Rahul Gandhi attends Congress Core Committee meeting on Telangana

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi attended the Congress Core Committee meeting for the first time on Friday as the top leadership held deliberations to take a concrete view on the Telangana issue.

This is the first time, Rahul Gandhi is attending a meeting of the Congress Core Group as party Vice President. Rahul Gandhi also heads a special group set up by the party for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress Vice President had been organising regular meetings of party leaders of states in AICC to prepare the state units for the polls. On Friday also he held consultations with leaders of poll-bound Rajasthan at the AICC headquarters.

The Congress core group is an interface between the party and the government and is chaired by party president Sonia Gandhi, while Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister P Chidamabaram, Defence Minister A K Antony, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and the Congress President's political secretary Ahmed Patel are its members.

The group usually meets every Friday at the Prime Minister's official residence and formulates opinion on key issues confronting the government.

Sonia Gandhi visits Bodh Gaya blasts site alongwith Shinde

Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi visited the blasts site at Bodh Gaya alongwith Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Wednesday. Both Shinde and Sonia Gandhi reached the revered Mahabodhi Temple - the holy Buddhist shrine - which was targeted by a series of explosions on Sunday and enquired details about the blasts and the progress made so far by the agencies probing the case. Shinde, who is accompanied by top officials of his ministry, also met officials of investigating agencies during his visit. Shinde also had a brief interaction with the media in the presence of Sonia Gandhi.

Sonia Gandhi went to the sites where 10 bombs exploded early Sunday alongwioth the Home Minister and other Congress leaders. The Bodh Gaya temple is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is where the Buddha, who was born in neighbouring Nepal, attained enlightenment about 2,500 years ago.

Whenever any tragedy occurs in the country, Sonia Gandhi used to be first person to reach the place and meet the victims and take stock of the situation. She had visited the state of Uttarakhand where lots of people were affected by the flash floods and so many lives lost. She also had visited a hospital in Kashmir during her visit to the state to meet the injured soldiers in the recent militant attack in Srinagar. 

In the wee hours on Sunday, a series of synchronised blasts took place in the different parts of the temple. Two monks were injured in the incident. Forensic experts and local investigators later found three unexploded bombs from the blasts sites, one even placed 20 feet high on a Buddha statue.

Sonia Gandhi, Shinde during a press conference at Bodh Gaya

Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinder talking to media after visiting the blasts-site at Mahabodhi temple, Bodh Gaya in Bihar alongwith Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Both Shinde and sonia Gandhi condemned the attack at the sacred place. Shinde informed that the NIA has taken over the probe into the serial explosions after Bihar Government's request for the same.

Energetic leader Priyanka Gandhi – the favourite of the common people

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the daughter of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and sister of party Vice President Rahul Gandhi, has a special quality to easily mingle with the masses and win their hearts. Wherever she goes, she gets good gathering of aam aadmi and she talks to them in a very simple by touching language. Priyanka Gandhi has the charisma, energy and the capability as a great mass leader and undoubtedly she is a great leader of the future.

Sonia Gandhi terms Bodh Gaya blasts as cowardly act

New Delhi: Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi condemned the serial blasts at Mahabodhi temple in Bihar and termed it as a cowardly act. The Congress President also expressed hope that the guilty will be brought to book at the earliest. Sonia Gandhi said the attack on the sanctum sanctorum of peace was unfortunate.

"Congress President Sonia Gandhi has condemned the attack at Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya. Terming the incident as cowardly, she said that an attack on the sanctum sanctorum of peace was unfortunate to say the least. She expressed hope that the guilty will be brought to book at the earliest," the AICC release said.
Congress General Secretary and communication department in-charge Ajay Maken earlier said, "We condemn this horrific incident in Bodh Gaya. I urge the state government and other agencies to bring the guilty to justice as soon as possible. We also wish speedy recovery to all the injured."

Terror struck one of the holiest Buddhist shrines, the Mahabodhi Temple, and other places in Bihar's pilgrimage town of Bodh Gaya early today, with suspected Indian Mujahideen operatives simultaneously triggering nine low intensity bombs leaving two monks injured.

A five-member NIA team comprising a DIG and two SPs has reached there by a special plane from New Delhi and began their probe at the temple complex.