The Budget is expected to contain measures to accelerate growth while being fiscally prudent.
Govt ready to discuss issues of public importance: Azad
Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was the cynosure of all eyes at the United Progressive Alliance anniversary function last year, was conspicuous by his absence Wednesday night.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday sought to paint a dismal picture of United Progressive Alliance-II holding it responsible for the economic gloom and failure to give the country leadership while accusing it of diminishing the role of the prime minister.
Criticising the United Progressive Alliance government for continuing to allow training of Sri Lankan defence personnel in the country despite opposition to it in Tamil Nadu, Dravida Munnetra Kazha, a key ally of the ruling front, on Monday said India should immediately stop such exercises.
The real assessment of the actual diplomatic gains out of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's three-day India visit can be made only after promised actions are initiated, but surely it has yielded some political dividend for the beleaguered United Progressive Alliance government, notes Sheela Bhatt.
After nine years in power, the United Progressive Alliance faces the question of credibility, says Aditi Phadnis
The appointment of Nagpur MP Vilas Muttemwar, a former Union minister, in July as the party's general secretary to monitor central programmes appears to have failed in delivering any results so far.
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna is expected to travel to Kolkata to meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and other leaders of ruling Trinamool Congress to discuss the proposed Teesta water-sharing accord with Bangladesh.
As Parliament remained stalled on Wednesday for the second succesive day on coal blocs allocation issue, key United Progressive Alliance ally and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee suggested an all-party meeting to end the logjam.
Both Houses of the Parliament were adjourned minutes within the proceedings began on Thursday with the Bharatiya Janata Party-led opposition sticking to their demand for Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh''s resignation over the Comptroller and Auditor General's report on coal block allocations.
The stalemate in Parliament over the Comptroller and Auditor General's report on coal block allocation continues.
Top United Progressive Alliance leaders tonight dismissed as ' nreasonable' the BJP's stalling of Parliament on coal blocs allocation issue and its demand for resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and stood by the government's offer to discuss the subject in the House.
The Bharatiya Janata Party charged the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government on Friday of shielding Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his alleged role in the coal allocation scam by forcing former Union Law Minister Ashwani Kumar to quit his post.
Vayalar Ravi on Tuesday became the fifth person to assume charge as minister for science and technology in three years since United Progressive Alliance returned to power in 2009.
His provocative comments are the first political steps taken by the Congress to handle the coal scam and its fall-out, says Sheela Bhatt
The remarks were made when the former IPS officer accused the media of ignoring corruption allegations against United Progressive Alliance's ministers and not giving adequate coverage to the issue despite erstwhile Team Anna giving evidence regarding it.
Hamid Ansari, in his second stint as vice president, is likely to face a more unruly House, with general elections being less than two years away and the Opposition becoming increasingly aggressive, and the Congress's chief troubleshooter having gone to Rashtrapati Bhavan, writes Neerja Chowdhury
According to the WikiLeaks cables published by the Hindu, just five days before the United Progressive Alliance government faced a trust vote in 2008 over the Indo-US nuclear deal, a political aide to Congress politician Satish Sharma showed a United States embassy official 'two chests containing cash'. This, he described as part of a large stash of Rs 50 to Rs 60 crore the Congress party had put together to buy out votes from members of Parliament
The failed alliance with Congress for the May 30 civic polls in West Bengal notwithstanding, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said her party did not want any rift with the United Progressive Alliance government.
"There will be no President's rule in Andhra Pradesh," said a senior All India Congress Committee functionary on condition of anonymity.
Publication of Wikileaks reports, which suggest that a "United States tilt" was visible in the Cabinet reshuffle of 2006, on Tuesday prompted the Opposition in Rajya Sabha to allege that the pro-American shift by the United Progressive Alliance government was a "shameful" act.
The ruling Biju Janata Dal in Odisha on Sunday announced that it would abstain from voting in the vice-presidential election scheduled to be held on August 7.
Accusing the United Progressive Alliance government for its weak policies on border issues, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Thursday hit out at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for terming the Chinese incursion in Ladakh as a localised one and said such statements pose a threat to national security.
The year began with major infrastructure players like GVK, GMR exiting out of mega road contracts on account of problems such as delays in receiving the green nod, funding crunch and regulatory hurdles.
Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag, whose appointment as army chief had kicked up a row, will on Thursday take over as the next head of the 1.3 million strong force succeeding Gen Bikram Singh who is retiring.
In an embarrassment to Congress, five party Members of Parliament from Telangana on Monday launched a 48-hour sit-in at the main gate of Parliament against non-fulfilment of the promise by the United Progressive Alliance government to create a separate state out of Andhra Pradesh.
Members in the Lok Sabha on Monday voiced concern over intrusion by Chinese troops in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, with the crucial United Progressive Alliance ally Samajwadi Party objecting to the upcoming visit of External Minister Salman Khurshid to Beijing.
Slamming the United Progressive Alliance government for adopting the path of confrontation with the Opposition, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday made it clear that it was in no mood to let passage of bills in Parliament.
She has advised External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid to meet ex-Congressman K Natwar Singh, who is an acknowledged hand at diplomacy.
The six presidential nominees to the Rajya Sabha have reportedly been handpicked by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, in an attempt to reassert her authority in the United Progressive Alliance government, which has allegedly acquired a pro-United States stance under the aegis of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.The five persons nominated are Mani Shanker Aiyer, Javed Akhtar, Dr Balchandra Mungekar, Bombay Jayshri and Dr Ram Dyal Munda.
Around 50 Team Anna supporters, including girls, on Saturday staged a protest outside Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's residence in New Delhi.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi will visit strife-torn Kokrajhar district in Assam on Saturday to take stock of the situation.
Ruling out early elections, the minister said the government would last for 13 months more and would continue to take small but significant steps to ensure that the country achieves its potential growth rate of 8 per cent.
Sharad Pawar's real grievances have to do with the frustration of his prime ministerial ambitions, and his inability to gain high stature, including the Number Two slot in the Cabinet, says Praful Bidwai
Notwithstanding the failure of alliance with the Congress for the civic polls in West Bengal, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday that her party would be in the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre as long as "we get the minimum respect".
The prime minister has been careful to say the right things about foreign investment and animal spirits; some of the more controversial aspects of the Mukherjee era are being given a high-profile review.
Members of Parliament belonging to the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Monday exposed the chinks in the United Progressive Alliance's armour by getting question hour suspended in the Rajya Sabha with their demand to bring the Coalgate scam into focus
As Team Anna on Wednesday launched an indefinite fast raising the pitch against the United Progressive Alliance government on the issue of corruption, villagers from his native place, Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar district, 75 km north of Pune, joined in support, holding a protest.
Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar's face-off with the United Progressive Alliance was a camouflaged attempt to hide his failure to deliver as the Agriculture Minister, Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Union minister Ram Naik said on Wednesday.
