New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday remained non-committal on the continuance of its two ministers Ashwani Kumar and Pawan Kumar Bansal. The two have been under fire over allegations of misuse of power. On Thursday, while Bansal chose to skip the Cabinet meet at the PM's residence, Ashwani attended it. Sources said that the PM was still not keen on Ashwani's exit as that would expose him to opposition attack....
09:41 PM, May 09, 2013
New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is still not keen on Law Minister Ashwani Kumar's exit, sources said on Thursday. The sources said that the PM's main worry was that he would be in the line of fire if Ashwani resigned. At the Cabinet meet at the PM's residence, the solution offered was changing the portfolio of Ashwani Kumar. Meanwhile, sources added that Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal is unlikely...
07:08 PM, May 09, 2013
New Delhi: Indian shuttlers Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu retained their women's singles rankings in the list released by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Thursday. Saina is currently at No. 2 while Sindhu, with her win in Malaysia last week, stayed put at 13th. Parupalli Kashyap is the highest ranked Indian male shuttler at World No. 11 while RMV Gurusaidutt pipped Ajay Jayaram to be the second best Indian...
04:17 PM, May 09, 2013
New Delhi: A day after the Supreme Court came down heavily on the government and the Central Bureau of Investigation for sharing the coal scam probe report, Attorney General GE Vahanvati met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday. Law Minister Ashwani Kumar had also reached the PMO to meet Manmohan Singh but he was not given an appointment. Vahanvati, Ashwani Kumar and the two officials of the PMO and the...
01:57 PM, May 09, 2013
New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday sought clarifications from Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal's personal secretary Rahul Bhandari in the Railway bribery case. The investigative agency sought clarification on the basis of some phone conversations tapped by the CBI. Sources said that this cannot be technically called 'questioning' yet but just clarifications. The CBI may seek more details from Bhandari at a later stage. The CBI...
01:39 PM, May 09, 2013
New Delhi: Key UPA ally and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar has struck a note of caution on the Congress's win in Karnataka. Pawar said a single win can't predict the trend for the general elections. Speaking at a rally in Satara, the NCP chief said that the polls in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan will pose a bigger challenge. "Don't jump to any conclusions because of the win...
12:33 PM, May 09, 2013
New Delhi: As pressure builds on the Prime Minister to sack the Law Minister following the Supreme Court's observation on the affidavit filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the coal scam, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader LK Advani has hit out at Manmohan Singh alleging he is defending Ashwani Kumar to save himself. "Having decided to brazenly defend its two ministers, more particularly its...
11:29 AM, May 09, 2013
New Delhi: While the victory in Karnataka has come as a big boost for the Congress, the party-led UPA government has no reason to celebrate in Delhi. Pressure is building up on the government to oust Law Minister Ashwani Kumar, who allegedly ordered changes in CBI's status report on coal scam. Sources say while the Congress is yet to make up its mind on Ashwani's fate, the party is waiting...
08:51 AM, May 09, 2013
New Delhi: The Supreme Court, while examining the affidavit submitted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with coal scam, on Wednesday came down heavily on the government and the investigating agency for the probe mess and gave the Centre time till July 3 to file an affidavit before it on steps to make the agency autonomous. The apex court took a very strong stand and called the...
09:03 PM, May 08, 2013
The Supreme Court on Wednesday indicted the CBI and the government over the coal scam probe and asked for more autonomy to the CBI. ...
07:12 PM, May 08, 2013
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a four-point directive to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the government during its observations on the CBI affidavit on the coal scam probe. First: The apex court asked the Centre to come out with a law before July 10 to insulate the CBI from external influence and intrusion. Second: The CBI chief to ensure no access to any person, including...
05:26 PM, May 08, 2013
New Delhi: The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government is committed to enacting the Food Security Bill after considering all opinions, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Wednesday. "The Food Security Bill is a very important legislation for the government. The UPA is committed to make this law after considering all opinions," he told reporters here. Corruption, he said, was a major issue in the country and all sections of society...
04:59 PM, May 08, 2013
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) not to share details of its investigations into the coal scam with anybody. The apex court said that the CBI Director will be held directly responsible for it. "The report will not be shared with law officers or any minister concerned," the SC said. CBI Director Ranjit Sinha told CNN-IBN that the court orders will be...
04:55 PM, May 08, 2013
New Delhi: The BJP upped the ante against Law Minister Ashwani Kumar on Wednesday after the Supreme Court said that the heart of CBI's coal report was changed by the government officials. The apex court, while examining the affidavit submitted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with coal scam, on Wednesday took a very strong stand and called the investigating agency a "caged parrot speaking in its...
04:37 PM, May 08, 2013
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed former CBI DIG Ravi Kanta to resume charge of the coal scam probe. Ravi Kanta was the main investigating officer in the case. However, he had been transferred recently to the Intelligence Bureau. Sources say that Kanta had himself sought deputation to the IB even before the coal scam probe was handed over to him. However, the then CBI chief AP Singh...
04:14 PM, May 08, 2013
Tamil actor Vijay Sethupathy is still basking on the success of his film 'Soodhu Kavum', but the actor is also busy with other projects. He has always surprised his fans with different roles that he has played. The latest buzz is that Vijay has donned the hat of a producer and now the expectations are running high. It is interesting to watch how the multi-faceted actor Vijay shuffles across various...
03:36 PM, May 08, 2013
New Delhi: The Supreme Court, while examining the affidavit submitted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with coal scam, on Wednesday took a very strong stand and called the investigating agency a "caged parrot speaking in its master's voice". While seeking an undertaking from the government that the CBI would be made independent, the three-judge bench headed by Justice RM Lodha, also added that giving unbridled powers...
02:53 PM, May 08, 2013
New Delhi: Parliament was adjourned sine die at 12.56 pm on Wednesday, two days before scheduled end of the Budget session. The decision was reportedly taken after the Congress's victory in Karnataka elections. The adjournment would mean that crucial bills like the Food Security Bill and the Land Acquisition Bill won't be passed. It was yet another day of uproar and unruly scenes in Lok Sabha as opposition MPs rushed...
12:56 PM, May 08, 2013
The dual-power centre in the Congress now seems to be split wide open with differences emerging over the fate of the Law Minister and the Railway Minister. The PM is firmly backing Pawan Bansal and Ashwani Kumar, while many in the party, including Sonia Gandhi, believe their position has become untenable. ...
10:18 PM, May 07, 2013
The Opposition has trained its guns on the government over the Railway Board bribery case and the coal scam probe, demanding that the respective Union Ministers be sacked. ...
07:28 PM, May 07, 2013
