First day, First Show: House full!
By IANS,
New Delhi : First Day, First Show. And it was predictably full House, as India's parliament, meeting for the first time after the national election, came alive with the rainbow colours of the country amid a babel of tongues that speak for this polyglot nation.
The young and the old, the rulers and the defeated, comrades-in-arms and arch-rivals who don't see eye to eye - most of the 543 MPs of the 15th Lok Sabha gathered for that sacred oath of public duty that marks their calling as law-makers.
My election is a historic decision: Meira Kumar
By IANS,
New Delhi : Calling her election as the first woman speaker of the Lok Sabha a "historic decision", Meira Kumar said here Wednesday that she would be impartial and give equal opportunity to all members to express their views.
"It will be my endeavour that I am completely impartial in my conduct and I give opportunity to all the members to express their views," Meira Kumar said, addressing her first press conference after being elected speaker of the lower house of parliament.
MJP poll campaign to focus on Gujarat diamond workers
By IANS,
Ahmedabad : The Mahagujarat Janata Party (MJP), formed by dissident Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators, will focus on the problems of Gujarat's nearly two million diamond workers during its campaign for the Lok Sabha polls, for which it will pick candidates after the big parties have announced their nominees.
"We will wait for the BJP and Congress to announce their list of candidates for the 26 Lok Sabha seats and then decide which of our candidates should be fielded," MJP president Govardhan Zadhapia told IANS.
BJP MP Satyapal Singh hid government dues from EC, alleges RTI activist
Mumbai : BJP MP from Baghpat had allegedly concealed information about unpaid dues to the city collector in his election affidavit, an RTI activist...
Modi speaks to Sharif, Hasina, Ghani ahead of Ramadan
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke by telephone to Pakistan and Bangladesh premiers, Nawaz Sharif and Sheikh Hasina, and Afghan President Ashran Ghani...
Shutdown in Seemandhra for second day over Telangana bill
By IANS,
Hyderabad : Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions of Andhra Pradesh are observing a complete shutdown for the second consecutive day Friday to protest...
Panchayati elections in January on non-party basis: Omar
By IANS,
Srinagar : The deferred panchayati elections in Jammu and Kashmir will now be held in January next year on non-party basis, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said Wednesday.
Parliament adjourned over JPC demand
By IANS
New Delhi : Both houses of parliament were adjourned for an hour Friday after the opposition disrupted proceedings demanding a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) on the Indo-US nuclear deal.
Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned till noon.
In the Lok Sabha, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee paid tribute to former MP Tarakeshwari Sinha who died last month. Soon after opposition leaders began shouting slogans like "We want JPC" and "JPC lao desh ko Bachao" (Set up JPC, save the nation).
Jayalalitha makes an overture to Congress, is snubbed
By IANS,
Chennai/New Delhi : AIADMK chief J. Jayalalitha Thursday tried to cosy up to the Congress when she said it should withdraw support to the DMK government in Tamil Nadu. But the Congress rebuffed her and asserted that it has a "strong alliance" with the DMK.
"The DMK is a sinking ship and is anti-national. The Congress should withdraw its support at the state level," the former Tamil Nadu chief minister said in Chennai, hinting that her party was open to an electoral alliance with the Congress.
BJP resolution rejects FDI in retail
By IANS,
Surajkund (Haryana) : The BJP Thursday said it was committed to reforms but rejected foreign equity in multi-brand retail and termed the move as against national interest.
Manjhi grandson arrested for killing wife
Patna : The grandson of former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi was arrested on Tuesday for murdering his wife and cremating her body,...
Record 21 chief parliamentary secretaries in Punjab
By IANS,
Chandigarh : Setting a record of sorts, there will be 21 chief parliamentary secretaries in Punjab's Parkash Singh Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.
Shekhawat prefers consensus on Kalam, meets Vajpayee
By IANSNew Delhi : Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, named presidential candidate by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), met former prime minister Atal Bihari...
Left, TDP, JD-S to protest Sep 25 against n-deal
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Left parties, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) Friday said they would observe a protest day Sep 25, the day Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will meet US President George W. Bush in Washington and could formalise the India-US civilian nuclear deal.
"All over the country, rallies and protest demonstrations will be held against this surrender to the US," the parties said here in a joint statement.
Attack on Dalit students in Osmania Unv condemned
By TCN News,
Hyderabad: Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee (CLMC)has condemned the attack on Dalit students and burning of Sarath Naliganti room who is a student leader, research scholar of Osmania University and MLA contested candidate of MIM from Amberpet constituency by Hindutva student wing ABVP at Osmania University campus.
All-party meet on Kashmir report in November
By IANS,
Jammu : The home ministry is likely to convene an all-party meet next month to discuss the interlocutors' report over the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, informed sources said Wednesday.
Declare Bihar floods as national calamity: BJP
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Wednesday demanded the floods in Bihar, the worst in the recent history of the country, be declared a national calamity and the central government should bear the burden of the relief and rehabilitation operations in the state.
"I spoke to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh this morning (Wednesday) and expressed concern over the flood-induced situation," senior BJP leader L.K. Advani said.
"I urge the central government to assist the state government in every possible way in dealing with this extraordinary natural disaster, he said.
TDP to take action against two of its MPs for voting for UPA
By NNN-PTI,
Hyderabad : The Telugu Desam Party would initiate disciplinary action against two of its MPs - D K Adikeshavulu Naidu and M Jagannadham - who had defied the party line and voted in favour of UPA Government during the trust vote in Parliament.
The TDP, which has five MPs in Lok Sabha (Lower House), received a jolt with two of its members switching loyalities and supporting the Congress-led Government in the confidence motion voting last night.
Both houses of parliament adjourned for the day
By IANS,
New Delhi : The deadlock in parliament over the rising prices of essential commodities continued Thursday with a determined opposition stalling both houses and no business being transacted for the third working day of the monsoon session.
Opposition parties across the spectrum protested both inside and outside the house.
Now, Congress leader calls Karnataka regime ‘idiot government’
By IANS,
Bangalore: After former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda's "bloody b..." invective against Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, a Congress leader Tuesday added his bit to name-calling in state politics by terming the Bharatiya Janata Party regime (BJP) an "idiot government".
Siddaramaiah, leader of opposition in the assembly, remarked upon Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa and Energy Minister K.S. Eshwarappa watching the Aamir Khan film "3 idiots" on Sunday, hours after Gowda's infamous outburst against Yeddyurappa.
Naveen Patnaik facing his toughest battle yet
By Jatindra Dash,
Bhubaneswar : Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik seems to be facing his toughest political battle as he bids for a fourth straight term...
Kejriwal asks Modi to come clean on gas pricing
By IANS,
New Delhi : AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal Friday asked the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi to state his position on gas pricing...
Leaders ask Muslims to make dua for Babri Masjid case
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter
Lucknow: State convenor, Babri Masjid Action Committee (BMAC) Dr Shafeequr Rehman Barq and other office bearers on Wednesday have issued an appeal urging muslims to pray during the holy month of Ramzan so that the verdict in the Babri Masjid/Ram Janam Bhoomi case goes in their favour.
West Bengal residents keep out police, CPI-M
By IANS,
Kolkata : A group of residents in West Bengal's tribal-dominated Lalgarh region Saturday put up two check posts to prevent the police and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) workers from entering the area.
The check posts were put up by the members of the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) at Raigarh and Barotelia area of Lalgarh in West Midnapore district.
After 800 years, a proud Hindu ruling Delhi: Singhal
New Delhi : The World Hindu Congress Friday saw exhortations on the potential of "Bharat" to provide "direction" to the world with VHP leader...
PM doesn’t know what’s going on in his office: Munde
By IANS,
Panaji: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Gopinath Munde said Friday Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was not aware of the goings on in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
Deshmukh summoned to Delhi by Congress high command
By IANS,
New Delhi : With his fate hanging in balance, Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh was Tuesday summoned to Delhi by the Congress high command.
“He has been called to Delhi by the party high command and is expected to reach by evening,” sources in the Congress party said.
Deshmukh on Monday had offered to resign in the face of scathing criticism in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror carnage, which left at least 183 dead.
The decision on his resignation is likely to be taken Tuesday by the party high command.
Winning, losing part of democracy, says Congress
New Delhi : The Congress Monday downplayed the electoral defeat it suffered in Haryana and Maharashtra, saying such developments are part of the democratic...
Porus India-Bangladesh border in Assam to be sealed: Rajnath
Guwahati: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday visited Karimganj sector of the India-Bangladesh border in Assam and said the porous border will be...
Arjun’s statement on Rahul Gandhi his own opinion: Pranab
By IANS,
New Delhi : External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee Tuesday described his cabinet colleague Arjun Singh's statement that Rahul Gandhi could be made the next prime ministerial candidate as his "individual opinion".
Mukherjee said there was no controversy on the issue of the young Amethi MP's candidature as prime minister, but added that the forum and the time for bringing up the issue could be decided at an appropriate juncture.
Omar Abdullah to meet PM
By IANS,
Jammu : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi Wednesday.
The minister will discuss the PM's fifth working group report that favours restoration of autonomy in Jammu and Kashmir, according to official sources.
The report was presented to the chief minister in Jammu Dec 23.
Nothing objectionable in Maggi noodles in Bengal: Mamata
Kolkata : The West Bengal government found nothing objectionable in the Maggi instant noodles during safety tests on the samples, Chief Minister Mamata...
Modi, Obama renew resolve to meet terrorism, climate change challenges
New York: Meeting for their third summit in a year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Barack Obama on Monday renewed their resolve to...
Listen to Basu, reconsider withdrawal: Paswan to Left
By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS,
London : Having “forcefully” put across its view on the India-US nuclear deal, the Left must now heed the advice of Marxist leader Jyoti Basu and reconsider its decision to stop supporting the government, Steel Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said Tuesday.
Grand Alliance set for great victory: Lalu
Patna: RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Tuesday claimed the grand alliance of the JD-U, RJD and the Congress will achieve a "great victory" in...
Chhattisgarh Congress leaders lobbying in Delhi for tickets
By IANS,
Raipur : About 250 members of the Chhattisgarh unit of the Congress party, including 20 legislators, have been camping in New Delhi for the past one week to lobby for the party ticket for the November assembly polls.
"About 250 leaders, including legislators, district presidents and block chiefs, are in New Delhi to claim tickets. The party's screening committee will delete several names from Chhattisgarh's ticket claimants' list Sep 25-26," a Congress leader told IANS.
Chhattisgarh goes to polls in November to elect a new 90-member legislative assembly.
Advani calls to expose Congress falsehood on Indo-US nuclear deal
By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net
Bhopal : Leader of the Opposition in the Indian Parliament (Lok Sabha - Lower House) and Senior Bharatiya Janata Party, (BJP), leader L.K. Advani has called upon his partymen to expose falsehood of Congress, which is leading the coalition Federal Government, on the 123 Indo-US nuclear deal.
Speak directly with people for budget: Jharkhand CM
Ranchi : Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Tuesday directed senior officials to speak directly with people in rural areas to learn about their...
Violence in Uttar Pradesh district after BJP leader killed
By IANS,
Lucknow : The murder of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader sparked off violence and tension Monday in Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh district, police said.
Agitated over the killing of Bhairav Singh (50), who was shot dead Sunday, a large number of party workers took to the streets and targeted several private and public vehicles in parts of Azamgarh district, police added.
"In the wake of the series of protests, we have deployed additional security in various areas of Azamgarh," district police chief Ramit Sharma told IANS over telephone.
Lok Sabha passes coal bill to make way for fresh auctions
New Delhi: Amid opposition uproar, the Lok Sabha Friday passed the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2014, which sets the norms for the auction...
Rajya Sabha disrupted over quota in promotions
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Rajya Sabha was disrupted Friday over issue of reservation for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in job promotions.
Arjun Singh’s condition improves, still in ICU
By IANS,
New Delhi : Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Arjun Singh's health condition has improved but he is still in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here. He was admitted to the hospital with multiple health problems.
"His condition has improved," AIIMS medical superintendent D.K. Sharma said Friday.
Singh was taken to AIIMS Wednesday night and was diagnosed with gall bladder stones, left ventricular failure and a host of other problems.
Police brace for Gujjar trouble in Delhi
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Indian capital and its surrounding regions may see "trouble" Thursday because of road blockades the Gujjar community has threatened in support of their community in Rajasthan, Delhi Police said Wednesday.
Official sources said that around 30,000 police and paramilitary personnel would be deployed across the National Capital Region.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) S.N. Srivastava warned: “We have information that the protestors will try to block transportation of essential commodities into the city.
UT Austin discussion: Is intolerance on the rise in India?
By TCN News
Austin: Past Tuesday, University of Texas at Austin held a panel discussion on the topic of "Is intolerance on the rise in...
TDP MLAs evicted from Andhra assembly
By IANS,
Hyderabad: Legislators of main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) were forcibly evicted from Andhra Pradesh assembly Friday night, 12 hours after they began protest in the house.
Vidarbha farmers to decide Sunday whom to support
Yavatmal (Maharashtra) : Exasperated farmers in the Vidarbha region will decide Sunday whether to support the BJP in the Oct 15 Maharashtra assembly election,...
Communal tension in Agra, situation calm now
Agra: Tension prevailed in Uttar Pradesh's Agra district on Friday after some religious comments on social media led to violence between two communities. The...
Sabarinathan sworn-in as Kerala legislator
Thiruvananthapuram: Congress leader K.A. Sabarinathan was sworn-in as a legislator of the Kerala legislative assembly on Wednesday.
In the results for the Aruvikara by-election announced...
Madhya Pradesh CM to launch New York conclave to promote development
By Arul Louis,
New York: Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is to launch a Friends of Madhya Pradesh Conlave here next Sunday (Feb 1) to...
Price rise forces Rajya Sabha adjournment for the day
By IANS,
New Delhi : The rising prices of essential commodities Tuesday forced two adjournments of the Rajya Sabha, the second one for the day, with an agitated opposition demanding that the issue be discussed as a "substantial motion".
The trouble began as soon as the house assembled for the day at 11 a.m. with Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanding that the issue be discussed under rules 167 and 168 which entail voting and recording of the sense of the house.
BJP releases booklet on Gadkari as president
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tuesday released a booklet tracing Nitin Gadkari's journey as party president over the last one year.
Name remaining candidates in Bengal, Congress urges Sonia
New Delhi : The West Bengal unit of the Congress Friday urged party president Sonia Gandhi to release the list of candidates for the...
Candidates say fund crunch affecting campaign
By IANS,
Raipur : Several candidates for the April 16 elections in Chhattisgarh say their campaign has been hit hard by fund shortage.
A few of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates say they have been asked to exercise restraint vis-a-vis expenditure as the party will not be able to provide enough money for a comprehensive campaign.
The crunch has hit the Congress the most because its candidates have received less than 50 percent of the first instalment of money promised by the party.
Over 50 percent voting in Uttar Pradesh by-poll
By IANS,
Lucknow : Polling in the by-election to the Domariyaganj assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh Thursday passed off peacefully, with around 50.5 percent voter turnout, officials said.
The seat was held by the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP) Taufiq Ahmed, whose death necessitated the election. His widow Khatun Taufiq is now the BSP nominee.
Some 314,000 people were eligible to vote at 364 polling centres to decide the fate of 11 candidates in the fray.
Modi government imposing ban, fatwa culture: Congress
New Delhi: Expressing concern over the "burgeoning ban and fatwa culture" growing across India, the Congress on Wednesday held the Narendra Modi government responsible...
क्यों मुस्लिम रहनुमाओं की अक्ल पर भरोसा नहीं करना चाहिए?
अफ़रोज़ आलम साहिल, TwoCircles.net
एक सिरफिरे ने धार्मिक नफ़रत फैलाने की नीयत से मुसलमानों के पैग़म्बर के बारे में कुछ नागवार बातें कहीं. मुसलमानों ने...
Poll panel to campaign too – for votes
By IANS,
Patna : The Election Commission will launch a campaign during the Lok Sabha elections too - to motivate the people to vote, Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami said Saturday.
Speaking to reporters here, he said: "We are contemplating using star campaigners to make voters aware about the (importance of voting)."
He did not give details, but a poll panel source said Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Sachin Tendulkar were being contacted to take part in the campaign.
Kejriwal offers condolences to Munde’s family
New Delhi : AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal Tuesday offered his "heartfelt condolences" to the family of Union Minister Gopinath Munde who was killed in...
Stop the agitations, maintain peace: Chidambaram to Andhra leaders
By IANS,
New Delhi : Home Minister P. Chidambaram Tuesday appealed to political parties in Andhra Pradesh to halt agitations and ensure law and order as they deliberated a mechanism to break the logjam on the issue of statehood to Telangana.
He also denied that the central government had acted in haste in announcing its nod to creation of a separate Telangana state.
‘No bridge, no votes’, angry villagers tell Nitish Kumar
By IANS,
Patna : Angry that a bridge state Chief Minister Nitish Kumar promised in the last Lok Sabha poll has not yet come up, villagers in his home district Nalanda Wednesday tartly told him: 'no bridge, no votes'.
Hundreds of angry villagers protested moments after Nitish Kumar finished his speech at an election meeting Wednesday. The villagers raised slogans against him and his government for failing to construct a bridge, a long awaited demand.
AAP drops Delhi candidate, fields Rakhi Birla
New Delhi : The AAP Tuesday withdrew the candidature of Mahendra Singh from the North West Delhi Lok Sabha constituency for his alleged involvement...
Sonia to flag off 12 new trains in Uttar Pradesh
By IANS,
Lucknow : Congress president Sonia Gandhi will flag off 12 new trains, including the Kanpur-Delhi Shatabdi Express, Sunday from the Kanpur Railway Central Station in Uttar Pradesh, a party spokesperson said Friday.
"Soniaji along with union Minister of Railways Mamta Banerjee would arrive at the railway station around 12 noon for flagging off 12 new trains and extensions of seven trains," Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Akhilesh Paratap Singh told reporters here.
Punjab politicians to battle out for a cause
By Jaideep Sarin, IANS
Chandigarh : They may be bitter foes, but top politicians in Punjab are now preparing for a real battle - this time on the cricket field and for a genuine cause.
CPI-M defends Patil after presidential poll
By IANS
New Delhi : After keeping silent throughout the month-long presidential poll campaign marked by mudslinging, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) has come out in defence of Pratibha Patil, who is set to become the country's first woman president.
Chiranjeevi’s ‘chariot’ campaign set to roll next month
By IANS,
Hyderabad : After the roaring success of his maiden public rally, Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi is gearing up for a state-wide tour atop a 'chariot' to popularise his new party Praja Rajyam.
The tour, likely to begin in the first week of September, will cover all 23 districts and is likely to serve as the campaign for assembly elections scheduled early next year.
Modi may find it tough in December assembly polls
By Rajeev Khanna, IANS
Gandhinagar : Five years after his thumping victory, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi faces a tough challenge in upcoming assembly polls whose outcome may well determine the timetable of the next general election.
मुज़फ्फ़रनगर में बोलीं माया, सपा-भाजपा ने कराए दंगे
आस मोहम्मद कैफ़, TwoCircles.net
मुज़फ्फ़रनगर: आज मुज़फ्फ़रनगर में चुनावी रैली को संबोधित करते हुए बसपा सुप्रीमो मायावती ने कहा कि सपा सरकार के दौरान राज्य...
Second phase of Haryana panchayat polls Saturday
By IANS,
Chandigarh : The second phase of panchayat (village council) polls in Haryana will be held in 36 blocks of state's 12 districts Saturday, an Election Commission official said here Friday evening.
The first phase of panchayat elections held June 6 was marked by widespread post-poll violence at various places.
BJP pays back, calls CPI-M anti-democratic
By IANS
New Delhi : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Monday criticised the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), which had termed it as its enemy No. 1, and said its mindset was "patently anti-democratic".
The CPI-M's remarks came in its political resolution, released Sunday and to be ratified by its 19th congress.
Women MPs skip meet on gender-sensitive parliaments
By IANS,
New Delhi : At a meet to discuss making parliaments gender-sensitive, organised in the Parliament House, many women parliamentarians were conspicuous by their absence.
Union ministers’ visits for media coverage only: Nitish
Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on Monday that the visits of union ministers to the poll-bound state had nothing to do with...
Left won’t kill but chill n-deal: Bardhan
By Manish Chand,IANS,
New Delhi : The Left-supported Third Front will not scrap the India-US nuclear deal if it takes power after the Lok Sabha elections but keep it "in cold storage" to save New Delhi from Washington's strategic designs, says Communist Party of India (CPI) leader A.B. Bardhan.
"Scrapping it might be difficult because it's an international agreement. We will keep it in cold storage to save India from the American strategic designs," Bardhan said in an interview here. "We will not kill the nuclear deal, but chill it."
No factionalism in Congress: Sachin Pilot
By Anil Sharma,
Jaipur : The Congress, which suffered one of its worst defeats in both the assembly and Lok Sabha polls, is now trying...
Stalin appointed Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister
By IANS,
Chennai : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi's son M.K. Stalin, who is also state rural development minister, was Friday promoted to the post of deputy chief minister.
The announcement came a day after DMK chief Karunanidhi's elder son M.K. Azhagiri was sworn in as cabinet minister in the Manmohan Singh government.
Muslims leaders meet Telangana CM, seeks probe into killings
Hyderabad : A delegation of Muslim leaders on Thursday met Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to demand probe into the killings of five...
Hunger strike in Gurgaon for takeover of colonies
Gurgaon : Residents of various colonies developed by private builders sat on a hunger strike here on Tuesday demanding takeover of builder licensed colonies...
दानिश सिद्दीक़ी की मौत पर खुश क्यों हैं नफ़रत के सौदागर !
-यूसुफ़ अंसारी
अफ़ग़ानिस्तानी सेना और तालिबान के बीच चल रही जंग को कवर करने अफग़ानिस्तान गए न्यूज़ एजेंसी रॉयटर्स के फोटो जर्नलिस्ट दानिश सिद्दीक़ी की...
LG has powers on public order and services issues: Home ministry
New Delhi : A week after a very public power tussle erupted between Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung and the AAP government in Delhi over...
Politics of Batla House Encounter
By Tanzil Asif,
Batla House Encounter has always been a hot political agenda in all Muslim dominated areas of Delhi esp. Okhla since it’s occurrence in September 2008. This time the issue seems to have faded at least from Jansabhas and speeches of our netas. People can be seen in small groups discussing who did what to prove the encounter fake legally and politically.
Goa political crisis: trial of strength Monday
By Frederick Noronha, IANS
Panaji : The six-week-old Congress-led government in Goa lost majority Thursday after five legislators withdrew support, but managed to postpone a trial of strength on the floor of the assembly to Monday even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed a alliance and staked its claim to form the government.
Panaji : The six-week-old Congress-led government in Goa lost majority Thursday after five legislators withdrew support, but managed to postpone a trial of strength on the floor of the assembly to Monday even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed a alliance and staked its claim to form the government.
Sonia, Rahul’s absence will not hinder alliance: Mamata
By IANS,
Kolkata: Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee Sunday said the alliance with the Congress will not be jeopardised by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and its general secretary Rahul Gandhi's inability to jointly campaign with her before the third phase elections in West Bengal.
"Why they are not coming, I cannot say," she told a journalist during a meet-the-press at the Kolkata Press Club here.
Banerjee said she has addressed joint rallies with Sonia Gandhi in Murshidabad district and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Howrah.
Andhra Congress Muslim leaders feel neglected by state party
By Mohd. Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net,
Sonia asks partymen to drop royal titles
By IANS,
New Delhi : Congress president Sonia Gandhi has called upon her partymen to drop all monarchical titles accompanying their names, which the party has already done in its records.
"The Congress president has made this suggestion to the partymen. All the monarchical titles have been removed from the party's records, but she (Sonia) believes they should not use them even in their personal life," party general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi told reporters Monday evening.
Candidates for three by-polls to be named soon: Chennithala
By IANS,
Kochi (Kerala) : Kerala unit Congress president Ramesh Chennithala said Sunday that discussions to finalise candidates for the three assembly by-elections due Nov 7 are almost over and the names would be announced in a few days.
Chennithala told IANS: "We are holding talks with a cross section of party leaders and select people in these constituencies to finalise the names. Once we complete the exercise we will inform the party high command for its approval. There are no issues at all."
Rituals, sweets and mass weddings mark Jayalalitha’s birthday
By IANS
Chennai : Special worships were held in over 100 temples, free food was served to the poor, mass marriages were conducted and AIADMK cadre distributed sweets in Tamil Nadu to mark the 60th birthday of J. Jayalalitha Sunday.
People queued up at the AIADMK chief's residence in Poes Garden here to greet her. Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders L.K. Advani, Narendra Modi and Ravishankar Prasad called her to wish Jayalalitha, strengthening rumours of an imminent alliance between the two parties for the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.
Three injured in Guwahati blast
Guwahati : Three people, including a minor, were injured in a low-intensity explosion at the busy Fancy Bazar area here on Saturday afternoon, police...
Congress, NCP resolve Maharashtra deadlock; swearing-in Saturday
By IANS,
Mumbai/New Delhi : The Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) finally broke their deadlock over power sharing in Maharashtra Thursday, paving the way for swearing-in of the new government by the weekend - more than a fortnigt after the assembly poll results were declared.
As per the formula worked out, the Congress will get 22 ministers plus the chief minister as compared to the NCP's 20, said NCP spokesman D.P. Tripathi in New Delhi.
Terrorists will respond violently to violence: Aiyar on Paris attack
New Delhi: Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar Thursday condemned the terror attack in Paris that left 12 people dead but said that terrorists had...
Jagan’s sister Sharmila to undergo surgery
By IANS,
Hyderabad : YSR Congress party leader Sharmila will undergo knee surgery at a private hospital Tuesday, party sources said.
Amid protests, rival Andhra MPs meet PM and Pranab
By IANS,
Hyderabad/New Delhi: Congress MPs from Andhra Pradesh divided sharply over Telangana Wednesday lobbied with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other party leaders as protests against the formation of the proposed state raged in Rayalseema and coastal Andhra regions.
Rallies, demonstrations, road and rail blockades as well as relay hunger strikes continued in most parts of coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema where desperate efforts are on to prevent the birth of Telangana, a state that will be made up of 10 districts including Hyderabad.
Kanimozhi should not get concessions: Jayalalithaa
By IANS,
Chennai: DMK MP Kanimozhi should not be granted bail in the 2G spectrum case just because she is a woman, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa said Tuesday.
BJP is exactly opposite to what Bedi stands for: Arvind Kejriwal
By Gaurav Sharma and M.R. Narayan Swamy,
New Delhi : AAP leader and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has said he sees an inherent contradiction between what Kiran Bedi, BJP's presumptive chief ministerial candidate, was known to have stood for and the values and principles of the party she now represents.
Conjoined twins vote in Bihar
Patna: Nineteen-year-old conjoined twins Saba and Farah cast their ballot on Wednesday here in the Bihar assembly elections -- on a single voter identity...
Congress, NCP strike seat deal in Maharashtra
By IANS,
New Delhi : After its failure to cobble a poll alliance with the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Bihar, the Congress party Monday stuck a deal over sharing of seats with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra.
"We will fight unitedly as alliance partners in Maharashtra. Congress would contest on 26 seats while NCP would contest on 22 seats," A.K. Antony, Congress general secretary in-charge of Maharashtra told reporters at a joint press conference attended by NCP leader Praful Patel.
BJP will not join any coalition in Karnataka: Advani
By IANS,
Bangalore : A once-bitten-twice-shy Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Saturday said it would sit in opposition if it failed to get a clear majority in this month's legislative assembly elections in Karnataka.
“If we do not get a clear mandate to rule Karnataka, we will prefer to sit in opposition than go for alliances,” BJP leader L.K. Advani told reporters here.
In an appeal to the electorate, Advani said BJP deserved to be given a chance to form a stable government on its own.
Rahul’s loan waiver proposals under consideration : Congress
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Congress party Tuesday said Rahul Gandhi's proposals on farm loan waiver are still under consideration of the finance ministry, even though Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar had ruled out any changes in the scheme.
"We do not consider it (Pawar's statement) a rejection (of Rahul Gandhi's suggestions). all constructive suggestions will be looked into when final allocations are made in the budget," said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi at a press conference.
BJP to review its electoral reverses in Uttar Pradeshx
By IANSNew Delhi : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will formally review its shocking defeat in the recently held Uttar Pradesh assembly elections at...
Negotiating with Undeclared Emergency
Pushkar Raj for TwoCircles.net,
Last month, Hyderabad police registered a case against Prof. Kancha Ilaiah for writing an article in a Telugu daily, entitled ‘Is...
Rajasthan cabinet ministers take oath
By IANS,
Jaipur : Thirteen newly-elected legislators of the Rajasthan assembly Friday took oath as members of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's council of ministers.
Governor S.K. Singh administered the oath of office to 11 cabinet ministers and two ministers of state at the Raj Bhawan here.
Bina Kak, Bharat Sing, Shanti Dhariwal, Hema Ram Choudhary, Mahipal Maderna, Harji Ram Burdak, Parasadi Lal Meena and Aimaduddin alias Duru Miyan are among the members of the new cabinet.
LGBT community to march against intolerance
Kolkata : The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community will turn out for the Kolkata Rainbow Pride Walk on December 13 against intolerance,...
Congress supports net neutrality: Maken
New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday said it fully supported net neutrality and asked the government to direct the telecom regulator TRAI to scrap...
Modi again targeting opposition on foreign soil, says Congress
New Delhi : The Congress on Saturday accused Prime Minister Naremdra Modi for again targeting opposition parties on foreign soil, terming it disgraceful and...
Young Dalit writer attacked, threatened in Karnataka
Bengaluru: A young Dalit writer, who wrote a book against the caste system and Hinduism, was threatened by a few unidentified youth in Karnataka's...
Lok Sabha speaker to meet leaders ahead of budget session
New Delhi : Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan will Saturday meet leaders of political parties in the Lok Sabha for smooth functioning of the...
Nepal gears up security cover for Modi visit
Kathmandu : Air surveillance will be stepped up, a special command centre has been set up and Indian commandos will fly down here as...
Gaffes and laughs at Rashtrapati Bhavan
By IANS,
New Delhi : It was a sombre ceremony at the Ashoka Hall in Rashtrapati Bhavan as 59 new parliamentarians took oath as ministers Thursday -- but for a few eager MPs who unwittingly evoked much laughter.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, who was sworn in as minister of state with independent charge, walked away before remembering the customary signing of the register. As the hall erupted in laughter, Ramesh sat down with a smile and signed with a flourish.
Dikshit to be Delhi chief minister again
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Congress Wednesday chose Sheila Dikshit to be Delhi's chief minister for a third term, with party president Sonia Gandhi coming out in her support.
The newly elected 42 Congress legislators, Dikshit included, passed a resolution authorising Gandhi to name a chief minister.
Congress general secretary Mohsina Kidwai, who presided over the meeting of the legislators, then telephoned Gandhi from the venue. Gandhi promptly picked the 70-year-old who led the party to a spectacular win in the Nov 29 assembly elections.
Samajawadi Party offers 15 seats to Congress in Uttar Pradesh
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Samajwadi Party offered 15 Uttar Pradesh seats to the Congress, as chiefs of the two parties - Mulayam Singh Yadav and Sonia Gandhi - Sunday night held talks here to break the stalemate over seat-sharing in the state ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Gandhi and Mulayam Singh met at the Congress president's 10 Janpath residence here amid indications that the two parties apparently remained locked in hard bargaining over seat-sharing in India's most populous state.
Bengal government not taking action against chit funds: CPI-M
By IANS,
Kolkata: The CPI-M Thursday accused the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal of not taking necessary actions at the "ground level" against chit funds for duping depositors.
Drugs worth Rs.700 crore seized in Punjab ahead of LS polls
Chandigarh : The run-up to the parliamentary election in Punjab is taking the state to a new high. Security agencies have seized drugs and...
Presidential poll on July 19, UPA still has no candidate
By IANS
New Delhi : Nominations open Saturday to elect a new Indian president July 19, it was announced Wednesday, but the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is still undecided on who its candidate would be.
Congress results will be astonishing: Sachin Pilot
By Anil Sharma,
Ajmer : Sachin Pilot, a union minister who is an MBA from Wharton and switched to politics from a high-paying corporate job,...
‘BSP has every right to have billionaires in fold’
By IANS,
Lucknow/New Delhi : The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has every right to have billionaires in its fold, like the other political parties, said a party functionary Friday defending the Rs.604 crore (Rs.6.04 billion) assets declared by a BSP candidate for a Delhi Lok Sabha seat.
किसान आंदोलन में उठी सीएए प्रदर्शनकारियों के हक़ में आवाज़
स्टाफ रिपोर्टर। Twocircles.net
दिल्ली में चल रहे किसान आंदोलन के आज 15वे दिन टिकरी बार्डर पर मानवाधिकार दिवस के मौके पर जेल में बंद एंटी...
Basu was our guardian: Buddhadeb
By IANS,
Kolkata: Paying glowing tributes to his predecessor and Marxist patriarch Jyoti Basu, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Sunday said the country's left and democratic movement has received a severe blow in his death.
"In his death the country has lost a great leader and the left and democratic movement in the country has received a severe blow," Bhattacharjee said, recalling the significant role played by Basu in organising India's left and democratic movement.
In poll time, politicians make beeline to Golden Temple
By IANS,
Amritsar : As the poll temperature rises over Punjab, politicians of all hues are seeking benediction at the Golden Temple before embarking on their campaign.
Right from the country's first Sikh Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Punjab's Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and many more, politicians are lining up to seek blessings at the Harmandar Sahib, the holiest of Sikh shrines.
But the more high profile visit was that of his son Sukhbir Badal, who is the ruling Akali Dal president and Punjab's deputy chief minister, and his wife Harsimrat Badal.