PM Modi slams ‘Congress-RJD government’ in Bihar over corruption, praises Nitish
Kicking off the National Democratic Alliance’s poll campaign in Bihar on April 4, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the self-sufficient and aggressive nature of the new India under NDA rule. “India has changed now. Whenever something was happening to the country earlier, [the Congress-RJD-led Government] used to reach out to other countries for help. But today, yeh badla hua Bharat, yeh ghar mein ghus kar marta hai [this is a changed India, which enters into homes to kill),” Mr. Modi said, to the roaring cheers of the crowd at a public meeting in Jamui, made up mostly of young people.
Rahul Gandhi declares assets worth ₹20 crore
Rahul Gandhi, who is seeking a successive term from the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, has declared assets of more than ₹20 crore in his nomination papers. Mr. Gandhi filed the papers before the returning officer on April 3. He has declared movable assets to the tune of ₹9,24,59,264 and showed the purchasing price of his self-acquired immovable assets as being worth ₹7,93,03,977 in the affidavit. The affidavit also showed that the current market value of the self-acquired immovable assets as ₹9,04,89,000 and the value of the inherited assets as ₹2,10,13,598. Mr. Gandhi has claimed that he has a liability of ₹49,79,184.
Sonia Gandhi takes oath as Rajya Sabha member
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on April 4, 2024, took oath as Rajya Sabha member. This is her first stint in the upper house. She was elected from Rajasthan, on a seat that fell vacant after 91-year-old former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh completed his tenure on April 3rd.
ED attaches ₹31-crore worth Ranchi land ‘belonging’ to Hemant Soren
The ED has attached land measuring 8.86 acre, allegedly owned by former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren in Ranchi, as part of a money laundering investigation against him and his associates, the federal agency said on April 04. It had filed a charge sheet against the 48-year-old JMM leader and four others — Bhanu Pratap Prasad, Raj Kumar Pahan, Hilariyas Kachhap and Binod Singh — on March 30 before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court.
‘Can’t raise anti-Sanatan slogans’ Gourav Vallabh resigns from Congress, joins BJP
Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh resigned from all posts and membership of the party on April 4, saying that neither can he raise anti-Sanatan slogans nor abuse ‘wealth creators’ day in and day out. Hours later, he joined the BJP in the presence of party’s national general secretary Vinod Tawde. Mr. Vallabh shared his resignation letter written to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on social media platform X.
The Supreme Court on April 4 confirmed the validity of the ‘Mochi’ caste certificate of Lok Sabha member Navneet Kaur Rana. A Bench headed by Justice J.K. Maheshwari set aside a Bombay High Court verdict of June 2021. The High Court had cancelled the caste certificate on the ground that it was obtained using fabricated documents. It had imposed a fine of ₹2 lakh on the parliamentarian, who had won as an independent candidate backed by the Nationalist Congress Party from the reserved constituency of Amravati in Maharashtra in 2019. The High Court had concluded that she belonged to the ‘Sikh-Chamar’ caste.
India ‘concerned’ by Israeli attack on Iran Embassy in Syria
India is concerned by the Israeli attack on the Iranian diplomatic premises in Syria on April 1, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement on April 4. “Distressed at the escalating tensions in West Asia and their potential to fuel further violence and instability”, New Delhi has urged all parties to avoid actions that go against “commonly accepted principles and norms of International Law”, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in his weekly media briefing.
Documents shared by the Ministry of External Affairs with BJP State president K. Annamalai recently under the Right to Information Act, have no doubt established that then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK leader M. Karunanidhi was taken into confidence by the Centre before India signed an agreement with Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) on the Katchatheevu islet in 1974. While this has exposed the claim of Karunanidhi who had said he was not a party to the cessation of Katchatheevu during his lifetime, the documents also throw light on how the Government of India cited the country’s security interests and a weak legal case against Sri Lanka to convince him of the proposal to cede the island.
WATCH | Two-year-old child who fell into abandoned borewell rescued in Karnataka’s Vijayapura
Rescue efforts to save the life of a 15-month-old child were successful after nearly 21 hours of continuous drilling and monitoring, in Lachyan village in Vijayapura district on April 4. The child had fallen to a depth of 16 feet. Satwik Mujagonda had fallen into an empty borewell near his house on April 3 evening and rescue efforts had begun soon after. Vijayapura Deputy Commissioner T. Bhoobalan said the child was out of danger. He thanked the rescue teams and the Mujagonda family for their cooperation.
After flak from CPI(M) and BJP, Congress in Kerala rejects SDPI’s support in Lok Sabha 2024 polls
The Congress-led United Democratic Front rejected the Social Democratic Party of India’s (SDPI) support in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The UDF had drawn intense flak from the CPI(M) and BJP for “soliciting” the support of an allegedly religious fundamentalist organisation that supposedly “bore the stigma” of being the political front of the proscribed PFI.
Prosecutors in Trump’s classified documents case sharply rebuke judge’s unusual and ‘flawed’ order
Federal prosecutors in the U.S. chided the judge presiding over former President Donald Trump’s classified documents case in Florida, warning her off potential jury instructions that they said rest on a “fundamentally flawed legal premise.” In an unusual order, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon had asked prosecutors and defence lawyers to file proposed jury instructions for most of the charges even though it remains unclear when the case might reach trial. She asked the lawyers to respond to competing interpretations of the law that appeared to accept the Republican ex-President’s argument that he was entitled under a statute known as the Presidential Records Act to retain the sensitive documents he is now charged with possessing.
People jump into sea to escape raging ferry fire in Gulf of Thailand; all 108 on board safe
Panicked passengers jumped into the sea to escape a raging ferry fire in the Gulf of Thailand on April 4, and all 108 people on board were safe. The overnight ferry from Surat Thani province was about to arrive at Koh Tao, a popular tourist destination off the Thai coast, when one of the passengers suddenly heard a crackling sound and smelled smoke. Videos showed people hurrying out of the ferry’s cabin while putting on life vests, as thick black smoke swept across the ferry. It was later engulfed in fire.
South African footballer and Olympian Luke Fleurs killed in hijacking
South African footballer and Olympian Luke Fleurs has been killed in a hijacking in Johannesburg, his Kaizer Chiefs club said on April 4. The 24-year-old defender was shot while waiting to be attended to at a petrol station in the Honeydew suburb in Johannesburg, according to police. “Luke Fleurs tragically lost his life last night during a hijacking incident in Johannesburg. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this difficult time,” Kaizer Chiefs said in a statement.
Badminton | Sindhu pulls out of Uber Cup, full-strength squad for men’s Thomas Cup
While defending champion India will be at full-strength at the upcoming men’s Thomas Cup Finals, the Uber Cup for women will largely see a young, inexperienced side with top players in both singles and doubles, including P.V. Sindhu, pulling out of the competition ahead of the Paris Olympics. The 10-member team for Thomas Cup will be led by H.S. Prannoy with Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, Priyanshu Rajawat and Kiran George in the singles. The World No. 1 pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will spearhead the challenge in the doubles, along with M.R. Arjun and Dhruv Kapila with Sai Pratheek as the back-up doubles player as India looks to retain the crown it won for the first-time ever in 2022.
