Today in Politics: In aftermath of Pahalgam attack, PM Modi to chair series of meetings
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a series of meetings on Wednesday to review security preparedness in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people dead.
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) will meet for the second time since the terror attack after which Modi will chair a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs.
At its meeting two days after the Pahalgam massacre, the CCS had reviewed the overall security situation of the country and put the forces on alert, vowing that the perpetrators would be brought to justice.
The Cabinet's Economic Affairs Committee will meet thereafter, following which a Cabinet meeting will be held.
Rahul to visit the Pahalgam victim's kin in Kanpur
Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will briefly visit Kanpur on Wednesday to meet the family of Shubham Dwivedi, who was among the 26 killed in the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.
'After completing his Raebareli and Amethi visit, Rahul ji would visit Shubham's family in Kanpur,' UP Congress Committee chief Ajay Rai told PTI on Tuesday.
Gandhi began his two-day visit to Raebareli, his Lok Sabha constituency, and adjoining Amethi, his former constituency from which he had been elected MP thrice, on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Gandhi wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling for a joint session of both houses of the Parliament on the issue of Pahalgam attack.
Rai recalled how Gandhi had rushed to Kashmir on hearing about the terror strike to meet the kin of the deceased and those injured.
'When it comes to matters of national unity the Congress and its leadership have always put the nation first. Rahul ji plans to meet Shubham's kin to share their grief and assure them that the Congress party stands with them at this moment,' said Rai, who had attended the last rites of Shubham on April 23.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had visited Kanpur on April 23 to meet Shubham's family. After meeting the family, Adityanath said that no stone would be left unturned to bring the culprits of the Pahalgam terror strike to justice.
Owaisi, AIMPLB to hold protest against Waqf Act
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday urged people to switch off lights in their houses between 9 PM and 9.15 PM on April 30 as part of a protest called by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) against the Waqf (Amendment) Act.
Speaking to the media, the Hyderabad MP said the Act violates the Constitution of India, particularly the fundamental rights, and interferes with the functioning of Waqf Boards. 'So I appeal to all of you to turn off the lights in your homes tomorrow from 9 PM to 9.15 PM to send a message to the Narendra Modi government that the Waqf Amendment Law is a violation of the Constitution of India, especially of fundamental rights,' he said.
Mamata to attend inauguration of Jagannath temple in Digha
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday will participate in the 'Maha Yajna' at the newly built Jagannath Temple in Digha.
Arrangements are in place for the 'Maha Yajna' on Tuesday evening at the newly built Jagannath Temple in West Bengal's seaside tourist town of Digha, and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will take part in the rituals, officials said.
The Jagannath Temple, a replica of the 12th-century shrine in Puri, is scheduled to be inaugurated on Wednesday on the auspicious occasion of the 'Akshay Trithiya'. Digha is around 350 km from Puri.
'The CM will participate in the 'Maha Yajna' at the temple. There will be a number of rituals during the puja,' an official at the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) told PTI.
On Wednesday, the consecration of the idols of the deities will take place, he said.
Banerjee had on Monday said the temple will serve as a place of confluence of people for the 'next several thousand years'. 'This temple will definitely add a new feather to the state's cap. Digha will grow into an international tourist attraction. This will serve as a place of harmony,' she had said.
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