Priyanka Gandhi wants SPG to stop airport privileges for family

NEW DELHI, May 30: Priyanka Gandhi has shot off a letter to the Special Protection Group chief, Durga Prasad, on Friday demanding that the withdrawal of privileges of exemption from being frisked at airports be implemented immediately for her entire family.

According to top Congress sources, Priyanka wrote to Prasad, stating that she, her children and her husband, Robert Vadra, be treated like ordinary passengers at airports when travelling together as a family.

She also stated that she had never asked for this special treatment, and that it was extended by the SPG on operational grounds.

“I would like to bring to your notice that his (Vadra) inclusion on that list came about at the instance of your predecessors in the SPG / Delhi Police and not upon any request by either of us who were informed after the fact. It was done ostensibly to facilitate the coordination of the two separate security agencies at the airport when we travelled together,” she wrote.

Priyanka also communicated that she was unhappy that this issue had been “politicised needlessly”.

Instead, she was happy to be frisked at airports like other commuters at the security clearance, and her husband had expressed the same view on several instances.

“Ever since then, it has been a source of constant embarrassment for my husband, who has asked me on numerous occasions to have it removed as, in any case, he goes through the full security check and procedure from the normal channel every time he is travelling on his own.”

The letter comes at a time when the new civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju Pusapati has hinted at removing the special status extended to Robert Vadra while travelling with Priyanka.

“Since the government is now reportedly considering the removal of his name, I would like to inform you that I do not feel it will be correct for my children and me to avail of the facility of exemption of these checks while entering or exiting the airport when we are all travelling together,” Priyanka wrote.

According to the rules, Robert Vadra is exempted from security checks when he travels with SPG-protected family members. When he travels on his own, he has to pass through customary security clearances.

9 dead as surprise thunderstorm hits Delhi region

NEW DELHI, May 30: At least 9 people were killed on Friday in the NCR region, including 6 in Delhi, as a massive thunder storm lashed the region crippling road traffic, metro services and flight operations and hitting power supply.

Delhi Police said 6 people died and 13 were injured in various areas of the city in accidents like felling of trees, collapse of walls and electrocution following the storm which was accompanied by winds at a speed of over 90 kmph.

The storm struck Delhi at 4:58pm immediately throwing normal life out of gear.

Thousands of people were stranded outside Metro stations and on roads as traffic almost came to a halt due the storm which darkened the sky.

Most areas in city plunged into darkness immediately after the storm as uprooted trees snapped power lines. Metro train services were disrupted on almost all lines for about an hour due to power failure during the evening rush time.Met department termed the storm as "cumulonimbus" and attributed it to western disturbance over Pakistan. NCR areas of east Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad were most affected by the storm.

Met office said similar weather conditions are likely to persist for over the next two days. At least 12 flights were diverted due to the storm, an IGI official said.

Areas in South, East and North Delhi faced long power cuts ranging from one to four hours. Supply of power could not be restored till late in the evening in several areas in North and North West Delhi.

The city saw massive traffic jams as the storm uprooted trees snapping power lines in many areas and affecting traffic lights leading to chaos on the streets.

"The cumulonimbus brings tall thunderstorms and dusty winds with a speed of over 92 kmph and are caused because of western disturbance, which is currently over Pakistan.

"The meeting of cold air and hot air on the Indo-Gangetic plains causes low pressure area and also lot of instability. This results in severe thunderstorm," IMD director general LS Rathore said.

The storm affected northeast Haryana and the NCR. But parts of east Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad were affected the most, he said.

Narendra Modi sworn in as Prime Minister

NEW DELHI, May 26: Narendra Modi was sworn in as prime minister by President Pranab Mukherjee ten days after leading the National Democratic Alliance to a landslide win in the world's biggest election.

The swearing in ceremony here on Monday was attended by leaders from neighbouring countries, top politicians and holy men, and replete with symbolism and grandeur.

Apart from Modi, a total of 44 ministers were also sworn in.

Modi, a former RSS pracharak who sold tea at a railway station as a young boy, showed no signs of emotion or nerves as he read out the oath of secrecy and signed the register, though there appeared to be genuine warmth in the greetings he exchanged with the president.

"I, Narendra Damodardas Modi, do swear in the name of God that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established."

The audience of about 5,000 was packed into the magnificent forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhawan, and included Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif - sitting next to outgoing Premier Manmohan Singh - Afghan president Hamid Karzai, Nepal PM Sushil Koirala, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, former presidents Abdul Kalam and Pratibha Patil and former Prime Minister Deve Gowda.

In a statement on the website of the prime minister's office, which was under transformation from 5 pm onwards and went live after Modi was sworn in, the new PM said, "As we devote ourselves to take India's development journey to newer heights, we seek your support, blessings and active participation."

"Together we will script a glorious future for India," added the 63-year-old Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader.

"Let us together dream of a strong, developed and inclusive India that actively engages with the global community to strengthen the cause of world peace and development," the statement said.

Altogether 24 cabinet ministers were sworn in and the list comprised BJP bigwigs such as Nitin Gadkari, Rajnath Singh, Venkaiah Naidu, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Delhi chief Harsh Vardhan as well as former Union minister Maneka Gandhi.

There were also 10 ministers of state with independent charge including former army chief Gen VK Singh and BJP MPs Santosh Gangwar, Prakash Javadekar and Piyush Goyal.

Also, the list of 11 ministers of state included Upendra Kushwaha, Kiran Rijiju and Sanjeev Kumar.

The youngest minister in the Modi government will be 38-year-old Smriti Irani, who once served at a McDonald's outlet, and the oldest, 74-year old Najma Heptulla, who is the only Muslim in the group.

Ahead of the oath-taking ceremony, Modi had indicated he would not like to have a large cabinet, and that the focus would be on consolidation of portfolios.

Congress congratulates Modi on becoming Prime Minister

NEW DELHI, May 26: Narendra Modi has now become Prime Minister from being the BJP's PM candidate and should act in that spirit, Congress said on Monday extending him best wishes.

Warmly congratulating the new Prime Minister and his Council of Ministers, Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi told newsmen that from being BJP's prime ministerial candidate, Modi has become Prime Minister of the country.

"...that is the difference we note and we expect others to act in that spirit. We wish they will achieve public interest and national interest," he said.

At least 40 feared killed in Gorakhdham Express accident

LUCKNOW, May 26: At least 40 passengers were feared killed and nearly 100 injured in Uttar Pradesh's Sant Kabir Nagar district on Monday in one of the worst train accidents in the country in recent times. The accident took place when the New Delhi-Gorakhpur Gorakhdham Express rammed into a stationary freight train at the Churaid railway station around 10.30 am.

The numbers of people killed and injured were confirmed in a statement by UP director general of police AL Banerjee. The statement also said six coaches of the ill-fated train derailed after the collision.

Railway officials however had a different take on the accident. They said six coaches of the passenger train first derailed and then hit the stationary goods train on the adjacent line of the railway station. The injured included the express train's driver and assistant driver, who were in a critical condition, a railway official said.

“The train derailed and collided with the goods train stationary on the next railway line. We are accessing the situation,” said AK Singh, chief spokesperson of North Eastern Railway.

The brunt of the crash was borne by the unreserved seating coach, which was carrying most of the 40 people feared killed, senior police officer Amrendra Sainger said.

Most of the victims were poor farm labourers returning to their homes from the neighbouring state of Haryana, local police official Zameer Ahmad said. The passenger train had left from Haryana's Hisar town and was just 46km from its final destination of Gorakhpur when the accident took place.

Because of the remote location, “it was difficult to start rescue operations immediately,” Ahmad said. “By the time the police and rail officials reached the spot, local villagers and other passengers had moved the injured away,” he said.

Expressing grief, UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav sent senior cabinet minister Ahmad Hasan to the accident site more than 200km from Lucknow.

Rescuers were working to free people trapped under the toppled coaches and twisted metal. The railways announced compensation of Rs one lakh each to the next of kin of the dead and Rs 50,000 for the seriously injured.

Narendra Modi appointed PM, swearing-in on May 26

NEW DELHI, May 20: Narendra Modi, who steered BJP and the NDA to a landslide victory in the Lok Sabha elections has been appointed Prime Minister on Tuesday, ushering in a new era of a non-Congress government with an absolute majority on its own in 30 years.

"I came to call on the President. The President has given me a formal letter (of appointment as the PM) and has invited me for oath-taking ceremony on May 26 at 6 pm as we had earlier decided," Modi told the media emerging from the meeting with the President Pranab Mukherjee.

Modi's call on the President came after he was unanimously elected leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party and later at a combined meeting of the BJP and its allies constituting the NDA as leader of the coalition.

Later, a Rashtrapati Bhawan communique said as Modi has been elected leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party and BJP has majority support in the House of the People, the President appointed him the Prime Minister of India and requested him to advise the names of members of the council of ministers.

"The President will administer the oath of office and secrecy on May 26 at 6 PM at Rashtrapati Bhawan," President's spokesman Venu Rajamony said.

In his brief interaction with the media outside Rashtrapati Bhawan, Modi displayed the President's letter appointing him to the top post.

Earlier the President greeted Modi on his landslide victory. "Welcome, welcome, welcome," Mukherejee said, receiving a bouquet from Modi.

Offering a bunch of flowers, he congratulated him on his "grand victory".

Before Modi's meeting with the President, a delegation of NDA leaders led by Rajnath Singh and L K Advani called on the President to convey to him the decision of the BJP and the NDA parliamentary parties to choose Modi as their leader.

"Today we had a meeting of the BJP Parliamentary party and we have adopted a unanimous resolution to elect Narendra Modi as our leader.

All the NDA allies were also present. "We have requested the President to invite Narendra Modi for the swearing-in as the Prime Minister," Singh told reporters at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

He said BJP has the support letters of 10 allies of the NDA which includes 335 MPs.

The letter of a one-member ally--Swabimani Paksh of Maharashtra--was not ready and it would be submitted soon.

Singh said 3,000 people are proposed to be invited for the swearing-in ceremony for which time will announced soon.

Constituents of 29-party NDA today chose Narendra Modi as their leader hailing him as “strong” personality with “extraordinary capabilities” under whom the country will prosper and attain a major stature in the world.

In his brief acceptance speech, Modi said that even though BJP got a majority on its own in the Lok Sabha polls, NDA allies will be as important for him as they would have been without it.

CWC rejects Sonia, Rahul offer to resign

NEW DELHI, May 19: After the Congress' colossal defeat in the national election, its top two leaders, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi offered on Monday to resign as president and vice-president, but their colleagues rejected the proposal immediately.

The meeting was chaired by party president Sonia Gandhi.

Accepting the responsibility for the poll debacle, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul had said that the mandate in the Lok Sabha polls was clearly against Congress and added that there was a lot to think about for them.

Despite being saddled with its worst result ever after a campaign that was fronted by Rahul Gandhi, the party's highest-decision making body adopted "a unanimous resolution expressing full faith" in the 43-year-old and his mother.

"They are the best leadership we have," said Amarinder Singh, on the Congress Working Committee's refusal to let the Gandhis quit their posts.

Modi to be elected leader of parliamentary party on May 20

NEW DELHI, May 17: After steering his party to power, Narendra Modi will be formally elected as the leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party at its meeting in New Delhi on 20th May ahead of taking oath as Prime Minister.

The decision to convene a meeting of the Parliamentary Party was taken by the BJP Parliamentary Board, the highest decision-making body of the party chaired by its chief Rajnath Singh and attended by Modi, L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and other top leaders.

The Parliamentary Board also passed a unanimous resolution that hailed the people's verdict in favour of the party and promised to put the country's economy on a growth track while providing a government in accordance with highest standards of probity.

It also appreciated the "inspirational" and "visionary" leadership provided by Narendra Modi while leading the party's campaign aggressively and the efforts put in by its workers and leaders.

Modi, who arrived in the capital a day after Lok Sabha poll results, was accorded a rousing welcome by thousands of enthusiastic BJP workers and supporters to whom he gave credit for the historic achievement and thanked them for rekindling "new hope" through their hard work.

In a brief address to the media, Rajnath Singh said the NDA allies will also be invited for a meeting on the same day where the leader of the coalition will also be chosen.

He dismissed media speculation about Modi's swearing-in saying no date has been fixed and it will be decided after the Parliamentary Party meeting.

Rajnath said the BJP wants to build a country which is "strong, self-respecting and self-reliant".

"The BJP Parliamentary Board records its deep sense of appreciation to the tireless effort and leadership provided by Narendra Modi in this campaign. It was this inspirational and visionary leadership which caught the imagination of the people of India and they reposed faith in it," the resolution said.

Rajnath said, "The BJP Parliamentary Party will meet at 12 noon on 20th May to elect their leader. No need to tell who will be elected." He was addressing the media along with Modi, Advani and other top leaders after over an hour long meeting of the Parliamentary Board, where it also appointed observers to elect its leaders in states where assembly elections took place.

"The people of India have spoken and spoken decisively. For the first time since Independence, a non-Congress political party has got a majority on its own. The NDA has got an overwhelming mandate to govern. "India needs a government which is effectively led, and which can put the country's economy on a growth track, makes it secure and provides a government in accordance with the highest standard of probity," the resolution also said.

Rajnath announced that party leader Thawarchand Gehlot was elected as observer for the 20th May Parliamentary Party meeting where Modi will be formally elected. He also announced that Rajiv Pratap Rudy will be observer for Arunachal Pradesh, Prakash Javadekar for Odisha, Ravi Shankar Prasad for Andhra Pradesh and J P Nadda for Telangana, where newly-elected BJP MLAs will elect their leaders in the respective state assemblies.

Rajnath also said that this was the first time that the political stature of BJP had grown more than the Congress, as no party had ever achieved this earlier.

Addressing partymen, Modi credited BJP's landslide victory to 125 crore people of India and the hard work by millions of BJP workers.

"As a person, Modi requests all of you, don't give credit of this victory to Modi. It is the result of hard work of lakhs of workers. This victory belongs to those four-five generations who have toiled hard since 1952.

"The first credit for this victory goes to 125 crore Indians and the second to those martyred since 1952. In the last 25 years, thousands of our workers were killed in states like Kerala and those who gave up their lives in Tamil Nadu," he said.

Modi broke away from his security cover to go out and address the party workers who had converged outside the BJP headquarters to get a glimpse of their leader and take part in the celebrations.

Manmohan Singh resigns

NEW DELHI, May 17: Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh resigned on Saturday, capping a 10-year tenure of two UPA governments that have been brought to an end by a shattering defeat in the Lok Sabha elections.

81-year-old Dr. Singh drove to the Rasthrapati Bhavan from his official residence 7, Race Course Road, to submit the resignation of his Council of Ministers.

"The President has accepted the resignation of Manmohan Singh and has requested him and his colleagues to continue till the new government is formed," a Rashtrapati Bhavan statement said.

The Prime Minister and Mukherjee, who had worked in Dr. Singh's Cabinet as Finance, Defence and External Affairs Minister, exchanged bouquets.

Dr. Singh handed over his resignation and the recommendation of the Cabinet for dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha, which is just a formality.

After their brief meeting, Mukherjee, in a rare gesture, came to the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan to see off Singh.

They shook hands for some time and were seen in an intimate conversation.

Dr. Singh then also took leave of the Rashtrapati Bhavan officials, including the President's Secretary Omita Paul.

Earlier on Saturday morning, the Cabinet met and recommended dissolution of the Lok Sabha. The Cabinet adopted a resolution lauding the role of Dr. Singh.

Lok Sabha election 2014 results

Following is the party position in the 16th Lok Sabha.

Total number of seats: 543

Results declared: 543

NDA : 336

(BJP, LJP, Shiv Sena, SAD, TDP, NPF, NPP, PMK, Apna Dal, Rashtriya Lok Samta Party and Swabhimani Paksha)

1. Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP): 282

2. Lok Janshakti Party: 6

3. Shiv Sena: 18

4. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD): 4

5. Telugu Desam: 16

6. Naga People's Front: 1

7. National People's Party: 1

8. Pattali Makkal Katchi: 1

9. Apna Dal: 2

10.Rashtriya Lok Samata Party: 3

11.Swabhimani Paksha: 1

12. All India N R Congress: 1

UPA: 62

(Congress, NCP, RJD, AIUDF, IUML, Kerala Congress (M), RSP, SDF) 1. Congress : 44

2. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP): 6

3. All India United Democratic Front: 3

4. Indian Union Muslim League: 2

5. Kerala Congress (M): 1

6. Revolutionary Socialist Party: 1

7. Sikkim Democratic Front: 1

8. Rashtriya Janata Dal: 4

Others:

1. Communist Party of India (CPI): 1

2. Communist Party of India (Marxist): 9

3. All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) : 37

4. All India Trinamool Congress (TMC): 34

5. Janata Dal (Secular): 2

6. Janata Dal (United): 2

7. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP): 4

8. Indian National Lok Dal: 2

9. Telangana Rashtra Samithi: 11

10. PDP: 3

11. Samajwadi Party: 5

12. Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party

(YSR Congress): 9

13. Biju Janata Dal (BJD): 20

14. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha: 2

15. All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen: 1

16. Independent: 3