Gandhi's decision to fly economy class followed a similar act by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and an announcement by External Affairs Minister S M Krishna that he would be undertaking official trips to Belarus and Turkmenistan.
The district and sessions court also convicted three others in the case, including a driver of the Women and Child Development Minister, and awarded them three months rigorous imprisonment. They were also fined Rs 15,500 each by the court of district and sessions judge Urmila Joshi.
On its own or with allies the Congress has a strong presence in states that account for a total of 253 LS seats, or 20 short of the magic figure of 272 required to form a government at the Centre. So what is Mamata Banerjee talking about, asks N Sathiya Moorthy.
Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today slammed Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for "spreading lies and misguiding" people on the issue of expenses incurred on Congress president Sonia Gandhi's foreign tours.
The Trinamool Congress and Nationalist Congress Party, have indicated that their party chiefs have better credentials for the post than the newly-elected Congress head, reports Archis Mohan
The case was being probed by the Pune Police.
All India Congress Committee general secretary Digvijay Singh on Thursday said Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar should consider merging his party with the Congress as Sonia Gandhi's foreign-origin issue was no longer relevant."Even the NCP admits this fact. Then why doesn't Pawar consider merging NCP with the parent party," he asked, adding that it was just his opinion and not an advice.
This will be 'an Uddhav Thackeray government controlled by a remote now held by Sharad Pawar.'
Congress-NCP-Sena leaders discount reading too much into the meeting between the Maharashtra CM and prime minister.
'In India, a really popular and well-entrenched leader is not defeated by a rival.' 'Such a leader has to defeat himself,' observes Shekhar Gupta.
The Congress' protests in the national capital were replicated in other parts of the country.
It is largely due to his vision and efforts that we have almost quadrupled our per capita milk availability in the last 40 years, points out Shailesh Dobhal.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi arrived in Pune on Tuesday on an unscheduled visit and called on NCP president Sharad Pawar.
Some of the reaction to India's bombing on Pak terror camps.
The Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party-led opposition alliance in Maharashtra will win 35 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats, senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde claimed here today.
A proposal to give foodgrains instead of cash to agriculture workers under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act has "not received" any positive response, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar told Rajya Sabha.
If Sharad Pawar, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Karunanidhi and the Left parties endorse the Congress's game-plan, it is difficult to see how Sonia Gandhi's choice will fail to become President, reports Sheela Bhatt
The Congress on Wednesday began the consultation process with its allies on the issue of next President with party chief Sonia Gandhi holding deliberations with Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar on the issue.
Rahul Gandhi stressed the importance of an electoral understanding in UP if the BJP is to be defeated in the Lok Sabha polls.
Prasanna D Zore reports on the backroom drama accompanying the efforts to cobble together the next government in Maharashtra. 'While the Congress is insisting upon equal power sharing structure among all the three parties, the NCP is of the opinion that ministries should be distributed based on the number of MLAs belonging to each of the three parties.' Prasanna D Zore reports on the backroom room accompanying the efforts to cobble together the next government in Maharashtra.
Nitish's absence triggered speculation of a logjam in the coming together of Janata Dal-United and RJD ahead of the crucial state election.
A crucial meeting of the Nationalist Congress Party is being held on Monday afternoon in the wake of the standoff with the Congress that has seen the United Progressive Alliance constituent deciding to pull out of the government.
Pawar and NCP leader Praful Patel were on Thursday believed to have resigned from the Union Cabinet upset over a variety of issues, including no 2 slot for Pawar.
Following Sonia Gandhi's suggestion, the percentage of landowners, whose consent is necessary for acquiring land for private purpose, has been raised from 67 per cent to 80 per cent in the proposed bill.
"Maharashtra has got nothing to do with Kashmir? Soldiers from Buldhana sacrificed their lives for the protection of Kashmir. Opposition doesn't feel national issues are important," he said.
Against the backdrop of charges against Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra and realty major DLF, the Janata Dal-United on Thursday said the key issue of Foreign Direct Investment in multi-brand retail should not be forgotten in the din over other issues and suspected that those involved in coal and 2G scams may be trying to divert attention.
'Political parties are following the Divide and Rule policy to break the unity of farmers.'
Conceding that the RJS is the "big brother" in Bihar, the Congress said that Rahul was "the face of anti-NDA forces" in the country.
Nationalist Congress Party chief and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar's courtesy call to Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Thursdayevening fuelled intense speculation even as both the parties insisted that it had nothing to do with politics.
Will Sonia Gandhi's origin be a decisive factor in the next general election?
Pawar said the Union Cabinet has already decided last week to reschedule crop loans of farmers in the affected drought areas with reduced interest rate of 7 per cent.
Addressing a press conference, BJP leader and former Maharashtra minister Ashish Shelar taunted the Sena-NCP-Congress for "identification parade" of their MLAs and termed it as a cruel joke on the people of the state and democracy.
Hitting out at the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party, he said, they were "shamelessly" opposing the abrogation of Article 370.
President Kovind offered his condolences to Kumar's family and said his demise marks the end of an era of Indian cinema.
Mishra was catapulted to the chief ministership of Bihar following the assassination of his elder brother Lalit Narayan Mishra in 1975.
For the first time in seven years the prime minister finds himself at his most vulnerable, observes Virendra Kapoor.
The development came against the backdrop of the ruling party accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party of trying to poach its MLAs to topple the Kamal Nath-led government, which enjoys a wafer thin majority in the House, and imminent expansion of the state Cabinet.
Kumar will launch her campaign from Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat on June 30.
'He is 47 years old and not married. Since his son or daughter can contest for Parliament only 25 years after being born, the earliest, if he marries in December, would be 2043.' 'So this, pretty much, is the end of the road for dynastic rule in the party,' says T C A Srinivasa-Raghavan.
"Congress is the biggest party in the UPA. There is no question of NCP, Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam or Rashtriya Janata Dal or any other party coming close to their numbers and if tomorrow Congress decides to nominate Mrs Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi, it's not a question for NCP to decide," NCP General Secretary Praful Patel said.
