Assam rain mayhem: Over 2800 people rescued as floods and landslides hit state
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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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The Hindu
16 minutes ago
- The Hindu
News Analysis: Ahead of polls, all eyes in Bihar on Chirag Paswan's next political move
Poll-bound Bihar is witnessing fast-paced developments with Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) MP from Jamui, Arun Bharti, brother-in-law of party chief Chirag Paswan, saying that supporters want Mr. Paswan to contest the upcoming Assembly election in Bihar, and that too not from any reserved seat but from a general seat. He said this would send a message that he was a leader able to bridge caste lines. Mr. Paswan, who is currently the MP from Hajipur (reserved) seat and the Union Food Processing Industries Minister, himself said in Chhattisgarh that he 'doesn't see himself in national politics for long and the only reason he came into politics was Bihar and Biharis'. Mr. Paswan, who had represented Jamui, a reserved seat, twice in 2014 and 2019, is likely to call a meeting of the LJP(RV) Executive Committee soon to formalise a proposal urging him to contest the upcoming Assembly election. Posters urging him to contest elections from Sheikhpura and Ara seats, and claiming that only he could stop migration from Bihar, are being put up. However, the buzz around junior Paswan centres around two questions. The first is whether he is gearing up to play a bigger role in State politics at the behest of senior National Democratic Alliance partner BJP. The second is whether he has become overambitious in exploring opportunities to be the next Bihar Chief Minister amid concerns over incumbent Nitish Kumar's health and a perceived vacuum on the top after the election. The third is whether the BJP would use Mr. Paswan again to dent the plans of both the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal and ally Janata Dal (United), as he had done in the 2020 Assembly election. In 2020, the undivided LJP put up candidates at 130 Assembly seats out of the total 243, especially seats contested by the JD(U) and was instrumental in the latter's tally in the Assembly falling to just 43. The JD(U) finished third behind the BJP and RJD in the election and it emerged that the LJP had hurt the JD(U)'s winning chances in at least two dozes seats. Mr. Paswan comes from the Dalit Paswan community which accounts for 5.311% of the State's population, as per the 2022 caste survey. Currently, Mr. Paswan-led LJP (RV) has five MPs but no representation in the State Assembly. After the 2020 election, Mr. Kumar and Mr. Paswan had an uneasy relationship as Mr. Kumar and his party leaders accused Mr. Paswan of fielding party candidates to 'deliberately' defeat the JD(U). However, there was soon a twist, with LJP spliting into two parties - the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) led by Mr. Paswan's uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras and the LJP(RV) of Mr. Paswan. Mr. Paras, was sidelined in the NDA and walked out of the block while Mr. Paswan was appointed an Union Minister. Recently, he met Mr. Kumar at his residence and after the meeting, asserted that the 'NDA would contest the upcoming Assembly election under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and he will be our leader in the State'. 'Chirag Paswan can contest the Assembly election as every party leader is free to take his own decision but it is very clear that from 2025-30, there will be Nitish Kumar once again,' party spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said on Monday, responding to the recent developments. However, the Opposition RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari said, 'The BJP has trapped Mr. Paswan once again to hurt Mr. Kumar in the election… it is now very clear that the BJP doesn't want Mr. Kumar to continue as CM after the Assembly poll and the tussle in the NDA has begun,' he said. But, is Mr. Paswan overambitious in looking for an opportunity to fill the Chief Minister post? 'May be, but it will be interesting to see whether the BJP would want to offer that seat to Mr. Paswan after election,' said political analyst Nawal Kishore Choudhary. He further asked, 'Why should the BJP promote Mr. Paswan when he too can become another Nitish Kumar?'. On the posters urging Mr. Paswan to contest the State election, he said: 'Don't go by these posters as they could be misleading. He or, the BJP must have chosen a seat for him which will be revealed at a proper time', Mr. Choudhary added.
India Today
27 minutes ago
- India Today
India not starting a war, just retaliating for terror: Shashi Tharoor
India's Operation Sindoor is not an act of war but a measured response to a vile act of terror, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said on Monday, as he led an all-party delegation to Brazil. In a firm diplomatic message, Tharoor underscored that the Pahalgam terror attack -- which claimed 26 lives -- was aimed at destabilising Kashmir's booming economy and sowing communal discord across whole idea was to signal that we are not trying to start a war,' Tharoor told Brazilian Ambassador Celso Amorim in Brasilia. 'We are just conducting retribution for an act of terror, which was a really vile act... It was horrendous and meant to do the maximum possible damage to India.'#WATCH | Brasilia, Brazil: While interacting with Ambassador Celso Amorim, Head Adviser of the Special Advisory to the President of the Republic, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor spoke on #OperationSindoorHe said, "The whole idea was to signal that we are not trying to start a war, ANI (@ANI) June 2, 2025Tharoor, speaking as head of the visiting delegation, emphasised India's stand against terrorism and the importance of rallying global understanding in the wake of increasing cross-border attacks. 'The reason we have come is very much to seek greater sympathy and understanding on the part of our friends, and also countries that are not necessarily our friends... but you are in the high friend category,' Tharoor said, referring to Brazil's recent outreach and President Lula da Silva's personal phone call to Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the ROLE UNDER SCRUTINYadvertisementIndia has accused Pakistan-based terror groups of orchestrating the Pahalgam attack, with The Resistance Front (TRF) — a proxy for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)—claiming responsibility. Tharoor highlighted India's ongoing efforts to expose the TRF's role at the United Nations, where India has repeatedly provided intelligence to the UN's 1267 Sanctions Committee.#WATCH | Brasilia, Brazil: While interacting with Ambassador Celso Amorim, Head Adviser of the Special Advisory to the President of the Republic, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, "I want to say once again if Pakistan had not chosen to expand the conflict, we would not have ANI (@ANI) June 2, 2025'LeT has created this front called the Resistance Front,' Tharoor explained. 'We have been reporting about the Resistance Front to the UN Sanctions Committee time after time... but when we encouraged our friends in the Security Council to name the group in the April 25 statement, Pakistan — sadly with China's support — had the name removed.'He lamented that neither India nor Brazil currently sits on the Security Council, a gap he suggested should be closed. 'We have to change that situation. Both of us should be on the Council together,' he had previously informed the UN about LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammad operating through smaller entities like TRF, pointing out in its May and November 2024 reports how these fronts act as facades for banned terrorist groups. The consistent denial of acknowledgment in international statements—allegedly due to Pakistani and Chinese pressure—has sparked calls for more assertive global was no action to bring the perpetrators to justice, or even to look for them in Pakistan,' Tharoor said. 'So finally, the government decided to send a strong message.'Operation Sindoor, he stressed, is that message. Not a declaration of war, but a declaration that terror will not go Indian delegation landed in Brazil on June 1 and was received by Charge d'Affaires Sandeep Kumar Kujur at the Indian Embassy in Brasilia. After meetings in Brazil, the delegation is set to continue its diplomatic outreach with a visit to the United States starting InMust Watch
India Today
28 minutes ago
- India Today
Dr Jitendra Singh backs purple revolution at lavender fest in Jammu's Bhaderwah
The Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Dr Jitendra Singh, on Monday visited the Bhaderwah valley in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir and participated in the annual Lavender Festival, symbolising the government's push for the 'Purple Revolution' in the event reflects a growing emphasis on agri-based innovation, local entrepreneurship, and economic upliftment in the Union local farmers and security personnel amid blooming lavender fields, Dr Singh praised the region's transformation under the Purple Revolution, an initiative under the Aroma Mission that promotes high-value aromatic crops like lavender to boost rural incomes. Bhaderwah, once impacted by conflict, has now emerged as India's lavender capital. 'This is the new story of Jammu and Kashmir where fields bloom with lavender and opportunities,' he said, lauding efforts by local farmers and CSIR for spearheading the Singh highlighted the Modi government's efforts to transform the economy of Jammu and Kashmir through technology, agriculture, and national security measures. He linked the region's development drive to the recent Operation Sindoor, calling it a milestone in India's technological and defence capabilities.'The world has seen the might of indigenous technology during Operation Sindoor. Our defence capability today is powered not just by weapons, but by innovation,' he said. advertisementHe also said that the operation displayed India's ability to conduct precision strikes without foreign dependence, boosting national morale.'This is New India – secure at its borders and strong in its economy,' he India's stance on PoK, Dr Singh invoked the 1994 Parliamentary resolution, stating, 'Taking back PoK is a matter of national consensus, not politics.'He stated that the government remains committed to this goal as part of its broader vision for national integrity and Lavender Festival, held annually to promote aromatic farming, marks a vital part of the 'Purple Revolution' a central initiative under the Aroma Mission to boost farmer incomes through high-value crops. Bhaderwah has emerged as the lavender capital of India, turning many former conflict-ridden villages into hubs of agro-based visit and the festival reflect a broader strategy to position Jammu and Kashmir as both a security stronghold and a model of grassroots economic development, signalling New Delhi's evolving approach to the Watch
