Daily briefing: Oppn parties spell out ‘alternative agenda’ to counter BJP; Kirit Somaiya’s ‘sex video’ on TV channel; and more

Meanwhile, as all eyes were on the Opposition and NDA meetings in Bengaluru and Delhi respectively on Tuesday, parties like BSP, BJD, JD(S), Akali Dal, BRS, YSRCP, INLD, AIMIM and AIUDF stayed away from either due to the politics at play in their states, their equations with specific parties, or their desire to come across as neutral.

🏠 Only in Express

In his weekly column, C Raja Mohan writes as India becomes a major economic entity with significant geopolitical heft, its ability to shape the intersection between its extended neighbourhood and the world will rapidly grow.

📰 From the Front Page

A Delhi court Tuesday granted two-day interim bail to BJP MP and outgoing Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh who has been accused by six women wrestlers of sexual harassment, assault and stalking.

BJP leader and former MP Kirit Somaiya drew Opposition fire in Maharashtra over a purported video that showed him in a compromising position with a woman. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a high-level probe into the matter.

The third meeting of G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) in Gandhinagar ended Tuesday with a Chair Summary and Outcome Document following lack of consensus on the “language” of a communique regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Hence, it would be up to the leaders at the G20 Summit in September to take the call.

👩‍💻 Must read

In Pune’s Ashtavinayak investment scam, which affected over 250 people and led to the suicide of a 46-year-old IT professional, hundreds of victims point to ‘collusion’ and bankers say accused Selva Nadar’s firm may have exploited gaps in the system and concessions granted to ‘privileged clients’ with ‘high incomes and trusted employers’. We take a look.

After two cheetahs died of suspected septicaemia from festering neck wounds caused by radio collars in Kuno last week, similar injuries have been spotted in at least another three animals — Oban, Elton, and Freddie. We explain why the cheetahs are at higher risk due to their radio collars.

Three out of 11 districts in Delhi have seen the headcount ratio — proportion of population that lives below the poverty threshold — of the multi-dimensionally poor increase even as the Capital witnessed an improvement in multidimensional poverty between 2015-16 and 2019-2021. This is how the rest of the city fared.

⌛ And finally

An MBA from Srinagar, Hinan Manzoor can never forget meeting a school kid from his area who was addicted to drugs. The incident led to him and his friends deciding to help the youngsters in the neighbourhood to kick the habit, and within a year, they would join hands to form a football club called Downtown Heroes FC. What started as a rag-tag team, and went on to finish second in I-League 2, is currently leading the Jammu & Kashmir Football Association (JKFA) Professional League.

As the Opposition announced the name of its new alliance I.N.D.I.A, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma responded by saying that the BJP is standing for Bharat, and the British had named the country India. Sarma then became the first BJP leader to change his Twitter bio to reflect this line of attack: from “Chief Minister of Assam, India” to “Chief Minister of Assam, BHARAT”. Don’t miss today’s Delhi Confidential for more!

In the latest episode of our 3 Things podcast, we discuss the legacy of former Kerala Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader Oommen Chandy, why the central government withdrew the allocation of 1.44 lakh houses from about 24 states and union territories under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin, and  the shift in India’s approach to food security challenges since the pandemic.

Until next time

Anamni Gupta and Ayesha Jain