New Delhi: Holding the opposition's "disruptionary tactics" responsible for not allowing passage of the Food Security and Land Acquisition Bills in Parliament's Budget Session, the Congress on Saturday expressed its willingness for a special session if the other parties were agreed. Congress spokesperson PC Chacko also said that the party will take "disruptionary tactics" of the opposition to the people, alleging they had displayed "least inclination" towards passing pro-people legislations like the two bills.
He said the new Bill on land acquisition provides for better compensation to land owners and has provision for rehabilitation and resettlement. Chacko said Congress president Sonia Gandhi had spoken to Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushma Swaraj as the UPA government wanted the opposition to realise benefits of the bills.
He said the Congress had never closed the option on resignation of union ministers Pawan Kumar Bansal and Ashwani Kumar, a demand vociferously raised by the opposition parties, and the reason for the latter part of the budget session's second half being washed out. Asked about the possibility of a special session to pass the two Bills, Chacko said the Congress was not against it.
"We are not against it and a session means that it should be a unanimous decision. We are ready to give one more opportunity to the opposition and if they are ready, we are ready to discuss," he said. "We believe that bills should have been passed and we want to pass this at the earliest opportunity. We
11:22 PM, May 18, 2013
Dhaka: A top UN official on Monday termed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's dialogue offer to the opposition as a good "starting point" to resolve the current political crisis in Bangladesh, but feared the failure of talks could invite an unwanted scenario. "It is good starting point," visiting UN assistant secretary general Oscar Fernandez-Taranco said, referring to the Prime Minister's dialogue offer to opposition parties to end the ongoing political impasse...
01:59 AM, May 14, 2013
New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to step in to end the political deadlock over coal scam. Sources said the PM is likely to call an all-party meet to break the logjam in Parliament and try and pass the Land Bill and the Food Security Bill. A temporary truce on the Finance Bill was achieved on Monday and the Bill will now be taken up post noon. It...
10:24 AM, Apr 30, 2013
New Delhi: Parliament will resume on Monday after a wasted week that saw adjournments and uproar over various issues such as 2G scam, coal scam and the Delhi minor rape. The opposition, however, is still not in a mood to relent and is all set to attack the government over the coal scam yet again. In a bid to break the deadlock, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath is likely to...
07:56 AM, Apr 29, 2013
JPC Chairman PC Chacko, whose removal has been sought by some panel members, said he would have considered resigning if the demand had come to him directly instead of Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar being approached for his ouster. Chacko was speaking to Karan Thapar on Devil's Advocate. Here is the full transcript of the interview: Karan Thapar: Hello and welcome to Devil's Advocate and in an interview with embattled...
09:16 PM, Apr 28, 2013
New Delhi: JPC Chairman PC Chacko, whose removal has been sought by some panel members, says he would have considered resigning if the demand had come to him directly instead of Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar being approached for his ouster. "If they had come and told me 'you resign', then I would have thought of that. But they did not demand. They met the Speaker seeking my removal. I...
10:47 AM, Apr 28, 2013
New Delhi: The government was ready to debate all issues, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Monday as he appealed to the Opposition for smooth functioning of Parliament. "It is my sincere wish that house will function. If there are any concerns of the opposition we are willing to debate all those issues which are worrying the opposition," Manmohan Singh told reporters shortly before parliament resumed the budget session after...
11:40 AM, Apr 22, 2013
How has Andhra Pradesh responded to the bandh call over power tariff hike? Political analyst & independent member of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council K Nageshwar joined IBNLive readers for an interaction on the issue. Q. People put the politicians to power and have got to pay a high price for it? Is it maladministration or sheer rational pricing which makes the government compelled to hike the power tariff. Asked by:...
05:38 PM, Apr 09, 2013
Hyderabad: Opposition parties have begun a statewide in Andhra Pradesh to protest against the power tariff hike. Road traffic is likely to be affected in Vishakhapatnam and Vijayawada but autos and buses are plying in Hyderabad. Banks will also remain open in Hyderabad but schools and clleges have declared a holiday. The Left sponsored shutdown has been supported by the main opposition the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the YSR...
01:36 PM, Apr 09, 2013
Hyderabad: Opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh have called for a statewide bandh on Tuesday even after the government provided some relief from the steep hike in electricity prices. The shutdown has been supported by the main opposition, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the YSR Congress. The Bharatiya Janata Party, however, has called for a separate strike. Meanwhile, police have shifted YSR Congress leaders, who have been on an indefinite...
07:56 AM, Apr 09, 2013
Bhubaneswar: Opposition Congress put 40 SC and ST MLAs of the ruling BJD in a fix in the state Assembly by suddenly demanding division of vote at the introduction stage of a bill for reservation to SC and ST in government jobs. The opposition Congress raised objection to the Odisha Reservation of Vacancies in Posts and Services (for SC and ST) Amendment Bill, 2013, by claiming that it lacked provision...
11:20 PM, Apr 03, 2013
Sri Lankan opposition parties on Monday called for the formation of an all party committee to prevent an anti-Lanka resolution being passed at the UN human rights body. "We have to think of ways to escape this (resolution). We will tell the government to call an all party meeting and give a time frame to implement the LLRC recommendations," Ranil Wickremesinghe, the main opposition leader told reporters. ...
09:00 PM, Mar 18, 2013
Continuing their attack on the Congress-led UPA government for allowing FDI in multi-brand retail, opposition parties on Thursday accused it of working against the national interest, with the BJP asserting that it will oppose the move till its "last breath". ...
03:06 AM, Mar 08, 2013
Differences, multiple opinions and oppositions yet again seemed to have delayed the Criminal Law Amendment Bill. The anti-rape Bill which promised strong legislation to curb crime against women, seems to be drowned under the Cabinet dithering. ...
11:20 AM, Mar 07, 2013
The Centre on Tuesday gave into the demands of state governments opposing the ambitious setting up of National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) and said the proposed intelligence agency will not have the right to make arrests without the states' permission, sources said. NCTC will also be placed outside the purview of the Intelligence Bureau, sources added. ...
05:38 PM, Feb 26, 2013
The Opposition on Tuesday slammed the Rail Budget for increasing the burden on the common man, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) terming it as "pedestrian" and "discriminatory" while Left said it does not give any hope on railways' future. Key outside UPA allies Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party too were unhappy saying it was anti-poor and ignored areas of Uttar Pradesh which need rail infrastructure for economic development....
04:52 PM, Feb 26, 2013
A day before Parliament's Budget Session starts, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has appealed to the Opposition to let the House function without disrupting the proceedings. ...
03:10 PM, Feb 20, 2013
Spain's opposition Socialist Party called for the resignation of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy over a corruption scandal on Sunday as a poll showed the lowest support on record for his centre-right People's Party (PP). Media reports over the past two weeks alleged at least a dozen senior PP officials, including Rajoy, received payments from a slush fund operated by its former treasurer. ...
10:50 AM, Feb 04, 2013
The Syrian opposition leader met the foreign ministers of Russia and Iran on Saturday, opening a window to a possible breakthrough in efforts to broker an end to Syria's civil war. Russia and Iran have been the staunchest allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad throughout an armed uprising, and any understandings they might reach with Assad's foes could help overcome the two sides' refusal to negotiate. ...
11:59 AM, Feb 03, 2013
Opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday accused the Centre of "betrayal" on the Telangana issue and threatened to intensify their agitation for a separate state. Some Congress leaders were also critical of the statements made by Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad that the "consultation process" on Telangana statehood would continue and a final decision on it may take a little more time....
10:10 PM, Jan 27, 2013
