Double impact in Bihar... Ajay Maken and the Tweety Bird... Kissa Kursi ka... Mein Azad Hoon... All this and more in this week's Dilli Gupshup...
Politics over its critical reports on scams echoed in the 150th anniversary celebrations of the Comptroller and Auditor General on Wednesday when Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Public Accounts Committee Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi praised Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee for defending both the CAG and the PAC when they came under attack.
The PAC's second draft report again targets Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and then Finance Minister P Chidambaram. However, Chidambaram gets more brickbats while Dr Singh, the report says, was 'misled' by then Telecom Minister A Raja. Our Correspondent reports from New Delhi.
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.
Bharatiya Janata Party leaders on Friday downplayed the absence of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi at the party's national executive committee meeting, claiming it was not the result of infighting within the party. "Infighting take place in the Congress and not in our party," senior leader Murli Manohar Joshi said. Denying any rift between senior leaders of the party, BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said, "There is no clash".
The numbers are loaded against him but the BJP's vice presidential candidate Jaswant Singh has his eyes set on battles beyond. Neerja Chowdhury provides an insight
Congress on Sunday demanded the resignation of Murli Manohar Joshi as Public Accounts Committee Chairman alleging the Bharatiya Janata Party leader was making the Parliament committee "partisan and motivated" and "playing politics" by circulating afresh with some changes the panel's controversial report on 2G scam.
Responding to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's rejection of the Bharatiya Janata Party's demand -- that he appear before the Joint Parliamentary Committee in connection to the 2G spectrum allocation case -- the opposition on Wednesday said if the PM had nothing to hide, he should not shy away from the panel.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi on Saturday charged the Centre with attacking constitutional institutions working in the interest of the people and said it was harmful for the nation.
Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi on Thursday questioned the quality of IITs, saying that large-scale spending on the nation's premier technology schools was not paying back enough dividends.
The Central Bureau of Investigation has told the Supreme Court that the trial of Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani in the Ayodhya demolition case has to be carried on without dropping the conspiracy charge against him as the razing down of the medieval monument was part of a "single larger conspiracy". The agency, in its recent affidavit, opposed the separation of trial of eight accused leaders -- Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti, Vinay Katiyar etc.
Maran was instrumental in changing the spectrum pricing while he was the Telecom Minister.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi on Sunday said that a Comptroller Auditor General inquiry should be conducted into expenditure made during Maha Kumbh Mela at Allahabad.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi on Thursday lashed out at the Central Bureau of Investigation after the Supreme Court asked it to explain the delay in filing an appeal against the Allahabad High Court's order for dropping the conspiracy charges in the Babri Masjid demolition case.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi on Tuesday defended party president Rajnath Singh's directive to party members not to speak on the prime ministerial candidate issue and said till now no demand for choosing Narendra Modi for the post has come up before BJP Parliamentary Board.
As Public Accounts Committee descended into chaos, the Congress on Thursday backed the "rejection" of the draft report on 2G scam by a majority of members of Parliament on the panel and held its Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi and Bharatiya Janata Party squarely responsible for the document containing "blatant falsehoods".
Charging Public Accounts Committee chairman Murli Manohar Joshi of having ''malafide intention'' of destabilising the government, the Congress and Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam leaders of the panel on Wednesday demanded his resignation over the draft report on the 2G spectrum scam.
Bharatiya Janata Party President Nitin Gadkari on Sunday hit out at NRI business Anshuman Mishra terming his allegations against party veteran Murli Manohar Joshi and some other leaders as "baseless" and an "expression of frustration" over his failure to make it to the Raja Sabha.
In an interesting turn of events, the Public Accounts Committee Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi summoned two senior editors of newsweeklies to depose before the PAC in connection to the 2G spectrum scam. Vinod Mehta and Manu Joseph, editors of Outlook and Open Magazine respectively were interrogated about the transcripts of the phone conversations that corporate lobbyist Niira Radia had with others, which were carried in their publications.
Report says SEZs had resulted in a revenue loss of Rs. 1,971.39 crore.
Under fire over allegations levelled by a former Comptroller and Auditor General official on its report on 2G spectrum allocation, Murli Manohar Joshi on Friday said the "hurried" statement of Sonia Gandhi attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party has only exposed the Congress.
Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and A B Bardhan on Thursday shared dais with Bharatiya Janata Party's Nitin Gadkari and Murli Manohar Joshi at a demonstration against FDI in retail and hike in diesel prices.
Parliament's Public Accounts Committee on Thursday decided to examine the four latest reports of the CAG, including the one on coal block allocation, which are critical of the government.
In front of a 50,000 odd strong audience, which also had Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah, Yogi Adityanath was sworn in as Uttar Pradesh chief minister on Sunday. Here's a glimpse of the big names that attended the big-ticket event.
Here's how political leaders across the country celebrated the festival of colours.
Joshi courted arrest after he made a speech and was taken away in a police bus.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states' education ministers on Wednesday trashed Human Resources and Development Minister Kapil Sibal's road map for education, stressing that fiddling with examinations and a single board for 12th class examination cannot reform the education.
Taking exception to personal attack on him, a "hurt" Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said he may have "made mistakes" but he firmly repudiated charges of conniving with corruption and asked the Opposition to verify his assets.
The Congress enjoyed a majority in the PAC when Natarajan was part of the panel. It is believed that it was her dissent vote that saw the report on the 2G Spectrum case prepared by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Dr Murli Manohar Joshi being rejected.
Oil Minister S Jaipal Reddy on Monday rejected senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi's attack on Home Minister P Chidambaram on the issue of CAG indictment of his ministry for alleged favours to private firms, saying such attacks would harm decision making at higher levels.
In a respite to L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and 19 others in the Babri Masjid demolition case, the Allahabad High Court on Thuursday dismissed the Central Bureau for Investigation's revision petition challenging a special court decision to drop criminal proceedings against them.
The rally was taken out to showcase the public angst against the steeply rising prices of commodities drew BJP supporters from across the country.
The buzz is all about Narendra Modi's team of 44, who made it and who did not. The prime minister elect had made some surprise omissions. Here's a look at those who were kept out.
Unfazed by the "rejection" of the draft Public Accounts Committee report by a "majority", Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi on Wednesday said that the Lok Sabha Speaker has no option but to accept the report on the 2G scam presented by him.
Joshi was again nominated by his party following which Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar has reappointed him as chairman of PAC which is responsible for conducting the financial audit of various departments and ministries.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday charged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with orchestrating a vilification campaign against the Public Accounts Committee chairman Murli Manohar Joshi after the parliamentary panel had asked a PMO official and the Attorney General to appear before it for questioning in the 2G scam.
Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday attacked Public Accounts Committee Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi saying his draft report on his role in 2G spectrum allocation was a "gross distortion" which "deliberately and mischievously" omitted his suggestions on the issue.
A day after a chaotic meeting of the Parliament's Public Accounts Committee, its Chairperson Murli Manohar Joshi along with National Democratic Alliance, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Biju Janata Dal and Left members are exploring the possibility of submitting the draft report on 2G scam to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar before its term expires on Ffriday.
The Congress and the Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam on Thursday slammed the draft report released by Public Accounts Committee chairman Dr Murli Manohar Joshi and demanded that he should resign from his post. The meeting is expected to be a stormy one in view of the different stances taken by various political parties.Leaders of DMK and Congress addressed a joint press conference, where they questioned Joshi's decision to release the draft report to the media.
The Public Accounts Committee has, in a draft report on 2G scam, strongly indicted former Telecom minister A Raja and came down heavily on the Prime Minister's Office and the Cabinet Secretariat for not taking "corrective action" while not sparing even the prime minister for "some unfortunate omissions".
