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The battle-hardened Rafale aircraft has proven its capabilities in various conflict zones, including Afghanistan, Libya and Syria. Equipped with a formidable arsenal of potent weapons, this fighter jet possesses lethal capabilities, The Rafale—produced by the renowned French defence company Dassault Aviation—was first introduced into operational service with the French Navy in 2004 and, later, with the French Air Force in 2006. India-France agreement during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France on July 13 and 14 on the supply of the latest variant of Rafale is a big boost to the country’s defence capability.

LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party national President Akhilesh Yadav is under pressure from alliance partner RLD and minority community to take Congress in anti-BJP front in Uttar Pradesh. Akhilesh Yadav has shown his reservation to join hands with Congress for an alliance in UP as he is not willing to give more seats to the national party. UP send 80 members to the Lok Sabha, the largest by any state in the country.

Several data on poverty and hunger have recently been released by some international organisations on the basis of which it has been widely reported by the media favourable to PM Narendra Modi led government that India has worked wonder in reducing incidence of poverty and hunger in the last several decades. Politically, it hides the failure of the present ruling establishment in mitigating poverty and hunger that remains not only alarmingly high, but also the extreme possibility that the country would miss the SDG deadlines of poverty and hunger free India by 2030.

Five days ago, Congress leader Priyanka Vadra Gandhi said that once in power at the Centre, a Congress-led government will abolish the Agniveer scheme. She said that a “professional army of full-term soldiers” cannot be replaced by ragtag “mercenaries for hire”. Priyanka Vadra Gandhi is right. If the Modi government should be thrown out for any single damning reason, it is for destroying the might of India’s armed forces, a war-winning machine, with the harebrained ‘Agniveer’ scheme.

With an eye on Rajbanshi community votes in next year's Lok Sabha elections, Bengal BJP is supporting the candidacy of Greater Coochbehar People's Movement leader, Ananta Maharaj who is known for his divisive activities. The move to keep its support base in the areas inhabited by Rajbanshis, the saffron camp has triggered intra-party resentment, as also strong protests by the common citizens.

The second conclave of the opposition parties is now scheduled to be held in Bengaluru on July 17 and 18 to take forward the decisions arrived at the first Patna conclave of 16 parties held on June 23. The Bengaluru conclave hosted by the Congress Party will have representation from eight more parties compared to the first meeting and that signals that despite setback to the Sharad Pawar led NCP in Maharashtra due to BJP machinations, the call for all out unity against the ruling BJP before the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, is getting wider response.

“I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved,” declared Dr Ambedkar nearly a century back to a gathering of over 3000 women in 1927. This statement made by Dr Ambedkar still remains a good yardstick to gauge the progress of any society, including ours. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently made a fervent pitch to “Indian Muslim sisters and daughters” to support the Bharatiya Janata Party claiming that it is the party that delivered gender justice to Muslim women by abolishing the practice of Triple Talaq.

People used to call Manipur the Jewel of India. Later, the government also borrowed that word to decorate their advertisement hoardings. The history, culture and arts of Manipur were evolved through periods of time in which the people played their due role. Meiteis, Kukis and Nagas form the population of the beautiful territory. Meiteis are in large numbers followed by Kukis and Nagas. Facing the odds of life, they were living in peace and harmony.

The massive victory of the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress in the panchayat polls in West Bengal has sent signals to all the national political parties — the BJP, the Congress and the CPI(M) — about its consequences on the politics of the state, as also the impact on the Lok Sabha elections scheduled in March-April 2024.

Warring BJP factions in Chhattisgarh have become too disorderly to be reined in by the Central leadership pushing the BJP on slippery ground in this poll bound state, where elections are scheduled to be held by the end of 2023. It is precisely for this reason the state BJP has been put under collective leadership, which is an unprecedented move in the history of the state BJP. Obviously, there won’t be a chief minister face of the party. Rather, the party would bank on PM Narendra Modi.