Back to Main Page                                                                Archives

SP warns UPA against politics of vendetta

         New Delhi: Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh has warned the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) that politics of vendetta against leaders of the erstwhile BJP- led Government, including George Fernandes, would backfire and obliquely criticised the inclusion of tainted ministers in the Manmohan Singh Ministry. The SP, having 37 members in the Lok Sabha, also made an implicit attack on the Congress-led coalition saying that though it gave support to the Government, they should also have the "manners while accepting" it. Despite being a supporting party, not even draft of the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) was shown to it, after a meeting of the party's Parliamentary Board and also that of its Parliamentary Party. In a significant statement ahead of Parliament session, first of the 14th Lok Sabha, Singh said that his party was "not captive" to anybody and would praise the Government if it did good work and would not hesitate to criticise if it went astray. Asked as to what was SP's attitude towards the tainted ministers, he said "Our view is the same as that of the Left parties". The Left has criticised the inclusion of tainted ministers including Laloo Prasad Yadav and two other members of RJD.

Fertiliser subsidies to continue: Paswan (Go To Top)

          New Delhi: The government has ruled out withdrawal or cut in the subsidies to fertiliser companies saying that farmers would not be allowed to suffer under any circumstances. "Government will not make any cut in the subsidy to fertiliser companies as they are selling fertilisers to farmers at very low prices compared to cost of production. Moreover the agriculture related subsidies are much higher in developed countries like the USA and UK," Union Chemicals and Fertiliser Minister Ram Vilas Paswan told reporters here. When asked what India would do to make subsidy WTO compatible, Paswan said "subsidy will continue irrespective of WTO... first the developed countries have to remove the disparity in subsidies." Annually, government gives away Rs 12,500 crore in subsidy to fertiliser producers to cover losses they incur by selling fertilisers at low prices to farmers.

LPG, kerosene subsidies may be extended by two years (Go To Top)

          New Delhi: The Government is likely to extend by two more years subsidies on LPG and kerosene while asking the state- run oil firms to bear part of the Rs 14,000 crore under- recoveries due to unchanged prices despite a rise in the cost of raw material. Subsidies on LPG and kerosene, estimated at Rs 3500 crore for 2004-05, were to be eliminated from the next fiscal and a difference of Rs 130 per LPG cylinder and Rs 4 per litre of kerosene between selling price and cost was to be passed on to the consumers. But the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government is likely to extend the 3-year subsidy phase-out plan, drawn by the previous Government, by another two years to 2007, sources said. The Rs 22.58 per cylinder subsidy on LPG budgeted in the interim budget for 2004-05 is likely to be enhanced to Rs 34 in the full budget to be presented in early July and that on kerosene to Rs 1.10 per litre from Rs 0.81 per litre budgeted. In 2005-06, the LPG subsidy will come down to Rs 12 per cylinder and will be eliminated from the next year.

Rajasthan CM inducts 18 ministers (Go To Top)

          Jaipur: Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje expanded her six-month-old cabinet on Monday by inducting six new cabinet ministers and 12 ministers of state. With this, the strength of her cabinet went up to 27. Earlier there were just nine cabinet ministers in the state cabinet. State Governor Madan Lal Khurana administered the oath of office to the new ministers. Raje continues to hold the crucial portfolios of Home, Finance and Mines.

Buzz over Jamali's removal intensifies (Go To Top)

         Islamabad: Rumors have surfaced that President Pervez Musharraf is thinking of replacing Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, though it has been officially hinted that he may see through the budget before his departure. A meeting at the Prime Minister's residence of the unified Pakistan Muslim League here on Sunday had the city in a tizzy over the possibility of Jamali demitting office. A federal minister, speaking on condition of anonymity, however, told Online that Jamali would survive till the presentation of budget.

Australia asks citizens to quit Saudi Arabia (Go To Top)

          Sydney: The Australian government has advised its citizens to consider leaving Saudi Arabia after an al-Qaida hostage drama left 22 people, mostly foreigners, dead. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade warned on Monday that there could be more attacks. "We continue to receive reports that terrorists are planning further attacks against Western interests," the department said in a travel advisory posted on its Web site and updated in the wake of the attacks."