Once considered the unlikely heir to the political legacy of the Gandhi family, Sonia has earned the distinction of being the longest serving president of India's grand old party.
Smriti Irani, actor-turned politician of the 'saas-bahu' TV serial fame, was on Tuesday appointed as head of Bharatiya Janata Party's Women's Wing while Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal's son and Member of Parliament Anurag Thakur will head the Youth Wing of the main opposition.
'They are all worried about one thing -- what about tomorrow?'
Karnataka Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Tanvir Sait on Thursday waded into a controversy after video footage emerged showing him purportedly watching pictures of skimpily clad girls on his mobile on dais at a public function to mark "Tipu Jayanti" celebrations.
Unrest in Kashmir and Commonwealth Games preparations are expected to find a mention when Congress President Sonia Gandhi addresses a meeting of Congress Parliamentary Party in New Delhi on Thursday.
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, who recently sailed through the second trust of confidence, on Saturday said that there was no need for 'Operation Lotus' (to lure other parties' MLAs) to boost the strength of Bharatiya Janata Party in the assembly.
Even as the United Progressive Alliance government battles protests by Opposition BJP over the selection of Telecom Secretary PJ Thomas as Central Vigilance Commissioner, it has now been stung by one of its allies, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, which is reportedly upset over the lack of courtesy extended by the government on the appointment.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister K S Eshwarappa on Saturday courted controversy when he asked a woman journalist what can the opposition members do if "someone drags and rapes" her.
Delhiites will have to shell out more from their pockets for virtually everything from cooking gas to diesel with Delhi government on Monday withdrawing subsidy on LPG and increasing VAT on many items to "generate" additional revenue.
Opposition BJP and the Left have unequivocally supported the Women's Reservation Bill describing it as "the most progressive", but slammed the government for mishandling the process of "historic" amendment to the Constitution.
Asserting that it was determined to ensure the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in Parliament, the Bharatiya Janata Party has sought to make political capital on the issue by stating that since the United Progressive Alliance coalition was in minority in the Rajya Sabha, the onus of getting it adopted was with the main opposition. BJP president Nitin Gadkari on Saturday convened an emergency meeting of the party core group to discuss the Women's Reservation Bill.
Facing a truncated strength caused by the en masse resignation of 16 ruling coalition MLAs, Kumaraswamy moved a one-line motion, saying the House expressed confidence in the 14-month old ministry headed by him.
Ruling constituent Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Thursday joined the opposition in stalling proceedings in Lok Sabha and leading street protest in New Delhi on the issue of the new sugarcane policy and vowed to struggle till the ordinance to fix a uniform price is withdrawn.
Rajya Sabha plunged into a brief turmoil today when several BJP members objected to the use of the word "Modikaran" by Congress leader Satyavarat Chaturvedi.
Roy, on his part, said the decision to name him in the first information report was 'politically motivated'.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav are and 10 political leaders who were on Thursday elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Fourteen persons were killed in the firing on a demonstration against land acquisition on March 14, leading to a nationwide outrage and the Calcutta high court 'suo motu' ordering a CBI investigation.
Kumaraswamy and the Congress had moved the Supreme Court on Friday, accusing the Governor of interfering with the assembly proceedings when the debate on the trust vote was underway and sought clarification on its July 17 order, which they said, caused hindrance in issuing whip to the legislators.
The ruling coalition had held out the threat of using the Whip against the wayward MLAs, citing the disqualification provision under the anti-defection law.
Nagaraj reached Mumbai accompanied by Karnataka BJP president B S Yeddyurappa's personal assistant Santosh and BJP MLA R Ashok.
A day after Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi hinted at the next Bihar assembly polls being held in September-October, most of the political parties including ruling Janata Dal-United and Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party claimed they were fully ready for it.
The embattled Janata Dal-Secular leader also said he was ready for everything and that he was not here to cling to power.
Inflation, particularly of food items, too remained an area of concern, they said in the resumed discussion on the general Budget. Main Opposition BJP said the whopping Rs 4 lakh crore (Rs 4 trillion) gap in the resources was a matter of concern and the impact could be felt on inflation.
The opposition BJP today sought to brand Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati as a "new-age Shahjahan" apparently over spending of a huge amount of money over setting up of parks and memorials in the state.
Catch all the action from the Monsoon session of Parliament, LIVE
Over 60 per cent of 1.5 crore electorate on Saturday exercised their franchise in a keenly fought Delhi Assembly elections which saw stray incidents of violence but remained by and large peaceful.
The war of words between United Progressive Alliance government and the main Opposition BJP over the economic situation saw BJP leader Yashwant Sinha calling Finance Minister P Chidambaram a 'conceited person' for labelling L K Advani 'our own John McCain'. Advani, Leader of Opposition and BJP's prime ministerial candidate, had called a meeting of 15 top captains of Indian industry on Thursday to discuss the issues plaguing the Indian economy in the wake of the global meltdow
The MLAs -- Ramesh Jarkiholi, Mahesh Kumtalli, Umesh Jadhav, and Nagendra -- did not ascribe any reason for not attending the opening day's session.
The Opposition BJP on Thursday said it is willing to consider supporting the government in expediting economic reforms if the Prime Minister takes the initiative.
Speaker Ramesh Kumar said the motion of confidence would reach finality on Monday and it would not be prolonged further under any circumstances, to which the government agreed.
The Congress has convened a CLP meeting on Friday ahead of budget presentation and warned its MLAs that absence would invite action under the Anti-Defection Law.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday alleged that the Janata Dal-United is misusing the office of Bihar Assembly Speaker Uday Narain Choudhary, adding that the Sharad Yadav -led party wants to stay in power and also play the role of opposition.
Speaker Pratapsingh Rane will play a major role in Monday.
Congress retained absolute majority power in Arunachal Pradesh, known as its safest haven by securing 42 seats in the 60-member house and leading in one seat till last report poured in.
An opinion poll predicts Aam Aadmi Party would get 48 seats with 47 per cent vote share if Delhi goes to polls now.
While the ruling Congress and opposition BJP have welcomed it, other parties have expressed concern.
20 lawmakers did not turn up on Thursday, including 17 from the ruling coalition, 12 of whom are corralled in a hotel in Mumbai, as the House debated in a surcharged atmosphere.
Opposing peace move with Pakistan until it acts against terror groups operating from its soil, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday decided to build public opinion against the confidence-building measures with Islamabad.
The director general of police said everyone in the force should have to perform their duties irrespective of their religion and politics.
The government came in for a scathing attack in the Lok Sabha on Monday from friends and foes alike over handling of the economy.
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