According to sources in the government, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is firmly against activist Anna Hazare's demand for formally constituting a joint committee, with representatives from the civil society and the government, to draft a strong anti-corruption bill. Hazare has been on an indefinite fast in New Delhi since Wednesday to press for his demand.Mukherjee has stopped the government from issuing a notification to make the joint committee formal.
"We are for fight against terrorists and all sorts of terrorism. Therefore, we have no sympathy for any terrorist activity indulged in by any organisation, particularly LTTE (which) is a banned organisation in India," he told media persons. He made the remarks hours before his departure to Sri Lanka, where the government has claimed to have captured Mullaithivu, the last bastion of LTTE.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had reported a "serious breach of security" in his office in a letter written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in September last year. In his letter, Mukherjee claimed that "planted adhesives" were found in 16 locations including at his office, the offices of his advisor Omita Paul and private secretary Manoj Pant and two conference rooms used by the finance ministry. Mukherjee clarified that no microphone or recording devices were found.
White Papers, which are issued by the government, lay out the policy or proposed action on topics of current concern.
With his candidature for the President's post gaining momentum, Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday said no one can become president "on his own wish" and the Congress would decide on the issue.
Refuting charges that India did not hand over all documents on the Mumbai terror attacks to Pakistan, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday said that entire documents on the matter had been passed on to the neighbouring country."It is a false allegation that we did not hand over all documents pertaining to the attack on India's financial hub... we have given entire documents on the matter to Pakistan," Mukherjee told reporters.
Mukherjee said Fernandes approved the visits, which the commission claimed was for inspecting weapons systems under probe, on December 22, 2003, when it was inquiring into 14 major defence deals.
The affidavit did not even refer to or mention any person. Therefore, the inference which is sought to be drawn that a clean chit has been given to Fernandes is unjustified and totally unwarranted, he said.
"Terrorism remains a scourge for our region. If a country cannot keep the assurances that it has given, then it obliges us to consider the entire range of options that exist to protect our interests and people from this menace," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said, without naming Islamabad.
Expressing serious concern over the menace of disruptions in Parliament and legislatures, President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday said time had now come to address the issue, which cannot simply be brushed aside, to bring a recalcitrant administration to its knees.
In his book, former governor Subbarao says Chidambaram, Pranab were piqued by his tight rate policy.
Away from the political chaos in New Delhi, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is celebrating the Durga Puja at his ancestral home in Miriti village of West Bengal's Birbhum district.
Far from the rough and tumble of politics, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is in Kolkata at his ancestral home at Miriti in Birbhum district to perform Durga Puja as he has been doing every year.
"I extend puja greetings (Saradiyar Subhecchha) to all people and wish them well," a relaxed Mukherjee said while leaving for his ancestral home with his wife.
Mukherjee said uncertainty was still there on oil prices front due to unrest in West Asia and North Africa.
A host of political leaders and the cream of Tamil film world were among those who turned up for the wedding reception of Union Minister M K Alagiri's son Durai Dayanidhi on Wednesday at the sprawling Tamukkam grounds in Madurai, which was converted into an excellently decorated wedding hall.
The government on Saturday said it has served notices to 17 persons who allegedly kept untaxed money in foreign banks and prosecution has begun against them, but refused to reveal their names. The comments, made by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, came a day after some media reports revealed names of 15 entities, including individuals and trusts, who allegedly kept illicit money in LGT Bank of Liechtenstein, an European country neighbouring Switzerland.
Launching his campaign for the Presidential election in which he appears set for a cakewalk, United Progressive Alliance nominee Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday appealed to all political parties to back his candidature, apparently eyeing Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress. Mukherjee met UPA's key partner Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's president M Karunanidhi at his residence in Chennai, formally kick-starting the campaign.
United Progressive Alliance Presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee is expected to file four sets of nomination papers signed by top UPA leaders, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Thursday.
Making a strong defence of the nuclear deal during the debate on confidence motion, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee rejected the Left parties' allegations of betrayal and took potshots at leader of opposition Lal Kishenchand Advani, saying he should not "distort" facts in "over enthusiasm" to score political points.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday said the wrong policy and non-functional police of the Left Front government in West Bengal were responsible for the rise of Maoism in the state. "The Left Front government should be blamed for the rise of Maoists in West Bengal. Their wrong policy and non-functional police have allowed the Maoists to enter the state and strengthen their base in Junglemahal," the senior Congress leader told an election rally at Harishchandrapur.
As Mukherjee prepares to return to North Block after a gap of 24 years -- he was last there in January 1985 -- and becomes the first minister to sit simultaneously in both North and South Block, it is learnt that Mukherjee would be using the North Block office of the finance minister, which till recently had been used by P Chidambaram. He is expected to shuffle between the office of the finance minister and the external affairs minister.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday called for close cooperation between India and Bangladesh for building mutual trust to combat the threat of terrorism.
Ahead of the Word Cup semi final match between India and Pakistan on March 30, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said that sports should not be mixed with politics. Referring to Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's visit to Mohali, to watch the semi-final match between India and Pakistan on Wednesday, Mukherjee said sports and politics must be treated separately and not mixed.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday put the onus on West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to give a reply to Home Minister P Chidambaram's letter which asked the government to disarm CPI-M cadres in the state. "The home minister has written to the state government. He has fulfilled his responsibility. Now the state government should fulfil its responsibility and reply by acknowledging receipt of the letter," he said.
The Union defence minister, however, said India wanted to strengthen its "good" relations with Pakistan.
Senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday night had a meeting with party MPs, district presidents, Pradesh Congress Committee chief and Congress Legislature Party leader of West Bengal to discuss the strategy for the upcoming assembly polls in the state.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday briefed his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the Indo-US nuclear deal and raised the issues of delay in the delivery of Gorshkov aircraft carrier.
Other noted personalities to be bestowed with the Padma Vibhushan include noted playback singer Asha Bhosle, chess wizard Vishwanathan Anand, mountainer Edmund Hillary and industrialists Ratan Naval Tata, Infosys mentor N R Narayana Murthy, steel tycoon Lakshmi Narayan Mittal and hotelier P R S Oberoi.
Headline inflation for March stood at 8.98 per cent, while food inflation was at 8.76 per cent for the week ended April 16.
Opposition-backed Presidential poll nominee P A Sangma on Monday said he would move the Supreme Court against the Election Commission's decision to quash the complaint against United Progressive Alliance candidate Pranab Mukherjee's nomination papers after the elections.
Pranab Mukherjee, who will be on a five-day visit to US from September 21, will address the 8th Annual India Investment Forum Meeting.
However, he disappointed big time by not announcing any relief in taxes or change in the tax structure to bring relief to the common man.
"The Narendra Modi government has not properly utilised funds for the construction of roads under the Gramya Sadak Yojna and the National Employment Guarantee Scheme," Mukherjee said. Speaking to reporters, Mukherjee said that though the Centre had allocated funds to Gujarat for the construction of 1,100 kms of roads under the Yojana, only 179 km roads had been laid.
The finance minister said the early signs of improvement in the Indian economy are seen despite no big recovery visible in the global economy.
'Declared war was not there but there were attacks and counter-attacks and that is the reality,' the Union defence minister revealed.
The essential dispute is over China's refusal to acknowledge the McMohan Line as the border between the two nations, and staking claim to large tracts of land as a contiguous part of Tibet.
The Empowered Group of Ministers, which is looking into the debacle of the Dabhol power project
Asserting that India and Pakistan can unite through a common market, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday invited Islamabad to work jointly for developing a trade and economic block, "which could even be a matter of envy for blocks like Europe
