National News
Pawar Vs Pawar: Factions Trade Insults and Recriminations

Mumbai: Chances of reconciliation between NCP leader Sharad Pawar and his rebel nephew Ajit Pawar, who has made a play for the party, dwindled following yet another day of high-stakes political games on Wednesday.
Ajit Pawar, who joined the BJP-Shiv Sena government as deputy chief minister last week, on Wednesday declared that he would be the chief minister “one day”, creating significant discomfiture among his newfound allies.
Beware of BJP: NCP Supremo on ‘You are now 83’ comment by Ajit Pawar
The newly minted deputy CM advised his 83-year-old uncle to retire and give the rebels his blessings. “You are now 83. Are you going to stop some day or not? Give us your blessings, we need them. You are our hero. I told Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule to convince himto retire. But she told me he is stubborn. He won’t listen,” Ajit Pawar said.
The octogenarian leader, however, had a word of advice for his nephew. He asked him to beware of the BJP, “which finishes off its allies”.
Sharad Pawar justified the NCP’s alliance with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, calling the party inclusive, “unlike the Hindutva of the BJP, which is divisive and toxic”.
Sule, meanwhile, came to her father’s defence, and pointed out that businessmen Ratan Tata and Cyrus Poonawala and actor Amitabh Bachhan were all in their eighties, yet remained very active. “Age is only a number,” she said.
Ajit Pawar also claimed that his uncle was fully in the loop when the BJP and NCP decided to form a coalition government in 2019.
“Five meetings took place at the residence of a prominent businessman and senior BJP and NCP leaders were in attendance. The decision was taken and I was asked to go [for the swearing-in]. Later everything was backtracked and instead we went with the Shiv Sena,” he claimed.
He also said that in 2017, the NCP had attempted to join hands with the BJP, but the latter preferred to be with Shiv Sena.
‘Sharad Pawar should stop politics now and only give advice’
“Our leaders said we will not go with Shiv Sena since it is a communal party. But in 2019 we were asked to join hands with the Shiv Sena. If the Sena was a communal party in 2017, why was it acceptable to cohabit with it in 2019?” Ajit Pawar asked.
He also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the developmental work he had implemented in the past nine years. There was no alternative to Modi in 2024, he claimed. “Sharad Pawar should stop politics now and only give advice.”
Sharad Pawar warned his nephew that he and his supporters were committing political harakiri by casting their lot with the BJP.
“Those who join hands with the BJP and share power with it eventually get destroyed. The BJP’s policy is to steadily weaken its political allies. There are enough examples of this in other states. Akali Dal was with the BJP for many years, but now it is nowhere. Similar situation unfolded in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar. In Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar realised this and switched to an alliance with the RJD,” he said.
Crime
Karnataka KRIDL Office Assistant, Once A Sweeper, Found With Properties Worth Over ₹100 Crore

Bengaluru: A sweeper, turned outsourced office assistant at the Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Corporation (KRIDL) in Koppal district has been the owner of properties worth over Rs 100 crore.
The shocking revelation came after the Karnataka Lokayukta raided the KRIDL office in Koppal, following a complaint against the Chief Executive Engineer Z M Chincholikar that there has been misappropriation of funds to the tune of Rs 72 crore in the works taken up between 2022 – 2024.
However, during the raid, the Lokayukta police grew suspicious over the office assistant Kalakappa Nidagundi of Bandi village in neighbouring Yalaburga taluk. Both Chincholikar and Nidagundi were immediately suspended and the search operations continued. However, Chincholikar managed to obtain a stay from the KAT and has been transferred to Davanagere.
During the search operations, the Lokayukta police stumbled on interesting facts about Kalakappa Nidagundi. He started his career as a sweeper in the KRIDL office, Koppal. Later in 2003, he was registered as an outsourced employee and made the office assistant. Since then, he has been the office assistant of the Koppal division.
While investigating the Rs 72 crore misappropriation in 108 works taken up by KRIDL during 2022-2024, the Lokayukta police realised that Kalakappa Nidagundi was the mastermind of the scam. The Lokayukta police decided to go after the property he had amassed and were shocked to see that he was owning two luxurious cars, along with other properties, which is worth over Rs 100 crore.
According to Lokayukta police, Nidagundi has 24 houses in Koppal and Bhagya Nagar near Bagalakot. He has over 40 acres of farmland in the name of his wife, brother and brother-in-law. Besides, he owns over 50 housing plots in places like Bandi, Hitnal, Huligi and Yalaburga. The Lokayukta police have seized two cars, two bikes, 350 gms of gold and 1.5 kg silver from his house, which were unaccounted for.
National News
‘My Mother’s Tears Fell When Terrorists Killed My Father’: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Reacts To Union HM Amit Shah’s Remarks On Sonia Gandhi’s Tears

New Delhi: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks referencing her mother, Sonia Gandhi’s tears, stating that her mother wept when her father, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, was killed by terrorists, and that she understands the pain of the Pahalgam terror victims.
Addressing the Lok Sabha during the discussion on Operation Sindoor, Priyanka Gandhi said, “Union Home Minister spoke about my mother’s tears today. I want to answer this. My mother’s tears fell when terrorists killed my father. Today, when I talk about those 26 people (victims of the Pahalgam attack), it is because I understand their pain.”
Her remarks came after Union Minister Shah said that Sonia Gandhi was “sobbing” at the Batla House incident.
“I remember one morning during breakfast, I saw Salman Khurshid crying on the TV. He was coming out of Sonia Gandhi’s residence… He said that Sonia Gandhi was sobbing at the Batla House incident. She should have cried for Shaheed Mohan Sharma instead of the terrorists of the Batla house…” Shah had said.
Further questioning the Union Home Minister over the ceasefire, Priyanka Gandhi said, “The Union Home Minister today spoke about what Nehru and Indira Gandhi did. He even went on to talk about my mother’s tears. But he never answered why the ceasefire was announced…”
Furthermore, Congress leader Vadra accused the government of “escaping” the questions and having “no sense” of accountability towards the citizens of the nation.
“This government always tries to escape the questions…They have no sense of accountability towards the citizens of the nation. The truth is that they have no place for the public in their heart. For them, everything is politics, publicity…” she said.
“Most of the people who are sitting in this House today have a security cover…But on that day in Pahalgam, 26 people were killed in front of their families. All those people who were present in Baisaran Valley on that day did not have any security. No matter how many operations you conduct, you cannot hide behind the truth…” she stated.
Maharashtra
Mumbai 26 July 2005 Floods: When City Was Submerged With 944 mm Of Rain In 24 Hours Leaving 914 Dead, Thousands Displaced

Every year, the monsoon season disrupts life across Indian cities with heavy rainfall, waterlogging and traffic chaos. But July 26, 2005, stands out as a day that etched itself into Mumbai’s history as one of its darkest and most devastating.
On that day, Mumbai received an unprecedented 944 mm of rain in just 24 hours, nearly half of its annual average. Between 8 am and 8 pm alone, 644 mm poured down. It remains the eighth-highest 24-hour rainfall ever recorded anywhere in the world. The city, unprepared for such intensity, was brought to a grinding halt.
Internet Flooded With Old Visuals, Still Haunting Mumbaikars
Several netizens took to social media to share haunting visuals from the 2005 Mumbai floods, recalling the day when the city came to a complete standstill. Many described it as an unforgettable chapter in Mumbai’s history, marked by chaos, resilience and unity.
While some reflected on the overwhelming scale of the disaster, others remembered how the crisis revealed the undying spirit of Mumbai, with strangers helping each other and communities coming together in the face of adversity.
Mumbai’s Lifeline Took Serious Hit, 52 Local Trains Damaged
As floodwaters rose, roads vanished beneath torrents of water. Local trains, the city’s lifeline, stopped completely, with tracks submerged and 52 trains damaged. Thousands were stranded in stations, schools and offices overnight. Low-lying areas like Dharavi and the Bandra-Kurla Complex were heavily inundated, while vehicles were swept away or immobilised.
The scale of disruption was staggering. Over 37,000 auto-rickshaws, 4,000 taxis, 900 BEST buses and 10,000 trucks and tempos were either damaged or rendered unusable. Even the skies were no refuge. For the first time ever, Mumbai’s airports shut down, with Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and the Juhu airstrip closed for more than 30 hours. More than 700 flights were cancelled or delayed, creating nationwide ripples in air traffic.
Over 900 Killed, Property Worth ₹5.5 Billion Destroyed
The economic loss was estimated at Rs 5.5 billion (around 100 million USD). But the cost in human lives and suffering was far greater. According to official reports, 914 people lost their lives, many due to drowning, electrocution and landslides. More than 14,000 homes were destroyed, leaving thousands without shelter, food or drinking water.
Communication networks also failed. Around 5 million mobile users and 2.3 million landline connections went dead for several hours, hampering emergency rescue operations. Emergency services were overwhelmed, as the city grappled with a disaster it had never imagined.
The 2005 floods served as a harsh wake-up call, exposing Mumbai’s vulnerability to extreme weather. In the years since, the government has worked on improving disaster preparedness, such as creating specialised disaster management units, upgrading early warning systems and installing floodgates and dewatering pumps at critical points.
Yet, even two decades later, as visuals from 2005 resurface each year, a haunting question persists: Is Mumbai truly prepared to face another flood of that magnitude?
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