The CBI Director has updated a parliamentary panel on the NEET-UG paper leak investigation, while education ministry officials outlined measures for a fair retest.
'Our leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, are in touch with all Opposition parties, including the DMK and the AAP.'
Thousands of protesters, including children, students, and the elderly, gathered in central Delhi for the Cockroach Janta Party's 'Chalo Sansad' march towards Parliament. The protest, coinciding with the Monsoon Session, led to clashes with police, who used tear gas and lathi-charge, resulting in injuries to both sides and suspension of internet services. Despite police action and barricades, protesters repeatedly attempted to reach Parliament, leading to a day-long standoff.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) chief spokesperson Saurav Das has termed Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation 'non-negotiable' amidst ongoing protests over the NEET-UG paper leak, while Union Health Minister JP Nadda has called for an in-depth discussion on the issue in Parliament.
Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi has launched a scathing attack on the Modi government, accusing it of responding to student demands for accountability and educational reforms with 'cowardice and wanton cruelty,' treating them as 'enemies of the nation.' She further alleged that the government has degraded India's education landscape and routinely chooses violence over dialogue.
The Indian education ministry has undergone a significant reshuffle of top officials, including the removal of higher education secretary Vineet Joshi, amidst widespread controversies surrounding NEET-UG paper leaks and CBSE digital evaluation glitches, with the opposition demanding the resignation of Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
India is navigating a complex diplomatic landscape, attempting to balance its 'forever honeymoon' with the Israel-UAE-Bahrain axis against its historical ties with Iran, as evidenced by recent high-level visits and evolving geopolitical realignments in the Middle East, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Fourteen civil society organisations from Manipur have urged the Centre to update the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state before the completion of Census 2027. They argue this is essential to address concerns over demographic changes and alleged illegal immigration from Myanmar, which they believe has altered the state's population profile.
Three former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MPs, including Sushmita Dev and Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday and, within hours, were named the saffron party's candidates for the Rajya Sabha bypolls from West Bengal, underlining both their political rehabilitation and the party's calibrated shift in inducting leaders from the erstwhile ruling dispensation.
Opposition leaders across party lines have condemned the forced removal of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk from the Jantar Mantar protest site in Delhi, accusing the BJP-led central government of undermining democratic freedoms, curbing dissent, and choosing force over dialogue.
The Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), previously obscure, has gained national attention after 20 rebel TMC MPs merged with it. The Tripura-based party now claims to be the largest parliamentary bloc from West Bengal, holding 20 Lok Sabha seats. Its registered address in Howrah is linked to a couple running an NGO, and a founder member has expressed support for PM Modi and a desire to join the NDA.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has claimed that some dissident MPs are in contact with the party due to fear of public anger in their constituencies, with talks ongoing with at least two. He also criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Maharashtra Minister Girish Mahajan, who had made remarks about the Shiv Sena's legitimacy and the involvement of central investigative agencies. Raut asserted that there is only one Shiv Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray.
Sarthak Sidhant, a Class 12 student affected by the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports on Tuesday to present his findings regarding the implementation of the system and alleged irregularities in the OSM tendering process.
A group of dissident Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs, led by Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia, plans to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to seek recognition as the 'real TMC' parliamentary group, claiming the support of 19 members amidst an escalating internal party crisis.
The TMC is grappling with an extraordinary internal paradox as its legislative faction in West Bengal pledges 'constructive opposition' against the BJP, while a significant portion of its Lok Sabha MPs surprisingly aligns with the BJP-led NDA, exposing a profound ideological schism within the party.
Rebel Trinamool Congress MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar announced that 20 dissident Lok Sabha members from TMC have merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and pledged support to the NDA under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The group expects its numbers to increase to 22 and clarified they have no connection with rebel TMC MLAs in West Bengal. Dastidar also highlighted the alleged non-implementation of central schemes in West Bengal by the previous TMC government.
Sarthak Sidhant, a 17-year-old student from Jharkhand affected by CBSE's online marking system, made a presentation before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Tuesday on alleged irregularities in the tendering process for the selection of vendors for online marking of Class 12 answer scripts.
Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee claims 64 dissident TMC MLAs have submitted their names to the Speaker, constituting over two-thirds of the party's Assembly strength, and has called for a floor test to verify their claims of support amidst a widening split within the Trinamool Congress.
The chairman and secretary of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) have been removed from their positions following allegations of irregularities in the digital evaluation system for the class 12 examination process.
Through his commitment to democratic norms, debate, dissent and constitutionalism, Jawaharlal Nehru helped ensure that parliamentary democracy took deep root in independent India. Utkarsh Mishra evaluates Nehru's 17 years as India's first prime minister, examining his role in nation-building, democratic institution-building, economic planning, scientific advancement and foreign policy.
In a bid to wrest control of the Trinamool Congress, its rebel faction led by Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee on Monday elected MLA Arup Roy as chairperson, marking the sharpest challenge yet to the authority of party founder Mamata Banerjee.
Members of Parliament questioned top National Testing Agency (NTA) officials about the NEET-UG paper leak, with the NTA stating the CBI is investigating the matter. The parliamentary panel also discussed measures to prevent future leaks and reforms within the NTA.
A parliamentary panel has summoned officials from the Union Education Ministry, the National Testing Agency (NTA), and the CBI to address concerns regarding the conduct of examinations.
The Congress party has announced its seven candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Pawan Khera, Meenakshi Natarajan, Praveen Chakravarty, Neeraj Dangi, Mansoor Ali Khan, and Pranav Jha, representing various states like Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and Jharkhand. The elections are set for June 18.
'Present day youth are not interested in the past. They want to see what you are going to do now.'
The rejection of senior Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan's nomination papers transformed what should have been a routine Rajya Sabha election into a lesson in contemporary political warfare.
'Something could happen to me... I understood that day itself that what they had sent me was a final warning.'
'Now if you break the party under the 10th Schedule you have to join another party.' 'You cannot join the NDA as it is not a party. You can only join another party, and that is the BJP.' 'So the question to ask is that these so-called 20 TMC Lok Sabha MPs who are parting ways with the TMC, are they ready to join the BJP and accept Narendra Modi as their leader?'
Former Jharkhand minister Alamgir Alam was released from jail after the Supreme Court granted him bail in a money laundering case linked to an alleged tender scam. He was arrested in May 2024 after a large sum of cash was seized from premises linked to his aide.
The pleas challenging SIR claimed that the Election Commission does not have powers under Article 326 of the Constitution, the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Rules made under it to carry out SIR in a larger form.
Several parts of India are experiencing a severe heatwave, with temperatures soaring past 44 degrees Celsius. States are issuing alerts and taking measures to protect people and animals from the extreme conditions.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has alleged that the people of Diamond Harbour have been unable to exercise their voting rights for a decade. He assured people that the scenario has now changed, and the May 21 repolling in the Falta Assembly seat will re-establish voter rights.
'Congress needs a positive agenda rather than primarily picking up on two business houses.'
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the BJP-led central government of using the proposed amendment to the women's quota law as a front for the Delimitation Bill, which she claims will divide the country. She asserted that her party will fight this move at every step.
Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die, concluding a Budget session marked by the passage of key legislations and the defeat of a Constitution amendment bill on women's reservation. The session saw frequent opposition protests and discussions on various issues, including the West Asia conflict.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that the TMC's rule in West Bengal is nearing its end, citing corruption and unfulfilled promises. He also pledged support for the fisherfolk and a zero-tolerance policy for infiltrators.
Amritpal Singh, chief of 'Waris Punjab De', will be formally arrested again by Punjab Police after his detention under the National Security Act (NSA) ends. He will remain in Dibrugarh Central Jail, where he has been lodged for three years, and face trial via video-conferencing in the Ajnala police station attack case.
Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh has petitioned the Punjab and Haryana High Court, seeking the restoration of his security cover after it was withdrawn following his defection from AAP to BJP. Singh cites a mob attack on his residence and potential threats as reasons for the plea.
'In West Bengal, the BJP's ideology of Hindutva will be customised to cater to the culture and the cultural imperatives of Bengalis.'
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor criticised the government's decision to link women's reservation with the expansion of Parliament, calling delimitation a 'political demonetisation'. He argued that women's reservation should be implemented immediately based on existing parliamentary strength.
