The Congress party on Wednesday attacked the BJP-led NDA for making Prime Minister Manmohan Singh the target of their attack on the 2G spectrum allocation controversy. “They are paper tigers,” it said and asked the BJP how many corrupt leaders it has been shielding. Dubbing the main Opposition the “Bangaru Judeo Party”,

Surinder Koli, the domestic help of businessman Moninder Singh Pander, was on Wednesday sentenced to death by Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) judge A. K. Singh for a 12-year-old girl’s murder.

The government on Wednesday offered to convene a special session of Parliament to discuss setting up of a joint parliamentary committee probe into the 2G scam. The BJP-led Opposition, which had paralysed the Winter Session of Parliament on the issue, continued to remain firm on its demand for a JPC probe.

With incidents of piracy and suspected poaching occurring near India’s Lakshadweep Islands, the government has ordered setting up of two Coast Guard establishments in Lakshadweep. Defence minister A.K. Antony will also be visiting Lakshadweep on Friday.

The Cabinet Committee on Security will take a final decision on the constitution of an interim regional authority for Gorkhas in Darjeeling. BJP leader and Darjeeling MP Jaswant Singh on Wednesday said a note detailing various aspects of the interim Darjeeling Regional Authority will be placed in the next meeting of CCS.

The Centre has drawn up a contingency plan to deal with any law and order situation which may arise after the Srikrishna Committee submits its report on the Telangana issue.

Growing consumer concern over spiralling onion prices prompted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to step in on Tuesday and ask the concerned ministries to take the steps necessary for reining in their prices. He has also directed that onion prices be monitored on a daily basis.

The government may soon force some of the top members of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) organising committee (OC), including its chairman Suresh Kalmadi and secretary-general Lalit Bhanot, to step down from the posts they are holding.

The 83rd Congress plenary held here on Sunday and Monday could be different in many ways. While the party’s call for halla bol against the BJP and the Sangh Parivar could project the latter as a natural party of Hindus, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s offer to appear before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament has confused Congressmen and the Opposition as well.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced a relief package of `400 crores to the rain-hit farmers of Andhra Pradesh from the National Calamity Fund as an adhoc advance after 28 Congress MPs from Andhra Pradesh called on him and requested him for a package on Tuesday. The Prime Minister has also promised more support once he receives the report of the survey teams of both the Centre and the state.