West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said she had suggested to the Congress that an advisory council comprising prominent personalities from civil society be set up to give a direction to the opposition, but rued that the plan did not materialise.
Predicting a hung Parliament post 2014 general elections, the Nationalist Congress party on Thursday said it will continue to be part of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, which may possibly expand itself with additional allies, as none of the party combines will be able to form a government on its own.
A close examination of the government's decision-making process shows there were four specific reasons that influenced the Union Cabinet's Wednesday move to defer a decision on gas prices by three months, to September 30.
India on Thursday continued to be evasive on its stand to be adopted on the resolution against Sri Lanka at the United Nations Human Rights Commission, triggering an angry walk out in Lok Sabha by United Progressive Alliance constituent Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, which was joined by the Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal-United.
While Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi insists the Act brought transparency into governance, Congressmen say it has become the party's bane, says Kavita Chowdhury
The United Progressive Alliance's new managers are beginning to realise that running the alliance without Pranab Mukherjee may not be very difficult, says A K Bhattacharya
Sibal, a prominent Opposition voice and a former Congress leader, also said that instead of a common minimum programme, the Opposition parties should talk about a 'new vision for India'.
Key United Progressive Alliance ally Mamata Banerjee, who kept up the suspense till the last moment before backing Pranab Mukherjee in the Presidential elections, on Wednesday attended Mukherjee's oath taking ceremony while no Chief Minister from Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states were present.
United Progressive Alliance on Wednesday projected a united picture on the eve of the Presidential poll with all constituents including Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress and supporting parties attending a lunch hosted by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.
The Janata Dal - United, which had backed United Progressive Alliance's Presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee, on Monday supported the Bharatiya Janata Party's candidate Jaswant Singh for the vice presidential election.
The Bhartiya Janata Party was in for shock and embarrassment on Friday when MPs of National Democratic Alliance ally Shiv Sena brought placards in both the Houses of Parliament and raised slogans for dismissal of its government in Karnataka.
From the time he first rose to prominence during the movement against the then UPA government, Arvind Kejriwal has regularly grabbed headlines for his surprise moves and decisions. Here are 10 such instances.
Unfazed by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's withdrawal of support to the United Progressive Alliance, the government on Wednesday asserted it was "absolutely stable" and not a "lame duck" and said it will move amendments to the resolution on Sri Lanka at United Nations Human Rights Council to send a "resolute message" on that country's human rights.
The Union Cabinet on Thursday decided to allow 51 per cent FDI in the retail sector.
If the Congress reached 90, it would have a pretty good chance of holding the BJP below the 272 mark. A hundred seats will rock national politics, argues Shekhar Gupta.
The Gujarat chief minister said economic growth should be inclusive, speedy and yet sustainable.
As the battle lines are drawn between the United Progressive Alliance and the National Democratic Alliance, the NDA is now beginning to smell power, says Neerja Chowdhury
Chidambaram said the government will not go back on its decision to raise gas prices for both public sector and private producers from April 1.
Specially designed coaches for adverse weather conditions have been inducted for rail travel in Kashmir Valley.
Against the backdrop of Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav's attacks on the United Progressive Alliance and the Congress, Union minister Manish Tewari on Friday said the ruling party and the alliance know how to run a coalition. "The UPA and Congress have always shown that they know how to run a coalition and the current UPA government will complete its full term," the Congress leader told reporters.
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.
The Central Bureau of Investigation got into an overdrive to complete the 2G scam investigations by February after the Prime Minister's office (PMO) wanted to shrug off the impression that the government is mired in corruption.
Nominated as the National Democratic Alliance candidate for the Vice President election, Bharatioya Janata Party leader Jaswant Singh on Monday said he would reach out to the non-NDA parties including United Progressive Alliance partner Trinamool Congress for their support.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief M Karunanidhi on Tuesday announced that his party was pulling out of the ruling United Progressive Alliance over its stance on the Lankan Tamils issue.
The Shiv Sena on Sunday announced that it will support the National Democratic Alliance nominee for the post of Vice President of India.
Hitting out at the United Progressive Alliance and the Bharatiya Janata Party for the present stalemate in Parliament, the Communist Party of India-Marxist has said both did not want the truth about 'coalgate' to come out.
Nitish Kumar's stunning victory in Bihar is a political earthquake that will reverberate in Indian politics till the 2014 Lok Sabha election.
In an interesting meeting scheduled for July 13, Pranab Mukherjee, the ruling United Progressive Alliance coalition's nominee for the Presidential election, would be calling on Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, to thank him.
With India under pressure from Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu to support a United States-sponsored resolution in the United Nations Human Rights Commission against Sri Lanka for alleged war crimes, United Progressive Alliance's key constituent Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam on Saturday announced the convening of its high-level committee on March 20 to discuss the issue. Party chief M Karunanidhi will chair the meeting on Tuesday morning at its headquarters in Chennai.
As part of efforts to secure maximum support for Pranab Mukherjee in the Presidential poll, Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad on Thursday held consultations with Congress President Sonia Gandhi.
Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday alleged the United Progressive Alliance government's credibility has gone down and internal politics of the alliance adversely affected India's foreign policy as evidenced by India's "failure" to sign a transit treaty with Bangladesh.
A countrywide survey done ABP News and Nielsen spells doom for the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance.If Lok Sabha polls were held right now, says the survey, the UPA will win only 136 of the 543 seats in the Lower House.
Political parties in Nagaland barring the ruling Naga People's Front is rooting for deferment of the next assembly election in the state till a final solution is arrived at in the ongoing Naga peace process.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said the Indian economy may have slowed down but there is no threat of a recession.
Bharatiya Janata Party president Rajnath Singh has said his party will focus on improving its electoral prospects in the southern states and the north-east in the next general elections, as part of the National Demcoratic Alliance's efforts to win more seats and wrest power from the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance coalition.
After division in the National Democratic Alliance ranks, the Bharatiya Janata Party and some other allies appeared set to back P A Sangma, who quit the Nationalist Congress Party, ignoring its direction not to contest the Presidential poll against United Progressive Alliance nominee Pranab Mukherjee.
Spending on welfare schemes has burgeoned, but to little effect.
National Democratic Alliance Working Chairperson L K Advani on Thursday met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in Chennai on to discuss fresh developments in the run-up to Presidential election and they agreed to "coordinate" with each other on their strategy.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani, who is on an anti-corruption yatra, on Friday fired a fresh salvo at the United Progressive Alliance government claiming that it was following 'discriminatory' policies against non-Congress ruled states.
Kadapa MP Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, who is in prison as an undertrial in a disproportionate assets case, stepped out of Hyderabad's Chanchalguda jail to cast his vote at the Andhra Pradesh assembly in the ongoing presidential elections.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances