Terming senior Congress leader P Chidambaram as 'unsuccessful' as the Union home minister, even as the finance minister earlier, former Bharatiya Janata Party president Murli Manohar Joshi on Sunday demanded that Prime Minister should seek his resignation.
Parliament's Public Accounts Committee on Thursday decided to examine the four latest reports of the CAG, including the one on coal block allocation, which are critical of the government.
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.
Politics over its critical reports on scams echoed in the 150th anniversary celebrations of the Comptroller and Auditor General on Wednesday when Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Public Accounts Committee Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi praised Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee for defending both the CAG and the PAC when they came under attack.
The PAC's second draft report again targets Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and then Finance Minister P Chidambaram. However, Chidambaram gets more brickbats while Dr Singh, the report says, was 'misled' by then Telecom Minister A Raja. Our Correspondent reports from New Delhi.
Bharatiya Janata Party President Nitin Gadkari on Sunday hit out at NRI business Anshuman Mishra terming his allegations against party veteran Murli Manohar Joshi and some other leaders as "baseless" and an "expression of frustration" over his failure to make it to the Raja Sabha.
Raising concern over rising threat to country's security, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday demanded that the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government must come out with a statement in the Parliament informing about the level of preparation for securing country's frontier in the north and north east, and assure people that government will take adequate steps for country's security.
Bharatiya Janata Party leaders on Friday downplayed the absence of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi at the party's national executive committee meeting, claiming it was not the result of infighting within the party. "Infighting take place in the Congress and not in our party," senior leader Murli Manohar Joshi said. Denying any rift between senior leaders of the party, BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said, "There is no clash".
Former Chief Minister of Gujarat Keshubhai Patel flew into New Delhi from Ahmedabad on Tuesday and had meetings with senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Dr Murali Manohar Joshi.
The Public Accounts Committee met in New Delhi on Thursday with its chairman Murli Manohar Joshi saying the report on the 2G spectrum scam was on agenda and will be discussed on merit.
Birla, 57, has been MLA from Rajasthan thrice and MP twice.
Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Saturday targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party over its attempt to reach out to the minorities, questioning whether it will take action against Narendra Modi for the Gujarat riots or L K Advani will accept his "crime" in the Babari Mosque demolition.
There hasn't been a single confidence boosting measure by the government in the recent years.
Congress on Sunday demanded the resignation of Murli Manohar Joshi as Public Accounts Committee Chairman alleging the Bharatiya Janata Party leader was making the Parliament committee "partisan and motivated" and "playing politics" by circulating afresh with some changes the panel's controversial report on 2G scam.
'For the Shiv Sena, Hindutva is like a shawl which can be put on and discarded at will.'
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi on Saturday charged the Centre with attacking constitutional institutions working in the interest of the people and said it was harmful for the nation.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday came to the defence of senior party leader Murli Manohar Joshi, whom NRI businessman Anshuman Mishra has accused of meeting the officials of companies involved in the 2G scam, saying the charges levelled against him are "false" and "baseless".
Continuing his explosive tirade against the Bharatiya Janata Party, NRI businessman Anshuman Mishra on Saturday made several allegations about top leaders of the saffron party, during an interview with STAR News.
Addressing the media in Patna, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi once again slammed regional parties of Maharashtra for igniting the migrants' row. He once again reiterated his single concept that India belongs to Indians
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Dr Murli Manohar Joshi indicated that he will not be taking up the 2G spectrum scam in the Public Accounts Committee meeting to be held next week.
Maran was instrumental in changing the spectrum pricing while he was the Telecom Minister.
Congress General Secretary, Digvijay Singh said on Friday that Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari should learn about parliamentary affairs and institutions before making comments.
In an interview with CNN-IBN's National Bureau Chief Bhupendra Choubey, Public Accounts Committee Chairman Murali Manohar Joshi talks about the probe into the 2G spectrum scam and the government's flip flop on Comptroller and Auditor General report. Following is the transcript of the interview
As Public Accounts Committee descended into chaos, the Congress on Thursday backed the "rejection" of the draft report on 2G scam by a majority of members of Parliament on the panel and held its Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi and Bharatiya Janata Party squarely responsible for the document containing "blatant falsehoods".
Charging Public Accounts Committee chairman Murli Manohar Joshi of having ''malafide intention'' of destabilising the government, the Congress and Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam leaders of the panel on Wednesday demanded his resignation over the draft report on the 2G spectrum scam.
The Bhartiya Janata Party on Wednesday turned the needle of suspicion on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the alleged cover-up of scams unless he acts against the ministers, the officers in the Prime Minister's Office and the law officers on the basis of Tuesday's damning verdict of the Supreme Court.
Taking exception to personal attack on him, a "hurt" Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said he may have "made mistakes" but he firmly repudiated charges of conniving with corruption and asked the Opposition to verify his assets.
As the rupee touched a record low, opposition on Wednesday questioned the government in the Lok Sabha on the steps being taken to tackle the situation as it feared that there could be a repeat of 1991, when India saw severe balance of payments problem and even had to mortgage gold.
In an interesting turn of events, the Public Accounts Committee Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi summoned two senior editors of newsweeklies to depose before the PAC in connection to the 2G spectrum scam. Vinod Mehta and Manu Joseph, editors of Outlook and Open Magazine respectively were interrogated about the transcripts of the phone conversations that corporate lobbyist Niira Radia had with others, which were carried in their publications.
Report says SEZs had resulted in a revenue loss of Rs. 1,971.39 crore.
The Congress enjoyed a majority in the PAC when Natarajan was part of the panel. It is believed that it was her dissent vote that saw the report on the 2G Spectrum case prepared by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Dr Murli Manohar Joshi being rejected.
Invitations are being extended to several people who have been part of this temple movement including BJP leaders L K Advani, Murali Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti, Mishra said. Kameshwar Chaupal, another trustee of the temple, said top leaders of the RSS including its chief Mohan Bhagwat and general secretary Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi are also being invited for the event along with VHP's working president Alok Kumar.
Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai on Wednesday rejected reports that there was pressure from Parliament's Public Accounts Committee chairman Murli Manohar Joshi to expedite audit work of 2G spectrum allocation and said no findings were ever shared with the PAC.
A fresh controversy broke out in the 2G case on Tuesday with the surfacing of a letter which suggested that Parliament's Public Accounts Committee chief Murli Manohar Joshi had called up a CAG official to press for expediting auditing work into spectrum allocation.
NRI businessman Anshuman Mishra, who withdrew from the Rajya Sabha race from Jharkhand at the last moment, on Friday claimed to have introduced PAC Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi to senior executives of 2G scam accused companies when the panel was probing the 2G spectrum case, a charge rubbished by the BJP veteran.
Oil Minister S Jaipal Reddy on Monday rejected senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi's attack on Home Minister P Chidambaram on the issue of CAG indictment of his ministry for alleged favours to private firms, saying such attacks would harm decision making at higher levels.
The special court is hearing the 1992 demolition cases, including the one against BJP leaders L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti.
The Babri mosque in Ayodhya was demolished by karsevaks on December 6, 1992.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi who heads the Public Accounts Committee in Parliament has said that the prime minister's offer to depose before the committee is being considered. Joshi said that the Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai had not been summoned, but was a partt of the committee's proceedings.
Unfazed by the "rejection" of the draft Public Accounts Committee report by a "majority", Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi on Wednesday said that the Lok Sabha Speaker has no option but to accept the report on the 2G scam presented by him.