Amid escalating tensions with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, the Congress on Saturday said it was open to the idea of a United Progressive Alliance coordination committee to bring greater cohesion within the alliance. At the same time, it dismissed suggestions that the Congress was scared of Trinamool entering the poll fray in Uttar Pradesh or any other state.
"If our suggestions on development are not heard, there could be any decision any time," said Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Pradeep Kumar Balmachu. On October 1, Congress in-charge of Jharkhand Ajay Maken had told the Koda government in clear terms that the continuation of the party's outside support depended on development in the state and steps taken to check corruption. The chief minister, however, expressed optimism that the problems will be solved.
The Congress on Tuesday reiterated that the United Progressive Alliance government has taken firm steps to bring back black money stashed abroad in the last three years, and criticized leaders of the National Democratic Alliance for lending support to yoga guru Baba Ramdev's agitation.
The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance coalition at the Centre, which has been plagued by ally trouble, has finally constituted a coordination committee with all its alliance partners to hold regular consultations
The Congress on Wednesday charged Yoga guru Ramdev and social activist Anna Hazare of having a "hidden agenda" to destabilize the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre.
Sources within the INDIA bloc said appointing Nitish Kumar as convenor would lend credibility to the INDIA bloc's demand for conducting a nationwide caste census.
Reflecting the growing strains in relations between the two United Progressive Alliance allies, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday criticised attempts of Trinamool Congress to marginalise Congress in West Bengal.
His provocative comments are the first political steps taken by the Congress to handle the coal scam and its fall-out, says Sheela Bhatt
Few political parties want to stand up and be counted as a Congress ally in the UPA, particularly since the Congress is perceived to be a sinking ship at this stage, reports Renu Mittal.
If the Congress reached 90, it would have a pretty good chance of holding the BJP below the 272 mark. A hundred seats will rock national politics, argues Shekhar Gupta.
Praful Bidwai deciphers the election verdict's real meaning.
With the victory over FDI in multi-brand retail in Parliament, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance is now gearing up for the party's all important 'Chintan Shivir' (brainstorming camp) next month.
Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan on Friday dismissed criticism over his controversial remarks on Kashmir and said the Congress cannot shy away from answering why there was only one Muslim minister in the Union cabinet.
Talking to rediff.com from Jammu, Abdullah said that this was a remote possibility unless the Congress decides to rig the elections. "The United Progressive Alliance government had assured us that it would hold free and fair elections which is the right of the people. If this is denied to the electorate then the government is going back on its words," he said.
The Congress silence comes at a high cost, notes a Rediff Correspondent.
Rejecting Nitish Kumar's charge that Bihar was being discriminated against and ignored by the United Progressive Alliance government, Congress said nobody should play politics on the issue of special status to the state.
Congress on Saturday downplayed Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's plans to bring in a No-Confidence Motion against the government, saying it was ready for a floor test as it has a majority in Lok Sabha.
As the battle lines are drawn between the United Progressive Alliance and the National Democratic Alliance, the NDA is now beginning to smell power, says Neerja Chowdhury
Sulking ally Nationalist Congress Party on Monday kept the Congress guessing on its pullout plans from the government but made it clear that it will not rock the United Progressive Alliance boat and continue its support "till the end".
Indications from the Congress are that the party is veering round to the view that it cannot allow any troublesome ally to dictate terms on an issue like presidential poll and that the party has to prepare for any eventuality
With Trinamool Congress set to exit the United Progressive Alliance, the Congress top brass, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party chief Sonia Gandhi, will meet on Friday evening to decide the future course of action.
The Congress on Monday took potshots at West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee over her move to stage a demonstration at the Jantar Mantar in new Delhi against the Centre's new reforms, saying that the United Progressive Alliance government is determined and has made a commitment to push economic reforms for the betterment of the country.
Ruling out any differences between the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party, Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday said Sharad Pawar is the biggest "supporter and well-wisher" of the United Progressive Alliance government. "There are no differences with Sharad Pawar. He is the biggest supporter and well-wisher of the UPA," Azad told reporters.
'Don't play the American game... India is too big for a US game.'
Reiterating his determination to wipe out the Congress, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday challenged the United Progressive Alliance to a direct debate on its performance at the Centre compared that of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Alleging that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party government has failed on all fronts, the Congress on Wednesday said the party will win with clear majority in the upcoming assembly elections in the state.
Congress candidates were leading over their Nationalist Congress Party rivals in two assembly constituencies in Arunachal Pradesh.
The seven-year-old Congress- Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam alliance virtually ended on Saturday with the DMK ministers deciding to withdraw from the Union Cabinet.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Sonia's political secretary Ahmed Patel were also present.
In a significant move, the Centre on Wednesday announced that caste enumeration will be part of the next population census, with the inclusion of caste details for the first time since independence hailed by the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies as a historic step to help design truly equitable and focused policies.
Strains in the Congress-Trinamool ties seem to be disappearing with Mamata Banerjee announcing her party's support to United Progressive Alliance Presidential nominee Pranab Mukherje and the All India Congress Committee now hopes that the TMC would also back Hamid Ansari in the vice presidential race.
An image of Sonia Gandhi at a rally in Mumbai.
The BJP has sought the disqualification of Soren as an MLA accusing him of allocating a mining lease to himself while he held the state Mining portfolio in 2021.
Janata Dal - United chief Sharad Yadav on Friday strongly denied that his party was gravitating towards the Congress and the United Progressive Alliance in the wake of its support to Pranab Mukherjee's Presidential candidature."That is absurd. It has no meaning," he said when asked about perceptions of his party cosying up to the Congress.
'Mrs Gandhi had nothing to do in the day-to-day working of Dr Singh's government.' 'People say Mrs Gandhi's office used to give orders, which is nonsense.'
After Bengaluru, where the Congress lost out to the Bharatiya Janata Party after five decades of dominance, and Mumbai where it failed to wrest the cash rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation from the Shiv Sena, it is now the turn of New Delhi to show its disenchantment with the Congress, writes Neerja Chowdhury
Regional parties currently outside the ambit of both United Progressive Alliance and the National Democratic Alliance will hold the key to formation of next government at the Centre in 2014 with BJP-led alliance projected well ahead of the ruling UPA headed by Congress, an election survey has predicted.
With campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections beginning to gain momentum, Congress has released a booklet on the achievements of the United Progressive Alliance government to arm the party leaders and the cadre with facts and figures to counter the opposition.
Describing the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government as "scam-tainted", Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday spoke of his party playing a major role in the country after the 2014 election.
Amid outrage over the beheading of a soldier at LoC, Shiv Sena on Monday stepped up the attack on the United Progressive Alliance government, saying 'patriots have no value' under the Congress rule and demanded snapping of sporting ties with Pakistan.
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