Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has made it clear that he is not vying for the post of prime minister after the 2014 elections. Congress members, however, has projected Rahul as the apt man for the coveted post. After Rahul is no more in the race, is it time ripe for the Congress to announce its PM candidate as the pitch for Gujarat CM Narendra Modi is growing in the BJP as its prime minis
Giving a push to economic growth (now dropping alarmingly below 5%) and creating jobs (given the changing demographic profile) were the watchwords for finance minister P Chidambaram in his budget 2013-14. Will he succeed on these counts?
Presenting the railway budget, railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on Tuesday stressed on women’s safety in the trains. He promised more guards and ladies-special local trains, as also a helpline number to safeguard women during travel. In addition to the four companies already on duty, the minister said eight new companies of women Railway Protection Force (RPF) would be added to
Over 60 vehicles were set on fire, nearly 20 people were left injured in Noida, and one trade union leader was killed in Ambala, Haryana, on Wednesday as the first day of the two-day nationwide strike called by trade unions turned violent in many parts of the country. Without taking into account the thousands of crores wasted due to the two-day lockdown, the harassment for the general people is
The supreme court has sought the centre`s response on a PIL demanding a regulatory mechanism and accountability for IB, RAW and NTRO. On one hand, the nature of their work demands the intelligence agencies work in secrecy. On the other hand, there is a demand for transparency and accountability for them. Also read: An interview with Manish Tewari on his private member
While the Congress-led UPA would say India has never been a weak state, the BJP and other opposition parties on the right have always accused the Manmohan Singh government of being “weak”. Is the government finally turning the corner, having hanged 2008 Mumbai terror attack convict Ajmal Kasab late last year and now 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru — both in an extrem
The Supreme Court has said that police personnel who are put on duty for giving security cover to VIPs can be deployed for better purposes like making the roads safe for women. The bench pointed out that the protection for women needs to be increased in the national capital and referred to recent statement of Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit who said women in the city still feel unsafe.
The Delhi gagrape has sparked a debate on juvenile justice and now the supreme court has agreed to examine if juveniles should face stringent punishment in case of even heinous crimes. So far the anguished protesters have been demanding that the age parameter of juvenile justice should be lowered while rights activists have maintained the opposite view. Here is the third view, that let the age
While Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal rejected the amended Lokpal Bill, cleared by the union cabinet on Thursday, Kiran Bedi, a key member of Team Anna, has backed it. Since most concerns have been addressed in the new draft it is time to give up the opposition, Bedi said on Thursday. But the sa
Even after the madra high court stayed the Tamil Nadu government`s order to ban Kamal Haasan`s `Vishwaroopam`, the state government is hell-bent to stop the new film. Today it filed an appeal against the interim order of the high court. The state government seems to have created a controversy where none might have existed and now blowing it out of proportion.
A complaint under the Prevention of Atrocities Act was filed by a citizen against country’s eminent social scientist Ashis Nandy for his controversial comments that people from OBC, SC and ST communities were the “most corrupt”, which he made at the Jaipur Literary Festival. Earlier, an all-party delegation, comprising leaders of MNS, Shiv Sena, BJP, RPI and Dalit organisation
Finance minister P Chidambaram, who has talked about a stable tax regime during his meetings with foreign investors, has said that the argument for taxing the very rich "a little more" should be considered. "I believe in stable tax rates. However, I must concede that there is an argument, underline the word argument, that when the economy requires, when the government requires mo
The committee headed by Justice JS Verma on amending laws relating to crime against women in its report suggested a review of armed forces special power act (AFSPA) for extending legal protection to women in conflict areas. It recommends trial of armed forces personnel guilty of sexual offences under ordinary criminal law and stresses on setting up special commissioners in conflict areas to saf
The supreme court has asked the centre if its FDI in multi-brand retail policy was only a “political gimmick” or led to some investments as well. The court expressed its apprehension as to how the interests of small traders would be protected. It said, “It is going to affect the fundamental rights to carry out trade? What are the checks that you are going to put to remove the
Home minister Sushilkumar Shinde is again in the eye of storm for his unwarranted comment that he had evidence that BJP and RSS had run Hindu terror camps. “Reports have come during investigation that BJP and RSS conduct terror training camps to spread terrorism… Bombs were planted in Samjhauta express, Mecca Masjid and also a blast was carried out in Malegaon,” Shind
The government has partially deregulated diesel price allowing a hike of 40-50 paise a litre per month for retail customers and nearly Rs 11 for bulk consumers. Although the government considers it is a bold reforms decision, people fear that it may have cascading effect on inflation. Do you think it is a bold reforms decision?
The cash-strapped Kingfisher Airline, grounded sinces since October, is planning to resume operations by February-end or March, beginning with seven small ATR planes before gradually increasing the number of aircraft to 20 or thereabouts. In a presentation to lenders earlier, the airline’s promoter, liquor baron Vijay Mallya, had said the plan was to raise the number of aircraft from seve
Angry at the beheading of Indian soldier on Line of Control, Army chief Gen Bikram Singh issued a warning to Pakistan saying India reserves the right to retaliate. Talking tough over the incident in Mendhar area of Jammu and Kashmir, he said the beheading was “unacceptable” and “most unpardonable” and the troops would respond immediately, aggressively and offensively if
After years of postponing the decision, the government has finally hiked railway fares. Railway minister PK Bansal made the announcement on Wednesday, ahead of the budget two months later, given the financial crunch. Read the full report here: Railway fare hike from January 21 This was the de
