The Ministry of External Affairs today affirmed that the Indian embassy in Damascus is in touch with the Indian community. It also called for a peaceful and inclusive process of power transfer in Syria after rebels took over the control of the capital of Damascus, marking the end of President Bashar al-Assad’s rule.

Issuing a statement, MEA said that they are monitoring the situation in Syria in light of the on-going developments. It further underlined the need for all parties to work towards preserving the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. It added that they advocate a peaceful and inclusive Syrian-led political process respecting the interests and aspirations of all sections of Syrian society. The MEA also assured that the embassy in Damascus is in contact with the Indian community for their safety and security.

The rebel faction in Syria on Sunday announced that they had seized control of the capital, Damascus, in a swift offensive, and proclaimed the end of Presidential Bashar al-Assad’s decade-long tyranny. 

Reportedly, the 59-year-old autocratic leader fled the war-hit country and landed in Moscow where he was given asylum following the toppling of his 24-year-old regime by opposition forces in a lightning offensive.

The rebel factions, led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), declared Damascus liberated, mentioning the freedom of their city and the fall of the tyrant Assad. Subsequently, the Syrian capital witnessed celebrations as fighters and a section of residents took to the streets cheering.

Notably, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group commenced its lightning offensive two weeks ago, capturing the key cities of Aleppo, Homs, Hama before proceeding to Damascus unopposed and seizing control of the Syrian capital on Sunday. Meanwhile, government forces loyal to Assad were forced to retreat as rebels captured control of key cities one by one, in a move that challenged the Assad family’s nearly six decades of autocratic rule.

The BJP claimed that the former Congress President Sonia Gandhi has links to an organisation financed by the George Soros Foundation which supported the idea of Kashmir as an independent nation.

Taking to social media platform X, the BJP said that Sonia Gandhi, as the Co-President of the FDL-AP Foundation, is linked to an organisation financed by the George Soros Foundation. It noted that the FDL-AP Foundation has expressed their views that treat Kashmir as a separate entity.

The party said that this association between Sonia Gandhi and an organisation that has backed the idea of Kashmir as an independent nation expresses the influence of foreign entities on India’s internal affairs and the political impact of such connections.

It also alleged that the former Congress President’s chairmanship of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation led to a partnership with the George Soros Foundation, displaying the influence of foreign funding on Indian organisations.

The BJP also asserted that Salil Shetty, the Vice President of the Soros-funded Open Society Foundation, participated in the Bharat Jodo Yatra. He can be seen with none other than Rahul Gandhi, former President of the Congress, the BJP continued.

The party alleged that Rahul Gandhi’s press conference on Adani was live telecast by George Soros-funded OCCRP, which Gandhi used as a source to criticise Adani. This shows nothing but their strong and dangerous relationship and highlights their attempts to derail the Indian economy, the social media post added. The BJP also pointed out that Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has publicly acknowledged George Soros as an old friend.

Furthermore, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey in a post on X alleged that Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and Hungarian-American businessman George Soros have colluded with the opposition to ruin India’s economy and defame the Modi government.

Meanwhile on Saturday, the US denied BJP’s allegations that organisations funded by its State Department and elements in the American deep state were behind attempts to destabilise India through targeted attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and business tycoon Gautam Adani.

An US embassy spokesperson described the allegations as disappointing, asserting that the US government has been a champion of media freedom around the world.

Ahead of the Delhi Elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has claimed that 99 per cent of Delhi residents support its welfare schemes like free electricity, water subsidies, and complimentary bus rides for women among others. The party has intensified its Revdi Par Charcha campaign to mobilise grassroots volunteers before the elections scheduled to be held in February next year. The ruling AAP is eyeing a third consecutive term in Delhi.

The campaign involves hosting 2,000 public meetings daily across the national capital to gather feedback on the party’s welfare schemes and ascertain greater public engagement. The party claimed that the Delhi residents have expressed overwhelming satisfaction with the AAP’s welfare programmes, including free electricity, water, education, healthcare, bus travel for women, and pilgrimage trips for senior citizens.

In a statement, the AAP claimed that 99 per cent of residents support the continuation of these benefits, which they say have significantly improved their quality of life and reduced household expenses. The statement added that the party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal has pledged to incorporate the feedback from these meetings into future policies, hoping to strengthen its welfare model, which has been the cornerstone of its governance over the last decade.

It further mentioned that residents attending the Revdi Par Charcha meetings have shared stories of how these schemes have helped them save between Rs 6,000 and Rs 8,000 monthly. It underlined that for families earning between Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000, these savings have been transformative as they have effectively increased their disposable income.

The statement noted that the AAP has recently announced a new scheme: a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 for every woman aged 18 and above, a step toward women’s empowerment. The scheme aims to support the daily expenses and remove barriers to education for young girls.