'You're Just a Kid' Nitish Kumar Hits Back at Tejashwi in Assembly Face-Off
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The Hindu
26 minutes ago
- The Hindu
BJP partner TIPRA Motha demands Bihar-like SIR in Tripura
The ruling BJP's key ally in Tripura, TIPRA Motha, on Wednesday (July 23, 2025) met officials of the Election Commission of India in New Delhi to push for a Bihar-like Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in the northeastern State. A delegation of the party, headed by its founder Pradyot Kishore Manikya, demanded an extensive survey to identify the illegal voters on the electoral rolls. 'We have been affected and will be more if measures are not in place to identify and deport foreigners. We find the SIR exercise effective in Bihar, and it should be undertaken in Tripura as well,' Mr. Manikya said. 'Tripura and the entire northeast would suffer if we stayed silent on the infiltration of foreigners,' he stated. Mr. Manikya was joined by two Ministers in the State Cabinet – Animesh Debbarma and Brishaketu Debbarma, and the party's firebrand MLA, Ranjit Debbarma. The BJP, which differs with the regional party on some issues, did not respond to the alliance partner's latest move. The TIPRA founder clarified that they would not stay silent and would continue to press the demand. He commented that the indigenous native people would become further marginalised if appropriate steps are not taken. 30-33% of the population of Tripura is of indigenous people. Twenty of the sixty Assembly seats are reserved for the tribal, while the tribal autonomous district council has a 95% reservation for the ST people. TIPRA Motha rose to the political landscape for its contentious Greater Tipraland demand, a theoretical State for the tribal people with areas carved out of Assam, Mizoram and even the hills of Bangladesh. The party has been getting support from the indigenous community in every election held over the past few years, but it has come under sharp criticism from the opposition CPI(M) and the Congress for not working for the development of the tribes, despite being in power in the autonomous district council and an alliance partner of the ruling coalition.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Epstein files row: Democrats win big amid Trump link reports; infamous logs could be out soon
A House subcommittee on Wednesday voted to subpoena the Department of Justice for files in the sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein after Democrats successfully goaded GOP lawmakers to defy President Donald Trump and Republican leadership to support the action. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol (Getty Images via AFP) The vote showed the intensifying push for disclosures in the Epstein investigation even as House Speaker Mike Johnson — caught between demands from Trump and clamoring from his own members for the House to act — was sending lawmakers home a day early for its August recess. The House Committee on Oversight also issued a subpoena Wednesday for Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted sex offender and girlfriend of the late Epstein, to testify before committee officials in August. Meanwhile, Democrats on a subcommittee of the powerful House Oversight Committee made a motion for the subpoena Wednesday afternoon. Three Republicans on the panel voted with Democrats for the subpoena, sending it through on an 8-2 vote tally. The Republican subcommittee chairman, Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana, said that work was beginning to draft the subpoena but did not give a timeline for when it would be issued. 'I've never handled a subpoena like this. This is some fascinating stuff,' said Higgins, who voted against the motion. Democrats cheered the action as proof that their push for disclosures in the Epstein investigation was growing stronger. The committee agreed to redact information on victims, yet Democrats successfully blocked a push by Republicans to only subpoena information that was deemed to be 'credible' — language that Trump has also used when discussing what he would support releasing. 'Democrats are focused on transparency and are pushing back against the corruption against Donald Trump. What is Donald Trump hiding that he won't release the Epstein files?' said Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the oversight committee. Democrats push for disclosure of the Epstein files Earlier Wednesday, Johnson had said there was no need to vote on a separate piece of bipartisan legislation calling for the release of the Epstein files this week because the Trump administration is 'already doing everything within their power to release them.' Yet Democrats have delighted in pressing Republicans to support the release of the files. Their efforts halted the GOP's legislative agenda for the week and turned attention to an issue that Trump has unsuccessfully implored his supporters to forget about. 'They're fleeing our work, our job and sending us back home because they don't want to vote to release these files. This is something that they ran on. This is something that they talked about: the importance of transparency, holding pedophiles accountable,' said Rep. Summer Lee, the Pennsylvania Democrat who pushed for the subpoena. Democrats have seized on Epstein files to divide GOP Democratic leaders are hoping to make the issue about much more than just Epstein, who died in his New York jail cell six years ago while he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. 'Why haven't Republicans released the Epstein files to the American people? It's reasonable to conclude that Republicans are continuing to protect the lifestyles of the rich and the shameless, even if that includes pedophiles,' said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries at a news conference. 'So it's all connected.' It comes as both parties are gearing up to take their messaging to voters on Trump's big multitrillion-dollar tax breaks and spending cuts bill. For Republicans, it's 'beautiful' legislation that will spark economic growth; for Democrats, it's an 'ugly' gift mostly to the richest Americans that undermines health care for low-income people. Yet as furor has grown on the right over the Trump administration's reversal on promises related to Epstein, several Democrats have seized on the opportunity to divide Republicans on the issue. 'This goes to a fundamental sense of, 'Is our government co-opted by rich and powerful people that isn't looking out for ordinary Americans? Or can we have a government that looks out for ordinary Americans?'' said Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat who has put forward a bipartisan bill meant to force the release of the files. Republican leaders accuse Democrats of caring about the issue purely for political gain. They point out that the Department of Justice held on to the Epstein investigation through the presidency of Democrat Joe Biden. Trump's Justice Department has also sought the release of testimony from secret grand jury proceedings in the Epstein case, but a federal judge in Florida rejected that request on Wednesday. A similar records request is still pending in New York.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
BJP slams SP mosque visit, Dimple & Akhilesh hit back: Diversion bid
A visit by Samajwadi Party MPs Akhilesh Yadav, wife Dimple Yadav and others to a mosque near Parliament triggered a row Wednesday, with the BJP accusing the party of hurting religious sentiments by holding a political meeting there and also criticising Dimple's attire. BJP leaders said holding political meetings inside a mosque was prohibited as was having 'laughter and a tea party'. The SP hit back, saying it was a 'social gathering' and the BJP was 'a group of people of negative mindset' that was 'misleading' people to divert attention from 'real issues' like the Bihar electoral roll revision. Akhilesh, Dimple and at least 10 other SP MPs were at the Parliament Street mosque Monday after Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day. They included Dharmendra Yadav, Anand Bhadauria, Zia Ur Rehman and Mohibulla Nadvi, who is also Imam of the mosque. After photographs of the MPs — seated inside what appears to be the mosque's prayer area — emerged, BJP's minority wing chief Jamal Siddiqui said he would have 'welcomed' if Akhilesh had offered 'shukrana namaz (thanksgiving prayer) there. 'But they held a political meeting, had laughter and a tea party which is not allowed inside a mosque… he went there with his wife Dimple Yadav… Men and women can not sit together in a mosque. There was a separate section for women…,' he said. BJP minority wing national vice-president S M Akram said: 'There is no restriction on visiting a mosque. But that area was not supposed to be used for political discussions,' he said. When asked about the BJP's allegations, Akhilesh told reporters, 'The BJP is a group of people of negative mindset. Faith is positive, it unites. The BJP gets upset with anything that unites. They want negativity… faith unites, ensures brotherhood.' Dimple told reporters: 'Imam sahab is our MP, his wife was also there, we had gone for a social (gathering), there was no meeting.' 'The BJP always tries to mislead to divert from real issues. The government neither wants to speak on SIR nor on the intelligence failure in the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor. In order to hide facts, such things are being said,' she said. Meanwhile, Akram wrote a letter to Mohibbullah, saying the BJP's minority wing wants to hold a meeting at the mosque after this week's Friday prayers. 'You are requested to make arrangements of sitting and refreshments. The meeting will start with Vande Mataram and conclude with Jana Gana Mana,' said the letter.
