Clearly unhappy at the manner in which the Cabinet reversed its decision on the ordinance on convicted legislators, UPA allies felt that the government was not following the “coalition dharma”.

With Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi denouncing the ordinance to shield convicted netas, all eyes are now on the RJD chief and a loyal ally of the UPA, Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav.

Within days of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh unveiling austerity measures, including curb on foreign visits, ministry of food and consumer affairs is in a fix over a proposal for tour of the US by officials to study storages there of foodgrains. The proposal has further put the ministry in a bind, as recommendations of a similar exercise when a minister led delegation to China in 2010 are not yet implemented.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to discuss the issue of high onion prices in the Cabinet meeting scheduled for Friday.

In a significant move ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Union minister for agriculture Sharad Pawar has moved a Cabinet note to seek a substantial hike in the minimum support price (MSP) of rabi (winter) crops for 2013-14, which is even higher than what the Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices (CACP) has suggested. If approved, implementation of the Food Security Law would become much costlier.

With the BJP projecting Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as the party’s prime ministerial candidate, the issue of secularism appears to have come into the spotlight. Congress leaders maintain that there would be sharp polarisation, particularly in Uttar Pradesh where there are 80 Lok Sabha seats at the stake, and the party could benefit in the end.

Riding the bullet train dream, chairman rail board (CRB), Arundendra Kumar, will go to Japan this week in a bid to firm up involvement of Tokyo in the ambitious project.

The cases of burning trains, which have haunted the railways for long, may soon be history.

Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh claimed that farmers, tribals, dalits and labourers would be benefiting from the Land Bill.

A day after the Lok Sabha passed the landmark Land Acquisition Bill, Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh said on Friday that such a law should not be needed after 25 years, when private ent