Standing firm behind its two "whistle-blower" ex-MPs and L K Advani's former aide Sudheendra Kulkarni in the cash-for-vote scam, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday claimed they were innocent and were only trying to "expose" use of money to save the United Progressive Alliance-I government during the 2008 trust vote.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday rose to the defence of former L K Advani aide Sudheendra Kulkarni in the cash-for-votes scam, saying whistleblowers cannot be charged and wondered why those who had benefitted from the scandal had not even been questioned.
Budget session will begin on February 23 and conclude on May 8
Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley on Wednesday said that there is a need for a strong Lokpal Bill to deal with the menace of corruption.
When Prime Minister Modi travelled to the US last year Home Minister Rajnath Singh was officially put in charge of the government. But the BJP's national executive in Bengaluru made it clear who now matters in the party and in what order. Sheela Bhatt/Rediff.com reports
Jaitley exuded hope that the land reforms bill in its new shape would be able to get through the Rajya Sabha.
The Bharatiya Janata Party wants the Supreme Court's Ayodhya deferment order vacated, said senior party leader Arun Jaitley, while stressing that he had a "limited mandate" fom the party in making such a statement.
Keeping the United Progressive Alliance government in the line of fire on Indo-Pak Sharm-el Sheikh joint statement, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's praise of Atal Bihari Vajpayee cannot shield him from his 'monumental lapse' in reversing India's consistent stand on Pakistan.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday accused Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of failing to act on corruption cases, saying it was the cause of people's angry reactions and huge support to Anna Hazare's campaign for an effective Lokpal bill.
In a veiled attack on Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament Maneka Gandhi on Tuesday asked the party why it was shying away from demanding the resignations of Union ministers Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel, for their alleged involvement in the IPL scam. Maneka said Patel and his daughter had flouted so many rules, but still the party had not demanded the minister's resignation.
The Centre had set up a Commission under former Reserve Bank of India Governor Bimal Jalan to suggest steps to rationalise subsidy and help the government in effectively bringing down the fiscal deficit.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday said the general budget 2010-11 would fuel inflation in food articles, health, education and housing making the life of common man more difficult.
Opposition parties including the Bharatiya Janata Party, the All India Anna Dravida Munetra Kazhagam and Left parties came together in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday to demand revocation of suspension of seven members, but the ruling Congress said those showing disrespect to Chair should express regret before such a move is initiated.
The leaked Niira Radia tapes indicated that the health of every government institution is at stake and only a joint parliamentary probe could unravel the various facets of the 2G scam, including the 'role of power brokers' in the allocation of telecom portfolio, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley has said.
'If Parliament had not been obstructed, even the Indian media would not have realised that such a monumental scam had taken place,' says Arun Jaitley.
A faux pas by Treasury benches during the voting on the ordinance on food security held up proceedings of Rajya Sabha for some time.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday dubbed the Liberhan Commission report, probing the Babri Masjid demolition, as devoid of any credibility and said the 'leakage' of the report was as dubious as its content.
After the heat it faced on climate change stand for the Copenhagen summit, the government on Tuesday came under scanner as the Opposition felt that India might come under US pressure on the trade talks in WTO.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley on Thursday said the serial blasts that claimed 18 lives in Mumbai on Wednesday night were a grim reminder "that India continues to be high on the terror list of terror outfits operating from Pakistan". "My heart goes out to the families of those who have lost their near and dear ones in this dastardly attack. No amount of condemnation is going to satisfy our sense of anger," he said.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar told the Lok Sabha that the issue of perks and pensions to MPs are given as per provision of the law and it is in the exclusive domain of Parliament.
Former Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and three others were on Sunday inducted into the Union Cabinet as Prime Minister Narendra Modi expanded his Council of Ministers, bringing in 21 new ministers as Shiv Sena kept away from the exercise.
Congress is opposing the GST bill in the current form.
Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley on Saturday aid that India cannot afford a non-politician as a prime minister and the world's largest democracy can't be run on the pattern of corporates.
Bharatiya Janata Party president Rajnath Singh on Saturday discussed with leader of oppsoition LK Advani over the fall out of resignation of senior party leader Yashwant Sinha from all party posts.
Targeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday said he has remained silent for three years on the 2G spectrum scam to "save his chair" and asked who is the "godfather" of A Raja as the former Telecom Minister alone is not responsible for decisions cleared by the Union cabinet.
AAP has displayed scant regard for the Rule of Law. Its conduct is a challenge to constitutionalism, says BJP leader Arun Jaitley
Congress members also vociferously pressed for a discussion on the Comptroller and Auditor General report.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi's writ seems to have run and how! The government in a sudden move, almost deceptively, put the women's bill to voice vote in the Rajya Sabha and opened the new chapter in constitutional history.
Varun, by remaining silent on the BJP action against him but at the same time remaining unperturbed and active, has shown that he is no pushover, observe Sunil Gatade and Venkatesh Kesari.
Arun Jaitley is on a 10-day trip to the US.
The government's top leadership was happy with Prabhu's Budget.
The President's address to Parliament on January 31 will contain the government's report card on the state of the economy, and will be no less important than the interim Budget announcements, says A K Bhattacharya.
Congress on Monday kept the government guessing on the insurance bill asking it to take on board all stakeholders and favouring the select committee route even as it insisted that the measure is its own "baby" and it is a "misnomer" that the party is opposed to it.
The Bharatiya Janata Party plans to target Sonia Gandhi and other Congress leaders on the issue of bribes in the AgustaWestland chopper deal during the United Progressive Alliance regime
Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley feels the JD-U and SP, the prime movers behind the idea of Third Front, are 'potential losers' in their areas of influence, and are no match to Narendra Modi-led NDA.
The Rajya Sabha approved 15 legislations during the session while the Lok Sabha passed 23 bills, including the GST bills.
After keeping the appointments of some of the senior level officers on special duty/private secretary on hold for months, Prime Minister Narendra Modi finally cleared some of them.
The Bill has already been passed by the Lok Sabha.
Parliament proceedings were adjourned for a second day on Monday over the insinuations by Prime Minister Narendra Modi against his predecessor Manmohan Singh.
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.
