Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday voiced concerns about the INDIA bloc, saying he was not sure if the opposition alliance was still intact.

Speaking at the launch of Salman Khurshid and Mritunjay Singh Yadav’s book “Contesting Democratic Deficit”, Chidambaram also said he felt that it showed at the seams that the alliance was frayed.

“The future (of INDIA bloc) is not so bright, as Mritunjay Singh Yadav said. He seems to feel that the alliance is still intact, but I am not sure. It is only Salman (Khurshid) who can answer because he was part of the negotiating team for the INDIA bloc. If the alliance is totally intact, I will be very happy. But it shows at the seams that it is frayed,” Chidambaram, a Rajya Sabha MP, said.

He also hoped that the alliance can “still be put together, there’s still time”.

The former Union finance minister warned that the INDIA bloc was fighting against a “formidable machinery”, which must be fought on all fronts.

“In my experience and my reading of history, there has been no political party so formidably organised as the BJP. It’s not just another political party. It’s a machine behind a machine and the two machines control all the machineries in India.

“From the Election Commission to the lowest police station in the country, they (BJP) are able to control and sometimes capture these institutions. It is a formidable machinery, as much as can be allowed in a democracy,” Chidambaram said.

In the book, Khurshid and Yadav reflect on the Congress’ revival efforts ahead of last year’s Lok Sabha elections — from the emotionally-charged “Bharat Jodo Yatra” to the “historic” formation of the INDIA bloc comprising diverse political forces.

Khurshid and Yadav recount how the opposition parties rallied “to defend the idea of an inclusive, pluralistic India”.

Chidambaram said that poll results have shown that no one can undermine elections in India, which “still remains an electoral democracy”.

“You can interfere with elections in India. You can tinker with them. But you can’t get away with elections. You can’t have elections where the ruling party gets away with 98 per cent of the votes… That is not possible in India,” Chidambaram said.

The Congress leader added that if the 2029 general elections take a decisive turn to strengthen the BJP, “we are beyond repair”.

“The 2029 elections are critical and must return us to a full-fledged democracy,” he said.

Concurring with Chidambaram, Khurshid said there were issues concerning the INDIA bloc that needed to be addressed.

“We need to address the concerns. The takeaway from Chidambaram’s views is that we have to be prepared for a very major battle in 2029. We have to deal with the whole idea of how to get the alliance partners together,” the former foreign minister said.

He added that the opposition parties needed to think on a larger scale if they were to “make a massive reversal” in the electoral trends.

“What we have learnt is that we must think on a larger scale. If we only think how many seats we will contest and what will happen once the results are out, we will miss out on the major thing we set out to do, which is to affect a massive reversal of electoral trends in the country,” the Congress leader said.

New Delhi: In a troubling development, the United Christian Forum (UCF) has reported a steep rise in incidents of violence against Christians across India. According to the organisation, 245 cases were registered between January and April 2025, based on data collected through the forum’s helpline service.

The UCF, which has been collecting data via its helpline number (1-800-208-4545), stated that Christians continue to face an alarming frequency of violence, averaging two incidents per day. The report highlighted a sharp escalation in such incidents since 2014, reflecting a worrying trend in the treatment of religious minorities in the country.

The data revealed by UCF paints a grim picture of the situation. Christian tribals and women have emerged as particularly vulnerable groups, facing violence disproportionately compared to men. The organisation pointed out that the scale of violence has steadily increased over the years, with 601 incidents reported in 2022, 734 in 2023, and a staggering 834 incidents in 2024.

“In 2025, from January to April, 245 incidents of violence against Christians were reported from 19 states of India, with 55 incidents in January, 65 in February, 76 in March, and 49 in April. Uttar Pradesh continues to be at the top with 50 incidents, followed by 46 in Chhattisgarh,” the UCF said in a statement.

Other states witnessing violence against Christians include Andhra Pradesh (14 incidents), Bihar (16), Delhi (1), Gujarat (8), Haryana (12), Himachal Pradesh (3), Jharkhand (17), Karnataka (22), Madhya Pradesh (14), Maharashtra (6), Odisha (2), Punjab (6), Rajasthan (18), Tamil Nadu (1), Telangana (1), Uttarakhand (2), and West Bengal (11).

The types of violence reported by UCF include physical assaults, murders, sexual violence, threats, social boycotts, and attacks on religious properties. In several instances, Christian places of worship have been desecrated or prayer services disrupted, underscoring the growing climate of intolerance.

Madikeri: With the monsoon season approaching, the Kodagu district administration in Karnataka has taken significant steps to mitigate potential damage, anticipating that around 10,922 people may be affected by the above average rainfall.

90 relief centres have been set up across the district to provide shelter and aid, as reported by Deccan Herald on Friday.

The district administration has identified 102 areas at high risk of landslides and floods. To ensure the safety of residents, temporary shelter has been arranged for 2,953 families living in these vulnerable zones.

Notably, 44 residential areas in Madikeri city, 30 in Kushalnagar, 18 in Virajpet, and 10 in Somwarpet have been flagged as particularly susceptible to natural disasters, added report.

Rescue teams conducted a mock drill at the Harangi reservoir on Thursday to prepare for any emergency situations.

Vijay Shah

Lucknow: A poster was put up outside the Samajwadi Party (SP) headquarters here on Friday demanding that the BJP apologise to the country over Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah’s “insulting” remarks allegedly against Col Sofiya Qureshi.

An initiative of SP leader Mo. Ikhlaq, the poster read, “Insulting daughter Sofiya, who roared against the Pakistan army during Operation Sindoor, is an insult to the country. BJP should apologise to the country.”

“We will not be divided in the name of Hindus and Muslims nor will we allow it. Every Indian’s courage is against the politics of hatred,” read the poster, which also features pictures of Col Qureshi, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and key party leaders.

Shah came under fire after a video showed him making objectionable remarks allegedly against Col Qureshi, who gained nationwide prominence along with another woman officer, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, during media briefings on Operation Sindoor last week.

An FIR was registered against Shah in Indore on May 14 following a Madhya Pradesh High Court order. The minister has moved the Supreme Court seeking a stay.

New Delhi: The Indian government is reportedly considering a significant boost to its defence budget, with a proposed additional allocation of Rs 50,000 crore for the purchase of weapons, ammunition, and technology following the recent Operation Sindoor.

This move, according to a report by India Today, may be approved during the Winter session of Parliament through a supplementary budget.

The extra funds would be directed towards addressing the armed forces’ requirements, essential procurements, and enhancing research and development capabilities.

The Union Budget allocated a record Rs 6.81 lakh crore to the defence sector this year, marking a 9.53 percent increase from the previous year. Over the past decade, the NDA government has nearly tripled the defence budget. In 2014-15, the budget stood at Rs 2.29 lakh crore, while this year’s allocation now accounts for 13.45 percent of the total national budget.

Dharamsala: The IPL match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals here on Thursday was cancelled midway following air raid alerts in neighbouring cities of Jammu and Pathankot, putting the entire league at risk of being called off due to India’s ongoing military conflict with Pakistan.

The Punjab side was 122 for 1 in 10.1 overs when the lights went out which at first was attributed to floodlight failure. The game started later than scheduled due to rain before the hill town went dark due to .

The teams and the spectators were eventually evacuated from the stadium for their security. The capacity of the picturesque ground here is approximately 23,000 and it was packed to about 80 per cent of it at the time of evacuation.

“There was no panic from the spectators. They (spectators and players) were moved out of the stadium very carefully and safely,” an HPCA source told PTI

Prabhsimran Singh was batting at 50 off 28 balls while his opening partner Priyansh Arya made 70 off 34 balls before getting dismissed by pacer T Natarajan before proceedings came to a halt as floodlights went out.

With the cancellation of tonight’s match, it is not clear whether the league will proceed any further and it is learnt that a BCCI meeting is currently in progress amid security concerns raised by the participating foreign players.

India launched missile attacks on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir a fortnight after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed.

On Thursday, a blackout was enforced in several districts including Pathankot, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Mohali in Punjab and Union Territory Chandigarh amid air raid alarms and reports of explosion-like sounds in Jammu.

New Delhi: Amid drone attacks, and escalating tension in the international border, India’s air defence system on Thursday night successfully shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet after Islamabad launched coordinated aerial attacks across multiple locations in Jammu and Punjab, reported India Today.

In a major escalation, Pakistan targeted multiple locations in Jammu, including the airport. Rockets were fired from across the International Border.

One drone struck the Jammu airport, prompting fighter jets to take off in response. India activated its air defence systems, which intercepted the incoming rockets.

According to India Today, Eight Pakistani missiles were intercepted by the S-400 air defence system over Jammu Civil Airport, Samba, RS Pura, Arnia, and nearby areas. Two Pakistani drones were shot down near Jammu University.

Meanwhile, CNN News 18 reported that Pakistan has accepted that Indian forces have downed two of its aircraft. Further details are awaited.

Sunny Joseph

New Delhi: The Congress initiated organisational changes in its Kerala unit by appointing Sunny Joseph as the chief in place of K Sudhakaran and naming three new working presidents on Thursday.

Joseph, a legislator in the Kerala Assembly, will lead the state unit of the grand old party in next year’s assembly polls. He will supported by newly appointed working presidents P C Vishnunadh and A P Anil Kumar and Shafi Parambil.

While Vishnunadh and Kumar are MLAs, Parambil is an MP.

Besides the four, Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge also appointed Adoor Prakash, a party MP, as the convener of the United Democratic Front alliance in the state.

The appointments have been made with an eye on the 2026 state polls with the tenure of the current assembly ending on May 23, next year.

“The Congress president has appointed the president and working presidents of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), and also approved the proposal of the appointment of the convenor of the UDF, with immediate effect.

“The new president of KPCC will be Sunny Joseph, MLA, and the convenor of the UDF will be Adoor Prakash, MP. The new working presidents of the KPCC are P C Vishnunadh, MLA, A P Anil Kumar, MLA and Shafi Parambil, MP,” a statement from AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said.

In the statement, the party appreciated the contributions of the outgoing Kerala unit chief K. Sudhakaran, MP and that of the UDF convenor M M Hassan.

“The party also conveys its appreciation for the contributions of the outgoing working presidents of the KPCC, Kodikkunnil Suresh, MP, T N Prathapan, and T. Siddique, MLA,” he also said in the statement.

P C Vishnunadh, MLA, is being relieved of his current responsibilities as AICC Secretary, the party also said in its statement.

In another statement, Venugopal said the Congress president has appointed K Sudhakaran, and Akhilesh Prasad Singh, both MPs, as permanent invitees to the Congress Working Committee with immediate effect.

Akhilesh Prasad Singh was recently replaced as Bihar Congress chief.

Wreckage of a helicopter which crashed near Gangnani while carrying six people to Gangotri Dham

Uttarkashi (U’khand): A helicopter on its way to the Gangotri temple crashed near Gangnani in Uttarkashi district on Thursday, killing six people, including the pilot, and leaving a man seriously injured, officials said.

Barring the pilot, who hailed from Gujarat’s Vadodara, the five other deceased were women.

The lone survivor of the crash was Maktur Bhaskar (51), a resident of Anantpur in Andhra Pradesh, Uttarkashi’s Superintendent of Police (SP) Sarita Dobhal said.

Bhaskar, who sustained serious injuries, was brought in an air ambulance from the crash site to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh for treatment. His wife, Vedanti (48), was also among the dead.

The helicopter of a private company, with seven people on board, crashed over the Rishikesh-Gangotri national highway at around 8:45 am and fell into a gorge about 200-250 metres deep, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) said.

The helicopter had left the Sahastradhara helipad in Dehradun for the Kharsali helipad. It was on its way to Gangotri from there when it crashed, an official said.

District Magistrate Meharban Singh Bisht said six people died on the spot. One of the passengers on the helicopter — M Bhaskar (51) from Andhra Pradesh — was seriously injured in the crash and was airlifted to the AIIMS, Rishikesh, the DM added.

Three on board the helicopter were from Mumbai, two from Andhra Pradesh and one each was from Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.

Those killed were identified as Kala Chandrakant Soni (61), Vijaya Lakshmi Reddy (57), Ruchi Agrawal (56), Radha Agrawal (79), Vedanti (48) and Captain Robin Singh (60), the pilot.

The SP said it took hours to extract the bodies from the remains of the helicopter, pull those out of the gorge and up to the road. The bodies were sent to the Uttarkashi district hospital for post mortem.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident.

The administration has been instructed to provide all possible help to the injured and investigate the accident, he said, adding that he is constantly in touch with officials and monitoring the situation.

Officials said the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will probe the crash.

A Bell helicopter of AeroTrans Services Private Limited was involved in the crash.

According to information available on aviation regulator DGCA’s website, AeroTrans Services has two Bell helicopters and one Cessna aircraft.