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After Bihar & Gujarat, political turmoil hits SP, BSP; Akhilesh alleges BJP conspiracy

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After Bihar & Gujarat, political turmoil hits SP, BSP; Akhilesh alleges BJP conspiracy

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Resignations came hours after Amit Shah arrived in Lucknow for a 3-day visit, could pave the way for induction of Yogi Adityanath and his ministers into UP Assembly without facing an election

Days after a massive drama in Bihar ending with BJP forming a coalition government and slew of resignations by Congress legislators in Gujarat gave the saffron party a clear advantage in the ensuing Rajya Sabha polls, Uttar Pradesh was hit by a similar political storm that gave the BJP ample reason to cheer at the cost of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

Within hours of BJP national president Amit Shah landing in Lucknow for his three-day organisational visit, three members of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council – two from the SP and one from the BSP – tendered their resignations and indicated that they could join the saffron party.

Samajwadi Party chief and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav was quick to dub the resignations as part of a BJP conspiracy aimed at helping Yogi Adityanath and some other ministers of his cabinet to avoid facing a by-election for their induction into the UP Assembly.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, bhis deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya and ministers in the Yogi government – Dinesh Sharma, Swatantra Dev Singh and Mohsin Raza – are due to get elected to either house of the UP legislature by August in order to continue in office. The resignations pave the way for Adityanath, Maurya and at least one minister in the state cabinet to get elected as MLCs. There has been speculation that the BJP is not confident of Maurya’s victory in the Assembly by-poll and earlier there had also been rumours that to avoid a defeat, the party may even ask him to resign from the UP cabinet and continue as a Member of Parliament from Phulpur.

The political grapevine has also been abuzz with rumours that should Maurya vacate his Lok Sabha seat, BSP supremo Mayawati – who recently resigned from her Rajya Sabha seat – could contest the Phulpur by-poll as a joint candidate fielded by the Opposition – an advice that was mooted by RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav before the collapse of the Mahagathbandhan government in Bihar.

The MLCs who submitted their resignations to the Legislative Council chairman Ramesh Yadav include Bukkal Nawab and Yashwant Singh of the SP and Thakur Jaiveer Singh of the BSP. Yashwant Singh, a close aide of Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya, formerly a minister in the previous SP government and a known Akhilesh-baiter, even declared that he was “vacating the seat for CM Yogi ji” and that he was upset with Akhilesh ever since he “called India weak and glorified China while speaking in the UP Assembly”.

There was also speculation that another SP MLC, Madhukar Jaitley, could resign from the post.

Reacting to the surprise resignations of his party’s MLCs, Akhilesh said: “After the large scale political corruption in Bihar, it seems the same will be done in Uttar Pradesh… people are seeing what is happening. I will ask Bukkal Nawab (one of the MLCs to resign and also a close aide of Akhilesh’s father Mulayam Singh Yadav) why he was not giving the BJP leaders a chance to face a direct… (why) some MLCs are being lured and tutored so as to enable the BJP leaders to not face the people and get elected as MLCs instead”

Bukkal Nawab, on the other hand, hit out at Akhilesh for deserting his father last year ahead of the UP assembly polls and said he was disillusioned with the state of affairs in the party and felt suffocated in the SP. “They shouldn’t write Samajwadi Party but rather should say ‘Samajwadi Akhaada’ since the party has now become a wrestling arena. If Akhilesh could not stay loyal to his own father then how would he be with the people,” Nawab said after submitting his resignation.

The setback for Akhilesh comes a day after his uncle and senior SP leader Shivpal Yadav gave clear indications of forming a new party – Samajwadi Secular Morcha – if the differences in the SP continue to grow.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Rahul Gandhi returns from US to attend CWC meeting after Pahalgam terror attack

Rahul Gandhi returned to New Delhi early Thursday, cutting short his US trip following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack. He is set to attend the Congress Working Committee meeting amid heightened political and security activity.

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Rahul Gandhi

Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, arrived in New Delhi early Thursday morning, having cut short his official visit to the United States. His return comes in response to the recent deadly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives, including one foreign national.

Gandhi is scheduled to participate in the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting at the party headquarters in New Delhi at around 10:30 am. Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh had earlier announced the change in Rahul Gandhi’s itinerary due to the grave security situation in the Kashmir Valley.

The government is reportedly preparing for an all-party meeting on Thursday, likely to be chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, to deliberate on the national security response to the attack. The attack, which occurred at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, is being described as the most severe since the 2019 Pulwama incident.

Centre responds with strong diplomatic and security measures

In the wake of the violence, the Indian government has initiated a series of stringent actions aimed at sending a message to Pakistan, which it holds responsible for supporting cross-border terrorism. Among the measures announced are the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 and the immediate closure of the Attari integrated checkpost.

Additionally, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri declared that Pakistani nationals will no longer be allowed to travel to India under the SAARC visa exemption framework. These announcements came after a high-level Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. The CCS condemned the attack unequivocally, expressing deep sorrow for the victims and stressing the need for swift action.

Victims’ families demand justice

Emotions ran high across the country as families performed last rites for the victims. Among those killed was Indian Navy Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, whose funeral was held in Karnal. Another victim, Manjunath Rao from Shivamogga, was remembered by family and friends who called for firm government action against terrorism.

This latest incident has reignited national concerns around security in Jammu and Kashmir, especially given its scale and the timing following the revocation of Article 370 in 2019.

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Stalin reminds PM Modi’s statements as Gujarat CM after his crying for funds remark

During the event, Stalin inaugurated over 6,700 completed projects worth ₹1,166 crore in Tiruvallur, laid foundations for 7,300 new initiatives, and distributed welfare benefits to 2.02 lakh residents.

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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday took aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a government event in Ponneri, Tiruvallur district, invoking Modi’s own words as Gujarat’s Chief Minister to counter recent remarks about Tamil Nadu’s demands for funds.

Addressing a gathering, Stalin refuted Modi’s claim from a Rameswaram visit that Tamil Nadu leaders were “crying” for central funds regardless of allocations.

“With utmost respect, I remind the Prime Minister of his own stance as Gujarat CM, when he said states aren’t beggars pleading for Union handouts,” Stalin said.

He recalled Modi’s criticism of the Centre’s partisan fund allocations and accusations of Governors running “parallel governments” in opposition-ruled states. “When Tamil Nadu seeks its rightful share, how is it ‘crying’? I’m asserting our state’s rights, not groveling. I learned this from our leader Kalaignar [Karunanidhi],” Stalin asserted.

Minister S.M. Nasar, MPs S. Jagathrakshakan and Sasikanth Senthil, legislators T.J. Govindarajan, Durai Chandrasekar, S. Chandran, V.G. Raajendran, A. Krishnaswamy, K. Ganapathy, S. Sudharsanam, Collector M. Prathap, and senior officials attended the event.

Stalin also challenged Shah’s recent Chennai statement that Tamil Nadu’s demands were “diversionary tactics.” He posed pointed questions to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, “Can you exempt Tamil Nadu from NEET? Guarantee no Hindi imposition? Ensure our representation isn’t reduced post-delimitation? Specify the funds allocated to our state?”

Stalin emphasised that Tamil Nadu’s fight is for all states’ rights, citing the DMK’s landmark Supreme Court victory against Governor R.N. Ravi’s delay in approving Bills. “This historic ruling shows we act when the Centre fails,” he said.

Highlighting national awareness of Tamil Nadu’s struggle, Stalin dismissed Shah’s accusations of diversion, urging, “If our demands are distractions, why haven’t you addressed them clearly?” He underscored the state’s resolve to protect its interests, rooted in principles of federalism and justice championed by DMK’s legacy.

During the event, Stalin inaugurated over 6,700 completed projects worth ₹1,166 crore in Tiruvallur, laid foundations for 7,300 new initiatives, and distributed welfare benefits to 2.02 lakh residents.

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Priyanka Gandhi accompanies Robert Vadra to ED office for second day in Gurugram land probe

Robert Vadra, husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, appeared before the ED for the second day in the Gurugram land case.

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Robert Vadra Priyanka Gandhi

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accompanied her husband Robert Vadra to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office on Wednesday as he appeared for questioning for the second consecutive day in connection with the Gurugram land case.

Mr Vadra, the brother-in-law of Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, was seen exchanging a hug with Ms Gandhi before entering the ED office. He is under scrutiny in a money laundering probe linked to a 2008 land deal in Manesar-Shikohpur area, now known as Sector 83 of Gurugram.

Focus of the probe: land deal from Congress tenure in Haryana

The investigation stems from a land transaction executed by Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd, a company in which Mr Vadra was formerly a director. In February 2008, Skylight purchased 3.5 acres of land from Onkareshwar Properties for ₹7.5 crore. At that time, Haryana was governed by a Congress-led administration under then Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

In September 2012, four years after the acquisition, Skylight sold the same land to real estate developer DLF for ₹58 crore. The deal later drew public attention after senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka, who was then heading the Land Consolidation and Land Records department in Haryana, cancelled the land mutation, citing violations of the State Consolidation Act and procedural discrepancies.

Haryana Police registered an FIR to examine the deal in 2018, further intensifying the legal scrutiny.

ED questions Vadra under PMLA

On Tuesday, Mr Vadra was questioned for nearly five hours by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), during which his statement was recorded. The businessman has consistently maintained that the case is part of a political vendetta and emphasized that he has cooperated fully with all investigative agencies, submitting numerous documents over the years.

Calling for a closure to what he described as a decades-old matter, Mr Vadra said cases like these should not be allowed to drag on indefinitely.

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