India's political landscape is ablaze with activity! From the ongoing debates surrounding the new farm bills and their impact on rural India, to the upcoming state elections shaping the national narrative, the stakes couldn't be higher. Key political figures are maneuvering strategically, with alliances shifting and power dynamics constantly in flux. The opposition's challenge to the ruling party is intensifying, sparking vigorous debates on crucial policy matters including economic reforms and social justice initiatives. Parliamentary proceedings are filled with heated exchanges, reflecting the deep divisions within the nation. This evolving political climate directly impacts the lives of every Indian citizen, influencing everything from economic opportunities to social welfare programs. Stay informed about the latest developments in Indian politics, from crucial legislative decisions to grassroots movements, by exploring Abtak.com for in-depth analysis and breaking news updates. Understanding the intricacies of our political system is crucial; stay engaged, stay informed, and stay ahead.
New Delhi: World leaders extended their greetings to the Hindu community on one of its biggest festivals on Monday. US president Donald Trump, British prime minister Keir Starmer and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu were among those who extended warm wishes on Diwali. "Today, I send my best wishes to every American celebrating Diwali-the 'Festival of Lights'. For many Americans, Diwali is a timeless reminder of light's victory over darkness. It is also a time to bring families and friends together to celebrate community, draw strength from hope, and embrace a lasting spirit of renewal," Trump said in a statement shared by the White House. "As millions of citizens light diyas and lanterns, we rejoice in the eternal truth that good will always triumph over evil," he added. Starmer extended greetings to the Hindus, Jains and Sikhs across Britain. "Earlier this month I lit a diya in Mumbai as a symbol of devotion, joy, and renewed bonds. As we celebrate this Festival of Lights, let's keep building a Britain where everyone can look ahead with hope," he posted on X. Netanyahu sent wishes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the people of India on Diwali. "Wishing my friend Narendra Modi and the people of India a very Happy Diwali! May the Festival of Lights bring hope, peace and prosperity to your great nation. Israel and India stand together -- partners in innovation, friendship, defence and a brighter future," he said. Pakistan's prime minister Shehbaz Sharif also wished the tiny population of Hindus (2.17%) living in that country. "On the auspicious occasion of Diwali, I extend my heartfelt greetings to our Hindu community in Pakistan and around the world. As homes and hearts are illuminated with the light of Diwali, may this festival dispel darkness, foster harmony, and guide us all toward a future of peace, compassion, and shared prosperity," Sharif wrote on X. "The spirit of Diwali that embodies light over darkness, good over evil, and hope over despair inspires our collective resolve to overcome the challenges confronting our societies, from intolerance to inequality. Let us work together to ensure that every citizen, regardless of faith or background, can live in peace and contribute to progress," he added. Canadian prime minister Mark Carney was also among those who wished people. "Tonight, families and communities across Canada will light diyas and celebrate the triumph of light over darkness - of good over evil. Wishing everyone celebrating Diwali a joyful Festival of Lights," he posted on X. Dubai's ruler and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum also extended greetings to people celebrating Diwali in the UAE and across the world. "Warmest wishes and greetings to those celebrating Diwali in the UAE and around the world. May this festival of lights bring peace, safety, and prosperity to you and your loved ones. Happy Diwali!," he said. Lawrence Wong, the prime minister of Singapore conveyed his greetings through a video message. "Light over darkness. Hope over fear. As we count down to Deepavali, we celebrate not just the lights that fill our homes, but the meaning they carry in our hearts. Wishing everyone a bright and meaningful Festival of Lights ahead," he said. Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake also greeted people and wrote: "As lamps are lit in every home, we pray that this festival's light dispels the darkness in our hearts and illuminates our collective path. This celebration of good over evil mirrors our government's resolve to defeat the threats to our nation's progress, from drug abuse to extremism..."
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Monday that on his first day in office he would impose a 25% tariff on all products from Mexico and Canada, and an additional 10% tariff on goods from China, citing concerns over illegal immigration and the trade of illicit drugs. "On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Trump said the tariffs would remain in place until the two countries ...Read More >
The newly elected President of the United States Donald Trump is extending his hands to unapologetically stand firm with United States most reliable ally, Israel. Donald Trump on 2nd December has issued a stark warning, declaring that there would be "hell to pay" in the Middle East if hostages held in the Gaza strip are not freed before his January 20, 2025, inauguration. During October 2023 terrorist attacks led by Hamas upon Israel, the terrorist group captured over 250 innocent individuals, with Israeli reports confirming dual Israeli-American nationals among the hostages. Currently, aroun ...Read More >
Kareena Kapoor Khan brought a deeply personal and touching element to her meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi by requesting him to write a heartfelt message for her two sons, Taimur Ali Khan and Jeh Ali Khan, who were unable to attend the event. A memorable highlight from the gathering showcased Kareena watching intently, her expression radiating pride and warmth, as the Prime Minister inscribed a note dedicated to her children, affectionately called "Tim and Jeh."Kareena Kapoor Khan added ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, charging that defamation of Jawaharlal Nehru and minimum democratic governance was his model. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Prime Minister Modi has an "obsession" with Nehru as he invokes him to distract the nation's attention from his own failures and current challenges on which he maintains a complete silence. The Congress attack on the prime minister came a day after he attacked the party during the debate on the 'Glorious 75 year journey of India's Constitution'. "It was the famous French philoso ...Read More >
Lucknow, Jan 8 (UNI) Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said that the belief system of Sanatan Dharma represents the world's oldest culture, standing above comparison with any religion or sect. The CM said, "I inherit a legacy that spans thousands of years, with its cultural and spiritual events equally ancient. The tradition of Sanatan is higher than the sky and beyond comparison." Speaking at the 'Mahakumbh Mahasammelan, he emphasised the profound significance of the Maha Kumbh. He explained that after the Devasura Sangram (the battle between gods and demons), drops of nectar fell ...Read More >
PRAYAGRAJ, India (AP) -- Millions of Hindu devotees, mystics and holy men and women from all across India flocked to the northern city of Prayagraj on Monday to kickstart the Maha Kumbh festival, which is being touted as the world's largest religious gathering. Over about the next six weeks, Hindu pilgrims will gather at the confluence of three sacred rivers -- the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati -- where they will take part in elaborate rituals, hoping to begin a journey to achieve Hindu philosophy's ultimate goal: the release from the cycle of rebirth. Here's what to know abo ...Read More >
Tel Avis [Israel], November 18 (ANI): An Israeli strike in the Lebanese capital Beirut killed Hezbollah's media relations chief Mohammed Afif on Sunday, Times of Israel reported. According to the Times of Israel, Hezbollah has confirmed the death of Mohammad Afif. Afif was killed in an IDF strike on the headquarters of the Syrian Ba'ath Party in central Beirut, Times of Israel reported. Israel is yet to confirm the killing of the Hezbollah spokesman, as per the Times of Israel. According to Al Jazeera, Afif hosted several press conferences for Hezbollah, providing information regarding the ...Read More >
In a revealing Knesset speech on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel was behind a series of devastating attacks on Hezbollah in September, revealing that the operation was brought forward after concerns that a secret Israeli intelligence method was about to be uncovered. Netanyahu disclosed that the attack, initially planned for October, was accelerated to prevent the planned operation from being exposed. Also read: Caught on camera: Moment Israel strike on Beirut killed Hezbollah media chief Mohammed Afif (WATCH) The attacks, which included a massive page ...Read More >
Hindus and members of other minority groups say they have faced more attacks than ever since an interim government replaced the ousted prime minister, as Islamist groups have become more prominent and demoralized security agencies have left a security vacuum. The government says the threat to Hindus has been exaggerated. Around 91% of Bangladeshs population is Muslim, with Hindus making up almost all of the rest. Officials, witnesses and local media reports said that Krishna Das Prabhu, also known as Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, was arrested in Dhakas main airport on Monday while traveli ...Read More >
United Nations, November 27 (IANS): The United Nations welcomes the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, a senior UN official said in a statement. The agreement marks the starting point of a critical process, anchored in the full implementation of resolution 1701 (2006), to restore the safety and security that civilians on both sides of the Blue Line deserve, said Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the UN special coordinator for Lebanon, on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported. The UN statement came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the nation's ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 11 (PTI) A day after the members of Raj Kapoor's family met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor Khan thanked him for inviting them to "commemorate the extraordinary life and legacy" of their grandfather ahead of the cinema icon's birth centenary. The Kapoor family, including actors Ranbir Kapoor, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, and Neetu Kapoor, met the prime minister on Tuesday and invited him to the Raj Kapoor Film Festival to be held to celebrate the occasion. December 14, 2024 marks the 100th birth anniversary of Raj Kapoor, an actor, editor, a director, and ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Union Cabinet cleared the bill for the 'One Nation, One Election' proposal on Thursday (December 12). This development comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA have been repeatedly advocating for this initiative asserting that it will "strengthen the democracy" by holding simultaneous elections in the country. "Elections are held at different places every few months and it hampers the developmental work and all of you know it. Therefore, it is must to have deep study and deliberation on 'One Nation, One Election'," the PM said. "Only one voters' list should be used f ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 12 (VOICE) The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered that no fresh suits would be registered under the Places of Worship Act in the country, and in the pending cases, no final or effective orders would be passed till further orders of the Apex Court. A Special Bench headed by CJI Sajiv Khanna asked the Union government to file within four weeks its reply to the clutch of petitions challenging the validity of the 1991 Act, which prohibits the filing of a lawsuit to reclaim a place of worship or seek a change in its character from what prevailed on August 15, 1947. The Bench, also c ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: The Congress on Sunday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, charging that defamation of Jawaharlal Nehru and minimum democratic governance was his model. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Prime Minister Modi has an "obsession" with Nehru as he invokes him to distract the nation's attention from his own failures and current challenges on which he maintains a complete silence. The Congress attack on the prime minister came a day after he attacked the party during the debate on the 'Glorious 75 year journey of India's Constitution'. "It was the famous French philoso ...Read More >
The Congress on Sunday (December 15, 2024) hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, charging that defamation of Jawaharlal Nehru and minimum democratic governance was his model. Constitution is the basis of Indian unity, but Congress has wounded that spirit: PM Modi Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Prime Minister Modi has an "obsession" with Nehru as he invokes him to distract the nation's attention from his own failures and current challenges on which he maintains a complete sile ...Read More >
As per Moneycontrol's calculations, a 7 per cent growth in the remaining two quarters will put India's GDP at 6.5 per cent. The Indian economy would find it challenging to achieve over 7 per cent growth for the fourth consecutive year, economists said. They pointed out that the second-quarter (Q2) Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data, which was announced on November 29, has made the task even more daunting for the government. "A sharper than expected growth slowdown in Q2 has tilted risks to our outlook of 6.8 per cent for the current fiscal downwards," said DK Joshi, chief economist, Crisil. ...Read More >
The incoming US president has vowed to press for a quick deal to end Russia's war - leaving Kyiv scrambling to position itself ahead of his January inauguration Nato foreign ministers looked set to rebuff Tuesday a push from Ukraine for progress on joining their alliance ahead of Donald Trump taking power in the United States. The incoming US president has vowed to press for a quick deal to end Russia's war - leaving Kyiv scrambling to position itself ahead of his January inauguration. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said getting security guarantees from the Western alliance and ...Read More >
Dhaka: India should 'unequivocally' recognise the July-August uprising, which toppled Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's regime, to start bilateral ties afresh, a key aide of Bangladesh's interim government said Wednesday. In a Facebook post, Mahfuj Alam -- considered a de facto minister in the interim government and a key leader of Bangladesh's Anti-Discrimination Students Movement -- noted that the Indian establishment tried to portray the uprising as "something militant, anti-Hindu, and an Islamist takeover" and asked India to "change the Post '75 playbook and realise the new Bangladesh realit ...Read More >
Karachi-born Shane Sabastian Pereira entered India to live in his ancestral village in Goa just four months after his birth, but it has taken him 43 years to obtain Indian citizenship. IMAGE: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant hands over the Indian citizenship certificate to the Karachi-born Shane Sabastian Pereira. Photograph: @DrPramodPSawant/X Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday handed over the Indian citizenship certificate to the Pakistan-born Christian man under the Citizenship (Ame ...Read More >
The Supreme Court halted new temple-mosque legal battles. The court will review the 1991 law impacting religious site status. This law froze the status of religious sites as of August 15, 1947. Several cases, including Gyanvapi and Shahi Idgah, challenge this law. The law's validity is being questioned. The court's decision impacts ongoing and future disputes.In its ruling on the keenly-watched Place of Worship Act case, the Supreme Court said on December 12 that no new Mandir-Masjid suits are to ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has emphasized the need for a nationwide document, similar to the National Register of Citizens (NRC), to distinguish between Indian citizens and infiltrators. Speaking to reporters after offering prayers at Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, Biswa Sarma stated that the Assam government has decided to make NRC registration mandatory for obtaining an Aadhaar card, with applicants' names not featured in the NRC being ineligible for the card. "I desire that NRC-type documents should be prepared so that we can easily differentiate who are Indian ...Read More >
The Sri Lankan president was received by Bihar ministers Prem Kumar and Santosh Kumar Suman and senior officials of the district administration at the airport Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Tuesday visited Bodh Gaya in Bihar's Gaya district and prayed at the Mahabodhi Temple, a UNESCO world heritage site. After arriving at Gaya International Airport, Dissanayake went straight to the 1,500-year-old Mahabodhi Temple, one of the four holy sites related to the life of the Lord Bud ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) The Pakistan high commission on Wednesday said it issued 84 visas to Indian pilgrims to visit the Shree Katas Raj temples in Punjab province's Chakwal district. The group has been given visas to visit the Katas Raj temples from December 19 to 25. The temples are also known as Qila Katas. It is a complex of several Hindu temples connected to one another by walkways. Under the provision of a bilateral protocol on visits to religious shrines, Sikh and Hindu pilgrims from India visit Pakistan every year.Pakistani pilgrims also visit India every year under the protocol. ...Read More >
Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) January 27 (ANI): Spiritual leader and orator Devkinandan Thakur on Monday said that the Sanatana Dharma Sansad, which he convenes at the ongoing Mahakumbh, is organised for safeguarding Sanatanis. Devkinandan Thakurji Maharaj, as he is popularly known, said that the Dharma Sansad has been called for a board that can bring all our puja, tradition, culture, and Gau mata together and protect them. Also Read | Mahakumbh 2025: After Taking Holy Dip, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Along With His Family, Performs 'Aarti' at Triveni Sangam. "This Sanatana Dharma Sansad is ...Read More >
New Delhi: The annual all-India conference of directors general of police and inspectors general of police will begin in Bhubaneswar on Friday where issues related to internal security, Jammu and Kashmir, and pro-Khalistan elements, among others are likely to be discussed, officials said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval, among others will attend the three-day conference where cyber crimes, challenges posed by AI tools and threats emanating from drones are also expected to be discussed. About 250 officers of DGP and IGP ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], November 28 (ANI): India has expressed its concern over the escalating incidents of violence against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh and desecration, and damage to their places of worship, and has also called on the interim government there to ensure the safety of minorities. In a response to question asked by RJD MP AD Singh, Minister of State for Ministry of External Affairs, Kirit Vardhan Singh in a written reply to Rajya Sabha, stated that the "primary responsibility" for the protection of life and liberty of all citizens of Bangladesh, including minorities, "rests with ...Read More >
Panaji, Dec 10 (PTI) Karachi-born Shane Sabastian Pereira entered India to live in his ancestral village in Goa just four months after his birth, but it has taken him 43 years to obtain Indian citizenship. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday handed over the Indian citizenship certificate to the Pakistan-born Christian man under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Shane is the second person from the coastal state to receive the certificate, after Joseph Francis Pereira, another Pakistani citizen who was granted Indian citizenship in August this year. Shane, originally from Demello Wado ...Read More >
Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) [India], December 11 (ANI): A parliamentary delegation from New Zealand and Fiji on Wednesday highlighted their solidarity with the Tibetan people's ongoing struggle for freedom. The event, which was held on Tuesday, followed the Central Tibetan Administration's official commemoration of the 35th anniversary of the Dalai Lama receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. Also Read | Joe Biden Slams US President-Elect Donald Trump's Tariff Approach, Calls 'Action a Major Mistake'. The delegation, which included New Zealand Members of Parliament (MPs) Joseph Mooney, Ingrid L ...Read More >
Punjab farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal's hunger strike enters its 17th day. His health is critical. The Supreme Court urges dialogue between the government and Dallewal. Dallewal demands MSP guarantee and other farmer-centric issues. He has written an open letter to the Prime Minister. Farmers' organizations continue their protests at the Punjab-Haryana border.The Supreme Court on Friday expressed serious concern over the deteriorating health of Punjab farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who ...Read More >
New Delhi [India] January 22 (ANI): Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take a stand in defending the rights of Indian immigrants in the United States. Surjewala also highlighted the contributions of over 20,000 Indian immigrants and expressed concerns over the government's silence on the deportation orders under President Donald Trump's administration. Sharing a detailed post on X Surjewala said, "Dear Prime Minister Modi ji, Pls spare a few moments to watch Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde speaking the truth to President of United States of Amer ...Read More >