Former President A P J Abdul Kalam, who has been criticised by some parties for disclosing that he was willing to invite Sonia Gandhi to be the prime minister in 2004, has maintained that the Supreme Court had upheld her citizenship and she was "Constitutionally" eligible.
He will be the first head of State to address the nation on the eve of Teacher's Day.
President Kalam wished speedy recovery of those who were injured in the tragedy.
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In a rebuff to Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and the Bharatiya Janata Party, former President A P J Abdul Kalam on Monday announced that he would not contest in the Presidential poll against United Progressive Alliance's nominee Pranab Mukherjee. Issuing a formal announcement, he said he had taken the decision after considering "the totality of this matter and the present political situation".
Former speaker of the Lok Sabha P A Sangma, who was the first one to announce his candidature for the President is watching the political developments very closely. According to sources, if he finds that former President A P J Abdul Kalam is backed by National Democratic Alliance, Sangma may prefer to join electoral fray as vice president.
For former President A P J Abdul Kalam, becoming a fighter pilot was a "dearest dream" but he failed to realise it by a whisker as he bagged the ninth position when only eight slots were available in the Indian Air Force.
President A P J Abdul Kalam presented the awards in Central Hall of Parliament.
Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar's remarks favouring a person with "not too much" of a political mind for the President's post has stirred the pot with parties, including the Congress, chanting the mantra of a consensus candidate in the upcoming Presidential polls.
The President, who is on a five-day visit to France and Greece, had earlier met the students of the International Space University in Strasbourg and also visited the European Parliament.
Former President A P J Abdul Kalam said the Pokhran tests of 1998 were successful as desired yield was obtained. Kalam was reacting to former senior Defence Research and Development Organisation scientist K Santhanam's contention that Pokhran-II tests had not met the desired objective.
India can become economically developed by 2020 if it maintains a GDP of 10-11 per cent as there are nine more years to achieve 'Vision 2020' goals, former President A P J Abdul Kalam said.
Terming as a "serious blunder" the frisking of former president A P J Abdul Kalam at New York's John F Kennedy International Airport, India on Thursday said it would not accept any violation of rules that permit exception for certain dignitaries of the country.
"The political system does not enjoy full confidence of the people despite the good work done over the years," he said addressing Bihar law makers at a seminar '243 Development Pillars of Bihar' at the state legislator premises.
The Centre is expected to constitute an expert group after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's return from abroad and would seek the guidance of former President A P J Abdul Kalam on allaying the fears of the locals opposed to the controversial Koodankulam nuclear power project.
Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal chief Naveen Patnaik on Monday reiterated his party's support to former Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma even as former president A P J Abdul Kalam expressed his unwillingness to contest the presidential poll.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his team, including a powerful former bureaucrat in New Delhi, have failed in their efforts to persuade former president A P J Abdul Kalam to continue as visitor of the upcoming Nalanda International University in the state.
Subramanian Swamy, national president of the Janata Party on Thursday said former President A P J Abdul Kalam is the most suitable candidate for the post of President.
At the RN Kao Memorial Lecture organised by India's spy agency the Research and Analysis Wing, Former President A P J Abdul Kalam had some precise suggestions on how to tackle terror, face a cyber war and improve the quality of intelligence gathering in a rapidly changing world. Read the full speech here
From former President A P J Abdul Kalam to a defence minister and an Indian ambassador in United States -- Shahrukh Khan has the company of the noted personalities who were detained or underwent a pat-down search while passing through an American airport.
India plans to produce about 20,000 mega watt of nuclear power keeping safety features in mind, former President A P J Abdul Kalam on Friday said as he certified the Kudankulam atomic plant as safe.
Farmers in Paliganj are 'immensely contributing' towards optimising foodgrain productivity, former President A P J Abdul Kalam said on Tuesday.
"We will meet President A P J Abdul Kalam shortly and demand withdrawal of the UP governor who is working with malafide and motivated political intentions," Party general secreratry Ramgopal Yadav told reporters in Delhi.
Reader Hemanth Kumar met ex-president A P J Abdul Kalam at the Niagara Falls while the president was on a visit to Canada.
The former President also predicted that the conflict between India and Pakistan would be resolved by people power where "the people are going to force the nations to work for the prosperity of the nation and the peace of the nation."
Former President A P J Abdul Kalam was twice subjected to frisking at New York's JFK Airport by US security officials who even took his jacket and shoes to check for explosives, sparking outrage by India which threatened retaliatory action against US dignitaries.
Giving a thumbs up to the Koodankulam nuclear power project, former President A P J Abdul Kalam on Sunday said he is "fully satisfied" with the safety measures incorporated in the mega power project.
If Indira Gandhi hadn't targeted the RSS, Narendra Modi wouldn't be sitting pretty with his second majority and looking at a third, asserts Shekhar Gupta.
India was forced to go nuclear and develop ballistic missiles to strike a balance of power in the region as "big nations" around the country were armed with atomic weapons, former President A P J Abdul Kalam said on Thursday.
"The 'Kalam-NSS' Energy Initiative is a transformative idea that can up shift the US and Indian economies by meeting the urgent global need for a scalable, carbon-neutral, green, 24-hr renewable power source," CEO of National Space Society (NSS) Mark Hopkins said.
The United States' nonproliferation lobby is apparently relishing the controversy ignited by erstwhile Defense and Research Development Organization scientist K Santhanam that the May 1998 Pokhran thermonuclear tests were not a full success implying that India needs to test again.
An image of the President speaking to visitors in the Mughal Gardens.
The President was about to conclude his speech when the incident occurred.
Mooting 'global sourcing' to deal with challenges faced by humanity, former President A P J Abdul Kalam has asked students to break geographic barriers and jointly focus on formulating strategies for priority areas like food, energy, water and healthcare. Over 500 students, faculty members, including R L Narayan, high commissioner of India, and other dignitaries attended the the 45-minute presentation on Thursday that stressed the importance of sharing knowledge.
80-year-old Kalam was twice frisked at the JFK Airport by security officials who even took off his jacket and shoes to check for explosives before he was to board an Air India flight on September 29.
President A P J Abdul Kalam was on Thursday honoured with South Africa's prestigious Tobias Award, instituted after a renowned scientist of that country.
Former President A P J Abdul Kalam, who turned 80 today, celebrated his birthday by planting saplings along with hundreds of children and farmers.
Long written off as a political force, K N Govindacharya made a strong comeback this week, bringing together a million people -- most of them farmers -- on the platform of alternative development.
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