A physically-challenged man in his mid-70s living in an old age home at Gole Market in New Delhi died of burn injuries sustained in a fire struck by a 39-year-old “mentally disturbed” electrician in the early hours of Monday. Two other old men sustained minor injuries. The accused has told the police that he committed the offence to attract the attention of the media.

A 45-year-old man, Anil Jain, who was suffering from a heart ailment, died after being stuck in a traffic jam at Rajghat on Sunday evening. The family alleged that road was blocked to facilitate passage of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s cavalcade and the police did not allow the ambulance to move towards G.B. Pant Hospital despite repeated requests. The Prime Minister’s Office has ordered an inquiry into the incident

The railways is racing to meet a deadline. And how! With the next Railway Budget barely two months away, a flurry of letters has gone out from the Railway Board here directing various zonal railways to introduce the trains that were announced in the 2010-11 Railway Budget by railway minister Mamata Banerjee.

Union telecom minister Kapil Sibal on Monday slammed the BJP for rejecting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s offer to appear before Parliament’s Public Accounts Commi-ttee (PAC) in connection with 2G spectrum allocation. The telecom minister stated that the arrogance shown by the Leader of the Opposition was unacceptable.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday offered to appear before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament on the 2G spectrum allocation issue, making it clear that he has nothing to hide. His offer could puncture the Opposition’s campaign for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to probe the entire issue.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Monday claimed that whenever the Congress finds itself in a difficult situation, it starts making baseless allegations against the Sangh.

Ponnam Prabhakar, an MP from Andhra Pradesh, on Monday, made a pitch for a separate state of Telangana.
Participating in the discussion on the economic resolution, during the 83rd plenary, Mr Prabhakar reminded the party of its December 9 announcement. Batting for a

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said that friendly ties with Islamabad will only be possible when it ensures that its territory is not used for terrorist activities against India.

Reiterating its demand for a JPC probe into the 2G spectrum scam, the BJP rejected Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s offer of appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). The BJP said that though it welcomes the breaking of silence by the Prime Minister on the issue but Dr Singh cannot chose the forum of his “inquiry”.
The party also claimed that Congress’ reference to the BJP at its plenary session shows that the Congress is suffering from “a BJP phobia”.

Putting forth the mantra of “candour and courage” in dealing with situation arising out of soaring inflation, the Congress on Monday admitted that the “foremost concern of the people is the rise in prices” of essential commodities.