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India’s Parliament remained paralysed on Tuesday as Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi escalated his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi , alleging that the recently announced India–United States trade agreement was concluded under “immense pressure” and linking the deal to what he described as two external “pressure points” involving industrialist Gautam Adani and the release of material connected to Jeffrey Epstein . Representational Image Source: LoP RaGa Speaking to reporters outside Parliament after repeated adjournments of the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi said the Prime Minister had been “compromised” and accused him of “selling the country” through the trade agreement that reduced U.S. tariffs on Indian exports to 18% from 25% . Rahul Gandhi said the agreement, which had been stalled for several months, was suddenly finalised because of pressure that could damage the Prime Minister’s image.  “There is extreme pressure on him. Narendra M...

The Budget Session of India’s Parliament descended into repeated disruptions on Monday after Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi attempted to quote from the unpublished memoir of former Army chief Manoj Mukund Naravane during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address. This triggered sharp objections from the treasury benches and forced multiple adjournments before the House was suspended for the day. Rahul Gandhi ups the ante on national security; via: Shaandelhite The confrontation unfolded when Rahul Gandhi rose to respond to remarks made earlier by BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, who had criticised the Congress party’s record on nationalism .  Rahul Gandhi said he wished to counter those allegations by referring to passages concerning India’s military standoff with China , which he attributed to Naravane’s memoir, titled Four Stars of Destiny , and to a magazine article that had cited the unpublished book.  Highlights of Speech 02 Feb, 2026 ...

Speaking at the Golden Jubilee celebrations of St. Thomas English High School in Gudalur, Tamil Nadu, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi delivered a deeply personal and pointed address by weaving together themes of education, democracy, technological transformation, and the need for social and institutional humility. Framing the modern “information age” as both an opportunity and a threat, Rahul Gandhi cautioned against mistaking access to data for wisdom. He underscored the role of schools in fostering not just informed students, but wise and kind citizens.  Rahul Gandhi during Golden Jubilee celebrations of St. Thomas English High School in Gudalur, Tamil Nadu. Via: RakeshJeeINC “If in the information age we do not have wisdom… the world will become a very unpleasant place,” he warned, emphasizing that schools like St. Thomas must nurture empathy and discernment as the foundation for national development. In an interaction that saw him field questions fr...

✍️ Written by Saket Suman There is no neat way to say this: the Great Indian Dream is dying. And it’s not being killed in faraway conflict zones, or in newsrooms that peddle noise instead of truth. It is being murdered in back offices of publishing houses and literary circuits, where contracts are torn with a smile, where deadlines are missed with impunity, where one writer's labour of years is discarded over silence, and where reputations are butchered so that the powerful remain unbothered. The very spaces meant to champion creativity are the first to abandon those who try to speak freely, those who refuse to bend, those who dare to write with sincerity. Representational Image: The 1st stamp of independent India shows the Indian Flag, released on 21Nov1947. I have lived through this. I have worked on a book that came from lived experience, research, pain, and a rare kind of stubborn hope. And I have watched that book — like countless others...

Opening the Lok Sabha debate on electoral reforms, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi delivered a sharply worded and symbolic address, accusing the Election Commission of India of colluding with those in power and enabling systematic voter suppression under the guise of bureaucratic process.  Image Source: Economic Times Screengrab of Sansad TV Without naming the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise directly in his opening remarks, Rahul Gandhi laid the groundwork for a broader critique of institutional erosion and democratic subversion, framing the vote as the fabric binding 1.4 billion Indians in a shared national project. In a speech rich with metaphor but grounded in political accusation, Rahul Gandhi began with a reference to Mahatma Gandhi’s emphasis on khadi, positioning it as a symbol not merely of resistance but of people’s self-expression and unity.  “Khadi is not just a cloth. Khadi is the expression of the people of India,” he said, before drawing a parall...

The political climate in India has further polarised just ahead of voting in Bihar, as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha (the lower house of the Parliament of India) and prominent Indian politician Rahul Gandhi accused the ruling BJP of orchestrating what he called “one of the biggest electoral frauds in Indian democratic history.”  Citing what his party calls “H Files” -- a cache of alleged evidence -- Rahul Gandhi claimed that 25 lakh fake votes swung the 2024 Haryana Assembly election, which the BJP narrowly won. Image from LoP Rahul Gandhi's powerful presentation. Via: INC India In an extended presentation in New Delhi, Rahul Gandhi alleged that voter rolls were manipulated at scale. He cited examples of duplicate voter IDs, including 22 instances of a Brazilian model’s photo being used under different names like “Sweety” and “Seema,” and a separate case of one woman’s face appearing on 223 voter IDs across polling booths.  “This isn’t random -- it’s industrialis...

The seven-day deadline set by the Election Commission of India (ECI) for Congress MP and India's Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi to substantiate his allegations of large-scale voter exclusion has lapsed without compliance.  Rahul Gandhi did not submit any signed affidavit or documentary evidence , as was explicitly demanded by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar during a press conference on August 17.  Image Source: INC India The ultimatum, presented in direct response to Gandhi’s public accusation that over 1.5 lakh names had been illegally removed from electoral rolls, was unambiguous: either file a sworn declaration with supporting facts or issue a public apology. As far as the machine-readable voter list is concerned, the Supreme Court has already said in 2019 that this could be a violation of voter privacy. - Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar #BiharSIR2025 | #ElectionCommission | @ECISVEEP | @SpokespersonECI | #GyaneshKumar pic.twitte...

India’s Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday dismissed opposition allegations of “vote theft” in poll-bound Bihar; said the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is rooted in law and transparency; and underlined that the Election Commission of India (ECI) “has no opponents and no supporters.” Image Source: Election Commission of India The remarks came at the Commission’s first press conference since the controversy erupted over the SIR exercise, which opposition parties--including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during his ongoing "Voter Adhikar Yatra"--have described as a conspiracy to “steal elections.”  The CEC countered these claims by stressing that electoral rolls were being prepared in full consultation with voters, Booth Level Officers (BLOs), and Booth Level Agents (BLAs) nominated by political parties. According to the CEC, more than 7 crore voters in Bihar, supported by 1.6 lakh BLAs from across parties, have jointly prepare...

India's Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will launch the “Vote Adhikar Yatra” from Sasaram in Bihar tomorrow; the 16–day march will cover Dehri on Sone in Rohtas; Kutumba, Aurangabad, Deo and Guraru; Punama Wazirganj, Gaya to Barbigha via Nawada; Sheikhpura to Munger via Sikandra and Jamui; Munger to Bhagalpur via Sultanganj; Kursela to Purnia via Korha and Katihar; Purnia to Narpatganj via Chandni Chowk and Araria; Supaul to Darbhanga via Phulparas, Sakri and Madhubani; Darbhanga to Sitamarhi via Muzaffarpur; Sitamarhi to West Champaran via Motihari; West Champaran to Siwan via Gopalganj; Chapra, Saran to Arrah in Bhojpur, culminating in Patna on September 1 -- a 1,300 kilometre route that opposition leaders say is meant to safeguard the very soul of Indian democracy itself. Image Source: INC India Rahul Gandhi framed the march as a defence of the most basic democratic principle: “one person, one vote.” In a post on X, he wrote, “We are bring...

India's Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi met Bihar voters allegedly declared “dead” in the draft roll after the state’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR); accused the Election Commission of disenfranchisement; BJP countered with charges over Sonia Gandhi’s voter registration before citizenship; Congress announced a state-wide protest yatra; and the Supreme Court described Bihar’s SIR as “voter friendly.” Image Source: Mr. Nehr_who? Sharing a video on X with electors omitted from the revised roll, Rahul Gandhi wrote that he had “never had the chance to have tea with ‘dead people’” and thanked the poll body for the “unique experience.”  The Election Commission’s August 1 draft roll, published after the SIR exercise, lists 7.24 crore electors—down 65.6 lakh from the 7.9 crore registered before June 24.  EC data attributes the reduction to 22 lakh dead electors, 36 lakh permanently shifted or untraceable, and 7 lakh duplicate registrations or non-submissions of ...

IndianRepublic.in In a display of solidarity, Congress President and veteran Indian politician Mallikarjun Kharge hosted a dinner in New Delhi for members of the INDIA bloc, joined by prominent opposition leaders. The gathering came amid a coordinated pushback against the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and allegations of large-scale voter list manipulation in the 2024 general elections. Earlier in the day, MPs from multiple parties staged a united protest march toward the Election Commission, calling for transparent voter rolls and the protection of the “one person, one vote” principle. Via - INC India. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hosted Opposition leaders for a strategy dinner in New Delhi. To follow latest newsbreaks related to India's ...

The Opposition parties of India on Monday staged an unprecedented protest march from Parliament House to the Election Commission (EC) headquarters over what they allege is a systematic attempt to disenfranchise voters in Bihar ahead of the state’s assembly elections later this year.  The protest, triggered by the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls being conducted in Bihar, also raised broader questions over electoral integrity in India. Image Source: INC India Leaders including Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar, DMK’s T. R. Baalu, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, and Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs Derek O’Brien and Sagarika Ghose were among those detained by Delhi Police during the march.  They were stopped midway at Transport Bhawan, less than a kilometre from Nirvachan Sadan, and transported in buses to the Parliament Street police...