The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), reacting to Congress veteran leader Anand Sharma's bombshell on the party's caste census push, on Thursday said that the party leaders are not on the same page despite its top brass making a strong pitch on the issue and also going at great lengths in mobilizing public support on it.
BJP national spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad, speaking to the media on the IANS newsbreak, said, "Truth is coming out now, people within the Congress are not on board."
When quizzed further, the BJP leader mockingly said, "Congress leaders will have to now clarify their stand on the caste census issue."
Notably, IANS in exclusive possession of Anand Sharma's letter to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, first reported about the fresh cracks within the party over caste census.
"Congress has never engaged in nor endorsed identity politics and the proposed caste census can neither be a panacea nor a solution for unemployment and prevailing inequalities," wrote Anand Sharma, also a member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC).
The voices of dissent within the party couldn't have come at a worse time for the party. While the top Congress leadership held a joint presser on Thursday, accusing the government of freezing its funds and crippling it financially, the letter by Anand Sharma caught the party off unawares.
The veteran Congress leader dubbed Rahul Gandhi's caste census pitch as a "departure from the historic position of the party and also amounting to disrespecting the legacy of former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.”
Rs 25,000 crore corpus for maritime fund to boost shipbuilding in Budget 2025-26
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, presenting the Budget for 2025-26, on Saturday proposed setting up a Maritime Development Fund with a corpus of Rs 25,000 crore for the long-term financing of the maritime industry.
Preparations for PM Modi's US visit after Paris AI Summit enters final stages
India and the United States continue to work on an "early visit" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington this month, that could possibly take place immediately after his participation in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit hosted by France at the Grand Palais in Paris on February 10 and 11.
Old vs New Tax regime: What has changed for middle class in Budget 2025-26
In a major move to ease the tax burden on middle-class taxpayers, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday announced fresh tax slabs under the New Tax regime in the Union Budget 2025-26.
Big leap in tax exemption limit: Modi govt breaks away from UPA’s style of offering small reliefs
The Narendra Modi government 3.0 has continued the focus on income tax relief for the salaried class initiated by the NDA government in 2014, breaking away from the UPA’s practice of offering small doses of tax savings to the middle class.
FM Sitharaman goes for big push to job-led inclusive growth in Budget 2025-26
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday presented the Budget 2025-26 in the Parliament with an aim at accelerating employment-led inclusive growth, propelled by investments in the agricultural and rural sector, MSMEs and exports while sticking to the fiscal consolidation path.
Rs 1 lakh crore Urban Challenge Fund to implement ‘Cities as Growth Hubs’
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Budget 2025-2026 in the Parliament on Saturday, said that the Government will set up an Urban Challenge Fund of Rs 1 lakh crore to implement the proposals for ‘Cities as Growth Hubs’, ‘Creative Redevelopment of Cities’ and ‘Water and Sanitation’ announced in the July Budget.
Union Budget: FM exempts basic customs duty on 36 life-saving drugs; boosts medical tourism
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday announced exemptions on basic customs duty on 36 life-saving drugs and also gave a big boost to medical tourism.
Two Israeli hostages released after 484 days by Hamas
Israel on Saturday announced the release of two hostages -- Ofer Calderon and Yardan Bibas -- by Hamas in the Gaza Strip after 484 days of abduction.