Congress today downplayed the contention that attempts by regional parties and the Left to cobble together a Third Front will seal the prospects of a Congress-led secular alliance saying "possibilities change in politics with the passage of time".        

 

Party spokesperson Randip Surjewala said, "Politics is an expression of possibilities and the possibilities change with the passage of time. Let us wait for a while."        

 

His remarks came on a day when 11 non-Congress and non-BJP parties formally joined hands as a block in Parliament to pitch for pro-people, anti-communal and federal agenda.        

 

The announcement of the front was made at a joint press conference of leaders of these parties including the four Left parties, Samajwadi Party, JD(U), AIADMK, AGP, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha, JD(S) and BJD.

Hitting out at Narendra Modi for his remarks on Pranab Mukherjee, Information and Broadcasting minister Manish Tewari today said it was unfortunate that the BJP leader had sought to drag the office of President into political discourse.          "I think its extremely unfortunate that the Chief Minister of Gujarat has sought to trample constitutional propriety by dragging the august office of the President of India into a political discourse," he told reporters in New Delhi.         

 

He was asked about BJP Prime Ministerial candidate accusing Congress of denying Pranab Mukherjee, now the President, the prime minister's post in 2004 even though he "deserved" the chair.         

 

Tewari said the President is a symbol of Indian state and is supposed to be above partisan politics - a decorum that has been maintained. "But unfortunately in Chief Minister of Gujarat, you see a tendency that to score political brownie points in order to take a partisan potshot, he does not even spare the office of the President of India."

Congress president Sonia Gandhi has said there should be no doubt or ambiguity on Congress' stand on the system of reservation for SC/ST and OBC.   The system of reservation was introduced by Congress and it will continue to be championed by Congress, she added.  

 

The comments come in the wake of AICC general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi's remarks that it's high time reservations are given based on economic criterions and not caste.

Rajya Sabha deputy chairman has deferred the Communal Violence Bill.

Brijesh Singh, who was allegedly associated with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, and his aide were today discharged by a court of charges under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act in a case lodged against them by the Delhi police.        

The Congress today came down heavily on the BJP over its protest against the appointment of a jurist to the Lokpal selection panel, saying the Opposition party has a"hidden agenda" of blocking the constitution of Lokpal itself and hence is using such "lame duck excuses".        

Two people were injured, reportedly seriously, when a roller coaster at Adlabs Imagica theme park in Khopoli, near Mumbai, came off the rails.

Upping the ante, the BJP today took the controversy over the appointment of a jurist to the Lokpal selection panel to the President's doorstep, seeking his support for its demand for a consensus on the issue after differences emerged over the name of the Supreme Court lawyer.        

Andhra Pradesh CM Kiran Kumar Reddy has met President Pranab Mukherjee and requested him to use his power to stop the impending bifurcation of the state.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today sought an unconditional apology from the British government for "secretly assisting" India in the launch of Operation Blue Star in 1984.       

A press release from Caravan magazine, which has rediscovered the art of long-form journalism, says that 'Swami Aseemanand, incarcerated in Ambala central jail for abetting terrorist attacks on various targets between 2006 and 2008 -- Samjhauta Express (February 2007), Hyderabad Mecca Masjid (May 2007), Ajmer Dargah (October 2007) and two attacks in Malegaon (September 2006 and September 2008)  -- which together took the lives of 119 people', has made a revelation in an interview to them, that which has been published in the latest issue of the magazine, that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat sanctioned the terror attacks.   

Congress has distanced itself from Janardan Dwivedi's suggestion  for ending caste-based quotas and said that it subscribes to the existing system.

A jewel thief in France who kissed the owner of a jewellery shop during a robbery was nabbed after police analysed the DNA on the victim's cheek.        

If you wanted definitive proof about just how polluted Delhi is, the Centre for Science and Environment has it for you.

Shashi Tharoor, Union minister of state for the human resources development ministry, will address a conference on Literacy through Literature at the India Habitat Centre in Delhi on Thursday.

The too-most echelon of India's politics is made up of people who have had close, and rich, relatives who have been in politics for decades.

The unbelievably outdated laws in India on child labour provide little protection to the millions of children who lose their lives to forced labour and sex trafficking.

He is going to be the future CEO of Microsoft, one of the biggest forces of capitalism on the planet.

Tamil Nadus most powerful IPS officer during the previous DMK regime, Jaffer Sait, was allegedly fully involved in the cover-up operation that was on in the DMK camp prior to the arrest of Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi when the investigations on the 2G scam were at a crucial stage, reports the New Indian Express.

He allegedly tried his best to save Kanimozhi -- with whom he was seemingly close -- from the CBI.

Read the full report here

After remaining in power for 12 long years, President Hamid Karzai, towards the fag-end of his rule, is making his last-ditch stand against the superpower that brought him to power.

His latest, and probably last, battle before the April 5, 2014 presidential election isnt against his numerous Afghan rivals. This time he is pitted against the US, his frequent benefactor.

Read the full story here

Why the church is waltzing with Narendra Modi in Kerala?

Read this blog on The Times of India

In an interview to newrepublic.com, William Dalrymple who recently interviewed Afghanistan President, discussed Hamid Karzais mental state, his anger at the United States, and what will happen after American troops depart.

Read the Dalrymple interview here 

What is happening in Pakistan cannot be simplified as an Islamic movement, Akbar S Ahmed says in the second part of his essay about a recent trip to the country.

Read the full report here

In the first part of an essay about his recent trip to Pakistan, Akbar S. Ahmed describes the country's security crisis in the context of the stark disparity between center and periphery.

Read the full story here

At his rally in Kolkata, Narendra Modi said, "Don't forget the Congress insulted Pranab Mukherjee. The Congress should have made him the prime minister after Indira Gandhi's death. In 2004 also Pranab was the senior-most, but Sonia Gandhi chose Manmohan Singh." 

"Western India has progressed because it has never had a Third Front rule. The east is hungry for progress, it is pulled down by the Third Front. The Third Front will make India third grade," Modi said at a rally in Kolkata today. 

Addressing a rally in Kolkata, Narendra Modi said, "In 2014, the BJP government at centre will help the people in Bengal. Then who is benefiting? There should be a government in Delhi that will work for West Bengal also. If you give me all the seats, will I not want to come here more often? "Won't I want to work for you more?

"If West Bengal accepts BJP once again, we will solve all your problems. If you have made such a decision for a the state, make a decision for change on a national level. Bengal is a state that has the blessing of Goddess Saraswati and Goddess Laksmi."

Let the third front see which way the wind is blowing. The BJP will form the government after coming Lok Sabha elections, Modi said in Kolkata.

Narendra Modi targert Mamata Banerjee at his rally in Kolkata. He asks Bengal to put their chief minister on notice and vote for the BJP.

He asks the people of Bengal, "You voted for 'poribartan' change, but has that happened?. Vote for Mamata and you will waste your time"    

BJP's PM candidate Narendra Modi speaks in Bengali as he addresses a mega rally in Kolkata today.

"Bengal has a special relationship with Gujarat. I have never seen such a huge rally in Kolkata," Modi said.

"WB played a role in development of Gujarat's textile industry." He said Rabindranath Tagore's brother had a bog role in the development of Ahmedabad.

"Bengal must play the role of Rashtra Guru. We must built India of Swami Vivekananda's vision. India can be a world leader only in Bengal progresses," he said.   

Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, a key suspect in the murder of RSS Pracharak Sunil Joshi, was taken to a hospital in Bhopal following ill-health, hospital sources said. 

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has urged the Prime Minister to summon the Sri Lankan high commissioner to lodge a strong protest over the arrest of Indian fishermen and take action to secure release of 87 fishermen apprehended in the last one week.

"I exhort you to take immediate action to ensure that all the 19 fishing boats and 87 fishermen who were apprehended by Sri Lankan Navy in the last one week are released forthwith without prolonged detention," she said in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday.

And for all those keen on knowing the latest news, the link to click on is the Rediff Headlines of the Day. Bookmark it, will you?

While defending the Communal Violence Bill in the Rajya Sabha, Kapil Sibal rakes up the 2002 Gujarat riots. "The Centre must be able to intervene in state-sponsored communal riots like Gujarat," he said.    

Law Minister Kapil Sibal bats from Communal Violence Bill in the Rajya Sabga. "The bill will not violate the federal structure. It will not encroach upon the rights of the state. No positon in the bill will interfere with the law and order situation."

"Large part of the bill deals with compensation of victims," Sibal added. "There is no provision in the bill which gives power to the Centre." 

The BJP has opposed the Prevention of Communal Violence Bill in the Rajya Sabha.

"The Communal Violence Bill is beyond legislative competence. Law and order is a state problem, not a Centre subject," said Leader of Opposition in RS Arun Jaitley.     

Andhra Pradesh CM Kiran Kumar Reddy, his ministerial colleagues from Seemandhra began a dharna at Jantar Mantar to oppose the creation of Telangana this afternoon.

Just In: 11 non-Cong, non-BJP parties form block in Parliament to pitch for a pro-people, anti-communal agenda.

Sunil Gavaskar recently experienced the thrill of skywalking in Auckland!!

The Akhilesh Yadav government can cry hoarse over the various measures taken to rehabilitate victims of the Muzaffarnagar riots, but the reality on the ground contradicts his tall claims.  

With the United States and its allies pulling out their troops from Afghanistan, the stakes have never been higher for Pakistan, which has faced a spate of attacks from the angry Taliban in the recent months.   

Watching the English cricket team, sans Kevin Pietersen and his often outrageous batting, would be less fun, rues Mike Selvey.     

If the ECB thinks that sacking Kevin Pietersen will rid England of all its cricket-related woes, then the Board could not be more wrong, believes former cricketer Michael Vaughan.   

CNN reports: About 100 people from North and South Korea are expected to reunite between February 20 and 25. The families have been separated since the Korean War.

If they go ahead, the meetings of divided Korean families would be the first to take place since 2010.

This may come as a shock to the many readers who have loved One Hundred Years of Solitude, the masterpiece of magical realism and the book that won Gabriel Garcia Marquez the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982.

Marquez has confessed that when he started to write the book, he thought it would be the best book in the world. But when he tried reading the published version the first time, he could not get beyond the first 3-4 chapters and felt quite ashamed by it.

Click here for a Must Read interview of Gabriel Garcia Marquez

For the first time since a diplomatic row broke out between China and Japan over the Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to a controversial war shrine, leaders of the two nations will be sharing a stage for the first time on Friday, reports the South China Morning Post.

Speaking about the Telangana issue, Telugu Desam Party President Chandrababu Naidu said, "The nation has to understand the Congress conspiracy in Andhra Pradesh. There is a match fixing between Congress, TRS and Jagan Reddy."

"The Centre can't impose its will. The resolution has to be cleared by the Andhra assembly." 

The day after he was picked as Microsoft's CEO, Satya Nadella made a big announcement. "first commitment as CEO...i won't wait 4 years between tweets!" he posted on Twitter.

His last tweet, in 2010, was about Microsoft Bing.

The Delhi high court asks the Aam Aadmi Party to file reply on a PIL alleging foreign funding to it. The AAP terms as misleading the plea of the Centre that it is not cooperating in the foreign funding probe.

The Lok Sabha has been adjourned till tomorrow and the Rajya Sabha till 2 pm. 

Lok Sabha adjourned over Nido Tania death case.

Earlier, Sushma Swaraj appealed to the government to make student hostels for people from the north-east where they can stay with students from other parts of India. 

For all those despairing at the dwindling numbers of the Parsi population, help is at hand. 

From a correspondent in Delhi: The Central Hall of Parliament is packed and bubbling with enthusiasm today.

As this was the first day of the last session of the 15th Lok Saba, Union ministers looked gloomy but Andhra Members of Parliament looked jubilant. Congress MPs from Seemandhra were seen cracking jokes with their counterparts from the Bharatiya Janata Party.

When Congress President Sonia Gandhi crossed the Central Hall to get to her office, many party MPs from Andhra Pradesh, miffed over the Telangana Bill, didn't even stand up.  Some of them, including L Rajagopal, Rayapati Sambasiva Rao and Undavali Aruna Kumar threatened to disrupt the proceedings of the House if the bill was introduced. MPs from the BJP could be seen smiling.

They huddled near the podium and talked in hushed tones.Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MPs remained silent. Parliamentarians A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran were seen talking about the recent ruckus created by Alagiri within the party and about Prashant Bhushan's revelations about the 2G scam.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley was seen talking to leaders of the Samajwadi Party and the Biju Janata Dal.BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu was seen talking to YSR Congress leader Jagan Reddy.Haryana Janhit Congress leader Kuldeep Bishnoi, son of Bhajan Lal, was seen trying to make an entry into the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.Congress leader Manish Tiwari was seen talking to BJP leaders Piyush Goyal and Jaitley.'I have never witnessed such a positive mood in the Central Hall earlier,' said BJP leader Smriti Irani All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MPs, led by Dr Maitreyan, gave a notice on the 2G expose allegedly featuring a CD of DMK leader Kanimozhi.

The AIADMK MPs were seen holding the CDs in their hands.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha raises the issue of Arunachal student Nido Tania's death.

"We must address the bias against the north-eastern community. We must demand protection for these students. It is our responsibility to protect every Indian child," she says.

"Students from the north-east are forced to migrate because of underdevelopment in their states," she says.

Taking a dig at Arvind Kejriwal and Rahul Gandhi, Sushma said that the governments which are answerable are sitting on dharnas  

Rajya Sabha adjourned for 20 minutes as Telangana storm continues.

MLAs from the Telugu Desam Party protest at the reception of the Parliament. They are seeking permission to enter its premises.

TDP President Chandrababu Naidu is expected to meet BJP's PM candidate Narendra Modi this evening.

MPs from the Akali Dal protest outisde the Parliament over Operation Bluestar.

They are demanding a fast track trial in pending cases against Congress leaders Sajjan Kumar and Jagadish Tytler, who are facing allegations for the  involvement in the 1984 ant-Sikh riots.

Image: Sikhs protest demanding justice in the anti-Sikh riots.  

Delhi has been rocked by the Telanagana issue. Even as both the houses of the Parliament were adjourned after a uproar, Telugu Desam Party workers protested outside the Andhra Bhawan. 

There were clashes between pro and anti-Telangana protesters, which were stopped by the police.

The Rajya Sabha too has been ajourned till noon following a ruckus over Telanagana.

The Lok Sabha has been adjourned till noon following uproar over Telangana.  

Both Houses of the Parliament  for the last session of the 15th Lok Sabha. 

Six Congress MPS from Seemandhra are moving notices for a no-confidence motion against the government for its decision to press ahead with its plans to introduce the Telangana Bill, reports NDTV.

Notices for the no-confidence motion were sent to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar this morning, hours before the winter session is expected to resume.

Read the full report here

Aam Aadmi Party's rebel MLA Vinod Kumar Binny has quit the party, reports Times NOW. He said that he has withdrawn support from the party.

He insisted that Kejriwal should resign. "He has failed on all fronts," Binny said.  
The MLA was expelled earlier for "anti-party activities."

Binny has said that he will meet Lt Governor Najeeb Jung today.

Doubt if Parliament will pass any bill in this session, says Finance Minister P Chidambaram said today as the winter session is set to resume.

Storm over the Telangana Bill and the death of Arunachal student Nido Tania in Delhi is expected in the Parliament.  

Lieutenant General K S Brar who led Indian troops in Operation Bluestar, has maintained that he is not aware of anything that might have transpired between the then Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi and her UK counterpart Margaret Thacher, reports CNN IBN.  

His remarks come after Britain officially admitted that they had an advisory role in Operation Bluestar.

"I am not aware of any advice by UK government to India on Operation Blue Star. UK played no role "limited" or otherwise in Operation Blue Star. I came into picture on June 1, 1984 and the operation was started on June 5. I have no idea if UK advised India before that and what conversations the British government had with the Indian government," Brar told CNN IBN.

Three days before the Winter Olympic Games open in Sochi, United States officials say there are a "number of specific threats" and dangers are more likely outside the venues for the Games, CNN reports. 

Speaking at a House Intelligence Committee hearing on Tuesday, Matthew Olsen, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, highlighted concern over the Games and whether Muslim fundamentalists in disputed regions of Russia -- or other groups -- could launch deadly attacks on selected targets.

Unhappy over the disclosure that help had been sought from UK prior to Operation Blue Star, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal also expressed shock at the revelation that the British adviser's warning against use of the military option as the first course of action was ignored by the government of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

"I find it hard to believe that the prime minister of a sovereign nation would so humiliate her own people and country as to turn for military advice against its own citizens. This is the gravest sin against the Sikhs, the Punjabis and the people of India," Badal said in a statement.

He said that the disclosure by the British government also proved that all the past and present leaders of Congress had been "lying through their teeth" while claiming that the then Congress government had never wanted to carry out a raid in order to flush out militants from Golden Temple and that the decision of an army assault was a "sudden one".

Minister of State for Minority Affairs Ninong Ering has given a notice in the Lok Sabha for suspension of Question Hour to discuss the dead of Arunchal Pradesh student Nido Tania.

Tania had reportedly gone to Lajpat Nagar on January 29 in search of an address, and was allegedly mocked by someone at a shop for the style his hair.

In a fit of rage, Nido broke a glass at the shop but he paid money for that. Afterwards he was allegedly beaten with sticks.

The next day, when he didn't wake up, his friends rushed him to AIIMS, where he was declared dead.

United States President Barack Obama has met top Afghanistan war advisors amid uncertainty about the presence of troops in the war-torn country post 2014 with Hamid Karzai government's refusal to sign a bilateral security agreement demanded by America.

Obama had a "useful and constructive" meet with his defence leadership and while he continues to "weigh inputs" from military officials he has not yet made decisions regarding the presence of US troops post 2014, the White House said.

"The president continues to weigh inputs from military officials, as well as the intelligence community, our diplomats, and development experts, and has not yet made decisions regarding the post-2014 US presence," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters.

The Rajasthan government has suspended Indian Adminsitrative Service officer B B Mohanty over allegation of sexual exploitation of a girl.

Mohanty was earlier summoned by the Jaipur police to appear before them for questioning. Soon after receiving a detailed case report from the police, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje sprung into action and issued order of suspension.

An IAS aspirant had accused Mohanty for exploiting her on the promise of helping her clear the IAS examination. She asserted that the officer raped her for the first time on February 19, 2013 at his flat at New Sanganer road.

The government is determined to introduce the Telangana Bill in Parliament in the special session, which begins today.

"I sincerely hope that Parliament, in its wisdom, will transact the essential business which is its primary concern," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tweeted.  

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