The West Bengal government and the ruling Trinamool Congress have received unprecedented support from its arch-political rival CPI(M) on the issue of the Governor C.V. Ananda Bose suggesting the Union government consider provisions of Article 356 of the Indian Constitution in his report on the communal violence in Murshidabad district.

The CPI(M) state secretary in West Bengal and the party’s politburo member, Md Salim, on Monday, issued a statement claiming that the transfer of power from the state government to that of the Governor through the President’s rule will not solve the problems of West Bengal.

“It is beyond doubt that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is also the state home minister and the state police minister, failed miserably in maintaining the law & order situation in the state. But that does not mean that the problems will be solved if there is a transfer in power to the Governor through President’s Rule,” Salim said.

 Explaining the boycott of the BBMB meeting, Aam Aadmi Party senior leader and Cabinet Minister Barinder Goyal stated, “We are not opposing Haryana or any other state from receiving water. We are simply protecting Punjab’s rightful share. Water belonging to Punjab cannot be wrongfully given to any other state.”

 Addressing the media, Barinder Goyal said that BBMB has given Punjab more wounds than water. “To build the dams, 370 villages in Punjab were displaced, and we lost 27,000 acres of land. Millions of people living there were rendered homeless during the process, and some of them have not received compensation to this day.”

 “Despite such sacrifices, Punjab receives only 35% of the water from the dams, while 65% goes to other states. We didn’t object to this because water is a matter of life. Our issue now is that BBMB is being pressured to forcibly give Punjab’s rightful share of water to Haryana. Haryana had already used up its entire share of water by March.”

 The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) strongly condemned the BJP-led governments at the Center and Haryana for their repeated attempts to rob Punjab of its rightful share of water. AAP leader and Senior Spokesperson Neel Garg exposed the misleading claims made by Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini regarding water allocation and usage.

“Today, we witnessed another brazen attempt by the BJP to distort facts and mislead the people. Haryana CM Nayab Saini falsely claimed that Haryana is only asking for its share of water, but the data tells a very different story,” said Garg.

J&K National Conference (NC) President Farooq Abdullah on Saturday visited Kashmir’s Pahalgam and interacted with tourists and expressed solidarity with the victims, who fell to terror bullets on April 22, which saw the death of 26 people, mostly civilians.

“I came here (Pahalgam) and felt very happy. When I saw that people have come from Maharashtra as well, and after what happened (terror attack), they all told me they are not afraid. They said, ‘We have come to stand with our fellow citizens.’ I also spoke to their children, even the youngest ones, and they said, ‘We are not afraid.’ They want to show those who committed this act that we are not scared of them. This is a very powerful message,” the NC president told IANS, who was accompanied by party leaders and local representatives.

Madhya Pradesh Sports and Youth Welfare Minister, Vishwas Sarang, on Saturday said that those targeting Hindu girls for "love-jihad" and raping minor girls, deserve no leniency and should be "shot dead".

The Minister's remarks came a day after Farhan, the prime accused in the shocking case of sexual assault and blackmailing of girls, was shot in the leg when he tried to seize the pistol from the police.

"Those who commit heinous crime and rape minor girls should be shot dead. Such criminals are a burden on human society, and they deserve no leniency. It would have been better if the police shot him (Farhan) in his chest, instead of leg," Sarang, a senior BJP leader and MLA from Bhopal's Narela constituency, said.

Kotak Mahindra Bank on Saturday reported 7.56 per cent drop in its consolidated profit after tax (PAT) at Rs 4,933 crore in the fourth quarter of FY25, from Rs 5,337 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous financial year (FY24).

Kotak Securities saw its standalone PAT declining at Rs 348 crore in Q4 FY25, down 7.9 per cent from Rs 378 crore in the year-ago quarter, as per its stock exchange filing.

Net interest income (NII) for FY25 increased to Rs 28,342 crore, from Rs 25,993 crore in FY24, up 9 per cent and for Q4 FY25, it increased to Rs 7,284 crore, from Rs 6,909 crore in Q4 FY24, up 5 per cent YoY.

Operating profit for FY25 increased to Rs 21,006 crore from Rs 19,587 crore in FY24, and for Q4 FY25, it stood at Rs 5,472 crore (Rs 5,462 crore in Q4 FY24).

Karnataka Police have arrested eight people in connection with the murder of Hindu activist Suhas Shetty, which occurred in the communally-sensitive city of Mangaluru. In a significant move to prevent further communal violence in the region, the Karnataka government has decided to form an Anti-Communal Task Force.

Minister for Home, G. Parameshwara, while addressing a joint press conference on Saturday alongside senior police officers and Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao — who is also the district incharge minister for Mangaluru — announced that the eight accused in the Suhas Shetty murder case have been arrested.

HM Parameshwara stated, “The police department will provide more detailed information regarding the arrests. To prevent incidents of communal violence, an Anti-Communal Task Force will be set up to operate in the Mangaluru and Udupi districts.”

The Delhi government on Saturday launched a 'Mobile Registration Campaign' under the Ayushman Vaya Vandana Yojana, a major healthcare initiative for senior citizens aged 70 and above in the national Capital.

The scheme, part of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), promises free treatment of up to Rs 10 lakh per beneficiary.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta flagged off the campaign from the RK Puram Assembly constituency, where Delhi Cabinet Minister Sardar Manjinder Singh Sirsa and local MLA Anil Sharma were also present.

The campaign will deploy 70 mobile vans, one in each of the 70 Assembly constituencies, over a period of 70 days to facilitate the registration process for elderly citizens.

Speaking at the launch, Chief Minister Gupta said, "In Delhi, for all the senior citizens aged 70 and above, a special initiative is being launched under the Vaya Vandana Yojana. To facilitate their registration, 70 vehicles will be deployed across 70 Assembly constituencies for 70 days, marking the completion of 70 days of government service."

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday sanctioned an ex-gratia relief of Rs 25 lakh to the next of kin of four family members who lost their lives in a tragic incident caused by heavy rain and storm in Kharkhari village, Najafgarh.

In a message on social media platform X, the Chief Minister’s office said the relief would be given to victim’s family head Ajay.

The four victims were killed when strong winds and heavy rainfall led to the collapse of a tree on a tubewell room.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Friday inaugurated and laid foundation stones for development projects worth Rs 1,156 crore in Vadodara.

Addressing the audience, CM Patel remarked on the importance of digital discipline, saying that people, especially the youth, must learn to manage their time on mobile devices.

"If we can't step away from screens ourselves, how can we expect our children to?" he asked.