Only vegetarian dishes were served at the official dinner held at a state-run five-star hotel.
Rai said that the terminology was part of the regional dialect and there was nothing obscene about it.
'Sonia is trying to become a politician again. Will she succeed?'
Congress president Sonia Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar condemned the violence at the Jawaharlal Nehru University and said that it was a "disturbing and fascist strike" by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi is said to have appeased two Telangana MP's who met her on Thursday on the Rayal-Telangana issue.
A voter turnout of 10.82 per cent was recorded till 9 am on Saturday in 58 constituencies in six states and two Union territories where polling is underway in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
Since it was formed 58 years ago, Haryana has had Jat chief ministers for 33 of those.
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
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Thursday brushed aside Union minister Giriraj Singh's racist comment saying she need not reply to a person with "neech mansikita" (narrow mindset)
Former Union Minister Natwar Singh, who has kicked up a storm with his book and comments about Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, on Thursday said revival of Congress party was important for India and democracy.
'I am the senior most Congress party leader from Kerala, and I don't know why I am sidelined.'
Union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Giriraj Singh on Wednesday said his comment on Congress President Sonia Gandhi was made "off the record" and added that it was being presented by the media in a different light.
Stalin also heaped praise on "brother" Rahul Gandhi, saying he is the "ideal antidote" to the BJP's "parochial" politics.
Could this reluctance be tied to the family's projection of themselves as the last bastion of the aam-aadmi's interests? Do they fear that a full disclosure of their not-inconsiderable assets would go against their carefully-cultivated pro-poor image, wonders Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
All MPs of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, including nominated members, are entitled to vote in the vice presidential election.
'I want to ask the Congress only one question: What is more important than election management in politics?'
Upset over political developments in Maharashtra, the Congress and other opposition parties boycotted Constitution Day celebrations in the Central Hall of Parliament and held a joint protest in front of the Ambedkar statue inside Parliament complex.
Congress has decided to re-nominate Union minister Manish Tewari from Ludhiana seat and his candidature will be announced soon.
The political war of words over Manipur intensified on Saturday with the BJP raising the incidents of atrocities against women in West Bengal and Rajasthan and questioning the 'silence' of the opposition, which termed it as a diversionary tactic to avoid debate on the situation in the north-eastern state.
An interim report on the action has also been sent by the field investigation wing of the income tax department to the Central Board of Direct Taxes in Delhi, the administrative body for the department.
"Even Shashi Tharoor had said it is a friendly match and after elections Congress will be the winner," Gehlot said.
Amid continuing protests over the creation of a separate Telangana state, Union ministers from the Seema-Andhra region met Congress President Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi and expressed the "sense of deprivation" prevailing in Andhra and Rayalseema regions.
'They want to keep the BJP out, but how to make it happen is the issue that the Congress high command will resolve.'
Congress MP Lagadapati Rajagopal on Saturday took a swipe at Sonia Gandhi, saying she "ignored" the groundswell of support against division of Andhra Pradesh by not listening to the party leaders on the issue.
The summons was issued by the US Eastern District Court of New York after a rights group -- Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) -- and two victims of the riots filed a complaint before it.
"The situation has become irretrievable", Azad, 73, said in his parting shot to Sonia Gandhi, whose trusted confidante he remained right from the time of Sitaram Kesri's unceremonious exit as the party's chief in 2000.
A party without a 'high command' would be 'anarchy,' he said.
Senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor will face-off in an electoral contest on Monday for the post of All India Congress Committee chief, as the party gets set to have a non-Gandhi president in over 24 years.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi have reassured Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about the party's support for him and the government -- in the wake of Rahul Gandhi's criticism of a Union Cabinet ordinance that allows Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assembly to attend Parliament and state assemblies despite having criminal cases against them.
The Union home ministry has cancelled the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registration of the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) for alleged violation of laws, a move the public think-tank termed "incomprehensible and disproportionate" and vowed to seek legal recourse against.
Modi will accompany on July 25 from Rashtrapati Bhavan to 12 Janpath as a courtesy.
Both the government and the Opposition have accused each other of "running away" from a debate on the issue.
In a blistering attack against the BJP over the violence in Manipur, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that its politics had "murdered Bharat Mata" in the northeastern state and termed members of the ruling party "traitors".
The Congress on Monday promised that a government led by it will conduct a nationwide caste census and implement 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies at the earliest, including adequate representation for women belonging to the OBC community.
They are likely to meet Sitaram Yechury following the meeting with Gandhi.
The BJP's remarks came a day after the Congress leaders, led by Sonia Gandhi, met President Ram Nath Kovind and submitted a memorandum demanding resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah for "abdication of duty" during the communal violence in northeast Delhi. She had also reminded the Centre for its 'rajdharma' and protecting the people from all faiths in the country.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Wednesday visited the Mahabodhi temple at Bodh Gaya which was rocked by multiple explosions on Sunday.
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Congress President Sonia Gandhi asked Telangana leaders to maintain "restraint, brotherhood and cordial relations" with people of Andhra and Rayalaseema regions as the process started for creation of a separate state.
Sources claimed Shubhangini Raje facilitated communication between Scindia and the PM.
