Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal may have been quick to deny any role in Railway Board bribery scandal and ask for a thorough CBI probe. But his image as an honest man, whose integrity could not be challenged, has been demolished. Anita Katyal reports
Opposition parties in India have demanded the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw after a stampede at New Delhi railway station killed 18 people. They blamed the government for "gross mismanagement" and accused them of "covering up" the death toll. The stampede occurred on Saturday night as passengers rushed to board trains for the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj. The Congress, the Left, Trinamool Congress, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal have all criticized the government's handling of the situation, while BJP leaders have defended the government. The incident has highlighted the failure of the Railways and the government to make adequate arrangements for the large number of devotees travelling to Prayagraj.
Maken is considered a close confidant of Rahul Gandhi and was without any post ever since he resigned as Congress general secretary in charge of Rajasthan a few months ago.
The authority said in its order that it believes that the movable assets and equity shares that were attached by the ED are proceeds of crime and linked to the offence of money laundering.
The Aam Aadmi Party has sought the setting aside of Tuesday's election, alleging tampering of ballot papers, and fresh elections under the supervision of a retired high court judge.
Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Manoj Sonkar on Tuesday defeated Aam Aadmi Party's Kuldeep Kumar to win the post of mayor in the Chandigarh mayoral polls.
'Rahul Gandhi is going to turn 54 and in India political leaders peak when they are around 60.' 'This 'bhai-behen ki jodi' has done a wonderful job for the Congress.' 'Priyanka Gandhi was a very effective campaigner.'
The Congress also fielded former Patiala mayor Vishnu Sharma from the Patiala assembly seats against its former leader Amarinder Singh.
'Manish Tiwari has been trying for the Chandigarh seat since 1991, but I have never considered him a rival. If all he said the other day was targeted against me, it is unacceptable and I take strong exception to it,' former Railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal tells Anita Katyal in an exclusive interview.
A non-Gandhi is set to become the Congress president after 24 years.
Former Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal's Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat is up for grabs. And there are quite a few in the reckoning. Anita Katyal reports
A provisional order has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against the newspaper's publisher Associated Journals Ltd and its holding company Young Indian, the central probe agency said in a statement.
Amid suspense over who could take on Shashi Tharoor in the Congress president polls, party's central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry on Tuesday said AICC treasurer Pawan Kumar Bansal has got nomination forms collected, adding that it may be for someone else.
Pawan Kumar Bansal prefers to maintain a low profile and people who work with him say the minister is "very courteous".
Pawan Kumar Bansal prefers to maintain a low profile and people who work with him say the minister is "very courteous".
The plenary session in Chhattisgarh's Nava Raipur will start from February 24 and is expected to be attended by around 15,000 delegates.
Congress observers for Rajasthan on Tuesday recommended disciplinary action against three key loyalists of Ashok Gehlot but did not seek any action against the chief minister, as the party scampered to resolve the crisis that has cast a shadow on the election of the party president.
Let's take a look at some behind-the-scene activity before the presentation of the Railway Budget.
Sitting MP Pawan Kumar Bansal faces two dimpled beauties. Which one will the city choose?
The discussions are mostly one-on-one, party insiders said on Thursday, a day of many meetings.
Congress leader Sukhjinder Randhawa and Brahm Mohindra will be two deputies to Punjab's Chief Minister-designate Charanjit Singh Channi, said party leader Pawan Kumar Bansal.
Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal did not hike passenger fares.
A 'chadar' was on Sunday offered on behalf of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the dargah of sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti.
With the election campaign in Karnataka witnessing a bitter war of words between the BJP and the Congress, both the parties rushed to the Election Commission, seeking ban on electioneering by top leaders of the other side.
The Indian Railways has proposed to introduce a modern coach "Anubhuti" with good ambience in the premier Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains providing higher travel comfort to passengers.
The counting of votes for the Rajya Sabha elections was delayed on Friday in Maharashtra and Haryana over alleged violation of rules, officials said.
A delegation of Congress leaders comprising Pawan Kumar Bansal, Vivek Tankha and Ranjeet Ranjan met the Election Commission and handed over a memorandum by Ajay Maken, its candidate for the Rajya Sabha poll in the state.
The Central Bureau of Investigation is likely to seek clarifications from railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal in connection with the alleged bribery scandal related to posting of suspended railway board member (staff) Mahesh Kumar involving the minister's nephew Vijay Singla.
He feels that the Budget presents a realistic picture of railway finances.
"The Railway Minister has presented a very responsible, practical and implementable budget," Chidambram told reporters outside Parliament.
In a stunning revelation, an officer of the Central Bureau of Investigation has alleged that his superior officer, a deputy inspector general, had tried tipping off former Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal's nephew Vijay Singla about raids being launched against him and others in connection with a jobs and transfer scam in the railway ministry.
While it is becoming increasingly apparent that the fortunes of sacked Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal's family members improved dramatically during his tenure in the government, officials on his personal staff were not doing too badly either.
Vicky Nanjappa profiles Narain Rao Manjunath, one of the key accused in the Railways bribery scandal.
With his nephew landing him in a political soup, beleaguered Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on Monday got an unusual sobriquet -- "mamu" -- in the Rajya Sabha.
Hitting out at the government for the alleged involvement of the railway minister's nephew in a bribery case, opposition parties on Saturdat demanded that Pawan Kumar Bansal step down on moral grounds. The Bharatiya Janata Party accused the government of shamelessly using constitutional bodies to hide their corruption.
Bulk goods should be transported through rail instead of roadways as it would be cost effective and environment friendly, said Pawan Kumar Bansal.
Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on Thursday favoured rail-based container movement between India and Pakistan to reduce transaction cost and ease road traffic.
Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal announced introduction of 19 new train services, extension of three and increase in frequency of five trains acceding to demands of MPs.
With the Comptroller and Auditor General reports providing ammunition to the Opposition to attack the prime minister, Congress on Friday dismissed Bharatiya Janata Party's demand for his resignation while party chief Sonia Gandhi held a "strategy meeting" with senior ministers and party leaders.
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