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RSS should be banned; PM Modi ‘insulting’ Patel’s legacy: Kharge

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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday said that in his personal opinion the RSS should be banned as most law and order problems in the country are arising because of the BJP-RSS.

He also charged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has insulted the legacy of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel by allowing government employees to be associated with the Sangh.

Kharge hit back at Prime Minister Modi after he attacked the party on Patel’s birth anniversary, and cited Patel’s remarks criticising the RSS following the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948.

Responding to a question on banning the RSS again, Kharge said, “It is my personal opinion and I will say it openly, it should be done” as most of the issues and law and order problems are all arising because of the BJP-RSS.

He said what Patel put forth before us, the prime minister and Home Minister Amit Shah should pay heed to them.

Asked about government lifting the ban on government employees associating with the RSS, Kharge said when Patel himself banned the RSS, “then naturally he is disrespecting our Vallabhbhai Patel ji, who himself gave all the reasons why he banned the RSS and there is no ambiguity.”

The Congress chief said Patel wanted to bring in unity and peace and he fought for it.

“But after bringing unity in the country, anyone who tries to break that unity should be taught a lesson. And, you know who are those people who are breaking that unity,” he said.

Asked further if this would create an atmosphere of disunity, Kharge said, “I clearly feel that something which had ended, this government has revived that and these people will be responsible for whatever happens in the country”.

He said till 2024, nothing happened and now that it is not good for the country to once again “awaken the people”.

“This is not good for the country and it is like tasting poison, whose result is certain death. There is no need to taste poison once again. The things being done by Modi ji are not good for the country,” he said.

Noting that today is the birth anniversary of Patel and death anniversary of former prime minister Indira Gandhi, the Congress president said these two great leaders –“ “iron man” and “iron lady” — made a big contribution to the country and strived to maintain unity.

This is the history of the Congress and its contribution, Kharge said at a press conference here.

Kharge cited a letter written by Patel to Syama Prasad Mookerjee in which the then home minister said the RSS had created an atmosphere that led to the tragedy of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination.

They always tried to portray a rift between India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Patel when they had great ties and both had praised each other, Kharge said.

Nehru hailed Patel for shaping India’s unity and Patel called Nehru an ideal for the country.

Kharge recalled a letter written by Patel to Mukherjee on February 4, 1948, in which he said, “On Gandhiji’s death, the RSS members expressed such joy and distributed sweets, which further intensified the opposition. In these circumstances, the government had no choice but to take steps against the RSS.”

“While writing this letter to Mukherjee, he said — The report proves that the atmosphere created in the country due to the activities of the RSS and the Hindu Mahasabha is what led to Gandhiji’s assassination.”

Kharge’s remarks came after Prime Minister Modi said Sardar Patel wanted to unite the entire Kashmir, just as he did with other princely states, into India, but then PM Nehru did not allow it to happen.

Slamming the Congress, Modi said that the party inherited the slave mentality from the British who ruled India. The country is removing every trace of colonial mindset, he added.

Earlier on Patel’s 150th birth anniversary, Kharge paid him tributes and said he is a source of inspiration for them as he described him as “the great Iron Man of India” who wove the entire nation into the thread of unity and integrity.

“Pandit Nehru called him the ‘Architect of India’s unity’,” he said, adding that Patel was former Congress chief and the resolution on fundamental rights passed in the Karachi Congress under his leadership is the soul of the Indian Constitution.

“Sardar Patel Saheb resides in our hearts, and his ideas, which emphasise mutual harmony and brotherhood, are an inseparable part of the Congress party’s ideology,” he said.

Rahul Gandhi also paid rich tributes to the country’s first home minister.

“By weaving India into a single thread, he laid a strong foundation for the unity and integrity of the nation – his indomitable courage, foresight, and ideals will forever guide us,” Gandhi said.

Born in Nadiad, Gujarat, in 1875, Patel was a pivotal figure in India’s struggle for Independence. He died in 1950.

—PTI

India News

Parliament’s Monsoon Session likely to bring five new bills and two pending legislations

The upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament is expected to take up five new bills and two pending legislations, with proposals covering FCRA, MSMEs, Supreme Court judges and births and deaths registration.

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Parliament

Parliament’s Monsoon Session, expected to begin in the last week of July, is likely to feature five new bills along with two pending legislations for consideration and passage, according to sources. The government is also expected to brief political parties on the proposed legislative agenda during the customary all-party meeting ahead of the session.

Notably, the tentative agenda does not include any Constitution Amendment Bill, even as speculation continues over measures related to delimitation and women’s reservation.

Two pending bills likely to come up for consideration

Among the pending legislations is the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25. The proposed amendments aim to improve transparency in the regulation of foreign funds received in India.

The Viksit Bharat Education Establishment Bill, 2025, introduced in December 2025, is also expected to move forward after the Joint Committee of Parliament submits its report during the Monsoon Session.

Two bills to replace ordinances

The government is expected to introduce the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2026, replacing an ordinance issued earlier. According to sources, the legislation seeks to strengthen India’s sovereign debt market, attract global investments and improve market liquidity amid geopolitical uncertainties, volatile crude oil prices and global supply chain disruptions.

Another ordinance replacement is the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, which proposes increasing the sanctioned strength of Supreme Court judges from 33 to 37, excluding the Chief Justice of India, to help speed up the disposal of pending cases.

Three new bills on the legislative agenda

The remaining proposed legislations expected to be introduced during the session include:

  • Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026, aimed at tightening and streamlining rules governing delayed registration of births and deaths.
  • Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks stricter provisions against acts considered disrespectful to national symbols or national honour.
  • Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026, intended to improve ease of doing business, strengthen mechanisms for addressing delayed payments and provide greater powers to states.

Supplementary grants also on Parliament agenda

Apart from legislative business, the government is expected to present the Demands for Supplementary Grants for the financial year 2022-23 for discussion and voting in Parliament.

Meanwhile, sources said there is speculation that the government may take up Constitution Amendment Bills related to delimitation and women’s reservation only after it is confident of securing the required two-thirds majority in Parliament.

The government is also expected to introduce Constitution Amendment Bills aimed at disqualifying jailed leaders from holding powers and advancing the proposed ‘One Nation, One Election’ framework.

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Arunachal Pradesh floods: Fresh landslides hit five districts as over 1 lakh people remain affected

Fresh floods and landslides have affected five districts in Arunachal Pradesh, taking the total number of affected people to over 1.03 lakh as the IMD forecasts more heavy rainfall.

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Delhi floods

Fresh floods and landslides were reported in five districts of Arunachal Pradesh over the past 24 hours, adding to the devastation caused by persistent rainfall across the state. Officials said the disasters have damaged roads, bridges, irrigation infrastructure, houses and crops, while the overall number of affected people has crossed one lakh.

Fresh floods reported in five districts

According to the state Disaster Management Department’s latest daily situation report, fresh incidents were recorded in East Kameng, Upper Subansiri, Upper Siang, Kamle and Kra Daadi districts.

The affected areas include Seppa and Bameng circles in East Kameng, Daporijo in Upper Subansiri, Mariyang, Migging and Tuting in Upper Siang, Gepen, Puchigeko and Raga in Kamle, and the Tali circle in Kra Daadi district.

During the last 24 hours, 640 people were affected in East Kameng and another 53 people in Kamle.

The ongoing spell of floods and landslides has so far claimed seven lives, injured 29 people and affected 1,03,860 people across Arunachal Pradesh.

Infrastructure suffers extensive damage

Authorities reported fresh damage to key infrastructure, including roads and drainage systems in East Kameng, 13 minor irrigation projects and channels along with a flood protection wall in Upper Siang, three bridges in Kamle, and a bridge and two retaining walls in Kra Daadi.

Upper Siang remains the worst-affected district, with 49,259 people impacted. It is followed by Siang (25,365), Kra Daadi (13,731), East Kameng (6,786), Upper Subansiri (3,467), Namsai (2,657) and Anjaw (1,011).

Across the state, 804 houses have been damaged, including 614 kutcha houses and 120 pucca houses. Floods and landslides have also affected roads, bridges, power infrastructure, government buildings, schools, hospitals, water supply schemes and flood protection structures.

The cumulative damage to agriculture and horticulture has reached 603.75 hectares, including 240 hectares of agricultural land and 363.75 hectares of horticulture plantations.

IMD forecasts more heavy rainfall

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast continued rainfall across Arunachal Pradesh from Friday, with heavy to very heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning likely over several districts during the next three days.

An orange alert has been issued for Papum Pare, Tirap and Changlang districts on Friday, warning of thunderstorms with lightning and heavy rainfall.

On Saturday, the orange alert has been extended to Longding, East Siang, Lower Subansiri, Papum Pare, Tirap and Changlang. The IMD has also warned of very heavy rainfall over Lohit and Papum Pare.

Weather conditions are expected to improve from Sunday, with most districts likely to remain under a yellow alert or no warning, indicating a gradual reduction in rainfall intensity. By Monday, conditions are expected to improve further, although isolated places may continue to receive light to moderate rain.

The IMD has advised district authorities and residents to remain vigilant, warning that continued rainfall could trigger landslides, flash floods, waterlogging and disruptions to road connectivity in vulnerable areas.

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Illegal immigration from India to US drops 69% from 2023 peak, says US data

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Fears of harsh treatment, including internment, and tough border legislations under the Donald Trump administration seem to have brought down illegal immigration from India to the United States by almost 69 per cent from the peak recorded in 2023, according to the latest data released by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The figures indicate a significant decline in irregular migration through the US land borders.

Trump and his Make America Great Again (MAGA) support base have advocated tougher measures against illegal immigrants such as roving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel who have picked up immigrants and detain them in camps. ICE personnel have killed several Americans too in the mindless drive against immigrants.

CBP data, which follows the US fiscal year (October to September), shows authorities recorded 20,614 encounters with Indian migrants between October 2025 and May 2026. During the corresponding period in FY2023, when illegal migration from India reached its highest level, the number of encounters stood at 67,212. The latest figures are also lower than the nearly 29,000 encounters recorded during the same period in FY2025.

The sharpest decline has been recorded along the US-Mexico border, where encounters involving Indian migrants fell by nearly 99 per cent, from 30,109 during the October-May period of FY2023 to 417 in FY2026. At the US-Canada border, encounters dropped to 2,250, marking a 91 per cent decline from the comparable period in FY2024.

Migration experts said the decline comes amid tighter US immigration measures, stricter border enforcement and reduced expectations of securing asylum through illegal entry routes. Experts also noted that the high financial cost and risks associated with irregular migration have discouraged many prospective migrants from attempting the journey.

Despite the decline, Indian nationals continue to account for a significant share of migrants intercepted at US land borders, says CBP. Officials from both India and the United States have repeatedly urged people to avoid illegal migration routes and instead use authorised visa and immigration channels.

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