‘Humayun Kabir, who laid the foundation stone of the ‘Babri Masjid’, was targeted by Vijayvargiya, who also taunted Rahul Gandhi – perhaps Putin recognized him!’
Politics in West Bengal has heated up once again. BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya has reacted to the statement made by TMC leader Humayun Kabir in the state. Vijayvargiya not only questioned Kabir’s actions but also mocked Rahul Gandhi’s questions regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India. Indore: Politics in West Bengal has heated up once again. BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya has reacted to the statement made by TMC leader Humayun Kabir in the state. While speaking to the media, Vijayvargiya questioned Kabir’s actions and also mocked Rahul Gandhi’s questions regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India. Targeting TMC leader Humayun Kabir, Vijayvargiya said that Kabir was once a part of the Bharatiya Janata Party, and he himself had fielded him in the elections. But after joining the TMC, he is making such statements and actions to strengthen his position, which make no sense. Vijayvargiya said that Kabir has no emotional connection with the Babri Masjid, and he is now only making unnecessary moves to show his credibility within the TMC leadership and his community. TMC leaders uncomfortable with Humayun Kabir’s actions Kailash Vijayvargiya said that many TMC leaders are also uncomfortable with Kabir’s activities. Muslim organizations have also registered their protest against his statements. In fact, Humayun Kabir, the MLA expelled from the Trinamool Congress, laid the foundation stone of a mosque named ‘Babri Masjid’ in Murshidabad, West Bengal on Saturday. Vijayvargiya’s sarcasm: Perhaps Putin recognized Rahul During this time, Vijayvargiya was also asked about Rahul Gandhi’s statement in which the Congress leader said that he was not given a chance to meet the Russian President as the leader of the opposition during Putin’s visit to India. To this, Vijayvargiya said that Putin himself decides who he wants to meet, and if he had been interested in meeting Rahul Gandhi, the government would have certainly arranged a formal meeting. He sarcastically remarked that perhaps Putin recognized Rahul Gandhi, and therefore did not express a desire to meet him. Edited by: Chaitanya Soni • Contributed by: Sanjay Kumar About the Author Chaitanya Soni is a Consultant Writer at Navbharat Times Digital (NBT Online). He covers Madhya Pradesh politics, offbeat news, breaking news, current affairs, and unconventional stories. After completing his M.Com and MCJ from Dr. Harisingh Gour University, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, he has been associated with journalism for about 23 years. Courtesy: Hindi News
Shashi Tharoor Attends Putin’s Dinner, Rahul Gandhi Not Invited: What’s the Controversy?
Putin’s India Visit: Was Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, invited to dinner with Putin? Was Congress party president Mallikarjun Kharge also invited? Interestingly, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor was invited to the dinner with Russian President Putin. Shashi Tharoor was also seen with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla during the event. Tharoor was seen talking to Nirmala Sitharaman, but the Congress party has been hurt by this. Rahul Gandhi did not receive an invitation to the dinner, while Tharoor was seated at Putin’s dinner table. Courtesy : Hindi News
‘Petty’: Priyanka Chaturvedi on no invite to Rahul, Kharge for Putin’s dinner; urges President Murmu to be ‘bipartisan’
NEW DELHI: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Saturday criticised the Centre for not inviting Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi — the leaders of the opposition (LoP) in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, respectively — to the state dinner hosted by President Droupadi Murmu in honour of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Chaturvedi, a former Congress leader, described the omission as “petty.” “The position of the President is not affiliated with any political side. It is bipartisan. So the President has to take note of all sides… No trend should be started that further pollutes democratic rules and regulations. The dignity and responsibility attached to the President’s office must be upheld. It looked very petty that only the ruling side was invited,” she told news agency ANI. Earlier, in a post on X, Chaturvedi accused the government of “hijacking” the state visit, writing: “Dear @rashtrapatibhvn, your role in democracy is bipartisan… Unfortunate to see a state banquet to welcome a foreign dignitary being hijacked by the government to keep away leaders of the opposition. This doesn’t augur well for democracy and only shows the pettiness of the ruling dispensation. Don’t become another toolkit in their hand to throttle long-held customs and traditions.” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh had confirmed that the two LoPs were not invited to the official dinner at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Congress leader Pawan Khera also questioned the decision to invite party colleague Shashi Tharoor while excluding senior leaders, saying he was “quite surprised” by the guest list. Gandhi also alleged that the government had not scheduled a meeting between him, in his capacity as LoP, and President Putin, attributing the move to the government’s “insecurity.” The Russian president was on a two-day visit to Delhi on Thursday and Friday — his first trip to India since December 2021 and the first since the outbreak of the Ukraine war. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/limesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Defamation case: Pune court seeks Rahul Gandhi’s response to plea for US video sharing platform to provide original link of speech
Pune: A special MP/MLA court in Pune on Friday directed Rahul Gandhi’s lawyer to file a written response by Dec 11 on a plea seeking its directions to a US-based social media and video sharing platform and an Indian newspaper to furnish the original video link and a news report of the Congress MP’s speech in London in March 2023. The plea was filed by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’s grandnephew Satyaki Savarkar, in an ongoing defamation case against Rahul Gandhi over the latter’s alleged defamatory remarks against the Hindutva ideologue. The plea mentions that the video link was published on March 5, 2023, on Gandhi’s official channel hosted by the video sharing platform. Similarly, a related news report was published by the Indian newspaper, it stated. The case is at the stage of the complainant (Satyaki) leading his evidence as part of examination in chief before the court. The complainant had earlier submitted a CD along with a 65B (verification) certificate under the Indian Evidence Act. However, it could not be played in court because of some unknown/technical reasons. His plea to play another CD was rejected by the court after Gandhi’s lawyer, Milind Pawar, raised objections on the grounds that it was not accompanied by a 65B certificate. On Friday, Satyaki’s lawyer, Sangram Kolhatkar, filed the plea regarding directions to the US video sharing platform and the newspaper stating, among other things, “The complainant submits that unless the original source is summoned, the accused (Rahul Gandhi) will secure an unfair advantage arising out of the loss of evidence, which was fully in the custody of the court, thereby gravely prejudicing the complainant and defeating the administration of justice.” The plea stated that the court needs to direct the video sharing platform to submit the video evidence along with details like the “upload date and time; URL and unique video ID; hash value/digital signature; server logs relevant to authenticity and integrity, any copies, backups, or archived version of the said video”. In a related development, Judicial Magistrate First Class Amol Shinde, presiding over the special court, allowed an application by Satyaki’s lawyer seeking an adjournment for a limited period. The adjournment sought was to enable the complainant make proper technical arrangements and reconstruction so that a CD of the speech, which could not be played earlier in court because of some unknown reasons, can be played and recorded correctly. “Also, to secure time to trace another CD from the record or be substituted so that the same can be relied upon in chief examination,” the plea stated. Pawar told TOI, “We have recorded our strong objection to the adjournment sought by the complainant today (Friday) as we feel the same was yet another delaying tactic by the complainant. We will file our written response, as sought by the court, on the other plea regarding directions to the US video sharing platform and the newspaper.” Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/limesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
‘Everyone has their own conscience’: Cong vs Tharoor flares up again; this time over Putin dinner invite
NEW DELHI: Congress leaders on Friday launched a broadside against its Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor after he was invited for the Presidential dinner for Putin, while the government did not extend invites to Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge. Congress leader Pawan Khera said that members of Congress should understand the “game being played” by the Centre and should not be a part of it. “Those who issued such an invitation also raise many questions. And those who accepted the invitation are also open to scrutiny,” Khera said. — ANI (@ANI) “Everyone has their own conscience, their own inner voice. Had we been invited instead of our leaders, it is clear that we would not have accepted it. We should understand why the game is being played, who is playing the game, and why we shouldn’t be part of it,” he added. This comes after Thiruvananthapuram MP confirmed that he has been invited to the dinner and said that he will “definitely go.” “There was a time when the chairman of the external affairs committee was routinely invited. That practice seems to have been stopped for some years. It has been resumed, I think because I’ve been invited,” Tharoor said. “I think, frankly, the custom that usually used to be followed was for a wide representation. Certainly. I remember in the old days we used to have not only the LoPs, we used to have various other cross section of representatives of different parties. And I think it conveys a good impression. This is all done by the government, by the protocol, by the Rashapati Bhavan. What do I know? All I can say is I’ve been honored to be invited. Of course, I will go,” he added. Meanwhile, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said that “the two LoPs have not been invited ” for the event. “There has been speculation whether the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha and the leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha have been invited for tonight’s official dinner in honour of President Putin. The two LoPs have not been invited,” Jairam Ramesh said in a social media post on X. Veteran Congress leader Salman Khurshid also attacked the government, claiming that the move is not in accordance with democratic traditions and the system. “I believe this is not in accordance with democratic traditions and the system. Even opposition leaders have not received the respect they deserve,” he said. This comes a day after Rahul had accused the Centre of barring foreign dignitaries from meeting the opposition leaders. Speaking to reporters in the Parliament complex, Rahul expressed displeasure and alleged that the government tells visiting foreign dignitaries not to meet the Leader of the opposition due to its “insecurity”. “Generally, the tradition has been that whoever visits India, the LoP used to have a meeting. It used to happen in the Vajpayee government, the Manmohan Singh government. But this is not the case now,”Rahul had said. “Whenever I visit abroad, they suggest that those people shouldn’t meet the LoP. People told us we have been informed not to meet the LoP. LoP provides a second perspective; we also represent India, but the government doesn’t want us to meet foreign dignitaries. PM Modi and the foreign ministry do not follow this now because of insecurity,” he added. Putin is on a 2-day visit to India. Following his arrival at the Palam Airport, PM Modi welcomed Putin with a hug. Both leaders shared the same car ride to Lok Kalyan Marg residence of the Prime Minister Modi where Putin was gifted a copy of the sacred Bhagwad Gita. Putin was also welcomed by President Droupadi Murmu as he received a ceremonial welcome and the tri-services guard of honour at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday. The ceremonial welcome was accorded at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, following which, Putin inspected the Guard of Honour. Courtewsy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/limesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Main goal of BJP is to erase Nehru and his legacy: Sonia
NEW DELHI: Congress neta Sonia Gandhi Friday alleged that the main goal of BJP establishment is to erase Jawaharlal Nehru and to destroy the social, political and economic foundations on which India has been founded. She said the forces behind the drive against Nehru “belong to the ideology that had no role in our freedom movement, or in the making of our Constitution.” She said the same ideology fanned the atmosphere of hate which led to the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, and it continues to glorify Gandhi’s assassins. “It is an ideology with a bigoted and viciously communal outlook. Its approach to nationhood is based on stoking prejudices of all kinds,” she said. Sonia said it is natural that a monumental figure like Nehru’s life will be analysed and critiqued, but it has become a widespread practice to divorce Nehru from the challenges he faced and view him without a historical context.“While we welcome on-going analysis of his (Nehru) contributions, what is not acceptable is systematic attempt being made to denigrate, distort, and defame him. The sole objective of this is to not only diminish him as a personality, But also to demolish his multi-faceted legacy in a crude and self-serving attempt to rewrite history,” she added. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/limesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Dalit Politics Heats Up in Bihar Assembly as RJD, Congress Shift Focus After Poll Defeat
RJD stirs controversy in House as Congress high command reviews Dalit outreach strategy. Patna: A heated exchange unfolded in the Bihar Assembly on Thursday during a discussion on the Governor’s address, after the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) diverted the debate toward Dalit issues. The move sparked loud protests from the ruling NDA, leading to sharp political confrontation inside the House.Patna real estate RJD MLA Kumar Sarvjeet triggered the flashpoint with two controversial remarks. He alleged that Dalit areas in Gaya district still lacked basic infrastructure. He also claimed that Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College Hospital resembled a Dalit colony because development had been ignored there. His remarks drew immediate objections from NDA leaders, who demanded he withdraw his statements. Speaker Prem Kumar intervened and cited available data on development projects at the medical college. The argument intensified when senior JD(U) leader and former minister Ratnesh Sada hit back, declaring that Dalits would “never forgive” Sarvjeet for how they were treated during the RJD regime. Grand Alliance Returns to Dalit Agenda The confrontation in the Assembly comes days after the Congress held a review meeting in Delhi over its poor performance in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections. The party leadership reportedly resolved to shift its political strategy and focus on Dalits, Muslims, and Bhumihars instead of EBCs and OBCs.Bihar tourism guide The Congress has since appointed Rajesh Ram, a Dalit leader, as the party’s state president — the fourth Dalit to hold this post in Bihar. The party is considering increasing Dalit representation in key organizational roles at the state level. Why the Sudden Political Outreach to Dalits? Six Key Factors Data from the recent election highlights why RJD and Congress are aggressively attempting to rebuild trust among Dalit voters: Bihar Assembly has 40 reserved seats (38 SC, 2 ST) NDA won 35 of these seats; Grand Alliance secured only 5 NDA won 34 of 38 SC seats and 1 of 2 ST seats NDA grabbed 87% of reserved seats — double its 2020 performance NDA fielded 40 Dalit candidates and won 35 seats Grand Alliance fielded 40 Dalit candidates but won just 5 seats Dalit Vote Shift Toward NDA According to Pollsmap survey and Lokniti data, the Dalit vote consolidated behind the NDA in 2025. Nearly two-thirds of Dalit voters supported the alliance, a sharp contrast to 2020 when Dalit votes were fragmented. Among the Paswan/Dusadh community — a key Dalit bloc — 62 percent voted for the NDA. In 2020, when the LJP(R) contested separately, votes were split between alliances. Leadership Advantage for NDA Experts say NDA benefited from having two prominent Dalit leaders — LJP(R) chief Chirag Paswan and HAM leader Jitan Ram Manjhi. Their presence gave the ruling coalition a decisive edge. A senior journalist notes that in closely fought contests, small vote shares matter significantly. “Chirag Paswan turned out to be a key factor. Last time, he damaged JD(U)’s prospects on nearly 30 seats. This time, he helped them win,” he said. The Grand Alliance, meanwhile, lacks a Dalit leader who can influence votes at this scale — a gap now pushing both RJD and Congress to aggressively reclaim lost ground. As Bihar politics pivots toward caste alignments once again, the Dalit vote has emerged as the most crucial battleground ahead of the next major political contest Courtesy : Patna Press Note: This news is originally published on https:/patnapress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
‘Discretion of delegation’: Government counters Rahul Gandhi on LoP–visitor meetings claim; names dignitaries who met him
NEW DELHI: Government sources on Thursday refuted Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s allegations that Centre does not allow opposition to meet foreign dignitaries. In its response, it said that during any official visit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) facilitates meetings for the visiting dignitary with Government officials and designated Government bodies. Any engagements outside the Government framework are organised at the discretion of the visiting delegation. The sources also noted that since Rahul Gandhi assumed office as Leader of the Opposition on June 9 2024, several foreign leaders have met him. These include former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on June 10 2024; Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on August 21 2024; Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam on September 16 2025; and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on March 8 2025. BJP MP Kangana Ranaut, also reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s remarks, accused him of “misleading the public” and said his claim showed a “lack of understanding of diplomatic protocol.” She added that foreign leaders “meet whoever they wish,” and alleged Rahul Gandhi was “playing victim for attention.” BJP’s Aparajita Sarangi also called the allegeation “ridiculous”. “Nothing can be more ridiculous than this. They should rise above the politics of allegations and counter-allegations and work for the people… The Russian President is coming to India, in such a situation, the Leader of Opposition should welcome him, and should not come before everyone with such negative thinking at this time. In our government, there is a feeling of respect and equality for everyone… The Leader of Opposition should behave with dignity,” she said. This comes ahead of Putin’s highly anticipated visit to India, as Rahul alleged that the government tells visiting foreign dignitaries not to meet the Leader of the Opposition due to its “insecurity”. “Generally, the tradition has been that whoever visits India, the LoP used to have a meeting. It used to happen in the Vajpayee government, the Manmohan Singh government. But this is not the case now. Whenever I visit abroad, they suggest that those people shouldn’t meet the LoP. People told us we have been informed not to meet the LoP. LoP provides a second perspective; we also represent India, but the government doesn’t want us to meet foreign dignitaries. PM Modi and the foreign ministry do not follow this now because of insecurity,” he said. Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor backed Rahul Gandhi’s concern that the LoP gets barred from meeting visiting dignitaries in Modi-led Centre, saying the government “should respond.” Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/limesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
‘Ordinary Indians are paying the price’: Rahul targets Centre over IndiGo crisis; calls it ‘cost of monopoly model’
NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi weighed in on the IndiGo disruption, stating that it is a consequence of the monopoly model promoted by the government, for which ordinary citizens are paying the price. He took to X to share a post emphasising the need for fair competition across all sectors rather than allowing monopolies to dominate.”IndiGo fiasco is the cost of this Govt’s monopoly model,” wrote Gandhi, “Once again, it’s ordinary Indians who pay the price – in delays, cancellations and helplessness. India deserves fair competition in every sector, not match-fixing monopolies.” IndiGo flights have triggered major disruptions at key airports across India. The airline is grappling with significant operational challenges, resulting in widespread flight cancellations, confusion among passengers, and considerable frustration as travellers are stranded, with many also losing their luggage. The flight disturbances have now escalated into a political issue, with the Opposition likely to raise the matter in Parliament. Earlier today, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi submitted a notice under Rule 180 in the Rajya Sabha, urging Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu to make a statement regarding the disruption of IndiGo’s operations, which has been causing severe inconvenience to passengers nationwide. In her notice, she stated, “The extensive disruption in IndiGo Airlines’ operations on Wednesday, which led to delays of up to seven hours and the cancellation of more than 70 flights across the country, including major hubs like Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, was due to a critical shortage of crew and other operational challenges. This situation caused substantial hardship for passengers, with several prominent domestic routes and international services, including the Mumbai-Maldives flight, severely impacted during peak hours.” She added, “This issue is of urgent public importance, as thousands of passengers were stranded, normal airport operations were disrupted, and recurring large-scale disturbances in airline services underscore the need for immediate government intervention, accountability, and measures to prevent such incidents in the future. I request that the Minister provide a statement on this matter at the earliest opportunity.” Meanwhile, IndiGo has requested temporary operational exemptions from certain Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) for its A320 fleet until February 10, 2026, and assured that full operational stability will be restored by that date, according to a statement from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/limesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Revanth invites Congress brass for Global Summit
Hyderabad: Chief minister A Revanth Reddy, along with deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka, on Wednesday invited the Congress top leadership, including Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, to the Telangana Rising Global Summit scheduled to be held at Bharat Future City on Dec 8 and 9. Revanth and Bhatti travelled to New Delhi on Tuesday night, met the AICC president, and extended the formal invitation to him. On Wednesday, the chief minister also invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi, defence minister Rajnath Singh, Union minister Manoharlal Khattar and other AICC leaders. Revanth briefed the Congress leaders on the aims and objectives of the Telangana Rising Vision document and the two-day summit. Congress MPs from Telangana have been tasked with inviting other Union ministers, while Revanth’s cabinet colleagues will extend invitations to chief ministers of various states. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/limesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights