NDA partners in Andhra Pradesh warn cadre as fake accounts stoke discord

Congress MPs Mallikarjun Kharge. File | The convention, being organised to discuss public issues and evolve the Congress’ political and organisational strategy, will bring together representatives from across the country. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi are scheduled to address the gathering.Addressing a press conference on Tuesday (August 11), ‘Rachnatmak Congress’ president Sandeep Dikshit said the exercise would seek to place people’s concerns at the centre of the discussions.About 400 delegates are expected to attend on the first day and nearly 600 on the second, he said.Mr. Dikshit said the opening day would focus largely on organisational matters and the party’s future strategy, with the deliberations to be reviewed on the second day.The convention will also have an “open session” aimed at providing a direct platform for people to raise their concerns, Mr. Dikshit said., adding, “People’s questions will be heard directly, and answers will be provided.” Published - August 11, 2026 10:26 pm IST

Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee. File | Ms. Banerjee faced protests from locals who raised slogans against her and attacked the vehicle in which she was travelling. The Trinamool Congress chairperson stated that bricks were thrown at her vehicle by Bharatiya Janata Party supporters and blamed the police for the attack. Ms. Banerjee was accompanied by Trinamool Congress MPs Kalyan Banerjee and Dola Sen.Birju Keot, husband of former Trinamool Congress councillor Jenny Sharma Keot, was arrested by Halisahar police on Friday on allegations including extortion and corruption. He was presented before a Barrackpore sub-divisional court, which remanded him to five days of police custody. On Saturday, Birju Keot was taken to a state-run hospital from police lock-up, where he was pronounced dead.“I condemn this. Even after a custodial death, they are threatening the family of the deceased,” the former Chief Minister said, adding that instead of providing security to her, the police allowed “lumpens from outside” to attack her vehicle. The Trinamool Congress chairperson stated that her party will appeal to the court over the custodial death.This was the first occasion after the defeat in the West Bengal Assembly polls that the former Chief Minister reached out to a party worker. Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee was attacked on May 30 when he visited Sonarpur to meet the family members of a deceased Trinamool Congress worker.After the defeat of the TMC in the recently concluded Assembly polls, there have been several incidents of arrest of party workers and in many cases people have attacked local leaders of the party. Trinamool Congress leadership has accused that party workers have been at the receiving end of violence after the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power. Published - August 09, 2026 04:03 pm IST

One of the demands of the proposed strike is to notify Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Rules. The image is used for representative purposes only. | They have issued a set of demands, including that the government notify a minimum base fare, a per kilometre fare, and per minute fare.The unions, including the Indian National Trade Union Congress Federation, the Indian Labour Welfare Federation, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, and the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU), came together to take this decision. They stated that it was aimed at ensuring fair wages for drivers engaged in both passenger transport and delivery services.Another key demand is that the government notify the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Rules.“We are asking for the implementation of the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2025, with government notified minimum fare and effective fare regulation. One of our longstanding demands is that the government stop the operation of private bikes, cars and three wheelers doubling as commercial passenger and goods transport through app based platforms. We are not against anybody making a living, and are only asking for better enforcement. Such vehicles should be converted to commercial registration. In such cases, the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2025, should be applicable,” said Shaik Salauddin, founder-president, TGPWU.Talk to gig workersUnion leaders told The Hindu that the Transport Department and the Labour Department should work in close coordination to take stock of the situation. They emphasised the urgency of reviewing their demands. “It does not take much for both departments to talk to gig and platform workers,” they said.They also expressed hope that the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Rules would be approved soon. Labour Department officials confirmed that the draft rules are in the final stages and that the assent of the concerned authorities is expected shortly.The warning of a strike by gig workers and app-based drivers comes on the heels of autorickshaw drivers’ unions’ proposed strike on August 24. They have demanded that the minimum fare be increased to ₹50 and the per-kilometre fare to ₹20. Published - August 06, 2026 05:09 pm IST

BJP MP Sambit Patra. File. | Parliament Monsoon Session Day 12 updatesAddressing a press conference at the party headquarters in New Delhi, BJP national spokesperson and Lok Sabha MP Sambit Patra alleged that despite crores of rupees being spent on every session of Parliament, Question Hour and Zero Hour have been repeatedly disrupted, depriving MPs of an opportunity to raise issues concerning their constituencies."The way the 2026 Monsoon Session of Parliament is progressing, and the manner in which the Congress party, along with some of its alliance partners, is disrupting the session, is a matter of serious concern. Crores of rupees are spent on every session of Parliament.”"However, ever since the session began, Question Hour has not taken place in Parliament. Disruptions are being created during Zero Hour as well," Mr. Patra told reporters."Hardly any Bill is being discussed. The reason behind this is the conduct of the Congress party and some of its INDIA alliance partners. I am genuinely surprised by their double standards," he said, adding that the Opposition might not allow Parliament to function on Tuesday (August 4, 2026) as well.Targeting the Congress over its alleged "double standards" on paper leak cases, Mr. Patra claimed the party remains silent on such incidents in States where it is in power while politicising similar issues elsewhere.Referring to Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge's reported remarks on the alleged police constable recruitment examination irregularities, Mr. Patra alleged, "Priyank Kharge said students should first go on a 25-day hunger strike, after which they would be lathi-charged and only then would he think about resigning. Rahul Gandhi continues to remain silent on this."Mr. Patra also alleged that the Congress has ignored students protesting over the alleged paper leak in the 14th JPSC examination in Jharkhand."No Congress MP was seen holding a placard on the JPSC examination issue at Makar Dwar. This is selective outrage driven only by political interests," he claimed.The BJP leader further alleged that repeated disruptions have prevented meaningful discussions on important Bills passed by Parliament, depriving the public of information about legislative reforms.He said Bills such as the Supreme Court Number of Judges (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Registration of Birth and Death (Amendment) Bill, 2026 were passed without adequate discussion because of the Opposition's protests.Mr. Patra also slammed the Opposition over its recent protest inside the Parliament complex on the alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, alleging that it insulted Hindu saints and hurt religious sentiments.He alleged that portraying a person dressed as a sadhu as a thief and dragging him during the protest sent a wrong message about the Hindu religious community."Coming dressed as a sadhu, portraying sadhus as thieves and dragging them inside the premises of the country's highest democratic institution sends a message to villages that all sadhus are thieves. Had any other religion's religious leaders been portrayed in this manner, there would have been outrage across the world," Mr. Patra alleged. Published - August 04, 2026 11:54 am IST

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann speaks in the House on the opening day of the Punjab Assembly session, in Chandigarh, Punjab on Monday (August 3, 2026). | Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said, “Repeated paper leaks under the BJP-led union government had shattered the aspirations of crores of students, while those seeking justice were met with tear gas shells, pellet guns and police action instead of accountability.”The State government would forward the censure motion to the Prime Minister’s Office, the Union Ministry of Education and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Mr. Mann said, urging the Centre to take stringent measures to prevent paper leaks and restore the credibility of the country’s education system.“Those who have been claiming to make the country a Vishwaguru have made a mockery of the education system by failing to check the repeated paper leaks across the country. Paper leaks, or in other words, the selling of examination papers, shatter the dreams of the aspirants. A reflection of this is that 22 candidates of the NEET examination committed suicide. From 2014, ever since the BJP regime assumed charge of office, 93 paper leaks have taken place in the country,” the CM added.Earlier, during the Question Hour, Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa raised the issue of alleged multiple examination paper leaks in Punjab over the last four-and-a-half years under the Aam Aadmi Party regime.Resignation soughtMr. Bajwa alleged that as many as six exam paper leak incidents took place during the AAP regime, hence Education Minister Harjot Bains should resign. He also sought resignation of Health Minister Balbir Singh, surrounding the recent cheating racket unearthed during the pharmacy officer recruitment examination.The Congress MLAs rushed to the Well of the House and raised slogans against the government, seeking resignation of both the ministers. Follwoing this, the House was briefly adjourned. Published - August 04, 2026 03:51 am IST

Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. | Addressing the gathering in Bathinda, he said the next elections will not be fought by the candidates alone, but by the entire party’s rank and file, underlining the need for strengthening the organisation at the grassroots level.Warning against the “traitors within”, he quoted senior party leader Rahul Gandhi, who he said often “warned against the sleeper cells of other parties within the Congress”. The event was disrupted after a section of party workers boycotted it and raised slogans in support of Mr. Channi. Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, though, hailed the raising of slogans in favour of Mr. Channi, saying “he was one of the senior and most respected leaders of the party”.‘Remove AAP government’Mr. Baghel said it was important to defeat and get rid of the Aam Aadmi Party government, which had not only pushed the State into anarchy, but had looted and robbed the State as well. He added that nobody was feeling safe in Punjab as “gangsters were running the roost and people were getting killed in broad daylight”.The conspicuous absence of Mr. Channi, who is believed to be upset with the party’s revamp, from the event along with leaders from his ‘camp’, has triggered questions over the party’s internal cohesion. Published - August 04, 2026 02:23 am IST