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Monday, July 21, 2008

United Progressive Alliance pads up for slog overs

The Murky backroom battle to gain control of India see-sawed all of Sunday as the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) appeared to be just two short of the 272 votes it needs - before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh comes to the Lok Sabha on Monday to move a one-line motion to seek the House's confidence in his council of ministers.

But victory is not certain. The Opposition numbers at midnight on Sunday stood at 266, just four short of the UPA's figures as hectic meetings continued into the night. The Congress tried to keep its flock intact by asking party leaders - also deputed to snatch Opposition MPs - to host dinners, breakfasts and lunches.

The numbers game will continue its roller-coaster ride over the next two days. As the debate before the trust vote unfolds over at least 16 hours, one member parties and MPs are out to strike it rich or push their pet projects either through the UPA or the Opposition (graphic).

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Thursday, June 5, 2008

Government swallows bitter

It was never going to be easy A 10 per cent hike in petrol and diesel prices would hurt, and there was no way to sweeten it. It's a trade off between the country's long-term economic interests and the hit consumers take today.

That's the message Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sought to drive home as his inflation-weary government on Wednesday announced the steepest-ever increases (in absolute terms) in government-administered fuel prices.

The hike - Rs 3 per litre of diesel, Rs 5 per litre of petrol and Rs 50 per LPG cylinder - was unavoidable, and necessary to keep the country's oil marketing companies from going bank rupt. But coming as it does at a time when the nation is battling a sharp spike in inflation, the decision triggered widespread resentment among consumers across the country They will have to shell out more for travelling to work, running the kitchen and buying everything that needs a transport.

The Left parties promptly slammed the hike as "steep" and announced plans for a countrywide agitation for a week starting Thursday The main opposition party, the BJP, called it "economic terror".

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Monday, May 26, 2008

Lotus blooms in South

The Bharatiya Janata Party defeated the Congress in Karnataka elections on Sunday, stepping across the Vindhyas to try to rule a southern state by itself for the first time.

A simple but effective "give us a chance" card backed by millionaire candidates and blunders of a faction-driven Congress in the tech-savvy state helped the BJP win 110 seats - three short of a simple majority - in the 224 member legislative assembly . The state was the first to go to polls after the electoral constituencies were redrawn on the basis of new population data.

The Janata Dal (S) of former PM H.D. Deve Gowda, which played a rather trouble some king maker's role after the last assembly polls, was pushed into political wilderness after it was thrashed in most places, winning only 28 seats.

"The UPA government's utter failure to control the prices of essential commodities, its soft and compromising policy on terrorism, and its insensitivity towards the plight of kisans have angered the common people all over the country," BJP's prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani said in a statement, referring to the Congress-led coalition at the Centre.

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Monday, April 28, 2008

Don't mind nuke test, if voted to power: Advani

If voted back to powel the BJP would not shy away from conducting a fresh round of nuclear tests, party leader and prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani said on Sunday.

In an interview to a Malayalam television channel, he said the two rounds of nuclear tests in Pokhran had earlier helped India position itself among world powers.

"Almost all nuclear powers never said that they would not test their nuclear stockpiles. So why should India do it? We don't mind another blast if it is necessitated," Advani said during a two-day tour of the state.

A restriction on conducting further nuclear tests was one of the rea- sons his party was opposing the nuclear deal with the United States. "Our opposition to the nuclear deal and the Left's position on it are totally different. We have no plan to oppose everything American as the Left is doing. We are opposed to the provisions of the Hyde Act, which literally prevents the country

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Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Buddha seeks 'enemy' BJP's support on Gorkha law, calls on Advani

ANXIOUS TO avoid opening a new front after Nandigram, the CPI(M) on Monday night reached out to arch foe BJP for help on another sensitive issue: Gorkha autonomy West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee went calling on Leader of Opposition L.K. Advani, seeking BJP support for two Constitution amendment bms meant to upgrade the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council into an autonomous body A bill to amend the constitution cannot be passed without the support of two-thirds of members present and voting in parliament. The backing of the BJP is, therefore, crucial. Buddha spent 30 minutes at Advani's home trying to mollify the veteran BJP leader whose party upset with the Centre's attempt to bring the bills without adequate notice and consultation - had turned down Home Minister Shivraj Patil's request for support. Buddha told Advani his government wanted the law fast because the Darjeeling hills had begun to see a violent revival of the demand for a separate Gorkha
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Image and Article source: Hindustan Times
Article taken from the issue: 4 Dec, 2007

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