Ghulam Nabi Azad, 71, has major role to play in coming months: Congress

Agencies
February 28, 2021

Cong leaders shower praises on Azad, say he has major role to play in coming  months - Oneindia News

Jammu, Feb 28: Several Congress leaders on Saturday praised party colleague Ghulam Nabi Azad, who retired from the Rajya Sabha recently, with Manish Tewari saying the veteran leader has a major role to play in the coming months as the nation is facing a "threat" to its identity from the ruling BJP.

71 years old Azad retired from the Upper House of Parliament on February 15.

"When this country is facing a threat and attempts are being made to change its identity, we need a leader like Azad and his guidance to take the ship of this country to the shore," Tewari said at a function organised by the Gandhi Global Family here.

"The time has come when progressive, nationalist and secular forces should come together on a single platform. Azad has a major role in this," he said.

The former Union minister said senior Congress leaders are here on the invitation of the Gandhi Global Family to thank Azad, who has held high posts and served the country and the party at various levels over the past four decades.

"Azad is a dedicated Congress party worker and it is not wrong to say that he is the among a few who understand the party as he had been in charge (of party affairs) of various states," Tewari said.

Launching a scathing attack on the BJP-led government at the Centre, he said it is responsible for the prevailing situation in the country due to its alleged misrule over the past six-and-a-half years.

"Jammu and Kashmir was hit hard by its unilateral decision on August 5, 2019. It has never happened in the history of the country that a full-fledged state was bifurcated into Union Territories. J&K has a golden history and is the crown of India and we promise to fight for the restoration of statehood to it," the Congress leader said.

He claimed that the Centre's move was "against the Constitution and justice".

In his address, senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said questions are being raised as regards "why are we here".

"We live in India and it is our right to go anywhere in the country. We do not need permission from anyone. We have come here to give a message that with a person with whom we have spent over 40 years, we are with him," Sharma said.

However, he said, "We have raised our voice to improve the health of the party and strengthen it so that the youth join the party."

"We have seen good times and do not want to see the decline of the party as we grow older. We will take the political fight from Jammu to Nagpur and will fight it together," Sharma said, adding those who are attempting to mislead the public and create a wrong notion should note that "Congress is our identity and we are the identity of Congress".

"We have given our prime to the party and walked a long distance. None of us was dropped by a parachute and we used the doors to enter the party instead of the window. We will strengthen the Congress and become the hope of the people, India will reach new heights," he said.

Showering praises on Azad, Sharma said nobody should be of the opinion that his career is over with his retirement from the Rajya Sabha.

"This was not the right time to retire him from the Rajya Sabha as the country is faced with challenges. We feel the pain of Jammu and Kashmir and will continue with our fight to ensure that the erstwhile state gets its statehood back," he said.

He said this is for the first time after 1950 that the Rajya Sabha has no representative from Jammu and Kashmir after the retirement of Azad.

"The Jammu and Kashmir assembly election has not taken place and none of its representatives has been elected to the Rajya Sabha," he said.

Taking a dig at the BJP, he said India cannot be run on a single ideology.

Another Congress leader Raj Babbar said there are some who are terming them as "G-23" leaders.

"I am saying we are Gandhi-23 and the Congress leaders are with the ideology of Gandhi," he said.

"This G-23 wants a strong Congress and we are determined that Gandhi-23 will work to ensure the party's victory in the upcoming elections in different states," Babbar said.

"The journey of Azad has not finished. It has not even not reached the half-way mark. We need the support of every Gandhian and Congressman to ensure that Azad completes his journey," he said.

Senior Congress leader and former Haryana chief minister Boopinder Singh Hooda described Azad as a nationalist by core.

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News Network
December 7,2025

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Since 1946, the United States has attempted 93 coups or “regime change” operations across the world — including two in Iran, US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack has admitted.

Speaking to the UAE-based IMI Media Group, in remarks published by The National, Barrack said Washington tried twice to overthrow the Iranian government but failed both times. 

“For (Trump) then to be imputed with regime change — we had two regime changes in Iran already. Neither one worked. So I think wisely leave it to the region to solve,” said Barrack, who also serves as the US ambassador to Turkey.

His comments come six months after the US joined Israel in airstrikes against Iran during ongoing indirect nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington.

On June 13, Israel launched an attack on Iran that killed at least 1,064 people and hit civilian infrastructure. Days later, the United States targeted three nuclear facilities — Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan — in what Iran called a clear violation of international law. Iranian retaliation eventually forced a halt to the assault on June 24.

Barrack further claimed that US President Donald Trump and Foreign Secretary Marco Rubio are “not into regime change” and prefer a regional approach driven by Middle Eastern countries themselves. According to him, regional dialogue and non-interference by outside powers offer a more durable path forward.

He added that Washington is still open to an agreement with Tehran if Iranian authorities show “seriousness” and willingness to engage constructively.

However, Iran maintains the US has not shown readiness for meaningful talks. In an interview with Japan’s Kyodo News, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said negotiations could advance only if Washington acknowledges Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear energy and lifts unilateral sanctions.

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News Network
December 2,2025

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Bengaluru: 'Nati koli saaru' (country chicken curry) considered one of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s favourites along with steaming hot idlis was on the breakfast menu at Deputy CM D K Shivakumar’s residence on Tuesday, according to official sources.

The spread also included 'nati koli' fry, vada and pongal, among other items, they said.

In an apparent show of unity, Siddaramaiah visited Shivakumar’s residence for breakfast, just days after the two leaders shared a meal amid a simmering power tussle in the state Congress.

Siddaramaiah drove to the Deputy CM’s residence in Sadashivanagar, where he was received by Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh, who is a former Congress MP.

Suresh and Kunigal MLA H D Ranganath, a relative of Shivakumar, joined them for breakfast, which featured a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Speaking to reporters later, Siddaramaiah said Shivakumar had invited him during his visit to the CM’s residence for breakfast on Saturday.

Asked about the difference between the two meals, the chief minister said, "At his (Shivakumar’s) house it was non-veg, while at my house it was veg. He is a vegetarian, I am a non-vegetarian. I had not prepared non-veg. I told DK to get chicken from the village as you won’t get the original in Bengaluru."

Shivakumar said he had initially invited Siddaramaiah to his residence, but the CM had suggested visiting his place first and reciprocating later. "It was a vegetarian breakfast at the CM’s house on Saturday," he noted.

"Today, I invited him (the CM) to my house. He enjoyed the breakfast, which had his Mysuru taste," Shivakumar added. At this point, Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar’s wife is also from Mysuru.

Saturday’s breakfast at Siddaramaiah’s official residence, held as part of efforts by the Congress high command to ease tensions in the leadership dispute between the two, reportedly included idlis and sambar, according to official sources.

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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