The events and the political line-up are eerily reminiscent of 1987 when the then finance minister, V P Singh, quit the Rajiv Gandhi government, launched a movement against corruption that was supported by both the Left parties and the Bharatiya Janata Party and eventually went on to become the prime minister in 1989.
Union ministers fanned out across the country to highlight the crackdown on black money to mark the first anniversary of demonetisation on Wednesday which the Bharatiya Janata Party celebrated as "Anti Black Money Day" while the Congress-led Opposition observed it as "Black Day" with street protests.
The Left parties on Thursday came down heavily on the government for deciding on a series of second- generation of reforms, saying they would fight to defeat these policy measures when they are brought in Parliament.
A key meeting of senior United Progressive Alliance government ministers and political parties, including the Congress and its Left allies, failed to secure a political consensus on the showpiece Special Economic Zones initiative.
Asked about reports about candidature of actor Amitabh Bachchan for the post of President, Amar Singh said he or Samajwadi Party never announced that Amitabh would be the candidate for the post.
A B Bardhan, general secretary of the Communist Party of India, had gone on record that the Left parties would like Chatterjee to be the official presidential candidate.
The incident reportedly took place at Salem during the actor-politician's visit to participate in a consultative meeting there for the May 16 Tamil Nadu assembly polls.
In a joint statement, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and others alleged that the UPA government has "stuck cruel blows on the people one after another" by raising diesel price, limiting subsidised cooking gas, opening up of multi-brand retail and disinvestment of PSUs.
Left parties on Friday opposed the hike in diesel price with the Communist Party of India-Marxist terming it a "gigantic fraud" and decided to hold protests across the country while targeting thr Trinamool Congress for its "double standard" on the issue.
Stoking a controversy, the West Bengal government has banned English and mass-circulation Bengali dailies at state-sponsored and aided libraries in the state which will make available only eight selected newspapers.
Hamid Ansari may not have made it to Rashtrapati Bhavan but he may become the second Indian to get a consecutive term as vice president.
A gaffe by Congress Parliamentary Party's secretariat on the schedule of CPP meeting left party chief Sonia Gandhi the sole invitee to a cancelled meeting in Parliament on Friday morning.
Bowing to the Left pressure, the government is understood to have accepted certain proposals of its outside supporters to amend the pension bill including having public sector fund managers
Left parties were on Thursday divided on the Presidential election with the Communist Party of India-Marxist and Forward Bloc deciding to support United Progressive Alliance candidate Pranab Mukherjee while the Communist Party of India and Revolutionary Socialist Party opting to abstain from the voting.
Top leadership of the Communist Party of India-Marxist on Thursday met to firm up its strategy for the Presidential poll ahead of the Left parties meeting in New Delhi amidst indications that the party is mulling either to support United Progressive Alliance candidate Pranab Mukherjee or abstain from the July 19 poll.
Repeated disruptions in Lok Sabha by Congress members from Andhra Pradesh over Telangana issue and suspension of eight MPs saw Bharatiya Janata Party and Left parties hitting out at the government for this unprecedented situation while the ruling party justified its stand.
United Progressive Alliance nominee Hamid Ansari appears set to get a second term as Vice President by emerging a clear winner against National Democratic Alliance's Jaswant Singh in a direct contest for the post on Tuesday.
Sources said a meeting of heads of the oil marketing companies -- Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum -- was called off.
Rediff.com brings you a combined update of the effect of Thursday's Bharat bandh, called by the National Democratic Alliance, Left parties and Samajwadi Party to protest against the latest hike in petrol prices, from various parts of the country.
Photographs of how Bharat observed the Bandh, from across the country.
Banks witnessed thin business in the nation's financial capital on Thursday following the nationwide bandh called by NDA and Left parties against the steep hike in petrol prices last week.
While corruption and inflation have made life difficult for the common man, the government's decision to hike petrol prices has only added fuel to fire, anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare has said. "My activists will support the Bharat Bandh called by the BJP and Left parties on May 30 to protest the petrol price hike," Hazare said while addressing a public meeting.
After having decided to abstain from voting in the Presidential poll, the Communist Party of India on Wednesday extended support to United Progressive Alliance's nominee Hamid Ansari for his re-election as vice president.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist and Forward Bloc on Monday declared their support for incumbent Hamid Ansari in the Vice Presidential poll but another Left party Revolutionary Socialist Party will abstain.
Mulayam Singh's bid to get a third front on his side is to get into a position where he can barter for the prime minister's job with the support of either the BJP or the Congress, says Seema Mustafa.
With Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav joining ranks with the Left parties and Telugu Desam Party to press for a judicial probe by a sitting Supreme Court judge into coal-gate scandal, the Manmohan Singh government's problems have compounded.
Leaders of a number of opposition parties on Tuesday met twice after which they decided to put up a united fight for the post.
Even as Janata Dal-United backed Pranab Mukherjee's candidature for the President's post, party chief Sharad Yadav denied any rift in the National Democratic Alliance, saying that the JD-U's support was for the next President and not for the United Progressive Alliance.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist asked the Congress to take the initiative in building a consensus on the candidate for the presidential election though it indicated it was not averse to supporting either Vice President Hamid Ansari or Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee for the post.
Accusing the United Progressive Alliance government of adopting anti-farmer policies, members from the National Democratic Alliance and the Left parties on Monday staged a walk out in the Lok Sabha.
Building grassroots people's movements is the only way forward for the Left, says Praful Bidwai
BJP Parliamentary Party spokesman V K Malhotra expressed dissatisfaction with the prime minister's statement saying he should have instead allowed a 'sense of House' resolution on the pact.
We can sort out certain sensitive issues with the Left, we can put aside certain economic reforms, but there will not be day-to-day skirmishes with them, a senior Congress leader tells Sheela Bhatt
Union Labour Minister Oscar Fernandes promised on Thursday to have a 'proper dialogue' with all on labour reforms.
I have no doubt that in 2014 there will be objective conditions for the Left to take initiatives and have a voice, says former general secretary of the Communist Party of India A B Bardhan.
Sonia's comment on foreign policy not aimed at Left: Congress
The Left parties seek a statement from the government reflecting the 'sense of the House' on the vital issue.
In response to a question whether the left party held out a threat to withdraw support from the government on the Iran issue.
Ahead of the Left meeting on Thursday to decide on Presidential poll, Pranab Mukherjee has reached out to CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat to seek his support but did not get any commitment.
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