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‘Chintan Shivir’ about national issues, meaningful self-introspection: Sonia Gandhi

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Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Friday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on the ongoing violence and other problems in the country as she inaugurated her party’s three-day ‘Chintan Shivir’.

She said that the Chintan Shivir will give an opportunity to discuss the numerous challenges that the country is facing as a result of the policies of the BJP and of the RSS and its affiliates.

“So it is both a chintan about national issues and a meaningful atma-chintan about our party organisation,” she said in her inaugural speech.

Targeting the Prime Minister, she said that the BJP’s “maximum governance, minimum government” means “more empty slogans, diversionary tactics and utter silence on the part of an ever-so eloquent Prime Minister when the healing touch is most needed”.

“By now it has become abundantly and most painfully clear what Prime Minister Modi and his colleagues really mean by their frequently repeated slogan: maximum governance, minimum government. It means keeping the country in a state of permanent polarisation, compelling our people to live in a constant state of fear and insecurity.

“It means viciously targeting, victimising and often brutalising minorities who are an integral part of our society and are equal citizens of our republic.It means using our society’s age-old pluralities to divide us and subverting the carefully nurtured idea of unity in diversity,” she said.

Gandhi also accused the Modi regime of “threatening and intimidating political opponents, maligning their reputations, jailing them on flimsy pretexts, misusing investigative agencies against the and eroding the independence and professionalism of all institutions of democracy”.

She also hit out at its bid for “the wholesale reinvention of history, the constant denigration of our leaders, especially Jawaharlal Nehru, and systematic moves to distort, deny and destroy their contributions, achievements and sacrifices nd glorifying the killers of Mahatma Gandhi and their ideologues”.

She alleged that the government is “blatant in undermining of the principles and provisions of our nation’s Constitution, of its pillars of justice, liberty, equality, fraternity and secularism”.

“They are turning a blind eye to continued atrocities across the country on weaker sections, especially Dalits, adivasis and women and using fear to make the bureaucracy, to make corporate India, to make civil society and sections of the media fall in line.

“It is not just the undermining of our long-cherished values embodied in the Constitution that are now at grave risk. The fires of hatred and discord that are being ignited have taken a heavy toll on peoples’ lives. This is having serious social consequences,” she said.

The Congress chief underlined that while the vast majority of Indians want to live in an atmosphere of peace, amity, and harmony, the “BJP, its cohorts and surrogates want to keep our people in a state of perpetual frenzy and conflict. They constantly provoke, instigate and inflame”.

“We have to combat this growing virus of divisiveness that is being maliciously and mischievously spread. This we must do at all costs. We must sustain high economic growth to provide adequate employment opportunities for our youth, generate revenues needed for welfare programmes, and improve the standard of living of our people. But the worsening environment of social illiberalism and bigotry shakes the very foundations of economic growth.”

National News

28 Tourists From Kerala, Maharashtra Feared Missing After Uttarakhand Cloudburst And Landslides

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Kochi: A 28-member group of tourists, who are natives of Kerala, has gone missing after a cloudburst triggered massive mudslides in Uttarakhand, family members said on Wednesday.

Of the 28 individuals, 20 are reportedly from Kerala settled in Maharashtra, while the remaining eight are from various districts in Kerala, a relative of one of the couples in the group told the media.

She said the couple’s son last spoke to them a day ago.

“They said they were leaving from Uttarkashi to Gangotri at around 8.30 am that day. The landslides occurred along that route. We have been unable to contact them since they left,” she said.

She added that the Haridwar-based travel agency, which arranged the 10-day Uttarakhand tour, was also unable to provide any update on the group’s whereabouts.

“Their phones may have run out of battery by now. There is no mobile network in that region currently,” she said.

At least four people have been confirmed dead in the disaster that struck Dharali, an ecologically fragile region in Uttarakhand, following the cloudburst on Tuesday afternoon.

Officials said nearly half of Dharali was buried under a massive mudslide of slush, debris, and water. The village is a key stop on the route to Gangotri, the origin of the Ganga, and hosts several hotels and homestays.

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Crime

Bihar: BSc Student Shot Dead By Father-In-Law In Front Of His Wife In Darbhanga Over Intercaste Marriage, Accused Beaten Up By Hostel Students

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Darbhanga: A shocking incident surfaced from Bihar’s Darbhanga, where a man allegedly shot dead his son-in-law in front of his daughter. The deceased has been identified as Rahul Kumar, a 25-year-old second-year student of BSc (Nursing) at Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital.

The accused, Premshankar Jha, opened fire at Kumar in front of his newlywedded wife, Tannu Priya. Jha was upset due to Priya’s intercaste marriage with Kumar. The victim was rushed to a hospital. However, he could not survive.

Priya is a first-year nursing student. She got married to Kumar four months ago. They reportedly stayed on different floors in the same hostel building. The woman notices that a person wearing a hoodie approached her husband on Tuesday evening.

“He had a gun. It was my father, Premshankar Jha. He shot my husband in the chest, in front of my eyes. My husband fell into my lap,” she said as quoted by the media house. The woman alleged that her whole family was part of the conspiracy to kill her husband.

“We had also gone to court and said that my father and my brothers may harm me or my husband,” Priya added. Kumar’s friends also beat up Jha after he shot at the victim. He was also rushed to a hospital. The video of students beating up the accused also surfaced online.

After receiving the information, a senior official rushed to the spot. Jha was taken into custody. “A love affair was ongoing with the deceased, and a love marriage had taken place in April 2025. After the death incident, the people present there caught and beat Prem Shankar Jha, due to which Prem Shankar Jha is injured and has been sent to PMCH Patna for treatment,” the Darbhanga Police said.

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National News

Devastating Visuals: 2 Cloudbursts Reported In Uttarakhand; 4 Dead, 50 Missing

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Uttarkashi: Two cloudbursts were reported in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, on Tuesday, 5 August 2025. The cloudbursts caused severe flash floods along the Khir Ganga River, devastating villages including Dharali and Tharali.

At least four people were reported dead, and several others were missing, as villages were washed away after a major cloudburst struck the Dharali area near Harsil. Another cloudburst was reported in Sukhi Top, approximately 16 kilometers away. Resuce operations are underway.

Devastating visuals have surfaced from the scene. The video shows a strong water current flowing down the hills, leaving a trail of destruction behind.

The footage shows the flash floods destroying several houses within seconds. Whistles can be heard, blown to alert residents. The force of the water is so intense that the destruction of homes appears as though toy houses are being swept away. People can also be seen fleeing for their lives. At least 50 hotels are believed to be submerged or washed away.

The Jyotirmath-Malari motor road has been washed away due to the incessant rains and flooding. Authorities have requested travelers and locals to avoid unnecessary travel.

PM Modi Condoles Loss Of Lives

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of those who lost thier lives in the cloudburst.

“I express my condolences to the people affected by this tragedy in Dharali, Uttarkashi. Along with this, I pray for the well-being of all the victims. I have spoken to Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami ji and obtained information about the situation. Under the supervision of the state government, relief and rescue teams are engaged in every possible effort. No stone is being left unturned in providing assistance to the people,” he said in a post on X.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places over Uttarakhand on Tuesday.

Emergecy Numbers Issued

Uttarkashi District Emergency Operation Centre has issued the following emergency numbers: 01374222126, 01374222722, 9456556431

NDRF Teams

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Indo Tibetan Border Patrol (ITBP) teams have been deployed for rescue operations.

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