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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi climbed a police barricade and waved the national flag during a protest by opposition parties in New Delhi on Tuesday, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in voter list revisions. Leaders and lawmakers of the opposition INDIA bloc gathered at Makar Dwar of Parliament and marched towards Nirvachan Sadan, the Election Commission of India's (ECI) headquarters, carrying banners reading “Save Democracy” and chanting slogans against Kumar. Gandhi, who moved through a large crowd of protesters, climbed a barricade after police stopped the march at multiple security barriers. His action drew loud cheers from opposition leaders and supporters. Gandhi and his sister, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were detained and taken onto a police bus. However, the two later got off the bus and continued towards the ECI headquarters. The protest centred on alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Opposition parties have accused the commission of manipulating voter registrations to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. The commission and the government have denied wrongdoing. The INDIA bloc has been developing a broader campaign against Kumar since a strategy meeting last week. The protest has also received support from some young activists associated with the satirical Cockroach Janata Party. Two alliance partners, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), did not participate in Tuesday's march. The Congress plans to continue its campaign through the winter session of Parliament, seeking to keep the election-related allegations in the public spotlight. The party and the Samajwadi Party also hope to sustain attention ahead of assembly elections in five states scheduled for February. At a meeting on Monday, the Congress discussed its next steps and began referring to the Election Commission as the “Cheating Commission”. Under its campaign plan, the party will organise a “Save Vote, Save Country” programme from October 10 to 20 at the block level, including bicycle and motorcycle rallies, the burning of an effigy of Kumar and leaflet distribution. Booth-level public meetings, known as chaupals, are scheduled from October 25 to November 25, with senior Congress leaders participating. A major rally will be held at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on November 1. The party also plans six marches from areas around Delhi on November 25 and 26 under its “Chalo Delhi” campaign. The marches will converge in the capital on November 26, Constitution Day. The Congress intends to raise the issue during Parliament's winter session, which begins after November 26, and pursue an impeachment motion against the chief election commissioner. The opposition is also monitoring a Supreme Court case concerning the Election Commission. The court has issued notices to Kumar and the commission and indicated that disputed election-related decisions could potentially be stayed if they were not reached unanimously. However, the Supreme Court has so far declined to take immediate action against Kumar, observing that newspaper reports are not necessarily entirely accurate. Hearings in the case will continue.

Delhi Police on Monday morning detained several senior opposition MPs including Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, after their demonstration against what they alleged was the Election Commission’s “collusion” with the ruling BJP moved onto the streets of central Delhi. As he and other leaders were taken away in police buses, Rahul Gandhi told reporters crowding around him, “This fight is not political... it is to save the Constitution. The fight is for ‘one person, one vote’.” He added, “The reality is they cannot talk... the truth is in front of the country.” Joint Commissioner of Police Deepak Purohit confirmed the detentions but declined to specify a number, reports NDTV. Detained INDIA bloc leaders have been taken to a nearby police station, he said. 'To be nasty to people, to be violent are not Indian values': Rahul Gandhi tells Indian expats in US Purohit explained that police had not granted permission for a protest of this size, noting that only 30 MPs had been allowed to march to the Election Commission to submit a complaint. Deputy Commissioner of Police Devesh Kumar Mahla said, “The Election Commission said 30 MPs could visit them... but over 200 came marching. We stopped them to prevent any breakdown of law-and-order. They were then detained. Some MPs tried jumping barricades.. they were also detained.” Footage from outside Parliament showed numerous politicians and party workers holding placards, chanting slogans, and pushing against police barricades. Another clip captured Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav climbing over two barricades.

As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) celebrated a resounding hat-trick victory in the Haryana assembly elections, they did not miss the opportunity to take a sweet jibe at their political opponent, the Indian National Congress. In an unexpected move, the BJP’s Haryana unit placed an online order for 1 kilogram of jalebi – a popular Indian dessert – for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, to be delivered to the party’s headquarters in Delhi. The jalebi, costing approximately Rs 609 including taxes, was ordered from the Bikanervala store in Delhi’s Connaught Place. The recipient address was listed as 24, Akbar Road, New Delhi, the Congress party headquarters. Interestingly, the recipient’s name was cheekily marked as "Jalebi for Rahul Gandhi." As if that were not enough, the order was placed on a cash-on-delivery basis, adding another layer of jest to the gesture. As India’s election nears, Bollywood can be seen embracing the BJP's political ideology The selection of jalebi as a symbolic gift was not arbitrary. During a recent campaign stop in Guhana, Haryana, Rahul Gandhi sampled jalebi from a local shop and remarked that the sweet should be produced on an industrial scale, making it available not only throughout India but also to global consumers. The comment was met with ridicule from the BJP, who pointed out that "jalebi factories do not exist." As a result, jalebi started trending on social media as a topic of political satire. On the day of the election results, as it became clear that the BJP was set to retain power for a third consecutive term in Haryana, several party leaders seized upon the jalebi reference to troll the Congress. Celebrations were in full swing, with Rajasthan Chief Minister and BJP leader Bhajanlal Sharma even taking up a ladle to fry some jalebis himself. The BJP’s sweet gesture of sending jalebi to Rahul Gandhi’s doorstep not only underscored their electoral triumph but also served as a reminder of the political banter exchanged during the campaign. Source: Agencies

Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi pressed his criticism of the country’s leadership in a speech Sunday, calling for Indians in the U.S. and back home to stand up for democracy and the Indian constitution. Gandhi, a sharp critic of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was expelled from Parliament, accused Modi and his Bharativa Janata Party (BJP) of dividing the country and failing to focus on important issues such as unemployment and education. “To be nasty to people, to be arrogant, to be violent, these are not Indian values,” Gandhi, 52, told a crowd of about 700 at the Indian Overseas Congress USA event at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan. He spoke just after a minute of silence recognizing a massive train derailment in eastern India that killed 275 people and injured hundreds more. Read: Rahul Gandhi avoids prison as he appeals defamation verdict Gandhi has been on a three-city tour of the United States, including speaking engagements at Stanford University in California and the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, U.S. congressional leaders have invited Modi to address a joint meeting of Congress later this month. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other leaders announced the address as an “opportunity to share your vision for India’s future and speak to the global challenges our countries both face.” Grandson of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi is a member of the Indian National Congress party. He is considered to be Modi’s main challenger in the upcoming 2024 elections. Read: Opposition disrupts Indian Parliament after Gandhi's ouster “Modern India cannot exist without our constitution and our democracy,” he said Sunday. He also urged a stronger partnership between India and the U.S. to offset China's influence. “One of the things we have to think about is the bridge between India and the United States,” he said. “How do we compete with the challenge the Chinese have placed on the table,” he asked, specifically citing issues of mobility and the world's energy supply. Read: North Korean leader’s sister vows 2nd attempt to launch spy satellite, slams UN meeting The Congress Party defeated the BJP in recent state elections in the Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka states, wins that came after a series of state elections defeats after Modi became India’s prime minister in 2014. Gandhi now holds no official position in his party. He gave up the post of party president after his severe defeats by Modi’s Hindu nationalist party in 2019 national elections, though his supporters hope the more recent results will impact the country’s 2024 national elections, which are likely to be held before May. Gandhi suffered a serious setback in March when a court convicted him in a criminal defamation case for mocking Modi’s surname, a decision that led to him being expelled from parliament. He could lose his eligibility to run for a parliamentary seat for the next eight years if an appeals court doesn’t overturn his conviction. The conviction came in connection with a speech he gave in 2019. Gandhi, who is not related to Mahatma Gandhi, also invoked the assassinated Indian leader's name several times during his speech, praising his model of non-violence.      

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, now on a six-day tour in the United States, criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) saying there are people in India who think they know more than God and PM Modi is "one such specimen."Speaking at an event in San Francisco organised by the Indian Overseas Congress USA, he took a dig at PM Modi, suggesting that Modi "would start explaining to God how the universe works” as “Some people believe they know everything,” insinuating that the Premier falls into this category, reports NDTV.Union Minister Anurag Thakur swiftly responded to Gandhi's comments, accusing the Congress leader of being unable to accept the praise and appreciation PM Modi received during his recent foreign visits. Thakur claimed that Gandhi's remarks were an attempt to undermine India's progress on the international stage.During his first speech on his three-city visit, Rahul Gandhi shed light on the launch of the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'. “Some months ago, we started a walk from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. While walking we realised that normal instruments for doing politics (connecting with people) were not working anymore. They were controlled by the BJP and RSS. People are threatened and agencies are used against them. In some way, it had become quite difficult to act politically. That is why we decided to walk from the southernmost tip of India to Srinagar," the Congress leader said at an event titled 'Mohabbat ki Dukaan' on Wednesday.In an apparent jab at PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi remarked, “Some groups in India are under the impression that they know everything. In India, we grew up with people of different languages, different religions. And that is what is being attacked. The tradition in India, of people like Gandhi Ji and Guru Nanak Ji, has been that you should not be under the impression of knowing everything. It is a 'disease' that some groups of India think that they know everything. Even if they have a conversation with God, they might explain to him.”"And of course, the Prime Minister is one of them. If you make him sit with God, he would start explaining to him (God) how the universe works...and God would get confused about what I had created. They (BJP) can speak to scientists and explain science to them. They can explain history to historians, warfare to the army and flying to the air force. But at the heart of it, they don't know anything,” he added. The ruling BJP responded strongly to Gandhi's remarks. Union Minister Anurag Thakur accused the Congress leader of insulting India while on his visits abroad.“During his foreign visits, Rahul Gandhi insults India, which is unacceptable. He wants to insult PM Modi but ends up insulting India, questioning India's progress. He is trying to tarnish India at a time the world is acknowledging our growing stature," he said.“PM Modi met almost 24 PMs and Presidents of the world and held over 50 meetings during his foreign visit recently. Several world leaders say Modi is the most popular leader. When the Australian PM said 'PM Modi is the Boss', Rahul Gandhi could not digest this,” added the Union Minister.

India’s top opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said he was being targeted because he has raised serious questions about Modi's relationship with the Indian business conglomerate Adani Group. Gandhi said the objective of his expulsion from Parliament on Friday was to prevent him from speaking in the legislature about his allegation of an infusion of an unaccounted $3 billion into shell companies owned by the Adani Group, headed by Gautam Adani. ’’Some of these defense companies are working in drone and missile development and ordnance production. Why is the defense ministry not asking questions,” he said. Also Read: Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi loses Parliament seat Gandhi was expelled from Parliament a day after a court convicted him of defamation and sentenced him to two years in prison for mocking the surname Modi in an election speech. The actions against Gandhi, the great-grandson of India’s first prime minister, were widely condemned by opponents of Modi as the latest assaults against democracy and free speech by a ruling government seeking to crush dissent. Removing Gandhi from politics delivered a major blow to the opposition party he led ahead of next year’s national elections. Gandhi said he was not bothered about losing his seat in Parliament. "My job is to defend the institutions of the country and the voice of people," he added. Also Read: 'Modi Surname' defamation case: Rahul Gandhi sentenced to 2 years in jail A court in the western Indian city of Surat also sentenced him to two years in prison on Thursday. But he won’t go to jail immediately as the court granted bail for 30 days to file an appeal against the verdict. The court convicted Gandhi for a 2019 speech in which he asked, “Why do all thieves have Modi as their surname?” Gandhi then referred to three well-known and unrelated Modis in the speech: a fugitive Indian diamond tycoon, a cricket executive banned from the Indian Premier League tournament and the prime minister. On Saturday, Gandhi didn't indicate how soon his legal team will approach an appeals court seeking to overturn his conviction so he could save his seat in Parliament. He accused Modi of helping the Adani Group to get contracts in India, Sri Lanka, and Australia. Also Read: Test transmission of power supply from Adani plant to Bangladesh's national grid starts He also alleged that a Chinese national was involved in investments in Adani's shell companies. “Why nobody is asking the question who this Chinese national is,” he said. ”Nobody knows where this money has come from. Adani couldn't generate this money." Gandhi has demanded a parliamentary committee probe following a report by Hindenburg Research, the U.S. financial research firm, accusing the Adani Group of stock price manipulation and fraud running into billions of dollars. The Adani Group has denied any wrongdoing and the Modi government has not accepted a call for a parliamentary investigation. Also Read: India’s Supreme Court orders investigation of Adani business group Soon after Gandhi's news conference, Ravi Shankar Prasad, a top leader of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, rejected Gandhi's accusations and said his disqualification from Parliament had nothing to do with the Adani Group controversy. Since Modi became prime minister in 2014, Adani’s net worth has shot up nearly 2,000% to $125 billion, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index. He surpassed Amazon boss Jeff Bezos to briefly become the world’s second richest man in September after a surge in the value of his seven listed entities. Also Read: Top policymakers briefed about outcome of meeting with Adani on coal pricing: Sources Adani’s businesses have won multibillion-dollar contracts to build ports, highways and power plants. The industrialist’s ambitions include developing drones and ammunition, key to the government’s goal of boosting military-related exports to $5 billion while slashing costs for expensive imports.

A court in Gujarat's Surat today (March 23, 2023) found Indian Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi guilty, and sentenced him to two years in prison in a 2019 defamation case -- over his remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surname. Gandhi was granted bail, however, and his sentence was suspended for 30 days to allow him to appeal the verdict, reports NDTV. Purnesh Modi, a BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister, filed the lawsuit against Gandhi for saying, "How come all thieves have the surname Modi?" He made the remark while speaking at a rally in Kolar, Karnataka, ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, targeting PM Modi because of his surname, which he shares with fugitive financiers Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi, said the report. Read More: Hasina, Modi inaugurate ‘Indo-Bangla Friendship Pipeline’ to boost energy cooperation The Congress leader quoted Mahatma Gandhi in his first response following the judgement, tweeting in Hindi, "My religion is based on truth and non-violence. Truth is my God, non-violence the means to get it." Gandhi arrived in Surat earlier in the day for the verdict and was greeted by key Congress leaders from Gujarat. Posters glorifying him as 'Sher-e-Hindustan' (Lion of India) and banners saying that the "Congress will not bow before the dictatorship of the BJP" were displayed at various spots all over town as a show of strength and support for him. After his conviction, Rahul Gandhi received rare support from Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal, who tweeted that he "disagreed" with the judgement. Read More: Tax officials search BBC's Delhi offices weeks after Modi documentary "A conspiracy is being hatched to eliminate non-BJP leaders and parties by prosecuting them. We have differences with the Congress, but it is not right to implicate Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case like this. It is the job of the public and the opposition to ask questions. We respect the court but disagree with the decision," Kejriwal wrote. Rahul Gandhi had last appeared in the case before the Surat court in October 2021 to record his statement.

Thousands of Indians rallied on Sunday under key opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi, who made a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government over soaring unemployment and rising food and fuel prices in the country. Gandhi accused Modi of pursuing policies benefitting big business groups at the expense of small and medium industries and poor farmers and workers. He also said the government was creating an atmosphere of fear and hatred, in reference to Hindu-Muslim tensions. He said the prices of petrol, diesel, cooking gas and essential food items like wheat have shot up 40%-175% since Modi came to power eight years ago. Without naming the business leaders, Gandhi said two key groups were running India’s ports, airports, oil refineries, information technology sector and big media houses. The rally was held at Ramlila Ground in New Delhi, which is used for religious festivals, major political meetings and entertainment events. The Modi government says it has provided millions of people with toilets, gas connections, drinking water, bank accounts, free health insurance and homes. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman defended the government’s handling of the economy in Parliament and said there was zero probability of India slipping into recession despite battling the COVID-19 pandemic and supply-chain disruptions caused by the ongoing Ukrainian conflict. The rally came three days ahead of the start of Gandhi’s 3,500 kilometers (2,185 miles) walking tour covering Indian cities, towns and villages over the next five months.

Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka were released by Delhi Police late on Friday evening, after over six hours of detention. Rahul, Priyanka and other senior Congress leaders were detained by the cops during a protest by the country's principal opposition party against inflation and rising unemployment outside the grand old outfit's headquarters in Delhi this afternoon. Around 1pm, Rahul, Priyanka and other senior leaders of the party were bundled into police jeeps and taken to Police Lines at Kingsway Camp as soon as they embarked on the protest. Around 7.15pm, all the leaders were released. Read:Indian oppn leader Rahul Gandhi detained "We're witnessing the death of democracy. What India has built brick by brick, starting almost a century ago, is being destroyed in front of your eyes. Anybody who stands against this idea of onset of dictatorship is viciously attacked, jailed, arrested and beaten up," Rahul said before his detention. Earlier in the day, Rahul, his mother and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, and several lawmakers of the party wore black clothes in Parliament to register their protest against rising prices, particularly of essential commodities, and unemployment. A senior police officer told the local media that they were compelled to crack down on the protesters in the wake of the imposition of prohibitory orders by the authorities. "We have also not given them permission to hold any protest in Delhi," he said. Rahul, son of Sonia and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, is seen by many as a future prime minister of India. Apart from his father, his grandmother Indira Gandhi and great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru have all served as prime ministers of India.

Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka were detained by police during the Congress party's protest against inflation and rising unemployment in Delhi on Friday. Rahul, Priyanka and other senior leaders of the party were bundled into police jeeps and taken to Police Lines at Kingsway Camp as soon as they embarked on the protest near the Congress headquarters in the heart of the national capital. "We're witnessing the death of democracy. What India has built brick by brick, starting almost a century ago, is being destroyed in front of your eyes. Anybody who stands against this idea of onset of dictatorship is viciously attacked, jailed, arrested and beaten up," Rahul told the media. Also read: India raises interest rate to 5.4%, in 3rd hike since May Earlier in the day, Rahul, his mother and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, and several lawmakers of the party wore black clothes in Parliament to register their protest against rising prices, particularly of essential commodities, and unemployment. A senior police officer told the local media that they were compelled to crack down on the protesters in the wake of the imposition of prohibitory orders by the authorities. "We have also not given them permission to hold any protest in Delhi," he said. Rahul, son of Sonia and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, is seen by many as a future prime minister of India. Apart from his father, his grandmother Indira Gandhi and great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru have all served as prime ministers of India. Also read: Bollywood singer Babul Supriyo becomes Bengal minister