He was speaking on the sidelines of a function to inaugurate the new building to house the Environment Ministry.
Some senior Congress leaders, including Kapil Sibal and Shashi Tharoor, met at their senior colleague Ghulam Nabi Azad's house in New Delhi on Monday evening after the Congress Working Committee debated their letter to the party's interim chief Sonia Gandhi seeking urgent organisational reforms.
Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily recently said that chargesheeted candidates may be barred from polls. But those who attended consultations on electoral reforms say the government lacks the political will to do so. Vicky Nanjappa reports
"If they (some leaders) persist (with G-23) that means there is a vested interest for a few of them to work against the Congress party which we don't subscribe to and rather oppose it," the former Union minister said.
A day after the government decided to scrap the Antrix-Devas S-Band spectrum allocation deal, Law Minister M Veerappa Moily met Home Minister P Chidambaram discussing legal ramifications of the move against the backdrop of the private company threatening to sue the government.
Vicky Nanjappa analyses why Veerappa Moily was shunted out of the law ministry.
Alleging that Prasada had placed "personal ambition" over everything else, Moily said the Uttar Pradesh leader's ideological commitment was suspect from the beginning and the party winning zero seats in West Bengal under his charge showed that he was incompetent.
The appointees are expected to reflect Rahul Gandhi's vision of a new Congress with MP and Rahul's "bench mate" in the LS, KC Venugopal, expected to play an important role.
Even though it was stated that no action would be taken against the senior leaders who had written to Sonia Gandhi, they say that the retaliation had already begun, reports Aditi Phadnis
'Just because there is some misunderstanding, you cannot recall the chief secretary.' 'This is not a good development. This is an assault on federalism.'
Karnataka BJP too said such a proposal is "neither the wish nor the will" of the party.
The senior Congress leader asserted that those calling for reform should have had a discussion with others as well.
The new rates, which are likely to be at $8-8.4 against the current price of $4.2 per million British thermal unit, are based on the recommendations of a committee that was appointed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the request of Moily's predecessor, S Jaipal Reddy.
Moily said he and all his ministry officials as well as those in public sector units under his ministry will travel by public transport every Wednesday.
The less charitable in the party say he owes his appointment Sonia Gandhi -- the family wanted someone who wouldn't talk back and would not exert himself too much, notes Aditi Phadnis.
Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had directed the Anti Corruption branch to register an FIR on the basis of a complaint by four prominent people, including former Cabinet Secretary TSR Subramanian.
Chidambaram said the government will not go back on its decision to raise gas prices for both public sector and private producers from April 1.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday listed India's "corrupt politicians" who, he said, should not be allowed to contest elections.
The FIR was lodged under sections 420 (cheating), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC and under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The government will require poll panel's nod if it decides not to effect a price increase.
The FIR by the ACB was registered a day after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the agency has been told to probe their alleged collusion over hike in prices of natural gas from KG basin.
Bowing to party pressure, the government on Thursday raised the quota of subsidised LPG to 12 cylinders per household in a year from nine at present and also put on hold paying users the subsidy into bank accounts using Aadhaar platform.
A day after the Congress said the 'doors are open' for Pilot and gave him a second chance, the party virtually closed them for him on Tuesday, sacking him as Rajasthan deputy chief minister and state party chief, three days after he mounted a rebellion against his state chief minister Ashok Gehlot.
With only months to go for the general elections, the new environment minister has gone into overdrive to clear projects.
If the quota is raised to 12, about 97 per cent of the LPG consumers would be covered by subsidised LPG.
Rejecting Arvind Kejriwal's allegation on gas pricing issue, Petroleum Minister M Veerappa Moily on Tuesday hit back at the Delhi Chief Minister and said that price fixing of petroleum products is done as per expert advice.
In September 2012, the government had capped the number of LPG cylinders at six to reduce the subsidy burden.
The two leaders also discussed the special category status promised to the southern state.
The seeding of LPG database with Aadhar numbers is above 55 per cent and overall Aadhar penetration is 90 per cent in these districts.
Strongly refuting allegations of favouring Reliance Industries, Oil Minister M Veerappa Moily on Friday said the proposed revision in natural gas price will apply to all companies including state-owned ONGC.
Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and Left parties on Friday slammed Oil Minister M Veerappa Moily for claiming to be under threat from oil import lobby, saying that the minister was concocting a story to help private firms gain from his proposal to raise natural gas prices.
Karnataka will be re-emerge as an IT superpower and will make India proud, Union Petroleum Minister Veerappa Moily has said as he accused the previous Bharatiya Janata Party government of damaging the state's image as an investment destination.
Internal fight within the Congress for chief ministership gained full speed Thursday as contenders sought to vigorously push their claim in behind-the-scene action, with Siddaramaiah and M Mallikarjuna Kharge still seen as front-runners.
With CAG alleging that Mukesh Ambani-run Reliance Industries was delaying furnishing of records for audit, Oil Minister M Veerappa Moily on Friday said there was no problem and "everybody" was cooperating.
Govt approved a formula, not a price; PetroMin says a substantial rise was inevitable.
Is Chiranjeevi the tourism ministry's secret weapon? Why is Vijay Mallya upset with Veerappa Moily? What in-house problem is the railway minister grappling with? All this, and more, in this week's Dilli Gupshup...
Use of Iranian crude oil in Indian refineries came down by over a quarter in 2012-13.
The ruling United Progressive Alliance's political leadership is holding consultations on options like raising diesel and LPG prices to cut an unprecedented Rs 160,000 crore (Rs 1,600 billion) revenue loss expected from selling auto and cooking fuel below cost this fiscal.
A government-appointed panel, headed by industrialist Adi Godrej, has already submitted its recommendations. The panel has laid down 17 guiding principles.
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