Rahul Gandhi leaves for Tamil Nadu tour, will meet the families of three students who committed suicide over the NEET controversy.
Rahul Gandhi left for Tamil Nadu on Saturday morning. He will meet the families of three students who committed suicide in Chennai over the NEET controversy. Tamil Nadu unit president B. Manickam Tagore stated that there is no plan to meet with Chief Minister Vijay. New Delhi: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, left for Tamil Nadu on Saturday from his residence in New Delhi. Today in Chennai, he will meet with three families whose children allegedly committed suicide during the NEET paper leak controversy. Rahul Gandhi will also discuss with party officials under the “Sangthan Srujan Abhiyaan,” an initiative to strengthen the party at the grassroots level in Tamil Nadu. However, no meeting with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Thalapathy Vijay is currently planned. According to reports, Rahul Gandhi will meet with three families in Chennai whose children committed suicide due to irregularities in the NEET UG exam regarding the NEET paper leak. Regarding Rahul Gandhi’s meeting with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay Thalapathy, the party stated that “there is no plan for Rahul Gandhi to meet Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay during his visit to Tamil Nadu.” Will Address Officials Congress General Secretary and Tamil Nadu in-charge Ghulam Ahmed Mir and the party’s Tamil Nadu unit president B. Manickam Tagore told reporters in Chennai that Rahul will address officials on Saturday at the closing ceremony of the 10-day training camp for District Congress Committee presidents held from July 23 to August 1 in Mamallapuram. Initiative to Strengthen the Party at the Grassroots Level Rahul is expected to arrive in Chennai at 11 a.m. on August 1, where he will preside over a party event held there, and then depart for Delhi at 6 p.m. The training camp for the Chennai Congress Committee presidents is an initiative to strengthen the party at the grassroots level under the “Organization Creation Campaign.” When asked about the possibility of Rahul Gandhi meeting Chief Minister Vijay, Tagore said that the top leader’s Chennai program is related to party organization. Congress is part of the Tamil Nadu coalition government led by the Tamil Nadu Vetri Kazhagam (TVK). Curated by: Abhishek Pandey About the Author Abhishek Pandey is a digital journalist at Navbharat Times. He joined Navbharat Times, the digital wing of the Times of India Group, in July 2025. He currently covers news for the National and Delhi desks. Courtesy: Hindi News
Hate speech case: Suvarna appears before probe officer
Udupi: Udupi MLA Yashpal Anand Suvarna, booked for alleged derogatory remarks and hate speech against leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi, appeared before the investigating officer Friday. Responding to a police notice, the MLA answered questions posed by the investigating officer. The probe will proceed based on his responses, Udupi SP Hariram Shankar said. Udupi Town police had registered an FIR against Suvarna under sections 57, 192, 196(2), 352, 353(2) and 351(2) of BNS for allegedly making inflammatory statements against the Congress leader during a protest Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Udupi District Congress staged a protest in the town Friday against Suvarna’s alleged hate speech and threats against Rahul Gandhi, as well as his remarks on the NEET students’ movement. Former minister Vinay Kumar Sorake demanded the MLA’s immediate arrest. Congress leader Niketh Raj Maurya said the younger generation was exposing the Centre’s actions through social media and would respond democratically in the 2029 elections. In a press release, Dakshina Kannada BJP spokesperson Arun G Shet accused the Karnataka govt of using the administrative machinery to further “politics of hatred” instead of functioning in an accountable and democratic manner. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Samajwadi Party’s ‘PDA’ Strategy On General Seats: Akhilesh Yadav To Field Over 100 Dalit Candidates In UP Assembly Polls
UP Assembly Election: Samajwadi Party is expanding its ‘PDA’ strategy for the 2027 UP Assembly elections, with Akhilesh Yadav planning to field over 100 Dalit candidates, including on general seats. This move aims to broaden SP’s voter base and challenge BJP’s social engineering in the state. Strategy aims to challenge BJP’s social engineering in UP. Jagran Correspondent, Lucknow: With just a few months remaining in the much-awaited Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) has begun preparing its strategy. It is planning to expand the formula of “PDA” (Backward, Dalit, and Minority), the strategy that helped the Samajwadi Party in the 2024 Lok Sabha election as it emerged as the single largest party in the state. SP To Expand PDA Strategy As per the reports, along with seeking votes on the PDA formula, the socialist party is also planning to field candidates on this formula to target a larger voter base. Akhilesh Yadav is preparing a “2.0” version of the PDA formula, in which the “D” (Dalit) category of the PDA will also be assured a greater share. The reports suggest that along with the reserved seats, Akhilesh Yadav is in favor of fielding Dalit candidates on general seats as well. As per the experts, the effort is likely to increase the party’s acceptance among Dalit and non-Yadav backward voters while also challenging the BJP’s social engineering. More Dalit Candidates Likely Earlier in the 2022 assembly elections, the Samajwadi Party fielded Dalit candidates on only three general seats, in addition to the reserved seats. However, it is considering fielding Dalit and tribal candidates on over 100 seats, including 15 to 20 general seats in the 2027 polls, reported Jagran, citing sources. The party reportedly believes that fielding Dalit candidates on general seats will lead to political polarization in those seats, as well as in surrounding regions. The strategy could help the Akhilesh Yadav-led party in Western Uttar Pradesh and other regions where Dalits are in significant numbers. With this move, the SP also aims to weaken the BJP’s non-Yadav backward class and non-Jatav Dalit alliance. This equation has benefitted the saffron party for the past decade; however, the Samajwadi Party managed to make a dent in the last Lok Sabha elections. By Aditya Jha Courtesy : The Daily Jagran Note: This news is originally published on https:/thedailyjagran.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
TVK betraying farmers, DMK to hold stir in Thanjavur on August 3: MK Stalin
He added that the protest on Monday will demand firm steps to protect Cauvery water rights and a special relief package for delta farmers. CHENNAI: DMK president MK Stalin on Thursday accused the ruling TVK government of betraying farmers on multiple fronts. He announced a massive protest led by Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin in Thanjavur on August 3, the day Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay is set to meet his Karnataka counterpart DK Shivakumar in Bengaluru for talks over Cauvery. Reacting to it, TVK headquarters accused the DMK leadership of speaking “as though the party is still in power” and asserted TVK “will never allow the interests of Tamil Nadu’s farmers and people to be harmed.” In his statement on X, Stalin listed four grievances against the state government: disappointment over crop loan waivers, lethargic approach to the Mekedatu dam issue, damage to kuruvai cultivation because Mettur dam has not been opened, and delay in convening an all-party meeting on Cauvery-related matters. He added that the protest on Monday will demand firm steps to protect Cauvery water rights and a special relief package for delta farmers. Stalin also warned of larger agitations ahead. TVK headquarters responded with an unnamed statement issued on X, dismissing the DMK’s charge of inaction on Mekedatu as self-indictive. “If the DMK leadership claims the Mekedatu issue arose only after May 10, 2026, isn’t it confessing as to who was actually sleeping on the issue?” the statement said. “Even after being thrown out by the people of Tamil Nadu, speaking as though he (Stalin) is still the CM is what being out of touch with reality looks like – but as usual, there seems to be no one in the DMK to point this out to its leadership,” the statement read. Chennai: The Madras High Court on Thursday ordered notice to the state assembly secretary and the other respondents directing them to file a counter-affidavit to the petition filed by AIADMK challenging the amendment made to the June 19 Assembly resolution on Mekedatu issue, for adding a clause on the demand for setting up a tribunal to resolve the issue. The first bench of CJ Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan directed the respondents to file the counter-affidavits within two weeks and adjourned the hearing in the petition filed by the party’s Whip Agri SS Krishnamurthy. Don’t hold talks with Karnataka: Anbumani to CM Chennai: PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss on Thursday urged Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay not to hold talks with the Karnataka CM on the proposed Mekedatu dam project, saying such a move would weaken Tamil Nadu’s long-standing opposition to the project. Speaking to reporters at Chennai airport before leaving for New Delhi, Anbumani challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to clearly state his stand on the issue. “If Rahul Gandhi says in one sentence that Karnataka should not build the Mekedatu dam, we are ready to quit the NDA alliance,” the RS MP stated. Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Tushar Gandhi appealed to Satheesan and Chennithala, whom he described as personal friends, to follow the Congress high command’s line.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson and president of the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation, Tushar Gandhi, has urged the state government to withdraw the FIRs and charge sheets filed against students who protested in solidarity with the Delhi protest. In his letter to Chief Minister V D Satheesan and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, Tushar Gandhi said he was “unpleasantly surprised” that Kerala Police had booked protesting students. “This does not behoove the progressive state of Kerala, and even more so, a government led by the Congress party,” he said in the letter. He noted that Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi had backed the students’ movement. They had condemned the “brutal oppression” unleashed by the Union government and the Delhi Police. Action against students in Kerala, where the UDF government is in power, was “disgraceful,” he said. “Let me not remind you that the Congress was born out of the spirit of satyagraha; one expects much better from a Congress-led government, invoking the Congress party’s roots in the Satyagraha movement,” he said in the letter. Tushar Gandhi appealed to Satheesan and Chennithala, whom he described as personal friends, to follow the Congress high command’s line. Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
‘First you broke their bones, now filing FIRs’: Rahul Gandhi warns PM Modi, Amit Shah to not ‘threaten Gen Z into silence’
NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the action against student protesters, alleging that the government was trying to “silence Gen Z” through FIRs and social media takedowns after directly attacking them during protests.Making a statement on X, the Congress leader said, “PM Modi and Amit Shah – you cannot threaten Gen Z into silence. First you broke their bones. Now you are filing FIRs and taking down their accounts.” Further taking a jab at PM Modi and Shah, he added, “You are India’s past. Be careful about how you treat India’s future.” This comes a day after Rahul demanded a Supreme Court-monitored, high-powered committee to investigate the alleged police action against student protesters during the July 20 demonstration at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. In a post on X, the Congress MP had called for an impartial probe into the alleged use of force, saying, “Students deserve justice. An independent SC-monitored high-powered committee must be constituted to probe brutalities against our students.” Gandhi also shared a video purportedly showing police action against the protesters. The footage appeared to show police personnel lathi-charging demonstrators, while another clip showed a man in civilian clothes forcefully pushing a student carrying the Indian flag onto the road. His demand came as Opposition MPs from several INDIA bloc parties staged a protest at Makar Dwar in the Parliament complex over the alleged police action against students and the alleged embezzlement of donations meant for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The MPs gathered around 10.30 am, carrying placards questioning who ordered the police action at Jantar Mantar and raising slogans demanding accountability from the Centre over the alleged use of force and the alleged financial irregularities in donations to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple. The protest took place hours before the Rajya Sabha was scheduled to consider and pass the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Shravasti News: LJP to hold Dalit Chaupal on August 1
Shravasti. The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) will organize a Dalit Chaupal program on August 1 in Sangampurwa village of Jamunaha tehsil. The chief guest at the program will be MP and Uttar Pradesh in-charge Arun Bharti. A divisional review meeting was held on Wednesday regarding the preparations for the program, chaired by District President Rahul Paswan. Program coordinator and State Vice President Manoj Pathak stated that the Chaupal is being organized to strengthen the party’s hold among Dalits. Officials from all districts of the division attended the meeting, and the program outline was prepared. Devipatan divisional president Jatashankar Valmiki, Ashwani Srivastava, Balrampur district president Gaurav Singh, and Bahraich district president Yunus Parvez, among others, were present. Courtesy: Hindi News
BJP flags off 6-month campaign to consolidate Dalit’s support
Lucknow: In a move aimed at strengthening its presence among Dalits ahead of key electoral battles in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, the BJP on Tuesday launched its ambitious ‘Samrasta Yatra’ from Varanasi. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and state BJP president Pankaj Chaudhary flagged off 131 urns carrying soil from Dalit icon Sant Ravidas’s birthplace at Seer Govardhanpur in Varanasi, is being seen as an attempt to strengthen the party’s influence among Dalit communities in UP while making significant political inroads in Punjab. The yatra, which began on Guru Purnima, will continue for six months until February 20, 2027, making it one of the BJP’s longest social outreach campaigns. Although BJP national president Nitin Nabin was scheduled to attend the launch, his visit was cancelled at the last moment. Of the 131 urns, 75 will be distributed across villages and hamlets in UP, while the remaining will be sent to other states, with Punjab receiving special attention. Political observers believe the campaign’s impact could be more pronounced in Punjab than in UP. Sant Ravidas enjoys deep reverence among Jatavs, one of the largest Dalit communities, and Dalits constitute nearly 34% of Punjab’s population. In UP, Dalits account for around 21% of the population and hold significant electoral influence through 84 Assembly constituencies reserved for scheduled castes. However, the BJP faces challenges in attracting Jatav voters in UP. Despite its efforts and also by the SP-Congress alliance and Chandrashekhar Azad’s Azad Samaj Party to consolidate their support, a large section of Jatavs continues to remain aligned with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Analysts say this leaves limited room for the BJP to make rapid gains among the community in the state. Punjab presents a different political landscape. Though BSP founder Kanshi Ram hailed from Punjab and began his political journey there, the party has struggled to establish itself as a major electoral force in the state. The vacuum has allowed national and regional parties to compete for Dalit support, making the BJP’s Sant Ravidas outreach politically significant. Within UP, party insiders say the campaign reflects a broader strategy to strengthen ties with Dalit communities. BJP leaders are reportedly working on literature and outreach programmes centred on Dalit icons as part of preparations for the 2027 Assembly elections. The urgency stems from the BJP’s performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when sections of its traditionally supportive non-Jatav Dalit base, including Valmikis, Sonkers and Pasis, drifted away from the party. The SP-Congress alliance made significant gains, with the Samajwadi Party winning 37 seats and the Congress six, while the BJP’s tally dropped sharply from 62 to 33 seats in the state. Political observers attribute part of this shift to the Congress-SP alliance, while SP leaders argue that sustained grassroots engagement and the emergence of Dalit leaders within the party helped reduce long-standing mistrust among Dalit voters toward the SP. SP insiders say the party plans to further expand Dalit representation in the 2027 Assembly polls and may field Dalit candidates even from general seats where electoral conditions favour such a move. The political importance of Sant Ravidas’s birthplace has steadily grown over the years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended Ravidas Jayanti celebrations in 2016 and 2019 and visited the temple again in 2023. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi have also paid visits in recent years. The site’s political symbolism dates back to 1997, when then chief minister Mayawati attempted to develop a grand park at Sant Ravidas’s birthplace. The proposal, however, faced local resistance and could not be completed. Nearly three decades later, the temple and Sant Ravidas’s legacy remain at the centre of competing political efforts to win over Dalit voters. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
‘Answer now’: CJP’s Saurav Das cites Rahul Gandhi’s claims, targets Amit Shah over July 20 police action
NEW DELHI: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Wednesday demanded ‘answers’ from Union home minister Amit Shah over the July 20 police action against student protesters, citing allegations made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha. CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das shared on ‘X’ and wrote, “This raises serious concerns about the Home Minister’s role in July 20 Police Brutality case. He must be held accountable. Every life is precious. A student lost his vision for life at the Home Minister’s order! Answer now.” The remarks came after Rahul, speaking during the Lok Sabha debate on the anti-paper leak bill, alleged that Shah was responsible for the police action against students protesting over the alleged NEET paper leak. “The home minister put the pellets into the blood of our students; he ordered the students of India to be shot,” Rahul claimed in the House. He also alleged that only the home minister or the Prime Minister “can authorise” such use of force. Rahul further questioned Shah’s absence from the debate, saying he had seen the home minister sitting in his car but that “he is not present in the Lok Sabha because he is scared.” Many of Rahul’s remarks in the Lok Sabha were later expunged by the Speaker. However, outside Parliament and later at a press conference, the Congress leader repeated the allegations and demanded Shah’s removal. “There can be just two options – the Home Minister gave the order for firing (at protesters), the other is that the Home Minister did not know that there will be firing,” Rahul told reporters. “In the first case, he is culpable. In the second case, he is incompetent, there can be no other option,” he said. At a press conference, Rahul alleged that Shah either “ordered that students be shot with pellet guns and beaten with lathis having nails” or was unaware of the action. “If he ordered it, he is culpable and if he did not know then he is incompetent,” he said, adding that pellet guns could not be used without the home minister’s permission. Claiming Shah was “guilty,” Rahul urged the government to remove him from office. “Our advice to the government is to sack Amit Shah and order an independent high-powered committee monitored by the Supreme Court” to investigate the matter, he said. “Shah must go, he has shot our students and he must be held accountable,” Rahul alleged. The BJP rejected the allegations, accusing Rahul of making false claims. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said Rahul was attempting to mislead the House by claiming Shah had ordered police firing during the protests. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra also denied the allegations. “Rahul Rahul said that bullets were fired at the students. He lied. No bullet was fired. He also lied that Home Minister Amit Shah ordered the firing,” Patra said. The exchange comes amid continued political sparring over the July 20 CJP-led protest march to Parliament and the police action against demonstrators. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Lok Sabha passes anti-paper leak bill after row over Rahul Gandhi’s remarks
NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed a bill making punishment in paper leak cases more stringent and trial speedier with a voice vote as the House was plunged into bedlam, as opposition members, including Rahul Gandhi, demanded a response from govt over the police crackdown on students during their Sansad Chalo march on July 20. An engaging and passionate discussion had unfolded in the House over the anti-paper leak bill as members from the opposition and the governing BJP-led NDA put forth their views and traded charges for over eight hours without any serious disruption. But fireworks flew when Rahul made the “firing” charge, the first by anyone, and repeatedly used an “unparliamentary” expression to target BJP leadership. Rahul had started off by accusing Shah of “putting pellets into the blood of our students” but soon amped up the attack to say that home minister had ordered firing. NEET protest row Minister for personnel Jitendra Singh, who piloted Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, said govt acted swiftly in the NEET paper leak case, and as many as 52 FIRs have been lodged since the anti-paper leak law came into force in 2024. He also criticised Gandhi, stating that he lacks knowledge of parliamentary norms and the functioning of government. Utmost restraint was exercised to prevent casualties: Minister Expressing disappointment over the ruckus during the passage of the bill, minister for personnel Jitendra Singh said, “Instead of debating it seriously and offering suggestions, attempts are being made to politicise it.” The 2024 law was brought in when govt faced raging paper leak controversies. Before this legislation, there was no specific substantive law to deal with unfair means adopted or offences committed by various entities involved in the conduct of public examinations by the central government and its agencies. According to Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, investigations into paper leak cases are to be completed within two months. The bill says that individuals involved in paper leaks or unfair means in exams will get jail terms for a minimum of five years and a maximum of 10 years, and a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh. For organised crimes, the bill proposes a minimum sentence of seven years and a fine of up to Rs 10 crore. The Bill also allows state govts and UT administrations to designate special fast-track courts for cases registered under the law. Responding to Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi’s remarks alleging atrocities and oppression were inflicted on innocent children, Singh said, “Utmost restraint was exercised andit was made sure that casualties do not happen.” Countering the charge that the education sector has been in a decline under the NDA govt, Singh said the number of universities has risen to 1,293 from 760 and higher education institutions to 64,896 from 51,534. He questioned the source of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s claim of 152 incidents of paper leaks. He said the govt regrets any such death more than the opposition. Singh claimed that the rate of suicide due to paper leaks had reduced. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights