Wives of the two Hyderabad-based professors -- Gopikrishna and Ch Balram -- who are held captive by Islamic State terror group since July 29, also met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu.
As the government attempts to find a truce with a united opposition, which has disrupted both the Houses of Parliament since the beginning of the Winter Session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to participate in the discussion on demonetisation in Rajya Sabha.
Putting the blame on the Opposition for the unruly scenes witnessed during the monsoon session of Parliament, a group of Union ministers on Thursday said the Rajya Sabha chairman must take the strongest possible action against those who broke the rules.
Former West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar was on Thursday sworn in as the 14th Vice President of India.
He said members have raised it in the business advisory committee that only a few questions are taken up during the Question Hour and some suggestions were made.
On Sunday, under the shadow of Covid-19, several leaders and politicians, including President Ram Nath Kovind, chief ministers of various states, and several Union ministers, among others, performed yoga at their residence, along with their families. For the first time since June 21, 2015, Yoga Day is being celebrated digitally. This year's theme is 'Yoga at Home and Yoga with Family'. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on the occasion of Yoga Day and said that due to the coronavirus pandemic, the world is feeling the need for yoga more than ever.
The Congress leaders are among those invited by the prime minister to the ceremony.
There is tolerance that is why democracy is so successful, he said.
The BJP legislature party in Karnataka will meet in Bangalore on Wednesday for the first time after the party's central leadership brokered peace between Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and dissidents recently.
"They are attacking democracy. There is a non-stop attack on democracy and that is why we are fighting here," Gandhi said, accusing the government of not allowing debate on price rise, Lakhimpur Kheri and other issues.
Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on Thursday got another one-week's time to step down as the leader of opposition in the state assembly, as she was dodging the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership for over two months on her resignation.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader M Venkaiah Naidu has said that the party will discuss the strategy for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections at its national council meeting at Nagpur from February 6 to 8. Naidu, who was in Vijayawada to review arrangements for Vijaya Sankalp Yatra, a public meeting to be addressed by the party's prime ministerial candidate L K Advani on Wednesday, told mediapersons that 8,000 party functionaries from all over the country would participate.
To mark the day, the BJP has asked its workers to facilitate the COVID-19 vaccination drive as it eyes record-breaking numbers on Friday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party began seat-sharing negotiations with its National Democratic Alliance allies in seven states so that it can finalise its candidates soon. Three senior leaders have been empowered to conduct the negotiations: M Venkaiah Naidu in Maharashtra, Assam and Orissa, Arun Jaitley in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and Sushma Swaraj in Punjab and Haryana.
Seeking to put rest all speculations, the Bharatiya Janata Party has said there is no change in leadership in the Lok Sabha.
After meeting Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat along with senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Sushma Swaraj and Anant Kumar and later rushing to L K Advani's residence to meet the party president on Friday, party leaders Arun Jaitely left for Mumbai while M Venkaiah Naidu left for Hyderabad.
M Venkaiah Naidu, former president of Bharatiya Janata Party, flayed the Union government for threatening to impose president's rule in Orissa amid the continuing communal violence in the state.
When Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi's name was floated as Venkaiah Naidu's successor as vice president, the RSS instead suggested Jagdeep Dhankar, indicating that he was also Mohan Bhagwat's choice, states Prakash Bhandari.
The talks between the Left and the Congress over the India-United States nuclear agreement was only a commercial break, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader M Venkaiah Naidu said on Saturday. "There is every possibility of a mid-term election. Currently both the Congress and Left parties have taken a commercial break," Naidu told reporters at the BJP headquarters in Raipur.
Deputy leader of BJP in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and senior party leader M Venkaiah Naidu in the Rajya Sabha raised the issue in Zero Hour saying the government should bring a bill in right earnest.
Mukherjee's mortal remains were brought to his residence, 10, Rajaji Marg, earlier on Tuesday from the army hospital where he breathed his last on Monday.
Bharatiya Janata Party senior leader L K Advani has told party leaders that he does not want to continue as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha for the next five years, senior leader M Venkaiah Naidu said on Friday."He told us that he does not want to continue till the tenure of the 15th Lok Sabha and would like to hand over the responsibility to some other colleague," Naidu said.He said Advani was elected leader of the party for the 15th Lok Sabha.
M Venkaiah Naidu launched a scathing attack on the Congress for calling statements of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi anti-national and saying he should be tried for treason. "What else can you expect from the Congress government but to launch treason proceedings against Modi and confer the Bharat Ratna on Mohammad Afzal Guru who was awarded death sentence for attacking Parliament in December 2001," he told rediff.com.
Former Bhartiya Janata President M Venkaiah Naidu has said the party will not contest the next Lok Sabha elections under the leadership of L K Advani and agreed that it would be logical for the party to get a new leadership at that juncture.
In a bid to defuse the crisis in Bharatiya Janata Party over Vasundhara Raje's continuance as Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan, the party's central leadership has summoned her to the capital on August 31 to meet senior leader M Venkaiah Naidu.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Raman Singh was on Friday sworn in as the chief minister of Chhattisgarh for the second consecutive term. Governor E S L Narasimhan administered the oath of office and secrecy to the 56-year-old at a function at the Police Parade Ground. The function saw the presence of the top BJP leadership, including party chief Rajnath Singh and prime ministerial candidate L K Advani.
The PM said she made a noteworthy contribution to Delhi's development.
While Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke about the consensus, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said there is no need for a separate discussion in Parliament on the Pegasus issue during the budget session.
Opposition leader L K Advani will travel across the country in an apparent move to boost the sagging morale of the party leaders and workers alike after the poll drubbing.
Murmu made and subscribed to the oath of office before President Ram Nath Kovind, according to a Rashtrapati Bhavan statement.
The Opposition hit out at the government over the absence of Rajya Sabha Chairman, Lok Sabha Speaker and ministers from the traditional event marking the birth anniversary of those whose portraits adorn Parliament's Central Hall.
The BJP accused the Congress governments at the Centre and state of 'betraying' the common man by failing to check price rise and of 'divisive' vote bank politics.
The thrust of the conclave would be to expose the UPA's failures on price rise and inflation which has hit the the common man adversely.
"Having tried all other parties the Muslims of India now want to try the BJP and give LK Advani a chance," Hussain claimed.
Speaking to newspersons, senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu said the party took strong exception to the DMK organising attacks on Hindu Munnani, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the offices in Tamil Nadu.
The party has said they do no agree with her remarks.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday demanded an unconditional apology from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi for the controversial affidavit on Ram Sethu, "which hurt the sentiments of crores of people."
Dhankar wins vice presidential election by bagging more than 500 votes.
Eight-term member Sumitra Mahajan was on Friday unanimously elected Speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha, becoming the second woman presiding officer of the Lower House after her predecessor Meira Kumar.
The latest incident of lynching has been reported from Ramgarh in Jharkhand where the victim, identified as Alimuddin Asghar, was intercepted by a mob on suspicion of transporting beef in his van.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances