India Politics

Bangalore, May 18 (IANS) The Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) has fielded its own candidate for the Ullal assembly by-poll in Karnataka next month, putting its fragile ties with ruling ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under severe strain. The BJP was expecting its coalition partner to return the favour it had granted last year by not fielding a nominee in the Chamundeshwari constituency in Mysore district, as the JD-S was desperate to defeat its former star-turned-rebel Siddaramaiah.

Chennai, May 18 (IANS) One year after assuming power in Tamil Nadu, the DMK is revamping its team in New Delhi. With Radhika Selvi to join the central council of ministers Friday, adding to the seven ministers already there, the party is also planning its moves to get two names into the Rajya Sabha against the seats that are to fall vacant. Tamil Nadu has the highest representation in the union government - 12 ministers - of which five are of cabinet rank, including two from the DMK.

New Delhi, May 18 (IANS) With the expulsion of 10 members of the Lok Sabha in a cash-for-queries scam and six others allegedly involved in human trafficking, the Committee of Privileges has begun an exercise to codify parliamentary codes, ethics and privileges. "With the approval of Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, we have taken up the matter concerning parliamentary privileges and its codification and related matters. It assumes significance in the wake of these developments," Committee chairman V. Kishore Chandra S. Deo told IANS.

Chandigarh, May 18 (IANS) After being in deep slumber for four days over the deteriorating law and order situation in Punjab's fight over faith that left one dead and nearly 20 injured, the Akali Dal government led by Parkash Singh Badal finally woke up Thursday night to take action against militant rival followers who were heading towards a civil war situation.

By News Agency of Kashmir Jammu: Much awaited reshuffle in Jammu and Kashmir cabinet is likely to be affected within few days with chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad roping in one each member from Congress and Peoples Democratic Party in the council of ministry. While Speaker Tara Chand is being replaced by former Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Baig, the former would be inducted in the state cabinet. If sources are to be believed, People's Democratic Party MLA and former minister Hassan Mir is slated for the office of deputy chief minister.

Patna, May 17 (IANS) Alarmed by the recent killings of 10 Hindi-speaking migrants in Assam, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Thursday sought immediate intervention of the central government in providing protection to the people of his state living there. Nitish Kumar urged the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the centre to take necessary measures to provide security to the migrant workers in Assam. "The frightened migrant workers should be protected," he said.

New Delhi, May 17 (IANS) Parliament was adjourned sine die Thursday, five days ahead of schedule, after a budget session during which disorder reigned supreme and crucial debates could not be held due to abrupt adjournments and constant interruptions. Although both houses of parliament were scheduled to be adjourned on May 22, disruptions over various issues led to its early adjournment. Parliament met on April 26, after a month long recess, passed the union budget without a debate and the finance bill after discussing demands for grants of some ministries.

Guwahati, May 17 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been elected to the Rajya Sabha from Assam unopposed for the fourth straight term with the lone independent candidate Matang Singh withdrawing his candidature Thursday. There were two seats for the upper house of parliament from Assam for which elections were scheduled for May 24. The prime minister apart, Kumar Dipak Das from the opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Matang Singh, a former minister in the P.V. Narashima Rao government, had filed their nominations for the two seats.

New Delhi, May 17 (IANS) With an apparent eye on the coming presidential election where Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati holds the key, both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and opposition leader Lal Kishen Advani Thursday endorsed her call for quotas for the upper castes poor. "If there are ideas about the problems faced by poor children from 'other' sections of the community, they should also be taken on board," the prime minister said, adding that his government was committed to empowering dalits, tribals, minorities and women.

Kolkata, May 17 (IANS) He set out to be a Pied Piper of modern communism with a merry band of Tata, Jindal and Salim companies following with cash and projects. But lack of pragmatism, the morass of communism-induced underdevelopment in rural Bengal and the unruly army of party cadres that 30 years of Marxist rule has spawned saw many likening Buddhadeb Bhattacharya with Narendra Modi and George Bush.

New Delhi, May 17 (IANS) Proceedings in the Lok Sabha were adjourned abruptly Thursday after MPs protested over an alleged Indian Railways order that all name boards on trains, including those of destination, would be only in English and Hindi and, in the case of trains from Tamil Nadu, in Tamil. The house was adjourned at 12.25 p.m. till 1 p.m. after MPs belonging to various parties objected to the alleged railway order.

New Delhi, May 17 (IANS) Proceedings in the Lok Sabha were adjourned abruptly Thursday after MPs protested over an alleged Indian Railways order that all name boards on trains, including those of destination, would be only in English and Hindi and, in the case of trains from Tamil Nadu, in Tamil. The house was adjourned at 12.25 p.m. till 1 p.m. after MPs belonging to various parties objected to the alleged railway order.

Thiruvananthapuram, May 17 (IANS) Given the euphoria that accompanied veteran communist hardliner V.S. Achuthanandan as he led the Left Democratic Front to victory in the 2006 assembly polls, much was expected. But his first year in office, despite some drawbacks, still has some issues to take pride in - namely clinching of the Rs.15 billion-Smart City project and demolition of illegal resorts in the Munnar hill station.

Lucknow, May 16 (IANS) Satish Chandra Misra, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati's close confidant who is also known as the Brahmin mascot of her Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), joined the state cabinet Wednesday night. Governor T.V. Rajeshwar administered to him the oath of office and secrecy at a simple ceremony at the Raj Bhawan at 7.30 p.m. The development took everyone by surprise as Misra had earlier not shown any inclination to be part of the government and was stated to have expressed his keenness to keep himself free for a larger role in the party at the national level.

New Delhi, May 16 (IANS) Parliament is likely to be adjourned sine die Thursday, according to reliable sources. The sources said the decision to cut the budget session short has virtually been finalised. Political leaders from the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and others indicated privately that the session may not complete its full course till May 22. If this happens then the session will be curtailed by only three days, said government sources.

New Delhi, May 16 (IANS) The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Left parties Wednesday appeared to be set for a bargain with the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to finalise a candidate for the post of the county's first citizen. Leaders of the four-party Left Front indicated that they would seek the UPA and its allies' support for one of the two top posts - the president or the vice president.

New Delhi, May 16 (IANS) Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee Wednesday set up an 11-member committee headed by V. Kishore Chandra S. Deo of the Congress to probe cases of misconduct of members of the house including misuse of parliamentary privileges and facilities. The move comes after Babubhai Katara, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Gujarat was caught at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here April 18 while attempting to smuggle out to Canada a woman and a boy on the passports of his wife and son.

By Indo-Asian News Service Lucknow,: Satish Chandra Misra, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati's close confidant who is also known as the Brahmin mascot of her Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), joined the state cabinet Wednesday night. Governor T.V. Rajeshwar administered to him the oath of office and secrecy at a simple ceremony at the Raj Bhawan at 7.30 p.m.

By IANS New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi Wednesday asked the government to take "serious note" of the "dangerous trends" and "communal designs" of the Bharatiya Janata Party ((BJP) in states ruled by it even as she took strong exceptions to engineering killings and atrocities on minorities. In her first comments after the Uttar Pradesh elections, where her party did quite badly, Gandhi blamed the Congress' organizational failure for the "disappointing" performance and the failure to transform the "spirited party campaigns" into votes.

By IANS New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi Wednesday asked the government to take "serious note" of the "dangerous trends" and "communal designs" of the Bharatiya Janata Party ((BJP) in states ruled by it even as she took strong exceptions to engineering killings and atrocities on minorities. In her first comments after the Uttar Pradesh elections, where her party did quite badly, Gandhi blamed the Congress' organizational failure for the "disappointing" performance and the failure to transform the "spirited party campaigns" into votes.

New Delhi, May 16 (IANS) Congress president Sonia Gandhi Wednesday admitted that her party had failed organizationally to transform their "spirited campaign" into votes in Uttar Pradesh and urged party members to now shift their focus to poll-bound Gujarat. She said the party has to face a major challenge in Gujarat, which goes to polls later this year, from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its single-point programme of communal polarisation.

Lucknow, May 15 (IANS) Owning moral responsibility for the poor performance of his party in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vice president Kalyan Singh Tuesday resigned as the party's state in-charge. In a letter to BJP president Rajnath Singh, the former chief minister said he owned moral responsibility for the party's defeat, since he had been entrusted with the task of leading the election campaign. Kalyan Singh was also projected by the party as its chief ministerial candidate.

New Delhi, May 15 (IANS) The main opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Tuesday rejected Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's proposal to nominate former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as its candidate for the post of the president and instead authorised him to decide on its nominee. "The NDA leaders authorised Vajpayee to take the decision regarding the alliance's candidate for the presidential election," Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ravi Shankar Prasad told IANS Tuesday night after an inconclusive meeting of the alliance leaders here.

By IANS

New Delhi : The exercise for electing the next president is on, and as part of the government's move to evolve a consensus candidate, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will consult all political parties including the opposition.