Tragic: 8 children drown in Ravi River

FAISALABAD: At least eight children of the same family drowned when a motorcycle rickshaw fell in the River Ravi on Saturday, Express News reported. Rescue teams reached the scene and initiated a rescue operation to get the bodies of the children out of the water.

Leader of TTP splinter group Abid Muchar is still alive, say police

KARACHI: Leader of the Tehreek-e-Taliban splinter group Abid Muchar is still alive, police said, Express News reported on Saturday. The police had earlier claimed that Abid Muchar was killed in an encounter with security officials. Police stated that Abid Muchar managed to get away from the Peerabad area of Karachi and was injured at the time he was fleeing. He was able to break through the cordon of police and Rangers personnel. The Abid Muchar group was behind the attack that took the life of inspector Shafiq Tanoli. Tanoli, after the eighth attempt on his life, was killed in Karachi’s Old Sabzi Mandi area on April 24. It was reported that Abid Muchar was involved in more than 50 different criminal cases.

Facebook ties Indonesian fashion designer and Pakistani model into the bonds of marriage

LAHORE: “Everyone is saying like Facebook is a fake book but not for me,” said a Pakistani model, who married an Indonesian fashion designer after speaking to her on Facebook. Pakistani model, Tashvin Bajaj, married an Indonesian woman, Amna, after chatting with her on Facebook, Express News reported. Bajaj stated that at first they became friends but later they developed a deeper understanding.
Facebook unites Pakistani model and Indonesian... by TheExpressNews Facebook ties Indonesian fashion designer and Pakistani model into the bonds of marriage By Saqib NasirPublished: May 17, 2014 Share this articlePrint this page Email Express News screengrab of the new couple. LAHORE: “Everyone is saying like Facebook is a fake book but not for me,” said a Pakistani model, who married an Indonesian fashion designer after speaking to her on Facebook. Pakistani model, Tashvin Bajaj, married an Indonesian woman, Amna, after chatting with her on Facebook, Express News reported. Bajaj stated that at first they became friends but later they developed a deeper understanding. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Overjoyed by tying the knot, Amna told Express News that her parents came to Thailand with her but from there she traveled to Pakistan alone. The Indonesian fashion designer left her home and came to Pakistan to meet and get united with her new found love. “I love my husband so much you know. I love Pakistan also, very great country,” she further remarked, expressing her affection for her significant other as well as Pakistan as a country.

Apple, Google call truce in smartphone patent war

SAN FRANCISCO: Google and Apple, the two technology titans behind the world’s top smartphone platforms, called a truce on Friday in a long-running patent war. “Apple and Google have agreed to dismiss all the current lawsuits that exist directly between the two companies,” the companies said in a joint statement. “Apple and Google have also agreed to work together in some areas of patent reform.” The companies made it clear that the detente does not include licensing their technology to each other. Motorola filed a patent lawsuit against Apple in US federal court four years ago, prompting the iPhone maker to fire back with a patent suit of its own. Litigation spread to more than a dozen other courts. “The parties have entered into a second-class settlement from a position of mutual weakness,” wrote intellectual property analyst Florian Mueller at fosspatents.com. “They had to recognize that under the procedural circumstances their patents were not strong enough to give either party decisive leverage over the other, at least not anytime soon,” Mueller wrote. Google took on the legal wrangling when it bought Motorola Mobility in 2012 in what was seen at the time as a move to use its patents for defending Android operating software in the increasingly litigious smartphone and tablet markets. Early this year, Google agreed to sell Motorola Mobility to China-based computer giant Lenovo. The sale has yet to be completed. California-based Apple has been battling smartphone competitors in courts around the world, accusing rivals using Google’s Android software of copying features from its popular mobile devices. The legal truce between Apple and Google does not take the pressure off South Korea-based Samsung, which has been a prime legal target for the maker of iPhones and iPads. Japan’s Intellectual Property High Court has ruled that Samsung could claim $98,000 from its US arch-rival for use of Samsung’s data transmission technology, found to have been used in Apple’s iPhone 4 and iPad 2. And early this month in Silicon Valley, jurors at a different patent trial held the line on its $119.6 million damages award to Apple in a patent battle with Samsung. While the amount of the award is huge, it is a fraction of the more than $2 billion Apple had sought at the outset of the trial against is South Korean competitor in the hot smartphone and tablet computer market. Jurors agreed that Samsung violated three of five Apple patents at issue in the two-month trial. Jurors also found that Apple violated a Samsung patent, and said Apple should pay its rival $158,400 in damages. Samsung lawyers maintained that the legal onslaught emerged from a “holy war” Apple declared on Google-made Android software used to power smartphones. The argument evidently struck a chord with members of the panel, who remarked after the verdict that Apple and Google should deal with their mobile gadget patent issues face to face instead of in courts. The truce did not touch on Apple patent lawsuits aimed at Google partners who make Android-powered smartphones or tablets. The outcome in the recent Silicon Valley trial pitting Apple against Samsung was sharply different from a 2012 patent trial in the same court. Unlike the previous case in which Apple was a clear winner, this time Samsung prevailed in many areas. In August 2012, a separate jury in the same court decided that Samsung should pay Apple $1.049 billion in damages for illegally copying iPhone and iPad features, in one of the biggest patent cases in decades. The damage award was later trimmed to $929 million and is being appealed.

Islamabad High Court reinstates Zaka Ashraf as PCB Chairman

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) continues to occupy space in national courts, as the Islamabad High Court (IHC) reinstated Zaka Ashraf as the chairman of the body. Justice Noor Ul Haq termed Ashraf’s removal last January illegal, besides questioning the formation of the management committee that worked in Sethi’s chairmanship. Besides reinstating Ashraf the court has also reinstated 38 employees who were recently sacked by the PCB. The new move is once again set to send jitters in the board and the cricket team, the appointment of Waqar Younis (head coach), Moin Khan as the chief selector and manager and the coaching panel including Mushtaq Ahmed and Grant Flower who were set to work with Younis might no longer remain a part of the team management. The chairman musical chairs has severely affected the board and their plans, since May 2013 Ashraf has been sacked twice and reinstated twice, while Sethi has also been brought in and out of office twice. No PCB official was available for a comment on the latest development; on the other hand Ashraf welcomed the decision by the court. “We will continue to take the decisions that favour Pakistan cricket; I am going to take charge of the board and will do the needful for improving our system”. Meanwhile PCB had made public and internal audit last week which reported glaring mismanagement of funds by Ashraf in his earlier tenures, Ashraf though rubbished the claims and stated that all measures were taken in accordance with the rules and regulations of the board and he dint not indulge in any lavish spending.

LIVE Pics: Delhi, Varanasi ready to host Modi’s victory road shows

New Delhi: A day after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured a landslide victory in the just concluded Lok Sabha Elections; India’s soon to be Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Delhi on May 17. Narendra Modi arrived in Delhi to a grand welcome, for a victory procession before meeting his party's top leadership. Modi was seen waving to the crowd dressed in blue and grey from his slow moving SUV. A huge rush of party supportes chanting his name welcomed him at the airport.Saffron and green party flags lined the roads. The city where BJP clean-swept all the seats was totally geared up to welcome Modi since morning. Road show is being organized today in Delhi marking BJP’s massive victory in the Lok Sabha polls of 2014. Modi addressed a massive rally in Vadodara in form of a thanksgiving to the voters of the Gujarat city, the other constituency where he scored a win for himself, on May 16. BJP leader landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport at 9:30 am on May 17 and thereafter moved towards the BJP Headquarters. The victory lap began from Dhaula Kuan and cover 11 Murti Lane, 3 Murti Lane, Akbar Road Junction to Akbar Road, Janpath Road, Hotel Le Meridian, Central Secretariat and will end at Ashoka Road. The Delhi Traffic Police is completely geared up and already issued a traffic advisory to the general public about the visit. After completing the victory lap Modi is expected to attend a BJP Parliamentary Board meeting at the BJP office at around 12 p.m. Thereafter, he will fly to Varanasi, the second constituency where he scored an emphatic victory. He is scheduled to perform a Ganga aarti thee. Then, at day’s end, he will fly back to Ahmedabad.

Say NO to dandruff with these super easy tricks

Are you tired of whisking away dandruff flakes off your shoulders all the time? A common problem, dandruff can turn into a serious scalp issue if proper care is not taken. Even though anti-dandruff shampoos help, they are not a permanent solution as dandruff always returns. While some might think that, what is the harm in having some harmless white flakes aka dandruff around! Let us tell you that dandruff is very harmful as it destroys the hair from its roots making it dull and rough. You can permanently get rid of dandruff with products available in your own kitchen. Try these easy home remedies: 1. Boil beetroot leaves in water. Use this water to wash your hair. Dandruff will disappear. 2. Washing your hair with reetha will remove dandruff. 3. Applying curd on your scalp twice a week will kill dandruff. 4. Regularly massage your hair with mustard oil. 5. Make a paste of 4 teaspoons besan in a glass of water. Apply it on your hair

10 amazing facts about the human body, which will blow your mind!

There is nothing more miraculous than a human body. It can be rightfully said that, the human brain is the most complex living structure on earth. We bring to you some very interesting facts about the human body, which will leave you enthralled. -Hugging releases oxytocin,which helps to heal physical wounds,makes someone trust you more ! -Do you know that your Toe-prints are also unique , just like your finger prints ! -You know ,you have no sense of smell when you're sleeping! -An average person has over 1,460 dreams a year! -The human body has enough iron in it to make 3 inches long nail. -All babies are colour blind when they are born ,so they only see black & white. -Do you know ,it is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open ! -Your brain is move active and thinks more at night than during the day. -Do you know ,your brain is 80% water? -Men get hiccups more often than women.

Twist in Sahara scam case: SC judge recuses himself from hearing case

New Delhi: In a sudden twist in the Sahara Group case, Supreme Court judge Justice J S Khehar has recused himself from hearing the matter following which a new bench has been constituted. "A communication dated May 6, 2014 received from Justice J S Khehar was placed before the Chief Justice of India on May 7. On May 7 itself, the CJI has been pleased to constitute another bench to hear the matter relating to Sahara Group," Rakesh Sharma, Deputy Registrar of the apex court, said in a release today. The release, read out by the official at a press conference here, said that Justice Khehar had written a letter the day when he and Justice K S Radhakrishnan decided a petition filed by Sahara Group chief Subrata Roy. Justice Radhakrishnan, who retired on May 14, has gone on record saying that the bench was under immense pressure in the Sahara case. The SC official, however, did not disclose the details of the new bench which will now hear the petitions relating to Sahara Group. The bench of justices K S Radhakrishnan and J S Khehar in its May 6 judgement had upheld its order jailing Subrata Roy and rejected his claim that rules of natural justice were not followed in the case. 65-year-old Roy, who has been in jail since March 4 for non-refund of over Rs. 20,000 crore to depositors, was asked by the court to make a fresh proposal for paying Rs. 10,000 crore to get bail. The court had passed the order on a petition filed by Roy challenging constitutional validity of its order passed on March 4 by which he was sent to jail for not complying with its order to deposit around Rs. 20,000 crore of investors money with SEBI. The bench in a strongly-worded judgement had come down heavily on the Group for "systematically" frustrating and flouting all its orders with impunity on refunding investors' money. It had said the Group "adopted a demeanour of defiance constituting a rebellious behaviour, not amenable to the rule of law" and justified its decision to send Roy along with two promoters of two Sahara companies to jail. The bench had said that it started adopting sequentially harsher means to persuade compliance of its order on refunding money leading to Roy's detention after all the efforts to "cajole" the two companies and the petitioner were "methodically circumvented". It had also slammed Roy's plea seeking its recusal from hearing the case. "We find no merit in the contention advanced on behalf of the petitioner, that we should recuse ourselves from the hearing of this case. Calculated psychological offensives and mind games adopted to seek recusal of Judges, need to be strongly repulsed. "We deprecate such tactics and commend a similar approach to other Courts, when they experience such behaviour," it had said. The bench had said that the two companies of which Roy is a promoter "flouted" various orders passed by the SEBI, SAT, the High Court and of this Court, with impunity which cannot be allowed. The apex court had held that various proposals made by Roy and the Group on depositing money turned out to be "ploys to sidetrack and derail the process of law". It had said that the apex court, before passing the order for sending him jail, had "immaculately" followed the procedure and Roy and other contemnors were afforded an opportunity of oral hearing before the order was passed. It had also brushed aside the contentions of the Group that money had already been substantially refunded to investors saying the stand has been rejected earlier also and the contention is untenable. The apex court had earlier imposed a condition that Roy, who is in jail since March 4, will be freed on bail only if he pays Rs. 10,000 crore out of which Rs. 5,000 crore has to be in bank guarantee and rest Rs. 5,000 crore in cash.

SHOCKER: US woman tourist molested by cabby en-route Rishikesh

New Delhi: A woman tourist from USA was molested by a taxi driver in Uttar Pradesh on Delhi-Dehradun highway. The unfortunate incident happened at around 1 in the morning on Tuesday near the Nayi Mandi Kotwali region. The police arrested the driver from Muzzafarnagar in Uttar Pradesh. He was identified as Samay Singh from Saharanpur. The woman hired a taxi from Delhi to visit Rishikesh city located at shore of Ganges. Thereafter, the driver allegedly molested the woman on the way. The police have filed a case under section 354 of Indian Penal Code and sent the driver to jail. The woman was rescued by people from the nearby eating joint after she started screaming. They heard her and ran towards the isolated area help her. They hauled up the driver and called up police to hand him over.

4.4 lakh people in Gujarat opted for NOTA in Lok Sabha elections

Ahmedabad: The results of 16th Lok Sabha Elections in India were declared on May 16. The early trends indicated the victory of Narendra Modi led BJP in the country. However, the final results were no surprise. BJP managed to attain 282 seats and won in majority without the help of NDA. Modi was fielded from Vadodara in Gujarat and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. BJP won all the seats in Gujarat and surprisingly acquired 72 seats in Uttar Pradesh. While Modi won by a margin of 570128 votes in Vadodara, you will be astonished to know that 4.4 lakh voters in Gujarat opted for 'none of the above' option. The three tribal seats in the state garnered maximum number of NOTA votes. The Lok Sabha seat on eastern tribal belt recorded more than 32000 NOTA votes while constituency near Chotta Udaepur and Valsad got 28800 and 26500 votes. The political analyst Professor PM Patel said 'This is the first time NOTA is being introduced and most educated urban voters are yet to fully understand its role. So, such a trend in tribal areas is surprising and seems to be mostly a result of lack of awareness or cases of listless voters.' Narendra Modi's constituency in Gujarat, Vadodara, recorded 18052 NOTA votes. In the meanwhile, Bharuch and Sabarkantha regions received 23600 and 21500 votes respectively.

BoltiBand: After Modi’s historic victory, these people might want to take their comments back!

New Delhi: Prime Minister designate Narendra Modi led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a landslide victory in the dramatic Lok Sabha Elections. They were truly a historic moment for Indian politics as it was for the first time that any party gained clear majority since 1984. BJP secured 282 seats for itself while NDA has 336 seats in total. These elections have been the most happening and the eventful elections of all times. Many politicians had the foot-in-the-mouth moment during these elections. From Rahul Gandhi to Arvind Kejriwal, Modi was criticised by every party and politician. But after this historic and landslide victory, there are some comments which seem to have fallen flat. Dailybhaskar.com brings you some examples of what some politicians said about Modi who might want to take their statements back.

Lalu Yadav – I stopped the guru, now I will stop the chela. (He said this referring to LK Advani as the guru and Modi as the chela.)

Nitish Kumar – “I am more qualified for PM post than Narendra Modi.

Sonia Gandi – “Narendra Modi, who is dreaming to become the Prime Minister must keep in mind this great country's rich culture and generosity.

Rahul Gandhi – “These are challenging elections and we will win them.

Arvind Kejriwal – “We will win with a huge majority. Modi doesn’t even have the time to ask votes from the people.”

Mani Shankar Aiyar – “I promise you in the 21st century Narendra Modi will never become the Prime Minister of the country… But if he wants to distribute tea here, we will find a place for him.”

Kamaal R Khan – “It’s my challenge that if Modi ji will become PM of India then I shall do sex change and marry with Karan Johar.”

Jairam Ramesh – “No Modi leher, only Modi zeher.

Kapil Sibal – “My experience says Modi will never become the Prime Minister.”

Kumar Vishwas – “I am confident that Rahul Gandhi will not only lose but will lose by a big margin

PICS: In Atal’s Lucknow Rajnath crosses his victory margin

Lucknow: BJP national president Rajnath Singh surpassed the highest victory margin of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee of 2.18 lakh votes, set in 2004, by winning the seat with a difference of over 2.72 lakh votes. Singh, however, could not touch the highest percentage of votes secured by Vajpayee, 57.82 per cent in 1998, who contested from Lucknow eight times since 1951 out of which he remained successful five times. Rajnath won the Lucknow LS seat by garnering 55.7 per cent of the total 10,06,483 votes polled which included 4,596 "none of the above" (NOTA) choice exercised by the voters. Vajpayee has won the seat in 2004 with a victory margin of over 2.18 lakh votes defeating his nearest rival Madhu Gupta of Samajwadi Party and garnering 56.12 per cent of the total votes polled during the elections. However, in terms of poll percentage, the most spectacular victories were recorded by former Chief Minister of the State Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna who contested on Bhartiya Lok Dal ticket in post-emergency elections of 1977 to claim 72.99 per cent of total votes. Bahuguna's daughter Rita Bahuguna Joshi, a Congress MLA and former UPCC Chairman, remained runner up in these elections managing 2,88,357 of the total votes.

For Vajpayee, Lucknow was always not a bed of roses as he was defeated as Jan Sangh candidate in 1951, 1957 and 1962 elections when Congress' Vijai Laxmi Pandit, PL Banerjee and BK Dhaon won the seat.

The moderate face of BJP again came back to Lucknow in 1991 when Mandir movement was at the peak and won the seat consecutively five times before chosing not to contest in 2009 when he bowed out of active politics.

How BJP sold 'BRAND MODI' to India and succeeded in harnessing the most advanced IT tools

New Delhi: The results are out and it is confirmed that Narendra Modi would take office as the next Prime Minister of India. The election results are beyond doubt; no alliances to be forged, there’s no loose coalition to be formed, no decision needed from the President……it has been a clean and clear Modi win. Modi, the PM designate, addressed 437 big rallies, participated in a total 5827 public interfacing events and traveled over three lakh kilometres across 25 states in his attempt "to connect himself to the people everywhere." The BJP claimed this was the most comprehensive outreach programme undertaken by a single leader in any election in India's history. Modi would have undertaken the largest mass outreach in India's electoral history by travelling about 3 lakh km addressing public meetings in 25 states besides 1350 innovative 3D rallies, the party said. A big part of Narendra Modi’s electoral blitzkrieg was based on smart use of technology. Not only the use of social media, but also the use of appropriate messages about technology and its role in national development have been commendable. BJP created ‘BRAND MODI’ The Narendra Modi -led Bharatiya Janata Party had won or led in 282 seats in the Lok Sabha polls of 2014 and, along with its allies, the tally was 325. BJP’s sweeping victory could, perhaps, be ascribed to the Modi’s Irresistibility Quotient. Perhaps that is where brand Modi scored, thanks to the giant team of experts he hired to create one of the most successful media, marketing and branding campaigns in India’s electoral history. It could not be faulted for inconsistency in communication that was high-decibel, relentless, unfaltering and expensive. The Congress has, more than once, alleged that the BJP spent between Rs. 5,000-10,000 crore on its campaign. In fact, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that the BJP out-funded the Congress in media spends. On Friday, Ajay Maken, who was in charge of devising Congress’s communication strategy, admitted that BJP outshone their campaign. It’s not easy to confirm BJP’s exact advertising budgets even though the party claims they were modest. However, it is not tough to figure out that they outsmarted the Congress in theme, content and extent of communication. To be sure, BJP ran a 360 degree, full-fledged campaign that included mass media such as print, television, radio and outdoor, new media such as online and social media, and events and on-ground activities, traditionally categorized as below-the-line. These included rallies and other appearances, consumer touch points at tea stalls and much else. For mass media, BJP engaged the best brains in advertising—Prasoon Joshi, lyricist and president, South Asia, at advertising agency McCann, who wrote the BJP anthem and Piyush Pandey, executive chairman and creative director, South Asia, at Ogilvy and Mather, whose agency Soho Square created the lead campaign with the tagline Ab ki baar Modi sarkar. Clearly, the communication was sharply focused on Modi and the tenor of the campaign was determined with the help of BJP party members Piyush Goyal and Ajay Singh. Modi’s image was ubiquitous in this campaign. He stared out of full, front page ads in newspapers across languages, commercials across television channels and hoardings across cities, especially Delhi. Commercial time was bought big time on radio networks to reach out to the smallest cities. The success of Modi’s digital media strategy story has been well documented by the Indian and international press. For a start, Modi made inroads into the microblogging site Twitter and amassed a following of four million. India has 13.31 million active users on Twitter who are above 15 years and access Twitter via PCs and laptops. Modi’s media managers made the best use of technology to reach out to people in media dark areas. Vehicles equipped with the required paraphernalia, including his pre-recorded video messages were sent into remote villages to scale up the campaign footprint. Even the gimmicky concept of chai pe charcha or ‘discussion over tea’ seems to have clicked. People flocked to tea stalls where they could see or talk to Modi over a webcast and sip tea from paper cups with his picture on them. A Financial Times blog reported that Modi was present simultaneously at 150 locations, thanks to the 3D hologram images created for his public meetings. In the last few months, he is said to have addressed over 400 major rallies. The outcome of any campaign depends on how good you are and how bad the opponent is. Advertising professional Swapan Seth thinks that Modi had a firm-footed strategy and nimble-footed tactics. The marketing campaign was brilliant and the tactical responses were cutting-edge. If BJP’s marketing was brisk and interactive and the tone of its media campaign was decisive, the Congress campaign, with the tagline Har haath shakti, har haath tarakki, failed to impress. Since Congress was low on confidence, its campaign failed to land a punch. It’s over to Modi now to deliver on his brand promise and deliver long-term value. BJP as a party with medieval values succeeded in harnessing the most advanced IT tools. The Congress, on the other hand, had failed to use modern tools.

Modi’s first address post win: ‘Victory credit goes to people of India’

Vadodara: Narendra Modi addressed a victory rally in Vadodara on Friday after the historic win in Lok Sabha Elections 2014. Modi contested election from Vadodara. He thanked voters for the thumping victory of BJP. He thanked people of Vadodara for his record victory from this constituency. Modi said: "People of Vadodara have shown way forward and I am aware of your problems". Talking about Varanasi, Modi commented: “I was not allowed to talk to my voters in Varanasi but people have given support to my silence”. Modi reiterated that his government will try to take along all parties for the growth and development of India. Government belongs to common man not to just few people, Modi said as he presented a vision for India. As the cheers grew louder, Modi said: "Every atom of his body, every second of my day is dedicated to 125 crore Indians". In a gracious 45-minute victory speech here, Modi said the government does not belong to any particular party but to all the people of the country. "For a government, no one is a favourite, nor is anyone an alien," he asserted to a cheering crowd of supporters whom he thanked for giving him a victory by 5.70 lakh votes. Committing himself to running the country in the best spririt of the Constitution, Modi said, "my responsibility is to take everyone along in running the nation." "In a democracy, there are no enemies but only competitors. That competition ends with elections," he said, adding his motto is "sabka sath, sabka vikas' (with all, development for all). Narendra Modi has not only accomplished mission 272+ but he has done this is great style. 'Abki baar Modi Sarkaar' has now become a reality. The party is set to win 281 seats on its own, nine more than the majority mark - which means that it could have formed government even without its pre-poll allies. Together with its allies in the National Democratic Alliance, it will win more than 330 seats, which will ensure that it needs no post-poll allies to help form a stable government. This is biggest mandate for a party since 1984. Congress party has suffered its worst seat tally in India's election history. Speaking to media, Ravi Shankar Prasad said that this marks an 'epochal moment in the history of India' Meanwhile BJP President Rajnath Singh congratulated party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi over the party's performance in Lok Sabha Elections.

PM Manmohan Singh addresses nation, delivers farewell speech

New Delhi: Outgoing PM Manmohan Singh delivered his last speech today. Here is the complete version of his farewell speech. PM's address to the Nation "My Fellow Citizens, I address you today for the last time as Prime Minister of India. Ten years ago, when I was entrusted with this responsibility, I entered upon it with diligence as my tool, truth as my beacon and a prayer that I might always do the right thing. Today, as I prepare to lay down office, I am aware that well before the final judgment that we all await from the Almighty, there is judgment in the court of public opinion that all elected officials and governments are required to submit themselves to. Fellow citizens, each one of us should respect the judgement that you have delivered. The just concluded elections have deepened the foundations of our democratic polity. As I have said on many occasions, my life and tenure in public office are an open book. I have always tried to do my best in serving this great nation of ours. In the last ten years, we as a country have seen many successes and achievements that we should be proud of. Today, India is a far stronger country in every respect than it was a decade ago. I give credit for these successes to all of you. However, there is still vast latent development potential in our country and we must collectively work hard to realize it. As I leave office, my abiding memory will be the love and kindness that I have always received from you. I owe everything to this country, this great land of ours where I, an underprivileged child of Partition, was empowered enough to rise and occupy high office. It is both a debt that I will never be able to repay and a decoration that I will always wear with pride. Friends, I am confident about the future of India. I firmly believe that the emergence of India as a major powerhouse of the evolving global economy is an idea whose time has come. Blending tradition with modernity and unity with diversity, this nation of ours can show the way forward to the world. Serving this nation has been my privilege. There is nothing more that I could ask for. I wish the incoming government every success as it embarks on its task and pray for even greater successes for our nation. Thank you. Jai Hind."

Final Tally - Indian Elections

Top 5 promises that Modi government should fulfill at the earliest

New Delhi: With Modi wave sweeping the nation saffron finally, all speculative theories have come to an end for once and all, with new prime minister all ready to take oath along with 12 of the ministers forming a part of his cabinet, a new era has begun in the national politics. Though cheers for the landslide victory may find echoes in the country’s air for a few more days, before they subside, it’s important to remind the Modi Sarkaar about the tall claims and promises made by it in its pre-election released manifesto. The BJP manifesto pledges 'Ek Bharat, Shreshta Bharat - Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' (One India, Best India - Unity and Development for everyone). Here are the top 5 promises that Modi government should fulfill at the earliest: • Tackling price rise The first and foremost is to tackle the “inflation monster” that has hit the common man the hardest in the past three to four years. With Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) hovering at 8.59 per cent and Wholesale Price Inflation (WPI) dancing around 5.2 per cent, there is nothing more important than looking for the solution at the earliest. Although, BJP has mentioned it as a priority in its manifesto, it’s still to be seen how it would be achieved. One of the ideas is to distribute Food Corporation of India's (FCI’s) surplus food grain in the open market to increase supply in the market and also re-formulate how minimum support price is calculated. The government should also reduce the middleman's influence in selling fruit and vegetables. • Ending policy paralysis The best BJP led NDA government would be doing is breaking away policy log-jam and ending the existing policy paralysis. A strong leadership, that is ought to be there with Modi like so called strong leader at helm, policy paralysis is bound to end. It can help in improving the country's economy and infrastructure, and curbing corruption as well, giving further fillip to the GDP if the country which is at about below 5 per cent level from double digit figure of some years back. • Tax Reform As professed by the BJP in its election manifesto, the new government should surely bring out policies that help in widening tax base in the country and include larger section of the society in the tax net. NDA should also implement Direct Tax Code and Goods and Services Tax. However, these processes also require parliamentary approval. • Bringing back black money BJP has mentioned that black money stashed away abroad would be brought back if NDA returned to power and it would be used for the welfare of the poor and to reward honest income-tax payers. It would be a big plus for the nation if thousands of crores stashed in foreign tax havens could be bought back at the earliest. As per rough estimates, the cash constitutes US$ 1000 Billion. • Generating employment and encouraging entrepreneurship The Bhartiya Janata Party's 2014 party manifesto has put job creation and entrepreneurship as one of its priorities if comes to power. The policy for the same should be drafted in such a way that it targets all demographic groups, cover all aspects of entrepreneurship based on innovation related provisions.

SOURCES: Sonia and Rahul Gandhi may offer resignations after Congress' debacle in polls

New Delhi: After Congress’ worst defeat in the history of independent India, the Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice President, Rahul Gandhi addressed the media and took responsibility for the party’s performance and debacle in the 16th Lok Sabha Elections. Now the party sources say the Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi may offer to resign. According to Congress party sources, they are likely to make the offer at a meeting on Monday of the Congress Working Committee, the party's top decision-making body, in a move that will largely be symbolic as party leaders are unlikely to accept it. Sources say emotional speeches will set the tone for deep introspection on the Congress' spectacular rout. India's oldest party was reduced to double digits in Parliament and failed to win a single seat in 10 states, as a long and grueling campaign by Rahul Gandhi failed to stop the tide of public anger. Yesterday, both leaders made brief statements to the media after their party's debacle. "Congress has done pretty badly, a lot for us to think about. As vice-president, I hold myself responsible," said Rahul Gandhi. Sonia Gandhi spoke in Hindi and said, "The people's verdict is against us... As Congress president I take responsibility for the defeat." She congratulated the BJP on its massive win. In Uttar Pradesh, Congress won only two seats including Pradesh - Sonia Gandhi in Rae Bareli and Rahul Gandhi in Amethi. In all, Congress won 44 seats whereas BJP won 282 seats alone.