Pushed on the back foot by the Netai carnage, the CPI(M) has decided to strike back.

Showering lavish praises on Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, senior BJP leader Arun Shourie on Saturday said that he was the best Prime Minister that India was yet to have.

Growing political violence in West Bengal ahead of the Assembly polls is likely to come up for discussion at the two-day politburo meeting of the CPI(M) which began here on Saturday.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and asked her to clarify the Gandhi family’s relations with Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, one of the alleged recipients of kickbacks in the Bofors deal.

Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee finally broke his silence and voiced his anguish over the killings at Netai village in West Midnapore. “What happened in West Midnapore yesterday was not good.

Armed CPI(M) cadres allegedly opened fire on defenceless villagers, killing eight, including at least two women, and injuring 17 near Lalgarh in West Midnapore on Friday, pushing the Left Front government onto the backfoot ahead of crucial Assembly elections in West Bengal. Six of the victims have been identified as Sourav Gharui, Shambhunath Ghorui, Dhiren Sen, Kabul Patra, Phulkumari Maity and Dhruba Goswami.

After the letter controversy, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee for the first time in a public meeting criticised Union home minister P. Chidambaram.

Putting all speculation at rest about a possible break-up of alliance between the Congress and the Trinamul Congress, senior Congress leader and Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday made

Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday stood by the side of P.

Former telecom minister A. Raja had only "pursued" the policy decision taken by the erstwhile NDA government on 2G allocation issue, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Sunday.