Assam rain mayhem: Over 2800 people rescued as floods and landslides hit state
BJP has denied reports claiming it will use Colonel Sofiya and Wing Commander Vyomika as poll campaign faces for 'Operation Sindoor'. The party clarified that while Colonel Sophia represents Muslim Nari Shakti, they will not be using these figures for election campaigns. BJP plans to hold discussions about government schemes and women's empowerment, including military training for girls, in various religious institutions.
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First Post
9 minutes ago
- First Post
‘When Paris removed stray dogs': What happened in the French capital in the 1880s?
The Supreme Court's order to remove stray dogs from the streets of Delhi and NCR has sparked major outrage in the country. BJP leader and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi has called the directive 'impractical' and claimed that when Paris got rid of its strays in the 1880s, it had to face a rodent problem. Here's what happened A local resident walks her dogs past War propoganda posters in the Montmarte district in Paris on March 25, 2020. File Photo/Reuters The Supreme Court's recent ruling on the immediate removal of stray dogs from Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) has sparked a huge debate in the country. It has pitted public safety advocates against dog lovers who see the order as 'cruel'. The directive has garnered reactions from various quarters, including politicians. While some have hailed the top court's directive, others found it 'inhumane'. Former Union minister and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi has described the order as 'impractical', 'financially unviable' and 'potentially harmful' to the region's ecological balance. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD She also brought up the example of Paris, which she said faced a rat problem after getting rid of the canines from its streets in the 1880s. Let's take a closer look. Supreme Court's stray dogs order The Supreme Court on Monday (August 11) ordered the Delhi government, civic bodies and authorities of Noida, Gurgaon, and Ghaziabad to start picking up stray dogs and relocate them to shelters. A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan said that dog shelters have to be set up to accommodate around 5,000 stray dogs, which should be sterilised and immunised. The apex court gave authorities eight weeks to create the facilities and install CCTV monitoring to ensure no animals are released back onto the streets. It also warned that any person or organisation that obstructs the move will face strict action. The bench also refused to consider petitions from dog lovers or any other party on the issue. The order came amid a rise in dog bites and cases of rabies. However, it has divided the country, with many animal lovers criticising the ruling. Both Gandhi families have spoken against the Supreme Court's directive to remove the stray dogs. 'The SC's directive to remove all stray dogs from Delhi-NCR is a step back from decades of humane, science-backed policy. These voiceless souls are not 'problems' to be erased. Shelters, sterilisation, vaccination & community care can keep streets safe - without cruelty. Blanket removals are cruel, shortsighted, and strip us of compassion,' Congress MP Rahul Gandhi wrote in a post on X. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He added, 'We can ensure public safety and animal welfare go hand in hand.' The SC's directive to remove all stray dogs from Delhi-NCR is a step back from decades of humane, science-backed policy. These voiceless souls are not 'problems' to be erased. Shelters, sterilisation, vaccination & community care can keep streets safe - without cruelty. Blanket… — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 12, 2025 Animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi warned that removing stray dogs from the streets will create new problems. 'Within 48 hours, three lakh dogs will come from Ghaziabad, Faridabad, because there's food here in Delhi. And once you remove the dogs, monkeys will come on the ground… I've seen this happen at my own house,' she reportedly said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Referring to 1880s Paris, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader stated, 'When they removed dogs and cats, the city was overrun with rats.' She said dogs were 'rodent control animals'. What happened in the 1800s Paris? In the 1800s, stray dogs were frowned upon in Paris, seen as transmitters of rabies, fleas, and dirt. Paris had a large number of strays at the time, with the administration considering them a threat to cleanliness, health, and safety. According to a research paper titled Stray Dogs and the Making of Modern Paris, shared by The University of Liverpool Repository, in 1883, pharmacist Emile Capron backed the removal of stray dogs from the streets of Paris, claiming that 'the infinite number of these awful mutts' spread rabies. She also blamed them for scaring horses and pedestrians, which resulted in traffic accidents. 'As Capron's remarks suggest, many commentators treated strays as dangerously mobile nuisances that hindered the movement, and threatened the health, of the city's productive human and nonhuman inhabitants. Strays contributed to the sense that Paris was a pathological city plagued by crime, filth, and insecurity, and elite commentators treated them as members of the city's criminal, dirty and uprooted 'dangerous classes,'" Chris Pearson wrote in the paper. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD To ensure 'public safety', many stray dogs were allegedly culled. As Paris moved towards becoming modern, 'Parisian public hygienists and authorities turned strays into a problem that they would solve to make the city safe, clean and modern,' Pearson wrote. As per some accounts, the killing of strays led to a surge in the population of rats in the French city. ALSO READ: With nearly 10 lakh stray dogs, how will Delhi implement the Supreme Court order? When Parisians ate dogs, cats, rats During the Siege of Paris (the Franco-Prussian War between 1870-1871), the allied German forces surrounded Paris and cut off most of the food shipments to the French capital. Amid food shortages, Parisians resorted to eating rats, cats, dogs, and even horses. On November 12, 1870, a stall on the Rue Rochechouart street sold several animals. 'On the right side of the stall was several large dogs, neatly dressed … next to these are several large cats, also very neatly dressed … On the left of the stall there is a dozen or more of rats stretched upon a tray, and a young woman, half veiled, is timidly approaching them with a little girl at her side. She wishes to inquire the price of the rats, and, if she has money enough, to purchase one,' Robert Lowry Sibbet, an American doctor who was trapped in Paris during the siege, wrote in the book The Siege of Paris by an American Eye-Witness, published in 1892. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies
India.com
9 minutes ago
- India.com
Voter's list row: Congress' Sonia Gandhi's name added to voter list before she was citizen? BJP alleges so
Voter's list row: Congress' Sonia Gandhi's name added to voter list before she was citizen? BJP alleges so The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday launched a counterattack on Congress and claimed Sonia Gandhi had been illegally added to the voter list 45 years ago, before she was an Indian citizen. The Congress has accused the BJP of 'colluding' with the Election Commission to commit voter fraud. Ex-Union Minister Anurag Thakur claimed ex-Congress boss – born Sonia Maino in Italy in 1946 – was added on the list from 1980 to 1982, a year before she was an Indian citizen. In a long Twitter post, BJP leader Amit Malviya claimed that Sonia Gandhi's name first appeared on the rolls in 1980 — three years before she became an Indian citizen and while she still held Italian citizenship. The post read: Sonia Gandhi's tryst with India's voters' list is riddled with glaring violations of electoral law. This perhaps explains Rahul Gandhi's fondness for regularising ineligible and illegal voters, and his opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Her name first appeared on the rolls in 1980 — three years before she became an Indian citizen and while she still held Italian citizenship. At the time, the Gandhi family lived at 1, Safdarjung Road, the official residence of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Until then, the voters registered at that address were Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi, and Maneka Gandhi. In 1980, the electoral rolls of the New Delhi parliamentary constituency were revised with January 1, 1980, as the qualifying date. During this revision, Sonia Gandhi's name was added, appearing at serial number 388 in polling station 145. This entry was a clear violation of the law, which requires a person to be an Indian citizen to be registered as a voter. Following an outcry in 1982, her name was deleted from the list — only to reappear in 1983. But even her reinstatement raised serious questions. In the fresh revision of the electoral rolls that year, Sonia Gandhi was listed at serial number 236 in polling station 140. The qualifying date for registration was January 1, 1983 — yet she was granted Indian citizenship only on April 30, 1983. In other words, Sonia Gandhi's name entered the electoral rolls twice without meeting the basic citizenship requirement — first as an Italian citizen in 1980, and then again in 1983, months before she legally became a citizen of India. We are not even asking why it took her 15 years after marrying Rajiv Gandhi to accept Indian citizenship. If this isn't blatant electoral malpractice, what is? What the Opposition is alleging? Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, also made explosive claims of a 'huge criminal fraud' in polls through collusion between the BJP and the Election Commission. Alleging that a 'vote chori model' was being used in many constituencies across the country, Gandhi said that the judiciary needs to get involved in this because 'the democracy that we love so much, does not exist anymore'.
NDTV
19 minutes ago
- NDTV
Gujarat Sarpanch Gets Independence Day Invite For Role In Op Sindoor
Banaskantha (Gujarat): Sarpanch Thanabhai Dodia of Jaloya village in Gujarat's Banaskantha district has been invited as a special guest for the upcoming Independence Day celebrations in recognition of his village's contributions during Operation Sindoor, when residents provided machinery and labour to assist the armed forces. Dodia, whose village lies about 20 kilometres from the India-Pakistan border, will attend the event at Delhi's Red Fort in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On Tuesday, he expressed gratitude to both the Gujarat and central governments for the honour. "I have been invited as a special guest for Independence celebrations to be held on 15th August at Red Fort in Delhi in the presence of Shri Narendra Bhai Modi Sahib. I am thankful to the Government of India, the Government of Gujarat and the authorities from the bottom of my heart. This is the first programme after Operation Sindoor in which I have been invited as the sarpanch of my last village in the border area," Dodia said. "During the war in Operation Sindoor, when the machines were needed, we gave machines, and when labourers were needed, people stood ready. Keeping that in mind, we have been invited. Modi ji has given this opportunity to the sarpanch of the last village. I am grateful for this," he added. He also said the Border Security Force (BSF) has maintained close coordination with the village. "Operation Sindoor was going on, and BSF was in touch with us. We have good liaison in the border area. We sit together, plan and work together. The villagers have always helped the BSF, and the BSF has also helped us a lot," the Jaloya Sarpanch added. Meanwhile, the Gujarat government has planned extensive Independence Day celebrations in Porbandar, the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi. The flag-hoisting ceremony will be led by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. Gujarat Legislative Assembly Speaker Shankar Chaudhary will hoist the flag at Mehsana, while members of the State Cabinet and District Collectors will do so at various district headquarters. On August 9, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed happiness over the "phenomenal" participation in the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign, saying it reflects the deep patriotic spirit that unites the people of India and their pride in the Tricolour. He also urged citizens to continue sharing their photos and selfies on Responding to the Ministry of Culture's posts about the high participation, the Prime Minister said, "Glad to see #HarGharTiranga receiving phenomenal participation across India. This shows the deep patriotic spirit that unites our people and their unwavering pride in the Tricolour. Do keep sharing photos and selfies on In an X post, the Ministry of Culture wrote, "We are elated to see the enthusiasm surrounding the #HarGharTiranga campaign. From Kashmir to Lakshadweep and from Gujarat to Sikkim, the heartwarming images of people proudly hoisting the Tricolour show the deep connection that every Indian has with the National Flag." According to the Ministry of Culture, this year the campaign will run from August 2 to August 15, with the government urging citizens to hoist the Tricolour at their homes.
