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Rahul Gandhi hosts breakfast meet for opposition leaders, urges unity

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Rahul Gandhi hosts breakfast meet for opposition leaders, urges unity

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday called for opposition unity, underlining that more it is united the more difficult it will be for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to suppress this voice.

Gandhi made the remarks at a breakfast meeting he hosted at Constitution Club in Delhi. The Congress leader had invited members of 17 opposition parties to the meeting to formulate a joint strategy to take on the government over various issues.

“The single motive to invite you is that we should unite.The more this voice unites, the more powerful it will become, the more difficult it will become for the BJP and RSS to suppress this voice,” Gandhi said at the meeting.

“We should remember the foundation of unity and it is important that now we start to come up with the principles of this foundation,” he told the opposition leaders.

After the meeting, Gandhi and other opposition leaders cycled to Parliament to highlight the issue of high fuel prices.

The leaders of 15 parties, including the Trinamool Congress (TMC) which skipped the last such meeting, were present at today’s gathering. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), however, skipped it.

Danish Siddiqui’s body cruelly mutilated while in custody of Taliban: Report

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Danish Siddiqui’s body cruelly mutilated while in custody of Taliban: Report

The body of Danish Siddiqui, a Pulitzer-winning Reuters photojournalist who was killed in Afghanistan earlier this month, was badly mutilated in Taliban custody, a report by The New York Times said, quoting officials.

Siddiqui was killed on 16 July, in Kandahar’s Spin Boldak district, while covering clashes between the Taliban and Afghan commandos.

Initial photographs from the scene showed that although Siddiqui’s body had multiple wounds, it was fully intact, the report said.

But by that evening, when the body was handed over to the Red Cross and transferred to a local hospital, it had been badly mutilated, according to two Indian officials and two Afghan health officials.

One Indian official said that the body had nearly a dozen bullet wounds along with tyre marks on his face and chest. Another official said that Siddiqui’s face was unrecognisable.

But a Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, denied any wrongdoing, the report said. Mujahid said that they were under orders to treat bodies with respect and to hand them over to local elders or the Red Cross.

Recently, a report published by American magazine Washington Examiner also said that Siddiqui was not simply killed in a crossfire, nor was he collateral damage, rather he was brutally murdered by the Taliban.

The report said that after a Taliban ambush, Siddiqui was hit with shrapnel, following which he and his team went to a local mosque for first aid. As the word spread, however, that a journalist was in the mosque, the Taliban attacked.

The local investigation suggests that the Taliban attacked the mosque only because of Siddiqui’s presence there, it said.

“Need unity to defeat BJP”: Mamata Banerjee meets Sonia Gandhi

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“Need unity to defeat BJP”: Mamata Banerjee meets Sonia Gandhi

Mamata Banerjee met with Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Delhi today in their first interaction since the two parties contested as rivals in the Bengal election in April-May. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was also present in the talks that are significant amid opposition moves to join forces for a united fight in the 2024 national election.

“Sonia ji invited me for a cup of tea and Rahul ji is also there. We discussed Pegasus and the Covid situation in the country. We also discussed the unity of the opposition. It was a very good meeting, positive meeting. To defeat the BJP, everybody needs to come together. Everyone will have to work together,” Ms Banerjee said after the 45-minute interaction with Sonia Gandhi, with whom she has always had cordial ties.

The Bengal Chief Minister, in Delhi for five days, had met with senior Congress leaders Kamal Nath and Anand Sharma yesterday. After the Gandhis, Ms Banerjee also met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Since her Bengal victory, Mamata Banerjee has emerged as a pivotal figure in the opposition’s attempts to consolidate anti-BJP forces ahead of the next general election.

Ms Banerjee won despite an aggressive campaign by the BJP, which staked all its top leaders and its mighty election machinery on Mission Bengal. The election is now held up by many in the opposition as a template for taking on the BJP in future polls.

In Delhi for the first time after the win, the Chief Minister has lined up meetings with several key opposition leaders.

“Poore desh me khela hoga. It’s a continuous process… When general elections come (2024), it will be (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi vs country,” she told reporters earlier today.

“After the parliament session there will be talks, there should be a common platform to work together. I am meeting Sonia Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal. I spoke to Lalu Prasad Yadav yesterday. We will be talking to all parties.”

Asked to comment on the view – bolstered by a series of listless Congress campaigns – that the grand old party is now a weak link for the opposition, Ms Banerjee said: “I don’t want to interfere in the internal math of any political party. But I think Sonia Gandhi wants opposition unity.”

Ms Banerjee had earlier said she was open to an opposition front but any such grouping would be impossible without the Congress.

Since its failed outing in Bengal, the Congress has sought to demonstrate its goodwill towards the Trinamool.

6 Assam cops killed, 50 hurt as violence at border with Mizoram intensifies

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6 Assam cops killed, 50 hurt as violence at border with Mizoram intensifies

At least six personnel of the Assam Police were killed in firing by miscreants from neighbouring Mizoram on Monday as violence escalated along the inter-state border in the Cachar district, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

A senior Assam Police officer, who is still inside the forest amid continuous firing from across the border, told PTI that at least 50 personnel, including Cachar Superintendent of Police Nimbalkar Vaibhav Chandrakant, were injured in firing and stone-pelting.

“I am deeply pained to inform that six brave jawans of @assampolice have sacrificed their lives while defending constitutional boundary of our state at the Assam – Mizoram border. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families,” Sarma tweeted.

The senior police officer said miscreants from across the border suddenly started firing when civil officials of both sides were holding a dialogue to sort out the differences.

“I immediately cannot say how many people have been injured, but my guess is at least 50 personnel. Our SP was also injured in the firing and a bullet hit his leg,” the officer said over the phone.

The IPS officer spoke to PTI while he was hiding inside a forest and firing could be heard in the background.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday spoke to the chief ministers of Assam and Mizoram over the ongoing border row between the two states and asked them to ensure peaceful resolution of the dispute, sources said.

During his separate telephonic conversations with Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Mizoram counterpart Zoramthanga, Shah asked them to maintain peace along the inter-state border where tension prevails, the sources said.

The home minister asked the chief ministers to resolve the border issue mutually.

Both chief ministers have assured the home minister that the needful will be done to ensure peace and resolve the border issue amicably.

Police forces from both states are expected to return from the disputed site, the sources said.

A tense situation prevailed along the disputed Assam-Mizoram border following clashes while chief ministers of the two states were locked in a war of words on Twitter on Monday.

BS Yediyurappa resigns as Karnataka Chief Minister

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BS Yediyurappa resigns as Karnataka Chief Minister

After months of speculation, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Monday resigned from the top post. The towering Lingayat leader had on Sunday announced that he would take the decision on his future as Karnataka CM on July 26 when his government completed two years in the state.

Speaking about his possible resignation, Yediyurappa on Sunday said, “We will see tomorrow. I haven’t received any information from high command yet. By tonight or tomorrow morning I’ll get to know. Tomorrow we will celebrate the two-year anniversary (of the Karnataka government that was elected to power in 2019).”

Yediyurappa’s remarks came even as BJP president JP Nadda lauded the Karnataka CM for doing a “good job”.

“One after another I faced agni pariksha. I’ve worked in spite of it. I don’t know how to thank government workers, chief secretary. All of them worked hard and trusted me. Karnataka saw development because of this,” Yediyurappa said.

138 dead in Maharashtra floods; 90,000 shifted

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138 dead in Maharashtra floods; 90,000 shifted

At least 138 people have died in rain-related incidents, including multiple landslides, in Maharashtra. The deaths include 36 who died in a landslide in the coastal Raigad district, about 70 km from state capital Mumbai.

Several districts – primarily the Konkan region – have been receiving incessant rain over the past few days, leaving thousands stranded in floods and landslides. 

“138 accidental deaths reported in Maharashtra due to rain and other monsoon-related incidents,” Maharashtra Minister of Relief and Rehabilitation, Vijay Wadettiwar, said.

Satara district in Western Maharashtra has also been battered by rain and several people have been swept away by floodwaters, an official was reported as saying by news agency PTI. The official put the death count in Satara at 27.

Other fatalities include those reported from eastern districts such as Gondia and Chandrapur, he said.

“Rainfall in various parts of the state often coinciding with high tides and also discharge from dams led to various regions… getting inundated,” the Maharashtra government said in a press release.

At least 84,452 people, including over 40,000 in Kolhapur district, were shifted to safer places in Western Maharashtra’s Pune division, officials said. At least 54 villages have been completely affected due to the floods while 821 were partially affected in Kolhapur, where the Panchganga river is flowing at a level higher than that witnessed during the peak of floods in 2019, officials said.

Eleven people, including eight Nepalese workers, on board a bus had a narrow escape as they were rescued in the nick of time before the vehicle was swept away in Kolhapur district on Friday, PTI reported quoting police officials.

Apart from Raigad district, landslides were also reported in Ambeghar and Mirgaon villages in Satara during Thursday night.

Lieutenant Governor grants power to Delhi Police to detain anyone under NSA

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Lieutenant Governor grants power to Delhi Police to detain anyone under NSA

Delhi Lieutenant governor Anil Baijal on Saturday granted power to the police commissioner to apprehend anyone under National Security Act (NSA). A notification will issue in this regard which be in place till October 18, 2021.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (3) of section 3, read with clause (e) of Section 2 of the National Security Act, 1980, the Lt Governor pleased to direct that during the period July 19 to October 18, the Delhi Police Commissioner may also exercise the powers of detaining authority under sub-section (2) of the section 3 of the aforesaid Act,” the notification stated.

The NSA allows preventive detention of an individual for months if the authorities feel that the individual is a threat to the national security, and law and order.

The Lieutenant Governor’s order comes ahead of Independence Day and at a time farmers protesting against the Centre’s three agriculture laws have been holding ‘Kisan Sansad’ at central Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.

The Delhi Police, meanwhile, said that it is a routine order and is issued regularly.

The area around Parliament in heart of Delhi are heavily barricaded and additional security personnel deployed in the wake of the ‘Kisan Sansad’. Parts of national capital are under triple-layered security cover due to Independence Day on August 15.

The personnel from Delhi Police, Rapid Action Force (RAF) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were seen armed with anti-riot gear in the area.

On Thursday, a group of 200 farmers protesting the Centre’s three agri-marketing laws started a ‘Kisan Sansad’ at Jantar Mantar, close to Parliament where the monsoon session is underway.

Earlier this month, Delhi Police Commissioner Balaji Srivastava had issued order, prohibiting the flying of aerial objects like drones, paragliders, and hot air balloons, ahead of Independence Day celebrations.

(Photo: Sreekanth Sivadasan)

Konkan floods: Rescue operations are in progress; trains cancelled

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Konkan floods: Rescue operations are in progress; trains cancelled

Rescue operations are on in several districts of Maharashtra after relentless rain caused flooding and huge property damage across the Konkan region of the state.

Visuals of waterlogged streets, submerged cars and struggling people emerged from the state as the downpour continued. Incessant rain has ravaged the Konkan region for several days causing major rivers in Ratnagiri and Raigad districts to overflow above the danger levels.

Several long-distance trains have been stopped, cancelled or rescheduled on the Konkan Railway route. According to rail officials, around 6,000 passengers were stranded in trains which were regulated at various stations on the Konkan Railway route.

Many areas of Ratnagiri district have been severely affected with Chiplun bearing the brunt of the rain.

Rescue operations are on in flooded Chiplun, around 240 km from Mumbai, and is possibly the worst affected in the state. Stranded locals are being moved to safety by the Indian Coastguard. The Mumbai-Goa Highway has also been shut due to severe flooding in the town.

The Vashisti River as well as a dam overflowed last night, alarming residents as floodwater began rising rapidly. In scary visuals, buses can be seen completely submerged under water – only the tops are visible. The local market, bus station and railway station are all submerged in Chiplun.

The Coastguard has deployed a disaster relief team in every affected region; a team of 35 officers are involved in the rescue ops.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed nine rescue teams, including four in Mumbai and one each in Thane and Palghar districts. One team is on its way to Chiplun. Two teams have also been sent to Kolhapur.

In Yavatmal, the water level of the Sahatrakund waterfall is also on the rise after heavy rain battered the district for three days. Thane’s Bhiwadi also saw severe waterlogging after heavy rain over the last few days.

Tokyo Olympics: Emperor Naruhito declares games open

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Tokyo Olympics: Emperor Naruhito declares games open

The opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics took place on Friday in a nearly empty National Stadium after year-long pandemic postponement and a build-up marred by scandal and controversy. The ceremony began with performances and fireworks. It was followed by the parade of participating countries, which placed the foundation for speeches by International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Thomas Bach and Seiko Hashimoto, who is the chief of Tokyo Organising Committee.

After the speeches, Japanese Emperor Naruhito opened up The Games, and few more performances took place. Tennis ace Naomi Osaka ended the ceremony by lighting the Olympic Cauldron. The ceremony took place before just a few hundred officials and dignitaries.

Rahul Gandhi, Prashant Kishor, Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw among Pegasus list

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Rahul Gandhi, Prashant Kishor, Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw among Pegasus list

Congress’ Rahul Gandhi, poll strategist Prashant Kishor and the Centre’s new IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw are among the big names revealed today as potential targets of Israeli spyware ‘Pegasus’ in the latest set of explosive revelations by The Wire.

Their phones and those of a close aide of Kishor — also allegedly targeted — were not available for a forensic analysis, which means hacking could not be confirmed, the consortium said.

Gandhi’s two numbers have been given up since they were allegedly targeted. The list also allegedly includes numbers of five friends and acquaintances of Rahul Gandhi.

Others whose names have emerged in the suspected snooping attack include former election commissioner Ashok Lavasa, the lone dissenter in the Election Commission’s decision to give clean chits to Prime Minster Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for alleged poll code violations during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, and scientist Gagandeep Kang, former executive director of the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), an autonomous institute under the Union science ministry.

On Sunday, an expose by a global consortium of media organisations revealed that Israeli company NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware was used to allegedly bug 300 mobile phone numbers in India. These included numbers of two serving Union ministers, three Opposition leaders, one constitutional authority, current and former heads of security organisations, administrators and 40 senior journalists and activists.

Earlier Monday, Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had defended the government, saying the report had no factual basis and appeared to be an attempt to “malign Indian democracy and its well-established institutions”.

Addressing the Lok Sabha, the minister said a “highly sensational story was published by a web portal last night where many over-the-top allegations” were made.

“The press reports appeared a day before the monsoon session of Parliament. This can’t be a coincidence,” Vaishnaw said on the floor of the House.

The IT minister said the basis of this report is that there is a consortium that has got access to a leaked database of 50,000 phone numbers.

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