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Another Digvijaya shocker

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Digvijay Singh

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Senior Congressman tweets that Telangana police has set up fake ISIS website to ‘trap Muslim youth’

By Sujit Bhar

Unmoved by his continually diminishing stature within the Congress Party, his growing distance from party chief Sonia Gandhi and even from Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, and completely oblivious of how his thoughtless comments have been jumped upon by the BJP, Digvijaya Singh has again tried hara-kiri.

He has just tweeted another of his controversial beliefs. This time he has said that the Telangana police have been radicalising Muslim youths, having set up a “bogus” website of the ISIS. This way, believed Singh, the police is encouraging the youths to join the terror group.

He has also claimed in his tweets that the police is “radicalising and encouraging them (the youth) to become ISIS modules”.

He quickly moved to the chief minister of the state, K Chandrasekhar Rao, and asked if he had authorised the police “to trap Muslim youths and encourage them to join the IS”. Then came the regular refrain: “If he has then shouldn’t he own the responsibility and resign? If he hasn’t then shouldn’t he enquire and punish those who are responsible for committing such a heinous crime?”

One must remember that Singh has just been divested of the charge of Goa and Karnataka. He is still in charge of Telangana.

His Goa charge was set to go, with his complete mismanagement and bumbling of the government-forming even after the party had returned maximum number of candidates (17 out of 40, needing just 4 more for simple majority), against the BJP’s 13. Singh’s intransigence in not approaching the local parties quickly to stitch up an alliance, as well as his stubbornness in not approaching the governor (he had believed that as the largest party, the governor was bound to call the Congress first to form government), resulted in a quick-acting BJP sealing all necessary deals. BJP was so fast on the uptake that Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had resigned even before the party deals were complete and had landed in Goa to take up his post as chief minister.

The Congress was left gaping in wonder.

As for Karnataka, it was a wise decision on the part of Sonia, since the state is set to go to the polls and the party president felt Singh probably would not be the right person to lead the state under such circumstances. Karnataka has gone to former Youth Congress chief KC Venugopal.

Karnataka is very important for the Congress. The recent victory in Punjab apart, this is the other major state the Congress rules. Within the BJP’s drumbeat of “Congress-mukt Bharat”, maybe there is, within the Congress, a special move for removing old vestiges of power centres that are shackles on the feet of the party.

The signs are clear for Singh. He is on his way out. And complete psycho-babble such as is in these tweets are things that he would do well keeping away from.

To be fair, Singh has been a giant in Indian politics for a long time. He has been close to Rajiv Gandhi and also to Sonia, but the spell seems to be breaking. His political astuteness seems to be crumbling and he is clutching at straws. It can be easily predicted that Rahul would have nothing to do with Singh as far as policy matters go, and what lets Singh hang on to power’s coattails is probably his decades of utter loyalty to the Nehru-Gandhi family.

Along the way, he has disregarded his position as a regional satrap and believed he had assumed national importance. The Congress is and will remain a one-family party, and Rahul is still the decision maker on the ground. Singh’s muted call for Priyanka to be on the campaign trail was not lost on the family, which, obviously, has the right to decide who within it is to lead and who is to give ground.

That is the ground reality. Singh’s comments are only adding fuel to the fire. In 2011, when P Chidambaram was home minister, Singh demanded a judicial probe into the Batla House encounter. He believed it was staged. The Batla House grew into a big one, and maybe Singh’s comments lent credence. It is possible that Singh was making these comments out of a real understanding of the situation, but having been in politics for a rather long time, he should at least have known when to keep quiet.

Those words are his last straw.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

India News

Actor Imran Khan asked to leave India after CJP protest

Actor Imran Khan has been asked to leave India by October 28, days after participating in a protest called by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in Mumbai.

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Actor Imran Khan, nephew of Bollywood star Aamir Khan, has been asked to leave India by the Mumbai Police, days after participating in a protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in Mumbai.

According to the notice, the actor has been given until October 28 to leave the country. The development follows his participation in the demonstration, which brought the actor into the spotlight over his involvement in a political protest.

Imran Khan is believed to hold US citizenship and an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card rather than full Indian citizenship, according to the report.

What led to the notice against Imran Khan?

The notice came days after Imran Khan joined a protest called by the CJP in Mumbai. The group, described as a satirical political organisation, had called for the demonstration.

The actor’s participation was followed by action from the authorities, with the Mumbai Police directing him to leave India by the specified deadline.

The notice does not, by itself, mean that the actor has already left the country or has been deported. October 28 is the deadline mentioned for his departure.

Imran Khan and his citizenship status

Imran Khan is known for his work in Hindi films, including Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na and Delhi Belly. He is also the nephew of actor Aamir Khan.

The report states that Imran Khan is believed to be a US citizen and hold an OCI card. OCI status does not confer Indian citizenship, although it provides eligible foreign citizens of Indian origin with specified privileges under Indian law.

The notice directing the actor to leave India follows his participation in the Mumbai protest. The reported development has brought attention to the intersection of immigration rules and the participation of foreign nationals in political demonstrations.

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India News

Election Commission orders voter roll revision in 17 states, UTs

The Election Commission has ordered a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 17 states and Union Territories. Draft rolls are scheduled for November 12, with final rolls due on January 4, 2027.

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The Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered a Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls in 17 states and Union Territories, with the exercise aimed at facilitating voter registration and including eligible electors who may have been left out during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

The order was issued on Thursday, October 15, amid continuing political controversy over the SIR process and concerns raised by opposition parties regarding the exclusion of names from electoral rolls.

Under the announced schedule, January 1, 2027, will be the qualifying date for the revision. The draft electoral rolls are scheduled to be published on November 12, while the final rolls are due on January 4, 2027. Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, two states included in the exercise, are scheduled to go to the polls by February 2027.

Which states and Union Territories are covered?

The Special Summary Revision will cover the following 17 states and Union Territories:

  • Andaman and Nicobar Islands
  • Assam
  • Bihar
  • Chhattisgarh
  • Goa
  • Gujarat
  • Kerala
  • Lakshadweep
  • Madhya Pradesh
  • Manipur
  • Puducherry
  • Punjab
  • Rajasthan
  • Tamil Nadu
  • Uttar Pradesh
  • Uttarakhand
  • West Bengal

The Election Commission’s order follows earlier instructions issued to state election officials on September 29 to undertake a special drive to enrol eligible voters who had been left out, along with young and first-time electors.

Why has the Election Commission ordered the revision?

The announcement comes amid protests and political disagreements over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Opposition parties have raised concerns about names being excluded during the exercise.

Another point of contention has been an additional declaration required from applicants submitting Form 6 for voter enrolment while the SIR was underway. The declaration required applicants to map their parents to the last SIR, which was conducted around 20 years ago.

The Election Commission had clarified on October 7 that the additional declaration applied only in states and Union Territories where the SIR was being conducted. It said the regular forms prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, would apply outside the SIR period.

The latest SSR order refers to applications for inclusion through Form 6 but does not mention the additional declaration.

What happens in states not covered by the current schedule?

The Election Commission has said that the schedule for the Special Summary Revision will be announced later in states and Union Territories where the SIR is ongoing or has recently been completed.

These include Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, the National Capital Territory of Delhi, Odisha, Sikkim, Tripura and Telangana.

For Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, where the SIR has not yet started, the schedule for electoral roll revision will be announced in due course, taking local weather conditions into account.

The Election Commission’s latest order sets out a separate timeline for the 17 states and Union Territories covered by the current SSR exercise, while leaving the schedules for the other regions to be announced later.

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India News

India-US trade deal first phase finalised, drafting underway

The first phase of the India-US trade agreement has been finalised and is undergoing legal drafting, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said. The deal is expected to be operationalised once India secures a competitive advantage over peer countries.

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The first phase of the proposed India-US trade agreement has been finalised and is undergoing legal drafting, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday. However, the agreement is yet to be fully finalised and implemented, with India seeking a competitive advantage over other countries before putting it into operation.

Speaking at the SRCC Centenary Conclave in New Delhi, Goyal said the first tranche of the bilateral agreement had been finalised and was going through the legal drafting process. He expressed hope that the process would be completed soon.

The minister said implementation would follow once India secured a comparable or competitive advantage over its peer countries in the American market.

India seeks an advantage over competing exporters

India wants its exporters to receive favourable market access and tariff terms compared with competitors. Goyal’s remarks indicate that the relative position of Indian goods in the US market remains an important consideration before the agreement becomes operational.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also spoke about the negotiations at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum this week. He said the discussions were approaching a possible resolution but noted that India’s position relative to competing economies remained an issue.

Jaishankar said the outcome would depend partly on the terms negotiated between India and the United States and partly on how India fares against other competing economies.

Trade negotiations moving forward, says Commerce Secretary

Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said the negotiations were progressing in the right direction and that both countries hoped to conclude and sign the agreement at the earliest possible time.

He explained that the signing would depend on the formalisation of the broader tariff structure in the United States. Parallel work was also underway in Washington, including processes linked to Section 301.

Agrawal indicated that the two sides would move towards signing the agreement at a mutually agreed time after the relevant tariff framework was formalised.

Earlier this month, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said India and the United States were working to resolve outstanding issues, although an agreement was not imminent at that point.

India-US trade talks and bilateral relations

India and the United States have been negotiating the proposed bilateral trade pact since early 2025. The discussions aim to address tariff-related differences, reduce non-tariff barriers and improve market access between the two countries.

The negotiations have taken place against the backdrop of broader strains in bilateral relations, including disputes over tariffs and differences concerning other policy issues.

While the finalisation of the first tranche marks progress in the negotiations, the agreement still needs to move through the remaining legal and procedural steps before it can be signed and implemented.

The next steps will depend on the completion of legal drafting, the finalisation of the US tariff framework and the two countries’ agreement on the terms governing the pact.

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