Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government could introduce a bill on implementing a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) during the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament. However, many Opposition parties have echoed indifference and may oppose the bill when tabled in Parliament.
The Central Bureau of Investigation arrested a Joint Director, Senior Technical Assistant, and two others in a bribery case of Rs 3 lakh. Both of the them were posted in the office of Director General of Corporate Affairs, Ministry of Corporate Affairs(MOCA). Meanwhile another joint director of MOCA posted as an Official Liquidator in Corporate Bhawan, Chennai and an associate of a Mumbai based private company were also arrested.
A 47-year-old professor was arrested for allegedly assaulting a female doctor on a Delhi-Mumbai flight, an official said on Friday. 
Aura & Company, a law firm in the country, has announced the launch of India’s first eLaw firm seeking to pioneer the delivery of legal services in the digital age.
Weather updates: Extremely heavy rainfall is likely to continue over Telangana, Vidarbha, Konkan, Goa and central Maharashtra today (July 27) while a decrease in rainfall activity over south peninsular India and an increase in rainfall activity over East India will take place from July 29 (Saturday), the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said,
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday accused the government of 'switching off his mic' while he was speaking in Rajya Sabha on Manipur. He also alleged that by doing so his privilege was challenged. Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha on Wednesday again witnessed the heated exchange of barbs over the Manipur violence while the Opposition continued their demand for Prime Minister's statement.
Manipur violence: The Assam Rifles, also known as 'sentinels of the North East' and 'friends of the hill people', operates under the command of the Army's 3 Corps, finds itself in the midst of trying circumstances while maintaining peace between the two warring ethnic groups in Manipur.
BREAKING | BJP-led Manipur government on Tuesday ordered the suspension of Broadband internet service to be "lifted conditionally in a liberalised manner." The violence erupted on May 3 after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
SC on delimitation: The Supreme Court on Monday (July 24) issued notice to the Centre on a plea filed by opposition leaders from Assam challenging the recent draft proposal of the Election Commission of India (ECI) for the delimitation of Assam's 126 Assembly constituencies and 14 Lok Sabha constituencies.
Kerala: Barely a couple of hours after take-off, an Air India Express flight from the Kerala state capital to Dubai returned, on Sunday. As per the officials, the aircraft returned due to an issue with the air conditioning system of the aircraft. As of now, all 174 passengers were taken to Dubai on another flight (IX 556) at 6.12 pm.
The Indo-Pak love story of Seema Haider and Sachin is in the limelight these days. Seema Haider, who came from Pakistan to Nepal and then to India, married Sachin and converted to Hinduism. A screenshot of a WhatsApp chat between Seema and a manager has now surfaced. In this chat, bus service manager Prasanna Gautam sent Seema Haider the location of Pokhara, Nepal, from where Seema was scheduled to take the bus to India on May 12 at 7 am. Seema in the chat called the manager 'bhaiya' and asked him to send a message to Sachin. Further, she requested the manager to take the remaining amount from her Indian lover. Moreover, the manager in the chat asked her to send the screenshot once the remaining amount is paid. 
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde along with his family members met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi today (July 22). CM Shinde was accompanied by his wife Lata Shinde, father Sambhaji Shinde, son Shrikant, daughter-in-law Rushali, and grandson Rudraksh. 
Manipur women paraded naked incident: Four people including the main accused who have been arrested in the case so far have been sent to 11-day police custody. The accused have been arrested after a May 4 video went viral on social media showing 2-3 women were being paraded naked, molested and allegedly gang-raped in Manipur amid unrest between two communities in the state.
Gyanvapi Verdict: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has been allowed by a Varanasi court to proceed with the scientific survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque. The court has given a green signal to the ASI to conduct the survey barring the area which was sealed earlier. The ASI has been asked by the court to submit its report on August 4. The court of AK Vishvesh upheld the petition of a group of Hindu devotees seeking a scientific survey to determine if the mosque was built at the site of a Hindu temple. The Muslims side had opposed the plea, saying an ASI survey could damage the complex. However, after the judgement, the Muslim side has said that it will now approach the High Court against the Varanasi court's verdict.
There was furore in Maharashtra assembly on Wednesday, when Samajwadi Party state chief Abu Azmi alleged that Muslims are being forced to recite ‘Vande Mataram’, the national song penned by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee during freedom movement. Speaking in the assembly, Azmi, while raising the issue of riots in Aurangabad (now Sambhajinagar), said, Islam does not allow any Muslim to sing ‘Vande Mataram’. He said, “Islam teaches us to bow only before Allah, who created this world. We do not bow our heads even before our mother. If I cannot recite Vande Mataram, it does not reduce my respect for my nation or my patriotism, and no one should have any objection to this.” This led to pandemonium and the Speaker Rahul Narwekar had to adjourn the House for a brief period. When the House reassembled, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said, “Vande Mataram is not a religious song, it is our national song. By opposing Vande Mataram, Abu Azmi is hurting the sentiments of millions of Indians.” On Aurangabad riots, Fadnavis said, police had fired rubber bullets, and the man, who was hit by a rubber bullet, was part of a violent mob. State minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said, Abu Azmi must know that if he has to live in India, he must accept Vande Mataram. AIMIM MLA Mufti Ismail said, “the Constitution gives freedom to every citizen to follow his religion. Islam does not allow Muslims to bow before anybody except Allah. How can any Muslim be forced to recite Vande Mataram?” Congress and NCP leaders refused to comment on this controversy. BJP MLA Nitesh Rane described Abu Azmi as “a poisonous snake” and added, ‘such snakes should be crushed’. I think nobody can support Nitesh Rane’s language. To describe a political leader as a snake, is not a democratic language, nor does it come within the limits of decency. Nitesh Rane must be careful while making such utterances. As far as Abu Azmi is concerned, his remark about Vande Mataram was deliberate and he wanted the BJP to pick up the issue. About the riots in Aurangabad, I have already shown visuals in my show ‘Aaj Ki Baat’, how AIMIM MP Imtiaz Jaleel sat inside a temple for three hours and fended off a violent mob from ransacking the temple. Police also showed restraint. The entire nation watched those visuals. To raise the Aurangabad riot issue and then link it with Vande Mataram is unfair. Fadnavis did the right thing in replying to Abu Azmi’s charges with facts. Since Azmi raised the Vande Mataram issue, BJP leaders have now started asking leaders of INDIA, the opposition alliance, their stand about the national song. They are asking whether Akhilesh Yadav, Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray and Nitish Kumar support Azmi’s remarks. Opposition leaders named their alliance as INDIA, but will INDIA stand with those who refuse to recite Vande Mataram? RIFTS APPEAR IN ‘INDIA’ ALLIANCE It seems leaders of opposition parties who resolved to forge an alliance in Bengaluru, are yet to bond completely. In Bengaluru, they were praising one another as ‘defenders of democracy’, but the moment they reached their respective states, some of them started labelling the other as ‘murderers of democracy’. The first case came from West Bengal, where CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat alleged on Wednesday that Mamata Banerjee is “ indulging in politics of violence, stifling the voice of common people and murdering democracy”. She said, looking at the manner in which panchayat polls were conducted in an atmosphere of terror, it will not be possible for Left Front to work with Trinamool Congress. The second case came from Punjab, where the state Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said his party’s alliance with Aam Aadmi Party would be at the Centre, but in Punjab, his party will continue to take the AAP chief minister Bhagwant Mann to task. There are clear signs of rift between INDIA alliance partners in West Bengal, Kerala, Delhi and Punjab. If similar rift surfaces in UP, Bihar and Jharkhand, what will happen? How can the alliance partners reach consensus on seat sharing? How many seats will Nitish and Lalu leave for Congress? How many seats will Hemant Soren leave for Nitish and Lalu? Will Akhilesh Yadav agree to leave at least five seats for Congress in UP? Whatever claims opposition leaders may make, when the question of seat sharing will arise, the alliance can work only in states like Odisha, Karnataka, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh, where other non-Congress parties do not have much of a presence. In the remaining states, CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury’s words may prove true. He had said, there cannot be seat sharing between the Left and Congress in states like Bengal and Kerala. These parties will field candidates against each other. Already there are differences over who will be projected as the PM candidate. On Wednesday, Trinamool Congress MP Shatabdi Roy said that she would be happy if her leader Mamata Banerjee is made the PM candidate. AAP MP Raghav Chadha said, his dream is to see his leader Arvind Kejriwal as the Prime Minister. There is no doubt that Mamata Banerjee wants to anoint her nephew Abhishek Banerjee as West Bengal chief minister, so that she can become active in national politics. She is working on this strategy, and this cannot be achieved without support from Congress. Arvind Kejriwal, too, has ambitions to become the PM, but he knows that his party AAP has only one MP in Lok Sabha. Until and unless, the number of AAP MPs rises to 40, he cannot stake claim. This target cannot be achieved in next year’s general elections. Hence, he would prefer to wait. He will try to expand his party’s strength by joining the opposition alliance. WHY NITISH, LALU, TEJASHWI LEFT BENGALURU EARLY? Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar considers himself a serious contender for PM post. He wants to be active in Delhi politics. He has expressed his wish in no uncertain terms several times in the recent past. His pact with Lalu Prasad in Bihar was on condition that Lalu’s son Tejashwi will be made the CM and Nitish will enter national politics. Nitish started working to bring all opposition parties together almost 11 months ago. He had expected the alliance to name him as convenor after the Bengaluru meeting, but Congress did not allow this to happen. A miffed Nitish Kumar left for Patna without attending the press conference. Nitish Kumar remained silent for 24 hours and then said in Bihar, ‘all issues were discussed at the Bengaluru meeting. My opinion was heard carefully. Since most of the issues were decided at the meeting, I opted to leave early for Patna instead of attending the press conference.’ At his public meeting in Rajgir, Nitish Kumar said, he wanted to attend the first day of ‘Mal Maas Mela’ on Tuesday itself, and therefore, decided to return from Bengaluru early, but this was unnecessarily made an issue. ‘Faltu ki baaten phailayi gayi’ (unnecessary speculations were made), he said. Nitish Kumar is giving clarifications now. This could be his compulsion, but I don’t find any logic. When he left from Bengaluru on Tuesday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, some leaders had to leave early because of their flight timings. The ground reality was: Nitish, Tejashwi and Lalu Prasad had gone to Bengaluru in a chartered plane. The plane was due to take off after two hours. They were not missing their flight. Now, Nitish Kumar is clarifying that he wanted to attended the Rajgir programme and therefore left Bengaluru early. The fact is: Nitish Kumar’s programme in Rajgir was scheduled two weeks ago for Wednesday. He was to inaugurate the Mal Maas Mela on Wednesday, and Bihar government had published ads in newspapers. Tejashwi Yadav was also supposed to attend, because it was organised by RJD minister Alok Mehta who looks after the Revenue department. But neither Tejashwi Yadav, nor Alok Mehta attended the inaugural function. Nitish Kumar reached the function at 2 pm on Wednesday. It will, therefore, be incorrect to say that Nitish left Bengaluru in a hurry in order to reach Rajgir. One new fact has also emerged. Both Lalu Prasad and his son Tejashwi wanted to attend the opposition press conference in Bengaluru, but because of Nitish Kumar’s stubborn stance, they had to leave. Both Lalu and Tejashwi are now unhappy with Nitish Kumar. This was the reason why Tejashwi did not attend the Rajgir fair. No matter how much Nitish may try to hide, he cannot alter facts.
Tomato Price: Providing major relief to the common men, the Central government on Wednesday reduced prices of subsidised tomatoes to Rs 70 per kilogramme with effect from Thursday from Rs 80 per kg now. The government from Friday last week is selling tomatoes at subsidised rates. 
NDA meeting: Taking a jibe at Opposition's new alliance 'INDIA', the BJP on Tuesday said that they (Opposition parties) had to resort to the name of 'INDIA' which they keep on insulting in the world in order to save them and their families.
Opposition meeting: A two-day brainstorming session of the Opposition parties to display show of strength against the Modi government is being held in Bengaluru. A total of 26 big leaders from the opposition are attending the call for unity and expected to chalk out their joint programme aimed at defeating the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Drugs to be destroyed: In a massive development, over 1.44 lakh kg of drugs valued at Rs 2,416 crore will be destroyed in various corners of the country on Monday (July 17) in the virtual presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Himanta Biswa Sarma on Assam cabinet reshuffle: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma ruled out any reshuffle in his ministry, but said big changes will take place after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and before the 2026 state Assembly election. Sarma also said he has met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and apprised him of the flood situation in the northeastern state.
Chandrayaan 3 launch: India on Friday (July 14) successfully launched its third moon mission, this time a far more complicated 41-day voyage to reach the lunar south pole where no other nation has gone before. If the estimated Rs 600 crore Chandrayaan-3 mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) succeeds in landing a robotic lunar rover in the space agency's second attempt in four years, India will become the fourth country to master the technology of soft-landing on the moon's surface after the United States, China, and the former Soviet Union.
Chandrayaan 3, India's third lunar mission was on Friday, launched by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from Sriharikota. The hugely anticipated Chandrayaan 3 embarked on its month-long journey towards the moon, piggybacking on ISRO's latest heavy-lift launch vehicle, 'Fat boy' LVM3-M4 from the spaceport. With Chandrayaan-3 being a follow-up mission to the second lunar mission, the ISRO is aiming for a soft landing on the surface of the moon
Aap Ki Adalat: It has been 30 years since the country's popular TV show 'Aap Ki Adalat' started airing. The show is still at the peak of its popularity. Often the question comes to people's mind how did the famous show 'Aap Ki Adalat' start? Where did the idea for this show come from? The answer was given by the Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of India TV, Rajat Sharma himself. He posted a video on Twitter and Instagram about how the show started and how it changed his life.
Hello and welcome to Aaj Ki Baat With Rajat Sharma, the only news show with real facts and no noise. 
Tomato price rise: National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India (NCCF) will kick start on Friday (July 14) the sale of tomatoes via mobile vans in Delhi-NCR at a discounted rate of Rs 90/kg to provide relief to the consumers, top government officials said today (July 13).
PM Modi France, UAE visit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday was accorded a red-carpet welcome as he arrived in Paris on a two-day visit during which he will hold wide-ranging talks with President Emmanuel Macron and join him for the French National Day celebrations as the Guest of Honour.
The horrific crash that took place on Tuesday morning on Delhi-Meerut Expressway should ring an alarming bell for all drivers and for the entire traffic management system. Six members of a family died and two are battling for life after a private bus, that came from the wrong side for nearly eight kilometres, crashed into a Mahindra TUV vehicle. The Meerut-based family was going to Sikar, Rajasthan to visit a temple. The crash took place near Ghaziabad. The bus driver, coming from the wrong side, tried to swerve to the right, but ended up crashing into the TUV, because the car driver too steered to his left. Road accidents occur in India daily, but this crash raises questions about our system. CCTV cameras were installed on the expressway, the authorities claimed that vehicles are monitored round-the-clock on cameras, apart from patrolling, but a bus driver travelled on the wrong side for nearly 8 km, but nobody stopped him. Question has been raised whether the driver, Prem Pal, who committed this grave traffic violation, would walk out of the jail. Indian Penal Code says, “whoever causes the death of any person by doing any rash or negligent act, not amounting to culpable homicide shall be punished with imprisonment up to two years, or with fine, or both”. Is the punishment adequate? Those who died in the crash included Narendra, his wife Anita, their two sons Himanshu and Deepanshu, his brother Dharmendra’s wife Babita and her daughter Vanshika. Dharmendra and his son are battling for life. Gas cutter was used to cut open the mangled vehicle to bring out the corpses. Narendra’s relatives say, it was the toll company which is responsible for this crash, because the bus driver used to regularly take the wrong side daily. Had he been stopped earlier, the lives of six persons could have been saved. Is the work of toll company staff only to collect toll? Is it not the responsibility of administration to stop vehicles travelling from the wrong side? The bus, belonging to a private transport company, used to ferry school children, but of late, it was ferrying employees of a private firm. Police said, the bus was challaned 18 times, for dangerous driving, overspeeding and other traffic violations. At a time when India is witnessing a spectacular growth in road infrastructure, with new expressways being built across the country, you will surprised to know that more than 1.5 lakh people lose their lives in road accidents annually. India tops the world’s list of countries where road accidents occur. Wrong-side driving, after overspeeding, is the second biggest cause of road accident deaths in India. About 43,000 lives were lost between 2017 and 2021 in India due to wrong side driving. I had asked Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari in my show ‘Aap Ki Adalat’ about how road accidents can be prevented. Gadkari said, “I have no hesitation in accepting that I could not lower the number of road accidents during the last 8-9 years of my tenure”. He gave four main reasons: (1) road engineering, by identifying ‘black spots’ and building underpass, overbridges, (2) automobile engineering, by making 6 airbags in vehicles mandatory, and seat belt fastening on rear seats mandatory, (3) making theoretical and practical tests mandatory for all driving license applicants and (4) creating awareness about sticking to road lanes by taking support from celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar. Gadkari also revealed a surprising incident. Once, he ordered eyesight check for drivers of all government buses in Maharashtra, and found that at least 40 per cent drivers could not see properly, with most of them suffering from cataract. Some bus drivers could not see at all from one eye. He told me, one driver of a minister’s car could not see from one eye, and yet he used to drive the vehicle using his sixth sense. Gadkari said, the situation has still not improved till now. In a country where drivers of government vehicles have failing eyesight, what will be the fate of passengers and others? Gadkari is right when he says, in India, one gets a driving license easily without undergoing strict tests. Secondly, punishments for serious traffic rule violations are not severe. In western countries, traffic rules are stringent and the punishments are severe. In Norway, overspeeding can result in fines up to Rs 65,000, drunken driving and jumping red lights invite fines in several lakhs of rupees. In Ontario, Canada, if a driver is challaned twice in two years, his license is cancelled for the next two months. Any driver caught driving on the wrong side five times, will invite cancellation of license. In Britain, if any driver gets penalties twelve times in three years, his license is suspended for six months. Frequent overspeeding results in suspension of license for six months. Those caught for drunken driving are sent to prison. In the US, traffic violations invite fines ranging from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000, overspeeding invites penalty points, and after getting 12 points, the driver’s license is suspended. In Croatia, Japan, Singapore, Australia and China, a driver is first given learner’s license, and his license is confirmed only after he completes 100 to 200 hours of driving. Time has come for enforcing stringent traffic rules in India to prevent major road accidents. BRIJ BHUSHAN: JUSTICE MUST BE DONE Delhi Police chargesheet filed in Rouse Avenue court against former president of Wrestling Federation of India Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh clearly shows his involvement in sexual harassment of female wrestlers. The chargesheet says, Singh is “liable to be prosecuted and punished for offences of sexual harassment, molestation and stalking” under Sections 506 (criminal initimidation), 354 (outraging modesty of a woman, 354 A (sexual harassment) and 354 D (stalking) of Indian Penal Code. The chargesheet includes ‘technical evidence’ that includes two photographs allegedly showing him making advances towards a complainant, his phone location matching another wrestler’s testimony, a set of photos that confirm his presence at a event when an incident of sexual harassment took place. The chargesheet includes statements of 108 persons, out of which 21 persons have given testimonies in favour of the victims. Six of them have given their testimony under Section 164 of CrPC. Among the witnesses are relatives of female werstlers. Police had filed more than 1,000 pages of chargesheet on June 13, and Singh has been summoned to appear in court on July 18. Congress leaders have demanded that Singh should be expelled from BJP and he must be arrested. The chargesheet substantiates the allegations made by women wrestlers against the ex-chief of WFI. This was bound to happen. The charges are serious. But Brij Bhushan never cared for these allegations and his conduct was irresponsible, adamant and he projected his image of a ‘Bahubali’. Brij Bhushan’s action has brought disrepute to the government’s image. Women wrestlers who brought fame for India by winning medals, had to face atrocities. The case must now be taken to its logical conclusion. ‘Justice must not only be done, but must be seen to be done’. Each of the incidents mentioned in the chargesheet are in public domain. Questions were raised about partiality on part of Delhi Police, but the chargesheet clearly shows, Delhi Police has done its investigation astutely. The testimonies of witnesses are so solid that it may be difficult for Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh to wiggle out.
Assam floods: The incessant rains have wreaked in several parts of the country leading to flood-like situations in several parts of the country. According to reports, the flood waters have submerged as many as 67 villages under 4 revenue circles in Lakhimpur district of Assam. The situation in the district has further deteriorated after several new areas were inundated by flood waters, affecting nearly 60,300 people.
Lakhimpur Kheri case update: The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended the interim bail of Lakhimpur Kheri case accused Ashish Mishra till September 26. In January, the apex court granted eight-week interim bail to Ashish Mishra and directed him to leave Uttar Pradesh within one week of his release from jail.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana: The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (Grameen) housing scheme has been referred to as a major instrument of socio-economic change in the country. This mission intends to provide sustainable houses to those with lower incomes. The PM Modi-led government has set a target to construct 29.3 million houses, which is expected to be completed by December 2023. According to reports, the Centre has successfully completed the construction of 24 million pucca housing units as on July 6. 
Ghaziabad weather update: All schools would remain closed in view of heavy rainfall in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad, officials said today (July 9). 
Rahul Gandhi Lok Sabha disqualification: Alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) deployed dirty tricks to disqualify Rahul Gandhi from Parliament, the Congress today (July 9) announced that as a mark of protest, its workers and leaders will hold a 'maun satyagraha' near Mahatma Gandhi statues in every state capital on Wednesday (July 12).
UCC row: Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Sunday said the BJP-led Centre has bowled this (Uniform Civil Code) "googly" to divert attention from the real issues concerning people. He said the talk about the UCC is just "kite-flying" as there is no concrete proposal. 
Rahul Gandhi on automobile industry:Days after former Congress president Rahul Gandhi visited the motor bike market in the national capital and interacted with bike mechanics, he shared his conversation with them on his social media channel today (July 9) saying their achievements drive the country’s progress. 
Amit Shah takes stock of rain situation: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday (July 9) spoke to lieutenant governors of the national capital and Jammu and Kashmir to take stock of situation in the union territories arising due to the incessant rains, sources said.
A 'red' alert has been issued in seven districts of Himachal Pradesh for the next two days on Saturday by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), warning of extremely heavy rainfall in the state.
Indian Railways on Saturday announced discount schemes and asserted that it will slash fares of AC chair cars and executive classes of all trains having AC sitting accommodation including Anubhuti and Vistadome coaches by up to 25 per cent. The Vande Bharat passengers will also be benefited due to the step taken by the Indian Railways. 
Sisodia's properties attached: Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached assets worth Rs 52.24 crore belonging to former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia and others in the liquor scam case, the agency said on Friday (July 7).
Maharashtra political crisis: While addressing a press conference in the national capital today (July 6), the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar said that he believes in the Election Commission of India (ECI) amid the political crisis in Maharashtra. 
In the midst of both rival camps of NCP holding parallel meetings in Mumbai to showcase their numbers (with the Ajit Pawar camp cornering most of the MLAs), I want to share two inside information about the developments that led to the revolt. Two months ago, Ajit Pawar had told his uncle that most of the party legislators wanted to join the BJP-Shiv Sena government. Sharad Pawar said, he knew most of his MLAs want so, but he had some personal reservations about BJP and Narendra Modi. After several meetings, it was decided, Sharad Pawar will resign as party president, Supriya Sule will be made party chief and NCP will join both the governments in Maharashtra and Centre. Ajit Pawar will become deputy chief minister, and Supriya Sule will become a Union Minister. Ajit Pawar will manage state politics. The deal was finalized. Accordingly, Sharad Pawar resigned from party president post. Two days later, Pawar made a U-turn, and took back his resignation. Ajit Pawar was shocked. He spoke to Praful Patel. Both decided that they would not tolerate this vacillating policy of their supreme leader anymore. Both of them spoke to five or six other senior leaders and top MLAs. It was finally decided that NCP would join the government, whether Shard Pawar agreed or not. This was conveyed to Home Minister Amit Shah. On his part, Amit Shah checked whether Ajit Pawar really had the support of 40 MLAs or not. Once it was confirmed, the political game was played out on last Sunday morning. I have also learnt that earlier too, a similar political game was planned, when MLAs supporting Eknath Shinde were assembling in Guwahati in twos and fours. Ajit Pawar spoke to his MLAs. There were 51 MLAs who were ready to join the BJP camp. Ajit Pawar told his uncle that NCP should join BJP camp even before Eknath Shinde brings all his MLAs. This would give the Pawar family an edge. Sharad Pawar agreed and asked him to initiate talks. At that time too, Praful Patel spoke to Amit Shah. Devendra Fadnavis was ready to accommodate NCP. As the talks reached a conclusion, Sharad Pawar suddenly backed out. Time and again, Ajit Pawar told his uncle that he had changed his stand thrice, and this has caused harm to the party. The party has now gone several steps back. There was a feeling among NCP leaders that Pawar wanted to become the leader of a united opposition because of his personal aversion to Narendra Modi and that he wanted to harm Modi and his party at all costs. To emerge as a leader of the opposition would require control over his own party NCP. This was the reason why Sharad Pawar, despite the opinion of his own senior party leaders, MLAs and former ministers, was unwilling to cede control over the party. When matters come to a head, Ajit Pawar clearly told his uncle that he had completed his innings, that he failed in forming an NCP government on his own, and that too, at a time when new emerging leaders like Arvind Kejriwal had formed governments in two states. The nephew clearly told his uncle: you have lost the ability to play the game anymore, please allow us to play the game. Sharad Pawar was told that he was now 83 years old, he was suffering from poor health and he should take rest. But Sharad Pawar is unwilling to call it a day and take rest. After Ajit Pawar led the revolt, the patriarch has now decided to go to the people and visit every nook and corner of Maharashtra, because he prefers to be in touch with the public. However, Praful Patel and Ajit Patel know each move that Sharad Pawar is going to make, and will surely work out how to counter them. The coming months in Maharashtra are going to witness a furious political war, the likes of which have not been seen in the past. KHALISTANIS AT WAR: Khalistan supporters carried out an arson attack and partially damaged the Indian consulate in San Francisco early Sunday and posted the video on social media, claiming that this was in retaliation over the recent murder of wanted Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. The US State Department condemned the attack, while Canada assured India that it will assure safety for Indian diplomats. Khalistani supporters had circulated posters in Canada, naming Indian diplomats as responsible for Nijjar’s killing. India has requested Candaa, US and Australia “not to give space to these elements”. Khalistan supporters have planned to take out a “Khalistan Freedom Rally” in front of the Indian High Commission in Ottawa on July 8. India has summoned the Canadian High Commissioner and requested his government to take timely action. The question is why Khalistani radicals hiding in Canada and other countries have suddenly become active? Khalistan activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannu had tried to fan radicalism in Punjab by sending Amritpal Singh, but he and his associates were nabbed and lodged in Dibrugarh jail of Assam. Several Khalistani activists have been killed in the last six months. Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot on June 20 in Surrey, Canada. He was the head of Khalistan Tiger Force. Earlier, Avtar Singh Khanda of Khalistan Liberation France died in Birmingham, UK. He was the handler of Amritpal Singh and had provided him protection for 37 days when Amritpal was hiding from police. Khalistani activists suspect Khanda was poisoned, though he was a cancer patient. On May 6, Paramjit Singh Panjwar of Khalistan Commando Force was shot by two assailants on a bike in Lahore. In January this year, Khalistani activist Harmit Singh Happy was shot near a gurudwara in Lahore. Harmit Singh was involved in narcotics trade and was imparting training to terrorists. I spoke to several Sikh scholars and senior leaders of Sikh community living in Canada and UK. They told me that the anti-India attacks have nothing to do with Sikh community, which is a peace-loving one in Australia, US, UK and Canada. Sikhs love India and a handful of them are trying to defame the entire community. Such elements will not be allowed to succeed in their nefarious designs. Some of the Sikh leaders complained that the governments of those countries delayed in identifying the perpetrators. This could be due to compulsion of votes or sheer negligence. Indian government has now taken a firm stand and has conveyed to the governments of these countries in clear terms. One positive aspect of these developments is that Khalistani outfits have now started fighting among themselves and are carrying out attacks to assert their supremacy. These outfits have now become weak and their handlers sitting in Pakistan are worried. The ISI handlers in Pakistan had trained these separatists for the last several years. ISI agents are spreading this disinformation that Indian agencies have a hand behind the elimination of Khalistani terrorists. Such allegations does not hold water anymore. It is because of these intra-rivalry that Khalistani elements are living in fear and they are trying to hold rallies to boost the morale of their supporters. Aaj Ki Baat: Monday to Friday, 9:00 pm India's Number One and most followed Super Prime Time News Show 'Aaj Ki Baat- Rajat Sharma Ke Saath' was launched just before the 2014 General Elections. Since its inception, the show is redefining India's super-prime time and is numerically far ahead of its contemporaries.
Go First update: The Delhi High Court today (July 5) permitted several aircraft lessors who had leased out their planes to Go First Airlines to carry out inspection and interim maintenance of their planes.
Tipra Motha (Tripura's political party ) chief Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma on Tuesday said he does not want to do politics on issues related to the people of Tripura.
Tamil Nadu CM and DMK President MK Stalin on Monday expressed solidarity and extended his support to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar after NCP suffered a split in Maharashtra. According to sources, Stalin spoke to Pawar over the phone and asserted that DMK is supporting NCP. 
Monsoon in India: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday said that the southwest monsoon has covered the entire country today (July 2), which is 6 days against the normal date of July 8. The monsoon has also advanced in the remaining parts of Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana. As many as 16 states and Union territories received deficient rainfall in June, with Bihar and Kerala reporting large deficits at 69 per cent and 60 per cent below normal, respectively.
The Delhi High Court is likely to produce a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the RBI's decision to withdraw Rs 2,000 denomiNation banknotes from circulation. A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad had reserved its order on the PIL on May 30 after hearing the counsels for the petitioner and the RBI.
The Border Security Force on Saturday seized more than one-kilogram heroin in two plastic bottles from the Sutlej River near the Rao ke Uttar village in the Ferozepur district of Punjab, said a BSF official. The BSF troops on the border observed suspicious articles flowing in Sutlej near the bordering village and managed to bring the suspected floating articles to the bank of the river. 
INS Shankush: In a latest development, the defence ministry on Friday signed a Rs 2,725 crore deal with the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) for the refit of submarine INS Shankush. Shankush is a Sub-Surface Killer (SSK) class submarine.Republic Day 2024 : As India's 75th Republic Day Parade kicked off in the national capital, a 30-member band contingent and a marching c...
