-NDTV A Parliamentary standing committee has agreed with the government that political parties do not come under the Right to Information or RTI Act. The landmark transparency law, passed by the UPA I government in 2005, is often flaunted by Congress Number 2 Rahul Gandhi as a precursor to the anti-corruption Lokpal Bill, currently being pushed by the government in Parliament. All political parties barring Odisha-based Biju Janata Dal and the Communist Party...

-The Business Standard Says she considers political parties to be public authorities because they get substantive financial funding from the government of India While a parliamentary Standing committee today supported the move to keep political parties outside the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, committee member Anu Aga, (former chairperson of Thermax Ltd) was the lone voice of Dissent on the 29 member panel. Aga who is a nominated member...

-The Hindu Article 370 was and is about providing space, in matters of governance, to the people of a State who felt deeply vulnerable about their identity and insecure about the future. At the Bharatiya Janata Party's recent Lalkar rally in Jammu, its prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, called for a debate on Article 370. This is encouraging and suggests that the BJP may be willing to review its absolutist stance on...

-The Hindu     The Union Cabinet approved the bill it had earlier sent to Parliament with just a few amendments On Aadhaar, the UPA has decided to take on the Supreme Court as well as the Opposition. The government on Tuesday defended Aadhaar before the Supreme Court asking for relief from the interim orders. It has decided to argue that the judiciary has encroached upon its executive decision-making space with the order. In...

-The Hindu ‘Report goes against the provisions of Constitution' THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will convey to the Centre Kerala's objections to the Raghuram Rajan Committee report on evolving a composite development index of States, during his visit to New Delhi on Friday. The Chief Minister, who left for New Delhi via Bangalore on Thursday, will call on ailing Defence Minister A.K. Antony, hold political discussions with the Congress high command, and meet...