Congress leaders, who don't like Ashwani Kumar's way of doing things, believe that the minister should remain in the cabinet to act as a buffer between the PM and the opposition, says Renu Mittal
Fighting shy of affecting a complete overhaul of the union council of ministers where many ministers are holding dual charges, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi confined themselves to a mere change of portfolios before the monsoon session of Parliament begins on August 8. Renu Mittal reports.
Having promised major reforms, Rahul Gandhi may live on the glory of his speech for some time to come but sooner than later he would need to show that he means business. Renu Mittal examines
After the Chintan Shivir and the All India Congress Committee meeting is over in Jaipur on January 20, it is expected that there would be a reshuffle of the AICC, state Pradesh Congress Committees. Some chief ministerial heads may also roll as the party prepares for the assembly elections later this year and the general elections in 2014. Renu Mittal reports.
The Congress may have a good chance of a win in the upcoming Karnataka polls, but party leaders are up in arms against the manner in which ticket distribution has been done, says Renu Mittal
Congress leaders going all-out to defend Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law has left several red faced, with leaders privately speaking of unfair practices in the party, reports Renu Mittal.
In a politically unstable climate, the prime minister is making it clear that he is still part of the political race. Renu Mittal reports.
Congress leaders say that even if the Samajwadi Party stops supporting the government, there are other parties that will bail the government out as they need more time to prepare for the elections, reports Renu Mittal
With no political backing on the Sri Lankan Tamil issue, the government has only been posturing for a resolution, reports Renu Mittal
A victory in Karnataka could signal to Congress allies that it is not fully out of the reckoning, reports Renu Mittal
The UPA government is far from a consensus over the anti-rape bill even as it is in a rush to have it passed in Parliament. Renu Mittal reports
Although UPA government has somehow managed to scuttle Opposition's stiff antagonism to FDI in multi-brand retail in both the Houses of the Parliament, it has certainly opened itself to the charge of being a minority government, analyses Renu Mittal.
While seven companies bagged orders worth Rs 42,000 crore, industry experts said most of this new order activity was a spillover, and fresh project finalisation remains weak.
The government engineered a victory of sorts when it succeeded in neutralising the Samajwadi party, the Bahujan Samajwadi Party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Trinamool Congress in stacking up the numbers on the FDI issue, says Renu Mittal.
It was baptism by fire for Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi who had a first hand experience of life with partymen, in what is being called close encounters of the fiery kind during party's day-long deliberations on Friday, reports Renu Mittal.
With the government's swiftly dwindling numbers, the government managers would need to be on red alert as any emergencies and casualties may be the order of the day, says Renu Mittal
To make the Congress party fighting fit for the next elections, a number of changes are likely to take place after the vice president's meeting with state and PCC leaders. Renu Mittal reports
At Congress' Surajkund conclave, Sonia Gandhi clarified that the government must toe the party line. Renu Mittal reports.
This was the first major election in the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Obviously, the women of Bihar were not intimidated by the pandemic and came out in large numbers to vote.
Congress insiders say that there was no financial impropriety in the National Herald case and that the party is waiting for Subramaniam Swamy to play all his cards. Renu Mittal reports
The war of words between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party over 'who is corrupt and who is not' is all set to increase by leaps and bounds in the days ahead, says Renu Mittal
On the eve of the much-hyped Chintan Shivir in the pink city, economic issues are back with a bang on the agenda with Union Oil Minister Veerapa Moily choosing to deregulate the price of diesel and allowing oil companies to affect increase in the price of diesel, in the same manner as had happened with petrol. Renu Mittal reports.
The main focus during the two-day Chintan Shivir to be held in Jaipur over the weekend would be on the political discussion and how the party plans to strategise to win back the mandate it received in 2004 and 2009, reports Renu Mittal.
Within the Congress there is a conviction growing that Rahul has to be seen and projected as the face that drives social welfare programmes, reports Renu Mittal
Preparations for the Congress's Chintan Shivir -- which will be held in Jaipur on January 18-19 followed by the meeting of the All India Congress Committee on January 20 -- have entered a decisive stage with senior party leaders burning the midnight oil to iron out the creases and finalise last-minute details.
Sections of the Congress party are of the view that the party would have kept itself out of any embarrassment had it not gone about defending Robert Vadra. Renu Mittal reports
Joginder Tuteja looks at the lesser known films of these stars.
While there is growing concern about big ticket reforms in the Congress, it's a different story in the government, says Renu Mittal.
The police have failed to instill confidence, the judiciary has failed to deliver timely justice, the politician has failed to lead the way, feels Renu Mittal
Few political parties want to stand up and be counted as a Congress ally in the UPA, particularly since the Congress is perceived to be a sinking ship at this stage, reports Renu Mittal.
The Congress wants to show that it is Sonia Gandhi who will nominate the presidential candidate, to discard the impression that the party chief has been given a fait accompli if she does not want the Congress candidate to lose, says Renu Mittal
Giving their presentation at the CLSA investor forum, HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh, vice chairman and chief executive officer Keki Mistry and MD Renu Karnad highlighted that the competitive environment has been stable and HDFC can deliver 18-20 per cent loan growth with stable margins and asset quality.
There is a shift in the Congress regarding Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, says Renu Mittal.
Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati has decided to support the government on FDI as she does not want to destabilise the government, reports Renu Mittal
Madhur Bhandarkar's mother passed away over the weekend.
The warden was upset over a few blood stains found on the toilet seat.
Even as the Bharatiya Janata Party continued to stall Parliament not allowing the prime minister to speak, the Congress has challenged them to bring in a no-confidence motion against the government, saying it has the numbers to defeat the motion. Renu Mittal reports.
Nationalist Congress Party on Thursday came to the defence of Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil, saying that he could not be blamed for the arrest of two girls by the Palghar police over a Facebook comment.
Congress leaders say that part of their calculations and preparations for the Presidential poll have focused on getting the numbers without Mamata, reports Renu Mittal.
Since the last 22 years no single party has had its own government and the compulsions of coalition government have not allowed national issues to be addressed. The Congress doesn't seem to be looking to change that trend in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Renu Mittal writes