Lalu Prasad Yadav was the “Prime Minister” and Gopinath Munde was the “Speaker”. This was the scene in the Lok Sabha after it was adjourned for the day on Friday in view of the uproar created by members over the salary hike demand and the protest against the passage of the Medical Council of India Bill without discussion.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, has lent its stamp of approval to the contentious Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, thereby clearing the decks for it to be placed in Parliament next week.

Union law minister Veerappa Moily, the general secretary in-charge of Andhra Pradesh, refused to get dragged into a debate on Congress MP Jaganmohan Reddy’s Odarpu Yatra. The issue already has led to daggers being drawn between those who empathise with Mr Reddy and those who oppose him tooth and nail.

Trinamul Congress MPs met home minister P. Chidambaram on Friday demanding steps to prevent the ruling CPI(M) in West Bengal from allegedly amassing illegal weapons “fearing defeat” in the forthcoming assembly elections in West Bengal.

In an effort to garner support for the pending legislation, government on Friday reached out to the main Opposition BJP. Home minister P. Chidambaram met BJP Parliamentary Party leader L.K. Advani on friday to discuss contentious issues, including Enemy Property Bill and the Nuclear Liability Bill in the current session of Parliament. Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mr Arun Jaitley, was also present during the meeting. Later, Mr Advani had a telephonic conversation with

Railway minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday reiterated her stance that prima facie, the Gyaneshwari train accident was a case of sabotage. ‘’Investigations into the Gyaneshwari train accident show that prima facie, it is a case of sabotage. We have handed over the case to the CBI,’’ Ms Banerjee said during question hour in Rajya

Questioning the suggestion that railway minister Mamata Banerjee mediate between government and Maoists, the CPI(M) on Friday wondered how she could do that when she openly siding with the ultra-Left brigade.

The Centre is looking at the option of introducing a fresh exercise exclusively for “caste Census” in 2011.

In view of the upcoming Commonwealth Games, the MCD on Friday approached the Delhi high court seeking its permission for removal of a slum cluster near the Jawaharlal Nehru (JLN) stadium and modify its earlier order passed by a division bench on February 11 restraining the civic agency from removing slum cluster without their relocation.

Accepting the plea of former IPS officer Amod Kanth, Patiala house court metropolitan magistrate (MM) Sanjeev Kumar, on Friday exempted from his personal appearance before this court till September 29.