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Congress lists 3 options before Patidar Andolan leaders over quota demand

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Nominees of Hardik Patel-led Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) hold late night talks with Congress delegation led by Kapil Sibal on reservation for Patels

With barely a month left before the first phase of polling for the 182-member Gujarat Assembly, the Congress party is literally burning the midnight oil to finalise its alliance with Hardik Patel’s Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) in a bid to secure their endorsement for its bid at power.

Late on Wednesday night, a Congress delegation led by senior party leader Kapil Sibal held talks with PAAS representatives – though Hardik Patel chose to skip the meet – to discuss their demand for carving out a reservation policy that would enable the state’s politically crucial 18 percent Patidar/Patel population to seek government jobs and seats in educational institutions under a clearly defined quota.

The meeting that began shortly after 11.30 pm on Wednesday night in Ahmedabad continued almost till 2 am on Thursday. At the end of the deliberations, PAAS leaders claimed that the Congress had laid out before them three options through which the sticky issue of carving out the reservation – beyond the existing Supreme Court mandated cap of a total of 49 per cent – can be resolved.

Hardik Patel had made it clear to the Congress leadership that an endorsement from him and the PAAS for the party’s election campaign in Gujarat will come only after the grand old party clearly lays out its plan on how it would bypass the 49 per cent cap for reservations to grant a new quota that will largely benefit the Patidar community.

“We have been given three options by the Congress party on how to provide reservation to our community in educational institutions and government jobs,” PAAS convener Dinesh Bambhania said after the meeting.

Though the details of the options laid out by the Congress are being kept a secret, Bambhania said that the PAAS leaders will “discuss these with Hardik Patel, social leaders of the community, legal experts and then place them before our community.” The PAAS convener said that if any of the options listed by the Congress is found legally tenable and is also accepted by the Patidar community, then talks with the Congress over backing it in the upcoming elections will continue.

“The Congress proposal has not touched 49 per cent reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes which exists in the state. The options that have been given are over and above it,” Bambhania said, while adding that an earlier offer made by the party of carving out a quota “under the Economically Backward Class” category has been rejected by PAAS “as it is not constitutionally valid”.

Congress leader Kapil Sibal who led the talks from his party’s end expressed hope that the discussions will lead to a positive outcome soon and added: “we have discussed all the aspects and will do all the things (to provide reservation to the Patidar community) as per the Constitution.”

Another meeting between the Congress and PAAS leaders, Sibal said, would be convened over the next 2-3 days to take the talks forward.

The polling for the two-phase Gujarat elections will take place on December 9 and 14 and votes will be counted on December 18.

Promising Hardik Patel and his PAAS comrades a reservation for Patidars in Gujarat will not be an easy choice for the Congress as in doing so the party risks alienating backwards castes, Dalits and adivasis who currently enjoy benefits of reservation and could see such a commitment as one that impinges on their constitutionally mandated right. This is why the Congress and even the PAAS leaders have made it clear that the Patidar reservation formula must leave the existing reservation system in the state untouched.

In Gujarat, OBCs comprise 146 castes and make up around 40 per cent of the state’s population. They have a 27 per cent quota in government jobs and education. The scheduled castes are entitled to a 7 per cent quota while the 15 per cent has been reserved for scheduled tribes. This makes a total of 49 per cent reserved seats in the state which is just under the 50 per cent reservation cap set by the Supreme Court.

The Congress has roped in OBC leader Alpesh Thakore within its ranks while popular Dalit leader from the state, Jignesh Mevani has assured Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi that he will ask his supporters to “not vote for the BJP” in the largely bi-polar state. If the Congress also manages to get Hardik’s endorsement during the upcoming election, it hopes that its 22-year-long exile from the seat of power in the BJP ruled state could come to an end.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Stalin reminds PM Modi’s statements as Gujarat CM after his crying for funds remark

During the event, Stalin inaugurated over 6,700 completed projects worth ₹1,166 crore in Tiruvallur, laid foundations for 7,300 new initiatives, and distributed welfare benefits to 2.02 lakh residents.

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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday took aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a government event in Ponneri, Tiruvallur district, invoking Modi’s own words as Gujarat’s Chief Minister to counter recent remarks about Tamil Nadu’s demands for funds.

Addressing a gathering, Stalin refuted Modi’s claim from a Rameswaram visit that Tamil Nadu leaders were “crying” for central funds regardless of allocations.

“With utmost respect, I remind the Prime Minister of his own stance as Gujarat CM, when he said states aren’t beggars pleading for Union handouts,” Stalin said.

He recalled Modi’s criticism of the Centre’s partisan fund allocations and accusations of Governors running “parallel governments” in opposition-ruled states. “When Tamil Nadu seeks its rightful share, how is it ‘crying’? I’m asserting our state’s rights, not groveling. I learned this from our leader Kalaignar [Karunanidhi],” Stalin asserted.

Minister S.M. Nasar, MPs S. Jagathrakshakan and Sasikanth Senthil, legislators T.J. Govindarajan, Durai Chandrasekar, S. Chandran, V.G. Raajendran, A. Krishnaswamy, K. Ganapathy, S. Sudharsanam, Collector M. Prathap, and senior officials attended the event.

Stalin also challenged Shah’s recent Chennai statement that Tamil Nadu’s demands were “diversionary tactics.” He posed pointed questions to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, “Can you exempt Tamil Nadu from NEET? Guarantee no Hindi imposition? Ensure our representation isn’t reduced post-delimitation? Specify the funds allocated to our state?”

Stalin emphasised that Tamil Nadu’s fight is for all states’ rights, citing the DMK’s landmark Supreme Court victory against Governor R.N. Ravi’s delay in approving Bills. “This historic ruling shows we act when the Centre fails,” he said.

Highlighting national awareness of Tamil Nadu’s struggle, Stalin dismissed Shah’s accusations of diversion, urging, “If our demands are distractions, why haven’t you addressed them clearly?” He underscored the state’s resolve to protect its interests, rooted in principles of federalism and justice championed by DMK’s legacy.

During the event, Stalin inaugurated over 6,700 completed projects worth ₹1,166 crore in Tiruvallur, laid foundations for 7,300 new initiatives, and distributed welfare benefits to 2.02 lakh residents.

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Priyanka Gandhi accompanies Robert Vadra to ED office for second day in Gurugram land probe

Robert Vadra, husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, appeared before the ED for the second day in the Gurugram land case.

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Robert Vadra Priyanka Gandhi

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accompanied her husband Robert Vadra to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office on Wednesday as he appeared for questioning for the second consecutive day in connection with the Gurugram land case.

Mr Vadra, the brother-in-law of Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, was seen exchanging a hug with Ms Gandhi before entering the ED office. He is under scrutiny in a money laundering probe linked to a 2008 land deal in Manesar-Shikohpur area, now known as Sector 83 of Gurugram.

Focus of the probe: land deal from Congress tenure in Haryana

The investigation stems from a land transaction executed by Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd, a company in which Mr Vadra was formerly a director. In February 2008, Skylight purchased 3.5 acres of land from Onkareshwar Properties for ₹7.5 crore. At that time, Haryana was governed by a Congress-led administration under then Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

In September 2012, four years after the acquisition, Skylight sold the same land to real estate developer DLF for ₹58 crore. The deal later drew public attention after senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka, who was then heading the Land Consolidation and Land Records department in Haryana, cancelled the land mutation, citing violations of the State Consolidation Act and procedural discrepancies.

Haryana Police registered an FIR to examine the deal in 2018, further intensifying the legal scrutiny.

ED questions Vadra under PMLA

On Tuesday, Mr Vadra was questioned for nearly five hours by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), during which his statement was recorded. The businessman has consistently maintained that the case is part of a political vendetta and emphasized that he has cooperated fully with all investigative agencies, submitting numerous documents over the years.

Calling for a closure to what he described as a decades-old matter, Mr Vadra said cases like these should not be allowed to drag on indefinitely.

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Congress slams PM Modi, Amit Shah after ED files chargesheet against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi

The ED’s chargesheet has accused the Congress leaders of money laundering under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

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The Congress on Tuesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah after the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) chargesheet against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and others in the National Herald case.

Labelling it a blatant act of vendetta politics, the grand old party also condemned the seizure of the newspaper’s assets as a “state-sponsored crime disguised as justice,” vowing to fight back against what it calls an attempt to silence its leadership.

In a fiery statement on X, Congress general secretary in charge of communication Jairam Ramesh accused PM Modi and Shah of orchestrating a campaign of intimidation. “Filing chargesheets against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and others is nothing but the politics of vendetta gone wild,” Ramesh posted. “Seizing National Herald’s assets is a mockery of the rule of law.”

Hitting out at Shah, the Congress leader accused him of going “completely berserk.” He asserted that the Indian National Congress and its leadership refuse to be silenced, stating: “Satyameva Jayate.”

The ED’s chargesheet has accused the Congress leaders of money laundering under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Alongside Sonia and Rahul, it names Congress figures Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda. Special Judge Vishal Gogne reviewed the document for cognisance, scheduling further proceedings for April 25, with the filing handled by ED’s special public prosecutor, N.K. Matta.

Ramesh asserted that the Congress remains undeterred, promising, “We will not be silenced, and the truth will triumph.” The chargesheet reignites a long-standing legal battle tied to the National Herald, a newspaper associated with the Congress since India’s independence era.

The Delhi Rouse Avenue Court has scheduled a hearing for arguments on the ongoing National Herald case for April 25, 2025.

During a recent session, the presiding judge stated, “The present prosecution complaint shall next be taken up for consideration on the aspect of cognisance before this court on April 25, 2025, when the special counsel for the ED and the investigating officer will ensure the production of case diaries for the court’s examination.”

The prosecution complaint, lodged under Sections 44 and 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) of 2002, pertains to allegations of money laundering, as outlined in Section 3, in conjunction with Section 70, and is punishable under Section 4 of the same act, as per the report.

This case has garnered significant attention, following a complaint filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy against Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul, their associated companies, and other individuals involved.

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