Trouble is brewing in the Congress in poll-bound Himachal Pradesh with senior leader Virbhadra Singh offering to resign from party committees constituted for the state assembly elections later this year.
A reshuffle-cum-expansion of Union Council of Ministers appears to be on the cards after the July 19 Presidential elections.
Congress leader Virbhadra Singh, who quit Manmohan Singh cabinet after a Himachal Pradesh court order in a corruption case, on Sunday said his resignation is not a setback to the party's prospects in Himachal Pradesh polls later this year as he would come out unscathed before the vote.
Anurag Thakur, son of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and president of the Bhartiya Yuva Janata Dal, is confident that the Bharatiya Janata Party will return to power in the state with more than two-thirds majority.
As initial trends indicated a Congress victory in Himachal Pradesh, party veteran Virbhadra Singh said on Thursday that he had put in his "best efforts" in the polls and it was for Sonia Gandhi to decide the party's chief minister.
Former minister Virbhadra Singh, who resigned from the Union Cabinet after charges were framed against him in a corruption case, has been made the chairman of the Congress' campaign committee for Himachal Pradesh, ahead of the assembly polls in the state. Singh, a five time chief minister, had earlier said that his resignation should not be seen as an admission of guilt as he was going to fight the case to its logical conclusion.
Quitting as Union minister on Tuesday, Virbhadra Singh has now set his eyes firmly on the next assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh later this year. These tidings may stir mixed emotions in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party there
Union Minister Virbhadra Singh, who was slapped with charges of conspiracy and corruption in a 23-year-old case, on Monday met Congress President Sonia Gandhi, triggering speculation of his resignation.
In the wake of framing of charges against Union minister Virbhadra Singh in a graft case, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday said he should tender his resignation and if he refuses to do so, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should sack him immediately."BJP demands that Vir Bhadra Singh should resign immediately. If he refuses to do so, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should sack him," party spokesperson Jagat Prakash Nadda said.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday asked party leaders from Himachal Pradesh to put up a united front and help the party regain power in the state.
A two-decade-old graft case has proved to the nemesis of veteran Congress leader Virbhadra Singh who resigned as Union Minister on Tuesday, a day after charges were framed against him by a Himachal Pradesh court.
Virbhadra Singh wants the private sector to invest in the food processing industry
Even politicians got into festive mood and celebrated Holi with colours and joy.
The Steel Ministry on Wednesday said it may seek from the Environment Ministry speedy clearance to Posco's Rs 54,000 crore (Rs 540 billion) project in Orissa.
'Nitish Kumar was not happy about promoting R C P Singh as Union minister.'
Facing allegations of corruption, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Wednesday made it clear to the Congress high command that there is no truth in the charges against him.
The minister was referring to the four member panel comprising three activists-- Uma Pingle, Devendra Pandey and V Suresh.
The bill has now been sent to the Mines Ministry for fine tuning and the final draft is to be placed before the group of ministers at its next meeting.
Azad was always a reluctant chief minister; coping with the swine flu scare might make him yearn for his former job.
The comments come amid strong political protests against land acquisition by global steel majors Posco and ArcelorMittal, whose much-touted multi billion dollar projects are still awaiting ground-breaking.
The government will create an 'empowered mechanism' to expedite investment proposals of Rs 11 lakh crore (Rs 11 trillion) in the steel sector, steel minister Virbhadra Singh told reporters after taking charge of the ministry. His key priority, the minister added, would be to increase production and consumption and ensure optimal utilisation of raw material by producers.
The government on Friday said it is targeting to raise Rs 18,000 crore (Rs 180 bilion) through the 20 per cent share sale in the country's largest steel-maker SAIL.
Steel Authority of India Limited and Posco are in discussions to set up a 1.5 million tonne integrated plant in Bokaro to produce high grade steel from low-grade iron ore and non-coking coal by using the world's third largest steel company's FINEX Technology.
On the last day of the Budget Session, the National Democratic Alliance today created uproar in the Lok Sabha over the issue of alleged corruption involving Union Minister Virbhadra Singh and Scheduled Caste Commission Chairman Buta Singh and demanded action against them.
Union Steel minister Virbhadra Singh and his wife have been booked in a two-year- old corruption case by the Himachal Pradesh vigilance bureau, triggering an angry response from the veteran Congress leader who saw it as an act of political vendetta by the Bharatiya Janata Party regime.
Virbhadra Singh and his wife Pratibha Singh were booked on Monday night by the state vigilance and anti-corruption bureau under relevant sections of the IPC (Indian Penal Code).
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said on Saturday the loss to the public and private property due to flash floods in the state could be much higher than the state government's preliminary estimate of around Rs 2,575 crore. He said the detailed estimate of flash floods loss would be assessed after normal life is restored in the entire area.
Steel minister Virbhadra Singh informed Lok Sabha in a written statement that the proposed disinvestment would be carried out in two tranches of 10 per cent each and would be a mix of diluting government stake was well as issuance of additional shares by the company.
Steel secretary Atul Chaturvedi said on Sunday about Rs 13,000 crore (Rs 130 billion) would be raised from NMDC's stake sale, while SAIL would fetch Rs 19,000 crore (Rs 190 billion). He was addressing the media on the sidelines of the 47th National Metallurgists' Day celebration of the Indian Institute of Metals.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal denied phone tapping charges levelled against him by Union Minister Virbhadra Singh and urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to order a probe into the allegation on Friday.
The steel industry in India could very soon come out of the economic slowdown mainly boosted by the various timely measures taken by the government, Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh said.
The 20 per cent FPO will be a combination of five per cent dilution of government's equity and five per cent issue of additional shares in each phase, a senior steel ministry official told PTI.
Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh on Friday accused Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal of being behind the lodging of FIR against him and his wife in a graft case.
The judge posted the matter for argument to May 29 after the CBI sought time to file a reply to the bail pleas by Singh.
Amidst uncertainty hanging over the India-Pakistan World Twenty20 cricket match scheduled in Dharamsala, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said central paramilitary forces will be provided to ensure security for the March 19 event. "If the (Himachal Pradesh) Chief Minister asks for security forces, we will provide," he told reporters in New Delhi. A cloud hangs over the marquee match between India and Pakistan in Dharamsala on March 19 with Himachal Pradesh's ex-servicemen protesting against the game in the wake of January 2 Pathankot terror attacks. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Tuesday had written a letter to the Union Home Minister stating that his government cannot provide security for the match. The Chief Minister had also said war veterans of the state did not want the Indo-Pak match to be held in Dharamsala.
The Himachal effect could be replicated in Narendra Modi-run Gujarat, where the PCC chief Bharat Solanki and CLP leader Arjun Modwadia could meet a similar fate, party sources said.
The BJP accused the Congress governments at the Centre and state of 'betraying' the common man by failing to check price rise and of 'divisive' vote bank politics.
Singh, in his reply to the EC, said that he had not commented on the model code of conduct, threatened or intimidated election officials during his campaign in Kinnaur. The chief minister said that the allegations were not true. On November 13, the EC had issued a notice to Singh after it received a report that the chief minister had protested the detention of a vehicle with beacon light.
The notice was issued to Singh after the Commission received a report that the chief minister had protested against the detention of a vehicle with beacon light and had said that it was illegal on part of the deputy commissioner and superintendent of police to do so. "You had cautioned the officials to behave properly as you had posted them to the district and had further remarked that the model code of conduct is not a law and I know what the law is," the EC said.
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