New Delhi: As the assembly elections in Bihar are drawing closer, the political atmosphere has started to heat. Congress MP and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Monday warned the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that he would soon drop “vote chori hydrogen bomb” and what he claimed about Mahadevpura was just an “atom bomb”.

The BJP hit out at Gandhi for his remarks. The saffron party termed the Congress MP’s statement “demeaning” and questioned Gandhi over the use of terms “hydrogen bomb” and “atom bomb”.

“Whenever I listen to Rahul Gandhi, inside or outside the Parliament, it takes time to understand what he is trying to say. Today he has said, ‘maine atom bomb phoda hai ab mai hydrogen bomb phodunga’ (I have dropped an atom bomb, now I will drop a hydrogen bomb)… How are the atom bomb and the hydrogen bomb related to the elections?” former union minister and senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

“Why is Rahul Gandhi demeaning himself as the Leader of Opposition… The nation should understand, Rahul Gandhi is irresponsible,” he added.

Responding to Gandhi’s allegations that the Election Commission and the BJP had conspired to steal votes in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections, Prasad said that the poll body assured that booths should not be captured in Bihar.

“Thanks to the Election Commission that booths are not captured now in Bihar… They are deeply pained by the fact that they cannot capture booths now, which is why they demand ballot paper time and again… Their whole agitation against the Election Commission and the SIR is centred around ‘give us the right and might to capture booths, tear away ballot papers, and let infiltrators vote’,” the BJP leader stated.

Prasad also stated that during the ‘voter adhikar yatra’, Tejashwi Yadav was also seen behind Gandhi.

“Throughout their yatra, Rahul Gandhi was always in the front of the car, and Tejashwi Yadav stood behind him… Patna has two MPs, one of whom is me and the other is Misa Bharti. She was nowhere to be seen… Why has Tejashwi Yadav been reduced to a number 2 player in Bihar? Congress has no vote here and is completely at your mercy, and you have become a number 2 player,” he said.

Meanwhile, addressing a gathering on the last day of the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’, Gandhi said that “forces who murdered Mahatma Gandhi are now trying to destroy the Constitution of India.” Notably, during jis 16-day-long ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’, the LoP also alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.

“The forces that murdered Mahatma Gandhi, the same forces are trying to destroy the Constitution of Dr BR Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi. We will not let them destroy the Constitution of India…We received a lot of support during the yatra. Every youth, children of Bihar stood with us,” Gandhi said in Patna.

“I want to say to the people of BJP, that, in Mahadevpura, we had shown atom bomb, but soon we will come with a hydrogen bomb, BJP get ready. Their truth will be shown to the country. I express gratitude to the people of Bihar for helping us… I guarantee you, after the hydrogen bomb, Narendra Modi ji won’t be able to show his face to this country,” he added.

The Congress MP further termed the vote theft a “theft of rights, reservation, employment, education, democracy.”

The assembly elections in Bihar are set to take place later this year. However, the Election Commission is yet to announce the dates.

Chandigarh: Heavy rains have lashed Punjab over the past few days, causing floods in several parts of the state. Thousands of acres of agricultural land are damaged. while several houses were washed away in floods.

On Monday, Ludhiana recorded the highest rainfall of 216.70 mm. According to the Met department here, several places in Punjab and Haryana received rain during the 24-hour period ending 8:30 am Monday.

Among other places in Punjab which received rain included Amritsar (24.1 mm), Patiala (80.4 mm), Pathankot (3.6 mm), Bathinda (3 mm), Faridkot (10.2 mm), Gurdaspur (2.7 mm), SBS Nagar (112.7 mm), Mohali (64 mm), Mansa (42 mm) and Rupnagar (82.5 mm).

– Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi rivers and regional rivulets have swollen due to incessant rainfall in their catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

– Over 1,000 villages have been affected across several districts of the state.

– Villages worst-affected by the floods were in Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Fazilka, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur, and Amritsar districts.

– The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF), and the Border Security Force (BSF) are assisting local administration and the Punjab Police in rescue and relief operations.

– Over 11,000 people have been rescued so far from nine flood-hit districts, including Gurdaspur, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Kapurthala, and Amritsar, reported Akashvani, citing sources

– The Punjab government on Monday announced the closure of all colleges, universities, and polytechnic institutes till September 3.

“Due to continuous heavy rainfall across Punjab since last night, all colleges, universities, and polytechnic institutes will also remain closed till 3rd September 2025 with immediate effect. The responsibility for the well-being of students residing in hostels lies with the respective administrations. Everyone is requested to strictly follow the guidelines issued by local authorities,” Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said in his X post.

– The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for parts of Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh, warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall over several districts on Monday.

– According to the IMD’s Nowcast, heavy rainfall is very likely in several districts of Punjab, including Patiala, Anandpur Sahib, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr, Kapurthala, and Ludhiana.

– Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday spoke to Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, and took stock of the flood situation.

– During the telephonic conversations, the governor and the chief minister briefed the home minister about the prevailing situation and the steps taken by the administration for the rescue and relief of the people affected. He assured them of all possible help to deal with the flood, officials said.

– A rain alert has also been issued for several districts of Haryana, including Ambala and Panchkula.

Mumbai: Six minors – three girls and three boys – aged between 12 and 17 have gone missing within just 24 hours between August 27 and 28, officials said on Sunday.

The sudden spate of disappearances has left both parents and the police deeply concerned. Missing complaints have been registered at Shivaji Nagar, Malad, Kurar, and Ghatkopar police stations. Police have registered kidnapping cases against unidentified persons and launched a probe.

So far, no ransom calls have been reported, though officials said all possibilities are being examined, including the likelihood of elopement in a few cases.

To intensify the search, police have circulated photos of the missing children across crowded city areas including railway stations, bus depots, hospitals, and other public places. Special ‘missing squads’ have been activated in all police stations.