Viewing the mutiny in Bangladesh as an effort to destabilise the Sheikh Hasina government, India on Monday expressed solidarity with her dispensation and conveyed readiness to extend whatever support and assistance that Dhaka may require at the present juncture.
Complimenting external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee, who also holds the charge of finance ministry, for the budget, Chidambaram said, "He (Mukherjee) had before him an unenviable task having to present an interim budget at the end of a difficult year caused by a global financial crisis.
As India's fears mounted for Tamil civilians trapped in the war zone in Sri Lanka, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday night sought an assurance from President Mahinda Rajapakse that the innocents are safe and humanitarian situation will be taken into consideration.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday hailed the victory of Maoists in Nepal, calling it a 'positive development'. "The Maoists have successfully taken part in the democratic process in Nepal," Mukherjee said. According to Mukherjee, India would be better off with democratically elected governments in place in the neighbouring countries.
The prime minister wished her well during the telephonic talk, his media adviser Sanjaya Baru said. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee also spoke to Bhutto and condemned the dastardly act.
United States President Barack Obama on Monday began talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on a wide range of bilateral and other issues. After a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Obama drove to the Hyderabad House from Rajghat to begin restricted talks with the prime minister, which would be followed by delegation-level talks. The two leaders are expected to issue a joint statement covering a number of issues ranging from security, trade and economy.
The Centre on Saturday expressed its willingness for a dialogue with the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha, which in turn declared that Gorkhaland was not a separatist demand.Stating that the government was willing to talk to the GJM, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who held a brief meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, said, "There is no question of creating a separate state of Gorkhaland."
Sharmishtha, who has quit politics, also clarified that she has not tried to tweak her father's views about anyone.
A committee of secretaries is already looking into the issue of pricing, which companies like RIL, British Gas and British Petroleum have said should be market-determined.
The issue of Pakistan high commissions' involvement in anti-India activities has been taken up with other countries, said Pranab Mukherjee.
"India does not take part in such military arrangement. Therefore the question of our participation does not arise," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said during a joint press conference in Harbin, China, at the conclusion of the third standalone trilateral meeting of Foreign Ministers of India, China and Russia.
Peeved at Pakistan's contention that the dossier on the Mumbai attacks was not evidence, India on Wednesday said it reflects Islamabad's continuing pattern of evasiveness and reinforces doubts about that country's willingness to cooperate in tackling terrorism.
In a significant development, Australia on Tuesday promised to support the Indo-US civil nuclear deal in the Nuclear Suppliers Group and indicated its readiness to supply uranium to India.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee will "officiate" on urgent matters of governance after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Friday afternoon, a senior Congress party source told rediff.com
"India attaches the highest importance to its relations with Bangladesh," Mukherjee told media persons wrapping up his day-long visit to Dhaka to invite Bangladesh to the forthcoming SAARC meet in New Delhi.
Pakistan has to do more to dismantle the terror infrastructure on its soil if it wants to resume the peace process with New Delhi, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in New Delhi on Tuesday."As far as the composite dialogue is concerned, it has been paused. We expect Pakistan to do more to dismantle the terror infrastructure," Mukherjee told reporters. Pakistan High Commissioner Shahid Malik had met Mukherjee on Monday.
Former Telecom Minister A Raja, the main accused in 2G spectrum scam, has told the Joint Parliamentary Committee that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was in the loop over policy decisions and has accused Attorney General G E Vahanvati of telling a "series of untruths" against him.
The two leaders would also discuss the proposed visit of Dr Singh to Pakistan, the sources said.
India on Saturday said it is yet to receive any official communication from the Pakistani authorities on its dossier on the Mumbai attacks, a day after Islamabad said its probe into the terror strikes will be made by public by Monday or Tuesday. "I have not received any official communication from the Pakistan authorities till now," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told media persons, after flagging off the Murshidabad Express from the Kolkata terminus.
The CCS also discussed the Nuclear Confidence Building Measures with Pakistan.
The TERC, which comprises, among others Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma and External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, will also review the state of play in the Doha Round of talks for a multilateral trade agreement under the aegis of World Trade Organization, sources said.
Angered by terror strikes in Mumbai, India on Friday bluntly told Pakistan that its intention to take a leap in bilateral relations would be impossible if outrages like the attacks in the financial capital do not stop. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told his visiting Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi that he hoped Islamabad would take immediate action with regard to the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
Against the backdrop of demands by political parties in Tamil Nadu to stop military aid to Sri Lanka, India today virtually ruled out that option saying the island nation's security is "connected" with its security and it would not like "international players in our backyard".
Among those attending the meeting from the government side were Defence Minister AK Anthony, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal. The Left parties were represented by the Communist Party of India's A B Bardhan and D Raja, and the CPI-M by Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechuri
Maharashtra Industries Minister Ashok Chavan will be the next chief minister of the state.The decision comes after long deliberations by the Congress high command, which on Wednesday had asked Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh to resign, following the terror attack in Mumbai last week. Chavan has been nominated the leader of the state Congress Legislature Party by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters on Friday.
''Banerjee has made a statement on Mukherjee being given the Padma Vibhusan, which is unsavoury and against all decency. She should apologise with folded hands for her remark,'' said West Bengal Congress General Secretary Manas Bhuyian.
Monday's meeting of the empowered group of ministers on pricing of gas from Reliance Industries' D6 block in the Krishna-Godavari basin has proved inconclusive.
In a rare gesture, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday personally presented India's coveted civilian award Padma Bhushan to Ji Xianlin, renowned Chinese Indologist who has inspired love for Indian culture and literature among generations of his countrymen.
Civil servants, armed forces and paramilitary personnel will get to rejoice this Independence Day with the government all set to approve the Sixth Pay Commission report in its Cabinet meeting on Thursday.
Mukherjee, who is accompanied by Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon, was received by Pakistani Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan.
On his first official visit to India, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Monday met leaders across the political spectrum and discussed issues of bilateral interest. Prachanda called on President Pratibha Patil and Vice President Hamid Ansari.
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi will head a six-member United Progressive Alliance -Samajwadi Party Coordination Committee. The committee has Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Defence Minister A K Antony as its members.The constitution of the Committee indicates that the SP, like the Left, would support the government from outside. The development also suggests that they would exert influence like that of the Left.
Mukherjee will travel to Pakistan on January 13 to invite President Pervez Musharraf for the SAARC summit to be held here in early April and hold 'substantive talks' with Kasuri.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee met his Myanmarese counterpart U Nyan Win in New York on Monday
The Cabinet Committee on Security today took stock of the situation arising out of the Pune bomb blast and is understood to have discussed issues related to the upcoming foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan.
India has said it is committed towards the "historic and consistent" support for the Palestinian people's struggle for a homeland of their own so that they can take their "rightful" place in the comity of nations.
If India feels it is necessary to conduct a nuclear test because of the geo-political situation, India will do it, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told the Rajya Sabha.
"The draft will also be put on the government of India website to facilitate a larger discussion," he said.
Tough talking by the then external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee, following the 26/11 attacks, rattled Pakistan so much that it pressed the panic button and called everyone from Chinese to the Americans saying that India has decided to go to war.
Emphasising that the reprocessing right was "absolutely necessary" for India, Mukherjee maintained that the government would not like the nuclear cooperation agreement to have any impact on the country's indigenous strategic programme.
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