#ajayrai

Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai was rushed to the hospital after his health suddenly deteriorated during a public event, triggering concern across political circles. He is currently admitted to Medanta Hospital, where doctors say his condition is stable but under close observation.

According to sources, Rai experienced chest pain, anxiety, and dizziness while attending a conference of teachers and doctors. His condition worsened shortly after the event, and he reportedly fainted, prompting immediate medical attention.

A team of specialists from cardiology and internal medicine is monitoring him closely, conducting necessary tests including ECG and blood work. Doctors have described his condition as stable for now, with the next 24 hours being crucial.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed concern over Rai’s health, wishing him a speedy recovery in a public message, reflecting nationwide attention to the incident.

Notably, just before falling ill, Ajay Rai had criticized the government over rising commercial LPG prices—adding a political dimension to the situation.

The news has sparked anxiety among Congress workers and supporters, many of whom have gathered at the hospital, while social media is flooded with wishes for his recovery.

A fresh political controversy broke out on Monday after Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai used a toy Rafale fighter jet adorned with ‘nimbu-mirchi’ (lemon and green chillies) to criticise the Modi government’s response to the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.

Speaking at a press conference, Rai accused the Centre of inaction following the deadly attack. “Terrorist activities are on the rise, and our youth are paying the price with their lives. The government keeps boasting about Rafale jets, but they remain grounded with nimbu-mirchi hanging on them. When will action be taken against terrorists and their supporters?” Rai questioned, holding up the toy aircraft.

The use of ‘nimbu-mirchi’—a traditional charm in India believed to ward off evil—was a pointed reference to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s 2019 shastra puja in France, where he placed lemons under a Rafale jet as part of the ceremonial induction.

The BJP responded swiftly and sharply, accusing Rai and the Congress of undermining the morale of the armed forces.

“Ajay Rai, the UP Congress President, is trending in Pakistani media. This shows the Congress party's alignment with anti-national narratives,” BJP MP Nishikant Dubey posted on X (formerly Twitter), calling it a "conspiracy to weaken the morale of our forces."

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala alleged the remarks were part of a pattern. “From Channi to Priyank Kharge, RJD MP Sudhakar Singh, and now Ajay Rai – this is not a coincidence, but collaboration to demoralise our forces,” he said.

Echoing the criticism, BJP leader Pradeep Bhandari claimed the Congress had become a "spokesperson of Pakistan" in India. “Rahul Gandhi’s close aide Ajay Rai mocks our forces. This is the mindset of the Pakistani Congress,” he said.

Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar joined the attack, stating, “This toy Rafale is all the Congress will play with for the next 15 years. Anti-national statements are part of their DNA.”

Despite the backlash, Rai remained defiant. “The country has the right to ask: when will the government act against terrorism? Rajnath Singh himself used nimbu-mirchi on Rafale. I’m only asking when will we see that jet take flight against our enemies?” he said.

Rai also found support from within the Congress and allies in the INDIA bloc. Congress MP Imran Masood stated, “Now is the time to remove the nimbu-mirchi and send a message to Pakistan they’ll remember for generations.”

Samajwadi Party leader Ashutosh Verma criticised the BJP’s reaction. “If Rajnath Singh places nimbu-mirchi, it's tradition. If the opposition highlights it, it's anti-national? We want Rafale to be used effectively to respond to terrorism,” he said.

The grieving families of the ‘satsang’ stampede victims who met Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi in Hathras and Aligarh said the Congress leader has assured them he will make efforts to get their compensation enhanced.

The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha also assured that he would raise the stampede issue in Parliament in a bid to prevent such incidents in the future, they said.

Gandhi met with some families first in Aligarh’s Pilkhana village around 7.30 am and then in Hathras’ Vibhav Nagar area around 9 am, hours after he began his pre-dawn journey from Delhi, accompanied by some party leaders, to console the families of those killed in the Tuesday incident.

His meetings with the families in the two neighbouring districts in western Uttar Pradesh took place amid deployment of large number of security personnel by the state police.

Hari Mohan, a resident of Nai ka Nagla locality in Hathras, lost his paternal aunt Omvati, 55, in the stampede.

“Rahul Gandhi interacted with us, extended his sympathies. He said he would make effort to get the compensation amount for victims enhanced,” Mohan told PTI.

Mrityunjay Bharti, 22, lost her maternal grandmother Asha Devi, around 55, in the tragedy. Bharti, who lives in Aligarh, has come to Hathras to be with her relatives who live in the city’s Navipur area.

“He (Gandhi) spoke to us and tried to understand our issues. He said he would raise the issue in Parliament so that such incidents do not happen in future,” Bharti told PTI.

In Aligarh’s Pilkhana village, Monu, a family member of the deceased, when asked about’s Gandhi visit, said, “He also said that he will try his best to help (us), and will talk to the government as his party is not in power.”

Khusboo, who lost her mother, said she was assured of help during the interaction with the former Congress president.

Another woman, who lost her sister-in-law in the stampede, told reporters, “He (Rahul Gandhi) told us that the (Congress) party will help us, and assured us help. He also inquired from us how it (the incident) took place.”

According to police, of the 121 people who died due to the stampede on July 2, 17 were from Aligarh and 19 were from Hathras.

The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday formed a three-member judicial commission headed by a retired high court judge to probe the Hathras tragedy, looking also into the possibility that a conspiracy was behind the stampede.

The government has also announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the kind of those killed and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

The police are investigating the matter and have so far arrested six volunteers who were members of the organising committee of the satsang of Surajpal alias Narayan Sakar Hari alias Bhole Baba on July 2 in Fulrai village of Hathras.

Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will be visiting Hathras in Uttar Pradesh, where 121 people have been killed in a stampede during a religious congregation two days ago, senior party leader K C Venugopal said .

Terming the tragedy as an “unfortunate incident”, Venugopal, Congress General Secretary (Organisation) said Gandhi, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, will interact with the affected people during his visit. The Uttar Pradesh government has announced a judicial probe into the Hathras tragedy.

Police have lodged an FIR against the organizers of the congregation, accusing them of hiding evidence and flouting conditions, with 2.5 lakh people gathering for the event, exceeding the permitted capacity of 80,000.

Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai told PTI that Gandhi will also meet the family members of the victims.

“Our leader Rahul Gandhi will visit Hathras on Friday. He will meet the family members of the victims of the incident,” said Rai.

Earlier in the day, Rai blamed the state government for the incident. The stampede occurred at the satsang of self-styled godman Narayan Sakar Hari, also known as Bhole Baba, on Tuesday.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi will keep the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh and vacate the Wayanad seat in Kerala from where his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will contest, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said on Monday.

Kharge was speaking to reporters after the Congress’ top leadership held discussions on the issue at his residence in New Delhi.

“Rahul Gandhi won from two Lok Saba seats but as per the law, he has to vacate one. Rahul Gandhi will retain Rae Bareli and we have decided that Priyanka ji will fight from Wayanad,” the Congress president said.

Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and party general secretaries K C Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were among those present during the discussions.

After the decision, Rahul Gandhi said both Rae Bareli and Wayanad “will get two MPs”.

Rahul Gandhi had won from Wayanad and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituencies and he has to vacate one of the seats within 14 days of the Lok Sabha results, which came out on June 4.

“I won’t let the people of Wayanad feel Rahul’s absence,” Priyanka Gandhi said.

After days of hectic consultations INDIA alliance partners Samajwadi Party and Congress have finally announced a tie-up for the Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, with UP’s main opposition party leaving 17 out of the 80 seats in the state for the ally.

In Madhya Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party will contest on a single seat, Khajuraho, and support the Congress in the remaining constituencies in the state.

Among the 17 seats on which the Congress will contest in UP included Raebareli , Amethi, once considered pocket boroughs of the party, and Varanasi which is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency.

The seat-sharing announcement was made at a joint press conference in Lucknow by SP state chief Naresh Uttam Patel, SP national general secretary Rajendra Chaudhary, Congress state president Ajay Rai and All India Congress Committee in-charge of UP Avinash Pande.

Congress Uttar Pradesh in-charge Avinash Pande said , “I am delighted to tell you that it has been decided that in Uttar Pradesh the INC will contest on 17 seats and the remaining 63 seats will have candidates of INDIA Alliance – from SP and other parties.”

SP state president Patel said, “The Congress will contest on 17 seats in UP and on the rest of the 63 seats, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav will decide candidates.”

Apart from Raebareli, Amethi and Varanasi, the other seats on which the Congress will be contesting included Kanpur City, Fatehpur Sekri, Basgaon, Saharanpur, Prayagraj, Maharajganj, Amroha, Jhansi, Bulandshahr, Ghaziabad, Mathura, Sitapur, Barabanki and Deoria, Patel said.