Updated December 25th, 2021 at 11:17 IST
Republic Top 10 Headlines: BJP laughs at TMC; Cong's CM candidate for Punjab polls & more
Republic Top 10 Headlines: Congress to not declare CM candidate in Punjab polls amid Sidhu-Channi tussle; Rahul, Priyanka slam communal speech at Haridwar.
Congress To Not Declare CM Candidate In Punjab Polls Amid Sidhu-Channi Tussle: Sources
In a key development, sources revealed that Congress has decided to not project any leader as the Chief Ministerial face in the Punjab Assembly polls due early next year. The Sonia Gandhi-led party is likely to contest the election under the collective leadership to balance caste equations in the state, sources added. This assumes significance as CM Charanjit Singh Channi is a Dalit Sikh, state president Navjot Singh Sidhu is a Jat Sikh whereas Deputy CM OP Soni hails from the Hindu community.
BJP Laughs At TMC As 5 Goa Netas Quit; Says 'Mamata Embarrassing Bengal Across India'
Scoffing at its primary rival - TMC, BJP Bengal and Goa poked fun at TMC chief Mamata Banerjee on Friday, after 5 TMC leaders quit the party, terming it 'communal'. BJP alleged that Banerjee was embarrassing West Bengal across India with her violent politics and misgovernance in the state. It added that these were resulting backlash in Tripura and Goa. The coastal state, along with Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Punjab go to the polls in February 2022.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Birth Anniversary: President Kovind And PM Modi Pay Homage To Ex-PM
President Ram Nath Kovind along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, Union Minister Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sitharaman, Hardeep Singh Puri, and many others paid their tributes to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 97th birth anniversary on Saturday.
President Kovind & PM Modi Extend Christmas Greetings; Recall Teachings Of Jesus Christ
On the occasion of Christmas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his greetings to the citizens, recalling the 'life and noble teachings of Jesus Christ'. In a tweet, PM Modi noted that Jesus Christ's teachings are based on 'service, kindness and humility'.
Ghulam Nabi Azad Attacks Centre: 'Maharaja Hari Singh's Rule Better Than Today's Regime'
Escalating his attack on the Centre, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad opined that Maharaja Hari Singh's rule was much better than the current dispensation. Speaking to the media on Friday, Azad contended that the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir had taken more steps for the welfare of people despite being categorized as a "dictator" and "autocrat". To buttress his point, the ex-J&K CM complained that the BJP regime had scrapped the Darbar move and the safeguards for locals detailed in Article 370.
Sena Opposes Poll Deferment; Says 'Allahabad HC Should Stick To Justice & Not Do Politics'
As states issue COVID guidelines and rise of Omicron variant, Shiv Sena on Saturday, chided PM Modi for not practising his own advice and holding large poll rallies. Sena, via its mouthpiece Saamana, lamented that crowds were milling at marriage functions, events and rallies at the five poll-bound states. The Election Commission has assured its preparation ready to hold polls amid COVID case rise.
Rahul & Priyanka Gandhi Slam Communal Speech At Haridwar Event; Questions BJP's Silence
Shocked at the blatantly communal speech in the 'Dharam Sansad' at Haridwar, top Congress leaders - Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh, Salman Khurshid and others slammed it. The Wayanad MP, who has been promoting the 'Hindu Vs Hindutva' debate said 'Hindutva always spread hatred and violence and Hindu-Muslim-Sikh-Christian pay the price'. An FIR has been filed by Uttarakhand police against Wasim Rizvi aka Jitendra Tyagi and others under Section 153A (promoting enmity between different religious groups) IPC in connection to the event.
Uttarakhand Min Harak Singh Rawat Set To Join Congress Even As BJP MLA Avers 'all Is Well'
After announcing his resignation during a Cabinet meeting on Friday, Uttarakhand Labour Minister Harak Singh Rawat is likely to join Congress, sources told Republic TV. Having served as an MLA in both Uttar Pradesh as well as Uttarakhand, he has been a part of BSP and Congress in the past. Switching allegiance from the Sonia Gandhi-led party to BJP in 2017, he won from the Kotdwar Assembly constituency and became a Minister in the state government. Sources indicated that Rawat has held several meetings with Congress MLA Pritam Singh in the recent past.
UK's Daily COVID Cases Hit Record High As Over 1.22 Lakh Infections Reported In 24 Hours
The United Kingdom, on Friday, recorded the highest number of coronavirus cases, nearly double than seven days ago, the country's health department said. According to the data released by the ministry, the UK has reported at least 1,22,186 new cases in the last 24 hours. The cases are 2,000 higher than Thursday's figure. In addition, the country has reported at least 23,719 additional confirmed cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
US FDA Approves Improved Rapid At-home COVID Test Kit As Hotspots Face Acute Shortage
As the United States is grappling to meet demands for at-home COVID testing kits fuelled by skyrocketing COVID-19 cases coinciding with Omicron, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday approved Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche's improved rapid at-home test kits. In a statement released by the company, Roche announced that its at-home COVID test kits have been endorsed for Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA), and it will be ready for a massive rollout from January 2022 across the US.
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Published December 25th, 2021 at 11:17 IST