Prasada, who had also served as a Union minister in the Congress-led UPA government and whose family had been associated with the party for three generations, joined the BJP on Wednesday, and termed the saffron party 'only true national party' in the country.
The Samajwadi Party on Sunday pointedly accused the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government of attempting to 'blackmail' party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav , who had earlier threatened to withdraw his party's support to the ruling coalition.
Dubbing the Narendra Modi-led government as "anti-people", Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Monday raised the poll pitch alleging the Bharatiya Janata Party-led dispensation in Gujarat is indulging in "wrong-doings".
There is a shift in the Congress regarding Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, says Renu Mittal.
Even Priyanka's formal entry into politics could not act as a saving grace for the Congress. She was made in-charge of the party's fortunes in eastern Uttar Pradesh, but despite her high-octane election campaign, Congress is ahead on just one seat -- her mother Sonia Gandhi from Raebareli.
There is a thinking in the Congress party that some of the ministers should be made to step down in the wake of the Congress's disastrous performance in the recent assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh and the challenge of three other assembly elections in the coming eight months. This points to a comprehensive party-government overhaul eventually. However, no one was willing to say when
Projecting a united face on the eve of vice presidential poll, all constituents of United Progressive Alliance and those supporting it from outside including arch rivals Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati attended a lunch hosted by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.
The manner in which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demoted Jaipal Reddy and promoted Salman Khurshid has done little to salvage the reputation of an already tarnished United Progressive Alliance government, writes Renu Mittal
More than a year after playing a key role in installation of a Bharatiya Janata Party government in Madhya Pradesh, Jyotiraditya Scindia was rewarded with a berth in the Union Cabinet, a familiar terrain for the Rajya Sabha member who had served as a junior minister in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government.
Responding to Congress's criticism over the extension of 'Z' category security to him, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy said it was during former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao's tenure that he was provided this protection, which was later curtailed by the United Progressive Alliance government.
The United Progressive Alliance government has failed to address the agrarian crisis and the price rise of essential commodities and there is a need for a third alternative, Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Prakash Karat said on Saturday. Speaking at the party's 19th Congress in Coimbatore, Karat said this third alternative cannot be merely an electoral alliance.
For the first time in 25 years, all the trade unions, including INTUC and Bharatiya Janata Party-affiliated Bhartiya Majdoor Sangh have forged an ideological link on the issue of price rise and food security. These TUs would launch a fill-the-jail campaign on March five across the country, the CPI leader said.
The war of words between Trinamool Congress and Congress on Wednesday intensified with Mamata Banerjee saying her party was not in the United Progressive Alliance at anyone's "mercy".
The Congress fears of a loss of credibility, the dwindling fortunes of the DMK and a chance for one-upmanship over the Opposition, especially the BJP, meant that A Raja had to got to jail, says Sheela Bhatt
The Communist Party of India-Marxist on Monday demanded that the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance II government at the Centre take immediate steps to end the nexus between the Trinamool Congress and Maoists to ensure peaceful elections in West Bengal.
The Rashtriya Lok Dal, with five members in the Lok Sabha, on Monday formally joined the United Progressive Alliance amid speculations that its chief Ajit Singh would be included in the Cabinet as the civil aviation minister. With the RLD joining the ruling coalition, its strength has gone up from 272 to 277 MPs. In the backdrop of speculations that Ajit Singh will be inducted into the Cabinet, Digvijay Singh was asked who will be the next civil aviation minister.
Among the sectors seen as most vulnerable to corruption are the government and the public sector, infrastructure, real estate, metals, mining, aerospace, defence, power and utilities.
K T Rama Rao, Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader and son of party chief K Chandrashekhar Rao, and Dr Prithviraj, Telangana Students Joint Action Committee chief, explain to Rediff.com what the immediate changes would be in the event of Telangana being declared as a separate state.
Welcoming Raghuram Rajan panel report which has put Bihar among the least developed states, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday described it as a 'victory' for the state but was non-committal on alliance with the Congress for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The Samajwadi Party is ready for mid-term Lok Sabha polls but it is supporting the United Progressive Alliance government to keep communal forces at bay, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said on Sunday.
In an exclusive interview with Rediff.com's Anita Katyal, Singh speaks about his candidature from Varanasi, the party's prospects in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and how the Congress is likely to fare in Andhra Pradesh.
The commotion at Lok Sabha over the Telangana issue on Tuesday has reflected badly on the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance.
Taking potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks that the United Progressive Alliance government left everything empty, Congress on Monday claimed "bad days have begun for the countrymen", citing a socio-economic survey of Gujarat.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday took its grievances against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress-led United Progressive Alliance to President Pranab Mukherjee, demanding his intervention on the coal allocation issue and attacks on a constitutional institution like the Comptroller and Auditor General.
Confident of securing a massive majority in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday outlined his vision for his next five-year term saying the Modi 3.0 government will put all its might to strengthen the foundation of 'Viksit Bharat' or a developed nation.
Trinamool Congress, a former ally of the United Progressive Alliance, will move a no-confidence motion against the UPA government on Thursday when Parliament meets for the winter session.
Trinamool Congress, a former ally of the United Progressive Alliance, will move a no-confidence motion against the UPA government on Thursday when Parliament meets for the winter session.
The Congress on Saturday expressed anguish at Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee's absence in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's engagements at the Science City in Kolkata and described her public outbursts against United Progressive Alliance government's policies as 'an embarrassment'. "It is sheer embarrassment for the Congress party when a major ally of the UPA government, particularly its seven ministers in the Union ministry, criticises central government policies in public.
Addressing a rally, Modi alleged that artificial shortage of coal is being created in the country.
'We are not corrupt like the CPM and BJP. The BJP is thoroughly corrupt but somehow you don't write about the BJP and CPM.' Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi speaks out.
Even as the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party coalition government in Maharashtra is drawing flak over the rising cases of farmers' suicides, United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday promised crop loans at three per cent interest rate to overcome the agrarian crisis.Addressing her first election rally in the Vidarbha region, which has been rattled by a series of suicides by debt-ridden farmers, the Congress president tried to woo the farmers.
Karunanidhi also met NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, and CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat where the issue of a successor to President A P J Abdul Kalam came up for discussion.
While Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi has made it clear that he will not be joining the government, the Sunday reshuffle will be closely watched for how much influence Rahul Gandhi will have on it, says Neerja Chowdhury
Seeking to dispel the perception of gloom amid scams and controversies, the United Progressive Alliance on Wednesday painted a rosy picture of its government's performance during the last nine years, contending the fruits of economic growth have reached both urban and rural areas.
It will help to control the subsidy bill.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi has criticised the Opposition parties for stalling the Food Security Bill in Parliament, and asserted the United Progressive Alliance government was determined to enact the legislation for the benefit of people.
With the SP leadership already known to be looking for an opportunity to shake hands with Congress, Mayawati's decision was bound to propel the Congress leadership to respond at last -- even though the withdrawal was not likely to even remotely affect the fate of the UPA government. Political compulsions are bound to bring the two adversaries to a negotiating table since both have a tougher task ahead of them -- to tackle the visibly increasing might of the BSP.
Six persons were arrested in connection with the clashes between two groups of Congress workers during the rally of United Progressive Alliance chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi in suburban Goregaon, Mumbai, on Thursday evening.
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