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Congress Mega Rally

Nov 04, 2012

18:50 (IST)

00:00 Congress gambles on reforms, FDI at Delhi rally
The embattled Congress party, led by Sonia Gandhi, sought to drum up support for the contentious opening up of the country's vast retail sector to big foreign chains at a mass rally on Sunday, saying supermarkets would help farmers and consumers battling high inflation.

Nov 04, 2012

18:27 (IST)

00:00 Rahul Gandhi is 'baccha and kaccha': Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena today slammed Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi for his comments that though Congress had backed the BJP-led NDA government during the Kargil war, the Opposition was not supporting FDI in retail.

Nov 04, 2012

18:22 (IST)

00:00 Sonia, Rahul hit out at opposition at Congress show of strength: Who said what
Buffeted by charges of corruption against the UPA government, the Congress on Sunday put up a massive show of strength at the Ramlila ground in Delhi with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi hitting asserting that the recent slew of economic reforms will benefit the country and create more jobs. However, the Opposition leaders weren't too impressed with Congress' show of strength or claims.

Nov 04, 2012

16:08 (IST)

00:00 Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut says, " Congress party did ‘Ravan lila’ at Ramlila maidan."

(On support during Presidential polls)That was a time of crisis. No party did favor to anyone. It was our duty
Now that they are supporting foreigners we are not with them.
Rahul Gandhi should have some maturity. What does he want, shall we support him for bringing Wal-Mart?

Nov 04, 2012

14:50 (IST)

00:00 Rahul leads the Congress show of might at mega-rally in Delhi
Rahul Gandhi made a rare appearance on the same stage as Congress president Sonia Gandhi and the PM , and as the day's first speaker, launched his party's mission 2014. Mr Gandhi is expected to formally take over any day now as the number 2 in the Congress and play the "bigger role" that he has promised to.

Nov 04, 2012

14:31 (IST)

00:00 BJP's Balbir Punj says, "It is a government sponsored the rally at Ramlilla Maidan. I am told it was largely a flop show.The crowd was obviously there but, it was hired and there was no enthusiasm in the crowd. If people have so much of interest in FDI, people would have taken out a rally on there own; congress wouldn't have done it."

Nov 04, 2012

14:13 (IST)

00:00 Don't point fingers at us: Sonia Gandhi tells BJP
A combative Sonia Gandhi brought up the rear of the Congress's mega three-speech rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan today, ripping into the BJP and emphatically defending the government her party leads and the tough reforms measure it has been forced to take recently.

Nov 04, 2012

14:11 (IST)

00:00

Prakash Karat, General Secretary, CPI(M): We challenge government to get FDI passed in Parliament

Nov 04, 2012

14:10 (IST)

00:00

Senior BJP leader Aun Jaitley: "Congress rally is anti-people...We will oppose wrong policies of the government."

They rationalize hike in diesel and LPG prices
This rally was intended to rationalize each of those steps
They by passed the issue of corruption
The coal block allocation, 2G none of it was taken up in their speeches
What is happening to several leaders facing serious charges
The party is in gross default
They just by pass all those issues
The Lokpal they wanted was weak
We wanted it in Rajya Sabha and we got majority also but they got the house adjourned
As far as FDI in retail is concerned
It will reduce manufacturing jobs
Foreign retailers source from outside and not domestically
Middle man elimination benefit goes to retailers in this case
The history has witnessed that wherever FDI hs been brought the farmers are heavily subsidized
Why was that done?
It was done because the farmers were not benefited by this
This rally is just being organized to advocate the anti people policy of this Govt
Though any political event is their right
But what the rally they did today
It is anti people rally
Being it diesel price hike, common man and farmer is being burdened and this rally justifies that
There is no solution to corruption given by them
I wont be wrong in saying that this is the most corrupt Govt
The allegation on congress itself
They by pass these things
As far as FDI is concerned
In the manufacturing sectors jobs will reduce
Retail jobs will be displaced
On what basis are you saying that farmer will be benefited
The public related issues
It is the anti people's policy
On the security of India, no one takes it as seriously as we do (on kargil)
But on the issue of corruption, and wrong policies we have to oppose them

Nov 04, 2012

13:39 (IST)

00:00 We'll pass Lokpal Bill, just wait and watch: Rahul Gandhi
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi today made a strong pitch to "change the political system" to fight corruption and benefit the aam aadmi. Till this was done, India "will not change", he said.

Nov 04, 2012

13:34 (IST)

00:00 Rahul Gandhi broke through his security cordon near Ramlila Maidan and met supporters gathered for the rally.

Nov 04, 2012

13:12 (IST)

00:00 Highlights: Those who accused us of being corrupt, are steeped in corruption, says Sonia Gandhi
Sonia Gandhi attacks the opposition, says the 'cancer of corruption' will be tackled by law.

Nov 04, 2012

13:03 (IST)

00:00 Sonia Gandhi on Govt's economic policies
I know that inflation has it the common man

The problem is that the oil prices have quadrupled in in international markets - we import 80% of our requirements.

We have no increased the prices of food grains under the Public Distribution System.
We are also planning on a bill that will guarantee food security.

I ask those who oppose us - has there ever been a government that has balanced rural and urban development?

The Congress' vision is clear and our intent is clear. We must take the country forward.

Nov 04, 2012

12:57 (IST)

00:00 Sonia Gandhi lashes out at the Opposition
Seeing you gather here in such large numbers inspires me and gives me renewed vigour
Our party has provided inspirational leadership
We have been secular, we recognize the diversity of India. We are peerless in this matter
We are confident we'll do well in the upcoming polls.
Some people are still unable to accept the mandate the Congress party received - in 2002 and 2009.
The Opposition has stalled parliament repeatedly, they have run away from debate.
They are mired in corruption charges themselves that is why they are making false allegations.
They want to weaken the democratic edifice of this country , but we will not let them succeed.
They lecture us on corruption but are corrupt themselves
Jo durse ke liye gaddha khodta hai, uske liye kuan tayyar rehta hai

On Corruption
Corruption is a cancer that afflicts the poor. It will be fought through law

Nov 04, 2012

12:49 (IST)

00:00 PM on Corruption:

We are committed to fighting corruption. The parliament is debating the Lokpal Bill.

It is our responsibility to fight corruption but we must not create a situation where honest officers are afraid of taking decisions.

Nov 04, 2012

12:40 (IST)

00:00 PM explains rationale for economic decisions:

It is our dream to work towards an strong and prosperous nation and we will not spare any effort to achieve that
We need many times to adopt the more difficult path rather than take the easy way out because that may be beneficial for the country's future.
(PM defends FDI) This decision is for the betterment of the people. We want our farmers to be happy and prosperous

Nov 04, 2012

12:37 (IST)

00:00 PM: Under Sonia Gandhi's guidance,Congress has worked towards ideals of secularism, social equality for benefit of aam admi

I want to inform you how we are going to help change our nation & also the progress of our nation
People are plagued by unemployment.
We took some decisions recently and some people are trying to mislead the public
No nation can address its biggest challenges without economic development.
We have made efforts to create an investor-friendly environment and have been successful to a large extent
We have set new records in economic growth; we laid special emphasis on infrastructure
We are going create better roads
The Economic development of the country needs to reach the poor & common people
We believe that economic development should enable everyone to get all the basic amenities

Nov 04, 2012

12:31 (IST)

00:00 Highlights of Rahul Gandhi's speech: We have done the best for the common man
For those of you just joining in, here are the highlights of Rahul Gandhi's speech.. PM Manmohan Singh is speaking now

Nov 04, 2012

12:22 (IST)

00:00 Rahul Gandhi promises political changes
The biggest problem with India today is our political system.
The people who run the system are busy mud-slinging at one aother.
No one is raising the fundamental questions The voice of the aam admi is not reaching political echelons.
Till the common man - youth from underprivileged backgrounds - come into politics, change cannot happen
Doors have to open - even within the Congress.
We have to show the way, others can't; they can just oppose.
Who will change the political system? The Congress will.

Nov 04, 2012

12:16 (IST)

00:00 Rahul Gandhi addressing the rally
The world's largest employment programme - MNREGA - has benefitted millions The Opposition talks of corruption but we introduced the RTI Act, that has empowered the Aam Admi to ask questions and demand answers The Opposition has been opposing without thought , without understanding our programmes.

We will soon bring the Right to Food Bill in Parliament. We want to ensure everybody has access to food. We've raised Bhatta Parsaul - the issue of land acquisition from farmers and will continue to.

We will pass the Lokpal Bill. You wait and watch. On the economic situation, PM Manmohan Singhji will speak.

Nov 04, 2012

12:04 (IST)

00:00 JUST IN:
PM, Rahul & Sonia Gandhi arrive for the rally at Ramlila Maidan

Nov 04, 2012

12:02 (IST)

00:00 No slogans for junior leaders, please.
Clear instructions have been read out to all attending the rally- they are only to shout slogans for the PM, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. Maybe, this direction is inspired by recent fight in chattisgarh between General Secretary BK Hariprasad and ex-CM Ajit Jogi over his supporters fighting slogans.

Nov 04, 2012

11:48 (IST)

00:00

NDTV 's Sandeep Phukan says :

Entry into media enclosure was just chaotic. The Ajmeri Gate side of the New Delhi Railway station has almost roads blocked. Even former coal minister Subodh Kant Sahay got blocked.

Nov 04, 2012

11:47 (IST)

00:00 Pink seems to be the colour of congress workers at rally - or at least the ones from Haryana. They say pink means pro- FDI.

Nov 04, 2012

11:36 (IST)

00:00

Mammoth crowd at Congress Mega Rally aat RamLila Maidan. The Party fights back! twitter.com/ShashiTharoor/...
- Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) November 4, 2012

Nov 04, 2012

11:31 (IST)

00:00 And reporting live from Ramlila Maidan is MOS HRD Shashi Tharoor. He tweeted this picture, saying, "Mammoth crowd at Congress Mega Rally at RamLila Maidan. The Party fights back!"

Nov 04, 2012

11:21 (IST)

00:00 The Congress is likely to use the mega rally to list its achievements. It is being held weeks before the Winter Session of Parliament begins and will sound the bugle for the Congress' fight to retain power in 2014. It is also expected to set the party's agenda for an internal brainstorming session planned next weekend, where the party will review the implementation of its manifesto.

Nov 04, 2012

10:17 (IST)

00:00 With thousands streaming in, Delhi Police is in full force at the Ramlila Maidan

Nov 04, 2012

09:57 (IST)

00:00 With the mega rally today, the Delhi Police has issued a traffic advisory on roads to avoid

Nov 04, 2012

09:26 (IST)

00:00 A huge crowd has already gathered at the Ramlila Maidan. Buses full of Congress workers, not just from Delhi, but from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab, have been arriving at the venue since early morning.

Nov 04, 2012

08:59 (IST)

00:00

Nov 04, 2012

08:57 (IST)

00:00 With the big Congress rally today, here are the roads you should try to avoid

Nov 04, 2012

08:53 (IST)

00:00 The crowd builds at Ramlila Maidan ahead of the Congress rally

Nov 04, 2012

08:53 (IST)

00:00 The rally will be a big test for the Delhi Police with several VIPs and a crowd of over a lakh expected at the Ramlila Maidan. Around 10,000 policemen and 700-800 traffic personnel have been deployed in and around the area.

Nov 04, 2012

01:06 (IST)

00:00

Posters portraying Congress president Sonia Gandhi as Goddess Durga with BJP president Nitin Gadkari and Janata Party chief Subramnanian Swamy as evil will be put up at Sunday's rally. The posters, put up by Congress workers in Allahabad, also depicts activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal and yoga guru Baba Ramdev as Ravana.

Nov 04, 2012

00:57 (IST)

00:00

Congress workers erect posters at the Ramlila ground ahead of Sunday's mega rally.

Nov 04, 2012

00:41 (IST)

00:00 PM, Sonia to push reforms agenda at mega rally
The Sunday's rally is also expected to set the agenda for the party's one-day brainstorming session at Surajkund on November 9 in which it plans to discuss current political and economic situation as well as review the implementation of programmes promised in the party manifesto.

Nov 04, 2012

00:33 (IST)

00:00 PM, Sonia Gandhi to push reforms agenda at Congress' mega rally on Sunday
Faced with all-round attack, the Congress is expected to launch its counter-offensive at a rally in Delhi tomorrow in which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, party president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi would be the star speakers.