Actor Vinayakan's social media post invites backlash
Incidentally, this follows Vinayakan's participation in a condolence rally in Kochi on Wednesday, where his slogan praising Mr. Achuthanandan had gone viral. This had invited comparisons by Congress-affiliated social media handles with his allegedly derogatory remarks about the late Oommen Chandy leading to a police case.
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New Indian Express
13 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Parliament set for fiery debate on Operation Sindoor
NEW DELHI: With the Lok Sabha set to begin a three-day debate on the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor on Monday, the ruling alliance and the Opposition parties have lined up top speakers to put across their points of view. The Congress on Sunday issued a whip to its MPs to be present in the Lok Sabha. After a week-long standoff between the Opposition and the Treasury benches, the Monday session is expected to be stormy as some Opposition parties are expected to raise the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar as well. While Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to open the discussion from the ruling camp, the principal Opposition party Congress has a line-up of Deputy Leader of Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi and K C Venugopal on the opening day. According to party sources, Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi may speak on Tuesday. The party has been allotted three hours to speak on the issue. Sources said that besides Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be speaking on the issues, amid indications that Prime Minister Narendra Modi may intervene to convey his government's track record of a "robust" stand on national security. The whip issued by Chief Whip Kodikunnil Suresh said, 'Be present positively in Lok Sabha from 11:00 AM onwards till adjournment of the House on Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday and support the Party Stand. This may be treated as three-line whip.' The Lok Sabha Secretariat has listed a "special discussion on India's strong, successful and decisive 'Operation Sindoor' in response to the terror attack in Pahalgam" in its agenda for Monday.
News18
32 minutes ago
- News18
Rajnath Vs Rahul On Op Sindoor: 32-Hour Fiery Discussion Begins Today, Will PM Modi Join?
Last Updated: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will initiate the discussion in the Lok Sabha. The government has officially not committed to PM Modi's speech, but he could join in Starting Monday, Operation Sindoor will be discussed in Parliament for 32 hours in all. The discussion is expected to be fiery and confrontational, with the Opposition seeking clear answers while the government would look to turn the tables by questioning the nationalism of the Congress, like after the Balakot air strikes in Pakistan in 2019. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will initiate the discussion in the Lok Sabha. The Opposition's intent is clear as Rahul Gandhi will open the discussion from the Congress. PM Narendra Modi could intervene in the discussion to speak, which is a key demand of the Opposition, as much as the PM's presence when the opposition speaks. Interestingly, the government has officially not committed to the PM's speech. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said last week that the Opposition cannot decide if the PM will speak. Rijiju said it was similar to how the government cannot decide who the opposition speakers will be. But given that the discussion is only happening after the PM returned from abroad shows that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would want to unleash its biggest weapon on the Opposition as Operation Sindoor is a brainchild of the PM. But India will be careful to not take matters too far by criticising Trump as the India-US trade deal is nearing completion. Instead, the government ministers could question the nationalism and patriotism of the Congress for trusting the words of a foreign leader rather than of their own Prime Minister. India could also lay bare details how Pakistan has suffered big losses during Op Sindoor. If the Opposition keeps insisting on knowing losses on I ndian side, it could become a situation like Balakot where the Opposition had asked for evidence and suffered heavily subsequently in the 2019 general elections. Security failure in Pahalgam The security failure in Pahalgam will also be a hot issue. The government in earlier discussions with Opposition did admit to security and intelligence lapses on April 22. J&K LG Manoj Sinha has officially admitted to the lapses and took responsibility for them. S. Jaishankar, Amit Shah, Anurag Thakur and Nishikant Dubey are expected to speak and lead the charge in Parliament. Mallikarjun Kharge and Akhilesh Yadav will be speaking as well, to try to corner the PM. Support for India after Pahalgam The government would also impress upon the Opposition during the discussion that almost the entire world stood with India after Pahalgam. From Washington to Tokyo, from Paris to Canberra, countries condemned the cowardly act in one voice — and backed India's fight against terror without hesitation, the government may say. The United States called the Pahalgam attack as 'heinous" and even designated The Resistance Front — a Lashkar-e-Taiba proxy — as a terrorist organisation, in a major diplomatic win for India. France offered unwavering support. French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the attack strongly, just as he did during Pulwama. Russia's President Vladmir Putin personally called PM Modi to offer condolences and solidarity. Moscow continues to block anti-India proposals at the UNSC. The UK, along with the G7, declared it 'an attack on peace and humanity". Even China, despite its usual tightrope walking, expressed 'shock" and 'strong condemnation". Though Beijing did try to balance with diplomatic doublespeak by mentioning Pakistan's 'concerns", it didn't dare repeat Islamabad's propaganda. top videos View all So the UNSC P5 — US, UK, France, Russia, and even China — either fully backed India or stayed neutral. The European Union backed India unequivocally. Japan praised India's restraint and reiterated its Indo-Pacific partnership. Australia, Italy, Germany, Spain, Israel, and Argentina all condemned the attack in strong terms and extended full support. Even countries that often sit on the fence — like Iran, Palestine, and several Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, and Jordan — offered clear support to India. This is expected to put Rahul Gandhi in a spot as he has repeatedly questioned that most countries had not come out in open support of India. tags : Homework Column news18 specials Rahul Gandhi rajnath singh view comments Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: July 28, 2025, 07:00 IST News politics Rajnath Vs Rahul On Op Sindoor: 32-Hour Fiery Discussion Begins Today, Will PM Modi Join? Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hindustan Times
39 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Migrant exodus sparks political storm in Gurugram
A police verification drive targeting undocumented immigrants in Gurugram has led to the departure of hundreds of Bengali-speaking migrant families and triggered a political controversy, with opposition leaders accusing the Haryana government of communal bias. A migrant worker settlement in South City 2, in Gurugram Sector 47 near Park Hospital, on Friday. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo) The drive, aimed at identifying undocumented immigrants, has reportedly led to 300–400 families leaving shanty settlements, particularly around South City 2, amid fears of detention and harassment. 'Even those with Aadhaar and voter cards are being detained. Police arrive without warning and take people away. Some were even beaten,' a migrant resident claimed, requesting not to be named. 'We didn't come here to break the law—we came to work hard and feed our families,' said Imran Ali, a 32-year-old construction worker from Murshidabad, who left Gurugram last week and is now staying with a cousin in Delhi's Seelampur. 'Police came to our settlement late at night. Even though I showed my Aadhaar card, they said it needed to be verified in Bengal. My wife got scared, packed our things, and we left that same night. I lost my job, and we are now surviving on whatever little savings I had. I don't know when we will go back—or if we even can.' Congress MLA Aftab Ahmed, a senior Meo community leader, alleged the drive is 'unfairly singling out Muslim residents' and 'damaging Gurugram's secular fabric and global image.' He said even individuals with valid documents have been detained and forced to leave. 'This campaign… has turned into a tool for communal victimisation,' Ahmed said, adding he has raised the issue with the state DGP and Gurugram Commissioner of Police, who assured him 'no legitimate Indian citizen will be harassed.' Chief minister Nayab Singh Saini defended the campaign, declaring, 'There is no place for Bangladeshi infiltrators in Haryana; they are being removed as swiftly as possible.' He added, 'No compromise against India's unity, sovereignty, and Constitution is acceptable... the nation's interest will always be paramount.' In response, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee slammed the drive, calling it 'linguistic terror' and alleging that Bengali-speaking workers are being deported without proper checks. 'I have been increasingly receiving reports of detentions and atrocities… West Bengal Police is receiving requests from Haryana Police for identity verification,' she said, citing Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports accusing BJP-ruled states of systematic deportations. HRW reports that this has been happening systematically in the BJP-ruled States of Assam, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Delhi, following a directive by the Ministry of Home, Government of India. Shame!! Now, even international human rights organisations have started taking note of the linguistic terrorism unleashed in India. This must stop at once!!' the CM has been attacking the BJP-led Centre, saying that the detention of hundreds of Bengali speaking migrant workers across BJP-governed states was 'a language war and linguistic terrorism' waged on Bengal and its people. TMC MP Samirul Islam backed Banerjee, accusing BJP-led states of 'hiding data on Bengali-speaking migrants' and turning 'national security into a tool of discrimination.' 'No illegal immigrant will be allowed to stay in Haryana. The verification drive is being conducted strictly within the legal framework to ensure the safety and security of all citizens,' said Arvind Saini, media in-charge of BJP Haryana. 'The Congress is raising baseless concerns because their traditional vote bank is being affected. This is not about religion or language—it's about national interest and lawful residency.' Senior Congress leader Pankaj Dawar said many of these families have been in Gurugram for over two decades as domestic workers and labourers. 'They consider Gurugram their home. But now, their lives have been thrown into chaos,' he said. Haryana Police, however, denied any communal angle. 'The process is based on intelligence inputs and legal procedure,' said Gurugram police spokesperson Sandeep Kumar. 'We are ensuring that no Indian citizen is harassed.' As the controversy deepens, the verification campaign has become a flashpoint in the larger political discourse around migration, minority rights, and state power, according to opposing political leaders. 'The situation is not just a local law enforcement issue anymore,' Ahmed said. 'It's a test of how inclusive and just we remain as a society.'
