Sports Minister Ajay Maken has accused former minister Mani Shankar Aiyar of playing an 'irreparable obstructionist role' in the Commonwealth Games projects resulting in cost escalation.
Veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, in his latest book, argues that Pranab Mukherjee should have been made Prime Minister in 2012 instead of Manmohan Singh, who was then recovering from health issues. Aiyar believes this would have prevented the "paralysis of governance" and "doomed" any prospects the Congress might have had to form UPA-III. He also criticizes the government's handling of the Anna Hazare-led agitation and the Commonwealth Games scandal, which he believes contributed to the party's downfall in the 2014 general elections.
Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar on Thursday held discussions with chief executives of public sector oil companies to explore the possibility of merging BPCL and HPCL with ONGC and OIL with IOC to create two oil behemoths.
Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi on Tuesday hit back at former Sports Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar for his scathing criticism of the upcoming event, saying the senior Congress leader's comments are "irresponsible" and "anti-national".
Mocking Congress MP Mani Shankar Aiyar's tea vendor taunt at BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, the party on Friday distributed tea to public free of cost to register their protest against the controversial remark.
A chastised Aiyar did proffer a conditional apology, but that did not apparently smooth the ruffled feathers of the troubled Congress leadership.
Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar on Monday hoped that international crude oil prices will ease in the near future and said India was in a comfortable position to sustain prices at around $50 a barrel.
A "constructive dialogue" on the tri-nation gas pipeline from Myanmar to India through Bangladesh was progressing with "considerable satisfaction", visiting Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar said on Monday.
Continuing his tirade against the just-concluded Commonwealth Games, former Sports Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar said India should have focused on improving the plight of its poor instead of spending thousands of crores on the event which only "denigrated" its image.
Holding Pakistan responsible for delay in implementation of the liberalised visa regime, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Monday said relaxation in norms was essential for improving trade relations between the two neighbours.
Diplomat-turned-politician Mani Shankar Aiyar on Friday tore into United Progressive Alliance's handling of Anna Movement, which he said was a "Frankenstein monster" created by the central government itself.
The Congress on Tuesday distanced itself from senior party leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's remarks that he would be "unhappy" if the Commonwealth Games was a success and that only "evil" will patronise such events.
Seventeen members, including new and re-elected ones, took oath in Rajya Sabha, which reassembled after a month-long break, on Thursday.
"My guess is by not hosting the Asian Games, we probably saved ourselves something of the order of Rs 5000 crore," Sports Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar said on Sunday.
After raising strong objections to Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's comments allegedly comparing Members of Parliament shouting slogans in the Well of Parliament with animals -- three Bharatiya Janata Party MPs on Friday gave a notice in the Rajya Sabha for alleged breach of privilege by him.
A couple of months after exiting the Petroleum Ministry, Mani Shankar Aiyar on Thursday lashed out at the way the top bureaucrats functioned in the ministry.
Enhancing cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector, vital for the energy security of the two fastest growing economies in the world, will be high on the agenda of talks Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar will hold with Chinese leaders.
Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar has blamed bureaucrats in his ministry for the fiasco over appointment of additional government directors on ONGC board, saying legal opinion should have been taken instead of doing 'guess-work'.
Petroleum minister Mani Shankar Aiyar on Wednesday ruled out hiking petrol and diesel prices in step with the firming up of international oil prices and the increase in excise duties.
Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar will visit Pakistan from June 3 to boost energy ties and discuss the $4.16 billion Iran-India gas pipeline project.\n\n
Notwithstanding the demand of the Left parties, Petroleum Minister Mani Shanker Iyar on Friday asserted that there would be "no rollback" of the hike in petro products prices.
Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar will visit Pakistan in the second fortnight of May to discuss modalities of Iran-India gas pipeline besides other areas of cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector.
Indo-Pak talks can succeed if it is restructured to make it uninterrupted and New Delhi co-opts Islamabad in the war on terror rather than rely on the US, newly nominated Rajya Sabha MP Mani Shankar Aiyar has said.
The party also wanted an immediate restoration of Veer Savarkar's plaque at the Cellular Jail memorial.
India on Monday said that gas imports from Iran by pipeline passing through Pakistan was indispensable to its economic growth and will enter into trilateral dialogue on the pipeline early next year.
Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar will visit Tehran early next week to salvage the LNG-for-oil field deal, which hit an obstacle after Iran sought a very high price for liquefied natural gas it plans to sell to India.
Congress MP Mani Shankar Aiyar on Tuesday said it was not the party but the "mela" at its headquarters that he had described as a "circus" and hoped that it has not lost its capacity to laugh at itself.
Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar on Tuesday denied any differences within the government on the $4.16-billion Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline and said New Delhi was going ahead with the project as scheduled.
Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar will take up Oil and Natural Gas Corp's proposal to acquire 15-20 per cent stake in embattled Russian firm Yukos' core asset, Yuganskneftegaz, when he meets his Russian counterpart in Moscow on February 21.
Close on the heels of initiating a dialogue with Iran and Myanmar on importing gas through onland pipelines, Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar will soon visit Turkmenistan and Afghanistan to explore the possibility of bringing natural gas from Ce
President Pratibha Patil has nominated five prominent citizens to the Rajya Sabha, based on recommendations made by the Union cabinet.
Union sports minister Mani Shankar Aiyar lashed out at the Indian Hockey Federation, saying "it is a matter of shame that a team which has been part of the Olympics for the past 80 years and won several gold and silver medals failed to qualify for the Beijing Games". Eight-time champions India lost 0-2 to Great Britain on Sunday night in the final of the second Olympic qualifier in Santiago, Chile, and failed to make it to the quadrennial event for the first time in 80 years.
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