Too Big To Lead
The media speculation around L&T supremo AM Naik's succession reached a feverish pitch last year. Yet no one had much of a clue on how L&T could possibly find a replacement to lead the engineering and infrastructure behemoth. It's another matter that by then, the L&T board had figured out a solution. We were the first to tell you about how they decided to deal with the question of complexity. The plan to carve up L&T into separate firms under the leadership of a separate CEO, unlock value by gradually listing each one and also tie the group together through a holding company structure has now been set in motion.
US Pullout in Afghanistan
"Many believe the US, before leaving, will strike a deal with the Taliban. India is expected to continue helping rebuild the country but Pakistan is wary of any kind of Indian influence in its neighbourhood," we had written. The US began pulling out its troops on July 20. But, its efforts to bring the Taliban into Afghanistan's mainstream politics have not yet borne fruit. Meanwhile, India has signed a strategic agreement that entails India training and equipping Afghanistan's security forces....
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10:49 AM, Dec 31, 2011
New Delhi: After the severe drubbing at the hustings in West Bengal, the CPI on Wednesday said it would witness leadership change at the party Congress next year. However, General Secretary AB Bardhan said the proposed change in leadership had "nothing to do" with the recent debacle suffered by the Left, especially in the strongholds of West Bengal and Kerala. "Our party constitution provides that no General Secretary can continue...
05:06 PM, May 25, 2011
Thiruvananthapuram: The UDF ministry in Kerala headed by Oommen Chandy was on Monday expanded with the induction of 13 more ministers - nine from Congress, three from IUML and one from Kerala Congress (M). With Monday's exercise, the ministry strength rose to 20. Chandy and six other ministers, each representing the UDF constituents, assumed office on May 18, after the coalition unseated the CPI(M)-led LDF ministry in the assembly polls....
04:58 PM, May 23, 2011
Thiruvananthapuram: Congress leader Oommen Chandy, 67, was sworn in as Kerala's 21st chief minister by Governor RS Gavai at Raj Bhavan on Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday. This will be Chandy's second stint as the chief minister, after 2004 when he replaced AK Antony following a Congress rout in the Lok Sabha polls. Party leaders from all six allies of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) were also sworn in with Chandy....
03:25 PM, May 18, 2011
Thiruvananthapuram: Known for his organisational skills and administrative acumen, Oommen Chandy is perceived to be the best bet for Congress to lead the UDF ministry as it commands a wafer-thin majority with 72 seats in the 140-member Kerala Assembly. The 67-year-old Chandy, a key political player of Kerala for long, has played a vital role since 1970s in building the party as a mass force capable of taking on the...
02:30 PM, May 18, 2011
Thiruvananthapuram: The tough bargaining for ministerial posts among the UDF constituents has ended with the Kerala Congress(M) accepting two berths, with a promise of getting an additional berth in the near future, and the IUML four. KC(M) Chairman KM Mani will be the new Finance Minister while PJ Joseph gets the Water Resources and Irrigation portfolios. Mani will also look after Law and Housing. All constituents, even those having only...
09:53 AM, May 18, 2011
New Delhi: A defiant Prakash Karat, General Secretary, CPI(M) has made it clear he alone cannot take the blame for the Left rout in the Assembly elections. Speaking out for the first time after the debacle in an exclusive interview to CNN-IBN, Karat said he won't be stepping down. CNN-IBN: Mamatas campaign that the Left has become the feared usurper of the land was the single most important for factor...
12:51 PM, May 17, 2011
New Delhi: In complete contrast to the triumphant Trinamool camp, the CPM Politburo on Monday met to introspect on its worst ever electoral showing in over three decades. The party which now enjoys power in just one state - Tripura - has ruled out any leadership change for now. Outgoing Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhatacherjee skipped the Politburo, the party though denies he has stepped down. "There are some who are ...
05:20 PM, May 16, 2011
New Delhi: In complete contrast to the triumphant Trinamool camp, the CPM Politburo on Monday met to introspect on its worst ever electoral showing in over three decades. The party which now enjoys power in just one state - Tripura - has ruled out any leadership change for now. Outgoing Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhatacherjee skipped the Politburo, the party though denies he has stepped down. "There are some who are...
05:20 PM, May 16, 2011
Thiruvananthapuram: Senior Congress leader Oommen Chandy will be sworn in as Kerala Chief Minister on May 18, bringing an end to the tight race for the key post in the faction-ridden party in the state. What was expected to be tight race for the post of Chief Minister in the faction-ridden Congress in Kerala ended in a smooth affair with KPCC President Ramesh Chennithala denying speculations that he is in...
07:34 AM, May 16, 2011
New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi's Youth Congress has not fared well in the Assmebly elections, especially in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. This has raised the question on whether his brand and strategy is working at all. In Tamil Nadu, all of the nine Youth Congress nominees lost and in Kerala, out of the 18 nominees, only six have won. Over the last one year, Rahul has concentrated on the South, which,...
05:36 PM, May 15, 2011
New Delhi: Oommen Chandy has been elected as the Congress Legislative Party leader in Kerala, after the Congress-led UDF on Friday unseated the CPI(M)-led LDF, winning 72 seats. Chandy will be the new Chief Minister of Kerala as Kerala Congress president Ramesh Chennithala opted out of the race on Sunday saying he would like to concentrate on the party instead. Chandy said that the wafer thin majority will not create...
04:54 PM, May 15, 2011
New Delhi: In Kerala, the Congress Parliamentary Party will be meeting on Sunday to decide on the next Chief Minister. Oommen Chandy is likely to be the unanimous choice. Chandy had a two-year stint as Chief Minister in 2004-06 after the resignation of A K Antony owning moral responsibility for the Congress's defeat in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress-led UDF on Friday unseated the CPI(M)-led LDF, winning 72...
08:54 AM, May 15, 2011
New Delhi: In Kerala, the Congress may just about have managed to cross the magical halfway mark but it means they will be at the mercy of allies. The Muslim League, the second largest party in the UDF is already sending a tough message - its expectations must be met. The Congress headquarters in Kerala is not quite in a celebratory mood despite having managed to sneak a victory. There...
09:33 PM, May 14, 2011
Thiruvananthapuram: With the UDF securing a mandate to rule Kerala, the newly elected Congress MLAs will meet in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday to decide the next chief minister. Central party functionaries Mohsina Kidwai and Madhusudan Mistry would attend the meet as observers to elect the leader through a consensus, party sources said. Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who led the UDF as the Opposition in the state assembly in the last...
05:49 PM, May 14, 2011
New Delhi: CPI General Secretary AB Bardhan has admitted that the Assembly election results are a warning sign for the leadership to change or perish. Speaking to CNN-IBN's Karan Thapar, Bardhan said that there was nothing wrong with the Left's ideology, but the tactics adopted for dealing with different situations need to be in sync with ground realities. He said that leaders who are not able to adapt to change...
05:36 PM, May 14, 2011
Kochi: A day after Congress led UDF scrapped through to power in Kerala, the party on Saturday admitted that the margin was below expectations and would meet soon to discuss the reasons for it. "The Congress and UDF front will meet soon to discuss various reasons for winning fewer seats this time, including whether there were shortcomings in candidate selection. There are many factors. Any election need not be a...
03:32 PM, May 14, 2011
Thiruvananthapuram: Despite Congress-led UDF in Kerala managing to wrest power from LDF with a slim majority, outgoing Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan, who helped the combine regain much of the lost ground it lost in 2009 Lok Sabha elections and civic polls last year, is seen as "the man of the match", which has strengthened his position in CPM. The veteran CPM leader, who set the agenda for the polls by...
02:20 PM, May 14, 2011
New Delhi: Outgoing Kerala chief minister VS Achutanandan on Saturday met Governor RS Gavai and submitted his resignation after the Left failed to beat anti-incumbency in a closely fought election. The LDF lost out to the UDF by a slender four-seat margin. Achutanandan has agreed to sit in Opposition this term but he's stepping down with a warning to the UDF - has asked it not to induct minsters with...
01:03 PM, May 14, 2011
