New Delhi: Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday hugged Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj in the Central Hall of Parliament. The two exchanged pleasantries and spoke for a few minutes. The meeting between the two came days after Sushma had attacked Sonia for destroying spirit of democracy. Last Friday, Swaraj had accused Sonia of instigating her MPs to disrupt her speech in the Lok Sabha. Sonia, who has been under attack from...
06:58 PM, May 07, 2013
New Delhi: Daily disruptions and ruckus inside Parliament - that Vice President Hamid Ansari said has been described as "competitive hooliganism" - have become routine and both the government and opposition blame each other for it, but experts say it is a negation of democracy and probably a way to get media coverage. "The way parliament has been functioning, it is a total negation of democracy," Jagdeep Chhokar, a retired...
06:10 PM, May 07, 2013
New Delhi: Compulsory military training to all youths is against democratic ethos of the country and is highly undesirable as some of the trained men could join the ranks of radical forces, Defence Minister AK Antony told the Lok Sabha on Monday. In a written reply to the House, he also said the government is not in favour of making military training compulsory as under the democratic set up of...
12:03 PM, May 07, 2013
New Delhi: Nobel laureate Amartya Sen on Monday sought to blame the opposition for disruption in Parliament, saying they were "bursting debates" and "killing arguments" in the House as he backed the Food Security Bill in its present form. Sen, an eminent economist, said the essence of democracy is to have arguments and there is a need for skillful presentations of what the issues are. At a press conference along...
09:02 AM, May 07, 2013
New Delhi: The Opposition is in no mood to relent saying it will not let Parliament function without the resignations of Law Minister Ashwani Kumar, Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. On Monday, there was uproar in the Lok Sabha with the BJP, its allies and the Left storming the well of the House even as the National Food Security Bill was taken up for discussion....
08:54 AM, May 07, 2013
New Delhi: CBI has issued a lookout notice against a former IAF chief in connection with alleged irregularities in procurement of VVIP helicopters, Defence Minister AK Antony told the Lok Sabha on Monday. In a written reply to the House, he said, "CBI has issued Lookout notice against a number of individuals in India including a former chief of IAF in connection with the said case." Though Antony did not...
08:15 PM, May 06, 2013
New Delhi: The Lok Sabha has approved the extension of the term of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on 2G scam till the end of Monsoon Session. The Monsoon Session is likely to begin around July 23. Facing a combined Opposition and allegations of bias, the chairman of JPC, PC Chacko had held informal consultation with the members. Sources say the BJP had agreed for an extension. The tenure of the...
03:19 PM, May 06, 2013
New Delhi: BJP President Rajnath Singh and LK Advani in Chhattisgarh on Saturday met top RSS leader Dattatreya Hosabale. The meeting was held to discuss the party strategy to oust the UPA Government from Parliament in the coming Lok Sabha elections. The main agenda of both the BJP and RSS against the UPA is corruption. The UPA Government which is in the power for the last nine years has been...
10:05 PM, May 04, 2013
Greater Noida: Noble laureate Amratya Sen on Saturday said it is unfortunate that government has not been able to push through the Food Security Bill that sought to provide subsidised foodgrains to people below poverty line. "It is unfortunate that we are not able to pass the Food Security Bill because Parliament is not able to meet", he said during a seminar at the ADB annual meet here. He further...
08:58 PM, May 04, 2013
Panihati: Stopping short of giving a call for a fourth front at the national-level, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday exhorted regional parties to come under one umbrella and oust the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre. "Now there should be a slogan - No third UPA government. Let all regional parties unite to provide a stable and pro-people government at the Centre," Banerjee told a party rally...
08:11 PM, May 04, 2013
New Delhi: Proceedings in Parliament were disrupted on Friday with the Lok Sabha adjourning for the day at noon, as members of several parties raised slogans on a variety of demands, including Prime Minister's resignation over alleged scam in coal block allocation. Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 2.30 PM soon after it reassembled at noon after one adjournment following uproar over BJP demand for the resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan...
01:42 PM, May 03, 2013
New Delhi: The government which introduced amendments to the landmark Food Security Bill in the Lok Sabha on Thursday could not get it passed as opposition stalled proceedings in the House over killing of Sarabjit Singh in Pakistan and other issues. Food Minister KV Thomas moved amendments to the National Food Security Bill, which was originally introduced in Parliament in December 2011, but no discussion on it could take place...
06:42 PM, May 02, 2013
New Delhi: Lok Sabha proceedings were paralysed on Thursday as members created uproar over the death of Sarabjit Singh, acquittal of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in anti-Sikh riots case and Chinese incursions. As soon as the House assembled for the day, Akali Dal members rushed to the Well waving placards and demanding appeal in court against the acquittal of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in anti-Sikh riots case. They held placards...
03:45 PM, May 02, 2013
New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar on Thursday rejected the Opposition demand for removal of PC Chacko as Chairman of the JPC probing the 2G scam, citing "absence of express provisions in rules". In a letter to JPC members, Kumar said rules and directions are "silent" on the removal of the chairman of a parliamentary committee and urged the Chairman and the members of the JPC to work out...
02:36 PM, May 02, 2013
Mumbai: Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said that BJP-led NDA should declare its Prime Ministerial candidate only after consulting all the allies. "We will not tolerate a candidate thrust upon us without discussions. We have not supported or opposed anybody," Uddhav said, speaking at a party meeting here this evening. Uddhav also said that no leader, at the Centre or in the state, had "vision for the country"....
10:54 PM, May 01, 2013
Bareilly: BJP president Rajnath Singh on Wednesday attacked BSP and Samajwadi Party for continuing their support to the "scamster" Congress-led UPA government and said his party will not stake claim to form a government in case both withdrew support to it. "These parties say they are together as they want to check BJP from coming to power, but today BJP promises that it would not stake claim to form government...
09:25 PM, May 01, 2013
New Delhi: Despite BJP escalating confrontation in Parliament, government has listed two key bills, including the ambitious National Food Security Bill, for consideration and passage in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. The Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill piloted by Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh is also on the legislative agenda of the Lok Sabha Thursday. Congress has often dubbed the Food Bill and the Land Bill as "game-changers" as...
09:15 PM, May 01, 2013
New Delhi: The Congress has hit back at Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj for her comments against Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Referring to Sushma Swaraj's comments, Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal said the Congress does not expect Sushma to apologise since the realisation needs to come from within. "We don't expect Sushma to apologise because we can't expect anything from a party that doesn't believe in Parliamentary...
03:40 PM, May 01, 2013
New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sushma Swaraj took on Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and Congress President Sonia Gandhi for the pandemonium in Parliament and accused the duo of going all out to disrupt her speech. In a scathing attack on Meira Kumar and Sonia Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said that her party will boycott all meetings called by the Speaker and the...
04:42 PM, Apr 30, 2013
New Delhi: Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Finance Bill taking in consideration all the amendments proposed even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) walked out of the House protesting against coal scam. The Bill was passed with 12 minor amendments. The passage of the bill effectively brought to an end the budgetary process that started with the budget speech by the Finance Minister P Chidambaram on February 28. The...
03:14 PM, Apr 30, 2013
