Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Friday described the electoral bonds scheme as a 'very big scam' and demanded that a special investigation team (SIT) be set up with court-appointed officials to probe the alleged quid pro quo and wrongdoings under it.
Battle lines have already been drawn and the opposition has insisted on a debate on demonetisation.
A number of senior faces from the outgoing cabinet including Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Piyush Goyal, Narendra Singh Tomar and Prakash Javadekar are expected to figure in the new cabinet.
Jaitley began his speech by saying that today is the auspicious day of Basant Panjami and that "spring is the season of optimism".
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
In the last three financial years and in the current financial year till November 15, SFIO was asked to investigate 167 cases.
In January 2015, 25,023 tourists arrived by availing the scheme.
It is not in the Lok Sabha, where the BJP has a clear majority, but the Rajya Sabha that the Opposition has ganged up to checkmate Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious plans.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday hit out at Congress saying Rahul Gandhi's "contrived aggression" in Lok Sabha was a compulsion as the party leadership was facing a "palace coup" within.
Those complaining to the Election Commission about violation of model election code must keep in mind that right to free speech has not been diluted by the MCC in any way, Jaitley noted.
With several Parliament sessions during UPA-II being largely disrupted, BJP leader Arun Jaitley on Sunday "regretted" that a lot of valuable time was lost in the last five years due to "confrontationist politics" and said the Opposition achieves much more through debates than disturbances.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was an experienced leader and it would be great if a proposal came to make him the convenor of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), his deputy Tejashwi Yadav said on Wednesday.
The Rajya Sabha on Monday witnessed uproar over the steep Rs 2.35 a litre hike in petrol price and 50 paisa a litre increase in cost of diesel.
In the session which concluded on Wednesday, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan preferred to carry on with the listed business even as protesting Congress members stormed the Well and shouted slogans, many times walking out of the House for the day.
As the Congress mounted offensive over Narendra Modi's remarks on the AgustaWestland chopper deal case, the government on Tuesday hit back saying the prime minister cannot be gagged against speaking on corruption.
Slamming the Aam Aadmi Party for making "unrealistic promises" during elections in Delhi, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday challenged it to form a government with Congress support instead of avoiding power and fulfil its "exaggerated and unimplementable" manifesto.
"Kharge dissents regularly," the minister said.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan was on Saturday sworn in as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister for third consecutive term, nearly a week after he led Bharatiya Janata Party to a spectacular hat-trick in Assembly elections.
Assessment of the 427 account holders associated with HSBC list will be completed by March 21, 2015.
'I think investors see a lot of positives happening in India now.'
You could step aside from the BJP membership, don the mantle of a full-time journalist again and then go ballistic against the government, Sudhir Bisht tells Arun Shourie in this open letter.
Jaitley said a 10 per cent tax long on capital gains exceeding Rs 1 lakh made from the sale of shares has been introduced but those made till Janaury 31 would be grandfathered. A 10 per cent tax on distributed income by equity oriented mutual funds has also been proposed in the budget.
The CAD was brought under control in 2013-14 after government imposed restrictions on import of gold. Following, this in 2014, certain restrictions were withdrawn.
The election to the post is mostly decided by consensus, but opposition leaders complain that the Narendra Modi government was yet to reach out to them, reports Archis Mohan.
Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Monday hit out at Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley for his criticism of Press Council of India Chief Markandey Katju over Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, calling it "unnecessary and outlandish".
The Rohith Vemula suicide and the Jawaharlal Nehru University row continues to dominate the discussions in Parliament on Day 3 of the Budget Session.
The government on Wednesday asserted that the appointment of Lieutenant General Dalbir Singh Suhag as the next Army Chief is final as the Congress raked up a controversy involving minister and former Army chief Gen V K Singh and demanded his resignation.
The former India cricketer and Darbhanga MP's response came days after BJP suspended him for "anti-party" activities within and outside Parliament, "lowering the prestige" of the party and its office-bearers.
Taking a swipe at the Opposition, Jaitley said people have to decide between a government led by one captain or a team of 11 players, and that of 40 captains.
"To begin with, people could face some difficulties because any changeover has its own problems. But it will settle down and the country will benefit from the new indirect tax regime," Jaitley said at an event organised by ABP News.
In a veiled reference to various populist schemes of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, Arun Jaitley, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, "When crores are spent not on asset creation but on populist schemes, it disturbs the economy of the country."
In a veiled reference to various populist schemes of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, Arun Jaitley, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, "When crores are spent not on asset creation but on populist schemes, it disturbs the economy of the country."
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.
Jaitley said the geographical expansion of the BJP in Kerala, after Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh in the South, and the 11 per cent vote share in West Bengal were 'important milestones'.
States also demanded that Budget for 2015-16 should make adequate provisions for central sales tax compensation for early roll out of Goods and Services Tax, a Constitutional Amendment Bill for which was tabled in the Lok Sabha last week.
He also underlined that activism has to be blended with restraint and there cannot be a compromise with other aspects of the basic structure in the name of judicial independence.
The government last month introduced the GST Bill in Parliament.
Jaitley also dismissed criticism that lower taxes were aimed at helping corporates.
Angry members of the Congress and other opposition parties forced adjournments of the proceedings as they questioned the NOTA provision for these elections.
Anshuman Mishra, who has leveled certain allegations against Bharatiya Janata Party leaders after the party backed out of supporting him for Rajya Sabha seat from Jharkhand, on Monday retracted his comments and apologised to them.
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