Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to visit Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, where a stampede at a religious congregation claimed 121 lives and injured 35. The incident occurred as devotees rushed to seek blessings from a preacher, ‘Bhole Baba’, who is currently untraceable. An FIR has been lodged against the organizers, and police are investigating the cause of the stampede.
The BJP has criticized Rahul Gandhi for allegedly encouraging opposition MPs to disrupt Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech in Lok Sabha, drawing parallels to Sonia Gandhi’s behavior towards former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. BJP leaders have questioned Rahul Gandhi’s suitability as Leader of the Opposition and highlighted PM Modi’s response to the protests, including a veiled jibe at Rahul Gandhi’s leadership.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab secured victory in the Mumbai Graduates constituency of the Maharashtra Legislative Council polls, defeating the BJP’s Kiran Shelar. The elections were held on June 26, with Parab receiving 44,784 votes compared to Shelar’s 18,772 votes. Meanwhile, the Congress has re-nominated MLC Pradnya Satav for the upcoming biennial elections to the Council from the MLA quota. These elections are scheduled for July 12 and will fill 11 seats becoming vacant on July 27. The ruling BJP has fielded five candidates, including former state minister Pankaja Munde, while the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) has announced support for Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) candidate Jayant Patil.
BJP leaders, including JP Nadda and S. Jaishankar, launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of spreading lies and hate against Hindus in his speech during the President’s address in Parliament. They criticized his remarks on the Agniveer scheme, Minimum Support Price (MSP), and his general demeanor, calling it disrespectful and unparliamentary. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also joined the criticism, highlighting the Congress’s alleged history of appeasing minorities at the expense of Hindu sentiments.
Former President Trump has endorsed two military veterans, Derrick Anderson and Laurie Buckhout, in their bids to flip House seats from Democratic to Republican control. Anderson, a former Army Green Beret, is running against Rep. Abigail Spanberger in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District. Buckhout, a former Army colonel, is challenging incumbent Rep. Don Davis in North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District. Both candidates highlight their military experience and criticize the current Democratic administration, emphasizing their commitment to American values and conservative policies.
A canopy at Delhi Airport collapsed on Friday, killing one and injuring eight. The incident sparked a political blame game between the BJP and Congress, with each party accusing the other of negligence and corruption.
Rep. Claudia Tenney has secured her fourth term in the House of Representatives, defeating challenger Mario Fratto in the Republican primary for New York’s 24th Congressional District. The race was characterized by accusations of extremism and a focus on conservative values.
Rahul Gandhi has been appointed as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, a position he last held in 2014. Congress party members expressed confidence that he will be a strong voice for the people and hold the government accountable.
Congress workers in Rajkot, Gujarat, have called for a city-wide bandh to demand justice for the victims of a deadly fire that occurred at the TRP Gaming Zone on May 25th. The fire tragically claimed the lives of several individuals.
Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram criticized the BJP-led NDA government, drawing parallels to the Emergency era. He asserted that India voted to prevent another Emergency and that the country will remain a liberal, democratic, and secular union of states.
