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Rajya Sabha uproar over Epstein reference during address debate
Tempers flared in the Rajya Sabha on Monday afternoon after Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh sought a clarification from the ruling party over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s name being mentioned in the Epstein files during the debate on the President’s address, prompting sharp condemnation from the treasury benches...
Trump envoy’s quiet signal precedes US–India trade pact
Washington’s announcement of a US–India trade agreement arrived with familiar flourish on Donald Trump’s Truth Social platform, packed with capital letters and eye-catching figures. Yet the clearest signal that a deal was imminent did not come from the former president’s social media account. It came hours earlier in New...
Banerjee warns of eroding parliamentary rights amid row
Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee on Monday questioned the manner in which Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks in Parliament were handled, arguing that established procedures exist to address such matters and warning that the rights of elected members are being steadily curtailed. Speaking to reporters outside the House, Banerjee...
Top court seeks replies on conversion laws
Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from the Union government and 12 states on a fresh public interest litigation challenging the constitutional validity of anti-conversion laws enacted across several parts of the country, signalling a renewed judicial examination of statutes that regulate religious conversions. A Bench led by Chief...
Alleged assault on family aboard MEMU train triggers probe in Madhya Pradesh
Passengers travelling overnight on a mainline electric multiple unit train between Ratlam and Ujjain were shaken after several members of a family from Dahod were allegedly assaulted inside a moving coach, prompting a police inquiry and heightened scrutiny of passenger safety on short-haul rail services. The incident unfolded on...
Modi pitches Budget 2026 as human-centric reform push
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday framed the Union Budget 2026 as a people-focused roadmap designed to strengthen the country’s economic foundations while accelerating long-term reforms, signalling continuity in policy priorities amid a challenging global backdrop. Speaking hours after the Budget’s presentation in Parliament, Modi described the fiscal plan...
Chidambaram faults Budget 2026 for lacking economic strategy
Former Union finance minister P Chidambaram has mounted a sharp critique of the Union Budget 2026 presented by Nirmala Sitharaman, arguing that it fails to confront the principal economic challenges flagged in the government’s own economic survey and offers little by way of a coherent strategy at a time...
Karnataka stands to gain most from new devolution formula
Karnataka is poised to emerge as the largest beneficiary of the 16th Finance Commission’s horizontal devolution framework, while Madhya Pradesh is projected to face the sharpest relative reduction, according to assessments of the formula’s draft weightings for the 2026–31 award period. The recalibration is expected to significantly alter how...
Markets’ slide not a verdict on budget
Market volatility following the Union Budget does not reflect the substance or eventual impact of the fiscal plan, Economic Advisor to Prime Minister Sanjeev Sanyal said on Sunday, pushing back against claims that the immediate sell-off amounted to a rejection of the government’s economic strategy. Speaking in an exclusive...
Defence modernisation gets sharp budgetary lift
A significant expansion in funding for military modernisation has been built into the Union budget for FY2026/27, with capital allocations rising to Rs 2.19 lakh crore, marking a 21.84 per cent increase over the previous year and underscoring a sustained push to upgrade platforms, weapons and industrial capacity. The...
Uttarakhand shrines tighten entry rules ahead of yatra
Temple committees overseeing some of Uttarakhand’s most visited pilgrimage sites are moving to tighten entry rules, with Yamunotri Dham announcing that non-Hindus will not be permitted to enter the shrine premises during the forthcoming Chardham Yatra, scheduled to begin in April. The decision places Yamunotri alongside Gangotri Dham and...
Opposition chief’s absence sparks Beating Retreat row
A political dispute has erupted after Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi did not attend the Beating Retreat ceremony, prompting sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party, which accused the Congress leadership of disregarding constitutional traditions and national symbols. The Beating Retreat, held annually on January 29, marks the...
Spiritual leader’s claim on Trump and Modi draws scrutiny
A statement by self-styled spiritual leader Jagatguru Paramhans Acharya has triggered public debate and official pushback after he alleged on January 30 that former US President Donald Trump used a “tantra-mantra vashikaran” spell to influence Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decisions. The claim, aired in a video address and amplified...
Ansari remarks ignite fresh political dispute
Former vice-president Hamid Ansari’s comments on medieval rulers Mahmud of Ghazni and the Lodi dynasty have triggered a sharp political exchange, with the Bharatiya Janata Party accusing what it describes as the “Congress ecosystem” of reframing historical narratives in a manner it says undermines Hindu sentiments. The controversy followed...
Trade unionism blamed for industrial slowdown by top judge
A senior Supreme Court judge has ignited a fresh debate on labour relations by blaming entrenched trade unionism for shuttered factories and stalled industrial expansion, arguing that adversarial labour practices have weighed on productivity even as worker exploitation remains a concern that can be addressed through legal means. Justice...
Modi maintains lead as Gandhi gains ground
Prime Minister Narendra Modi remains the dominant preferred choice for the country’s top post, securing solid public backing, while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has recorded notable gains in voter preference, according to the latest India Today–CVoter Mood of the Nation survey. The January 2026 edition of the biannual nationwide...
Supreme Court stay triggers JNU protest over UGC rules
Students at Jawaharlal Nehru University intensified protests on campus after the Supreme Court ordered an interim stay on the University Grants Commission’s new rules, a move that has sharpened debate over admissions, equity and the limits of regulatory reform in higher education. The demonstrations followed the court’s decision to...
UGC norms spark widening backlash in Uttar Pradesh
Protests against newly notified University Grants Commission regulations widened across Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday, drawing students, teachers, farmers’ groups and members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party onto the streets, while dissent within the party sharpened with resignations and public criticism from senior figures. Demonstrations were reported from Lucknow,...
