The six presidential nominees to the Rajya Sabha have reportedly been handpicked by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, in an attempt to reassert her authority in the United Progressive Alliance government, which has allegedly acquired a pro-United States stance under the aegis of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.The five persons nominated are Mani Shanker Aiyer, Javed Akhtar, Dr Balchandra Mungekar, Bombay Jayshri and Dr Ram Dyal Munda.
Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh resigned on Monday after the Bombay high court ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the allegations of extortion against him by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh.
"Was any of these statements made by the Home Minister in Singh's presence? Otherwise this is nothing but hearsay," the court said.
