Newly appointed BJP Minority Morcha national president Kunwar Basit Ali announced a strategic focus on approximately 100 Uttar Pradesh assembly seats, aiming to connect the Muslim community with the BJP by highlighting government welfare schemes and dispelling "misconceptions" about the party.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat stated that a true Hindu believes in the unity of humanity and that all religious paths lead to the same goal, asserting that 'if any Hindu thinks that there should be no Muslim in Bharat, he will not remain Hindu'.
Paresh Rawal has robustly defended Prime Minister Narendra Modi, dismissing claims of divisive politics and asserting that Modi 'never does Hindu-Muslim politics.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed concern over the repeated disruptions of parliamentary proceedings, stating that due to the turmoil in the House, the country has been unable to listen to the talented MPs elected in recent times.
Former Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi stated, "We thought we'll go to the fountainhead of this hate discourse. This whole hate narrative according to us was being spread by the RSS," explaining the delegation's decision to meet RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in 2022.
The Gauhati High Court has affirmed the validity of 'Talaq-E-Hassan' as a form of divorce in India, directing a petitioner to register his divorce under the new Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriages and Divorce Act, 2024.
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) announced a nationwide movement against the 'deteriorating condition' and social and political marginalisation of Muslims in India, citing concerns over mob violence, demolition drives, and attempts to impose Vande Mataram.
AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has urged people to support and strengthen the party for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, while also criticising the BJP government on issues like the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and the Vande Mataram row.
Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has reiterated the nation's unwavering commitment to the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, underscoring its role in regional security following an attempted drone attack near the holy city of Mecca. The pact, signed by Pakistan, Turkiye, and Saudi Arabia, establishes a framework for collective deterrence against armed attacks.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on Friday signed a key joint defence agreement under which an attack against one of them will be treated as an attack against all of them, amid increasing security concerns in the wake of escalating tensions in West Asia.
The Allahabad High Court has ruled that Muslim personal law, which recognises puberty as the age of marriage, cannot override the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA) and the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which criminalise sexual relations with a child.
The Ministry of Home Affairs informed a Joint Committee of Parliament that the number of active NGOs registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act has halved over the last decade, even as foreign funds received by them have significantly increased. Christian associations received the largest share of these funds in 2024-25. The report comes amidst discussions on a contentious FCRA amendment bill aimed at tighter government oversight.
As time went by, different facets of the Hindi cinema started showing the complicated identity of Muslim -- sometimes tendentious and at other times perverse and unreliable.
Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has issued a stern warning that the Makkah Defence Alliance, a newly formed pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye, stands ready to activate its collective defence provisions in response to escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
The US Department of Homeland Security removed a controversial X post featuring a Transformers-themed cartoon targeting an Indian Sikh man, Harjinder Singh, with racially charged language. The post, which linked Singh to vehicular homicide charges and used phrases like "Self deport or find out," drew fierce condemnation from Indian American organisations and Democratic lawmakers for its discriminatory nature. DHS initially dismissed the outcry but later removed the post without explanation, while continuing its campaign against "illegal aliens" involved in fatal traffic accidents.
A bipartisan US body claimed that religious freedom conditions in India remained on the downward trajectory in 2026, citing restrictions on activities of NGOs, censorship and transnational repression.
A Pakistani court has ordered the return of 21-year-old Hindu girl Shirimati Reeta to her parents after she was allegedly lured, pressured to convert to Islam, and marry a Muslim man. Reeta, who had gone missing from Sindh, was recovered by police in Punjab and stated in court her desire to return home, highlighting the ongoing issue of forced conversions among minority girls in Pakistan.
The question for the next 20 years is not whether India can become a $5 trillion or $10 trillion economy. Those are attractive targets, but the real question is whether India can create enough productive jobs, educate its children properly, make its cities liveable, and give hundreds of millions of people a substantially better life, asserts Ramesh Menon.
On the 25th anniversary of that world-changing morning in New York, it is also for the rest of to reflect. Not only on those who were killed but also on why the event happened and what led to it and what came after it, asserts Aakar Patel.
Activist Manish Brahmbhatt has launched the Cockroach Janta Party-Democratic (CJP-D) as an alternative to the existing Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). Brahmbhatt alleges that the CJP, led by Abhijeet Dipke, has deviated from its student-led origins, becoming too aligned with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and failing to represent its diverse volunteer base, particularly regarding issues like examination paper leaks.
'How will this woman find her? And how does that affect her, because it's not a biological relationship.'
The only thing that might make the BJP stop trying to isolate Muslims completely will be if substantial numbers of the community vote for the party that flaunts its animosity towards it, notes Jyoti Punwani.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's new national team integrates women, minority leaders, and regional representatives to strengthen its organisational structure and national appeal.
Delhi Police has assured the arrest of Swatantra Bharadwaj within 72 hours, who is accused of assaulting student activist Nishu Azad's father during a protest at Jantar Mantar. The assurance follows a video where Bharadwaj admitted to the assault and claims of political connections, prompting demands for stronger charges and action against online abuse targeting Nishu.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has recommended sanctions against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and advised the US government against extending diplomatic courtesies to its leaders. This comes ahead of RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat's visit to the US, with USCIRF officials citing allegations of attacks on religious minorities by RSS sub-groups. India has consistently rejected USCIRF's reports as biased and selective.
Ruling TVK legislators are advocating for Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay as their Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2029 Lok Sabha polls, a move dismissed by the Congress party which insists on Rahul Gandhi as their choice. This internal conflict within the alliance highlights a growing divide over national political ambitions.
Hindutva influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj was detained in Uttar Pradesh following a protest by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) demanding his arrest for allegedly assaulting a student's father and bragging about it, while the victim's daughter reported receiving rape threats and online abuse.
As India's decline continued on global indices, the government first blamed methodology and then motives. This is where we remain today as we wish each other and ourselves a happy Independence Day, points out Aakar Patel.
The Supreme Court has sought the Centre's response on a petition challenging the constitutional validity of polygamy among Muslims, arguing it violates fundamental rights and creates legal asymmetry by exempting Muslim men from bigamy laws applicable to other citizens.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has voiced his opposition to the upcoming event at Madison Square Garden where RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat is scheduled to address the Indian diaspora. Mamdani, however, noted that the city might lack jurisdiction to cancel the private event, which has also drawn protests from various interfaith and civil rights organisations.
The BJP has criticised the Allahabad High Court's observations regarding the wearing of a hijab in school, stating that such matters should be left to school administrations and not courts. BJP spokesperson Syed Zafar Islam argued that faith is a significant personal aspect and courts should not dictate personal attire, while also acknowledging that schools have the right to set uniform policies. The High Court had dismissed a petition seeking permission for a girl to wear a headscarf, ruling it's not an essential part of Islamic faith.
Poor families, she said, cut corners on their own needs to pay for coaching and fees, and when their child clears JEE, it's the happiest day the family has had in years. So why, she asked, her voice already starting to climb, does the same system that we're told is the best in the country keep pushing those very students toward what she called 'institutional deaths'?
'How can any religion have anything to do with terrorism? How was Islam equated with terrorism? And once that happens, how does a man in the western country differentiate between a moderate Muslim and a radical Muslim'
'They want to sabotage the caste census and bury Muslim backward classes, Hindu backward classes, Sikh backward classes and Buddhist backward classes.'
Amid calls from sections of the Muslim community that cow should be declared a national animal, a look at the Constituent Assembly debates shows that two Muslim members had sought an unambiguous spelling out of the state's stance on cow slaughter, with one of them even calling for prohibiting it as part of fundamental rights.
Vande Mataram, the national song that has stirred passions and political controversies for more than a century, received legal protection on Thursday with Parliament passing a bill making any insult to it a punishable offence, rekindling the long-running debate over its place in India's history and identity.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers and leaders of the National Democratic Alliance allies on Tuesday attended the ruling coalition's weekly meeting of parliamentarians, where the absence of three Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) MPs stood out amid signs of differences within the 20-member group of Trinamool Congress rebels over its association with the alliance.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced a significant overhaul of its national team under party president Nitin Nabin, introducing numerous new faces and promoting prominent leaders like former Union minister Smriti Irani to general secretary and former RSS functionary Ram Madhav to vice president. The revamp aims to balance youth and experience while preparing for upcoming assembly and general elections.
A video purportedly showing people pledging to boycott Muslims socially and economically after a screening of 'The Kerala Story' has sparked strong reactions in Vasai, Maharashtra. Police are investigating the video's authenticity, while politicians and social media users express concern over rising communal polarisation.
Karnataka home minister Priyank Kharge on Saturday rejected Bharatiya Janata Party leader B L Santhosh's claim that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh workers had protected his (Kharge's) family from Razakars during Hyderabad state's integration with India, saying that his family and people of the region were protected by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru and the Indian Army.
