Aaminah Hernandez

 Key NDA allies JDU and LJP have expressed their disagreement with Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and criticised the state assembly's decision to discontinue its two-hour Friday break for Muslim MLAs to offer namaz. Sarma, however, defended the decision stating that it was reached through consensus among Hindu and Muslim legislators. JDU functionary Neeraj Kumar criticised the Assam govt's decision to end the practice of a two-hour adjournment for Jumma prayers in the state assembly. He said Sarma should focus instead on issues like poverty alleviation and flood prevention. "The decision made by the Assam chief minister is against the core principles of the country's Constitution. Every religious belief has the right to preserve its traditions. I want to ask CM Sarma: You are imposing a ban on Friday holidays during Ramzan and claim that this will increase work efficiency. A significant part of Hindu tradition is the Maa Kamakhya Temple - can you impose a ban...

 With a La Nina or a cooling of the central Pacific Ocean expected to firmly take root in September, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a rainy September with several parts of north India forecast to receive heavy rainfall. While the monsoon is expected to start retreating in September, the impact of the La Nina is likely to lead to vigorous “cyclonic activity” in the Bay of Bengal and consequently several episodes of rain for most of the month, Mrutunjay Mohapatra, Director General, IMD, said at a press conference on Saturday. Monsoon rainfall in September is expected to be 9% above what is usual for the month (16.8 cm). Given that monsoon rainfall is unequally distributed, this would mean that many parts of Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Delhi are likely to see heavy rains, according to the IMD’s forecast maps. “The monsoon withdrawal usually begins by mid-September but with heavy rainfall expected, it is too early to forecast it as of now,” Dr. Mohapatra said. R...

  The Indian Meteorological Department of India (IMD) has predicted heavy to very heavy rains in most parts of Gujarat till September 5. The weather agency said the state is out of the grip of the rare Cyclone Asna, which was expected over Saurashtra and Kutch regions but squally winds up to the speeds of 40 to 50 km per hour will be experienced. IMD has issued an orange alert for ‘heavy to very heavy rains’ at isolated areas in south Gujarat, while Vadodara, Bharuch, Anand, Narmada, Panchmahal, Dahod, and Chota Udepur are expected to witness heavy rains over the next few days. Gandhinagar, Aravalli, Ahmedabad and districts of Saurashtra-Kutch namely Rajkot, Jamnagar and several others will witness light to moderate thunderstorms with lightning, said IMD. Over the past few days, rainfall wreaked havoc in several parts of Gujarat, including cities like Vadodara and Ahmedabad. Severe waterlogging and massive flooding resulted in huge losses of lives and property in the state. Till da...

 PM Modi is most upset about Shivaji statue collapse and PMO officials are grilling both state government and the Navy for this mishap. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday took the blame for the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue collapse in Sindhudurg district on August 26 and asked for forgiveness from the Maratha people for the great Maratha king was his revered deity. “ For me, my colleagues and everyone, Chhatrapati Shivaji was not just a king. He is highly revered and worshipped by all. For us, he is our aaradhya dev (revered deity,” the PM said at the inauguration of the Vadhvan Port. Prime Minister Narendra Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi It is not that PM Modi either constructed the statue or installed it at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg district. He simply inaugurated the statue on December 4, 2023, which is celebrated as the Navy Day. The construction and installation of the 35-foot-tall statue was awarded to the lowest bidder (L-1), certified by architects a...