Taking a swipe at United Progressive AllianceChairperson Sonia Gandhi's recent visit to Dakshin Kannada, former Chief Minister and state Janata Dal-Secular President H D Kumaraswamy on Monday claimed the Congress in Karnataka has no political strategy in place to win next year's assembly election and JD-S is the real opposition party which could address people's problems.
With President Pranab Mukherjee accepting the resignations of seven Cabinet ministers late on Saturday evening, the reshuffle is expected to see the induction of at least 12 ministers, most of them being younger in age. There will be a conscious effort to ensure that Cabinet has a younger profile
With the Congress-led government taking most of the credit for the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in Rajya Sabha, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday patted its own back for the success and criticised the United Progressive Alliance for the forcible eviction of protesting Members of Parliament from the House. Despite being in a minority in the Upper House, the Congress-led government and especially party chief Sonia Gandhi earned kudos for passage of the Bill.
Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar on Saturday said he has recommended the name of his party spokesman Tariq Anwar for a ministerial post in the proposed Cabinet reshuffle at the Centre.
Even as the Opposition is cornering the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance over various issues, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Friday shared dais with Shiv Sena-BJP leaders at a function to mark the 75th birthday of former Lok Sabha speaker and Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi.
The deadlock in Parliament over Foreign Direct Investment in retail and several other issues continued for the ninth day on Friday with the opposition and some members of United Progressive Alliance partner Trinamool Congress creating uproar in both Houses to press for their demands. Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned minutes after they met for the day.
An effort is on to change the fortunes of the country's largest transport network. But it's a long journey ahead.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushma Swaraj on Thursday said the United Progressive Alliance government will not last beyond the forthcoming winter session of Parliament, but the Congress ridiculed the claim. Addressing a BJP protest, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha said, "The allies of the government are slowly leaving them and it is not going to last after the winter session of Parliament."
Flaying the Centre's decision to allow Foreign Direct Investment in retail, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Sunday alleged it was taken under pressure from a few retail giants and asserted her government would not allow multi-brand global players to set up their markets in the state.
P Chidambaram on Saturday wondered whether the Modi government "deserves" Raghuram Rajan
Pointedly blaming Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi for the United Progressive Alliance's government's nod to Foreign Direct Investment in retail, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati made it clear on Saturday that she would oppose the move tooth and nail."The Bahujan Samaj Party will launch a strong movement against the policy in case the UPA government manages to get the approval of Parliament," she declared.
In a further jolt to the fragile ties between the Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Union minister for Chemicals and DMK leader MK Alagiri has said that, " We (DMK) have no expectations of a patch-up with the Congress. The split will not affect our poll results."
After threatening to campaign against the Congress in five election-bound states if the United Progressive Alliance government failed to get the Jan Lokpal Bill passed in the winter session of Parliament, Anna Hazare has asked political parties not to use his name or photograph during elections. "This directive was given during a two-day meeting of workers at Ralegan Siddhi," Hazare's aide Suresh Pathare said.
In New Delhi The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam during winter session of Parliament would maintain neutrality, but will oppose the United Progressive Alliance-II's stance on price rise and the Kudankulam issues.
The Prime Minister's Office on Friday rubbished the claim by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi that Rs 1,880 crore were spent on overseas visits of United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi, saying it was "untrue and misleading".
Alleging that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has pushed the country's economy back to 1991 era of economic crisis, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday hit out at the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre for allowing Foreign Direct Investment in multi-brand retail.
The situation is no less than a war, feels a senior Congress party member. According to him, terrorists had specifically targeted American nationals in one of their operations.
Raising concern over rising threat to country's security, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday demanded that the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government must come out with a statement in the Parliament informing about the level of preparation for securing country's frontier in the north and north east, and assure people that government will take adequate steps for country's security.
Criticising the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre for the country's economic situation, Bharatiya Janata Party president Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said the nation's fiscal health was deteriorating despite having an economist as the prime minister.
A day after the Trinamool Congress said it was withdrawing support to the UPA government, in protest against the reform measures announced by the government, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry held a press conference to buttress its views on the importance of sustained reform process.
Though senior TMC leader Saugata Roy, Union Minister of State for Urban Development, told the media afterwards that 'the decision to withdraw support was a unanimous one', our sources in the party had a different tale to tale.
Bharatiya Janata Party President Rajnath Singh on Saturday accused the Congress-led United Progresive Alliance government of bluffing the country over the number of lives lost in the recent Uttarakhand flash floods.
Finalisation of the candidate is expected only next week after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Dravida Munnethra Kazhagam chief M Karunanidhi holds consults UPA leaders in New Delhi, said the sources.
With the 72-hour deadline to the Centre to rollback diesel price hike, LPG subsidy cap and FDI in multi-brand retail expiring on Monday, the Trinamool Congress mounted fresh pressure with a Union minister belonging to it listing three options, including withdrawal of support to the United Progressive Alliance.
Actor-turned-Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament Shatrughan Sinha said that it is high time for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to resign on the moral grounds since he is 'responsible' for the coal scam and cannot escape accountability.
In light of the recent announcement of the government to introduce Foreign Direct Investment in retail sector, the United Progressive Alliance government is facing a backlash from its allies.
Describing Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's remarks favouring a third front, as 'misleading', senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Rajnath Singh on Thursday sought a firm assurance from the SP on withdrawing support to the United Progressive Alliance.
Attacking Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party on Wednesday said he has shown little to prove that he can lead politically and the country's future would be safe in his hands.
At least 25 MPs of the Congress and its allies in the United Progressive Alliance were absent during voting on the Constitution Amendment Bill on Lokpal in the Lok Sabha which was defeated for lack of numbers.
Scams dogging the United Progressive Alliance government are tarnishing India's image abroad, but the 'indecisiveness' of the ruling Congress party in taking steps against corruption has resulted in 'misrule and price rice', senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani said on Thursday.
A senior minister said Friday's meet UPA-Left committee on the Indo-US nuclear deal was crucial to allow the government to approach the IAEA.
Defending its proposal for the formation of a Federal Front, the Trinamool Congress on Saturday said such an idea is relevant in the current political scenario as the United Progressive Alliance was slipping fast and the Bharatiya Janata Party was unable to come up sufficiently to be an alternative.
Congress Party of India - Marxist general secretary Prakash Karat on Friday alleged that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his ministers have became "shameless" as they were claiming that no wrong was done during coal block allocation. "The PM is saying we have not done anything wrong and other ministers are saying there was zero loss in coal block allocation. They have become shameless to say all this," Karat said.
Sonia held discussions with Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad and Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan in an effort to break the logjam over the issue that has created a face-off between the Congress and the Left parties. The leaders of the UPA constituents conveyed to Sonia that they back the nuclear deal, but do not favour early polls, particularly because of high inflation.
Congress party president Sonia Gandhi was on Wednesday ranked the sixth most powerful woman in the world, ahead of US First Lady Michelle Obama, by Forbes magazine in its list of 100 influential women, which was topped by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Congress on Sunday won two assembly by-elections in Himachal Pradesh and Haryana appearing not to have been hit by the spate of scams rocking the United Progressive Alliance coalition at the Centre while the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party suffered a humiliating defeat in Karnataka.
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Sonia and Rahul Gandhi's inflexibility has left the Congress searching for a new leader. But not in the way you think.
The decision to allow 51 per cent foreign direct investments in multi-brand retail has been put on hold by the government following strong objections from the Opposition and key United Progressive Alliance allies Trinamool Congress and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
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