Keeping in mind the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh in 2012, AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with a PCC delegation and handed over a memorandum seeking loan waiver for handloom and powerloom weavers in the state. It is estimated that currently weavers’ loans stand at `3,400 crores.

In pursuance of the first round of talks that the Congress panel had with the DMK on the issue of seat-sharing in Tamil Nadu, the team members briefed Congress president Sonia Gandhi on the proposals put forward by them and the response of the DMK. Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is in charge of Tamil Nadu, was also present during the parleys.

In response to the demand from the Congress MPs of the Telangana region for a separate state, Seema Andhra MPs on Wednesday distributed pamphlets to bolster their claim that division of the state is not in the best interest of the country.

The controversial Telangana issue surfaced in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday leading to three adjournments amidst acrimonious scenes. Members of the Congress, TDP and TRS vociferously raised the issue and demanded a statement from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Embattled vice-chancellor of the powerful Darul Uloom in Deoband, Ghulam Mohammed Vastanvi will remain in his post for now but perhaps only for form’s sake. The powerful Majlis-e-Shoora (governing council) of the influential seminary which met in Deoband on Wednesday, while deciding not to remove him despite the resignation offered by him, on Wednesday has appointed Maulana Abul Qasim Nomani as the acting V-C.

Three unidentified men shot dead a jeweller and escaped with jewellery and cash worth lakhs of rupees. The incident took place at the Lal Quarter Market in Krishna Nagar, east Delhi. The deceased, Gaurav Gambhir, 30, died on the spot, said the police.

The air passengers had a hassle-free, swift and smooth ride to Indira Gandhi International airport as the Delhi Metro Airport Express finally line became operational on Wednesday at 2 pm without much fanfare. “The Airport Express line has cut down on money and time. It’s a boon for air travellers,” said Vikas Kanda, a commuter.

An eight-year-old girl who went missing from her Bindapur residence last week, was found dead in a drain in Dwarka. A local saw the body floating in a drain in Sector 5, Dwarka on Wednesday morning and informed the police. The cops rushed her to a nearby hospital where she was declared brought dead.

The Delhi Cabinet on Monday approved about a three-fold hike in the salary and allowances of MLAs and ministers. The Cabinet also approved 15 per cent hike in the minimum wages apart from approving an amendment to Delhi VAT Tax Bill, 2011.