Man Who Met Vajpayee In 1984 Travels 500 Km To See Him
NEW DELHI: Hundreds of people queued up this morning outside the residence of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Delhi, to pay their last respects to the departed leader.
Heavy security arrangements, including deployment of police, traffic and paramilitary personnel, were in place around the 6-A, Krishna Menon Marg bungalow in the central Delhi.
According to security officials present outside Mr Vajpayee's house, the gates of the residence were thrown open at 7:30 am for the public to pay homage to Mr Vajpayee.
His body would later be taken to the Bharatiya Janata Party's national headquarters at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg.
The final journey to the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal, near Rajghat would begin around 1 pm. Atal Bihari Vajpayee died at Delhi's AIIMS hospital yesterday at the age of 93, following a prolonged illness.
52-year-old Yogesh Kumar arrived in Delhi with a group of people from Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand. The group covered a distance of around 500-km overnight in the hope to have one last glimpse of their beloved leader.
"I had met Vajpayee ji in 1984 when he had visited Uttarkashi en route to Gangotri. He visited the town once again in 1986," Mr Kumar said, as he displayed a picture of Mr Vajpayee with him.
"I have also brought along the Gangajal from Gangotri," he said, hoping to find an opportunity to see him. Another man, in his early 20s, said he had come all the way from Bihar to pay homage to the former prime minister.
"I believe we have lost a great leader in him," he said.
courtesy : ndtv.com
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PM Modi speaks to Iranian president, discusses 'serious' situation in West Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday night spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian over the phone and discussed the "serious situation" in West Asia.
Modi expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions in the region and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure.
The prime minister told the Iranian President that the safety and security of Indian nationals, along with the need for unhindered transit of goods and energy, remain India's top priorities.
“Had a conversation with Iranian President, Dr Masoud Pezeshkian, to discuss the serious situation in the region. Expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure,” Modi said in a post on X.
The prime minister also reiterated India's commitment to peace and stability and urged dialogue and diplomacy to end the crisis.
The prime minister had spoken to leaders of several West Asian countries in the last 10 days in the wake of the coordinated offensive launched against Iran by the United States and Israel, in which the Islamic country's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed last month.
In retaliation, Iran has fired drones and missiles at Israel and US military installations around the Gulf region, including the global business and aviation hubs of Dubai and Doha.
Modi earlier spoke to the leaders of Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Israel and Qatar, and expressed concern over the attacks on their countries, and condemned the violation of some nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He also discussed the welfare and security of the Indian community residing in those countries.
Around 1 crore Indians live in the Gulf and West Asia. While about 10,000 Indian citizens live, study and work in Iran, more than 40,000 live in Israel.
