The march to the secretariat in Howrah district was organised by the Left parties to protest against what they called attack on democracy, and unemployment and lawlessness in the state during Trinamool Congress rule.
"Yes, there is truth in what you say," Rajnath Singh said when asked if the government was soft on China owing to support extended to it by the Left parties. "A complacent UPA is helping China's strategic expansion," the BJP president told reporters. "The manner in which the UPA government is busy placating China, it has put our strategic interests in jeopardy," he said.
When asked about the UPA government's apprehension about the possibility of Left parties taking stern action -- like withdrawing support to government on the issue of price rise -- Prakash Karat, general secretary of the CPI (M), in an exclusive interview with rediff.com, ruled out any such possibility.
The powerful Left members from states like Kerala and West Bengal have told the top brass that if the issue of price rise and terrorism is not handled in a politically savvy manner, then the countdown to withdraw support to the UPA government should start. Within both the Congress and the CPM, a debate is on over the future course of action. The Congress Working Committee is meeting on May 31 to discuss the Karnataka results, price rise and other hot issues.
"The two Lals (Advani and the Left parties) have joined hands and are strengthening the haathi (elephant)," SP leader Amar Singh told media-persons after attending a meeting of the United Progressive Alliance held at External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's residence in Delhi.
Three bills were introduced in Lok Sabha on Tuesday amid uproar with members from Left parties trooping into the Well to protest against rising prices of onion while other members raised the Telangana issue.
The Rajya Sabha was on Monday adjourned twice during the Question Hour as Samajwadi Party members stalled proceedings demanding special status to Uttar Pradesh while the Left parties raised the issue of rising onion prices.
'This government has time and again proved that they are not worthy of our support. That is why we are talking about withdrawing support at this stage. We have supported it for the past four years. But the government has not proved that it is worthy of our support. So we will have no other option but withdraw support.'
The prime minister pointed out that such infamous incidents occurred during the Congress rule.
If there was one man who was responsible for pivotal role that the Left parties played on the national stage from 1989 to 2008, it was Harkishen Singh Surjeet, who passed into the ages on August 1. He was 92.
Describing the two-day nation-wide general strike as the biggest working class action since Independence, Left parties on Thursday warned the government that 'bigger actions' will follow if the demands raised by the workers are not immediately met.
Defying prohibitory orders, protests were held in Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and several other cities. Protesters, mostly students and activists, were detained on a large scale in national capital and other places.
The saffron party will use Lord Ayyappa the same way it made use of Lord Ram in the north to take away the Nair vote and make electoral inroads in the state.
Taking part in the discussion on the confidence motion moved by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday, Chidambaram emphasised on the need for nuclear power.
Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan have successfully managed to blow the lid off the 'crony capitalism' that is flourishing in the country today, and in the process delivered a crushing blow to the UPA government. Sheela Bhatt analyses
"The CPI-M, which is facing its downfall, is attempting to come back through violence," Shah said, adding that the BJP would reply to it through votes.
The Left parties, which met in New Delhi on Friday, said they "would not do anything" till Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh came back from the G-8 summit in Japan next week.
The Asom Gana Parishad's fears relating to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill are not misplaced. But does the party still matter in Assam's politics?
The Left parties on Monday said they were now discussing the timing of withdrawing support to the UPA government as they feel it was determined to go ahead with the Indo-US nuclear deal, an indication of which is the Prime Minister's trip to G-8.
Amid sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Left Parties for deferring a decision on whether Andhra Pradesh should be split to create a separate state, Congress Party on Monday said the issue surrounding the Telangana statehood demand is a very sensitive one and a decision in this regard would be taken at an appropriate time.
CPI-M has rejected all arguments of the government so far to sign the IAEA safeguards agreement. The party has firmly said that it believes once the IAEA phase is over, the deal will be on an 'auto-pilot' and even if India, a non-member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), does not approach the forum, the US would pressurise it to approve the deal.
Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and Left parties on Tuesday demanded separate debates with voting on Foreign Direct Investment in retail and related amendments in Foreign Exchange Management Act rules in Lok Sabha, but it was vociferously opposed by the government and rejected by Speaker Meira Kumar.
The four Left parties that support the United Progressive Alliance government have already rejected the Bill, which has been approved by the Cabinet. Instead, they have asked for separate Bills for agricultural and non-agricultural workers.
The BJP, Left parties and Trinamool Congress on Wednesday slammed the government for the hike in passenger rail fares and demanded its immediate rollback.
Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar on Friday assured Left members that she has sought a "factual note" from Delhi Police on the reported lathi-charge by them on MPs seeking removal of Deputy Chairman P J Kurien who isfacing charges in the Suryanelli rape case.
Telugu Desam Party and Bharatiya Janata Party also extended their support to the bandh call given by the Left parties.
Parliament on Thursday passed a bill that seeks to expand the definition of "terrorist act" to include offences that threaten the country's economic security amid a walkout by Left parties, Janata Dal-United and Rashtriya Janata Dal.
The BJP chief said this had exposed the Left and added that his party opposed the deal with "honesty".
In a major breakthrough in the nuclear deal standoff, the Left parties on Friday relented and gave clearance to the government to approach the International Atomic Energy Agency for working out an India-specific safeguards agreement.
Also, the discussion on the India-United States nuclear deal is likely on November 27 or 29 subject to the availability of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Accusing the government of being under the influence of corporate houses, Left parties demanded a thorough probe into the CAG findings on the coal block allocation issue and an immediate debate on it in Parliament.
So long as no females were allowed to pray there, the strength of emotion kept the issue burning. As more and more women do this, the matter will fade.
At least 10 CPI(M) workers were injured in a clash that broke out after activists of a right wing Hindu outfit attacked the Left party's headquarters in New Delhi on Sunday. The protest turned violent as scores of RSS activists clashed with CPM workers and started pelting stones at the party office where a CPI(M) Central Committee was meeting, police sources said.
The beginning of the month-long session will coincide with the vice presidential election, in which the victory of United Progressive Alliance-Left nominee Hamid Ansari appears to be certain.
Consensus eluded an all-party meeting called on FDI issue on Monday even as Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party provided comfort to the government by not insisting on voting and Trinamool Congress springing a surprise by speaking in a similar tone.
Consultations on the next Presidential candidate gained momentum today with the Left parties indicating their support to a Congress candidate while Bharatiya Janata Party began lobbying for its nominee and Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.
The reaction came a day after Gandhi obliquely attacked the Left, saying that "elements" opposing the nuclear agreement were not only "enemies" of the Congress, but also of the nation's progress and development.
Fissures in the opposition over Foreign Direct Investment in retail came to government's aid Thursday as the opening day of Parliament's winter session was washed out and Trinamool Congress' move for a no-confidence motion flopped.
The opposition has been protesting over various issues, including the Punjab National Bank scam, since Monday when Parliament had reconvened after a month-long recess in the Budget session.
Senior Congress leaders say Sharad Pawar's 'clean chit' to Modi in the Rafale deal is the most recent example of regional parties succumbing to pressure. The Congress is also convinced that Mayawati is being arm-twisted.
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