Orissa Youth Congress chief quits

May 16th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Orissa on Saturday said it would explore "all possibilities" after the results. "We stand by what we had said earlier," BJD secretary general Damodar Rout said, adding that his party was hoping to form the government of its own in the state and would support a non-BJP and non-Congress government in the centre.

May 16th, 2009 BHUBANESHWAR - Biju Janata Dal (BJD) head and Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik after his party's tremendous position at the polls here on Saturday said he would not support either a Congress or a BJP-led government at the Centre. "The BJD will not be supporting a Congress-led or a BJP-led government at the Centre.

April 15th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi Wednesday blamed the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's government for the communal violence in Orissa last year. 'Clashes took place in the name of religion in Kandhamal and elsewhere and the state government was responsible for spreading disharmony and hatred,' Gandhi told an election rally in Kendrapada town, about 100 km from here.

April 8th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - The Nationalist Congress Party alliance with the Left parties and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is 'only Orissa-specific', NCP chief Sharad Pawar said here Wednesday. 'Our arrangement is only Orissa-specific,' Pawar told a press conference here, addressed jointly with Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik.

April 8th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - The Nationalist Congress Party alliance with the Left parties and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Orissa is 'only Orissa-specific', NCP chief Sharad Pawar said here Wednesday. 'Our arrangement is only Orissa-specific,' Pawar told a press conference, addressed jointly with Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik.

April 2nd, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Congress president Sonia Gandhi Thursday slammed the Naveen Patnaik-led Orissa government for its failure on several fronts, as she kicked off her party's campaign in the state. Addressing a rally at Jamunda village in state's Bargarh district, some 385 km from here, Gandhi criticised the state government for taking credit for the schemes launched by the central government.

March 25th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - The Orissa chief of the Youth Congress quit Wednesday and joined the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Rohit Pujari joined the party with hundreds of supporters, BJD general secretary Damodar Rout told reporters.

March 24th, 2009 NEW DELHI - They may have been picked to woo the youth. Or it's possible that a whole new generation of young Congress leaders in Punjab has direct access to party general secretary Rahul Gandhi.

March 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A lot can happen in 24 hours, as Kerala Youth Congress president T. Siddique has just discovered.

March 14th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Friday opposed the Congress party's demand for president's rule in Orissa after allegations of foul play in the trust vote. 'The politburo of the CPI-M strongly opposes the demand to impose president's rule in Orissa,' it said and warned the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the centre that 'it should not resort to any such blatant partisan measure.' Leaders of the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Thursday met Orissa Governor M.C.

March 12th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - The Congress on Tuesday sought the President's intervention in the trial of strength of the BJD government in Orissa. The Campaign Committee Chairman of the State Congress Srikanta Jena also demanded the Election Commission's intervention, saying it was violative of the Model Code of Conduct.

March 11th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) suffered yet another blow in Orissa Tuesday when one of its legislators resigned from the party, saying he would vote for the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government in Wednesday's trust vote. 'I have resigned from the BJP and I will vote for the government,' Mahesh Sahu, who was elected twice from the Talcher constituency in Angul district, told reporters days after the ruling BJD snapped ties with ally BJP.

January 29th, 2009 LUCKNOW - Close on the heels of the Congress party's announcement that it would field a number of youth in the forthcoming Lok Sabha poll, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Friday said her party would give youth 50 percent of its poll tickets. 'Encouraging youths is a long-term policy of the BSP and in the interests of the country and 'Sarvasamaj' (the entire society), the party will provide 50 percent of tickets for the Lok Sabha poll to youth,' a press release cited Mayawati as saying.

January 27th, 2009 AHMEDABAD - Congress general secretary and MP Rahul Gandhi is visiting this Gujarat city Friday to woo youths in the state to join the party, a senior Congress party leader said Wednesday. The Congress is conducting party elections in the state for its youth wing, said Ashok Tanwar, president of the All India Youth Congress.

January 23rd, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Former state minister Rama Chandra Ulaka was Saturday named the new Congress legislative party leader in Orissa, a senior leader said. 'Ulaka will be our new Congress legislative party leader,' Jayadev Jena told IANS.