Hindustan Times

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Government defends Quattrocchi waiver

The government on Tuesday attempted to distance itself from the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) decision to drop the name of Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, accused of having received kickbacks in the Bofors bribery case, from its list of wanted fugitives.

The CBI's decision in October 2008 had led Interpol, the international organisation facilitating police cooperation around the world, to withdraw its 10-year-old red-corner notice - used to alert colmtries about an individual against whom an arrest warrant is pending against Quattrocchi.

The decision has been challenged in the Supreme Court and is likely to come up for an urgent hearing on Wednesday The exposure gave new lift to the two-decade-old Bofore scandal, and kicked off a political storm in the midst of elections.

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Labels: arrest warrant, bofore scandal, bofors case, cbi, cbi wanted list, Congress, interpol, italian businessman ottavio quattrocchi, red corner notice

Friday, February 20, 2009

Jaya seeks Congress hand

They were friends once, and then they were foes. AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa wants to be friends again with the Congress, and on Thursday urged it to dump its Tamil Nadu ally — and her sworn enemy — the DMK.

Jayalalithaa said the DMK regime in Tamil Nadu was like a person “mired in quicksand” amid mounting charges of corruption and lawlessness against it. If the Congress stayed with the DMK, she warned “it too will go under”.

The AIADMK chief recalled her “cordial relations” with the Congress leaders including late Rajiv Gandhi and said she considered Indira Gandhi as “my mother”.

The Congress reacted cautiously “We have not decided . (on joining any) front with any body including Jayalalithaa,” , said Congress’s M. Veerappa Moily “Our alliance with the . DMK is quite strong.”

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Labels: AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa, charges of corruption, Chennai, Congress, DMK, Indira Gandhi, late Rajiv Gandhi, Tamil Nadu, Veerappa Moily

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Nuclear deal suspense grows, Prime Minister in United States

Indian officials accompanying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on his visit to the United States are nervous about the outcome of US Congressional vote on the agreement.

“We have to see in what form the Congress accepts the agreement,” a prime ministerial aide said.

On Tuesday, the US Congress’s business committee is likely to finalise a schedule for voting on the 123 agreement and other possible resolutions that could be riders to the agreement.

Some of these resolutions could throw up prescriptions politically unpalatable in India, particularly on the country’s right to conduct a nuclear test in future.

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Labels: accepts, agreement, Barack Obama, Congress, John McCain, new york, nuclear deal, nuclear test, president George Bush, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UNGA, United States, US Congressional vote

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Left gone, numbers game on

The congress is counting on the Samajwadi Party (SP) and a bunch of small parties to pull the government through during the vote of confidence in the Lok Sabha. But there are already indications that such support will not come easy, cheap or early.

Within hours of the Left announcing the pullout, one of these potential kingmakers, the two-MP JD(S), announced it would take a final decision on supporting the government only on the day before the trust vote. Another, the three-MP TRS, wanted the Centre to start the process for carving out a separate Telangana state. And the SP said it had kept its side of the agreement by pledging support to the government; it now expected the government to do its bit.

Congress floor managers on Tuesday spoke about having 236 members on the coalition's side, and getting another 39 from the SP, taking its support past the magic figure of 272. But it was clear that the Congress could not take anyone for granted. The challenge will be to muster the numbers and keep its flock together in a situation where smaller parties increasingly figure they could be the only ones standing between the government staying or going.

The first sign of the difficulty of the task came from former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda. Even as Congress managers counted the JD(S) as a firmally, Deve Gowda declared his two MPs would make a decision only on the eve of the trust vote.

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Labels: Andhra Pradesh, bargains, challenge, Congress, creation of Telangana, decision, difficulty, former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda, government, KCR, Lok Sabha, Samajwadi Party, Telangana state, TRS

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Samajwadi Party says yes in 'national interest'

He congress can breathe easy The Samajwadi Party's public endorsement on Friday of the India US civil nuclear deal as one "in national interest" enables the Manmohan Singh government to go to the IAEA with an easy mind and with the claim that it continues to enjoy the majority in the Lok Sabha.

While welcoming the latest convert to the deal on board, the Congress also got ready to bid farewell to the Left parties which had been extending outside support. The communists on Friday wrote to External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who heads the UPA-Left panel on the deal, to inform them by July 7 whether the government would approach the IAEA. The letter and the deadline raised the hackles of Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi who said, "Sovereign governments or political parties cannot be subjected to deadlines."

The government's response - when it comes would set the stage for the formal parting of ways between the partners who have had a uneasy relationship for over four years.

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Labels: communist, Congress, deal, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, IAEA, Lok Sabha, national interest, nuclear deal, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Samajwadi Party, UPA, UPA-Left panel

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Sonia takes centrestage

Consensus building within the UPA on the India-US nuclear deal in defiance of the Left and at the risk of early elections is proving to be difficult even with Sonia Gandhi taking centrestage to resolve the vexed issue.

The UPA leaders who drove down to 10 Janpath on Monday included NCP's Sharad Pawar, RJD's Lalu Yaday and LJP's Ram Vilas Paswan. Pawar was later closeted at his residence with CPM general secretary Prakash Karat for over an hour.

Coupled with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's vigorous defence of the deal, the outcome of Sonia's meetings with the UPA allies made doubly difficult her task of blending national interest with the political interests of the coalition she presides over.

In separate interactions with Sonia, the allies backed the deal but advocated a dialogue with the Left to avoid early elections. Weighing heavily on their minds were the rising prices, without controlling which they saw little prospects in the polls.

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Labels: Congress, congress leader, election, inflation issue, interactions, Manmohan sigh, nuclear deal, Prime Minister, Sonia Gandhi, UPA, US

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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Labels: BJP, Congress, Deve Gowda, election, Janata Dal, Karnataka, Karnataka elections, L.K. Advani, lawmakers, Lotus blooms, South India, UPA government

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Women's quota bill tabled in Rajya Sabha amid high drama

The Landmark but contentious constitutional amendment bill providing 33 per cent reservation to women in Parliament was finally introduced on Tuesday in the Rajya Sabha amid high drama and loud protests. Members of SP tried snatching the papers from Law Minister H.R. Bhardwaj, demanding a sub quota for Dalits, backwards and minorities.

The Congress led UPA put in place a two-fold strategy to bring the bill in the House, which was adjourned for an hour after it was tabled, and subsequently adjourned sine die.

The first part was to ensure the bill's introduction amid the anticipated uproar and commotion. As part of a well-crafted plan, Congress and Left members like Ambika Soni, Kumari Selja, Brinda Karat cordoned off Bhardwaj (who deliberately occupied the second row) as he rose from the treasury benches.

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Labels: bill, Congress, drama, Law Minister H.R. Bhardwaj, Rajya Sabha, reservation, UPA, Women's quota

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Congress is trying to kill me, says Mayawati

Chief Minister Mayawati on Monday alleged that certain Congress leaders were plotting to kill her She also threatened to withdraw support to the Congress led UPA government if her demands for a Rs 80,000-crore economic package for the state and SPG cover for herself are not met by the Center.

The BSP supremo set a deadline of January 15, which is also her birthday for the demands to be met. If they aren't, a meeting of BSP MLAs and MPs will decide on the next course of action, she said. "Currently, everyone is busy with the preparations for my birthday celebrations. But we will soon have to take a decision," she said.

The BSP has 19 MPs in Lok Sabha and 7 in Rajya Sabha. It supports the government from outside. Justifying her demand for the elite SPG covery only reserved for prime ministers and ex-PMs under the law, Mayawati said her life was under threat. "Some Uttar Pradesh dons such as

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Labels: Congress, Mayawati, Mayawati death threats, UP

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