Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who is seriously ill for the past two years, and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who did not canvas in the Bihar polls due to objections from ally Janata Dal-United, figure in the Bharatiya Janata Party's list of election campaigners.
Manmohan Singh will be the first Indian PM to travel to Islamabad since 2004. Amir Mir reports
Modi believes that the Congress leadership does not have the political sagacity to undertake a course correction because of its preoccupation about not losing its current gains in the voter base, observes Shekhar Iyer.
In the aftermath of the 2002 riots in Gujarat, the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee appeared to be not keen on President APJ Abdul Kalam's official visit to the state, according to a book.
The courtesy call comes ahead of the PM's visit to Pakistan.
False and acrimonious debates such as Modi versus Manmohan might allow for victories that are political and partisan. But the real loser is the nation, India and Bharat, notes Arvind Subramanian, former chief economic advisor to the Modi government in its first term.
Images from the World Cup 2023 match between Australia and South Africa.
Himachal Pradesh's Prashant Chopra struck a fluent 115-ball 90 and shared a 138-run opening wicket stand with skipper Aakash Chopra to lay a strong foundation for a big first innings total against Services in their Group C Ranji Trophy match in Nadaun.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday went to the house of senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who turned 87, and greeted him on the occasion. After returning from his visit to Kerala, Dr Singh drove straight to the Krishna Menon Marg residence of the former prime minister and presented a bouquet to the ailing leader. During the brief meeting, the prime minister also inquired about the health of the octogenarian leader from his family members.
Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan on Friday dismissed criticism over his controversial remarks on Kashmir and said the Congress cannot shy away from answering why there was only one Muslim minister in the Union cabinet.
Bhartiya Janata Party spokesman, Prakash Javadekar, has accused Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs Ajay Maken, for distorting facts in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday by stating that the UPA government had nothing to do with the appointment of Suresh Kalmadi as head of the Commonwealth Games.
In the last 9 years, the BJP govt has marked some anniversaries and events with more zeal than Congress-led governments.
Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-N chief Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said that India and Pakistan were ready to resolve the Kashmir issue in 1999. "The then Indian prime minister (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee and I were ready to resolve the Kashmir issue in 1999 but General (Pervez) Musharraf did the misadventure in Kargil and then overthrew my government," Sharif said while addressing a function on Saturday to mark the anniversary of Pak carrying out nuclear tests.
Never a leader with a big base of his own, Sharad Yadav depended on state bigwigs like Lalu and Nitish to enter Parliament but enjoyed the aura and political weight which made him a strong presence at the high table of national politics in Delhi.
The Central Bureau of Investigation has decided in principle not to file any fresh case from the Liberhan commission report which indicted 68 people including Bharatiya Janata Party stalwarts Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani for demolition of the Babri Masjid, but will go into details of some incidents as pointed out by the Union home ministry.
'It is violation of the Model Code of Conduct.' 'It is a penal offence under the IPC to exert undue influence on voters.' 'Under the election law, it is a corrupt practice.'
'Our courts may fail, there may be lot of corruption in the working of our criminal justice system, but ultimately the justice of God will prevail,' says Sudheendra Kulkarni, recently released from bail in the cash-for-votes case.
Muslims have never voted for the BJP in any parliamentary election. Even when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was projected as the prime minister, Muslims opposed the BJP. So, presenting a liberal face for the sake of blunting the Muslim opposition is not such a great idea, says G V L Narasimha Rao.
'They are fighting it out, but they have deeply traumatised; they are alive and they are carrying on in life.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah handed over urns containing the ashes of the late leader to the party's state unit chiefs.
'He has sacrificed a lot. Always done something for others. But never asked for anything in return.'
Criticising the Central government's policy on the issue of terrorism, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday said that even militants were aware that strict action would not be taken against them by the United Progressive Alliance as the ruling coalition was a "weak" one.
A decision to this effect was taken at a two-hour long meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security chaired by Prime Minister Vajpayee.
The JD-U leader's outbursts against his former ally came in response to queries from journalists about Shah's speech earlier in the day at Sitab Diara.
'Every Indian who is concerned about the unity, integrity and the map of India should be worried about this growing divide.'
While the government stifled PSUs' operational autonomy, competition from the private sector hit their market share.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday travelled in a helicopter together for an event in Palghar as they reaffirmed their commitment to take forward their alliance and spoke about their strong bond after a controversial advertisement.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh deserves 'full marks' for his 'sincere' efforts to resolve the Kashmir issue and have peace with Pakistan, but is held back from taking a bold step over fears of domestic political backlash, former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has said.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani on Wednesday night said he feels "awkward" attending functions where he feels his long-time associate and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee should have been present.
Bhartiya Janata Party President Nitin Gadkari on Friday called upon partymen to use Uttar Pradesh as the launch pad for regaining power at the Centre.
'It is not his doing, but Rahul Gandhi is forced by circumstances.' 'In taking political decisions, everything has to get his clearance.'
Congress leaders alleged the BJP has made and failed in its every attempt to defame Rahul Gandhi and derail the yatra somehow as people from across the country including Delhi are overwhelmingly extending their support.
The condition of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who is undergoing treatment at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, is improving and his dependence on ventilator support has reduced, doctors attending on him said on Wednesday.
"He is alright. He is making progress," Head of Cardiac Thoracic Vascular Sciences Department of AIIMS Sampath Kumar said on Tuesday. Kumar said Vajpayee's lungs are improving and oxygenation (amount of oxygen in blood purified by the lungs) level is better. Sources at the AIIMS say he is likely to be taken off the ventilator soon.
Anupam Gupta, counsel for Liberhan Commission from 1999 to 2007, said Vajpayee cannot be indicted because he was neither given notice or summoned.
L K Advani, who has been ruling the roost in the Bharatiya Janata Party along with former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, claimed credit for stepping down as Sushma Swaraj took over the Leader of the Oppposition's post from him.
The Bharatiya Janata Party leader also targeted Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is serving jail term in fodder scam cases, saying he has been 'cursed by the poor' and 'is paying for his own sins'.
For Sikhs, they say, honour is the bottom line; and whatever the state of the SAD's political fortunes today, arrogance will not be helpful in the negotiation.
Should India continue with its peace initiatives? Or is the prime minister's mission a lost cause?
B S Raghavan, West Bengal's former chief secretary, worked with Indira Gandhi for many years. He remembers the late leader on her 25th death anniversary.
