New Delhi: The Congress plans to intensify its agitation over the NEET-CBSE controversies in the next fortnight, directing party members to focus on issues related to students and youth without getting distracted by the schemes of the cockroach Janata Party.The CJP’s announcement of a physical protest in Delhi on June 6 has raised concerns in the Congress that this could be another “India against corruption” strategy by political rivals. Congress strategists and youth organizations have found CJP’s links with a rival and Congress has told its members that the organization’s actions should be done with caution. “We are cautious, not worried. The country has been misled once and cannot be misled again,” said a strategist.“With Rahul Gandhi leading the opposition’s charge on the NEET-CBSE controversies, the Youth Congress has taken to the streets in cities that are believed to have resonance over both the issues.YC chief Uday Bhanu Chib launched a nationwide protest in Goa on May 29, and it will cover Maharashtra, Telangana, Assam, Haryana, MP, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Chandigarh, Punjab and will end in Tamil Nadu on June 20. The party’s student organization NSUI is also protesting in the cities. When CJP protests on June 6, YC will take to the streets in Haryana.The Congress is still haunted by the memories of Anna Hazare’s movement during the UPA which led to the formation of AAP. “The idea of ​​others is to publicize the ‘Gen Z movement’ and then project them in alliance with their political party. NEET is just incidental for them,” said a Congress member.“

Srinagar: Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinay Kumar Saxena on Wednesday laid the foundation stone of the first model border village at Chumur, located at an altitude of 16,700 feet on the India-China border.Officials said the project, the first of its kind in the region, will focus on infrastructure development, employment and livelihood generation, all-weather connectivity and comprehensive civil-defense integration. The initiative aims to facilitate the transition from a largely nomadic lifestyle to secure and permanent settlement in remote frontier areas.Chumur has 24 households with a population of 91 people, all of whom are engaged in goat rearing and its production for pashmina.Under the programme, families in these villages will be provided with climate-resilient, south-facing passive solar houses, designed to maximize solar heat gains and protect them from harsh winters when temperatures drop to -35 degrees, a statement from the Ladakh government said.Each household will receive a residential unit with an attached bathroom, an additional room suitable for homestay activities, kitchen garden space, livestock shed and dedicated fodder storage facilities. Depending on weather conditions, these houses are expected to be completed by September this year.To strengthen food security and livelihoods, a 90 x 27 feet commercial greenhouse will be set up in collaboration with the Defense Institute of High-Altitude Research (DIHAR) for year-round vegetable cultivation, officials said. He said the product will meet local needs and supply to nearby defense establishments, including the Army and ITBP, thereby creating a sustainable market for villagers, as well as promoting stronger civil-defence cooperation. “A central service core comprising a school, primary health center (PHC), community hall, park, community café and tourist interpretation center (TIC) will provide essential services and strengthen social and economic life in the village,” he said.A total of 10 such border villages will be developed in the first phase of the Vibrant Village Programme.Addressing the people on the occasion, Saxena said, “Due to its strategic location on the India-China border, Chumur has been selected as the first model border village of Ladakh under the Vibrant Village Programme, a dream project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has consistently emphasized that border villages are not the “last villages” but the “first villages” of India.

London/Kolkata: Anisha Chakraborty messaged her brother Raktim in the US from Birmingham last Friday, saying she had good news to share. The 28-year-old student from Mukundpur, Kolkata, was looking for a job after completing her master’s degree with distinction from Aston University and had recently reached the final round of interviews.Raktim, who lives in Arkansas, replied to his sister on Saturday morning. Lesson not delivered. She later learned that just after 2am local time, Anisha had been hit by a black Audi RSQ8, a short distance from her residence, on Dartmouth Middleway in Birmingham city centre.Anisha had gone to a pub with former university friends on Friday night. She and a friend of hers went back together before splitting up midway. She was alone and almost home when the car hit her.Four days later, Anisha’s Indian-origin boss at the restaurant where she was working part-time is running a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to cover the cost of sending her body back to Kolkata. As of late Wednesday night, crowdfunding contributions totaled a little over £16,000 (Rs 20.5 lakh).In Kolkata, Anisha and Raktim’s father Ramakrishna Prasad Chakraborty, who is the principal of KK Das College in Patuli on the south-eastern outskirts, said every moment of waiting for his daughter’s body to arrive was agonizing. “She was very excited about the job. She was looking forward to a new phase in her life,” he said. “My wife has not spoken to anyone since the news broke.”West Midlands Ambulance Service in the UK said it received multiple 999 calls at 2.17am on Saturday reporting a collision between a car and a pedestrian. Two ambulances, two paramedic officers and a merit trauma team responded. By then Anisha had died.A 22-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and causing death by driving under the influence of drugs. Police told TOI on Wednesday that he has been granted conditional bail pending the investigation.Till Friday evening the Chakraborty family was in constant touch with Anisha. Her father said, “There was no contact after that. On Saturday morning, one of her friends informed us that she had met with an accident.”Raktim told TOI that he has not only lost a younger sister but also someone whom he considered like a daughter despite being eight years older than him. “We had planned a video call during the weekend which never happened,” Raktim said. “She wanted to do something on her own. I told her to come to the US but she wanted to go to the UK because she had researched all the universities there and decided that this master’s degree would help her career.”Anisha studied at Sakhawat Memorial Government Girls School and graduated from Gokhale Memorial Girls College, Kolkata. She moved to the UK in September 2024 to pursue a master’s degree in international business. In July 2025, he began working at Jimmy’s Spices, a global buffet restaurant on Broad Street in Birmingham. After receiving her graduate visa, she started working in a downstairs café so she could focus on applying for full-time jobs in marketing and content writing.Shefali Karulkar, general manager of Jimmy Spices, described how Anisha “always had her laptop on in the café”.“Whenever I talked to her, she always told me she was looking for a job. She was a lovely person, very positive and kind.”

New Delhi: As the TMC faces its biggest crisis in West Bengal, with speculation rife over the future of its MPs in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, developments in Bengal will have an impact on the stature of the second-largest opposition party within the Indian bloc and its overall impact on the opposition’s ability to take on the government, especially as the Mamata Banerjee-led party has been the most vocal critic of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.How the split within the TMC in West Bengal pans out at the national level following its defeat in the state elections will be keenly watched in the coming days. It is noteworthy that after a long gap, India Block meeting is going to be held on June 8. According to party sources, Mamata Banerjee And Abhishek Banerjee For now, plan to attend the meeting and garner support from the opposition camp amid the latest developments.On the day the TMC split for the first time in its 28-year history, there was a lot of talk in Delhi circles about whether the former CM would be able to keep all her MPs together and not witness what happened in West Bengal.Most of the senior MPs TOI either chose not to respond to or maintained silence about the situation. However, a senior leader stressed that at this time it is important for party MPs to remain united in Parliament and beyond. TMC has 28 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 13 in the Rajya Sabha.Refusing to comment on whether party members consider the rebellion in the state a reflection on the TMC leadership, a senior leader hit out at the BJP for taking action against opposition parties.Operation Lotus“, is a term used by its political opponents to describe the saffron party’s alleged strategy of inducing defections.According to sources, in view of the rapidly evolving situation, the TMC president, party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and other senior leaders attended a long meeting “to decide on the next course of action”, with the need to keep the flock together in Parliament a major concern.Banerjee’s MPs are going to face a big test in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament. His MPs will need to re-strategise their reach and projection in the face of serious setbacks in Bengal. Banerjee’s stellar record as a three-time CM and her clear voice had helped establish TMC as a major regional player and key member of the Bharat alliance.However, given the latest developments, TMC is likely to lose this strength. Despite the defeats faced by the Congress in the recent assembly elections, except in Kerala, the influence of the Congress is also expected to increase in the Indian faction.The changing dynamics within the alliance are expected to become clear at Monday’s meeting. More so, since the DMK, another major opposition party, has broken ties with the Congress, which after the party’s defeat in the assembly elections, decided to break ties with it in Tamil Nadu and joined the Vijay-led TVK government. It is noteworthy that DMK has not yet confirmed its participation in the June 8 meeting.

New Delhi: Stepping up efforts to resolve the problem of passengers struggling to book confirmed tickets, IRCTC More than three crore suspicious user IDs have been deactivated and another six crore have been placed under verification of authenticity to prevent misuse.The catering and ticketing arm of the Railways has also expanded the AI-based kitchen monitoring system across its network to deal with complaints about food hygiene and quality. Officials said more than 800 kitchens are now being monitored through 2,394 AI-enabled cameras that detect nine types of issues that are primarily responsible for unhygienic food in trains.These include head cap compliance, transparent glove detection, mopping, mopping, rodents, flies and cockroaches.Regarding action against suspicious users booking tickets, officials said 501 complaints related to 4.18 lakh suspicious PNRs have been registered on the National Cyber ​​Crime Portal. It has also taken action against fraudulent digital identity by blocking 13,343 suspicious email domains during the year.On kitchen surveillance, a senior IRCTC official said the AI-enabled cameras can detect anything as small as the size of an ant (7-8 mm). IRCTC to serve around 60 crore meals in 2025-26.The official said they are expanding this monitoring as more kitchens are added to its network. Cameras supported by AI tools instantly identify unhealthy practices and send alerts.“Any issue raised is forwarded to the concerned kitchen manager and if the issue is not resolved, the matter is escalated. Action is taken against the person responsible within two hours and the error is rectified,” said the official who oversees the IRCTC war room.Not wearing a headgear is the most common hygiene-related violation detected by the AI ​​system in the kitchen. On average, the system generates about 350 alerts or error tickets per day.Officials said the toughest time is during seasonal weather changes when the quality of food can be affected. Most complaints are received during this period. He said that while the AI ​​system generates about 350 tickets a day, the effective error rate is about 10%.

New Delhi: Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez arrived in India on Wednesday on a five-day visit to expand energy cooperation, as New Delhi looks to diversify its crude purchases amid supply disruptions from the West Asia crisis.Apart from energy, both sides are also ready to explore ways to enhance cooperation in the areas of trade and investment, pharmaceuticals and technology.Rodriguez is scheduled to hold extensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on social media, “Acting President of Venezuela Delsey Rodriguez is warmly welcomed on her arrival in New Delhi.”“This visit will further deepen India-Venezuela relations and add momentum to the bilateral partnership.”Rodriguez took over as acting president of Venezuela after U.S. forces detained then-President Nicolas Maduro in January.India was once a major processor of Venezuelan heavy crude, importing more than 4,00,000 barrels per day at its peak, until US sanctions and rising compliance risks forced purchases to end in 2020.New Delhi started buying crude oil from Venezuela after sanctions were lifted following Maduro’s capture. Indian oil marketing companies have significantly increased supplies of crude oil from Venezuela in the last few weeks due to the crisis in West Asia.The Acting President of Venezuela is accompanied by a number of ministers, including the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Economy and Finance, Science and Technology, Communications and Information, and Transport.The Venezuelan delegation will visit several sites in the energy, pharmaceuticals and auto sectors to gain insight into India’s technological and industrial capabilities and explore opportunities for collaboration.India and Venezuela have a history of cordial relations. The state visit of former President Hugo Chavez to India in March 2005 gave a major boost to bilateral relations.There is strong cooperation in the energy sector between the two countries.ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) has a joint venture with Corporación Venezolana del Petroleo (CVP).The joint venture for oil production and exploration in the San Cristóbal area is known as “Petrolerindovenezolana SA”, in which OVL has a 40 percent stake.

New Delhi: Trinamool means “grassroots” – the name chosen by Mamata Banerjee When he founded the party in 1998, it was to present it as a grassroots-driven movement. But on Wednesday, the palace that Mamata built over two decades seemed weak and perhaps facing its biggest crisis.In an unprecedented revolt, which has drawn parallels with the breakaway of Shiv Sena in 2022, 58 rebel TMC MLAs led by expelled leader Ritabrata Banerjee claimed control. Trinamool Congress The legislature party alleged that they had obtained recognition from Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose. This rebellion took place a month after the election results were declared in West Bengal. The then CM Mamata had claimed that her party would win 226 seats (it won 80 seats). While the dissidents have been accepting Mamata Banerjee as their leader, they have openly rejected her nephew’s authority in the functioning of the legislature party.

As the crisis unfolded, the party dissolved all its committees across West Bengal, senior leader Firhad Hakim accepted resignation as Kolkata mayor, and the Enforcement Directorate summoned Abhishek Banerjee in its probe into the teacher recruitment scam. Overall, these developments show that the TMC is grappling with challenges on multiple fronts and perhaps facing the most turbulent moment in its history.

Here are the latest developments:

Rebels claim majority

The Trinamool Congress was plunged into its deepest crisis since its formation on Wednesday when most of its MLAs staged a dramatic rebellion, threatening a split from within the party. Expelled TMC leader Ritabrata Banerjee claimed that 58 MLAs have supported him as the new leader of the opposition and Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose has accepted the dissident camp’s claim.The dissident camp presented letters of support from 58 MLAs before the Speaker, easily crossing the two-thirds mark required under anti-defection provisions.Ritabrata Banerjee told reporters after meeting the Speaker, “The Speaker has accepted our claim.”

Claiming legitimacy on the basis of numbers, he said, “TMC legislative party is a team of 58 MLAs who won on the TMC election symbol. We are now the real TMC in the Assembly.”The Speaker’s approval effectively formalized the first split in the TMC’s 28-year history.Rebel’s unveiling of leadership teamFollowing the recognition of the rebel group, the dissidents announced a new leadership structure. Ritabrata Banerjee was named Leader of the Opposition, while Akhruzzaman was appointed Chief Whip.Senior MLAs Javed Ahmed Khan, Sandipan Saha, Sabina Yasmin and Shiuli Saha were named deputy leaders. Many senior MPs including Samar Mukhopadhyay, Arup Roy, Rathin Ghosh, Javed Khan and Prasun Banerjee are also reported to have joined the rebellion.Mamta agreed, Abhishek deniedDespite challenging the existing leadership structure, the rebels stopped short of directly confronting Mamata Banerjee.“Abhishek Banerjee will have no role in this. Neither our legislature party nor the party organization has any relation with him. Nor does the public have any relation with him. The people of Bengal have no relation with him. If there was any relation, he would not have remained hidden for 26 days, he would have come out.” Ritabrata said, “He was beaten just like thieves are beaten.”He said, “We will request Mamata Banerjee to play the role of chief advisor of the legislature party.”TMC dissolved all the committeesAs the crisis escalated, the party leadership announced sweeping organizational changes.“After careful consideration, it has been decided that all the committees of the All India Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, as well as all its frontal organisations, will be dissolved with immediate effect,” the party said in a statement.Political observers saw the move as an acknowledgment that the dispute had moved beyond routine factionalism into a battle for control of the party.The roots of the rebellion lie in the dispute over the selection of the opposition leader after the elections. Firhad Hakim resigns from the post of Mayor of KolkataIn another blow to TMC, senior leader Firhad Hakim sought Mamata Banerjee’s approval to resign from the post of Kolkata Mayor.“At that time, he was asked not to resign. However, today he again requested Mamata Banerjee to allow him to step down, after which she agreed,” TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh told reporters.Hakim had earlier cited difficulties in functioning after the BJP came to power in West Bengal. His resignation comes amid uncertainty within the party and follows a series of resignations of councilors in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.One of the most prominent minority faces of TMC, Hakim has served as the mayor of Kolkata since 2018 and remains a key figure in the party.ED sent summons to Abhishek BanerjeeThe Enforcement Directorate also summoned TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee in connection with the primary teacher recruitment scam.Agency officials sent a notice directing him to appear on June 15. The summons is related to the ongoing money-laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in teacher recruitment and suspected financial misconduct.ED has already attached and seized assets worth Rs 154 crore in this case. Earlier this year, assets worth around Rs 57.78 crore were attached in connection with the widespread school recruitment scam. The investigation gained national attention following the arrest of former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee in 2022 following the recovery of cash and valuables linked to an alleged cash-for-jobs racket.(with inputs from agencies)

New Delhi: D.K shivkumar The era has begun in Karnataka. CongressThe biggest troublemaker has finally arrived as the Chief Minister of his state – a dream he cherished and worked for for years. Shivakumar took the oath of office in the name of the revered saint “Gangadhar Ajja” while holding a copy of the Constitution in his hands. His promotion comes after a long wait, but it has the potential to change the political dynamics in the state. Karnataka Congress chief stakes claim to the top post for the first time in 2023 after leading the party to a record victory BJP In the assembly elections. However, the Congress high command then favored Siddaramaiah’s experience and asked Shivakumar to wait for his turn under a rotational power-sharing arrangement.

The fact that the Congress high command managed to ensure a smooth transition of power despite hurdles has put the grand old party in a strong position ahead of the 2028 assembly elections in the state. The Congress will hope that this leadership change will help the party counter the anti-incumbency wave, if any, against the Siddaramaiah government.But this leadership change is not just about countering the anti-incumbency wave. It is also about how the change in caste equations with this leadership change could affect the success of political parties in the state.It is no surprise that the BJP and JD(S) would be closely watching the 64-year-old Vokkaliga Congress stalwart serving as the Chief Minister. The Congress move forces both the parties that hold the opposition spot in the state to go back to their drawing boards and rework their strategies and balance the caste factor ahead of the 2028 assembly elections.

Why can the rise of Shivkumar become a headache for BJP?

For the BJP, Shivakumar’s promotion could potentially disrupt the strategy the party has spent years building in Karnataka.State politics has long revolved around two dominant communities – the Lingayats and the Vokkaligas. Simply put, they hold the keys to power. Members of both these groups have held the post of Chief Minister more times than any other community in the history of Karnataka, making them central to every party’s electoral calculations.While the BJP’s strength has traditionally come from the Lingayat belt, especially under BS Yediyurappa, its expansion plans depended on making deep inroads into the Vokkaliga-dominated old Mysuru region.This was basically the reason behind BJP’s alliance with JD(S). The BJP’s strategy was clear: it would bring in its Lingayat support base, while helping the HD Deve Gowda and HD Kumaraswamy-led JD(S) garner Vokkaliga votes. Together, the alliance was expected to form a coalition capable of challenging the Congress across southern Karnataka. But the elevation of Shivakumar, one of the state’s most influential Vokkaliga leaders, as chief minister complicates that calculation.Shivakumar gave the Congress something that its rivals would have loved that it did not have, a powerful Vokkaliga face not only part of the party but actually holding the top post in the state. His rise comes at a time when the BJP is carefully balancing its caste equations. The party appointed Vokkaliga leader R Ashok as the leader of the opposition while handing over the state unit chairmanship to Lingayat leader BS Yediyurappa’s son BY Vijayendra. The message was clear: a Lingayat would lead the organization and a Vokkaliga would lead the fight against the government.Now that Shivkumar is in the Chief Minister’s chair, the balancing process may have to be changed.The concern within a section of the BJP is that it may be difficult to consolidate support for the NDA in southern Karnataka because of a Vokkaliga chief minister. There is also a possibility that the Congress may want to further expand its social alliance by reaching out to sections of the backward classes and Dalits, who may be disappointed with Siddaramaiah’s departure.For a BJP that was hoping to expand beyond its traditional strongholds, Shivakumar’s rise presents a new challenge.

How will JD(S) now be forced to protect its core support base

And while the BJP has the caste balance in check, its ally Janata Dal (Secular), led by former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and his son HD Kumaraswamy, faces a real challenge.The party has considered the Vokkaliga-dominated Old Mysuru region as its impregnable fortress. The community, which is one of the most powerful agrarian and socio-political factions in Karnataka, has traditionally stood behind the Deve Gowda clan, seeing them as the ultimate guardians of Vokkaliga pride.However, Shivakumar being the Chief Minister directly threatens this monopoly as he is no longer just a political challenger but now has the authority as Chief Minister to woo the community with his administrative decisions. The JD(S) now needs to rework the strategy to protect its core voter base from a formidable, incumbent Vokkaliga CM who has the state machinery, necessary resources and a point to prove. This becomes even more challenging given the fact that JD(S) has been on a decline for some time now.In the 2023 assembly elections, the party won just 19 seats and secured around 13% vote share, in sharp contrast to the Congress, which came to power with 135 seats. It is noteworthy that the Congress has made big gains in many parts of the old Mysore region, which has been a JD(S) stronghold for years.The rivalry between Shivakumar and Kumaraswamy has also intensified in the last few years. The two leaders have repeatedly locked horns, with Kumaraswamy accusing the Congress of trying to weaken the JD(S) politically, while Shivakumar has rejected the claims, saying the regional party remains indispensable in Karnataka politics.The JD(S), which had shared power with the Congress in the past, now has a task ahead of it. There is a need to formulate a strategy to ensure that Chief Minister DK Shivakumar does not marginalize the party in state politics. DK Shivakumar, on the other hand, will have to prove that his governance skills are as good as his crisis management skills. The Congress stalwart, who has spent years building his image as a skilled organizer capable of delivering victories and protecting the party in its toughest moments, will now have to show that he too can lead the party successfully.