Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday dared Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar to intimidate his party without the help of the state apparatus, saying stones can come from "our side" too in an escalating war of words between the two leaders from Maharashtra.
Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil on Saturday got some stick for the "maximum" bomb blasts in the state from Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar who said it reflected poorly on the state administration and aroused suspicions about a "particular community".
As many as 20 Union ministers are expected to visit different parts of Gujarat between May 27 and June 12 to participate in the 'Vikas Parv' (development festival) organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party's state unit.
'How can we have lunch offered by the government when our fellow farmers are sitting on roads'
Union Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Monday said that his party would support any bill providing for more stringent punishment to rapists.
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit recently met Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar urging him to ban onion export from Maharashtra and re-direct the vegetable to New Delhi to keep the prices steady.
This is the first Budget in Amrit Kaal, she said.
Assuming we still have a Modi-led majority government after May 2024, there is no guarantee that reforms will move at anything more than a snail's pace, though we must be thankful even for that, notes R Jagannathan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said his government has made a "solemn promise" for restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood and will stand by it, adding the Centre was working very hard to create the right conditions.
The development came two days after Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said that a decision has been taken to provide security to the farmers who will start the cropping season.
Targeting Narendra Modi over the alleged fake encounter of Mumbra resident Ishrat Jahan in 2004, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said in Thane that the chief minister and the Gujarat police had killed an innocent college girl by branding her as a terrorist.
Tomar said the next meeting will take place on Saturday at 2 pm which he hoped would take the matter to a decisive stage and towards a final resolution.
Barely days after imposing a 40 per cent export tax on onions to cool down soaring prices, which, in turn, triggered widespread protests across the main growing belts, the Centre on Tuesday sought to mitigate both political and economic tensions gripping parts of Maharashtra. It decided to procure an additional 200,000 tonnes of onions at Rs 2,410 per quintal for its buffer stock from farmers, a rate that is strikingly close to the price at which they were being exported before the 40 per cent duty was levied on August 19. The export price before the imposition of the duty stood at around $320 per tonne free on board (approximately Rs 2,650 per quintal).
Saying that he had loss a "dear friend" in Bal Thackeray's death, Union Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday described the Shiv Sena supremo as a "magnanimous" leader who was ready "to pay any political price" for his stand.
Union Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar has come out in strong defence of Bharatiya Janata Party President Nitin Gadkari. In an exclusive interview to CNN-IBN's Editor-in-Chief Rajdeep Sardesai he says Gadkari was working for development of farmers and there was no evidence of personal corruption against him, as alleged by Team Kejriwal.
Addressing reporters at the Singhu border where they have been protesting for almost two weeks to demand a rollback of the law, the farmer unions also reiterated that they will intensify their agitation and start blocking all highways leading to the national capital.
The interim Budget proposals that will be presented on February 1 in the backdrop of the general elections scheduled in April/May 2024 are likely to have a hint of populism, believe analysts, but are unlikely to derail the government from its path of fiscal prudence.
Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Saturday refuted the allegation that the Nationalist Congress Party ditched the Congress in recent elections to the posts of Zilla Parishad chairman and vice-chairman in the state, saying it was the Congress which had failed to honour the `dharma' of coalition.
This is about 42.41 percent of the target fixed for the current fiscal. The target to be achieved during 2009-10 is to the tune of Rs 3.25 lakh crore (Rs 3.25 trillion).
Government's objective is to bring down the cost of cultivation through efficient use of fertilisers and agro chemicals, and increase in realisation. It is, thus, planning to connect 200 agricultural mandis with electronic National Agricultural Mandis this year and 225 next year, to enable farmers to sell their produce hassle-free online.
The Centre on Friday said it will sell 'Bharat Rice' in the retail market at Rs 29 per kg from next week to give relief to the common man and has also directed traders to disclose rice/paddy stock, as part of its efforts to control prices that have risen by around 15 per cent in the last one year. In a press conference, Union Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra exuded confidence that these two measures along with the various restrictions of exports will help in cooling down the prices. Seeking to dispel market rumours, he categorically said the government has no plans to lift restrictions on rice exports any time soon.
'The 2024 election results will lead to much intense targeting of Modi, more intense debates, many more breakdowns in Parliament and many more movements on the streets.' 'The results have hit Modi's standing, and the politics of the Opposition parties will be sharply focused to ensure that Modi doesn't get back his charisma of being 'invincible' with help of State power.' Sheela Bhatt looks at the political situation through the prism of 2024 Lok Sabha election results.
Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Wednesday began his three-day tour to take stock of four drought-hit states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Karnataka.
A senior source in the Maharashtra government reveals that the unfolding investigation in the Adarsh society scam is the main reason for the recent face-off between Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress.
A senior source in the Maharashtra government reveals that the unfolding investigation in the Adarsh society scam is the main reason for the recent face-off between Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress.
Here are some of the key farmer leaders who fronted the protests.
Union Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Friday said that he 'would love to have a cup of tea with Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray' during UPA presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee's visit to Mumbai next week.
Nationalist Congress Party leader and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Friday said rebuilding of the seven-storey Maharashtra government secretariat building, the top floor of which was gutted in a fire, should be done by the government and not by using the build-operate-transfer route.
The Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar on met Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and his Cabinet colleagues and took stock of the situation in the wake of the devastating fire at the state secretariat.
Even as the Opposition is cornering the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance over various issues, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Friday shared dais with Shiv Sena-BJP leaders at a function to mark the 75th birthday of former Lok Sabha speaker and Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday presented the Union Budget for 2016-17.
A small-time transporter, who slapped Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar days after assaulting former Telecom Minister Sukhram, was sent to Tihar Jail by a Delhi court on Friday.
Was Harvinder Singh, the Delhi youth who slapped Union Agriculture Sharad Pawar in the face on Friday, invited to the literary function organised by Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited held at New Delhi Municipal Council auditorium? Or was he simply an intruder? Eyewitnesses give varied versions.
The attack on Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar in Delhi on Thursday sparked protests in his home state Maharashtra and invited strong condemnation from political parties.
'The prime minister's comment on 'revdi culture' was welcome. But I am disappointed he did not follow up on that.' 'All political parties, including the BJP, have been guilty of this.' 'Now, Modi's guarantees, the Congress's 'nyay' path and both ruling and Opposition parties are vying with each other for freebies in my home state Andhra Pradesh.'
According to sources, the GoM has accepted the rural development ministry's demand to stick to the 70:30 formula for land acquisition for industry, after rejecting suggestions of a parliamentary panel, Left parties and some state governments. This means that a state can acquire only up to 30 per cent of the total land required for a project with the remaining being acquired by the private party concerned.
Priyanka was addressing a rally to canvass for the Congress candidate in the Datia assembly seat of Madhya Pradesh, which will go to polls on November 17.
With Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar reportedly talking about the United Progressive Alliance's "low credibility due to scams", the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday said the ruling coalition partners have started feeling they are on a sinking ship and may quit the alliance.
Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Saturday joined the give-more-jobs-to-the-sons-of-the-soil bandwagon. Inaugurating Piaggio Vehicles India Limited's manufacturing plant in Baramati, Pawar from a public platform asked the Piaggio management to provide more jobs to the locals from Baramati. "I am very happy with Piaggio's investments in Baramati. I am happy with everything Piaggio does in India. However, there is one lacuna that needs to be filled," said Pawar.
