Left, Right & Centre

The latest in India's language wars. A parliament panel backs Hindi plus regional languages to replace English at centres of higher education. Southern states say this threatens India's linguistic diversity. Supporters say English is a relic of the colonial past. "Projecting Hindi speakers alone as Indian citizens and others as second-class citizens reeks of divide-and-rule," said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin as the parliament's language committee reportedly said centre-run educational institutions should switch away from English to "Hindi or local language." "Don't impose another language war on us," Mr Stalin said, directing his words at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose party BJP, as a stated policy, favours Hindi as a link among all states.

In the biggest escalation since the war started in Ukraine, Russia bombed the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, hitting several civilian areas and killing at least 11. The Russian offensive can be seen as retaliation for the Ukrainian attack on a Crimean bridge. With Russian President Vladmir Putin having threatened to use nuclear weapons, the risk of a nuclear strike remains very high.

 

Election Commission's decision to freeze Shiv Sena party name and symbol has sent both the Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde factions in a huddle. Who will finally win the battle for the legacy of Balasaheb Thackeray and the 'real Shiv Sena'?

Under fire for attending a Buddhist conversion ceremony, AAP cabinet minister Rajendra Pal Gautam has resigned. The minister had come under heavy attack from the BJP over the conversion event and the kind of oath that was administered to thousands there. The BJP had called the minister anti-Hindu and had also targeted Arvind Kejriwal over the event in Delhi. Is the minister's resignation guided by AAP's concerns about the controversy's fallout on the upcoming Gujarat polls?

The Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra found a mention in Home Minister Amit Shah's speech in Assam's Guwahati, where he inaugurated the party's new office that will serve as the north-east BJP's regional headquarters. Mr Shah took a swipe at the Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra, saying the Congress has been a silent spectator when Assam was being split apart. Mr Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the one who started the work of "Bharat jodo."

India is called the pharmacy of the world, but the news that 66 children in the West African nation of Gambia may have died after consuming Indian cough syrups has created ripples around the world, with the World Health Organisation making it clear that the death of the children was linked to syrups made by Maiden Phamaceuticals. On Left, Right & Centre tonight, we discuss what we know about the company, their history, and the role that the regulator plays in regulating and rolling out these drugs.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao or KCR, aspiring for a national role ahead of the 2024 election, launched the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), a new version of his party, at the recommended "auspicious time" of 1.19 pm today. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) is now BRS, KCR declared after a party meeting. The "name-change" was conveyed to the Election Commission, which has rules for recognising any party as national. Would KCR take on  Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2024 national election?

It is the latest in the running battle between Delhi Lieutenant Governor and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party. Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena said he wants an immediate investigation into the AAP's popular power subsidy scheme in Delhi, a move the Aam Aadmi Party says  is illegal, unconstitutional and politically motivated. Mr Saxena reports to the centre, ruled by the BJP. The AAP said it believes it will be continuously targeted ahead of the Gujarat election later this year. The Lieutenant Governor's order to probe the Delhi power subsidy comes on a day when the entire debate on freebies announced by political parties has moved into sharp focus, with the Election Commission proposing an information-sharing plan for parties to explain how they will fund their election promises.

In a big boost to its combat prowess, the Indian Air Force on Monday inducted the first batch of indigenously developed Light Combat Helicopters, named Prachand, that are capable of firing a range of missiles and other weapons. The Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), developed by state-run aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), has been primarily designed for deployment in high-altitude regions. It was inducted into the IAF at a ceremony in Jodhpur in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has apologised to Sonia Gandhi and taken responsibility for over 90 MLAs threatening to resign. Mr Gehlot has said he will not run for Congress President and has taken "moral responsibility" for the Rajasthan crisis. The Congress said Sonia Gandhi will decide "in a day or two" whether Mr Gehlot would remain Chief Minister. With his apology and an election next year, Mr Gehlot may just hold on to his job. More than 90 MLAs had threatened mass resignation over reports that if Mr Gehlot ran for Congress President, he would be replaced by his rival Sachin Pilot.