Madhya Pradesh Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya has ignited a political firestorm with his controversial remarks suggesting sugar should be "very expensive" and avoided by those over 40, drawing sharp criticism from the opposition amidst rising inflation concerns.
The Opposition India bloc has threatened to initiate impeachment proceedings against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, citing alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. This move comes as the Opposition plans a joint agitation and highlights the constitutional process for removing a CEC, which mirrors that of a Supreme Court judge.
India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is actively courting Sri Lanka's Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a Marxist party with strong Sinhalese nationalist roots, marking a significant shift in bilateral relations despite ideological differences. This engagement, highlighted by a recent high-profile visit by JVP leader Tilvin Silva, aims to foster cooperation on economic projects and address New Delhi's concerns over slow progress in India-aided initiatives in the island nation.
Easing Gyanesh Kumar out would create a hazardous political precedent because forcing out a top official, due to public pressure, projects an image of reactive, defensive governing. Furthermore, making a high-level official like the CEC to hand in his papers would validate Opposition claims that Constitutional referees have been compromised, observes Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 76th birthday was celebrated with extensive programmes in Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency. Events included special prayers by 76 young priests, a milk 'abhishek' of the Ganga, and a significant 'Seva Sankalp' motorcycle journey from Varanasi to Vadnagar, Modi's birthplace, involving 500 participants. Several prominent political figures, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, participated in the celebrations, offering prayers for Modi's health and India's progress.
Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi's movement has launched the Satyarthi Fellowship, a year-long global leadership programme designed to train young leaders in compassionate action and drive social change. The fellowship focuses on immersive learning, grassroots engagement, and mentorship, building on the Satyarthi Summer School model.
Police in Jamui, Bihar, have arrested two main accused in the molestation of a minor girl, bringing the total arrests to five. The arrests followed an encounter where the accused were injured. The incident, captured in a viral video, has ignited a fierce political debate between the ruling NDA and opposition parties over law and order in the state.
Opposition MPs have voiced strong concerns regarding the government's decision to levy a 0.4 per cent fee on UPI payments above Rs 2,000 made to merchants, effective October 15. They argue that this "anti-people" move will negatively impact a large segment of the population, despite the finance ministry clarifying that the charge is on the merchant ecosystem and not directly on customers for P2P or small payments.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar is facing significant scrutiny after an investigation revealed objections from his fellow election commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, regarding decisions made during the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists. The objections, reportedly made at least 14 times, concerned issues like changes to voter registration forms and centralised control over electoral roll databases, intensifying criticism of Kumar's tenure and the EC's impartiality.
The political confidence required to place high-end Japanese aircraft and personnel on Indian soil is itself a data point.
It indicates a level of trust that would have been difficult to imagine when India-Japan defence ties were largely symbolic, explains Varun Arya.
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.
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) stated that the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) "is distributed only amongst the UPI ecosystem, to further invest into infrastructure resilience, innovation, cybersecurity (protecting the UPI infrastructure with banks and non-banks) and customer service."
Over 14,000 members of the academic and scientific community have petitioned Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, seeking intervention against Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's "gau mutra expert" remark concerning IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti during parliamentary proceedings. The petition calls for the withdrawal of the derogatory expression, arguing it undermines the dignity of an eminent scientist and the institution he leads, and urges for respectful democratic discourse.
AICC general secretary K C Venugopal announced that Rahul Gandhi would lead the INDIA bloc in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, dismissing reports of TVK proposing C Joseph Vijay as a prime ministerial candidate. Venugopal highlighted Gandhi's widespread appeal and campaigns on key issues, while also addressing internal alliance differences and criticising the BJP government's actions.
US President Donald Trump is expected to sign the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 later on Friday (local time). A White House official confirmed the development to ANI without revealing further details.
'You can't have a runaway board that takes decisions against the active disagreement of the 66 per cent shareholder.'
'You can't have a runaway board that takes decisions against the active disagreement of the 66 per cent shareholder.'
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju asserted in Lok Sabha that the Opposition cannot dictate which minister responds to questions, amidst demands for Home Minister Amit Shah to address police action on protesting students. The House faced continuous disruptions, leading to adjournment.
The government is introducing a 0.4% Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on UPI person-to-merchant payments above Rs 2,000, effective October 15. This move ends the zero-MDR regime, aiming to fund UPI infrastructure and sustainability, as the previous government subsidy was insufficient to cover operational costs. Payments between individuals and most everyday merchant transactions will remain free.
Tamil Nadu minister P Viswanathan on Friday said that Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, will be the prime ministerial candidate in the 2029 elections, while expressing confidence in the Congress' political position in the state.
The Lok Sabha has referred the contentious Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, to a 31-member joint parliamentary committee for thorough scrutiny.
Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan stated he is constantly under pressure from Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, particularly after disallowing Kharge's attempt to raise the alleged theft of Ayodhya Ram Temple donations. Radhakrishnan also mentioned disallowing Treasury benches from raising the "Jharkhand issue," asserting that state subjects cannot be debated in the House. The session saw continuous disruptions, leading to an adjournment.
Ten days after both Houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die, the Monsoon session is yet to end formally, giving rise to speculation that the government wants to pass a key legislation without convening a new session.
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.
Veteran politician Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has been sworn in as Bangladesh's 23rd President, following a contested parliamentary election that saw him defeat Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmed. Alamgir, a longtime secretary general of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), will serve a five-year term.
Kiren Rijiju has strongly criticised the Congress for allegedly 'unfairly disrupting' the recent monsoon session.
More than half of the bills introduced in the 18th Lok Sabha have been passed by both Houses in the same session, a significant acceleration compared to previous terms, raising concerns about the time available for legislative scrutiny and stakeholder consultations.
A heated parliamentary showdown unfolded as NDA and INDIA bloc MPs clashed at Parliament's main gate.
The Lok Sabha passed two Bills, including one to rename Kerala as Keralam, without debate as Opposition members continued their protests, demanding Union Home Minister Amit Shah's presence to address police excesses against student protesters and alleged Ram temple fund irregularities.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, secretary general of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and a close ally of former premier Khaleda Zia, has been elected as Bangladesh's new President in the first contested poll for the post in 35 years.
The Congress party has issued a whip to its MPs in both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, mandating their presence from August 10-12 for discussions on "very important" issues. This directive comes amidst reports of potential debates on the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, and a Constitution Amendment Bill concerning delimitation, though the government's official business list did not explicitly mention these.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju met Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to discuss resolving the persistent deadlock in the Lok Sabha's monsoon session, focusing on the Delimitation Bill and FCRA Bill, though no immediate commitment was secured from the Congress leader.
A joint parliamentary committee tasked with examining the 'One Nation One Election' bill has been granted an extension until the end of the Winter session to submit its report. The 41-member committee is reviewing the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, and is conducting nationwide consultations on implementing simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and local bodies by 2029.
Vice President CP Radhakrishnan launched Gnani Artha, an end-to-end sovereign AI stack for Indian enterprises and public institutions. He emphasised that new technologies, including AI, will enhance ease of work and create more jobs, drawing parallels with the IT industry's growth. The initiative, backed by the India AI Mission, aims for self-reliance and includes the Gnani Evon v3.3 language model and Gnani Plexus AI platform, offering cost-effective Indic language capabilities.
Vice President CP Radhakrishnan launched Gnani Artha, an end-to-end sovereign AI stack for Indian enterprises and public institutions. He emphasised that new technologies, including AI, will enhance ease of work and create more jobs, drawing parallels with the IT industry's growth. The initiative, backed by the India AI Mission, aims for self-reliance and includes the Gnani Evon v3.3 language model and Gnani Plexus AI platform, offering cost-effective Indic language capabilities.
Rahul Gandhi's aggressive street politics is giving him a fresh political edge, but overplaying his role could hurt his credibility with the wider opposition, predicts M R Narayan Swamy.
The Congress and BJP are engaged in a political spat over the implementation of the Women's Reservation Bill and its proposed link to delimitation, with Rahul Gandhi urging unconditional implementation of the 2023 law and Kiren Rijiju highlighting the constitutional requirement for delimitation based on post-2026 census figures.
A parliamentary panel flagged staffing shortages at NCERT and CBSE, inadequate education spending, falling enrolment and poor internet connectivity in government schools.
An Indian Parliamentary standing committee has demanded an apology from Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg within three days for the temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's video from Facebook, threatening to withdraw immunity under the IT Act if he fails to comply. The committee also pushed for government action against Google India regarding financial fraud.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman clarified that the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on digital transactions applies to merchants, not customers, and aims to support banks and fintech in infrastructure investment. She countered Congress leader Jairam Ramesh's claims, stating that a committee will decide on MDR only after Parliament passes the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, a process currently stalled by parliamentary disruptions.
