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
New Delhi: Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Wednesday called on Congress president Sonia Gandhi and is believed to have apprised her about the party's preparation for the upcoming Assembly polls. The meeting lasted for around 35 minutes. Dikshit is poised to seek an unprecedented fourth term as Delhi's Chief Minister when assembly polls are held in November. She has already asked partymen to start preparations for the election. There has...
10:24 PM, May 15, 2013
New Delhi: With BJP's debacle in Karnataka following corruption charges clearly on his mind, new Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said he will have people with clean image in his Cabinet to be formed in a couple of days. 64-year-old Siddaramaiah, who took over as the Chief Minister on May 13, reached Delhi on Wednesday afternoon and will hold consultation with central leadership on the composition of his Cabinet. "Right...
06:40 PM, May 15, 2013
New Delhi: Newly sworn-in Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will be in Delhi on Wednesday and he is scheduled to meet UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Siddaramaiah is expected to hold discussions for the expansion of the state Cabinet. Karnataka Congress chief G Parameshwara will also accompany the state Chief Minister. A decision on Cabinet ministers is expected in the next two days. It's no secret that intense lobbying is on in...
09:59 AM, May 15, 2013
New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday said she was "pained" at society's failure to counter violence against women and called for it to be proactive in providing a safe and secure environment for women and girls. "We have been shocked by the violence that girls and women encounter on the streets and even in their homes. Of course this is not universal, but it is very widespread," Sonia...
04:05 AM, May 15, 2013
The UPA on Tuesday launched its Bharat Nirman campaign. The Opposition slammed it saying it could not hoodwink the masses. ...
11:42 PM, May 14, 2013
After being forced to put up with a government for the last five years which saw politicians indulging in acts ranging from widespread corruption to watching porn in the Assembly, which saw three chief ministers at work and one of them deserting a national party to form his own regional outfit, what do the people of Karnataka expect from their new chief minister? Does he have it in him to...
04:42 PM, May 14, 2013
Sources said on Monday that a section within the Congress wanted Manmohan Singh replaced as PM before Parliament's monsoon session. ...
10:57 PM, May 13, 2013
New Delhi: For nine years now, through all the UPA's ups and downs, Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh have enjoyed a near-perfect relationship. But last week, they hit a wall, perhaps for the first time. CNN-IBN learnt that the decision to remove Pawan Bansal and Ashwani Kumar as cabinet ministers was resisted by the PM until pressure from Sonia finally forced them out. In fact, even after Ashwani Kumar's resignation...
10:14 PM, May 13, 2013
Sources said on Monday that a section within the Congress wanted Manmohan Singh replaced as PM before Parliament's monsoon session. ...
09:19 PM, May 13, 2013
It is obvious to any dispassionate observer of Indian politics that PM Manmohan Singh has failed to keep his flock of ministers in check. From CWG to 2G, from coal block allocation scam to malpractices in the Railways, UPA-2 has been in the news more for the wrong reasons. In such a situation, is demand for his resignation justified? Ashutosh, managing editor, IBN7 joined IBNLive readers for an interaction on...
06:39 PM, May 13, 2013
New Delhi: A section within the Congress party is keen on replacing Dr Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister, sources said on Monday. According to the sources, the leaders want Singh replaced before the monsoon session of Parliament. While there is no consensus yet on the alternative name, sources said that Defence Minister AK Antony and Finance Minister P Chidambaram could be considered. Meanwhile, a few leaders are in favour of...
06:13 PM, May 13, 2013
Bangalore: Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Monday took oath as the 22nd Chief Minister of Karnataka. The 64-year-old backward class leader from Mysore was sworn in at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore. About 50,000 people gathered at the stadium to witness the event. With a comfortable majority of 121 seats in the 225-member assembly, including one nominated member, the Congress returned to power on its own after a gap of nine...
11:53 AM, May 13, 2013
Mumbai: Criticising BJP for projecting Narendra Modi as a secular leader while campaigning for Karnataka Assembly elections, NDA ally Shiv Sena on Sunday said the part would have won, if it had projected the Gujarat Chief Minister as an outright Hindutva leader. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, "If we would have projected Narendra Modi as an outright Hindutva leader, we would have perhaps won in Karnataka." Raut further said,...
05:10 PM, May 12, 2013
New Delhi: Days after two Union Ministers were sacked, there were reports of a feud between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. But the Congress on Sunday downplayed that and said that there is no rift. The party has rubbished all reports that the Prime Minister has been isolated. Senior Congress leader Janardhan Dwivedi on Sunday reiterated that the resignations of Pawan Kumar Bansal and Ashwani Kumar...
02:31 PM, May 12, 2013
New Delhi: Days after Union Ministers Pawan Kumar Bansal and Ashwani Kumar were sacked, there seems to be an apparent divide between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Congress party. The Congress has given full credit to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi for the resignation of the Bansal and Ashwani. Sources say the party is upset with the Prime Minister's strong defence of Ashwani. Meanwhile, the BJP has upped the ante...
08:43 AM, May 12, 2013
Leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley made this allegation while speaking to Karan Thapar on this week's Devil's Advocate. ...
11:58 PM, May 11, 2013
New Delhi: With the sacking of Ashwani Kumar and Pawan Bansal as Law Minister and Railways Minister, the heat is now on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The new Law Minister will have to shield the PM even as there's a widening divide between him and his party. Ashwani's exit has left the PM vulnerable, and even lonely. Within hours of the former law minister's resignation, BJP targeted the PM, raising...
09:48 PM, May 11, 2013
New Delhi: Attorney General GE Vahanvati, who was under scanner for trying to influence CBI's coal scam status report, will continue in his position. Government sources on Saturday confirm there will be no action against the top law officer. Meanwhile, sacked Law Minister Ashwani Kumar on Saturday came out in his defence saying he resigned only to avoid any unnecessary controversy claiming that his conscience still remains clear. He also...
06:47 PM, May 11, 2013
Congress Spokesperson Bhakta Charan Das admits there was a difference of opinion between the Prime Minister and the party over the sacking of Ashwani Kumar and Pawan Kumar Bansal and that the initiative was taken by Congress President Sonia Gandhi. He spoke to CNN-IBN's Rupashree Nanda. ...
02:30 PM, May 11, 2013
