Instead, Ms Banerjee objected to both Mr Mukherjee and the other (lesser) candidate, Hamid Ansari, India's vice-president.

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In the Rajya Sabha (the upper house), Chairman Hamid Ansari agreed to hold a discussion on FDI in retail under Rule 168 which entails voting.

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Even Vice President Hamid Ansari regretted the development, saying that the Press Council's inability to come out with the report was "a pointer to the problems of self-regulation and the culture of silence in the entire industry when it comes to self-criticism".

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Diamandis pounced and got a meeting with Ansari, her husband, Hamid, and his brother Amir.

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The move to directly confront New Ansari and the Afghan bankers could disrupt the relationship between the U.S. and Afghan President Hamid Karzai because of connections between the money exchange and high level Afghan officials.

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