- September 4, 2023
Morning Digest | Kharge calls meeting of INDIA bloc floor leaders on Sept 5; EC to visit Bhopal today to inspect poll measures, and more
Opposition’s Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge during a press conference after the bloc leaders meeting, in Mumbai on Friday
| Photo Credit: ANI
Ahead of the Special Session of Parliament, floor leaders of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc will meet on September 5 at Congress president and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge’s official residence at Rajaji Marg.
Campaigning ends for byelections to seven Assembly constituencies
Campaigning came to an end on Sunday for the bypolls to be held on September 5 in seven Assembly constituencies spread over six States. Bypolls would be held in Assembly constituencies of Dhupguri in West Bengal, Bageshwar in Uttarakhand, Puthupally in Kerala, Ghosi in Uttar Pradesh, Dhanpur and Boxanagar in Tripura and Dumri in Jharkhand.
Election Commission to visit Bhopal on September 4 to inspect poll measures
The Election Commission will visit Bhopal from September 4 to 6 as it gears up to hold assembly polls in five States, including Madhya Pradesh. The commission, comprising Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioners Anup Chandra Pandey and Arun Goel, has already been to Chhattisgarh and Mizoram to take stock of poll preparedness there.
To mark the first anniversary of the Kanniyakumari-to-Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra on September 7, all district units of the Congress party will hold padayatras in their respective areas. A circular from the party’s general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal to all party units read: “To commemorate the first anniversary of this historic Bharat Jodo Yatra, on the remarkable day of 7th September 2023, as per the directions of the Hon’ble Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge ji, the party has decided to organize ‘Bharat Jodo Padyatra’ from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm at all districts.”
Ethnic cleansing complete in Imphal Valley, says Chidambaram
Former Union Minister and Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Sunday accused the BJP government in Manipur of resorting to “ethnic cleansing” in the Imphal Valley and said nothing could be more “shameful” than this development. Mr. Chidambaram cited The Hindu report about the remaining five Kuki families in Imphal being “forcibly removed” from their homes by the authorities.
Shivpal Singh Yadav will join the BJP: Om Prakash Rajbhar
Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) president Om Prakash Rajbhar on Sunday claimed that Samajwadi Party (SP) general secretary Shivpal Singh Yadav will join the ruling BJP before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, and added a “Maharashtra-like political situation may emerge in U.P.”, hinting at a mass crossover to the BJP from the SP.
The first fortnight of September is appearing hectic in Dhaka’s diplomatic calendar with multiple high-profile visits and agreements that are being scheduled. The series is expected to start with the arrival of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Dhaka on September 7. This will be followed by the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron on September 11. The two visits are unique as a French President is visiting Dhaka after nearly 33 years and Mr. Lavrov is the first Foreign Minister of Moscow to visit Bangladesh in its history. In between, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is due to arrive in New Delhi in the afternoon of September 8 and participate in the G-20 meetings where Bangladesh is among the “guest countries”.
Iran sentences two women journalists to jail time
Two female Iranian journalists will spend around a month behind bars as part of a three-year partly suspended prison sentence for “conspiracy” and “collusion”, local media reported on Sunday. Under the sentence, Negin Bagheri and Elnaz Mohammadi will serve one-fortieth of the term, or less than a month, in prison, their lawyer Amir Raisian told the reformist Ham Mihan daily newspaper, where Mohammadi works.
At least 25 civilians killed in 48 hours in Sudan: activists, medic
Five civilians were killed by bombs that “fell on their homes” in Khartoum, a Sudanese medical source told AFP, a day after an air strike in the city’s south killed at least 20 civilians. Residents of the war-torn capital reported the city was again pummelled by artillery and rocket fire Sunday, in the fifth month of war between the army and paramilitary fighters.
Asia Cup 2023: Bangladesh keep themselves alive with 89-run win over Afghanistan
Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Najmul Hossain Shanto delivered when it mattered the most by hitting centuries as Bangladesh registered an emphatic 89-run win over Afghanistan to keep themselves alive in the Asia Cup here on Sunday. While Miraz amassed 112 runs off 119 deliveries, Shanto picked up where he left off in the previous game, with a 105-ball 104 to take Bangladesh to a commanding 334 for 5 after opting to bat.
Hockey | Indian Railways thumps Karnataka, lifts MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup
The experience and the might of Indian Railways was too much to handle for a young Hockey Karnataka side as the former scripted a 5-2 victory in the final of the 94th MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup all-India hockey tournament here on Sunday. The hero of the match was drag-flick expert and former junior international Pratap Lakra, who scored a hat-trick.
