PM Modi and Arvind Kejriwal (R)

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal Sharp questions were asked to the Prime Minister on Tuesday Narendra ModiThe “seven appeals” to citizens amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia say the country is “shocked” by the government’s message on the economy.Addressing a press conference, the AAP chief said India has gone through many crises since independence, including wars and economic recession, but such a widespread public appeal had never been made before.“Since 1950, the country has faced several crises, including wars with Pakistan and China and economic crises. Leaders like Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi had earlier appealed to people not to buy gold, but no government had made such a comprehensive ‘seven appeals’ to citizens.” The country is in shock,” Kejriwal said.The former Delhi chief minister said he had “three requests” from the Prime Minister after his recent remarks asking people to cut down on consumption and spending amid global economic uncertainty.He said, “I have three requests from the Prime Minister. He should tell the country what is the state of our economy today and what is expected to happen in the near future. There are a lot of rumors floating in the market today and this is not good for confidence in the economy.”Kejriwal linked the situation to the escalating Iran-US conflict and the broader West Asia crisis, but questioned why India’s response appeared more serious than that of other countries.He said, “We all know that this is happening because of the Iran-America war and the whole world is affected. But the government of any country has not made such an appeal to its citizens. This raises suspicion that perhaps the reason is something else.”The AAP leader also expressed concern that the middle class was being disproportionately burdened.Kejriwal said, “The middle class is very patriotic, but why is the entire burden being put on them only? The first sacrifice should have come from the government itself.”His comments come after PM Modi, speaking in Secunderabad on Sunday, urged citizens to change consumption habits in response to rising global economic pressures and disruptions caused by the West Asia conflict.The Prime Minister appealed to people to work from home wherever possible, reduce fuel consumption, avoid foreign travel for a year, buy indigenous products, cut down on the use of cooking oil, adopt natural farming and reduce gold purchases.Emphasizing the need to cut import dependence, PM Modi said every family should reduce consumption of edible oil and support natural farming to save foreign exchange and protect the environment.Highlighting India’s rising fertilizer import bill, the Prime Minister urged farmers to gradually reduce the use of chemical fertilizers.To deal with volatile fuel prices, PM Modi also called for greater use of metro systems and public transport, encouraged car-pooling, promoted railways to transport goods and pushed for widespread adoption of electric vehicles.The appeals come amid tensions in West Asia and a deepening global energy crisis caused by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil trade route in the Gulf region.

New Delhi: Former Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Tuesday reiterated his remarks calling for the “elimination” of Sanatan Dharma in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.During his address as Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Udhayanidhi said that the opposition “will not allow” any attempt to sideline the Tamil invocation song “Tamil Thai Vaazathu”.“Sanatan Dharma, which divides people, must be ended,” he said.Udhayanidhi was highlighting a specific grievance in relation to the recent swearing-in ceremony of the new government, alleging that the state anthem was pushed to third place in the sequence of events instead of being given traditional priority.“Such an incident, which happened during the swearing-in ceremony of your government, was a mistake and you should not allow it to happen again in this Assembly. We will not allow this,” he said.He further said that not only in the Assembly, but in any government program or event organized in Tamil Nadu, “Tamil Thai Vazhathu” should always be given primary place.The opposition leader said, “I request this government to ensure that this is never compromised. We must be very vigilant to protect our rights and traditions.”“In governance, DMK is the senior batch and we are ready to teach you,” he said in a light-hearted tone, referring to Chief Minister Vijay and Speaker Prabhakar. Vijay was also seen smiling during the comment.Udhayanidhi’s latest comment on Sanatan Dharma comes almost three years after his similar statement, which had sparked a major political storm across India. He had then said that Sanatan Dharma is against the idea of ​​social justice and it needs to be abolished.In the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, Udhayanidhi’s Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Vijay’s Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam. While the TVK won 108 seats in its first election, the DMK managed to secure only 59 seats.

New Delhi: Ahead of a crucial floor test for the Vijay-led Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) government in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, the post-poll numbers game is changing by the day.While the elections were fought on traditional alliance lines, the fractured mandate has forced parties to seek new political equations.The latest twist came when a faction of the AIADMK led by MLAs SP Velumani and C Ve Shanmugam announced support to the Vijay government.Desire split in AIADMK?After meeting with senior party leaders and MLAs, Shanmugam said he would meet Chief Minister Vijay and submit a letter of support to his government.Shanmugam said, “We founded this party against the DMK. For 53 years, our politics has been focused on opposing the DMK. A proposal was made which suggested forming the AIADMK government with the support of the DMK. However, most of our members rejected it.”Velumani stressed that the move did not amount to partition.“This is not a breakup of AIADMK, but we will wait for the ‘right’ decision of the general secretary to take the party forward,” he said.He also alleged that AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami was keen to form the government with the support of the DMK.“We opposed that decision because AIADMK was formed only to defeat DMK,” he said.The internal rift had come to the fore earlier too when a group of AIADMK MLAs led by Shanmugam submitted a letter to Protem Speaker MV Karuppaiah demanding the appointment of Velumani as the legislature party leader.Some MLAs had also reportedly demanded Palaniswami’s resignation following the party’s poor performance in the elections.AIADMK contested 167 out of 234 constituencies but won only 47 seats.After the results, Palaniswami held several meetings with party MLAs, but many senior leaders and former ministers, including Shanmugam and Velumani, stayed away.What’s next for Vijay?After Vijay took oath as Chief Minister, Governor RV Arlekar gave him three days to prove his majority in the House.In situations where no party has a clear majority and multiple claimants claim to form the government, the Governor may call a special session to test who has the confidence of the Assembly.If some MLAs abstain or remain absent, the majority mark is determined based on the number of MLAs present and voting.TVK currently has 107 MLAs after Vijay resigned from Tiruchirappalli East seat.The party already has the support of 13 MLAs from Congress, VCK, IUML and the Left parties.Many of these parties, including the VCK, IUML and the Left, are part of the DMK-led alliance, while the Congress, which has supported the TVK, was earlier in alliance with the DMK.A new era beginsEarlier on Monday, Vijay met DMK president and former chief minister MK Stalin at his Alwarpet residence in Chennai in what was officially described as a “courtesy call”.He also met PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss as part of a high-profile outreach ahead of the floor test on May 13.How did Vijay get the marks?The path to victory till the majority figure of 118 has been absolutely easy.Congress was the first party to extend support, but its numbers alone were insufficient. The CPI, CPI(M), VCK and PMK made the TVK wait for several days before finally supporting the new government.Citing lack of clear numbers, Governor Arlekar was initially reluctant to invite Vijay to form the government. He had also asked for a list of supporting parties and MLAs from Vijay, which started being criticized across the political world.The breakthrough came when CPI and CPI(M), both parts of the DMK-led secular progressive alliance, agreed to support TVK from outside.The parties said the move was necessary “to stop Governor’s rule, prevent the BJP from entering the state and protect secularism”.The VCK and IUML later followed suit, though all said they were not breaking ties with the DMK.In a post-poll scenario where loyalties are fluid, the ultimate test of victory is yet to come.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday welcomed the implementation of Ayushman Bharat and other central welfare schemes in West Bengal, days after the BJP formed the government for the first time in the state.In a post on X on Tuesday, PM Modi Said, “The welfare of my brothers and sisters in West Bengal is of paramount importance.”He said, “I am extremely happy that the people of the state will get access to Ayushman Bharat, the world’s largest healthcare system, which ensures access to high quality and affordable healthcare. Also, the double engine government will ensure seamless implementation of important central projects.”The move comes after the first cabinet meeting of the new West Bengal government on Monday, where CM Suvendu Adhikari announced the launch of central schemes like Ayushman Bharat, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima and PM Vishwakarma.Read this also What’s on Suvendu Adhikari government’s agenda today: Ayushman Bharat, border fencing and reforms in bureaucracyThe official said the schemes will be implemented without discontinuing existing state welfare programmes, including Lakshmir Bhandar and Swasthya Sathi.Ahead of the assembly elections, PM Modi had announced at a rally in Bengal that the BJP cabinet in the state will approve the implementation of Ayushman Bharat in its first meeting. The scheme provides annual health insurance coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh to eligible families.It is unclear how the state government plans to run both central and state welfare schemes in areas where beneficiaries may overlap, especially Ayushman Bharat and Swasthya Sathi.“To avail benefits under Ayushman Bharat, one has to fulfill certain conditions. Those who are not eligible for Ayushman Bharat will continue to get benefits under Swasthya Sathi. Those who cut it will get Ayushman benefits,” a source said.Adhikari was sworn in as the ninth chief minister of West Bengal on Saturday, becoming the first BJP leader to lead a state government after ending the 15-year rule of the All India Trinamool Congress.

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation will take over the investigation into the murder of Suvendu Adhikari’s associate Chandranath Rath.After Bengal Police recommended a CBI probe in the case, the central agency formed a seven-member team under the leadership of DIG Pankaj Singh.“The investigation into the murder of West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari, PA Chandranath Rath, has been transferred to the CBI. The CBI has constituted a seven-member SIT headed by a DIG rank officer,” the central probe agency said.A few days after the assembly elections, Adhikari’s personal assistant Chandranath Rath was murdered in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal.Rath was shot dead by motorcycle-borne assailants who chased his vehicle, forced him to stop and opened fire in full public view at around 10.30 pm before fleeing.According to eyewitnesses, Rath’s car was first stopped by a four-wheeler at Dohariya Junction near Dolatala, after which a motorcycle rider came near the vehicle and started firing.Earlier on Monday, a special investigation team camping in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar had arrested three people in connection with the incident. One of the accused has been identified as the alleged sharpshooter.The three accused were brought to Kolkata late on Sunday night and presented in the Barasat court. The court sent him to police custody till May 24.A CID press release said, “So far, three suspects have been arrested in the case of the gruesome murder of Chandranath Rath in Madhyamgram on May 6. Based on specific leads, two people – Mayank Raj Mishra and Vicky Maurya – were detained from Buxar in Bihar. The third accused, Raj Singh, was detained from Ballia in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday. After interrogation, all three were arrested by the Madhyamgram police station this morning.”Sources claimed that Raj Singh has been identified as the possible sharpshooter, although police said further investigation is needed to establish this.In the Barasat court, special public prosecutor Biwas Chatterjee informed the court that the accused had entered the city through Bally Nivedita Setu and paid the toll using UPI. The payment was made using the SIM card of one of the accused, although the SIM card was being used in the phone of another person.“However, we found a registered mobile number linked to UPI payments and used the lead to nab the accused,” Chatterjee said.

New Delhi: Thousands of postgraduate medical aspirants appearing for the May 2026 Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test (INI-CET) have flagged delays in admission and allotment of exam centers hundreds of kilometers away, barely a week before the May 16 exam.The exam conducted by AIIMS Delhi released the admit cards on May 9 around 3 pm, but candidates alleged that the website became slow or crashed soon after, leaving many unable to download the hall tickets for about 9-10 hours. Many students said they could access the portal only after midnight, leading to a flood of complaints on social media.Dr Aman Kumar (@manish__aman) tweeted, “You charge ₹4,000 for the application form and yet the website crashes for hours.”According to AIIMS officials, heavy traffic from simultaneous logins slowed down the portal temporarily. “If one lakh people access a website at the same time, it may slow down or crash. This happens with many exams, including NEET. The site is now working properly and candidates are able to download the admit card,” officials said.Candidates also flagged the allotment of distant examination centres. Candidates from larger states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan said they were allotted centers 500-800 km away because INI-CET collected only state-wise preferences during registration and not city-wise.An Agra-based candidate said he was allotted Varanasi, about 650 km away, while a Mumbai-based candidate claimed he got Nanded as the centre, increasing travel costs and logistics difficulties. Students said it could take 12-24 hours to travel to states like UP and Rajasthan, while the seven-day gap between the release of admit cards and the exam leaves little time for confirmed train or flight booking.“There are hundreds of such cases,” said one candidate, urging AIIMS to review the center allocation process.On complaints regarding distant centres, AIIMS officials said the allotment depends on seat availability and preference pattern, adding that candidates are asked to fill state-wise preferences instead of city-wise preferences to prevent possible malpractices in center allotment. “The effort is always to allot the nearest possible centre, but in larger states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, some candidates may still get centers 500-800 km away if nearby seats are already filled,” officials said.Dr Naval K, Associate Dean (Examination) at AIIMS Delhi. Vikram said around 95,000 candidates have got their first or second preferred state and more than one lakh candidates are appearing for the exam this year. He said around 96,000 admit cards had been downloaded till Sunday.INI-CET is conducted twice a year in May and November for admission to postgraduate courses at AIIMS and other institutions of national importance across the country.

New Delhi: Refusing to entertain a plea against expansion of Pipavav port in Gujarat due to irregularities in environment clearance, the Supreme Court on Monday bluntly said – “Show us even one project where these environmentalists have said we welcome it”, while also emphasizing that the country cannot develop without infrastructure.Senior advocate Anita Shenoy, appearing for environmentalist Chetan Kumar Navintray Vyas, strongly argued that the project was stalled for over a decade and environmental clearance was given without considering the adverse impact on marine mammals, Olive Ridley turtles, avian species and mangroves.

‘You want to stop everything in the name of environment’

A bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalaya Bagchi said that the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report has found the apprehensions to be baseless. National Green Tribunal It has since given a considered opinion to give the green signal to the port expansion.When Shenoy continued to emphasize that the NGT did not consider several shortcomings in the EIA report, the bench said port development activities are essential for the development of the country. It asked, “You want to stop everything in the name of environment. How can the country develop without infrastructure? There is no doubt that precautionary measures are necessary. But tell us where the depth of the sea allows big ports like in Gujarat.”The bench asked, “Where else can such ports be established? Do you want port-related economic activities to go to other countries?” Refusing to entertain the appeal against the NGT order, it allowed the environmentalist to again approach the Western Region NGT in Pune pointing out that his objections to the project had not been considered.The lawyer said that 90% of the fish landed off the Saurashtra coast is in the Pipavav port area and this expansion would be the death knell for fishermen and economic activities related to fish business in the area.The bench said that economic activity is not considered while preparing the EIA report. “Your basic objection was that it would cause disturbance to the turtle nesting area. The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) has not found your claim to be correct. Their inspection report says so,” the bench said.The tribunal, in its November 26 order, had referred to the EIA report of the project, which had said that detailed studies on plant diversity, marine ecology and biodiversity, including avian biodiversity impact studies, showed no significant adverse impacts. The study also describes the port area as a haven for bird diversity.