. However, the Congress party has now decided to field her from Kerala’s Wayanad. Rahul Gandhi, who recently decided to vacate the Wayanad seat for Priyanka while retaining Rae Bareli, has expressed confidence in her abilities to carry forward his legacy in Kerala.

“I am very happy to be able to represent Wayanad. All I’ll say is that I won’t let them feel his (Rahul’s) absence. I will work hard and try my best to make everybody happy and be a good representative,” Priyanka said.

Her candidacy is seen as a strategic move by the Congress to strengthen its position in a state where the party has performed well in recent elections.

Priyanka’s political journey has been marked by her roles as the general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh and later the entire state. Despite mixed results in the 2019 polls, she continued to bolster the party’s grassroots presence. By December 2023, she had become the Congress’ key strategist and star campaigner for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, contributing significantly to the party’s improved performance, which saw it secure 99 seats, up from 52 in 2019.

Robert Vadra, Priyanka’s husband, who had earlier shown interest in contesting from Amethi, expressed his support as she takes on this new challenge. If Priyanka wins the bypolls, it will mark the first time that three members of the Gandhi family will be in Parliament, with Sonia Gandhi representing Rajasthan in the Rajya Sabha.

“I extend my best wishes to Mrs. @priyankagandhi ji on being declared the candidate by the Congress Party from Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency. I have full faith that the people of Wayanad will bless Priyanka ji wholeheartedly and will make her their voice and send her to Parliament,” Congress leader Sachin Pilot wrote.

Party leader Gaurav Gogoi said, “The voice of the people will resonate much louder with both Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi present inside the Parliament.” 

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chief K Sudhakaran welcomed Priyanka’s entry into Wayanad, stating, “From now on, two Gandhi voices will rise for Kerala in Parliament! Wayanad is stepping into history.” 

New Delhi:

The Congress decision to have Rahul Gandhi retain Raebareli and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra contest from the seat he is vacating, Kerala’s Wayanad, is seen as one of the party’s better planned strategic moves. It is expected to give it a firm foothold in both north and south — necessary groundwork for future elections.

Raebareli is one of the two Gandhi family bastions in Uttar Pradesh, represented for long by Rahul Gandhi’s mother Sonia Gandhi. With the other bastion, Amethi, won back from the BJP by longtime Gandhi family loyalist KL Sharma, it gives back the Congress its firm base that once made it the undisputed choice of Uttar Pradesh.

Elections are due in the state in early 2027 in which the Congress is hoping to expand the niche it created in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election.

From just one seat in 2019, Raebareli, the Congress has won six seats. Its INDIA ally in the state, Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party, 37. Their combined number, 43, has reduced the BJP to 33 in a state that for a decade, was seen as its stronghold.

Having drawn blood, the idea now, party insiders hint, is to launch a strong attack on the Yogi Adityanath government in 2027.

But Mr Gandhi’s continued presence in Raebareli has ramifications larger than Uttar Pradesh. The Congress, which has almost doubled its numbers in the Lok Sabha — from 52 in 2019 to 99 — is hoping to stay on the growth curve, which is near impossible without increasing is footprint in the Hindi belt of the north.

The south is another story, where unlike the north, the Congress already rules three states. It won the last year’s assembly elections in Karnataka and Telangana and rules Tamil Nadu with ally MK Stalin’s DMK.

The next target is Kerala, which swung between the Congress and the Left every five years – till it broke the mould in 2021 and voted in the Left the Left for a second term. The Congress is now hoping that anti-incumbency will push the state to its side in 2026.

To that end, the presence of a Gandhi family member in Wayanad is expected to be a huge benefit. While the seat has been a traditional Congress bastion, Rahul Gandhi’s election this year is said to have re-vitalised the party. Of the 20 seats in Kerala, the Congress has won 14 seats, only one down, despite a massive BJP campaign that enabled them to open account in the state with one seat.

In a clear hint of the Kerala Congress’s enthusiasm for the new candidate, senior party leader from the state, KC Venugopal, was seen with Mr Kharge today at the press conference where Ms Gandhi Vadra’s debut was announced.

Mr Gandhi made it clear that his and his sister’s continued presence in both states is a given.

“You are now going to have two MPs, I will keep visiting,” he said in a message to the people of Wayanad. “Two seats (Wayanand and Raebareli) will have two MPs each,” echoed Ms Gandhi Vadra, underscoring her two-decade relationship with Raebareli. As for Wayanand, she said, “I won’t let the people of Wayanad feel his (Rahul Gandhi’s) absence”.

“I will work hard, try my best to make everyone happy in Wayanad, be a good representative,” she added.

New Delhi:

Following the Congress’s announcement that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will contest from Wayanad, while Rahul Gandhi will retain the Raebareli seat, former Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajeev Chandrashekhar on Monday hit out at the party, alleging that there is “shamelessness” and the party is imposing one member after another of their dynasty on voters of Wayanad.

Earlier today, Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge announced that Priyanka Gandhi will contest from the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, while her brother and leader Rahul Gandhi will retain the party’s bastion- Raebareli.

Taking to ‘X’, Mr Chandrashekhar wrote, “There is shamelessness and there is Cong type of shamelessness – imposing one member after another of their dynasty on voters of Wayanad – after shamelessly hiding the fact that Rahul was contesting from another constituency.”

There is shamelessness and there is Cong type of shamelessness – imposing one member after another of their dynasty on voters of Wayanad – after shamelessly hiding the fact that Rahul was contesting from another constituency.

This pattern of betrayal is reason why Cong has seen… https://t.co/W6hKnhKMtA

— Rajeev Chandrasekhar (@RajeevRC_X) June 17, 2024

There is shamelessness and there is Cong type of shamelessness – imposing one member after another of their dynasty on voters of Wayanad – after shamelessly hiding the fact that Rahul was contesting from another constituency.

The BJP leader further alleged that this pattern of betrayal is the reason why the party has witnessed defeat for a consecutive third term.

“This pattern of betrayal is the reason why Cong has seen 3rd poll defeat under Rahul Gandhi”, he said.

The decision of the Congress party came after top party leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, general secretaries KC Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi held a meeting at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to decide which Lok Sabha seat Rahul Gandhi would retain.

Rahul Gandhi, who contested from two seats — Rae Bareli and Wayanad, won both constituencies by huge margins.

Rahul Gandhi won the seat of Rae Bareli by defeating BJP’s Dinesh Pratap Singh by a margin of 3,90,030 votes. Gandhi had contested this seat aiming to save the lone bastion of the party in the state after he lost Amethi in 2019.

The Congress leader also won the seat of Wayanad, which paved his entry to the Lok Sabha in 2019. He defeated Communist Party of India-Marxist candidate Annie Raja by 3,64,422 votes.

Meanwhile, Priyanka Gandhi is finally making her electoral debut from the Wayanad seat after Rahul Gandhi vacated the seat by keeping the family bastion of the Raebareli seat.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Congress’s Rahul Gandhi, widely expected to shoulder the responsibilities of the Leader of the Opposition in the 18th Lok Sabha, is not inclined to take up the post, sources in the party have confided. Three senior leaders — Kumari Selja, Gaurav Gogoi and Manish Tiwari — are being considered for the job, sources said.

The Opposition will have a leader in the Lok Sabha after a decade following its hugely improved performance in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls. Ninety-nine of its 232 seats have come from the Congress, and as the largest party in the Opposition benches, it is expected name the Leader of the Opposition.

Mr Gandhi, whose Bharat Jodo Yatra was widely cited as the reason for the Congress boost — the party won 44 seats in 2014 and 52 in 2019 — was expected to take more responsibility in parliament. There has been considerable pressure on him from various leaders on this point.

The post would have given him Cabinet rank, help coordinate better with allies in the INDIA bloc and helped the Congress project a strong face by spearheading the Opposition attack on the BJP in the Lok Sabha.

But sources said Mr Gandhi, who even stepped down from the party chief’s post following the rout in 2019, is not keen on it. He has avoided taking up any post since, sources added.

Mr Gandhi has also decided to represent his mother Sonia Gandhi’s constituency, Raebareli, in parliament, sources said. An announcement is expected this evening.

He will give up Wayanad, from where his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is expected to contest.

The other family bastion in Uttar Pradesh, Amethi, is already back in Congress hands, with long-time Gandhi family aide KL Sharma besting the BJP’s former Union minister Smriti Irani.

Ms Gandhi Vadra had not contested in the general election, choosing instead to focus on campaigning for the party. Sources said she had reservations about all three Gandhis being in parliament, concerned that it would give ammunition to the BJP for its “dynastic politics” allegation. Sonia Gandhi is a member of Rajya Sabha, the upper house of parliament.

Amethi:

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday attacked BJP’s Amethi Lok Sabha seat candidate and sitting MP Smriti Irani, alleging that the region has “suffered” in the last five years as the BJP never thought about its development.

She was here to seek support for Congress’ candidate from the seat Kishori Lal Sharma, who she said has “dedicated his entire life to Amethi”. Priyanka Gandhi, who is the general secretary in the Congress, held a roadshow in Jasi town on the last day of campaigning for the seat that goes to polls on May 20 in the fifth round of the seven-phase general elections.

“He (Sharma) has been associated with Amethi for the last 40 years. He was associated with my father (Rajiv Gandhi) here, he also worked with my mother (Sonia Gandhi) and my elder brother Rahul Gandhi. He has dedicated his entire life to Amethi,” she said while addressing a gathering.

During the roadshow, which began from the Jais bus stand and ended at the Navjeet Intersection, Priyanka Gandhi and Sharma were seen waving at and greeting people from a vehicle. Flower petals were showered on them as the vehicle passed through the town.

“Amethi is my home and family, we have never stayed away from it and never will,” said Priyanka Gandhi, who was in Amethi and Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh to campaign for Sharma and Rahul Gandhi, respectively.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Rahul Gandhi had contested from Wayanad in Kerala and Amethi. He won from Wayanad but lost Amethi to Irani.

Targeting Ms Irani, the Congress leader said, “Amethi has suffered a lot in the last five years…” and “these people never thought about its development”. “Rahul was defeated (in 2019) as they mislead you,” she said.

“We understand our responsibility because Amethi is my home and family. We will keep working for this family. Along with Kishori Lal Sharma ji, Rahul Gandhi has also said this is my family and I will keep working for Amethi and Rae Bareli,” Priyanka Gandhi said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Raebareli:

Launching a sharp attack on the Central government, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi said that under the reign of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, “British Raj-like conditions” are prevailing in the country, with the government policies only benefiting billionaires.

“British Raj-like conditions are prevalent in the country. The policies of the Modi government are not being made keeping in mind the poor but have been made to benefit the billionaires. International reports show that today the condition of inequality in India is worse than British rule,” Priyanka Gandhi said on Tuesday while addressing Congress workers in the Rae Bareli constituency in Uttar Pradesh, where her brother and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is contesting.

“All the institutions which strengthen democracy are being weakened, be it media or Parliament. Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru had fought against the British to strengthen the rights of the people, little did they know that a day would come in independent India when the government would be bent upon depriving the people of their rights,” she added.

She alleged that efforts are being made to change the Constitution, which provides a system like reservation that has changed the lives of crores of people. It is the misfortune of the country that today a person is sitting on the Prime Minister’s chair whose language, behaviour and actions are of low standard, she said.

“We have always given priority to development and have dreamed of a developed and prosperous Rae Bareli. When we got the opportunity, we created employment and development opportunities in Rae Bareli but the Modi government either closed many of the projects started by us or promoted them in its name,” Priyanka Gandhi said.

Raebareli constituency goes to the polls on May 20. In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi won the constituency, bagging 534,918 votes. Her closest rival, Dinesh Pratap Singh, put up a formidable challenge, gathering 367,740 votes.

Rahul Gandhi had been representing the neighbouring Amethi constituency in Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2019, when he lost to the BJP’s Smriti Irani.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh:

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Monday launched a veiled attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over dynasty politics and said that it’s not about nepotism, it is the devotion towards the country which cannot be diminished.

“When we talk about our ancestors, then those who criticize us talk about dynasty politics. This is not nepotism, this is a devotion towards the country that cannot be finished,” the Congress leader said while addressing a public rally in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur.

She also gave examples of sacrifices made by her family while referring to her grandmother, Indira Gandhi and her father Rajiv Gandhi, both were former Prime Ministers of India.

“I always think that such a violent incident happened with us but our grandmother has filled our hearts with such patriotic sentiment that even for once our faith towards our country didn’t diminish. After seven years of her passing away, when I was 19, a similar incident happened with my father, still, my faith in this country didn’t diminish,” the Congress leader said while addressing a public rally in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur.

Hitting out the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi said that the party didn’t think of helping women in the last 18 years, and now since the elections are near they are starting schemes in favour of women of the state.

“There has been a BJP government in Madhya Pradesh for 18 years. The BJP government has not thought of helping women in 18 years. Now the scheme was started two months before the elections and money is being given to women,” the Congress leader said.

Meanwhile, the Congress also announced eight benefits for the people of the poll-bound state of Chhattisgarh.

These benefits include a subsidy of Rs 500 on refilling cylinders. Free electricity up to 200 units, and free electricity up to 200 units per month on high consumption. Loans taken under women’s self-help groups and the Saksham scheme were waived off.

The Establishment of 700 new rural industrial parks in Swami Atmanand will upgrade all government schools into English and Hindi medium schools. Free treatment will be provided in case of road accidents and emergencies. Loans worth Rs 726 crore for 6,600 vehicle owners associated with the transport business till the year 2018 were also waived off and lastly, the Congress leader said that ‘Tivara’ will also be purchased on MSP.

Chhattisgarh is scheduled to hold polls in two phases on November 7 and 17. The counting of votes will take place on December 3 in all five poll-bound states. The Model Code of Conduct has come into force with the announcement of poll dates.

Earlier in the 2018 assembly polls, the Congress witnessed a landslide victory in Chhattisgarh, winning 68 seats out of 90 of those against the then-ruling BJP, which acquired 15 seats.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)