Former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda, who is under investigation for amassing wealth running into billions of rupees, is learnt to have appointed Justice Y R Meena -- a retired chief justice of the Gujarat high court -- as his legal advisor.
"The Centre will not invite Maoists to talk till they abjure violence," said G K.Pillai, the Home Secretary. Pillai was speaking at a seminar organised by South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA). The other participants were Maoist sympathizer and PUCL, Hyderabad, chairman and eminent human rights lawyer, K.B.Kannabirn, and human rights activists Gautam Navlakha and Shabnam Hashmi.
The central election committee of the party met on Monday to finalize the list of candidates, but the exercise is being done in a vacuum since the party is still unclear of whether it is going ahead with any allies or not. The party is still negotiating with Babulal Marandi for seat sharing, with Ahmed Patel Sonia's political secretary, admitting that discussions are still on with him but so far there is not much headway.
It was more of a reunion of two old friends on Friday with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wasting no time in hosting his "good friend" George W Bush to a sumptuous Indian lunch of prawns, mutton korma, fish curry, lamb chops and a host of other delicacies at his residence 7, Race Course Road.
Even as the big prize of pushing through the women's reservation bill providing 33 per cent reservation for women in parliament and state assemblies continues to remain elusive, the United Progressive Alliance government is going full steam ahead in empowering women at the lower level.
Angered by Congress joining hands with the Left in Siliguri, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Thursday accused its ally of 'breach of trust' in the mayoral elections there and claimed that 'money game' was involved in it.
In fact, no senior leader from Maharashtra is expected to campaign in Amravati for the President's son, who had three months ago put up posters and banners in his constituency stating "ticket pakki, jeet pakki".
The Congress is all set to hardsell itself as probably the only major political party in the world to touch the major milestone of completing 125 years on 28 December 2010, the party will also commemorate the 25th death anniversary of Indira Gandhi on 31st October, 2009.
With political activity hotting up for the assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra, where the Congress is currently in power, ticket aspirants are making a beeline for all the important addresses in the capital.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee spelt out the details of the United Progressive Alliance's austerity measures on Friday, saying he has advised ministers to travel in the Economy Class domestically and in the Business Class during international travel. The Finance Ministry has asked the various ministries to ensure a 10 per cent cut in non- planned expenditure, except in expenses related to security.
Most Congress leaders and Cabinet ministers have already felt the pinch of these measures and resent the fact that Congress president and United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi wants to ground their high-flying ways and curtail their five-star extravagance.
The muscle-flexing by 140 Members of Legislative Assembly of the Congress in Andhra Pradesh, demanding the appointment of late AP Chief Minister Y S Rajshekhara Reddy's son Jaganmohan Reddy as the next CM, has come as a rude jolt to the Congress leadership, according to highly placed sources in the party.The party has realised that the entire power structure in a state should not be handed over to one individual or faction.
She met with Defence Minister A K Antony, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, her political secretary Ahmed Patel and others on Wednesday evening to take stock of the situation.
A new alliance is on the cards and this one involves two of the best-known Jat families of Rajasthan and Haryana.
Irrespective of whether the BJP survives in its present for or not, which Bhagwat believes it will, the RSS chief has set a time frame of 25 to 30 years to bring the Hindu Samaj together. For the moment, the task appears to be to bring the Sangh Parivar together.
Suddenly for Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, sugar does not taste as sweet as it was.
AICC functionary Satyavrat Chaturvedi attacks UPA ally NCP and holds Sharad Pawar responsible for the current problems facing the country.
In Haryana, the split between the Bharatiya Janata Party and Chautala's Indian National Lok Dal worries the Congress.In Maharashtra the main problem of the Congress is the anti-incumbency against its alliance partner the Nationalist Congress Party.
A meeting of the Congress Working Committee, to be held on August 19, is scheduled to discuss price rise and drought. But Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has already held intensive discussions with chief ministers from across India and senior ministers in his Cabinet on drought, price rise and the measures that need to be taken by the government to minimise the effects of drought.It was initially decided that the CWC would be held last week.
In a move which could create ripples, the government may table the Liberhan Commission report along with the Action Taken Report in the winter session of parliament beginning around November 9.
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