A Gujarat school is under investigation after staging an Independence Day play that depicted burqa-clad girls as terrorists, sparking outrage from the local Muslim community.
'When maximum voter participation occurs, they do not vote to re-elect the incumbent government. They vote to change it.' 'How can anyone credibly suggest that crores of young voters -- particularly the unemployed youth -- would vote to re-elect an existing government that has demonstrably failed them?'
Members of a Buddhist outfit allegedly vandalised road signboards named after Mughal and Delhi Sultanate rulers in Lutyens' Delhi on Friday. The Bharatiya Baudh Sangh members covered the signboards that come under the jurisdiction of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) with black spray paint. Veer Savarkar Marg was pasted over the signboard of Shahjahan Road, Ahilya Bai Marg was pasted over Tughlaq Lane, Maharishi Valmiki Marg was pasted over Akbar Road and Balasaheb Thackeray Marg over Humayun Road. The incident follows the March 20 defacement of Akbar Road's signboard by unidentified individuals protesting the alleged vandalism of Maharana Pratap's statue at Kashmiri Gate ISBT.
This divergence is likely to intensify political dynamics both within the party and across the state, particularly as the opposition Mahagathbandhan -- comprising the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Congress, and Left parties -- has been aggressively protesting the SIR and demanding its immediate scrapping.
The convoy of West Bengal's Leader of Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, was allegedly attacked by TMC workers during a protest in Cooch Behar. Bulletproof glasses of Adhikari's vehicle were smashed. TMC denies involvement, calling it a 'well-scripted drama'.
'Gandhi had given the call 'Do or Die'. And with all the leaders arrested, you had to be your own leader.'
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M K Stalin announced that his party will file a case in the Supreme Court against the Waqf Bill passed in the Lok Sabha. The opposition AIADMK expressed solidarity with the DMK's stance, while the BJP members staged a walkout from the Assembly in protest. The CM argued that the amendment was passed at the behest of a few allies despite opposition from majority parties and that it is an attack on the Constitution and religious harmony. The DMK claims the bill threatens the autonomy of the Waqf Board and the Muslim minority population.
The Bihar Assembly session was adjourned after a heated exchange between Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and leader of the opposition Tejashwi Yadav regarding the special intensive revision of electoral rolls. The situation escalated quickly, leading to unparliamentary language and a shouting match between members of the ruling and opposition parties.
'Whenever present-day politics do get involved, history sinks to the level of a morality play, with advocates for this or that cause seeking to praise their heroes or condemn their villains.'
'People don't know about the immense pressures that come with this position -- every decision a judge takes affects real people and their lives.' 'This is not a job that one can take lightly.' A
Usman Australia's Usman Khawaja was reprimanded by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday for sporting a black armband after the global body's rules prevented him from wearing shoes with messages of support for Gaza in a Test against Pakistan.
'If you look around the world at people of colour, religion, caste, sexuality or any of the marginalised communities, we are always talking in numbers.' 'We are always assigning them a statistic.' 'That is an easy way to assuage your urban guilt. Because you hide your apathy with hollow sympathy.' 'We are, in a way, making them invisible.'
'The new Waqf bill sows the seed for conflict in every town and village of India.'
'It is not as if Hindus are not being touched at all, and only Muslims are.'
Five minor Hindu girls were allegedly sexually exploited and blackmailed by Muslim accused in the Beawar district of Rajasthan.
'Talking about boycotting polls is simply a move to galvanise party leaders, workers, and supporters for the big political fight.'
'The Pakistan establishment keeps him well protected.'
This special biryani from north Kerala is known far and wide for its distinctive taste that comes from the use of a distinctive rice.
'During the nine years of BJP rule, not a single temple has been reconstructed.' 'They might have constructed the Ram temple as it is an emotional issue. But they are not much interested in issues like heritage.'
'The long term strategy is that this government wants to create a second class citizen list.'
No author in the Malayalam literary canon has influenced and profoundly changed the way normal people interact with each other than the ever-relevant, eclectic yet elusive body of work left behind by MT Vasudevan Nair, notes Arjun Menon.
'He decides who will be Pakistan's prime minister, president, even provincial chief ministers.'
'6 shooters went to kill Dawood in Pakistan.'
Last year, Saudi announced the opening of an alcohol shop in the Diplomatic Quarter of Riyadh to combat the black market and illegal imports. The store is only for non-Muslim diplomats, who must present diplomatic identification before they buy.
Ram Madhvani's series is all over the place and also boring to watch, complains Deepa Gahlot.
It urged Muslims to express their anguish by observing a peaceful bandh, but prevent vested interests from taking advantage of the situation to create trouble.
Bill Aitken came to India nearly 60 years ago. He never returned. An Indian citizen since 1972, he tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih how India changed his life forever.
Subhas Chandra Bose was under house arrest, yet he pulled out a daring escape from his Elgin Road residence in Calcutta to Germany via Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia...
In the months immediately following the 2024 tragedy, reporting on the landslide per se had been a straightforward affair. On one side was death and destruction. On the other side, survivors and the business of survival. It was black and white. What direction to take was clear. Rehabilitation in comparison, felt like a complex situation. One that is fraught with shades of grey. As grey as human life, explains Shyam G Menon.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah asserted that the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 was crucial in ending terrorism in Kashmir. He stated that the provision fostered separatism among Kashmiri youth and impeded the region's full integration into India. Shah also highlighted the development initiatives undertaken in Jammu and Kashmir post-Article 370, including a reduction in terrorism, successful local body elections, and an increase in tourism and film production. He emphasized the significance of writing India's history with facts and evidence, countering narratives that had obscured the country's rich heritage.
The senior politician's arrest was formally recorded after he was brought to Thiruvananthapuram via road from his residence and thereafter, he was produced before a duty magistrate who granted him bail.
'God can you get work, but once you get it, you have to do it with honesty and put your 100 percent into it.'
'Stories can change people.' 'But there's a story we have been afraid to see and hear about ourselves in this industry.' 'A story about which voices we respect and elevate, and which we tune out.' 'Story about who's offered a seat at the table and who is kept out of the rooms where the decisions are made.'
Delhi faces a severe financial crunch and the deficit is largely due to numerous welfare schemes without adequate revenue flowing in. The success of welfare schemes and electoral promises will need careful financial planning and out of the box thinking to whip up additional revenue, notes Ramesh Menon.
Significantly, none of the one-time frontrunners of the temple movement were around. Even former local MP and founder of the Hindu hardline Bajrang Dal Vinay Katiyar kept away from Ayodhya.
All We Imagine As Light remains heart-warmingly affecting because you know experiences like this are few and far between. Payal Kapadia's film-making voice must be cherished, asserts Mayur Sanap.
'...It is important for you to take a stand.' 'It is a sin to remain silent when the basic structure of the Constitution is being attacked.'
'No Indian politician has been killed in India for upholding the Constitution except for Kashmiri mainstream politicians.' 'Yet they call us terrorist or militant.'
Malik used to criticise the BJP-led Central government and the then opposition leader in Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, when he was a cabinet minister in the erstwhile MVA government led by Uddhav Thackeray.
'He is the only president, the only American politician, who had the guts to stand with Hindus.'
