Modi On Red Beacons

A Bengal minister today used a lal batti or red beacon on his car, defying a ban on the VIP status symbol ordered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi banned red beacons or lal battis across the country, one man says no power can make him drop it. "I have the permission of the British government," says the chief cleric of Kolkata's Tipu Sultan mosque, Noor Ul Barkati.

The blanket ban on red and blue beacon cars promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi came into effect late last night. And the Centre has tried to make sure that nobody - not even the police - can misuse the flashing lights on vehicles that have, for decades, become a glaring symbol of power, and VIP culture in India.

After Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's initial reluctance to do away with the red beacon or lal batti from his official car, in compliance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's order, one of his ministers in the Congress government has refused to fall in line with the ban that came into force yesterday.

The decision to get rid of red beacons is aimed at removing the VIP culture from the mindset of certain people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today and added that the concept should be replaced with "EPI", meaning "Every Person is Important".

Days after his government's 'ban without exception' on red beacon cars, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the it was also necessary to remove the entrenched VIP culture from people's minds. Stressing on his message that "Every Indian is special" he said, "New India is not about VIPs, But EPI" -- EPI being 'Every Person is Important'.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's order to remove the red beacon or lal batti from cars led to a scramble among Union Ministers and Chief Ministers to comply but the message has taken a week to reach Congress-ruled Karnataka. If Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had his way, his car would not have shed its lal batti even a second before May 1.

A BJP lawmaker in Uttar Pradesh is seen slapping a toll plaza employee in CCTV footage posted on social media. The footage exposes high-handedness by an MLA at a time ministers across the country are removing red beacons or "lal batti" from their cars on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's orders.

For over 18 months, Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari had pursued a proposal to prune the long list of VIPs allowed to use red beacons atop their cars. The decision on his proposal came on Wednesday; Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to put a firm end to the glaring symbol of India's VIP culture from 1 May. Speaking exclusively to NDTV, ...

Every Indian is a VIP and the culture of beacon should have gone long ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said tonight, hours after deciding to bar their use by the VVIPs, including the President, the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers.

From next month, politicians and government officials will be giving up the red beacons on their vehicles. Even the President, Prime Minister and Chief Justice of India will not be able to use their lal battisfrom May 1.

From next month, lal batti or red beacons will be banned for everybody including the President, Prime Minister and the Chief Justice of India. "There will be no exceptions," said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today, announcing after a cabinet meeting that only emergency vehicles like fire engines, ambulances and police vans can have beacons.

A Bengal minister today used a lal batti or red beacon on his car, defying a ban on the VIP status symbol ordered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi banned red beacons or lal battis across the country, one man says no power can make him drop it. "I have the permission of the British government," says the chief cleric of Kolkata's Tipu Sultan mosque, Noor Ul Barkati.

The blanket ban on red and blue beacon cars promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi came into effect late last night. And the Centre has tried to make sure that nobody - not even the police - can misuse the flashing lights on vehicles that have, for decades, become a glaring symbol of power, and VIP culture in India.

After Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's initial reluctance to do away with the red beacon or lal batti from his official car, in compliance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's order, one of his ministers in the Congress government has refused to fall in line with the ban that came into force yesterday.

The decision to get rid of red beacons is aimed at removing the VIP culture from the mindset of certain people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today and added that the concept should be replaced with "EPI", meaning "Every Person is Important".

Days after his government's 'ban without exception' on red beacon cars, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the it was also necessary to remove the entrenched VIP culture from people's minds. Stressing on his message that "Every Indian is special" he said, "New India is not about VIPs, But EPI" -- EPI being 'Every Person is Important'.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's order to remove the red beacon or lal batti from cars led to a scramble among Union Ministers and Chief Ministers to comply but the message has taken a week to reach Congress-ruled Karnataka. If Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had his way, his car would not have shed its lal batti even a second before May 1.

A BJP lawmaker in Uttar Pradesh is seen slapping a toll plaza employee in CCTV footage posted on social media. The footage exposes high-handedness by an MLA at a time ministers across the country are removing red beacons or "lal batti" from their cars on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's orders.

For over 18 months, Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari had pursued a proposal to prune the long list of VIPs allowed to use red beacons atop their cars. The decision on his proposal came on Wednesday; Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to put a firm end to the glaring symbol of India's VIP culture from 1 May. Speaking exclusively to NDTV, ...

Every Indian is a VIP and the culture of beacon should have gone long ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said tonight, hours after deciding to bar their use by the VVIPs, including the President, the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers.

From next month, politicians and government officials will be giving up the red beacons on their vehicles. Even the President, Prime Minister and Chief Justice of India will not be able to use their lal battisfrom May 1.

From next month, lal batti or red beacons will be banned for everybody including the President, Prime Minister and the Chief Justice of India. "There will be no exceptions," said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today, announcing after a cabinet meeting that only emergency vehicles like fire engines, ambulances and police vans can have beacons.