Tempers ran high and heated exchanges were witnessed as journalists on Friday debated the issue of media ethics in the background of lobbyist Niira Radia's tapped conversation with leading scribes, published by two weekly magazines.
The Congress on Thursday made it clear that it has no intention of interfering in the ongoing investigations in the Commonwealth Games scam, even if the Central Bureau of Investigation wanted to question CWG Organising Committee Chairman and Congress leader Suresh Kalmadi."Our party's stance is clear; it will not interfere in any criminal investigations that is being conducted by the CBI or any other agency. The law will take its own course," said a Cong leader.
Commonwealth Games (CWG) OC secretary general Lalit Bhanot and director general V K Verma face arrest after the duo is reportedly not co-operating with the CBI during investigations.
Actor Aamir Khan created a flutter in the Parliament complex when he alighted from Sachin Pilot's car at gate number 4 and rushed towards Prime Minister's office around 1230 hrs on Wednesday afternoon.
With the deadlock in Parliament continuing, Members of Parliament from non-National Democratic Alliance opposition parties on Friday approached President Pratibha Patil urging her to "advise" the government to accept the demand for a joint parliamentary committee probe into the 2G Spectrum scam.
Home Minister P Chidambaram has asked the Central Bureau of Investigation and Central Board of Direct Taxes to probe the leakage of the conversations between corporate lobbyist Niira Radia, leading business tycoons and media persons.The tapes, first leaked by a national magazine, have now found their way to several media organisations and journalists.On Monday, the apex court directed the government to probe the leakage of the tape.
Chief of the Indian Olympic Association, Suresh Kalmadi, who returned to India along with members of the Indian Asian games contingent from China late on Sunday night, called on the speaker of Lok Sabha Meira Kumar on Monday told her about the performance of Indians athletes in the recently concluded Asian Games and also sought her seek her permission to make a statement on the CWG scam to clear his position.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley on Wednesday described the Bihar election results as the victory of hope over fear and optimism over pessimism.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley on Wednesday congratulated the people of Bihar for rejecting dynasty politics and voting for the development work undertaken by the coalition government of BJP and Janata Dal United.He also hailed the work done by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi for the state.Jaitley said the election results have showed that the politics of Bihar has changed.
Janata Party president Subramaniam Swamy, whose PIL on 2G scam came up for hearing before the division bench of the Supreme Court, on Tuesday dared the Congress to take legal action against him."You are telling me that the Congress is planning to take action against me? You should have asked them why they don't carry out their threats and translate them into reality," Swamy said.
The deadlock over the 2G spectrum scam continued when the opposition rejected the government's offer of a probe by the Public Accounts Committee into the scam. Finance minister Pranab Mukherjhee had called for a luncheon meet on Monday afternoon to try and break the dealock which has paralysed parliamentary for the past eight days, where the opposition's repeated call for a Joint Parliamentary Committee has not allowed any business to be transacted in either house.
Minister of State for Communication and Information Technology Sachin Pilot on Monday said that the Congress was contemplating taking legal action against Janata Party president Dr Subramaniam Swamy for making 'allegations' against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Gandhi family on 'flimsy grounds'."All the allegations that he has been making in the 2G spectrum case, particularly against the prime minister and others, are totally baseless and unwarranted," he said.
Dr Subramanian Swamy, president of the Janata Party, who filed the Public Interest Litigation in the Supreme Court of India said that the affidivit filed in the apex court on Friday by the government's lawyers on Friday, vidicates his stand on the 2G scam. The Congress has accused Swamy of trying to destablise the Union government.
Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is likely to meet the leaders of the opposition parties again on Monday morning in his bid to break the impasse between the government and the opposition parties that has disrupted functioning of both houses of Parliament since the session began on November 9.
The Bharatiya Janata Party is gearing up to launch a fresh attack on the ruling United Progressive Alliance at a major news conference on Thursday afternoon. Meanwhile, Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal defended Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the 2G row, saying irrespective of what the concerned minister says, the PM is not liable for his actions. The Congress Core Committee is scheduled to discuss the spectrum row later in the evening.
'He is trying to divert attention. The media is creating unnecessary hype. When Raja says he was doing things at PMO's behest it does not necessarily mean that the prime minister is involved. Dr Manmohan Singh is a person who needs to be revered than merely praised,' says Constitutional expert Fali S Nariman.
The Communist Party of India - Marxist may support the Bharatiya Janata Party's demand for a probe by the Joint Parliamentary Committee into the allegations of corruption against former telecom minister A Raja."We are of the view the government must agree to the Opposition's demand for holding a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the telecom scam. If that cannot be done, than the govt must come up with an alternative mechanism to unearth the truth," said a CPM leader.
The Comptroller and Auditor General's report on the 2G spectrum scam has been tabled in Parliament. The report was tabled in the Rajya Sabha by Minister of State for Finance (EB&I) Namo Narayan Meena. The report was placed in the Loks Sabha by Minister of State for Finance (Revenue) SS Palanimanickam.
Deputy leader of the Bhartiya Janata Party in Rajya Sabha, S S Ahluwalia made it clear during his interaction with mediapersons on Saturday that his party would settle for nothing less than a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe in the 2G telecom scam.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday hit out at Opposition parties for stalling the proceedings of Parliament, after their demand for a probe by the Joint Parliamentary Committee into the spectrum scandal was not accepted by the government.Reacting to a question on whether Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would make a statement on the resignation of Telecom Minister A Raja over the 2G spectrum scam, Pranab lost his cool.
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