Congress Never Dared To Stop Triple Talaq, Says PM Modi, Cites Shah Bano Case

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday questioned the Congress's respect for the Constitution and said Muslim women have suffered under its rule as he referred to the Rajiv Gandhi government overturning the Supreme Court judgment in the Shah Bano case in 1985.

He said the Congress never dared to ban the practice of instant triple talaq due to vote-bank politics.

Hitting back at the Congress for claiming the BJP will change the Constitution in its third term in office, PM Modi said the opposition party could not implement the statute book in the entire country during its decades-long rule.

Addressing a rally in Himmatnagar town of north Gujarat in support of BJP's Lok Sabha candidates for Sabarkantha and Mehsana seats, the PM asserted he was committed to the Constitution and ensured its implementation in Jammu and Kashmir by removing Article 370 which provided special status to the erstwhile state.

"Congress leaders are now claiming the Constitution is in danger and reservation will be abolished. In reality, the Congress could not implement the Constitution in the entire country during its 70-year rule. Our Constitution was not implemented in Kashmir...It was Modi who did it because Modi is committed to the Constitution," emphasised the BJP stalwart.

PM Modi said it was his government which gave reservation rights to Dalits, tribals and OBCs in Kashmir by implementing the Constitution there after removing Article 370.

"Modi works to protect the sanctity of the Constitution in every corner of India. Dalits, tribals and backward classes have already rejected the Congress. The BJP has the highest number of MLAs and MPs from these communities," he noted.

The PM hit back at the opposition INDIA bloc over its "BJP will change the Constitution" narrative and referred to the then-Congress government's decision to overturn the Supreme Court's ruling in the Shah Bano Case of 1985.

He said Muslim women have suffered under the Congress rule due to the party's vote-bank politics.

"Congress shehzada (referring to Rahul Gandhi) is now roaming with (copy of) the Constitution book. In the Shah Bano case, it was your party's government which overturned the judgement of the Supreme Court, which works as per the Constitution. Where was your respect for the Constitution then? You changed the SC ruling and deprived Muslim women of any security," said Modi.

In 1985, the Supreme Court had ruled in favour of Shah Bano, a Muslim woman from Indore who had sought maintenance from her husband after divorce, but the then-Congress government under PM Rajiv Gandhi overturned the judgement through an Act.

PM Modi said his government's 2019 decision to abolish the practice of instant triple talaq has given security to not only Muslim women, but their families too, as they used to remain tense about what will happen to their daughter if the husband gives her instant divorce.

"You never dared to stop triple talaq due to vote-bank politics. But, I am not worried about the vote bank. I don't run the country on the basis of victory or defeat in elections. I just wanted to give security to my Muslim daughters. I was able to save the lives of lakhs of women and their families with that decision," said PM Modi.

On the decades-long issue of Ram Temple, the BJP's star campaigner maintained its construction in Ayodhya should have started the very next day India got its independence in 1947.

"But, our country had to fight for the temple for 75 years. The Congress tried to even change laws to ensure it (temple) never comes up. It was finally built after an SC verdict. But, when the temple trust invited them (Congress) for 'Pran Pratishtha' (consecration ceremony), they did not honour the invitation just to appease their vote-bank," claimed PM Modi.

Alleging the opposition is circulating his doctored videos, the BJP leader said the Congress and its INDIA bloc allies have become a "fake factory" today.

"Their mohabbat ki dukan (shops selling love - a slogan given by Rahul Gandhi) is now selling fake items, fake promises and fake slogans. They are trying to malign PM Modi's image. But, I am confident people will not accept their false claims," he said.

Without taking the name of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, the BJP stalwart opined the party's "shehzada" (prince) is now claiming the country will burn if Modi comes to power for a third time.

The PM said Congress leaders used to claim the country will burn if Ram Temple is constructed in Ayodhya, but that did not happen.

"The Ram Temple was finally constructed. Did the country burn? The Congress is just trying to scare people because of its vote-bank politics. In reality, it is the Congress which is burning and no one can douse it. They are saying such things because their dreams have turned into ashes," noted the PM.

He said the Congress had also claimed that there will be bloodshed and the country will break apart if Article 370 was removed from Kashmir.

"We removed Article 370. Was there any bloodshed? They used to claim no one will lift the tricolour in Kashmir after that decision. Today, our tricolour is flying high at Lal Chowk (in Srinagar)," said the PM.

He said there was a time when the Congress government used to send "dossiers", a bunch of documents about an incident, to a neighbouring country following a terror attack.

"Today, India gives dose, not dossiers. We now hunt them (terrorists) in their own homes (ghar me ghus kar marte hai)," PM Modi asserted.

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"Hardcore" About Cost Cut, Elon Musk's Tesla To Cut Hundreds More Jobs: Report

Tesla plans hundreds of additional job cuts beyond a recent company-wide layoff as it cracks down on costs in a tough electric vehicle market, according to a US media report.

Elon Musk's EV company, which moved earlier this month to cut more than 10 percent of its 140,000 employes, will disband two departments and lay off most of the employees from the groups, reported the Information late Monday.

The online technology publication quoted from a Musk email in which he vowed to be "absolutely hard core about headcount and cost reduction."

Musk will seek to oust any executive "who retains more than three people who don't obviously pass the excellent, necessary and trustworthy test ... I have been super clear about this," said Musk's email, according to the Information.

The latest cuts mean Rebecca Tinucci, a senior director in EV charging, and Daniel Ho, head of new products, will leave the company.

Also departing will be most of the 500 workers in Tinucci's Supercharger group, plus other staff reporting to Ho. Musk is also dissolving a public policy team, the report said.

Tesla last week reported a 55 percent drop in quarterly earnings to $1.1 billion, reflecting a decline in EV sales in a market with intensifying competition.

Despite the downcast results, Tesla shares were buoyed last week by Musk's pledge to accelerate production of new, more affordable EVs and by Musk's visit to China on Monday that resulted in a key security clearance from the Chinese government for Tesla technology.

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No Abnormal Rise In Seasonal Flu Cases In Country So Far: Health Ministry

There has been no abnormal rise in cases of seasonal flu in any part of the country as of now, the Union health ministry said on Monday, underlining that it is keeping a close watch on the situation through its Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme network.

Since the detection of the first case of Influenza-A H1N1 in 2009, India every year witnesses two peaks of this seasonal influenza -- one from January to March and other in the post-monsoon season, the ministry said.

"As of now, there has been no abnormal alarming rise in cases of seasonal flu in any part of the country," it stated in a statement.

A near real-time surveillance of cases of Influenza-like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI) presenting in outdoor and indoor patient departments of health facilities is undertaken by the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) through the Indian Council of Medical Research's network of laboratories across the country.

In view of various media reports regarding detection of avian influenza virus in cattle and milk in the US, a video conference under the chairmanship of the Director General of Health Services was also held on Sunday to review the current situation of seasonal influenza. It was informed by experts that with use of proper hygienic practices such as boiling of milk and proper cooking of meat at adequate temperatures would help prevent the virus transmission from the product (if the virus is present) to the human beings, the statement said.

Seasonal influenza is an acute respiratory infection caused by influenza viruses which circulate in all parts of the world, and the cases are seen to increase during certain months globally.

Young children and the elderly with co-morbidities are the most vulnerable groups in context of seasonal influenza.

The health ministry has provided guidelines on categorisation of patients, treatment protocols and guidelines on ventilatory management to states and Union Territories. The National Centre for Disease Control has also advised state governments for vaccination of healthcare workers dealing with H1N1 cases.

"As of now, the situation is under control and is being monitored by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for seasonal and avian influenza viruses also," the statement said. 

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White House Urges "Peaceful" Campus Protests After Hundreds Arrested

The White House insisted Sunday that pro-Palestinian protests that have rocked US universities in recent weeks must remain peaceful, after police arrested around 275 people on four separate campuses over the weekend.

"We certainly respect the right of peaceful protests," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told ABC's "This Week."

But, he added, "we absolutely condemn the anti-Semitism language that we've heard of late and certainly condemn all the hate speech and the threats of violence out there."

The wave of demonstrations began at Columbia University in New York but they have since spread rapidly across the country.

While peace has prevailed in many campuses, the number of protesters detained -- at times by police in riot gear using chemical irritants and tasers -- is rising fast.

They include 100 at Northeastern University in Boston, 80 at Washington University in St Louis, 72 at Arizona State University and 23 at Indiana University.

Among those arrested at Washington University was Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, who faulted police for aggressive tactics she said provoked the sort of trouble they are meant to quell.

"This is about freedom of speech... on a very critical issue," she told CNN shortly before her arrest Saturday. "And there they are, sending in the riot police and basically creating a riot."

College administrators have struggled to find the best response, caught between the need to respect free-speech rights and the imperative of containing inflammatory and sometimes violently anti-Semitic calls by protesters.

At the University of Southern California, school officials late Saturday closed the main campus to the public after pro-Palestinian groups again set up an encampment that had been cleared earlier, the school announced on X.

With final exams coming in the next few weeks, some campuses -- including the Humboldt campus of California State Polytechnic University, have closed and instructed students to complete their classes online.

The activists behind the campus protests -- not all of them students -- are calling for a ceasefire in Israel's war with Hamas, and want colleges to sever ties with Israel.

Hamas operatives staged an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7 that left around 1,170 people dead, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Palestinian operatives also took roughly 250 people hostage. Israel estimates 129 remain in Gaza, including 34 the military says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 34,454 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

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"Will Leave No Stone Unturned": Manipur Security Adviser After Militants Kill 2 CRPF Soldiers

Manipur security adviser Kuldiep Singh today warned the group responsible for the attack on a camp of security forces in Bishnupur district, which led to the deaths of two CRPF personnel and injuries to two others.

"Whoever has committed this act will face severe consequences. We are mobilising all necessary resources and agencies to identify and apprehend the perpetrators," Mr Singh told reporters.

"The militants came and fired at the IRB (India Reserve Battalion) camp at Naranseina in Moirang police station area in the early hours of Saturday. Though it was dark, the forces retaliated. Out of the four injured, two succumbed to injuries," Mr Singh said.

"These forces have come from distant places to maintain peace in this region," Mr Singh said.

"Starting today, we have instructed all security forces, including Assam Rifles and the army, to intensify operations. We are formulating strategies for day-to-day operations. We will leave no stone unturned in our investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice," he said.

Reacting to a recent IED (improvised explosive device) explosion that damaged a bridge in Kangpokpi district, Mr Singh expressed concern over attacks on national infrastructure and central forces.

"I have seen that groups are now targeting national infrastructure such as roads and bridges. They are also attacking central forces. This cannot be tolerated. We will probe everything and take action against the culprits," he said.

Expressing surprise at the attack on security forces, Mr Singh said, "We did not anticipate such assaults, especially considering that both Meitei and Kuki militants have historically refrained from targeting forces engaged in maintaining peace."

"We have always strived to maintain neutrality between both communities. In the past, both communities have welcomed the presence of central forces, so why attack neutral forces now?" he added.

The CRPF soldiers who died in action were identified as sub-inspector N Sarkar, a resident of Assam's Kokrajhar district, and head constable Arup Saini, a resident of Bankura district in West Bengal.

The injured are inspector Jadav Das and constable Aftab Das, police said, adding they have splinter wounds.

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Israel Minister Injured In Car Accident

Israel's hardline security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was slightly hurt in a car accident and taken to hospital on Friday, police said, adding that they were investigating the circumstances.

Video aired on Israeli media showed the car Ben-Gvir was travelling in had flipped over.

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Foreigner Couple Alleges Sex Harassment At Kerala Festival

A foreign vlogger couple, known for their viral travel videos, has alleged that they faced sexual harassment at the iconic Thrissur Pooram in Kerala which concluded last week.

American-English vlogger couple Mackenzie and Keenan posted in their Instagram page yesterday a video that shows a man attempting to forcefully kiss Mackenzie after talking to her.

The high-octane Thrissur Pooram was held on April 19 in this central Kerala city.

The video, titled 'Questionable Moments at Thrissur Pooram' also showed Keenan saying a man in his 50s sexually assaulted him and that the vlogger had to push him away.

Meanwhile, Kerala police said they have not received any complaint from them in this regard.

"We have not received any complaints in this regard until now," police said, adding that an accused man in the video has been identified.

In the video, the couple said the people there were a bit frisky.

The narration in the video said they had a wonderful time at Thrissur Pooram, but there were also "some questionable moments".

The video showed a man, who was interviewed by Mackenzie for her social media pages, attempting to kiss her forcefully and she pushing him away. 

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