Hamid Ansari was on Friday declared the United Progressive Alliance-Left candidate for the vice president's poll.
'Every Indian knows why the BJP is targeting Hamid Ansari.'
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's bonanza to Members of Parliament of increasing their Local Area Development funds from Rs 2 crore to Rs 5 crore has come as a shot in the arm for members of the Parliament cutting across party lines. All are happy except one leader, the chairman of the Rajya Sabha Hamid Ansari.
'It is to be fervently hoped that a person as rational and brilliant as Hamid Ansari will not be allowed to wilt and simply wither away.'
The 70-year-old Ansari was administered the oath of office by President Pratibha Patil in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other top leaders at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi.
Agitated by repeated disruptions, Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari on Tuesday wondered whether members wish the House to become a 'federation of anarchists', a remark which drew sharp reaction with the Bharatiya Janata Party demanding its withdrawal and the government asking for expunging it.
Exactly 50 years after late philosopher-statesman Dr S Radhakakrishnan's feat, Hamid Ansari on Tuesday emulated his footsteps by getting a second term as Vice President, a position into which he had seamlessly transformed from diplomacy and education.
'The chair is a referee in a match, whether this side is playing better or that side is playing worse is no concern of the chair.'
'I think we have had these periods of standoffs with China.' 'And there is enough knowledge, enough experience, enough wisdom still available to be able to retrieve situations.'
Nobody expects such "petty comments" from a person holding such a high post, said BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya.
All the four suspended Rajya Sabha members of Samajwadi Party have met Chairman Hamid Ansari and apologised for their unruly behaviour on Monday over the Women's Reservation Bill, a move that could pave the way for revocation of their suspension.
Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan was sworn in as the 15th Vice President of India, succeeding Jagdeep Dhankhar.
His term saw the lowest average of 57 hours.
A day after her criticism of Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Thursday changed tune to say that she had 'respect' and 'full faith' in the chair and expressed hope that he will find ways for passage of the bill for quota in promotion.
Anguished by frequent disruptions of Question Hour, Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari on Tuesday said this segment of proceedings should be "dispensed with" or shifted to some other part of the day.
Pained by Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati's critical remarks against him, Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari on Wednesday said it would be difficult for him to work in such circumstances.
A meeting of leaders of political parties, called by Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari to break the deadlock in the House over coal block allocation issue, remained inconclusive on Thursday.
A metal detector was on Monday installed in front of Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari's office in Parliament after he wondered why he is exempt from usual checks that all others are subjected to.
Ansari relinquishes office after a decade.
"There is a long way to go for 12 O' clock (midnight)." This is what Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari told Communist Party of India-Marxist Sitaram Yechury when he sought to know whether the session will continue beyond midnight.
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Wednesday shocked the Rajya Sabha by telling Chairman Hamid Ansari that he is "not seen" in the House in the afternoon after which the House is not allowed to function.
Mulayam Singh Yadav wrote to Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari informing him about the expulsion of Ramgopal Yadav.
Vice-President Hamid Ansari, who had served as the chairman of a committee which favoured withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act, on Saturday said the prime minister would take a decision on the matter.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday led the Rajya Sabha in felicitating Hamid Ansari on his second term as vice president and chairman of the House, saying his re-election was a tribute to his qualities. When the House met for the day, the prime minister stood up to felicitate and congratulate Ansari, who took oath as the vice president for his second term on Saturday.
Facing the heat after fresh twists in the Suryanelli gang rape case, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurien has written to Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Chairman of the Upper House Hamid Ansari explaining his position.
Several Union Ministers and leaders of various political parties apologised on Monday to Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari for the disrespect shown to him by some members and their unruly behaviour in the House on the issue of taking up the Women's Reservation Bill.
Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance on Thursday stuck to its demand for the Prime Minister's resignation on the coal block allocation issue at a meeting convened by the Rajya Sabha chairman to end the impasse and boycotted a meeting called by the Lok Sabha Speaker on the matter.
Chairman of Rajya Sabha Hamid Ansari has expressed his dismay over the frequent adjournments and behaviour of the representatives that has stalled work in Parliament.
Team Anna member Kiran Bedi on Friday appeared to raise questions over Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari's conduct during the debate on Lokpal Bill in the Upper House. "In everyone's life there come moments where one can rise above. This was one such moment last night for the chairman of Rajya Sabha to create history. Alas!" Bedi tweeted.
The incident happened at around 11.30 am during Question Hour when a Congress member pointed out that there was a leakage of gas.
Liquor baron Vijay Mallya, facing a case of loan default of over Rs 9,400 crore, is all set to be expelled from the Rajya Sabha as Chairman Hamid Ansari on Tuesday turned down his resignation on procedural grounds.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader from Uttarakhand B S Koshiyari withdrew his resignation from Rajya Sabha on Friday in keeping with the directive of the party's central leadership.
Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati, Union ministers Vilasrao Deshmukh and Rajeev Shukla, and Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi and actor Jaya Bachchan were among the 50 new members who took oath in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday forced adjournment of Rajya Sabha till noon when it created uproar over alleged shift in government stand on anti-graft activist Anna Hazare's Jan Lokpal Bill.
Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam chief M Karunanidhi's daughter M Kanimozhi on Monday took oath as a member of Rajya Sabha on the first day of the monsoon session of Parliament.
Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurien, who is in the eye of a storm over the Left demand for his resignation in the wake of fresh charges in the Suryanelli rape case, on Friday presided over the Upper House without objection from any member.
Dubbing the Mumbai terror strikes as 'most horrendous', Parliament on Wednesday sought strict action and all out efforts to prevent recurrence of such attacks. In the wake of the Mumbai terror strikes, Home Minister P Chidambaram will make a statement on terrorism in Lok Sabha on Thursday.
The Rajya Sabha is all set to go digital to minimise the massive wastage of paper in the House, thanks to an initiative by Vice President and Chairman Hamid Ansari.As per the suggested changes, Parliamentarians will receive documents in hard copy only if they request for it and special incentives will be provided to MPs who opt for the digital format.Ansari, a retired Indian Foreign Service officer, wants Parliament to set an example.
The Rajya Sabha was on Wednesday adjourned till 2 pm to allow the government to collect information on the bomb blast outside the Delhi high court and make a statement.
Describing the Women's Reservation Bill as a 'giant step' towards the empowerment of women, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said in the Rajya Sabha that the measure was not anti-minority and anti-Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe. Dr Singh also expressed 'profound apology' to Chairman Hamid Ansari for the disrespect shown to the Chair by members in the House over the past two days. "On behalf of the government, I owe you a profound apology," Dr Singh said to Ansari.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances