He also said in the Rajya Sabha that the people of the country have a predominant wish of retrieving the parts of Jammu and Kashmir occupied by Pakistan since 1948.
A bill to ban the practice of talaq-e-biddat has been passed by Lok Sabha and is pending Rajya Sabha's nod.
The issue of whether he was still in the race for Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate figured on Tuesday at the 85th birthday celebrations of L K Advani who turned emotional as party colleagues praised him for his leadership.
Will the Monsoon Session of Parliament be adjourned sine die on Monday? That's the buzz in the Central Hall of Parliament on Friday, with many members of Parliament from both the Bhartiya Janata Party and the Congress, privately saying that the situation was getting out of control with the continued stalemate in the first week of the session.
Members in Rajya Sabha on Monday voiced concern over violence in Kishtwar area of Jammu and Kashmir with Opposition saying the country's "sovereignty and integrity" was at stake and the matter should not be dismissed as an inter-community clash.
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.
Kirron Kher, actress-turned-politician, recounts how it was Jaitley who made her contest the elections from Chandigarh. Speaking to Rediff.com's Savera R Someshwar, the Chandigarh MP talks of the BJP stalwart's generosity and how he was the focal point of any place he was at.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday expressed dissatisfaction over the government's response to the Aircel-Maxis controversy, allegedly involving Home Minister P Chidambaram's family members, and said it would demand a discussion on the issue in both Houses.At the weekly BJP Parliamentary Party meeting, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley briefed the members about the Aircel-Maxis issue.
The Aircel-Maxis row on Monday led to fresh uproar in Rajya Sabha with the Opposition targeting with fresh allegations the son of Home Minister P Chidambaram, who denied any wrongdoing and said the company in question -- Advantage Consulting -- could be probed by the finance ministry.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has invited senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Adavani, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley to discuss United Progressive Alliance government's political initiative in Kashmir.
Despite being cleared in the lower house, the GST bill has been pending in the Rajya Sabha for clearance, where the Congress enjoys numerical strength, reports Kavita Chowdhury.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's meeting with BJP top brass L K Advani, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, her counterpart in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley on Tuesday ended on a positive note with both sides reaching a consensus on most issues in the draft bill.The Parliamentary Standing Committee finalised its report on Nuclear Liability Bill. The Compensation cap raised from Rs 500 crore to Rs 1,500 crore.
Terming the ordinance on convicted members of Parliament and members of Legislative Assembly as "immoral and unconstitutional", the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday said President Pranab Mukherjee is not "duty-bound" to give assent to it and suggested to him that he should send it back to the government.
India is not so worried about meeting fiscal deficit target.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the main opposition Congress will release their respective election manifestos for the upcoming assembly elections in Gujarat on Monday.
Party justifies total washout of day's proceedings in Rajya Sabha, citing Dalit atrocity, insult to Congress CMs and the GST bill.
Government on Thursday accused Congress of being "irresponsible" for not allowing Home Minister Rajnath Singh to make a statement in Rajya Sabbha on the Gurdaspur terrorist attack, which it said had originated from Pakistan.
Demanding an inquiry into the purchase of 111 new aircraft by national carrier Air India, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has said the proposal was the root cause of the airline's financial woes.
"People giving me unasked for advice of discipline and restraint don't realise that if I disregard discipline there would be a bloodbath," he tweeted in an obvious attack on Jaitley.
President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday asked ruling and opposition parties to put their heads together and find out a workable solution, apparently to avoid frequent issuing of ordinances.
Accusing the United Progressive Alliance of being in power at the Centre only by 'manipulating smaller parties', the Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday said, the Manmohan Singh's government has completely exhausted its mandate to rule the nation.
The BJP on Sunday authorised its president J P Nadda and Union minister Rajnath Singh to hold consultations with different political parties, including those in the opposition, on the president's election, in what is being seen as an outreach by the ruling party to arrive at a consensus on the choice for the top constitutional post.
'This government is not cohesive. Earlier, the norm was to take a decision and then to announce it. Now what they are doing is to announce the decision first, before it is taken. When there is reaction, they say they will think about it. Then they set up a GoM and put the matter in cold storage. Perhaps there was pressure of showing something in the first 100 days.'
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley on Thursday claimed that a strong anti-incumbency mood, similar to 1977 and 1989, was prevailing in India and that leadership potential will dictate the outcome of the general elections in 2014.
Jaitley said a very large number of reforms have taken place over the last few years and that has helped in restoring the credibility of the Indian economy
64 Rajya Sabha MPs have signed the notice for impeachment proceedings against Chief Justice of India Deepak Misra under "five grounds of misbehaviour".
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday asked its MPs to be present all day long in both Houses of Parliament for passage of crucial bills including the land bill coming up in Lok Sabha and the coal and mines bills in Rajya Sabha.
When a strong executive decides it wants something, even something that is dangerous and unconstitutional, there is little resistance from within to stop it, notes Aakar Patel.
'Our democracy is in form. Our judicial institution is broadly fine. Our parliamentary system is by and large working fine... The only segment I am deeply concerned with are the tribals. They are kept out of the development processes, says Arun Jaitley, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, in our special series where well-known Indians tell Rediff.com why they love India.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushma Swaraj on Friday termed as "dishonest" and "mischievous" the government's contention that she had supported the ordinance on convicted lawmakers.
Political parties on Wednesday condemned the killing of two Indian soldiers by Pakistan army with the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party demanding that the government clearly draw the redlines in dealing with the neighbouring nation.
Is P Chidambaram in serious trouble? What is the alleged Aircel-Maxis scam? Does Chidambaram and his son have an alleged role in it? With the help of investigative reporter J Gopikrishnan, we shed some light on the controversial issue.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's parliamentary body on Wednesday decided to rake up the Bofors pay-off issue in Parliament in the wake of fresh allegations that then prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi may have 'soft-pedalled' the probe to protect Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday supported the Bill providing for reservation to SCs/STs in promotions in government jobs but asked the government to make certain changes so that it does not create reverse discrimination.
Pained by Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati's critical remarks against him, Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari on Wednesday said it would be difficult for him to work in such circumstances.
He didn't have dinner as he had already taken his meal, they said, adding that the former state Congress chief is prisoner number 1,37,683.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Samjawadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party will have to change, modify or amend their stand on Foreign Direct Investment in retail to break the deadlock in Parliament, says Sheela Bhatt
'I think investors see a lot of positives happening in India now.'
It was after a long gap that an aggressive and united Congress took the Bharatiya Janata Party head on in both the Houses of Parliament over the WikiLeaks exposure on the cash-for-vote scam as the party fielded its brightest and the best.
New Delhi is likely to experience a huge traffic jam on Wednesday, as the Bharatiya Janata Party holds a rally to protest against price rise.
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