Archives for August 2025

Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi

New Delhi: Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Saturday alleged that the Constitution is “under siege” as the ruling BJP is using its power to dismantle the very framework it long opposed.

She alleged that the BJP is seeking to bring an “ideological coup” by replacing our democratic republic with a theocratic corporate state serving the powerful few.

In her special message read out at the day-long national legal conclave on ‘Constitutional Challenges – Perspectives and Pathways’, Gandhi said the Congress would oppose every attempt to undermine the Constitution in Parliament, in courts and on the streets, asserting that it is not just a political but an ideological commitment to defend every Indian’s dignity.

“Today, the Constitution is under siege. The BJP-RSS, which never fought for freedom or upheld equality, now uses its power to dismantle the very framework it long opposed,” she said.

“Their ideological forebears glorified Manusmriti, rejected the tricolour, and envisioned a Hindu rashtra, where democracy is hollow and discrimination is the law. In power, they’ve eroded institutions, criminalised dissent, targeted minorities and betrayed Dalits, Adivasis, OBCs and the working poor.

“Now they seek to erase socialism and secularism, pillars of Ambedkar’s vision of equal citizenship. This is not reform, but an ideological coup replacing our democratic republic with a theocratic corporate state serving the powerful few,” the former Congress chief alleged.

She stressed that India yearns for the inclusive, just and democratic nation envisaged by our freedom fighters and Constitution makers.

“That is what the Congress party stands and fights for. We will oppose every attempt to undermine the Constitution, in Parliament, in courts, and on the streets. This is not just political, it is our ideological commitment to defend every Indian’s dignity. I commend Abhishek Manu Singhvi and his team for reigniting this vital conversation. Our mission is clear – to reclaim the republic and protect the rights of each and every person,” she said in her message.

Gandhi said the Constitution is more than a legal charter and claimed that it is the moral foundation of our democracy, built on justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity.

Noting that the Constitution was shaped through the sacrifices and vision of the Indian National Congress, she said even before independence, the Congress imagined a Constitution “by Indians, for Indians”.

From the Nehru Report in 1928 to the demand for a Constituent Assembly in 1934, Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru laid the groundwork and B R Ambedkar, as chairman of the Drafting Committee, gave form to these ideals.

She said he warned that without social and economic justice, political democracy would be just a top dressing.

“The Congress recognised this and acted on it, expanding rights, strengthening institutions, and upholding dignity and inclusion,” she said.

Balodabazar: A total of 78 students of a government-run school in Chhattisgarh’s Balodabazar district were administered anti-rabies vaccine after they consumed mid-day meals contaminated by a stray dog, an official said on Saturday.

The incident took place on July 29 at Government Middle School in Lachchhanpur under Palari block and a probe is underway into the chain of events, he said.

“A stray dog contaminated cooked vegetables that were to be served to school students as part of their mid-day meal. Some of the students informed the teachers about the incident. Teachers had asked the self-help group that cooked the food to not serve it but they went ahead claiming it was not contaminated. A total of 84 students had food,” he said.

The students then narrated the incident in their homes after which parents and villagers approached the school, including its management committee chairperson Jhalendra Sahu, for clarifications, said Umashankar Sahu, father of one of the students.

The villagers sought the removal of the SHG for ignoring instructions on not serving allegedly contaminated food, he said.

“The anti-rabbies vaccine was administered as a precautionary measure, not because of confirmed infection. There is no side effect of the first dose. It was done on the demand of villagers, parents and SMC (school management committee) members,” said Lachhanpur health centre in charge Veena Verma.

On Saturday, Sub-Divisional Magistrate Deepak Nikunj and block education officer Naresh Verma along with other officials visited the school to initiate a probe into the matter. They recorded statements of the children, parents, teachers and school management committee members.

However, members of the SHG did not join the investigation, the official added.

Meanwhile, local MLA Sandeep Sahu wrote to Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai demanding a probe into the incident and action against the culprits. He also sought to know on whose instructions the children were given anti-rabies injections.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav

New Delhi: The Election Commission on Saturday dubbed as “baseless” claims of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav that his name was missing from the draft electoral rolls of Bihar as poll body sources said inquiries were on to understand the “reality” behind the second voter card.

To prove that his name was not on the draft rolls, Yadav had entered a voter identity card number, which showed no records.

While asserting that his name figures in the draft at serial number 416, officials said even if he still had any grievance, he should have followed the legal procedure laid down.

Meanwhile, the EC sources said that the RJD leader used the electoral roll with EPIC no. RAB0456228 for filling his nomination papers on affidavit in 2020.

“He was having this voter ID card number even in the electoral roll in 2015. His name with this voter card number exists in the draft electoral rolls too,” an official pointed out.

The other voter card with the number — RAB2916120 — has been found to be non-existent, and records from the last more than 10 years have been checked, the sources said.

They said no records have been found for the second card number “yet”.

“It is highly likely that the second card was never made through an official channel. Further inquiries are on to understand the reality of the second voter card number… whether it is a forged document,” the official cited above said.

Yadav on Saturday claimed his name was missing in the draft electoral rolls published by the EC as part of the special intensive revision in Bihar, ahead of the assembly polls.

At a press conference, Yadav, a former deputy chief minister, connected his phone to a big screen and tried to search his own EPIC number, which threw up the result ‘no records found’.

The RJD leader claimed he was not provided with any receipt by the booth-level officer who came to his house with an enumeration form.

Hitting back, the poll authority said pure electoral rolls are the foundation of any democracy.

Under the special intensive revision, the period of claims and objections is for a full month, from August 1 to September 1.

“He should ask the 47,506 booth-level agents of his party to file claims and objections if they find that the name of any eligible is left out or if the name of any ineligible voter has been included,” the EC said.

It pointed out that no booth-level agent (BLA) of any political party, including the RJD, has submitted a single case to the booth-level officers for inclusion or deletion during the past 24 hours.

“All BLAs have agreed to go through the booth-wise draft lists given to them on August 1 carefully. The EC is not able to understand why he is continuing to make baseless allegations that his name is not there,” the EC said.

Arrested accused Sagar Patil, Krishna Madar, Nagangouda Patil

Belagavi: Three individuals have been arrested for allegedly mixing pesticide into the drinking water tank of a government primary school in Hulikatti village, Savadatti taluk, reportedly with the intention of defaming and transferring the school’s Muslim headmaster.

The arrested have been identified as Sagar Patil, Nagangouda Patil, and Krishna Madar.

Speaking to the media, Belagavi District Superintendent of Police Dr. Bheemashankar S Guled stated that Sagar Patil, who is allegedly associated with the Shri Rama organization, had orchestrated the act with the intent of tarnishing the image of Suleman Gorenayak, the headmaster who had served at the government school for 13 years, and to push for his transfer.

Investigation has revealed that all three accused were known to each other, Nagangouda is a relative of Sagar, and Krishna had previously worked with Sagar as driver. Krishna was in a relationship with a girl from another community, and Sagar allegedly blackmailed him by threatening to expose the relationship unless he helped execute the plot. The accused even used a student by luring him with incentives to carry out the act.

The incident took place on July 14, when pesticide was mixed into the school’s drinking water tank. After consuming the water following their mid-day meal, eleven students fell ill and showed symptoms of poisoning.

A case was registered, and the Savadatti police launched an investigation, leading to the arrests.

Bijnor (UP) : The mutilated body of a 35-year-old woman was found in a field near Afzalgarh town in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district, police said on Sunday.

While the police suspect she was attacked by a leopard, forest officials believe it to be a case of murder, with the body later mauled by an animal.

Afzalgarh Circle Officer Rajesh Solanki said the woman had gone to a field near the town on Saturday evening to collect fodder for cattle when she was attacked by a leopard.

Her body was later found in a severely mutilated condition.

“Initial signs suggest a leopard attack,” Solanki said, adding further clarity would emerge after postmortem.

However, Bijnor Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Abhinav Raj contradicted the police version, saying the injury marks and circumstances point towards murder.

“It appears to be a case of murder. The body may have been partially eaten by an animal after death,” he said.

Police have sent the body for postmortem and further investigation is underway.