The elections for the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha election is expected some time next week. The vacancy arose because the term of K Rehman Khan has ended. The Bharatiya Janata Party will take the contest seriously; much like it did for the Presidential and vice-presidential polls and may ask the Telugu Desam Party or the Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam to contest.
The Andhra Pradesh high court on Thursday dismissed a petition seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the assets of former chief minister and Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu.
In a novel protest against the recalcitrant Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker Nandendla Manohar, a senior rebel Telugu Desam Party leader Nagam Janardhan Reddy has lodged a complaint with the police that the Speaker was missing.
Taking exception to Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker N Manohar rejecting en masse resignations of members of legislative assembly from Telangana, Telugu Desam legislators from the region on Sunday said they are ready to put in their papers again.
Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu and top leaders of the party, including over 25 members of Legislative Assembly, were on Tuesday taken into preventive custody as they were proceeding in a rally to the electricity office here to protest hike in power charges and erratic supply.
Telugu Desam Party chief Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday said he would go ahead with his scheduled Rythu Poru Baata (struggle for farmers) programme even as Warangal police advised him to put off his tour of the district in view of the "hostile" atmosphere created by Telangana separatists.
Tension is on the rise in Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh as the police have rounded up more than 2,000 Telangana state supporters fearing violence during the visit of Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday.
Monday has been an eventful day in Andhra Pradesh politics with a majority of the elected representatives of Telangana region quitting their seats to press their demand for a separate state.
The Telugu Desam Party indicated that it may support United Progressive Alliance candidate Pranab Mukherjee in next month's Presidential election.
With the YSR Congress delivering a crushing blow to the Congress in the Andhra Pradesh by-polls, the latter will have to do some quick re-thinking to prevent itself from being booted out of the state, says Mohammed Siddique
Chandrababu Naidu tells T S Sudhir that Jagan should have been sent to jail a long time ago.
Sources said the entire opposition, including the Congress, supported TDP MP CM Ramesh's candidature.
Though the TDP does not have enough numbers to pull down the Congress Government, its objective in moving the no-trust motion appears to be part of its strategy to regain the lost ground, particularly in the wake of the Telangana statehood struggle, and also "expose" YSR Congress president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, political observers feel.
Even as the Andhra Pradesh high court ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation to defreeze the bank accounts of beleaguered Kadapa Member of Parliament Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, he has written a letter to the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to save him from a Congress-Telugu Desam Party-CBI 'conspiracy' to nail him for alleged irregularities.
The Telangana Rashtra Samiti on Friday gave a notice to Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar seeking to move a no-confidence motion against the Congress government for "failing to keep its promise on the Telangana statehood issue."
The government on Wednesday hoped that four political parties in Andhra Pradesh -- Congress, Telugu Desam Party, MIM and YSR Congress -- will take a call on Telangana issue by end of December, enabling it to convene an all-party meeting.
Ahead of the June 12 by-elections in Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy today alleged that Kadapa MP Y S Jaganmohan Reddy had "colluded" with Telugu Desam Party and Telangana Rashtra Samiti to "topple" the state government and grab power.
The four main parties in Andhra Pradesh; Congress, Telugu Desam Party, Telangana Rashtra Samithi and the Bharatiya Janata Party all say they support a separate state of Telangana, but there have been no concrete steps in that direction. A Ganesh Nadar reports.
The resignation of 12 members of Parliament of various political parties from Telangana region in Andhra Pradesh has not been accepted by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar.
The Central Bureau of Investigation may question some top leaders from the Telegu Desam Party in connection with the Gali Janardhan Reddy illegal mining case.
The ongoing Telugu Desam Party-Telangana Rashtra Samithi war of words continued on Friday with TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao demanding an apology from leaders of the main Opposition party for making false allegations against him
"We, the undersigned parties, wish to register our anguish and serious concern over the manner in which the Government is hurriedly passing legislations without any scrutiny by Parliamentary Standing or Select Committees. This is a fundamental departure from the established practice and healthy traditions of enacting legislations," the letter said.
The by-election was necessitated following the resignation of Pocharam in March this year. He had quit his assembly membership as well as the Telugu Desam Party on the statehood issue and joined the TRS.
The chief minister wondered why the prime minister could not even say he would do justice to AP by rectifying the mistakes.
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.
The pro-Telangana agitation should be continued with full steam to make the Centre accept the separate statehood demand in a few months from now, Telangana Rashtra Samithi President K Chandrasekhar Rao said on Thursday. "Unity is our strength. We will definitely achieve Telangana. Delhi must climb down and give Telangana in a month or two," he asserted.
Thirty two members of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly of the Telugu Desam Party on Wednesday submitted their resignations to the deputy speaker, protesting the delay in the formation of Telangana state. The MLAs, led by Telangana TDP forum convenor E Dayakar Rao, reached the deputy speaker's office at around 5.30 pm and submitted their resignations. Earlier, they had discussed their strategy and plan of action at the party office in the assembly premises.
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.
Armed with the Wikileaks expose about 2008 trust vote, the Opposition ON Thursday closed ranks in demanding the immediate resignation of the government, contending that it has lost moral right to continue as the country's democracy has been "maligned".
In response to a public interest litigation filed by three Telugu Desam Party leaders, seeking penal action against former Congress member of Parliament YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for alleged corruption, the Andhra Pradesh high court on Tuesday issued notices to him, the Union government and several other respondents.
Opposition leaders urged Modi to use the opportunity for the country's benefit.
The joint Opposition including the Congress, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Trinamool Congress, the Left, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi and the Aam Aadmi Party did not join the Question Hour of the session when the House reassembled after its first adjournment till noon.
Opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh on Friday demanded the Centre immediately take a decision "either way" on the contentious Telangana issue and end the uncertainty facing the state. They accused Congress of keeping Andhra Pradesh on the boil and paralyzing normal life for over a year and a half now.
After being questioned about his wealth in the wake of Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement, the Telugu Desam Party President and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu on Friday declared his assets and those of his family members.
Opposition parties on Monday expressed disappointment over the President Pratibha Patil's address to the Parliament, saying it contained old promises on which it had already failed to deliver and lacked clarity on solutions to problems like corruption. The Bharatiya Janata Party, Left parties and Telugu Desam Party said the address was not up to their expectations.
Vijayalakshmi, widow of the late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, was on declared elected unopposed from Pulivendula Assembly seat in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh. Election observer Manish Moudgil said Vijayalakshmi was elected unanimously from Pulivendula assembly constituency.
Telugu Desam Party President N Chandrababu Naidu and 74 party legislators, who were arrested by Maharashtra police at Dharmabad on Friday, refused to take bail on Saturday and remained firm on their demand that they be allowed to visit the controversial Babhli irrigation project.
Demanding a strong Lokpal bill against corruption, nine non-National Democratic Alliance opposition parties including the Left, Telugu Desam Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal on Tuesday staged a protest at the main gate of Parliament.
Ever since veteran social activist Anna Hazare has been lodged in Tihar on Tuesday, India has been on the boil, with country witnessing widespread protests. Rediff.com presents comprehensive reports of nation-wide protests on Day 2 of Anna's fast.
"Punjab and Maharashtra represent manliness and Akali Dal and Shiv Sena are the faces of that manliness," it said.