New Delhi: Terming as a closed chapter the issue of Law Minister Salman Khurshid's remarks during UP polls "challenging" the Election Commission, CEC S Y Quraishi on Monday justified taking up the issue with the President saying the "unprecedented" situation warranted such a step.
"Here was a Law Minister who was challenging the authority of a constitutional body, whose powers have also been upheld by the Supreme Court. That amounted to a very unprecedented situation...What we did was right," Quraishi said.
Responding to questions after delivering the 40th Shri Ram memorial lecture here today on 'Democracy and Governance " The current context', Quraishi said the Law Minister challenging the EC was a totally "different issue" but added that it was now a "closed chapter".
"The Law Minister saying 'hang me if you can' was a different issue. This was not a violation of the Model Code... He was challenging the EC's authority... We had to refer the matter to the President... After that, he (Khurshid) did make apologise publicly," Quraishi said....
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10:34 PM, May 07, 2012
New Delhi: No nepotism in distributing tickets, declaring candidates almost a year before polls, easy accessibility of the CM, PCC chief and CLP leaders to party workers and strict enforcement of discipline are some of the recommendations of the Congress committee that went into party's debacle in Uttar Pradesh. The report of the three-member committee, headed by Defence Minister AK Antony, was submitted to Congress President Sonia Gandhi a few...
09:44 PM, May 07, 2012
Amethi: Facing a barrage of complaints against local-level leaders, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday promised that those who harmed the party during the elections would be identified and shown the door. Continuing the review of the just-concluded elections in Uttar Pradesh in which his party fared dismally even in areas which were considered its stronghold, the local MP stressed that the organisation would be revamped and priority would...
01:11 PM, May 02, 2012
Amethi: Undeterred by the poll debacle in Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday advised party workers to shun groupism and strengthen the organisation. "You all should shun groupism and work unitedly to strengthen the party. Some changes are in the offing to strengthen the organisation...I want to see the strong organisation at village level", Rahul told party workers while reviewing the party's performance in Amethi...
02:36 AM, May 02, 2012
Lucknow: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday arrived on a three-day visit of his Parliamentary constituency Amethi, the first after his party's dismal show in the Uttar Pradesh assembly election. The Congress General Secretary will meet party workers and review the party's performance during his visit. "During the visit to the constituency, Rahul will be meeting party workers and review the party's performance. Why the party lost and the reasons...
12:12 PM, Apr 30, 2012
Lucknow: Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi will visit his Parliamentary constituency Amethi from April 30 to May 2 for the first time since his party's drubbing in the recent Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. According to Gandhi's office in New Delhi, he will interact with party workers in his Parliamentary Constituency. This will be his first visit to Uttar Pradesh after his party's dismal show in the Assembly elections in...
03:26 PM, Apr 26, 2012
Lucknow: Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP supremo Mayawati, who has been elected to the Rajya Sabha, has resigned from the membership of the state Legislative Council. "The resignation signed by Mayawati was received on April 12 and notification in this regard has been issued," sources in the Vidhan Parishad said. After her election to the Upper House, Mayawati had said that her partymen wanted her to go to...
04:29 PM, Apr 16, 2012
New Delhi: Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi has admitted that the issues of Batla House encounter and 9 per cent quota for Muslims could have led to the poll defeat in Uttar Pradesh. Sources said that the Congress meeting felt that 'confusion' over minority subquota cost the party dear. Rahul Gandhi has warned that the indiscipline will not be tolerated in the party. The meeting saw several leaders blaming controversial...
08:54 PM, Apr 06, 2012
New Delhi: A blame-game over the Congress debacle in Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls began on Friday when Rahul Gandhi sets out on the task of analysing the outcome which has come as a rude shock to the party. Sources said that MLAs have criticised comments by senior ministers like Salman Khurshid, Beni Prasad Verma and Sriprakash Jaiswal in the meeting on Friday. Digvijaya Singh was also made accused of playing...
04:18 PM, Apr 06, 2012
New Delhi: A blame-game over the Congress debacle in Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls is expected to begin on Thursday when Rahul Gandhi sets out on the task of analysing the outcome which has come as a rude shock to the party. Gandhi, who led the party in the crucial polls, will be meeting state party leaders in a move to set the house in order ahead of the Lok Sabha...
03:44 AM, Apr 05, 2012
New Delhi: With the rout in Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls coming as a shock to the Congress, Rahul Gandhi will be analysing the outcome at a meeting of party leaders in New Delhi on April 6 in a move to set the house in order ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Newly elected party MLAs as also MPs from the state have been called for the much-talked about meeting which...
02:03 PM, Apr 03, 2012
Rampur: Uttar Pradesh Minister Azam Khan said on Tuesday he would look into complaints regarding land mafias and police atrocities on the people of his constiuency. Khan, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Urban Development, Waqf and Minorities' welfare, said that three boxes will be kept at his office wherein people would be able to drop complaints regarding ration, police and land mafias. "I myself shall delve deep into the complaints and...
04:59 PM, Mar 20, 2012
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh's new police chief Ambreesh Chandra Sharma on Monday pledged to help make the country's most populous state crime free. Talking to reporters after taking charge, Sharma said law and order was his biggest priority. "I would like to assure the people that police would work towards making Uttar Pradesh crime free," he said, warning criminals to mend their ways. "The police force will ensure that either the...
05:25 PM, Mar 19, 2012
Lucknow: Samajwadi Party Supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Monday said strict action could be initiated against ministers if any celebratory firing takes place during their felicitation. "The ministers involved in such an act creating inconvenience to people will not be tolerated. We will take strict action those ministers and they can even be removed (from the ministry)," he said. A young boy was killed during celebratory firing allegedly by Samajwadi...
04:55 PM, Mar 19, 2012
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday kept the bulk of ministries, including the key Home and Finance, with him. Interestingly, controversial independent MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya, who was jailed by previous chief minister Mayawati and against whom there are pending criminal cases of attempt to murder, kidnapping and abduction, has been given Prison department. In portfolio allocation by Uttar Pradesh Governor BL Joshi in...
10:05 PM, Mar 18, 2012
Lucknow: Samajwadi Party leader Mohammad Azam Khan on Sunday took oath as a Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister for the second time following the fiasco on the first occasion when he had not taken the pledge of secrecy and office as per the Constitutional procedures. Khan was administered oath by Governor BL Joshi at a function at Raj Bhawan in the presence of senior party leaders including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister...
02:23 PM, Mar 18, 2012
New Delhi: Samjawadi Party leader Azam Khan will be sworn-in again on Sunday as a Uttar Pradesh cabinet member. That is because he did not fully read out his oath during the March 15 ceremony. A PIL brought this to notice after which the Governor's office looked into the recordings and found that he repeatedly ignored reading out full sentences despite being corrected by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav....
06:31 AM, Mar 18, 2012
Lucknow: Haunted by the spectre of a repeat of hooliganism that marred the the 2004-2007 tenure of the Samajwadi Party government, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Friday issued fresh guidelines with regard to putting up of hoardings and use of party flags on vehicles and asked them to remain within the 'Lakshman rekha'. According to the diktat, the chief minister has put a blanket ban on putting up...
03:13 AM, Mar 17, 2012
Lucknow: It was high drama in Lucknow on Thursday as the Samajwadi Party workers created a ruckus after Akhilesh Yadav's oath-taking ceremony. Despite promises to restore law and order, several ministers with criminal records were sworn into the new Cabinet as well. Another surprising element of the oath-taking ceremony was that even the common friend of Mayawati and Mulayam, Ponty chadha's son, was also there. Later, over enthusiastic Samajwadi Party...
06:42 PM, Mar 15, 2012
New Delhi: Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday took his oath to office in Lucknow to become the youngest Chief Minister of India's largest state, Uttar Pradesh. A total of 47 ministers have sworn in, including 19 Cabinet ministers and 28 MOS, along with Akhilesh Yadav. Akhilesh led his party to win 224 seats in the Assembly Elections. "Samajwadi Party will fulfill promises made in the manifesto. Law and...
11:48 AM, Mar 15, 2012
