Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has justified the Narendra Modi government's move to raise the rail fare by 14.2 per cent, saying it was a result of the policies undertaken by the previous United Progressive Alliance government. In an exclusive interview to CNN IBN, Prasad blamed the UPA II government for leaving Indian Railways in shambles, adding that his government never knew that the railways was bleeding, thanks to the Congress-led regime.
Attacking the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for its "utter failure" to check rising prices, the CPI(M) on Friday said the Centre's "faulty approach" in blaming states, without taking effective steps to tackle the real issues, would not solve the problem.
"The basic purpose of the whole deal is to cap, reduce and eliminate our nuclear weapons programme," he said.
The decision by SP, with 21 members in Lok Sabha, and RJD with four will, however, have no impact on the stability of the UPA government. The SP and the RJD were outside supporters of the government.
"The economic environment in the country has suddenly become dismal. The UPA blamed the Left Front for the paralysis in economic decision making during UPA-I. However, there is no such compulsion during UPA-II."
How many marks will Prime Minister Manmohan Singh give to the performance of the United Progressive Alliance's second term? This is the question being asked in political circles ahead of Dr Singh's first press conference in Delhi on Monday since taking over as PM for the second time. When the UPA-I had completed one year in May 2005, Dr Singh gave six out of ten marks to its performance, but said he was not satisfied with it.
There is a lack of connect between the Congress president and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in UPA-2. But Sonia Gandhi has ensured that the government does not waver from her pet policies -- NREGA, RTI etc, notes Neerja Chowdhury.
"The governor has returned to Ranchi...so far he has not issued any order," an official source in Raj Bhavan said.
'Mrs Sonia Gandhi, chairperson, UPA has been admitted to our hospital today. She has been admitted in Department of Chest Medicine under the care of Dr Arup Basu and his team. Mrs Gandhi has been admitted for observation and treatment of a viral respiratory infection,' said Dr Ajay Swaroop, chairman of the hospital's board of management.
Contests in 13 seats would attract most attention during the Chhattisgarh assembly elections as they feature prominent leaders of the Congress and BJP.
Political observers say that neither Mulayam Singh Yadav nor Mayawati have any intention of toppling the UPA government, as neither stand to gain from it. Sharat Pradhan reports
"I appeal to the Muslims to understand that the soft approach of the UPA government to terrorism has endangered the security of all sections," BJP chief Rajnath Singh said.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani on Wednesday said that the United Progressive Alliance government will not complete its five year term in office. Advani reiterated that the government will not last till 2009 and mid-term polls will be held in 2008. "It is certain now that the UPA government at the Centre is not going to last till 2009 because of major differences within the alliance partners. The country is heading for a mid-term polls," declared Advani.
The UPA's old schemes are unravelling while the new ones are still to take off, says Sunita Moga
The poll, conducted across 23 states with a sample size of 18,000 voters, predicts that the UPA will win 267 seats as against the 222 seats it secured in the 2004 elections.
She reached the office of the federal probe agency in central Delhi around 11 am and left around 6 pm.
Singh did not speak on recent developments in the Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation but confined himself to self-explanation during the short duration discussion.
Bracing up for an Opposition onslaught in Parliament, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will host dinner for United Progressive Alliance leaders on Friday to firm up a joint strategy on various issues like Foreign Direct Investment that are expected to come up during the session beginning next week.
Banerjee wants the two top leaders of the United Progressive Alliance to nudge the Planning Commission into including some of her most important initiatives in the Railway Budget.
The agency has found fresh evidence in the 39-years old riots case making it necessary to have the voice sample of Tytler, they said.
A controversy has erupted over the reported remarks of Central Bureau of Investigation chief Ranjit Sinha that the United Progressive Allianc government would have been happy if the Bharatiya Janata Party leader Amit Shah was named as accused in Ishrat Jahan case chargesheet, a comment which he has denied.
Haryana Bharatiya Janata Party leader Birender Singh on Monday threatened to quit the party if does not sever ties with the Jannayak Janta Party, which he accused of indulging in rampant corruption in the state.
In the wake of Pakistan's refusal to extradite those guilty in the Mumbai terror attacks, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday accused the United Progressive Alliance government of converting the 'warning rhetoric into a bail-out plan' for the neighbouring country."It seems that the warning rhetoric of the UPA government against Pakistan has converted into a bail out plan for the neighbouring country from its participation in 26/11 attack in Mumbai," BJP said.
Following his arrest, support for Baba Ramdev seems to pour in. While the Bharatiya Janata Party declared a 24-hour satyagrah, the Uttarakhand chief minister assured the Baba that he could continue his protest in the state if he wanted to. With the Left and Samajwadi Party joining in to criticise the UPA, th government seems isolated
"I am neither afraid nor worried. Rather I am emerging stronger. If people of Jharkhand wish, opponents will not find a place to hide," Soren said while addressing JMM workers near his residence.
Joshi alleged that in many of the cases there has been a hundred per cent rise in the price of commodities. He also said that the UPA government is ignoring the plight of farmers.
The Ambani brothers -- Mukesh and Anil -- have emerged among the biggest beneficiaries of the people's mandate in favour of the Congress-led UPA government as their group companies added close to Rs 90,000 crore (Rs 900 billion) of wealth in just five trading sessions after the results were declared.
Complaining that the ruling UPA was treating it like an 'outsider' on the issue of dealing with Pakistan, the SP said it was under 'tremendous pressure' from its cadres as the government was not doing anything against the neighbouring country despite the Mumbai attacks.
All 40-odd rooms at the resort have been booked for the guests from Jharkhand for the next two days, Congress sources said.
The crowd at the mosque was larger than usual, unsurprisingly because it happened to be the last "Jumma" (Friday) of the holy month of Ramzan.
Disapproving of Janata Dal-United's remarks against Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday firmly stood behind the Gujarat chief minister saying no "unfounded inferences" should be drawn against him
He wanted changes in certain criteria for the project.
Consensus continued to elude the Women's Reservation Bill which is unlikely to see the light of the day during the current session of Parliament.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad on Tuesday said his party would contest the Lok Sabha polls in Bihar in alliance with the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Lok Janashakti Party, but ruled out conceding more than 13 seats given to the United Progressive Alliance allies in 2004 elections.
Charging the United Progressive Alliance with lacking "political decency" in evolving a consensus candidate for the Presidential poll, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday said its decision to back former Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma was in keeping with "anti-Congress, anti- UPA mood" in the country.
This State-corporate 'cooperation' didn't begin with the arrival of the Modi government.
Many of the big licences, contracts, and even environmental clearances for the Adani group had come in the UPA's time, points out Shekhar Gupta.
The BJP has sought the disqualification of Soren as an MLA accusing him of allocating a mining lease to himself while he held the state Mining portfolio in 2021.
United Progressive Alliance allies on Monday expressed full support to the government over its refusal to agree to a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the 2G spectrum scam, an issue that has paralysed Parliament proceedings for the last 12 working days. Against the backdrop of some UPA constituents appearing not being averse to the JPC probe, the government on Monday held a luncheon meeting of its allies to devise a common strategy.
A survey carried out by television channel CNN-IBN has revealed that an overwhelming number of voters believe that the government has lost the faith of the public.
