Terming the rise of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi at the helm would be a disaster for communal harmony, Communist Party of India (Marxist) politburo member Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee alleged that Trinamool Congress was also trying to hitch an alliance once again with the BJP.
In significant upsets, the Congress on Wednesday wrested a Lok Sabha seat in Karnataka and an assembly seat in Gujarat in two Bharatiya Janata Party strongholds after 15 years but it was routed in Andhra Pradesh due to the Telangana factor.
What was shocking was the execution of the killings -- calculated, gory and intended to send a chill down the spine.
'We will do a holistic review of the entire act and the policy at the state level and I need to be convinced that not a single Jharkhandi is uprooted from his or her home due to this law'
'We might have lacked somewhere but our commitment was absolute. We might have made mistakes and fallen short to some extent. We might not have done something but what did you do'
'It is our right to protest and draw the attention of this government, which is sleeping and appears blind, as it has failed to see the pain and struggle of the jobless youth.'
The BJP chief condemned the arrest of over 2,000 devotees, including Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Sangh Parivar activists, across the state agitating against the entry of women of all ages into the temple.
Sharad Pawar-Ajit Pawar, Bal Thackeray-Raj Thackeray, Gopinath Munde-Dhananjay Munde. Troubled uncle-nephew relationships have rocked the boat of more than one party trying to steer its way through Maharashtra's troubled political waters with the crisis in the Nationalist Congress Party only the latest in the series.
'In Maharashtra he didn't buckle under pressure.' 'We expect him to do the same as the CBI Director.'
The Bharatiya Janata Party gave notices in both Houses of Parliament for suspension of Question Hour to discuss the appointment of Lokayukta in Gujarat by the Governor without the consent of the state government.
Unfazed by the protests against the Act, Shah challenged protesters to oppose the legislation as much as they can. He also asked students who are opposing the legislation to read it properly and understand its meaning.
In the Modi government, he was the mentor -- he groomed half a dozen of those who became ministers. Some remembered, others did not -- Jaitley seemed to care little. Aditi Phadnis reports.
"Rahul is fighting the battle of rallies as an infantry soldier, while Modi as a technician in a thermo-nuclear war."
Kumaraswamy said he was ready for probe by even an international agency.
The BJP accused Congress members of bringing "shame" to Lok Sabha with their "unruly" conduct in the House.
The PDP has 28 MLAs, followed by NC with 15 and Congress with 12 which will make up for a clear majority.
"You will not see him (PM) hug a poor person," Gandhi said.
"Why is the Prime Minister silent? Will the Centre continue operations against Maoists after the Railway Minister's statement that Operation Greenhunt will be stopped," BJP Deputy Leader Gopinath Munde said in Lok Sabha.
The cash-for-vote scam rocked both Houses of Parliament Thursday with Bharatiya Janata Party objecting to the arrest of two of its "whistleblower" former MPs and demanding suspension of Question Hour to discuss the issue.
"This is Narendra Modi government, nobody can dilute the AFSPA as we are standing like a rock behind the security forces, protecting (our) border," Shah asserted.
Mamata alleged that the BJP and the CPI-M were provoking doctors and giving communal colour to the issue.
The BJP chief also came down heavily on the Congress, which had seized on the report to attack him as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"I am an economist. He is a lawyer. How can he be better than me," Swamy, whose antagonism for Jaitley is open, said at an event in New Delhi on Saturday.
"Nobody other than Modi can give a strong government," Shah said.
Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj on Tuesday asked for removal of the controversial Reddy brothers from the state ministry on allegations of "illegal mining", a demand that riled the BJP which hit back at him saying he was acting as a "rank agent" of the Congress.
Do you, dear readers, believe that India needs FDI in retail sector or do you feel that it will be detrimental for the economy?
As a member of his Cabinet, the former finance minister would give valuable inputs because of his knowledge of parliamentary and government history, Modi said, adding that he will always miss his presence and called him an "encyclopedia".
The veteran Congress leader said the NDA's success was attributable to the absence of a strong and united Opposition.
The Bihar CM has made a sagacious attempt to consolidate his extremely backward castes (EBC) support base while trying to make a dent into RJD's Muslim-Yadav combine.
The speaker told Kumaraswamy that "this (SIT) should not lead to a witch-hunt. The probe should be only to establish the truth."
If the Taliban have proved one thing over these two decades, it is that they are way smarter than their big brother, observes Shekhar Gupta.
It cannot be that only in this case the CBI has developed a spine, refusing to heed the advice of its political masters.' 'There is something that does not meet the eye here,' notes Virendra Kapoor.
The three terror incidents that took place in Patna, Bangalore and Bodh Gaya this year have been solved, Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said on Thursday as he made it clear that government will deal with terrorism with an "iron fist".
The 2G controversy rocked Parliament's Public Accounts Committee meeting in New Delhi on Monday with opposition parties demanding that former director general (Audit) R P Singh be summoned and asked why he differs with the Comptroller and Auditor General on the quantum of loss. With differences persisting, the meeting was adjourned. The meeting scheduled for Tuesday has also been postponed reportedly as Chhath festival falls on that day.
'That Modi and the BJP can continue to treat the rising and expanding middle class this way shows that they have gamed its mind quite perfectly,' argues Shekhar Gupta.
Use of mobile phones in the Karnataka assembly was banned on Friday, a day after the House was rocked by chaos over a Bharatiya Janata Party member watching a zoomed in picture of Priyanka Gandhi during proceedings.
The BJP's embarrassing rout in Delhi may affect Modi in many ways.
There is no rift in NDA over the contentious issue of seat-sharing for the coming Lok Sabha polls in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said today.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday laid the Foundation for a Rs 3,600-crore grand memorial for Shivaji Maharaj off the Mumbai coast, an event that comes a few months ahead of the civic polls and amid tussle among parties to claim the legacy of the 17th century warrior king.
A total shut down was observed on Friday in blast-hit Kokrajhar on a call given by VHP and the BJP while schools and educational institutions remained closed in Guwahati in the wake of serial explosions that rocked Assam. The toll, meanwhile, has gone up to 77.
