A group in Varanasi organized an 'India-Russia Friendship March' to welcome Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of his visit to India for the annual summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The march highlighted the strong ties between the two nations and expressed hope for strengthened cooperation and global peace.
Families of victims of the Red Fort blast identify their loved ones and share their grief, highlighting the devastating impact on their lives.
An overview of the past vice presidential elections in India, highlighting uncontested wins, multi-cornered fights, and notable candidates.
'I hope we can move towards peace, stability, and national unity.' 'I believe most Kashmiris want that too.'
'Mr Modi has the power and pre-eminence in the BJP-RSS to choose how long he wants to serve, and he is definitely going to want to contest in 2029.' 'He will only be 79, as old as Donald Trump now, and fitter,' observes Shekhar Gupta.
'My one recommendation would be to first quell the violence and then encourage dialogue and build the trust among the different communities.' 'This is not easy but necessary, for violence cannot be the way forward.'
The BJP has vehemently criticized the Karnataka government's decision to provide four per cent reservation for Muslims in government contracts, labeling it an "unconstitutional misadventure." The party has pledged to challenge the move in court and has vowed to oppose it at all levels. Meanwhile, the ruling Congress party has defended the reservation, arguing that it aligns with constitutional provisions. The issue has led to heated exchanges in the Karnataka Assembly, with both parties accusing each other of engaging in appeasement politics.
After being elected president of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in 1999, Najma Heptulla rang up the then Congress chief Sonia Gandhi from Berlin to convey the news but had to hold the phone line for an hour as a staff told her that 'madam is busy'.
Thirteen people have also been injured in the accident and admitted to a government hospital.
Heptulla, who had four terms -- 24 years -- in the Upper House as a representative of the Congress, resigned from the party shortly after the Rajya Sabha adjourned on Thursday.
Former Union Minister Najma Heptulla was on Wednesday made Governor of Manipur while ex-Rajya Sabha MP V P Singh Badnore goes to Punjab in new gubernatorial appointments announced for four states with all of them being associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla, who had crossed 75 years, resigned on Tuesday from the Union Cabinet along with Minister of State for Heavy Industries G M Siddeshwara.
It is now almost certain that Najma Heptulla, lately from the Congress and now member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha (Rajasthan) from the Bharatiya Janata Party, is not going to be elected vice-president.
"The story seems to have been planted and aimed at hitting out at the interests of Najmaji," said a senior party leader from Rajya Sabha, who is known for his lung power.
The Rajya Sabha today bid a touching farewell to its members who were retiring after serving their six-year term, including Deputy Chairperson Najma Heptulla and Leader of the Opposition Jaswant Singh
"There is no point talking about her as she has already missed the bus by quitting the party. She must be regretting the moment. The party has made its choice and we are going to stick by it," a senior party functionary said.
Former deputy chairperson of Rajya Sabha Najma Heptulla would contest from Rajasthan.
Vajpayee said this after Heptullah, a veteran Congress leader, heaped praises on him on the sidelines of a book release function.
The sources said Thackeray also had talks with former prime minister and NDA chairman Atal Bihari Vajpayee a couple of days back.
Slamming the Maharashtra government's move to announce five per cent reservation for Muslims in education and jobs, Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla has said the decision reflects all that has been wrong with the Congress's approach towards minorities through the years.
Union Minister for Minority Affairs Najma Heptuallah on Thursday said most of the political leaders wear skull caps to "show off" but do not have respect for it.
Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla has stoked a controversy by reportedly calling all Indians "Hindus". However, she sought to clarify her comments on Friday, saying she had called all Indians Hindi, the Arabic term for people living in India and what she said was "not in relation to the religion but in relation to identity as nationality". She did not call them Hindus, she said.
With the Rajya Sabha term of Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi ending, the BJP will have no Muslim MP among its 395 members of Parliament.
The university administration said the screening will not be allowed and that they are taking all measures to prevent people and organisations with a "vested interest to destroy the peaceful academic atmosphere of the university".
On the ground, rural medical infrastructure and more crucially, women's access to reproductive health services is practically non-existent in Uttar Pradesh, reports Geetanjali Krishna.
'We want high level inquiry. I will present facts to the HRD minister'
Cricket icon Mahendra Singh Dhoni and industrialist Anand Mahindra were on Thursday named in a 15-member panel constituted by the defence ministry to carry out a comprehensive review of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) in order to make it more relevant.
The Janata Dal-United's decision to break its alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party not only changed the political equation in Bihar but also created a buzz in the political circle from Patna to Delhi that whether Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman and JD-U MP Harivansh will continue on his post or going to resign.
'I'm not like Najma at all. I have never taken a beating from my husband and I'm not so optimistic and patient. I am not calm. I am very restless, anxious, hyper...' Secret Superstar actress Meher Vij on her biggest challenge.
The students barged into the V-C office after breaking the lock on the main gate and demanded an FIR against the Delhi Police. V-C said the varsity administration will explore the possibility of moving court for registration of an FIR against the 'police brutality'.
A Pakistani policeman in Lahore allegedly shot dead his sister for wearing jeans, officials said.
Experts, however, have raised concern over the decision, saying the move is akin to treating symptoms instead of the underlying causes.
It is for the first time in the history of Independent India that not a single Muslim is part of the Union Cabinet.
President Pratibha Patil expressed her condolences on the sudden demise of Akbarali A Heptulla, husband of Najma Heptulla, former deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha.
Though embattled Biren Singh has survived the crisis, media reports suggest that restructuring of the cabinet will not be an easy task for him.
President Pranab Mukherjee hosted the season's first big Iftar party at Rashtrapati Bhawan on Monday evening, but conspicuously absent was Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the event was in turn attended by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Minorities Affairs Minister Najma Heptullah with Union Minister and Lok Janashakti Party leader Ram Vilas Paswan. Renu Mittal reports
Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla has rejected the contention that Muslims are feeling insecure under the Bharatiya Janata Party-led regime and said the community has felt alienated since Independence because of the policies of successive Congress governments.
The Padma Bhushan was conferred on 17 personalities including N Chandrasekharan, chairman of Tata Sons, Krishna and Suchita Ella of Bharat Biotech, Cyrus Poonawalla, Satya Nadella, chairman of Microsoft, Sunder Pichai, chairman of Google.
Condemning atrocities on minorities in Pakistan, a Bharatiya Janata Party member demanded in the Rajya Sabha that India raise the issue at international level as it was violation of human rights.
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