Amid confusion over the continuation of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren as an MLA, Governor Ramesh Bais on Friday went to Delhi, a day after ruling United Progressive Alliance MLAs urged him to clear the air over the EC's recommendation on the matter.
The TMC general secretary, considered number two in the party, shared the letter sent to him by the central agency on X, formerly Twitter.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Left party leaders hoped that a decision will be taken by Friday.
Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi is expected to attend the next meeting of opposition parties in Bengaluru on July 17 and 18, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said on Monday.
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.
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.
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".
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
BJP leaders and Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Anurag Thakur had accused Gandhi of insulting OBCs.
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".
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.
'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.
"No, she will not make me the PM," was Dr Pranab Mukherjee's cryptic response in a reference to Sonia Gandhi when he was asked by his daughter Sharmistha Mukherjee about his chances of becoming the prime minister in 2004.
The 10-year UPA rule came under sharp attack in the BJP's National Council meeting in on Saturday, which unveiled the new government's future plans and policy prescription in domestic and foreign affairs arena in a political resolution, which hailed the "strong and able" leadership of Narendra Modi.
Standard and Poor's (S&P) in its report released on Monday 'Will India Be The First BRIC Fallen Angel?' said: "Slowing GDP growth and political roadblocks to economic policy making could put India at risk of losing its investment grade rating".
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.
He said the government continued to neglect national security.
Charging the United Progressive Alliance government with indulging in "vindictive politics", the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday alleged that investigating agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation are being misused to target BJP-ruled state governments.
"SP had supported the UPA government to fight communal forces, but it has utterly failed to do so," he claimed.
In an electoral college of 10,98,882, the candidate backed by UPA could easily get over 5.70 lakh votes counting on Bahujan Samaj Party's vote share of 58,300 given the latest development in the Taj Corridor case.
Most politicians and even non-politicians have been honoured because of what they were purported to be electorally worth for the ruling party of their time, argues N Sathiya Moorthy.
New Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has, however, taken up the challenge on how to synchronise the employment guarantee programme with the ground realities.
'Vijaya Raje Scindia had assured the prime minister that nothing would happen to the Babri Masjid'
We present verbatim Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's speech on the fourth anniversary of UPA II government, ahead of the dinner organised by the government to celebrate its achievements. The government also unveiled a Report Card on the occassion.
As indicated by Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, the UPA government has already initiated process to make higher allocation in social sector.
In the backdrop of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam withdrawing support to United Progressive Alliance, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party state president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said his party's support to the UPA would continue and final decision would be taken by SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav.
The Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday dubbed the Trinamool Congress as a 'silent partner' of United Progressive Alliance and that party chief Mamata Banerjee was going 'soft' on it on corruption and price rise despite being a major ally.
UPA's most vociferous critic may script her own political decline in the state, says Aditi Phadnis
