Saubhadra Chatterji is Deputy Political Editor at the Hindustan Times. He writes on both politics and policies.
Articles by Saubhadra Chatterji
PM intervenes to settle railways-I&B office dispute
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had to step in to resolve a renewed office space row in parliament building between the railway and the information and broadcasting ministers on Wednesday.
Updated on Aug 03, 2011 11:50 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, New Delhi
MPs told to push key reforms bills
Keen to push the reforms agenda, top Congress managers on Tuesday asked party MPs to work toward the passage of key bills stalled in the parliamentary standing committee on finance. The committee is headed by BJP leader Yashwant Sinha.
Updated on Aug 03, 2011 01:35 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, New Delhi
Mamata raises pitch against Pranab, asks PM for funds
Raising the pitch against finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's direct intervention for the financial bail-out package for West Bengal.
Updated on Aug 01, 2011 12:28 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, New Delhi
Time not right for PM to visit Pakistan, feels govt
Two invitations in less than six months for Manmohan Singh to visit Pakistan, but senior leaders in the Congress and government are of the view that the time is just not ripe for a prime ministerial visit. Saubhadra Chatterji & Jayanth Jacob report. Major issues between India and Pakistan
Updated on Jul 31, 2011 02:21 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji and Jayanth Jacob, New Delhi
Somnath backs Kalmadi’s plea to attend parliament
Former CWG Organising Committee chief and Congress MP Suresh Kalmadi’s plea to allow him to attend Parliament’s monsoon session on Saturday received support from former speaker of Lok Sabha Somnath Chatterjee.
Updated on Jul 30, 2011 11:51 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, New Delhi
Controversial urgency clause gets a makeover
In its new land acquisition draft bill, the UPA government wants to restrict use of the “urgency clause”— providing special acquiring powers to states — to avoid a Noida-like situation in future. The draft says that special powers in case of urgency can be applied only in ‘rarest of rare cases’. Saubhadra Chatterji reports.
Updated on Jul 30, 2011 01:30 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, New Delhi
Mamata eyes RJD space in Parliament
After routing the Left parties from political battleground in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress is eyeing to oust Lalu Prasad's RJD from the latter's office room in Parliament building.
Updated on Jul 29, 2011 12:29 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, New Delhi
Pranab snubs Jairam over PM inclusion remark
In the cabinet meeting on the lokpal bill on Thursday finance minister Pranab Mukherjee snapped at rural development minister Jairam Ramesh for wanting to include the PM in the ambit of the Bill.
Updated on Jul 29, 2011 01:59 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, New Delhi
Pranab's son quits as Bengal PSU chairman
After finance minister Pranab Mukherjee’s son and first-time Congress MLA Abhijit Mukherjee stepped down from the chairmanship of a state-run corporation in West Bengal, the Congress leadership has decided to tell West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee not to promote Congressmen arbitrarily.
Updated on Jul 27, 2011 11:51 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, New Delhi
Nehru assistant wants to say goodbye to Congress
When Jawaharlal Nehru first met him in 1951 at the then Congress headquarters at 7 Jantar Mantar, “Panditji first asked my name and his second question was, how many languages I spoke”, Ranoj Basu (85) remembers, “but Panditji never called me by name.
Updated on Jul 26, 2011 11:39 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, New Delhi
Let cabinet see original lokpal draft: Sr Bhushan
As the Union cabinet is set to adopt the new lokpal bill, the civil society raked up its demand for presenting its version of the bill to the cabinet. Shanti Bhushan, co-chairman of the lokpal bill drafting committee, shot a letter to finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday demanding their original draft be placed before the cabinet.
Updated on Jul 26, 2011 11:36 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, New Delhi
Mamata-Centre clash over tax reforms
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s much-demanded financial help for the state has become the latest bone of contention between the Congress and her Trinamool Congress, the second largest partner of the UPA alliance.
Updated on Jul 26, 2011 12:06 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, New Delhi
Report: SP tried to shield Saxena from further probe
As the Delhi Police gear up to quiz politician Amar Singh after Sanjeev Saxena’s arrest in the cash-for-vote scam, the parliamentary probe panel report on the scam shows that Samajwadi Party (SP) had tried to shield Saxena from further police probe.
Updated on Jul 22, 2011 12:03 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, New Delhi
Sulking Jena takes charge 10 days after swearing-in
Away from the media limelight, Srikant Jena finally joined office as the minister of state (independent charge) for statistics and programme Implementation — ten days after the cabinet reshuffle. With Jena’s arrival, all new UPA ministers have now formally joined their respective offices.
Updated on Jul 21, 2011 11:57 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, New Delhi
Jena still to take charge of new ministry
Though Vilasrao Deshmukh took charge as minister of science and technology on Tuesday, Srikant Jena, who is reportedly sulking over the portfolio allocated to him, was still missing from office, eight days after being appointed as the new minister of state (independent charge) for statistics and programme implementation.
Updated on Jul 20, 2011 12:30 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, Delhi
Amar not given clean chit: Deo
As the Delhi police tightens noose around Amar Singh's former aide Sanjeev Saxena in the 2008 cash-for-vote scam, chairman of the panel that probed the issue claimed the committee did not give any clean chit to Singh. Saubhadra Chatterji reports.
Updated on Jul 20, 2011 12:50 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, New Delhi
Pranab pulls up Air India officials for poor handling
Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee took senior aviation ministry and Air India (AI) officials to task for the shoddy handling of the affairs of the state-owned carrier in an action-packed meeting of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on Monday.
Updated on Jul 18, 2011 11:29 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji & Tushar Srivastava, New Delhi
To fight Naxals, engineers to find place in IRB battalions
The government has decided to dress at least 2,000 engineers in khaki to build key infrastructures in Naxal-hit areas, reports Saubhadra Chatterji.
Updated on Jul 17, 2011 02:55 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, New Delhi
House panel pulls up I-T for IPL mess, seeks action on BCCI
The Income Tax (I-T) department received flak from parliamentarians on Thursday for being “lax” and “lenient on BCCI” for the Indian Premier League (IPL) mess.
Updated on Jul 14, 2011 11:20 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, New Delhi
PM meets his team today
With the cabinet reshuffle behind him, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is looking ahead and has called a meeting of his new council of ministers on Thursday. Saubhadra Chatterji reports.
Updated on Jul 14, 2011 03:58 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, New Delhi
Deo brandishes Forest Rights Act
While other new UPA ministers present in Delhi have assumed office, Vyricherla Kishore Chandra Deo spent the entire day at his Lodhi Estate bungalow. Saubhadra Chatterji reports.
Updated on Jul 14, 2011 02:39 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, New Delhi
Trinamool ministers chant Mamata mantra
Mamata Banerjee has left New Delhi to rule West Bengal but her shadow is likely to remain in the capital’s corridor of power. Saubhadra Chatterji reports.
Updated on Jul 14, 2011 12:41 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, New Delhi
Ramesh aims at extensive role in the Naxal strategy
As the newly-appointed cabinet minister, Jairam Ramesh’s elaborate strategy is already in place for his new assignment in rural development ministry. Saubhadra Chatterji reports. Plan ahead
Updated on Jul 13, 2011 10:55 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, New Delhi
Govt mulls tab on MPs Haj quota
In order to plug misuse of recommendations for Haj pilgrims, the Centre plans to fix quota for the parliamentarians and issue them unique numbers. Saubhadra Chatterji reports.
Updated on Jul 12, 2011 11:28 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, New Delhi
Mamata asks for help, Centre says hike taxes
The Union finance ministry wants the West Bengal government to raise taxes and present an early budget if it wants Centre's financial help. Saubhadra Chatterji reports.
Updated on Jul 10, 2011 11:54 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, New Delhi
2 resignations: Then and now
On November 14 last, six top Congress leaders met at PM Manmohan Singh’s chamber in the Parliament building. Apart from Singh and party chief Sonia Gandhi, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, home minister P Chidambaram and Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel were present.
Updated on Jul 08, 2011 10:43 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, New Delhi
Cong won't buckle under pressure on Telangana
The Congress core committee has decided it would not buckle under pressure or do anything in haste on the complex Telangana issue. Top Congress sources also claimed there is no indication of party president Sonia Gandhi cracking under pressure on this issue.
Updated on Jul 07, 2011 10:44 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, New Delhi
Friday release for currency with new sign
A year after its invention, the rupee symbol is all set to enter the mint and leave its stamp on currency.
Updated on Jul 06, 2011 11:39 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, New Delhi
Aftermath of Bengal polls: Left out of Lutyens' Zone
Loss of electoral ground in the last assembly election in West Bengal is translating into a loss of precious real estate in Lutyens’ Delhi for the Left parties.
Updated on Jul 06, 2011 11:28 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, New Delhi
Mamata wants Dinesh Trivedi as next rlys minister
Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee wants party colleague Dinesh Trivedi as the next railways minister in the Union Cabinet.
Updated on Jul 01, 2011 11:53 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Saubhadra Chatterji, New Delhi