Silvassa, Feb 4 : United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi said on Wednesday that India''s neighbour wanted to disrupt peace in the country, and warned of giving a befitting reply.

Addressing a public rally in Silvassa, she said India is identified as a peaceful secular nation, but our "neighbour wants to weaken our strength and destroy unity and brotherhood".

Apparently referring to Pakistan''s latest missive that the terror attacks on Mumbai were not carried out from its soil, Gandhi assured the people that India would defeat the menace of terrorism.

New Delhi, Jan 29 : A meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the highest decision making body of Congress, began at 10:30 a. m. at the residence of party Chief Sonia Gandhi.

The committee will discuss strengthening of alliances, finalisation of the manifesto and preparing a strategy to succeed in the coming Lok Sabha elections.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh did not participate in the meeting for the first time in the recent past, as he is on rest following the coronary by-pass surgery.

The Congress party denied any impact on alliance between Congress and Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh following the joining of SP by former Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) leader and two time state chief minister, Kalyan Singh. However, some Congress leaders expressed reservation on Kalyan Singh factor due to his involvement in demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in 1992.

The Congress in-charge of Uttar Pradesh affairs and party's general secretary Digvijay Singh said, "If Mr. Kalyan Singh now feels sorry for the Babri demolition and repents, and if this alignment leads to weakening the BJP, we won't have concerns."

New Delhi, Jan 24, : Senior Congress leader, Veerappa Moily said on Saturday that Congress will decide soon about former Indian Cricket Captain, Mohammed Azharuddin's desire to join the Congress party.

Moily said, "Azharuddin met Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Pradesh Congress Committee President and me, three days ago and expressed his desire to join the Congress Party."

Moily, who is in charge of Andhra Pradesh in the All India Congress Committee acknowledged that if Congress approves, Mohammed Azharuddin could stand from the Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency.

Jaipur, Jan 21, : All India Congress Committee's General Secretary, Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday said that action against the rebels, who may harm prospects of the party during elections, should be taken before distribution of tickets.

Speaking at the first meeting of Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) functionaries, MLAs, MPs since the formation of the Congress government in Rajasthan under Ashok Gehlot, remarked that one of the problems in the Congress was that those who work for the party and those who harm the party are getting the same treatment.

Congress was quick to welcome him, when former Indian cricket team captain Mohammed Azharuddin expressed his political desire to join the party. Saying that he has been a fine cricketer, Congress was more eager to make Azar contest Lok Sabha election from the party ticket. Yes, these are the hot rumors nowadays in the political circles of Hyderabad.   

Considered as one of the successful captains of India cricket team, leading India to victory in 14 test matches and 103 one-dayers, Mohd Azharuddin was found guilty of match-fixing by a BCCI appointed panel.