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Bengaluru, Oct 17 (IANS) Karnataka is looking ahead for the victory of veteran Congress leader and close confidante of Gandhi family Mallikarjun Kharge in the elections to the All India Congress Committee, which is being held for the first time in the history of the party.

Kharge missed the opportunity to become the chief minister of Karnataka in 2004, when JD (S)chose late senior leader Dharam Singh over him to head the coalition government.

He was later moved on to the national politics and went on to work as the opposition leader in Parliament. However, Kharge suffered humiliating defeat at his home turf in Kalaburagi district against BJP candidate in 2018 parliamentary elections.

The veteran leader was elected to the Rajya Sabha later. Dalits and oppressed classes in the state have special place in their heart for Kharge and hope to see at the helm of affairs in the Congress, a party source said.

Insiders in Congress explain that if Kharge emerges victorious in the elections, it would have direct impact on state politics. The equations will also change.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and other senior leaders of BJP have already stated that Kharge, if elected, will end up becoming a remote control at the hands of in-charge AICC President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

Rahul Gandhi has clarified that the statement is an insult to both veteran leaders. The developments regarding elections are not only keenly observed by the Congress party leaders, the oppressed and backward classes especially Dalits are closely following the AICC elections. They are hopeful that history will be created this time with Kharge taking charge as the Chairman of AICC.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Oct 17 (IANS) In what could be a Diwali bonanza for millions of farmers, the government will release Rs 16,000 crore under the 12th installment of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme on Monday through direct benefit transfer, which is expected to benefit 10 crore farmers.

The installment amount will be released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday during the inauguration of the "PM Kisan Samman Sammelan 2022" at Indian Agricultural Research Institute here.

IANS had reported on October 13 that the government could release the 12th instalment amount within a week.

"In a reflection of the continued commitment of the Prime Minister towards welfare of the farmers, during the event, Prime Minister will release the 12th instalment amount of Rs 16,000 crores under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) through Direct Benefit Transfer. Under the scheme, eligible farmer families are provided a benefit of Rs 6,000 per year in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 each. So far, eligible farmer families have received benefits of more than Rs 2 lakh crore under PM-KISAN," a statement issued by the Prime Minister's office said.

The Prime Minister also tweeted about this on his Twitter handle late on Sunday evening.

Till now the government has disbursed 11 installments to farmers under the scheme.

Farmers however have often complained that the amount doesn't reach them due to several technical glitches related to online transfer of installments.

To ensure that the amount reaches them, the farmers have to complete e-KYC formalities.

The installments are transferred to Aadhar linked bank accounts of farmers.

Meanwhile during the event, the Prime Minister will launch 'Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Urvarak Pariyojana - One Nation One Fertilizer' scheme. Under the scheme he will also launch Bharat Urea Bags, Bharat Urea Bags, which will help companies market fertilizers under the single brand name "Bharat".

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Oct 16 (IANS) Reacting to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's statement that only people having money will get jobs in Karnataka, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Sunday that details of corruption during the Congress regime in the state will be sent to him along with full statistics.

Talking to reporters at KR Pet in Mandya district, Bommai said Rahul Gandhi may either be suffering from selective amnesia or the state Congress leaders have not briefed their leader properly.

"The amount of corruption in recruitment that took place during the Congress regime has never happened in any other state. The incumbent government has ordered inquiry into the leakage of question papers pertaining to the recruitment of police constables and PU exams. Details of the probe will be sent to Rahul Gandhi. Let him see the amount of corruption that took place when his party was in power in the state and then talk," Bommai said.

Reacting to Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah's statement that the Congress will return to power in Karnataka after next year's elections, Bommai said, "In 2018, Siddaramaiah had said that his party would certainly come to power. But what happened? The total number of seats won by the Congress came down to 79 from 127. The former CM had said B.S. Yediyurappa and H.D. Kumaraswamy would not become Chief Ministers, but both of them served as the CM for one term. We will request Siddaramaiah to repeat his remarks as it will help the BJP," Bommai said.

Karnataka will go to the polls in the first half of 2023, and the two principal parties -- Congress and BJP -- have begun their preperations in earnest.

Rahul Gandhi is currently traversing through the state as part of his Bharat Jodo Yatra, while the ruling BJP has launched its Jana Sankalpa Yatra.

--IANS
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By Mohammed Shafeeq
Hyderabad, Oct 16 (IANS) Desperate to regain lost ground in the Telugu states, the Congress has huge expectations from Rahul Gandhi's ongoing 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'.


Conscious of the huge odds in Andhra Pradesh where it does not have a single MP or MLA, the party has planned the Yatra in such a manner that it will cover less than 100 km.

However, the coverage will be extensive in Telangana, where the party sees a real chance for itself in the Assembly elections scheduled next year.

The Congress leaders in Telangana are eagerly waiting for the Yatra to enter the state as they believe that it will infuse new enthusiasm among the party cadre and help gear up the organisation for the poll battle ahead.

The Yatra, which has received good response in Kerala and Karnataka, briefly touched Andhra Pradesh on the evening of October 14 before re-entering Karnataka. Rahul Gandhi along with hundreds of supporters walking with him reached Obulapuram in Andhra Pradesh's Anantapur district to a warm welcome by state Congress chief Sailajanath, working president N. Tulasi Reddy, senior leader Raghuveera Reddy and others.

Large number of party workers from Anantapur, Kurnool and Kadapa districts joined the Yatra. After covering 5.4 km in Andhra Pradesh, the Yatra re-entered Karnataka's Ballari district.

Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to reach Aluru in Kurnool district on the night of October 16. There will be a break on October 17 for the AICC presidential elections. The next day the Yatra will cover the Aluru constituency. According to Tulasi Reddy, the Yatra will pass through the Adoni constituency on October 19, Yemmiganur on October 20 and Mantralayam on October 21. The long march will then re-enter Karnataka.

Andhra Pradesh Congress leaders believe that Rahul Gandhi's Yatra will help lift the morale of the party cadres.

"The Yatra will definitely draw huge public support in the state. The party leaders and workers are all waiting eagerly for it," said Tualsi Reddy.

During the Yatra in Andhra Pradesh, Rahul Gandhi is likely to reiterate the promise that if Congress is voted to power at the Centre in 2024, it will accord Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh.

SCS to the residuary state was promised by the Congress-led UPA government at the time of bifurcation of united Andhra Pradesh in 2014 and this commitment was part of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014. However, the BJP-led NDA, which came to power at the Centre in 2014, declined to grant SCS to Andhra Pradesh on the ground that this would lead to similar demands from other states.

The Congress leaders say both the previous Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government and the present YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) regime failed to mount pressure on the Centre to get the SCS to the state.

Political analysts say the Congress still faces a huge challenge to make a comeback in Andhra Pradesh. In the 2014 elections, it was virtually wiped out due to public anger over bifurcation of the state. It drew a blank in both Assembly and Lok Sabha and there was no improvement in 2019.

"People of Andhra Pradesh are still reeling under the after-effects of bifurcation, and it is evident the people there blame the Congress for this situation. The party has lost its leadership and cadres to other political outfits and does not have enough base to put up a decent show if the Bharat Jodo Yatra enters the state," said political analyst Palvai Raghavendra Reddy.

Compared to other states, the Yatra will cover a small part of Andhra Pradesh and the route map has been deliberately planned in this manner.

"While Congress wants to showcase an upwards trend with the Yatra, entering Andhra Pradesh might prove counter-productive for the party. It also suggests that Congress is in no hurry to revive itself immediately in Andhra Pradesh," he said.

Telangana is the state where the Congress wants to focus. Though the party had hoped to politically benefit by carving out the Telangana state, it landed in a situation of neither here nor there. All its hopes were dashed when people voted Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) to power in 2014 and since then the Congress' graph has been on the decline with exodus of its leaders and cadres.

Despite joining hands with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 2018, the Congress suffered another defeat at the hands of TRS, which retained power with a huge majority. The Congress finished a poor second in the 119-member Assembly with just 18 seats and within a few months at least a dozen of its MLAs defected to TRS and the party lost even the status of main opposition in the Assembly.

The performance of the Congress in Assembly by-elections has also been disastrous. It failed to retain Huzurnagar which was vacated by Uttam Kumar Reddy after he was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2019.

With the BJP emerging stronger by winning two Assembly by-elections, the Congress is further demoralised. Infighting in the party following change of state leadership last year left the organisation in disarray.

The Bharat Jodo Yatra is entering Telangana at a time when Congress is facing an acid test in the Munugode Assembly by-election, caused by the resignation of its legislator Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy who switched loyalties to BJP. The November 3 by-election is the last chance for Congress to regain some lost ground before the next year's Assembly polls.

It is in this context that Rahul Gandhi's Yatra has assumed significance for the grand old party in its former stronghold. The party's state unit is looking to draw maximum mileage from the Yatra to shape up well to take on both TRS and BJP.

"While the response in Kerala and Karnataka has been overwhelming, the Telangana state unit has to work hard to ensure people connect with the Yatra, and the message of Rahul Gandhi reaches every village across the state. In a state where regional sentiments are a big factor, it would be interesting to see how crowds respond to the Congress scion's Yatra and meetings. Will the people of Telangana respond sympathetically towards the party which played a big role in the formation of the state is something which only time will tell," said Raghavendra Reddy.

He also pointed out that the Bharat Jodo Yatra will touch only a few locations in Telangana, while completely ignoring Andhra Pradesh.

The route map of Bharat Jodo Yatra in Telangana is yet to be finalised. It is still not clear if the Yatra will cover the state for 15 days as originally planned.

The state leadership impressed on the high command to include Hyderabad in the Yatra. As per the revised schedule, Rahul Gandhi will visit the historic Charminar and the Necklace Road where he will address a meeting after garlanding his grandmother Indira Gandhi's statue on October 31 on the occasion of her death anniversary.

--IANS
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By Praveen Dwivedi
Bhopal, Oct 16 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday will launch medical education in Hindi in Madhya Pradesh' Gwalior and will unveil translated versions of first-year textbooks.


Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government has decided to provide MBBS courses in Hindi also as part of the state government's ambitious "ease of education" initiative.

The state government decided to start providing options of the Hindi language for the first-year students of the fresh academic batch of five-year MBBS course as a pilot project in Gandhi Medical college in Bhopal, the biggest state-run medical college in Madhya Pradesh. There are around 200-250 seats for the first-year students in Gandhi Medical college, and the Hindi version (translated) textbooks of three MBBS subjects -- anatomy, physiology and biochemistry -- will be taught to first-year students, as "ease of education" initiative of the state government.

The unveiling by Shah comes with a political message that the Hindi heartland -- Madhya Pradesh -- becomes the first state to provide the Hindi option for the medical students. Notably, the project is set to take off with around 12 months left for the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh and the Lok Sabha polls in 2024.

However, how the pilot project will be implemented and whether Hindi would be optional or mandatory, etc., the department was yet to release a complete blueprint. "A separate Hindi Prakoshtha (cell) has been set up to execute this pilot project of MBBS in Hindi, but how would it be executed? It is still a question mark. The fresh batch of MBBS is set to begin soon. There are around 200-250 seats for MBBS students for the first year," said Dr. Akash Soni, an alumni of Gandhi Medical college in Bhopal.

Madhya Pradesh has around 3,500-4,000 seats for MBBS, out of which, around 2,300 seats are reserved for 13 government-run medical colleges, while the rest are allotted to the private colleges. Out of approximately 2,300 total seats reserved for the government-run medical colleges, nearly 40-45 per cent seats of first year are reserved for the students from across the country. While, in postgraduate (PG) degree of MBBS, around 50 per cent seats are reserved for all states.

Citing this particular reason that around 35-40 per cent MBBS students are from outside of Madhya Pradesh, even from non-Hindi speaking states (southern part of the country), several medical experts have raised doubts on this much-talked about Hindi version of MBBS course.

"See, it would be easy to provide a translated version of the MBBS syllabus, but it won't be easy to provide each and every book the students need. Suppose, a batch of 50 MBBS students completed a five-year degree in Hindi and after that these students would need to access more books during their research study for daily practices. Will it be easy to provide the Hindi version textbooks then?" said a senior doctor in Gandhi Medical College requesting not to be named.

State Education Minister Vishwas Sarang said that the BJP-led Madhya Pradesh government is trying its best to take forward Hindi. "Under this, we have translated the course material into Hindi. We have included three first-year courses in the first phase, after that, we are going to include some second-year systems," he said.

If the pilot project finds success in Gandhi Medical college, Hindi versions of the books will be also introduced in all 13 state medical colleges. Once the students clear the exams, they will be awarded a degree, however, there would be no mention of the medium of education, as per the National Medical Commission Act, a second government official said.

"They (MP) have prepared textbooks for the first-year MBBS students. They are working on preparing the rest of the medical course books. The main aim is to bring medical textbooks in Hindi and other regional languages," said another doctor associated with a government medical institute in Bhopal.

Strongly pitching for Hindi textbooks for the MBBS students, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Saturday that the government was not against English but awareness about the national language is necessary. "Who speaks English in Russia, Japan, China and Germany? We have become slaves. When I went to the US, I gave a speech in Hindi and received more appreciation than people who were speaking in English."

--IANS
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Bhopal, Oct 15 (IANS) Congress leader Shashi Tharoor who is pitted against veteran party colleague Mallikarjun Kharge for the post of party president -- election for which is scheduled to be held on October 17 -- thanked the party's Madhya Pradesh unit after he was given a warm welcome upon his arrival here on Friday.

The MP from Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency, who arrived here to seek support from the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates, also expressed his disappointment over some Congress leaders openly expressing their support for Kharge.

Kharge had also visited Bhopal two days ago and had appealed to the Congress delegates in Madhya Pradesh to support him, describing himself as "the candidate of a collective leadership of the party" and therefore, he expects "100 per cent support from all delegates".

Addressing a press conference at Congress headquarters here, Tharoor reiterated that senior party leaders should not openly express support towards any particular candidate.

Responding to questions on this issue, particularly on Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's announcement to support Kharge, Tharoor, with smile on his face, said: "I think the election committee of the Congress should take cognizance in this subject."

Interestingly, Madhya Pradesh unit Congress head Kamal Nath had also made it open that he would support Kharge for the party's presidential post.

Kamal Nath, however, had also mentioned that delegates would be free to take decisions on their own.

Tharoor on Friday has received a warm welcome from the state leadership, including former chief minister and state head Kamal Nath and Leader of Opposition (assembly) Govind Singh.

"I am glad at the reception I received in Madhya Pradesh. MP Congress president Kamal Nath, Leader of the Opposition Govind Singh met me," Tharoor said.

There are a total of 502 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates from Madhya Pradesh of which around 50-55 delegates were present to welcome him at the Congress headquarters.

During Kharge's visit to Bhopal on October 12, around 300-350 delegates were present to welcome at party headquarters.

"All PCC delegates will have the total freedom to vote for the candidate he or she wants to. This election is to elect a member to the party's highest post which is a subject of dignity for each Congress worker. More number of delegates were present during Kharge's visit to office because there was a party programme before his arrival," said a senior Congress functionary.

Meanwhile, Digvijaya Singh's brother Laxman Singh also shared the stage with Tharoor.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Oct 14 (IANS) With Himachal Pradesh to vote in Assembly elections on November 12, the ruling BJP has an edge over its competitors, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, as per a survey.

According to the CVoter survey, conducted for ABP News, respondents, asked irrespective of whichever party you support or vote for, which party or alliance do you think will win the Himachal polls, a total of 51.1 per cent said that the BJP will win the election.

The survey was done in both September and October. The sample size is 6,245 and the error margin is 3 to 5 per cent.

However, when the same question was asked in September, only 46.1 per cent of people had said that the BJP will retain power.

Meanwhile, the inclination towards other parties like Congress and AAP has decreased from September to October.

In September, 36.1 per cent of surveyed people said that Congress may form the government on the same question, which reduced to 35.5 per cent in October as per the survey.

For AAP, only 8.2 per cent of the respondents said that it will win, while the number came down to 5.6 per cent.

However, 1.6 per cent people also said other parties in September and the next month it was increased to 1.8 per cent for other parties.

While, 2.7 per cent chose 'likely to be hung Assembly' in September, in October, this response came down to 2.2 per cent.

As per the tracker, 5.3 per cent people also chose 'Can't say' in September but only 3.8 per cent chose this response in October.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Oct 14 (IANS) Anti-incumbency weighs heavily on the poll-bound BJP-ruled Himachal Pradesh government.

According to an opinion poll, conducted by C-Voter for ABP News, 45.5 per cent respondents are not happy with the Jairam Thakur government's performance and want to change it.

The survey, which was conducted with a sample size of 100 respondents in September as well as October, has revealed that only 22.1 per cent of them were satisfied with the state government's performance and did not want to change it.

Those respondents who were angry with the state government but did not want to change it were 32.4 per cent.

The hill state goes for assembly polls on November 12 while results would be declared on December 8.

--IANS
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Bhubaneswar, Oct 14 (IANS) Veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday met Odisha Congress leaders and sought their support for his candidature in the AICC Presidential election, scheduled to be held on October 17.

Speaking to reporters here, Kharge said he has resigned from Leader of Opposition and filed nominations for the AICC President's election after receiving calls from many of his party leaders.

The Congress leader said he has no other manifesto to contest the election within the party. He will implement the outcomes of the Chintan Shivir held at Udaipur in Rajasthan four months ago.

"About 1,000 Congress leaders across the country had participated in the deliberation and the outcomes, also called 'Udaipur Declaration', is my priority," he said.

Kharge said he is committed to implementing the party's decision to give priority to leaders of less than 50 years old in decision making.

Kharge and Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor are in the fray for Congress Presidential poll as the party high command has decided that, this time, no one from Gandhi family will contest for the post.

--IANS
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