News Digest: India this Week

Missed out on the major national news this week? Don't worry. Rediff.com brings you a round-up of major stories this week

Saturday, March 19

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party is engulfed by Wikileaks expose with US diplomatic cables stating that the party leadership had told them that its criticism of the US in public was to score "easy political points" against the United Progressive Alliance and when in power, it would not harm the Indo-US nuclear deal.

New Delhi/Lucknow: The Jats, agitating for job quota, withdraw their fortnight-long blockade from the railway tracks following an Allahabad high court order but a crucial meeting between the protesters and the government failed to find an amicable solution to the demand.

...

Sunday, March 20

Dharamsala/Shimla: Thousands of Tibetans across the world vote to elect the prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile, an exercise that may usher in a transition in the community's leadership following the Dalai Lama's "flat refusal" to reconsider his decision to retire as its political head.

Chennai: Even a day after the filing of nominations opened for April 13 assembly polls began in Tamil Nadu, the political scene remains unclear, with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam still struggling to put the alliance led by it in shape. Vaiko-led Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam quits the AIADMK front after its demand for 21 seats was rejected and decided not to field any candidates in the Tamil Nadu assembly elections to avoid splitting the anti-DMK votes

Monday, March 21

New Delhi: Ending days of suspense, Congress and Trinamool Congress reach seat-sharing agreement with the former settling for 65 seats, against its original demand of 90, in the 294-member West Bengal assembly.

Chennai: The doctor, who conducted autopsy on the body of former Telecom Minister A Raja's aide Sadiq Batcha, resigns from government saying he wants to contest the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, giving a new twist to the mysterious manner of the death.

Kochi: In a relief to Communist Party of India-Marxist-led Left Democratic Front in the run up to the April 13 Kerala assembly polls, the high court sets aside the Election Commission order restraining it from extending the scheme to distribute rice at Rs 2 per kg to fresh beneficiaries, holding it as "wholly arbitrary".

Tuesday, March 22

New Delhi: The Opposition seeks to corner the government on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement on 'cash-for-votes' scam disrupting proceedings in both Houses of Parliament but the treasury benches had their way in getting the Finance Bill passed in the Lok Sabha helped by a BJP boycott.

New Delhi: Bowing to demands from all around, the government rolls back the proposed 5 per cent "misery tax" on health care and announced tax concessions on parts of computers and printers, motor parts, coking coal and imported silicon wafers for manufacture of solar cells.

Bengaluru: Legendary investor Warren Buffett says he was looking at investments in large countries like India, but rued the existing foreign investment caps in sectors like insurance.

Wednesday, March 23

New Delhi: Seeking to corner BJP following an "an unexpected turn of events" in cash-for-vote row, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram says the investigations into the controversy will be widened to find if a political party had "engineered" the sting operation ahead of 2008 trust vote.

New Delhi: Government and the Opposition fight a bitter battle in Parliament over the 'cash- for-votes' scam with BJP being accused of engineering an operation  to destabilise UPA-I in 2008 while Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hit back at political parties placing reliance on unverified diplomatic communications.

Thursday, March 24

New Delhi: The high level Shunglu committee finds procedural violations in the construction of over 1,000 flats inside the Commonwealth Games Village by real estate developer Emmar MGF, and indicts Delhi Lt Governor Tejinder Khanna for alleged inadequacies.

New Delhi: Yesteryear actor Waheeda Rahman, singer S P Balasubrahmanyam, music composer Khayyam, former diplomat Brajesh Mishra, actress Tabu and pioneer of the test tube baby in India Indira Hinduja are among a host of distinguished people conferred with the coveted Padma awards.

Chennai: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M  Karunanidhi files his nomination for the Tiruvarur constituency located in the Cauvery delta. His opponent, AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa files nomination from Srirangam

Friday, March 25

New Delhi: With his government battling allegations of various scams, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh welcomes the national focus on corruption because it will generate public pressure in favour of more reforms.

New Delhi: In the backdrop of scams such as Sukna and Adarsh, the CAG says there were "large scale discrepancies" in land records which could result in further "encroachments and land grabs" on properties of the Defence Ministry.

New Delhi: Home Minister P Chidambaram comes under attack in Parliament for reportedly saying that India would have made more progress if it had only Southern and Western parts, with some members demanding his removal for utterances "against national unity".