Megastar Chiranjeevi is likely to get elevated soon to the Rajya Sabha from a member of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly. His candidature is almost certain for one of the four seats that the ruling Congress can win in the biennial elections to the Upper House of Parliament from the state, slated for March 30. The Congress, as part of his Praja Rajyam Party's merger deal last year, promised to induct Chiranjeevi into the Union Cabinet by nominating him to Rajya Sabha.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday said his government will review all laws that 'militate against' Pakistan's minority communities, weeks after gunmen shot dead two Christians accused of blasphemy outside a court in Punjab Province.
The much-awaited Lokpal Bill is in for further delay with the term of a Parliamentary committee examining it being extended on Friday beyond September 3 to allow it to submit its report by the beginning of the Winter Session of Parliament.
The ruling Pakistan People's Party has decided to hold the general election and the polls to the Senate ahead of schedule against the backdrop of rampant speculation that the government may not be able to complete its tenure, according to media reports on Friday.
The Congress party, which seems to be short of the numbers to shepherd the Lokpal bill though the Rajya Sabha, is trying desperately to avoid voting on the bill in the upper house as the debate over the bill winds down in Parliament on Wednesday evening.
Union minister and Congress leader Vilasrao Deshmukh and two Nationalist Congress Party candidates were elected on Monday to the Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra. NCP leaders Govindrao Adik and Ranjitsinh Mohite Patil were elected to the Upper House of parliament against the seats vacated by Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel and Supriya Sule after their election to Lok Sabha.
The government and the president's family convinced Zardari to go to Dubai for treatment because there was a risk he would be attacked if he was admitted to a Pakistani hospital, Gilani said while speaking in the senate or upper house of parliament on Wednesday
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has warned that any move to oust the Pakistan Peoples Party-led government could imperil democracy and the election process in the country
The Rajya Sabha proceeding washed out completely on Wednesday and was adjourned for the day amid continued protest by the Opposition parties led by the Congress over price rise and levy of Goods and Services Tax (GST) on daily essentials.
In a Women's Day gift, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday announced free monthly seasonal tickets -- for local travel -- to girls till their college level education.
The prime minister was elected unopposed on May 18 after independent candidate Matang Singh withdrew from the contest.
Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik alleged, on Monday, that India was among "anti-Pakistan forces" that are bent on "disintegrating" the country.
Cine superstar Rekha took oath as a member of the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, becoming yet another personality from the tinsel town to enter the portals of Parliament.
'In Western UP, last time a lot of Dalits voted for the BJP.' 'This time, there is a rethink among Dalits about the extent of their support for the BJP.'
The three-month long budget session of Parliament was adjourned on Tuesday, sine die three days ahead of schedule, amid acrimonious scenes in Rajya Sabha over the introduction of the Women's Reservation Bill.
Justice Soumitra Sen of the Calcutta High Court resigned on Thursday, five days before his impeachment motion was to taken up in the Lok Sabha.
Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik is facing the possibility of being disqualified as an MP and from the federal cabinet once the government begins implementing the Pakistan supreme court's detailed judgement striking down a controversial graft amnesty.
A Pakistani parliamentary panel on Monday urged the government to ban Indian television channels beamed by cable networks if restrictions on Pakistani channels are not eased in the neighbouring country. The panel reiterated an earlier recommendation for banning Indian channels if restrictions on Pakistani channels were not eased by the neighbouring country. Pakistani cable networks beam nearly all top Indian entertainment channels, which are very popular with viewers.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed the federal laws on ratifying inter-governmental agreements with India on cooperation in space exploration, the Kremlin press office said on Sunday.
Pakistan's Shahbaz air force base in southern Sindh province, which is home to the country's newest F-16 jets, is 'controlled by the United States', a senior official has said. Health Secretary Khushnood Lashari made the stunning claim about the Shahbaz airbase in Jacobabad area during an appearance before the Standing Committee on Health of the Senate or upper house of Parliament on Wednesday.
"Articles 15(4) and 16(4) (dealing with provision for socially and educationally backward classes, and reservation) do not put any limit on the percentage of quota and there is no constitutional hurdle in increasing the same," Sharad Pawar said.
The government is now contemplating issuing an executive order to implement these measures, which would need to be approved by lawmakers within six weeks of the opening of the next session of parliament, scheduled for the beginning of February. India's president would also need to agree.
According to a Congress minister, who is handling the party's floor management in the Rajya Sabha, the Congress party, as on 5.30 pm on Thursday, does not have enough votes to pass the Lokpal bill in the Upper House of Parliament.
It will be a touch-and-go affair in the Upper House, remarked a senior Congress leader underlining that there were many ifs and buts for the bill to be passed
GST is intended to create a single market and boost commerce in India's $2 trillion economy
A history of crushing dissent indicates that the Egyptian army's tolerance for protesters may not hold if its interests are threatened.
Plagued by differences, a meeting of Members of Parliament of the Janata Dal-United on Monday failed to take a common stand on the Women's Reservation Bill, but a majority of the party MPs in the upper House are set to vote in favour of the Bill.
"We want good ties with all neighbours including India and Afghanistan," he told the Senators.
The objective of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, enacted in 2019, is to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslim persecuted minorities -- Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians -- from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
Justice Soumitra Sen of the Calcutta high court could be the first judge in the country to be removed, with the Rajya Sabha on Thursday overwhelmingly approving impeachment motion against him.
The Rajya Sabha will take up the impeachment proceedings of Calcutta High Court Judge Soumitra Sen in perhaps the first case of its kind in the history of the Upper House. The controversial judge has been held guilty on corruption charges by a panel appointed by Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari. The issue will be taken up on August 17, Parliament sources said.
Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Thursday asked New Delhi and Washington to share any information they have about possible terrorist attacks in India by Pakistan-based militant groups.
As many as 884 Pakistani nationals, including fishermen, are currently in Indian jails and 79 of them have completed their prison terms, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Malik Ammad Khan said on Monday.
Former Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday appeared all set to become Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha after his appointment as Leader of Congress in the Upper House.
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera tweeted, "Shayad meri tapasya mein kuch kami reh gayi (Maybe my penance fell short)."
The Democrats have elected a set of state representatives who will act as an electoral panel. These representatives will have to pick someone else. This could be Vice President Kamala Harris, who is widely seen as a top contender, but is not popular, points out Aakar Patel.
As vice president and ex-officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Jagdeep Dhankar is inheriting a troubled legacy. Although the government faces no real numerical challenges in the Upper House, political and legal challenges are there aplenty.
The bill, aimed at easing the existing legislation on rape, which was part of the Hudood Ordinance brought in by former military ruler Zia-ul-Haq, will become law after getting assent from Musharraf, who pressed for its approval.
A united opposition on Monday cornered the government in Parliament, accusing it of focusing on issues like religious conversions instead of fulfilling promises of bringing back black money and creating jobs.
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday said that Pakistan and India should overcome 'war phobia' to address their outstanding issues as a 'third power' cannot come and do it for them.
