After a meeting at BJP leader LK Advani's residence, from which the BJP's oldest ideological ally the Shiv Sena kept away, NDA convenor Sharad Yadav merely said more discussions were needed to arrive at a right decision
Amidst the flurry of political activities in Delhi over selection of the Presidential nominee, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, whose name has been reported to be Congress' first choice as candidate, on Thursday telephoned former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
Soon after United Progressive Alliance announced Pranab Mukherjee as its candidate for the Presidential election, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj to seek BJP's support for him.
"We in the satta bazaar trust Sonia Gandhi's manoeuvring skills. Now that it has become a major ego issue for the UPA, Mamata will be isolated. UPA may manage to get Mukherjee elected as President with the help of Mayawati and other smaller parties," said a bookie from Delhi
Earlier, the minister visited the site of the Indian National Army memorial and described it as a "poignant moment".
In Kolkata, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee let her annoyance be known.
Rashtriya Lok Dal chief and Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Monday described Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee as a "qualified" candidate for the post of President but said his views on others were equally positive.
The party also wanted to know from Pranab as to why he did not bring up the issue of terrorism during his discussions with the Pakistan administration.
"I want to congratulate President Mukherjee on his swearing-in as the 13th President of India. President Mukherjee has been a strong partner to America and the American people, working throughout his career to deepen our cooperation on a wide range of issues," Clinton said in a statement.
A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party was left embarassed after its MLAs cross voted in the Presidential election, former Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa was in all praise for the newly-elected President -- Pranab Mukherjee.
Mukherjee and Gandhi arrived in Barmer by a special Indian Air force aircraft and were making aerial survey of Budaberi and Malwa villages in the frontier Barmer district.
Describing the prevailing global situation as "complex", Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today attributed the sharp fall in the stock markets to uncertainty over resolving the Eurozone problems in the wake of the Greek crisis.
The prime minister's Economic Advisory Council had said inflation would be at 7-8 per cent by the year-end, compared with 10.55 per cent in June.
Presidential candidate P A Sangma on Wednesday said he had no grudge against Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee for supporting his rival Pranab Mukherjee stating all parties have their own "compulsions and calculations".
"Iran is our longtime ally and about 40 lakh Indians are residing in West Asia. Prior to taking any step, the programme's objective should be ascertained," he told media persons in Gwalior.
The delegation, comprising leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, her counterpart in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley and others, said Mukherjee had assured them that DTC was only at the drafting stage and discussions were still on.
Lok Sabha passes Finance Bill; Will introduce a white paper on black money in current session: FM
Board of Control for Cricket in India Vice President Rajiv Shukla on Friday briefed Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on the ongoing Indian Premier League controversy.
Budget ideas from industry are irresponsible
Union Minister Shashi Tharoor met Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday night as the controversy surrounding him in the IPL snowballed with the opposition demanding his sacking.
He rejected Advani's demand for a Parliament resolution declaring Arunachal Pradesh as an inalienable part of India.
Empowered committee to meet on July 13 to discuss Central Sales Tax, Goods and Services Tax.
Even as the Congress Working Committee met on Monday morning to salute its seniormost member Pranab Mukherjee (who became a CWC member in 1978) and put on record its appreciation of his services both in the party and the government, the union finance minister spent his day tying up loose ends and saying his goodbyes.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Wednesday fundamentals of the Indian economy are strong despite concerns of inflation and growth, and the overall environment will improve significantly if Parliament functions and approves important legislations.
Janata Darty-Secular leader H D Deve Gowda on Thursday announced his party's support to UPA's Presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee.
He further said that advanced tax collection and industrial production at 17.6 per cent in the month of March are very positive and encouraging.
Concerned over the washout of Parliament this week, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday said Parliament is not meant for "disruptions" and also appealed to his "political colleagues" to keep aside politics from major economic decisions.
Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday said treaties had been signed with a total 37 countries to know the details of money stashed abroad by Indians.
The government on Friday shot down a suggestion in the Lok Sabha for setting up a committee under the member of Parliament in respective constituencies for monitoring disbursement of loans by banks to priority sector like agriculture, small and medium enterprises.
"Our advice is not to further escalate tension and defuse the situation through dialogue and discussion."
With External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee set to visit Iran on February 6, there will be more than one pair of eyes watching the visit closely.
A day before unveiling the Budget, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will table the Economic Survey in Parliament on Thursday which will take stock of the economy and also the impact of stimulus on industry.
Mukherjee said that the demand of the Bhartiya Janata Party for a Joint Parliamentary Committee, as he told L K Advani and Jaswant Singh, was not possible.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday said that inflation will start easing soon as the government's efforts to remove supply-side bottlenecks have started yielding results.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday called on Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and discussed with him bilateral relations and the issue of resettlement of the war displaced Tamils.
Some tax reliefs are proposed to be announced by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday, amid demands from various Opposition parties to review service tax proposal for the housing sector in the budget.
Advani wanted a reassurance from the government that Arunachal Pradesh is an inalienable part of India.
United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee started their one-day visit to the flood-affected regions of Gujarat on Thursday morning.
The flow of funds to Kalignar TV begins on 23rd December 2008 and goes on till August 2009. The Finance Minister during that time was Pranab Mukherjee - the UPA's candidate for the post of Presidency.
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