Union Home Minister Amit Shah accuses West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of facilitating illegal immigration from Bangladesh, leading to demographic changes. He promises to end infiltration if BJP wins the upcoming elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized the Congress party following the NDA's victory in the Bihar assembly elections, accusing them of divisive politics and highlighting the rejection of casteism and communalism by the people of Bihar.
According to an FIR registered at Edachery police station, around 200 people marched towards the Congress office carrying dangerous weapons and vandalised the building, causing damage estimated at around Rs five lakh.
In a fresh twist to the ongoing power struggle in Karnataka, caste groups backing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar on Thursday threw their weight behind them, with one warning Congress against unseating the incumbent CM while the other community strongly batted for Shivakumar's elevation.
Home Minister Amit Shah defended the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Lok Sabha, accusing the opposition of spreading falsehoods and questioning the safety of democracy if leaders are chosen by infiltrators.
The power tussle within the ruling party has intensified, amid speculations about chief minister change in the state after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, in the backdrop of an alleged "power-sharing" agreement involving Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar in 2023.
Forty-two members of the United States Congress, led by Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and Congressman Greg Casar, have written to Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding immediate sanctions against senior Pakistani officials for what they termed an 'escalating campaign of transnational repression and worsening human rights crisis in Pakistan' under the military-backed government of Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir.
Tharoor said he was not invited to campaign in the Bihar election, while noting that the Congress would examine the reasons for its defeat.
Rahul Gandhi was 'punished' with ten push-ups for arriving two minutes late to a Congress training camp in Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh. The 'punishment' was part of a discipline rule set by AICC Training Department head Sachin Rao.
This is the fourth such death reported in the state since the exercise began on November 4, sparking a political blame game.
The report describes the Pahalgam terror attack orchestrated by Pakistan as 'deadly insurgent attack that killed 26 civilians in India's contested Jammu and Kashmir region.'
Sudha, who is staying at Tamil Nadu Bhavan in the area, was out on a routine morning walk when the unidentified persons snatched her gold chain and fled the spot, police said.
In a federal democracy, the people must have a say (indirect or direct) in an office as important as that of governor. Especially in a governor who can now effectively veto a bill by simply refusing to sign it, argues Harishchandra.
The passing of bills without Parliament, including the treasury benches, having any real understanding of what they contained through any rigorous process has accelerated through the Modi era, points out Aakar Patel.
'The move to appoint a person with a profile, markedly lower than the leader Nitin Nabin will replace, has the potential to put the brakes on the careers of several others in the party and government in the positions they currently hold,' points out Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
Booth-level officers in Kerala boycotted work following the suicide of a colleague allegedly due to work strain related to the Special Intensive Revision exercise. Trade unions and political leaders are demanding investigations and changes to the process.
West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose led a search operation at the Raj Bhavan following allegations by a TMC MP that arms and ammunition were stored there.
The Odisha Assembly Speaker, Surama Padhy, suspended 12 Congress MLAs for seven days for indiscipline in the House. The suspension followed a motion moved by the government Chief Whip, Saroj Pradhan. The suspended MLAs include the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader, Rama Chandra Kadam, and other prominent figures. The Congress members protested the decision, playing gongs and demonstrating in the assembly. The opposition BJD condemned the move, calling it motivated to suppress the voice of opposition. The Congress party demanded the withdrawal of the suspension order and criticized the government's actions. The House was adjourned multiple times amid the pandemonium.
Lobbying has intensified among NDA partners in Bihar for the post of Speaker in the assembly, with BJP MLA Prem Kumar considered a frontrunner. A special assembly session will be convened soon to elect the Speaker.
Several opposition MPs have submitted a notice to the Lok Sabha Speaker to move a motion for the removal of Madras High Court Judge G R Swaminathan over his order regarding a temple lamp.
Booth-level officers in Kolkata scuffled with police during a protest against alleged excessive work pressure related to the ongoing SIR process. The officers allege unrealistic deadlines and lack of support from the Election Commission.
The first phase of polling for municipal councils and nagar panchayats in Maharashtra was disrupted by violence and allegations of bogus voting. Clashes occurred between supporters of ruling allies BJP, NCP, and Shiv Sena. The Bombay High Court directed the SEC to postpone the counting of votes.
Sources close to the top BJP leadership tell me that Tharoor has already had secret meetings with the BJP's top brass and is waiting patiently to make his next move, reports Ramesh Menon.
The Assam government has introduced a bill to ban polygamy, proposing imprisonment for offenders while excluding Scheduled Tribes and Sixth Schedule areas from its purview.
The Lok Sabha will debate the 150th anniversary of 'Vande Mataram' and electoral reforms after an all-party agreement, potentially breaking the logjam over discussions on Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Speculation is growing that former Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin may be inducted into the Telangana Cabinet. The Telangana PCC President neither confirmed nor denied the possibility. If inducted, Azharuddin would be the first minority minister in the current cabinet.
Union minister Raksha Khadse of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday alleged that Shiv Sena workers were intimidating people in the Muktainagar assembly segment in her home district of Jalgaon in north Maharashtra, a claim exposing strains between the two Mahayuti allies.
The Calcutta high court on Friday refused to intervene in the construction of a mosque -- modelled on Ayodhya's Babri Masjid -- at Beldanga in West Bengal's Murshidabad, proposed by suspended Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir.
Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said he has differences of opinion with some in the party leadership, but he is not going to speak about them in light of the bypoll in the Nilambur constituency.
'If at all human beings require a religion, the future religion will be Hinduism.'
'Every issue that Muslims are facing today affects Muslim women. But how come women's issues don't affect the community?' 'How does the community benefit by the practice of halala or polygamy?'
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma says Singapore authorities have sent singer Zubeen Garg's post-mortem and toxicology reports to the state police. The SIT probing the death has made progress and will submit the chargesheet in court within the stipulated time.
The Congress on Tuesday claimed that there are "far deeper reasons" for Jagdeep Dhankhar's resignation as the vice president than the health reasons cited by him, and said his resignation speaks highly of him but poorly of those who got him elected to the post.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh claimed Jawaharlal Nehru wanted to build the Babri Masjid using public funds, but Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel prevented it. He also lauded Patel's contributions and criticized Nehru's approach to national issues.
State BJP president Ravindra Chavan issued the directive after Choudhary's induction into the saffron party at an event in Palghar, invited criticism from various quarters.
Former Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin was sworn in as a minister in Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy's cabinet. His appointment is seen as significant ahead of the Jubilee Hills bypoll.
A jampacked nightclub in North Goa turned into a death trap around midnight as a massive fire tore through it, claiming 25 lives and bringing to the fore illegalities along with the laxity of government officials in enforcing rules.
A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs refused to discuss the Red Fort blast during a meeting, citing the pre-set agenda of 'Disaster Management'.
The DMK may consider a two-tier campaign, where they keep the focus on Chief Minister Stalin, as a senior statesman with 50-plus years of political experience, and let EPS and the BJP shout in the wilderness. In such a case, the second-tier may project Udhayanidhi as the contender and chosen obstructionist in Vijay's path. The attempt, if any, would be to reduce Vijay to Udhayanidhi's level when the former is aiming at Stalin and Stalin alone in the state's political horizon, predicts N Sathiya Moorthy.
Votes will be counted on January 16 and the outcome will be keenly watched as the BJP-led Mahayuti will seek to stamp its supremacy in urban landscape, especially in Mumbai, while the Opposition parties will try to redeem themselves after last year's rout in assembly polls.
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