Delhi

New Delhi, Mar 16 (PTI) Former Union minister Sharad Yadav announced on Wednesday that his party Loktantarik Janata Dal will merge with Rashtriya Janata Dal on March 20 as part of his efforts to unite various offshoots of the erstwhile Janata Dal.

New Delhi, Mar 15 (PTI) Reflecting the dissensions in the party, senior Congress leaders on Tuesday lashed out at their colleague Kapil Sibal for his remarks against the leadership with the party's Lok Sabha whip accusing him of speaking the language of the BJP and the RSS.

Manickam Tagore, a staunch Rahul Gandhi loyalist, said the RSS and the BJP want the Gandhis to be out of leadership position to kill the Congress party and destroy the idea of India.

New Delhi, Mar 15 (PTI) Congress general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday took 'full responsibility" for the party's defeat in UP at a review meeting to identify shortcomings and chalk out future plans for the politically-crucial state.

"'Priyanka Gandhi without wasting any time has started preparations for Lok Sabha elections," Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate told reporters.

New Delhi, Mar 16 (PTI) Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi attacked social media giant Facebook on Wednesday and alleged that it was "worse for democracy".

Gandhi shared a compilation of news reports on Twitter, accusing the social media giant of helping the BJP reach out to voters during the elections.

"Meta-worse for democracy," Gandhi said on Twitter.

New Delhi, Mar 16 (PTI) A visit to India by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi later this month could be on the cards but there is no finality on it yet, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

There is no official word by the Ministry of External Affairs or the Chinese government on the possible visit.

If the visit takes place, it will be the first trip by a senior Chinese leader to India after the eastern Ladakh standoff between the two countries began in May 2020.

New Delhi, Mar 15 (PTI) The Congress will review on Tuesday its poor performance in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls to understand its shortcomings and chalk out future plans for the politically-crucial state.

AICC general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will chair the review meeting which will be attended by party's top state leaders.

The meeting comes two days after Vadra presented her report regarding the party's drubbing in the polls.

New Delhi, Mar 13 (PTI) Days after its election debacle in five states, the Congress' top decision-making body on Sunday brainstormed over the way forward amid calls for large-scale reforms to revive the party's dwindling electoral fortunes.

Jaipur, Mar 13 (PTI) The Indian voter has always been capable of throwing up surprises and the BJP will also get to know about it one day, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said on Sunday.

His remarks came in the backdrop of the party's debacle and drubbing in the just-concluded assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur.

The Congress could have done much better in Uttarakhand, and in Goa, "we had very good chances of being the single largest party", Tharoor said at the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF).

Chandigarh, Mar 14 (PTI) Punjab chief minister-designate Bhagwant Mann on Monday said he will submit his resignation as a member of parliament.

He is a two-time Lok Sabha MP from Sangrur parliamentary constituency in the state.

New Delhi, Mar 14 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday called on President Ram Nath Kovind during his first visit to the national capital after the BJP registered a thumping victory in the state assembly polls.

Adityanath earlier also met senior BJP leader and Union minister Nitin Gadkari.

"Yogi Adityanath called on President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan," the president's office tweeted and posted pictures of the meeting.