If the government manages to deliver on Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's scheme of providing grains to the needy at nominal rates, it could mean an end malnutrition issues in rural areas.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Monday said that the United Progressive Alliance government will come back to power after the next general elections as the Manmohan Singh regime has not only lifted the country's economic growth rate, but made the process pro-poor as well.
Defending his party's decision to support the Presidential poll contest, Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani on Monday said the government has to build consensus on the issue and the UPA dispensation made no such effort as it sought support for Pranab Mukherjee only after announcing his candidature.
Though CPI has called for review of support to the UPA, the CPI(M) has said withdrawal of Left support at this juncture would mean bringing down the government, which would be 'counter-productive' and only help the BJP.
After some Governors, it was the turn of Vice-Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority M Shashidhar Reddy and five of its members to resign after the new government asked them to quit their posts.
Mayawati said she would announce her party's stand in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Poor shape of economy and massive corruption in UPA government would result in defeat of the ruling coalition in the next general elections, BJP MP and party's spokesperson Prakash Javadekar claimed in Hyderabad on Monday.
The United Progressive Alliance will face the monsoon session of Parliament, which begins on Wednesday, on a high, having proved that when it comes to numbers it can beat its opponents hollow.
'The sense of Constitutional propriety and political morality seems to be vanishing fast.' 'There are many things in today's politics of governance which Manmohan Singh would have never dreamt of saying or doing.'
Days after Dr Singh begged the nation for their trust and sought to detail that money does not grow on trees, an Right to Information query has revealed that the prime minister spent Rs 7,721 on each plate of dinner that was served at the third anniversary celebrations of the UPA-II government held at his residence in New Delhi in May.
As soon as the House met for the day, Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies raised the issue vociferously with Deputy Leader of the Opposition V K Malhotra taking exception to the formation of the committee.
The Bharatiya Janata Party was on Friday evasive on whether it will demand a floor test in Parliament to determine if the Manmohan Singh-led government enjoyed a majority, following the withdrawal of support to it by Trinamool Congress.
If the poll surveys pointing to a near-whitewash for the Congress in the five assembly elections are any indication, the United Progressive Alliance government it heads will find it increasingly difficult to govern, as it will now have to contend with an aggressive opposition and far more assertive allies. The situation is unlikely to improve even after the session ends as the looming 2014 Lok Sabha elections will reduce the UPA to a 'lame duck' government, feels Anita Katyal
The war of words between Trinamool Congress and Congress on Wednesday intensified with Mamata Banerjee saying her party was not in the United Progressive Alliance at anyone's "mercy".
The party said that in the last three years, the government had failed to implement any of the 17 demands put forth by the party.
The Opposition is likely to raise the issues of fuel price hike, the Bhopal gas tragedy case, unrest in Kashmir and talks with Pakistan. It is also likely to attack the government over a series of train accidents in recent months, including the one today in West Bengal.
Left party leaders hoped that a decision will be taken by Friday.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, while being enumerated for Census 2011 last week, said the data from this massive exercise would be a treasure house of information to help the government plan development work.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday attributed nine per cent economic growth rate in 2005-06 to the United Progressive Alliance government's investment-friendly policies.
Asking the UPA itself to review its performance so far in a 'frank and transparent spirit', Bardhan said the Left parties should meet after the Presidential election and do the same.
The Nationalist Congress Party on Thursday attributed the drubbing the Congress-led UPA has received in polls mainly to the "communication deficit" on part of outgoing prime minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi and also to issues like hike in prices of fuel and LPG cylinders by the ruling dispensation.
Noting that the CPI-M will oppose UPA's policies both inside and outside the government, he said his party has not discussed the issue of withdrawing support to the Central government.
On the eve of the all-party meeting on Lokpal issue, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday night held consultations with United Progressive Alliance constituents after which a "broad consensus" was reported on the approach to the matter.
This assumes significance as it comes two days ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament when the Left allies of UPA will be raising the nuclear deal issue.
She said that earlier governments used to sell dreams to people while the present regime is fulfilling the dreams.
Simply put, the story of UPA is one of omissions and commissions.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Saturday appeared to rule out early Lok Sabha polls, saying "our aim is to go till the very end".
Seeking to exert pressure on the Centre, United Progressice Alliance's key ally Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Thursday said "any weakened response" by it on the Ram Sethu issue would only "expose the betrayal of hope and promise" given to Tamil Nadu.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, complaining against Home Minister P Chidambaram's comment on the issue of IPS officers, alleging that the United Progressive Alliance government was trying to destabilise his government.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will come out with the progress report to the people in mid-May when the UPA government would commemorate its first anniversary.
'It (Centre's submission) proves the political intention of the UPA government, which wants to keep the issue alive by resorting to falsehood,' says BJP.
It will expedite disposal of cases as they won't get inordinately delayed, Shah said.
A day before the Cabinet considers issuing an ordinance to implement government's ambitious National Food Security Bill, Food Minister K V Thomas said all UPA allies, including Nationalist Congress Party, are on board and there was a consensus on issuing an ordinance.
All United Progressive Alliance allies, which supported the erstwhile Madhu Koda government in Jharkhand had shared the "profits of crime" which surfaced after the unearthing of the money laundering scam, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley said on Sunday.
'The planning and implementation has gone horribly wrong.' 'What they are doing is in effect, establishing a large cheetah zoo.'
He said the government continued to neglect national security.
Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley on Saturday said deferment in sealing the Teesta water-sharing pact with Bangladesh showed the UPA government's foreign policy is influenced by "internal contradictions".
Expelled leader Amar Singh on Tuesday hit back at the Samajwadi Party, saying that the only deal he tried to strike with the United Progressive Alliance government in 2008 was to 'exonerate' Mulayam Singh Yadav from the disproportionate assets case."I did not make any deal but only asked for one favour from the UPA government and that was the exoneration of SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav from the disproportionate assets case," he said.
"SP had supported the UPA government to fight communal forces, but it has utterly failed to do so," he claimed.
