The Union Minister for Culture Ambika Soni, under whose control the Archeological Survey of India falls, was in Japan.
She said she had told the party leadership last year that it was difficult to travel in the three hill states due to her health.
The Congress party has categorically ruled out resignation by Minister for Culture and Tourism Ambika Soni over the Ram Sethu issue.
She was visibly upset the manner in which a sinister campaign was launched against her while she was on tour to Japan when three senior leaders of the party felt she should tender her resignation.
The minister was earlier scheduled to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, but could not do so as the latter underwent a surgery on Saturday morning and had been advised rest.
The government today reacted sharply to detention of Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan at an US airport, saying many such incidents have taken place in that country and suggested a tit for tat.
She also made a strong defence of Rahul Gandhi, who is on sabbatical for more than a month
Speaking to the media persons in Delhi on Sunday, the Rajya Sabha member said: "I have declined the offer to be the next Punjab CM. I believe Punjab CM face should be a Sikh."
Party will decide when the time was right to pass on the baton to Rahul Gandhi, says senior Congress leader Ambika Soni.
Keen to ensure that the five priceless personal belongings of Mahatma Gandhi do not fall into the hands of a foreigner, the government worked on various options, one of which bore fruit as the bid was won through business tycoon Vijay Mallya.
In the wake of the controversy, Soni, who also is in-charge of the Tourism Ministry, had called off her visit to the United States, to meet the prime minister.
Union minister Ambika Soni on Friday defended her cabinet colleague P Chidambaram in the last year's midnight crackdown at Ramlila Maidan, saying that the Supreme Court had only held Delhi police and yoga guru Ramdev's organisation responsible for the incident.
The party has asked members to put an immediate end to the campaign for and against Soni.
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni on Friday accused news channels of helping civil society activist Arvind Kejriwal to malign the image of people by airing his "unsubstantiated allegations of wrong-doings".
Ahead of Sunday's reshuffle of the Union Council of Ministers, three Cabinet ministers and a minister of state resigned on Saturday, saying they want to work for the party.
The stage is set now for a major revamp of the Union Council of Ministers on Sunday with the likely induction of at least ten new faces and promotion of some ministers of state, besides a rejig in the Cabinet, in which Anand Sharma may get the external affairs portfolio.
Justifying the government's action in seeking a second legal opinion from the Attorney General on Army Chief General V K Singh's age row, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni on Friday said it was done in view of fresh material and points coming up on the issue. Soni's justification comes in the wake of the Supreme Court questioning the government's action of seeking the Attorney General's opinion for the second time on the issue.
Barely two weeks after she asked Archeological Survey of India's Director General Anshu Vaish to submit a report on her role in the filing of the controversial Ram Setu affidavit, Ambika Soni praising the ASI chief at a public function.
Advocating self regulation in the broadcast sector, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni on Thursday defended Press Council chairman Justice Katju for initiating a debate on whether to have a regulatory body and for raising the issue in public.
In an interesting turn of events, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ambika Soni decided not to announce the 57th National Awards for films, though it is customary for the minister to do the honours, considering the prestige attached to the awards and the fact that it is the President of India who gives away the awards.
The government on Tuesday said it was open to the idea of holding an all-party meeting on the issue of regulating contents on cable television but maintained that a 'fatwa' or a direction will not help serve the purpose.
At a time when the Congress is perhaps facing its toughest electoral challenge and senior leaders are opting out of the race one by one, the party has at least succeeded in fielding tough candidates in two Lok Sabha constituencies in Punjab. Anita Katyal reports.
The long-awaited Rahul Gandhi touch to the All India Congress Committee was imparted today with the induction of a few general secretaries and the dropping of some
After spending nearly 50 years in a colonial bungalow at 24, Akbar Road, the Congress moved into a new office on January 15. Rasheed Kidwai, who knows the history of the Congress better than the Congress, looks back at the people who breathed life into this address.
Elections will be held on June 10 to fill 57 Rajya Sabha seats from 15 states falling vacant due to the retirement of members on different dates between June and August, the Election Commission said on Thursday.
Rahul Gandhi may also contest from Amethi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from Rae Bareli, a seat which was previously held by Sonia Gandhi.
Sonia Gandhi is the most reserved leader in Indian politics and it was delightful to see Rahul get all affectionate with her, provoking his mother to mildly tick him off.
The youngest in the CWC is 31-year-old Neeraj Kundan, who is an ex-officio member of the body as the president of the National Students Union of India, the students' wing of the party.
Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge has resigned as the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, sources said on Saturday, a day after he filed his nomination papers for the All India Congress Committee president's election.
Both the BJP leaders asserted that Gandhi's disqualification was a natural outcome of the law as the Supreme Court has made it clear that a lawmaker stands disqualified from the time of his conviction.
Dubbing Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's recent comment on women as "childish", Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni on Thursday said he is not "sensitive" towards women.
Senior leaders P Chidambaram and Digvijaya Singh are learnt to be the front-runners to take on the mantle of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha.
Congress leaders are a jubilant lot after the results.
Information and Broadcasting minister Ambika Soni spoke to rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt briefly on the current logjam in Parliament over the government's decision allowing 51 per cent foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail trade.
A US daily's trenchant criticism of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has come under attack from Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni, who plans to take up the issue with the External Affairs Ministry so that "strong action" can be taken in the matter.
As voting in the Congress presidential polls got underway, outgoing party chief Sonia Gandhi on Monday said she had been waiting for a long time for this day.
31 satellite TV channels are awaiting the government's approval.
The ICC on Tuesday agreed to allow Indian TV channels to attend the high-voltage World Cup semi-finals between India and Pakistan following a request from Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni.
The name of Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar is one of the most recommended by various groups for the Bharat Ratna award.
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