Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with Liechtenstein’s Prince Alois and Princess Sophie at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Tuesday, discussing ways to further deepen cooperation in trade, innovation, science and technology, skill development and people-to-people ties.

During the meeting, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to working together to reform and strengthen multilateral institutions, including the United Nations. They welcomed the positive momentum generated by the India-European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen bilateral partnership.

“PM Narendra Modi held extensive discussions with H.S.H. Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein and H.R.H. Hereditary Princess Sophie at Hyderabad House today. The leaders reviewed the entire spectrum of India–Liechtenstein relations and discussed ways to further deepen cooperation in trade and investment, innovation, science and technology, skill development and people-to-people ties,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) wrote on X.

“They also reaffirmed their commitment to working together to reform and strengthen multilateral institutions, including the United Nations. They welcomed the positive momentum generated by the India–EFTA TEPA and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the bilateral partnership,” it added.

Earlier in the day, Prince Alois and Princess Sophie paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat in New Delhi.

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar also called on Liechtenstein Prince and discussed bilateral ties and emerging opportunities under the India-EFTA TEPA.

“A pleasure to call on H.S.H. Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein, on a State Visit to India. Our bilateral partnership is witnessing strong momentum across a wide range of domains, driven by the opportunities enabled by India – EFTA TEPA,” the EAM posted on X after the meeting.

Prince Alois was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan. President Droupadi Murmu and PM Modi warmly welcomed Prince Alois upon his arrival. Speaking to the reporters, Prince Alois expressed gratitude to President Murmu and PM Modi for the invitation and warm welcome and said, “I am very honoured to be in India on the occasion of Liechtenstein’s first state visit to this remarkable country.”

“This historic visit bears testimony to the importance that Liechtenstein attaches to the relationship with India,” he said.

Speaking about the conclusion of the TEPA with India, which entered into force a year ago, the visiting Prince called it a “significant milestone” in strengthening bilateral ties. “We are determined to build on this momentum and strengthen our ties with India even further.”

“In particular, we see tremendous potential in expanding our economic cooperation in areas such as innovation, advanced manufacturing, financial services, education and technology. Across these and many other areas, our two countries possess complementary strengths that we can bring together for the lasting benefit of both our countries,” Prince Alois added.

Later in the day, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Minister of State for Skills Development and Entrepreneurship Jayant Chaudhary will call on Prince Alois.

Prince Alois will then meet President Droupadi Murmu, who will also host an official banquet in his honour.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it would hear, on November 3, a plea concerning a pregnant woman journalist’s allegation that Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi pushed and pulled her during the Opposition INDIA bloc leaders’ march to the apex court premises over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The matter was mentioned before Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant by senior advocate Gaurav Bhatia, who submitted that the application concerning the woman journalist had not yet been listed for hearing.

Responding to Bhatia, the CJI-led Bench clarified that notice had already been issued in the matter and said it would be taken up on November 3.

The journalist, Richa Parashar, who works with a news website, had alleged that Gandhi grabbed her hand and pulled her aggressively while she was covering the Opposition leaders’ march, following which she was pushed by his security personnel and fell to the ground.

She was subsequently hospitalised. Parashar, who is three months pregnant, alleged that the incident took place amid the commotion during the Opposition leaders’ protest on the Supreme Court premises on October 12.

Congress has denied the allegations, describing them as politically motivated, while party leaders and supporters have circulated videos of the incident, questioning whether the visuals establish that Gandhi pushed the journalist.

The development comes against the backdrop of a separate plea seeking safeguards against political demonstrations in and around the top court premises following the Opposition march.

On October 15, a Bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi issued notice on the plea and directed the preservation of CCTV footage and other digital evidence relating to the incident.

The march was undertaken by the INDIA bloc leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, after the CJI declined a request from him and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to meet him and submit a memorandum on the SIR exercise.

The CJI had advised the Opposition leaders to approach the Supreme Court through the established legal process, observing that convening a meeting to discuss pending cases would be contrary to the constitutional principle of separation of powers.

A day after Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi reiterated call for ‘Chalo Delhi’ march slated for November 1, the Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) wrote to him again on Tuesday, pleading that the mega-rally be rescheduled after Diwali festivities.

A copy of the letter has also been sent to Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge, urging him to discuss the matter with allies in the INDIA bloc.

Earlier on Monday, Rahul Gandhi took to X and made it clear that he intends to proceed with the rally, which is scheduled to be held at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan.

“To every trader in Delhi: We love you and hear you. The Govt shut the metro, sealed our roads and locked down our capital. With a stolen vote, nothing is safe – your shop, your savings, your children’s future. Tell Modi to sack accused no. 4, Gyanesh Kumar, and the protests will stop in 30 seconds,” Gandhi said.

According to the CTI Chairman Brijesh Goyal, the November 1 rally is right in the middle of the peak Diwali shopping season.

“Following this announcement, traders in the 20 major markets surrounding Ramlila Maidan have expressed deep concern and disappointment, leading to an atmosphere of panic,” the CTI said.

The traders’ body questioned whether the barricades will be set up as early as October 31, whether several routes across the National Capital will be blocked, and whether the shops will be allowed to operate or customers will be able to reach them given the restrictions.

The CTI further stated that if the Congress leaders’ estimate of 10 lakh people, along with 15,000-20,000 vehicles, attending the rally is correct, then where will they be parked?

“There is no authorised parking for even 200 vehicles in the vicinity of Ramlila Maidan. Twenty major wholesale and retail markets surrounding Ramlila Maidan will be directly affected,” it said.

The traders’ body mentioned that Ramlila Maidan is surrounded by some of Delhi’s largest wholesale and retail markets, while listing 21 major markets that would be affected by the mega rally.

The CTI stated that the October 10 Jantar Mantar protest involving only 3,000–4,000 people led to the “sealing off of all of Central Delhi”, resulting in a loss of Rs 3,000 crore for traders.

“A rally of 10 lakh people on November 1 would bring all business activity in Old Delhi to a complete standstill, resulting in a loss of Rs 10,000 crore,” it added.

“In the public and business interest, the rally be rescheduled to after November 10, following the festival of Bhaiya Dooj. If holding the rally on November 1 is unavoidable, it should be moved from Ramlila Maidan to an open space, such as the Burari Grounds or Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium—where it would not impact the markets,” the CTI stated.

Meanwhile, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) and BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal said that Gandhi’s X post would not satisfy the traders.

Speaking to media, Khandelwal said, “Rahul Gandhi tweeted yesterday about Delhi’s traders, apparently believing that his tweet-based politics would satisfy them. The question is, when he said in his tweet that the metro was shut down and roads were blocked, why was the administration compelled to take these steps in the first place?”