A case of inciting speech has surfaced during the Muharram procession in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur. On 7th July, a young man was captured on a vehicle reiterating the decade-old, communal “15 minutes” speech of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Akbaruddin Owaisi. The Muslim youth threatened that Owaisi wanted 15 minutes (to massacre Hindus) but they require only 5 minutes, resulting in a furious reaction from the majority community, social outfits and Hindu organisations. They demanded strict action from the administration.
The matter pertained to Piprauli town of Gorakhpur district. The video also went viral on social media after which locals took to the streets in protest on 8th July. The members of the Hindu community also shut down the market and encircled the police station as well as submitted an application of complaint. Afterward, the authorities filed a case under serious charges against Jamil Ahmed, Sahil Ahmed, and Mujibul Islam, also known as Sheru, along with hundred unidentified individuals.
As the situation intensified, the police arrested the three accused on 9th July, who were later seen apologising and begging with their folded hands. Superintendent of Police (SP) North Jitendra Kumar Srivastava stated that the Gida police have presented them in court after which they were remanded to jail. Three police teams have been established to identify the remaining offenders. They will conduct an investigation and apprehend them based on the evidence available. Police teams have been carrying out raids to locate other fugitives who are evading capture.
“We only need 5 minutes, not 15 minutes. We will tell what we can do. We will repeat this even in Gujarat,” a “mourner” threatened aggressively from the top of a vehicle with a microphone in hand. He then inquired of the crowd, “Shout loudly how much did I say? Not 15, just 5 minutes.” His extremist audience cheered in agreement with the provocative remark. However, the threat unsettled many residents, as they feared that an unpleasant incident could take place.
During an event in 2012, Owaisi had warned that India’s 25 crore Muslims would teach a lesson to 100 crore Hinuds if the police were removed from the country for 15 minutes. Furthermore, he made multiple insulting comments about Hinduism, Hindu deities and the entire community.
He has also referred to his speech, subtly threatening Hindus on multiple occasions. Moreover, Islamists have been utilizing his statement to intimidate the community ever since.
A violent clash broke out in the Deoband area of Saharanpur district in Uttar Pradesh on the night of Sunday, 6th July, when a Dalit wedding procession was violently attacked by a group from the Muslim community for playing DJ music near a mosque.
The police and witnesses alleged that the conflict over the wedding of the two daughters of one Mange Ram, a resident of the village. One of the two wedding processions was proceeding from the Sadharanpur village and went past a mosque in Amarpur gadhi village while playing loud DJ music. Members of the Muslim community reportedly protested, expressing that it was time to offer namaz (prayer), and insisting on stopping the music. Upon the refusal by the wedding party, the argument escalated into a violent attack.
The muslim group reportedly attacked the DJ equipment, broke instruments, and even physically assaulted the procession with sticks and sharp objects. Some of the guests at the Dalit wedding were injured in the attack, including two Dalit men, Pankaj and Vansh, who were seriously injured and were sent to a hospital in Meerut after receiving preliminary treatment in Deoband.
After the incident, the bride’s father, Mange Ram, registered a complaint with the police. Based on the complaint, the police have registered a case under serious IPC sections 191(2), 115(2), 352, 189(4) and the SC/ST Act. Five accused, Mohammad Abuzar, Asjad, Israr, Sadiq, and Faheem, have been arrested and sent to jail.
Since it’s a communal incident, heavy police deployment has been done in the village to prevent further violence. High officials are keeping a close watch on the situation, and routine patrols have begun. Authorities have appealed to both communities to keep peace and threatened stern action against any attempts to disrupt law and order.
Nvidia Corporation made history today, becoming the first publicly traded company to surpass a $4 trillion market capitalization. The milestone was reached during intraday trading when the chipmaker’s share price surged to $164.42, briefly pushing its valuation beyond the unprecedented threshold. This achievement cements Nvidia’s position as the world’s most valuable company, outpacing tech giants like Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, and Google parent Alphabet, and underscores its pivotal role in the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution.
Nvidia’s meteoric rise has been driven by its dominance in the AI chip market, particularly its graphics processing units (GPUs), which power the data centres fuelling advanced AI models and cloud services. The company’s stock soared approximately 2.5% in early trading today, closing at $164.32, with a market cap hovering just above $4 trillion. This marks a staggering 1,460% increase in stock value over the past five years, with a year-to-date gain of nearly 22% in 2025 alone.
Nvidia’s ascent to a $4 trillion valuation is a testament to the transformative power of AI, which CEO Jensen Huang has dubbed “the next industrial revolution.” Originally known for its GPUs tailored for PC gaming, Nvidia capitalised on the discovery that these chips are ideally suited for the complex computations required by AI, including large language models like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. This strategic pivot has positioned Nvidia as the backbone of the AI infrastructure, with its chips in high demand by tech giants such as Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Alphabet, as well as emerging AI players like OpenAI and Tesla.
The company reported $44.1 billion in revenue for the fiscal quarter ending April 2025, a 69% increase from the same period last year, and a net income of $18.78 billion, up 26%. Nvidia’s data centre business, which supplies AI chips, has been the primary driver of this growth, with revenue surging 73% year-on-year. “There is one company in the world that is the foundation for the AI Revolution, and that is Nvidia,” wrote Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives in a June 27 research note.
Global spending on AI infrastructure is projected to exceed $200 billion by 2028, according to the International Data Corporation, further bolstering Nvidia’s growth prospects. The company’s next-generation Blackwell chips, including the recently announced Blackwell Ultra, are expected to power the next wave of AI adoption, supporting models with advanced reasoning capabilities.
Despite its dominance, Nvidia has faced challenges. U.S. trade restrictions on advanced semiconductor exports to China have impacted sales, with the company reporting a $2.5 billion revenue shortfall in the first quarter of 2025 due to these limitations. Additionally, a $4.5 billion charge was absorbed to account for further restrictions, reducing Nvidia’s sales in China from 21% of total revenue two years ago to 13% today.
Competition is also emerging, with companies like AMD and Intel developing rival AI chips, and tech firms such as Amazon and OpenAI exploring custom chip designs. Google’s use of its own tensor processing units (TPUs) poses another potential threat. Earlier this year, concerns over a low-cost Chinese AI model DeepSeek triggered a 37% drop in Nvidia’s stock from January to April, though it has since rebounded by nearly 74%.
Nvidia’s journey to $4 trillion has been remarkably swift. The company reached a $1 trillion valuation in May 2023, $2 trillion in February 2024, and $3 trillion in June 2024, outpacing all competitors. “This is a historical moment for Nvidia, the tech space flexing its muscles, and speaks to the AI Revolution hitting its next stage of growth,” said Ives, who predicts Microsoft may also cross the $4 trillion threshold this summer.
Analysts remain bullish on Nvidia’s future, with Loop Capital projecting a potential $6 trillion valuation by 2028, citing the company’s “near-monopoly” on critical AI technology. “Nvidia remains essentially a monopoly for critical tech, and it has pricing and margin power,” wrote Loop analysts Ananda Baruah and Alek Valero. Wedbush estimates that every $1 spent on Nvidia’s chips generates an $8–$10 ripple effect across the tech ecosystem.
Nvidia’s success has also elevated CEO Jensen Huang to global prominence. With a net worth of $140 billion, Huang ranks as the tenth wealthiest person worldwide, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. His high-profile engagements, including meetings with President Donald Trump and international leaders, have further amplified his influence.
In the quiet wilderness of Madhya Pradesh’s Panna Tiger Reserve, a chapter of history came to a heartbreaking close on Tuesday, July 8. Vatsala Asia’s oldest elephant and a beloved matriarch of the forest breathed her last at the age of over 100 years. Her passing is not just the loss of an animal, but the departure of a symbol of love, resilience, and silent guardianship.
Vatsala was not just a name in the reserve, she was its heartbeat. A being who carried a century’s worth of stories in her eyes, and left behind a legacy that will forever echo in the rustling leaves and quiet trails of the forest she called home.
Originally brought from Kerala, she was first moved to Narmadapuram and eventually found her forever haven in Panna. With her gentle demeanor and majestic presence, Vatsala quickly became a favorite among tourists, forest staff, and wildlife enthusiasts. She was not only admired but also deeply loved. To those who cared for her, she was family.
Try to imagine this: living with a companion for over a century, someone who asks for nothing but care, whose presence brings calm, and whose every step feels like a poem of patience. And then one day, they slip away not with noise or demand, but quietly, gracefully, without troubling anyone. That was Vatsala’s final goodbye.
For weeks, Vatsala had been struggling with injuries on her front legs painful wounds on her nails that made it difficult for her to stand. Age had begun to weigh heavily on her her vision fading, her strength waning. On that final Tuesday, she walked to her favorite spot near the Khairaiyaa drain in the Hinauta range and gently laid herself down. The forest staff rushed to help her, but despite their tireless efforts and medical attention from wildlife experts, Vatsala passed away in the afternoon.
She spent her last years at the Hinauta elephant camp, where every day was filled with care and love. The forest rangers would gently guide her to bathe in the stream and feed her warm porridge, while veterinarians regularly checked on her health. She was never alone surrounded by human compassion and the whisper of trees.
Her death has stirred hearts across the nation. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav took to social media, offering a heartfelt tribute: “The century long companionship of ‘Vatsala’ came to a pause today. She was not merely an elephant; she was the silent guardian of our forests, a friend to generations, and a symbol of Madhya Pradesh’s emotions. This beloved member of the Tiger Reserve carried a sea of experiences in her eyes and warmth in her presence.”
'वत्सला' का सौ वर्षों का साथ आज विराम पर पहुंचा। पन्ना टाइगर रिज़र्व में आज दोपहर 'वत्सला' ने अंतिम सांस ली।
वह मात्र हथिनी नहीं थी, हमारे जंगलों की मूक संरक्षक, पीढ़ियों की सखी और मप्र की संवेदनाओं की प्रतीक थीं।
IAS officer Supriya Sahu also mourned the loss, writing: “A deep pain fills my heart as we bid farewell to Vatsala, one of the oldest elephants, who lived beyond 100. Rescued from a circus, she spent her final decades in peace and dignity at Panna Tiger Reserve. A gentle soul who embodied grace and resilience. Though I followed her life story quietly, my only regret never meeting her while she was alive. Her memory will live on in our hearts and in the forests she blessed.”
Born in the Nilambur forests in Kerala and living in her forever home at the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madya Pradesh for several decades, Vatsla is one of the oldest living elephants in Asia and is said to be above 100 years#Elephants#Vatsla Credits – @ARVINDKAIN4 PC – Vishwa… pic.twitter.com/sjMlsUWssE
Thousands on social media echoed these sentiments. One user wrote, “She lived a full life and was well taken care of in her final days… that’s all that matters.” Another commented, “It is sad to see that the very aged gentle soul is no more.”
As the forest mourns its oldest guardian, one thing is certain: Vatsala’s spirit will forever roam the bamboo thickets, splash through the streams she loved, and whisper through the wind that moves through Panna.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear two more pleas challenging the Election Commission of India’s move to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar.
A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi agreed to hear the pleas on July 10, along with other pending petitions. Advocate Vrinda Grover and another advocate mentioned for urgent listing.
Grover said the plea filed by two social activists, Arshad Ajmal and Rupesh Kumar, challenged the poll panel’s June 24 decision to conduct the SIR of electoral rolls in the state and urged for listing it with other matters.
On July 7, the apex court agreed to hear on July 10 petitions challenging the ECI’s decision.
The petitions challenging the ECI decision were filed by RJD MP Manoj Jha, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), PUCL, activist Yogendra Yadav, Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra, and former Bihar MLA Mujahid Alam.
The petitions sought a direction to quash the ECI’s June 24 directive, which requires large sections of voters in Bihar to submit proof of citizenship to remain on the electoral rolls.
ADR, in its petition, has submitted that the ECI order imposes fresh documentation requirements and shifts the burden of proof from the state to the citizen.
The petition also raised concerns over the exclusion of widely held documents like Aadhaar and ration cards, stating that this would disproportionately affect the poor and marginalised voters, especially in rural Bihar.
“The SIR order, if not set aside, can arbitrarily and without due process disenfranchise lakhs of voters from electing their representatives, thereby disrupting free and fair elections and democracy in the country, which are part of the basic structure of the Constitution,” the petition submitted.
RJD MP said the decision, which has been taken without any consultation with the political parties, is “being used to justify aggressive and opaque revisions of electoral rolls that disproportionately target Muslim, Dalit and poor migrant communities, as such, they are not random patterns but are engineered exclusions.”
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar and independent Purnia MP Pappu Yadav were prevented from sharing stage with Rahul Gandhi, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav and other prominent politicians which was installed on a protest vehicle, leading to a major embarrassment for the visibly upset Congressmen.
The two were prepared to ascend the stairs to the van during the I.N.D.I. Alliance’s “Bihar Bandh” protests against the special intensive revision of electoral rolls on 9th July. However, their intentions suffered a substantial setback when they were impeded by personnel designated to maintain the security of the Gandhi scion and the other leaders.
Unreal humiliation of Kanhaiya Kumar and Pappu Yadav??
Both tried to get on stage but were denied, pushed, and shoved around by Rahul Gandhi’s team and Congress workers! pic.twitter.com/eYjR5oUdpD
Yadav attempted move up the stairs and even received assistance before he was stopped. Other leaders were allowed to board, but Kanhaiya Kumar was also halted when it was his turn. According to reports, he was instructed to step down after he momentarily succeeded in climbing onto the vehicle.
Afterward, a disgraced Pappu Yadav was unable to hold back his tears while speaking to the media.
Initially, the leaders marched on foot, but when the throng began to grow excessively large, it was decided to continue the rally in an open van. The ruling alliance in Bihar, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, has already attacked the opposition, asserting that the episode shows that the Congress and its senior members, including Gandhi, do not treat politicians like Kumar and Yadav properly.
“This is a fight for the Constitution, a fight for the rights of 140 crore people, a fight for the status, for minorities,” to save face and declared that the issue at hand is not about humiliation or respect, but rather about maintaining a connection with the electorate. He subsequently invoked Lord Ram, Lord Shiva and even Socrates, arguing that one must confront various challenges in life, including familial disputes and disagreements with neighbors, among others. Therefore, he added, that this incident should not be linked to notions of respect or insult, in an attempt to downplay the occurrence.
Patna, Bihar: On stopping him and Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar from climbing the campaign chariot during Bihar Bandh protest, Purnia MP Pappu Yadav says, "We were not allowed to get on the vehicle; everyone inside was from Congress. This is a fight for the Constitution, a fight… pic.twitter.com/OumdNYCgdY
Freshly inducted Jan Suraaj leader Manish Kashyap also used the opportunity to poke fun at Yadav and Kumar. “For the first time, I genuinely feel that injustice has been done to Kanhaiya Kumar. Our ideologies are different but he is talented. He should not be treated in this manner.”
“Pappu Yadav is like a pellet drum. What can one truly say about him? He is making a forceful attempt to be a part of the Congress party, which is rejecting him. They do not extend invitations to him for any events. Why would you want to lose the little respect you have by engaging in such antics? Please refrain from this behavior,” he stated.
Patna, Bihar: On Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar and Purnia MP Pappu Yadav being stopped from climbing the campaign chariot, Jan Suraaj leader Manish Kashyap says, "For the first time, I genuinely feel that some injustice has been done to Kanhaiya Kumar. I'm openly saying this… pic.twitter.com/GrXwSPtFjJ
Kashyap further mocked, “You were elected as an independent from Purnia this time, as well as in the past. You perform commendable work during floods and other disasters. However, you are attempting to board a vehicle with your 150 kilogram weight, only to be pushed off, which is inappropriate.”
He claimed that Kanhaiya Kumar was only invited there to insult him and asked, “Did you observe Kumar’s facial expressions? He was summoned there, otherwise, he would not have attended. You invite him, have him deliver a speech, utilize his talents, and then embarrass him in front of the media and everyone else after instructing him to join other leaders on stage. I believe he is wise enough to avoid being present there if he was not called. As a youth, I protest against this and will not tolerate such actions.”
The Indian Railways is gearing up for a major transformation over the next few years. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shared while speaking to ET that the government plans to introduce 1,000 new trains in the next five years. One of the biggest goals is to start running the bullet train commercially by 2027.
Vaishnaw said the vision is to make Indian Railways not just more efficient and affordable for Indian passengers, but also a strong global player in train manufacturing and exports. He pointed out that India has added 35,000 km of railway tracks in the last 11 years – almost equal to Germany’s entire rail network. In just one year, 5,300 km of tracks were laid.
To support this expansion, 30,000 wagons and 1,500 locomotives are now being made every year in India – more than what North America and Europe make together. Investment in the railways has also seen a huge jump – from ₹25,000 crore earlier to ₹2.52 lakh crore now, with an extra ₹20,000 crore coming from public-private partnerships.
On the logistics front, Vaishnaw explained that transporting cargo by rail is much cheaper and more eco-friendly compared to roads. Railways currently handle 29% of all freight in India, and the aim is to increase this to 35% shortly.
Talking about the bullet train project, which is being developed with help from Japan, the minister said the prototype should be ready in 2026, and full commercial operations are expected in 2027. Institutes like IIT Madras and IIT Roorkee are helping in research and design. Many components of the high-speed rail are now being made in India and even exported abroad.
For passengers, the focus is on improving affordability and comfort. In the past two years, 2,000 general coaches have been added, and new trains like Amrit Bharat and Namo Bharat have been launched. The minister said Indian railway fares are cheaper than those in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Safety has also improved. Derailments have dropped from 170 per year to under 30, and rail accidents are down by 80%. Vaishnaw made it clear there are no plans to privatise the Railways completely. Instead, India will follow countries like Japan and Switzerland, where railways are well-integrated and professionally managed.
Ahead of the assembly elections in Bihar and the monsoon session of Parliament, the opposition parties have unleashed their usual playbook. Outrage over a non-issue, amplify the noise and drama as a larger ‘democratic’ cause, use it to disrupt the functioning of Parliament and then peddle ‘Democracy khatre mein hai’ bogey.
In this vein, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, along with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, on 9th July 2025, led the ‘Bihar Bandh’ protest in Patna against the Election Commission of India’s decision to undertake the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.
महाराष्ट्र में जनादेश छीना, अब बिहार में मताधिकार – तरीका नया, साज़िश पुरानी।
हम इन संविधान-विरोधी ताक़तों को बेनक़ाब करते रहेंगे – जनता और युवाओं के साथ मिलकर मुंहतोड़ जवाब देंगे। pic.twitter.com/tE1XD7VUPy
Several senior leaders of the INDI Alliance, including CPI General Secretary D Raja, CPI (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation leader Dipankar Bhattacharya, Bihar Congress President Rajesh Ram, Kanhaiya Kumar, and Sanjay Yadav, also participated in the protest.
#WATCH | Patna | On 'Bihar Bandh', a Congress worker lying on the road to block it, says, "… Entire Bihar has been successfully shut down. The Mahagathbandhan is united against the rigging done by the Election Commission… We will not get up even if a car tramples us…" https://t.co/enxDNkFQErpic.twitter.com/njV74H0YuZ
As part of the protest, Congress workers blocked the railway track at Sachiwalay Halt station, demanding a rollback of the ECI’s move.
Speaking to reporters, NSUI national in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar said, “We are on the streets to protect democracy because it is said that if streets become silent, the parliament goes astray (Agar sadke suni ho jaayen to sansad awaara ho jati hai.”
Additionally, Sanjay Yadav, firing shots at ECI, said that the electoral rolls revision is “completely non-transparent and misleading.”
“Electoral rolls revision in Bihar by the Election Commission is completely non-transparent and misleading. This is a ploy to snatch the right of people to vote. We are asking questions to the Election Commission, but answers will come from the BJP. It shows the Election Commission has become a unit of the BJP,” he said.
Roads are being blocked with burning tyres by local leaders in areas like Sonpur and Hajipur. In Jehanabad, the student wing of the RJD has even blocked railway tracks.
What is Special Intensive Review, and why is the Election Commission undertaking it in Bihar?
To conduct free and fair elections, enhance transparency, and eliminate ineligible entries from the voter list, the Election Commission has decided to initiate a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar ahead of the assembly elections. The SIR is being implemented as an urgent corrective measure to rectify the electoral rolls.
Notably, the last comprehensive SIR in Bihar was conducted in 2003. Contrary to the ‘votebandi’ assertions by the opposition, the SIR is being carried out to address issues like rapid urbanisation, unreported deaths, new voters, the potential inclusion of ineligible foreign nationals, particularly, Rohingya and Bangladeshi infiltrators. These are standard administrative rationales for electoral roll revisions; it does not mean that the ECI is acting with partisan malice.
The SIR is not a de novo exercise, scrapping the entire voter list as claimed by the opposition parties and their supportive ecosystem. In fact, it is but a revision to verify and update existing rolls. While the opposition is projecting the special review as some sort of deliberate exclusionary purge being carried out in haste ahead of the elections, it is a robust process involving booth-level officers conducting door-to-door verification, assisting voters with form submissions, and taking live photographs to ensure transparency.
Explaining the rationale behind conducting the SIR, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has said, “Not a single political party is satisfied with the current status of electoral rolls for different reasons. During the past four months, all 4,123 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), 775 District Election Officers (DEOs), and 36 Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) have conducted nearly 5,000 meetings with 28,000 political party representatives. The ECI has also invited all recognised political parties for interaction. No one was satisfied with the current status of the electoral rolls for one reason or another.”
The Election Commission started the verification process on 25 June 2025 and it will continue till 26th July. After the exercise is over, a revised and correct voter list will be published on 30th September. As part of the verification process, Booth Level Officers (BLO) are visiting all houses across the constituencies. They carry the forms, which they hand over to the people and ask people to fill in their details, such as names, addresses and attach some documents. These documents are needed to ensure that the person is eligible to vote.
If a voter’s name is on the voter list of 2003 (when the verification process was last carried out in Bihar), then he or she just has to confirm his/her information. If their parents’ names are on the list, then no additional documents are needed. However, if their parents’ names are not on the old list, then they need to provide some documents, like a birth certificate or any other relevant document.
The ECI has listed 11 admissible documents: Any Identity card/pension Payment Order issued to regular employee/ pensioner of any Central Govt/State Govt/PSU, Any Identity Card/Certificate/Document issued in India by Government/Local Authorities/Banks/ Post Office/LIC/PSU prior to 01.07.1987, Birth Certificate issued by the competent authority, passport, matriculation/ education certificate issued by recognised boards, Permanent Residence certificate issued by competent State Authority, Caste certificate, Forest Right Certificate, NRC (not applicable in Bihar), Family Register, prepared by State/Local authorities, any land/house allotment certificate by government.
While these are the listed admissible documents, the enumeration form has fields wherein the voters can fill in their Aadhaar number and Electronic Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) number as well.
The ECI has also said that voters can challenge the ERO’s decision and also submit documents during the claims and objections period, further mitigating risks of arbitrary deletions.
Notably, over 87 per cent of Enumeration Forms, that is 6,86,17,932 forms out of 7,89,69,844 forms have been distributed to voters as of last week. The said number of voters are the ones who have been enrolled as on June 24, 2025.
According to ECI, the Special Intensive Revision in Bihar is progressing well, with 3,70,77,077 Enumeration Forms, which is 46.95 per cent of the total of 7,89,69,844 (nearly 7.90 crore) electors in Bihar, were collected (at 6:00 PM) in the first 14 days since the issuance of SIR instructions on June 24.
Tejashwi Yadav gets fact-checked by ECI, his own party workers are cooperating for SIR
Interestingly, while RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav is outraged over SIR, his own party workers are cooperating with the process, and over 47,000 booth-level agents of RJD are working for SIR. This, however, is not surprising since this has been the modus operandi of the anti-BJP parties for years. They claim that the Election Commission is compromised, the entire electoral process is rigged, and yet they participate in the elections and accept the results declared by the same ECI when they win and cry hoarse when they lose.
— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) July 9, 2025
However, the question here arises that if the opposition is against the SIR, why is it cooperating in the exercise? If RJD, Congress and other opposition parties in Bihar are have deployed their workers to cooperate with ECI in conducting the Special Intensive Revision, why are they protesting and staging a ‘Bihar Bandh’? One cannot support and oppose a process at the same time, until its all but pretence. The answer to this lies in what Prime Minister Narendra Modi once said about how the opposition behaves ahead of any parliament session.
Opposition using ‘foreign spark’ to disrupt parliament sessions since 2014: PM Modi said this year
Addressing the media ahead of the beginning of the budget session of the Parliament in January 2025, Prime Minister Modi stated that this is perhaps the first parliament session since 2014 when no ‘foreign spark’ came and was used by the Opposition and vested interest groups to spread chaos and mayhem just before the parliament session.
“You must have noticed, since 2014, this is the first Parliament session which saw no ‘videshi chingari’ (foreign interference) in our affairs, in which no foreign forces tried to ignite a fire. I had noticed this before every budget session. And many in our country leave no stone unturned to fan these sparks”, PM Modi said.
#WATCH | #BudgetSession | PM Narendra Modi says, "You must have noticed, since 2014, this is the first Parliament session, which saw no 'videshi chingari' (foreign interference) in our affairs, in which no foreign forces tried to ignite a fire. I had noticed this before every… pic.twitter.com/WWPDw0LGmS
Before the Parliament session, the Opposition invents a baseless non-issue to create chaos
For years, the Opposition and their media allies have been using hollow rhetoric and irrelevant issues to create noise and mayhem before almost every parliament session. From the Rafale hoax and Adani-Hindenburg issue to baseless allegations of Pegasus snooping, the Opposition has picked up irrelevant and empty claims to disrupt the parliament. Almost all these issues have had nothing to do with the public’s welfare and have no factual basis to stand a fair probe or legal scrutiny. The opposition bloc has constantly been using dubious ‘reports’ published by controversial organisations, mostly backed by regime change specialist and known Modi detractor George Soros, to target the Modi government and disrupt the functioning of the parliament.
Ahead of the budget session in 2023, the Congress-led opposition used the hit job published by Hindenburg Research, a now-shut-down US-based short-selling firm, accusing the Adani Group of fraud and stock price manipulation. The report came days ahead of the 2023 Budget Session of the Parliament, which began on 31st January. While the Adani Group trashed the report, Opposition disrupted the parliamentary proceedings and brought an Adjournment motion. They created a ruckus throughout the session, demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Adani-Hindenburg controversy, impeding the normal legislative functioning of the Parliament.
Opposition’s mindless attacks on the Adani Group and their sinister attempts at establishing the narrative that somehow PM Modi and the central government were complicit in crony capitalism, corruption and whatnot fell flat after the Supreme Court refused to order an SIT probe on the allegations made by short-selling firm against the Adani Group saying that third-party reports, without any verification, cannot be relied on as proof.
Not to forget the ruckus created by the opposition over an already debunked Pegasus snooping story. The opposition kept flogging the dead horse to mar Parliamentary functioning. Unsurprisingly, the origin of this conspiracy theory was foreign too. The Leftist propaganda portal and its partners were fed the information by two very dubious organisations – one was Amnesty International, and the other was Forbidden Stories.
While Rahul Gandhi claimed that his phone was being tapped and that Pegasus software was being used to snoop on opposition leaders, the Supreme Court on 25th August 2022, said that no conclusive proof had emerged to support the claim that the Indian govt was using the Pegasus spyware to snoop on people.
In January 2023, just days ahead of the 2023 Budget session, the BBC released a propaganda documentary about PM Modi’s role during the 2002 Gujarat riots, citing claims that were already termed as lies by courts in India, including the Supreme Court of India. The opposition created a ruckus and disrupted Parliament proceedings while raising the issue of the government banning the BBC documentary on PM Modi. While the Supreme Court refused to lift the ban on this propaganda documentary, the opposition parties and their ecosystem screened the propaganda spun by a foreign entity even as it challenged the sovereignty of Indian courts.
Similarly, in September 2023, some iPhone-using Opposition leaders claimed that they received mysterious “threat alerts” from Apple. “ALERT: State-sponsored attackers may be targeting your iPhone,” the threat notification sent on iMessage and Apple Mail read. They dubbed it as Pegasus 2.0 to blame the ruling BJP for trying a ‘cyber attack’ on their Apple devices, including iPhones. However, the ecosystem failed to drag the issue when things started to unravel, and the issue died a premature death before the 2023 Winter Session could begin on 4th December as Apple issued a clarification refuting the opposition’s “state-sponsored threats” claim. Amusingly, the security threat messages were from a dubious Soros-linked foreign NGO named Access Now.
Interestingly, what set the disgraceful precedent for the opposition’s manufactured outrage triggered by lies, conspiracy theories, and propaganda peddled by foreign sources was the anti-Rafale agitation ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. While the Modi government signed a deal with the French government to procure 36 Rafale fighter jets to improve IAF’s aviation capabilities and have a competitive advantage over Pakistan in the US-made F-16 fighter jet market, the Congress party used former French President Francois Hollande’s statement wherein he claimed that Dassault Aviation had been allegedly forced by the Modi government to collaborate with Reliance Defence of India to comply with its “offset policy”, to attack PM Modi.
The Congress party then accused Prime Minister Modi of prioritising an Indian company and even engaging in crony capitalism by supporting Anil Ambani’s company. On the other hand, the BJP consistently refuted these claims, asserting that the government entered into the agreement to fulfil the combat needs of the Indian Air Force and played no part in selecting the local partner of the French manufacturer.
Rahul Gandhi even called the Rafale deal a scam during the 2019 general elections and coined the slogan ‘Chowkidar chor hai’, which spectacularly backfired as the BJP-led NDA registered a thumping victory. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi was reprimanded by the Supreme Court for misusing its name and disseminating falsehoods purely for political smear tactics aimed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The matter was even dragged to the top court by Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, All India Trinamool Congress (AITC/TMC) leader Yashwant Sinha and others, alleging that the Rafale Fighter Jet Deal had significant procedural flaws. The bench, however, rejected the appeal for a court-monitored investigation on 14th December 2018 and noted that there were no anomalies in the price, decision-making procedure or choice of off-set partner.
The opposition used the warp and weft of lies and propaganda concocted by the foreign and Indian leftist media groups for its political gains. Not to forget, the opposition created a ruckus demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Rafale deal signed by the Modi government. The opposition hampered the functioning of the Parliamentary sessions in 2021 with the dubious media organisation fanning falsehoods within a fortnight’s gap with that year’s Parliamentary sessions.
Interestingly, the NGO that filed a complaint against the Rafale Deal was partnered with anti-Modi regime change specialist and philanthropist George Soros’ Open Society, Misereor, and Oxfam, among others.
However, Congress’s reliance on ‘foreign spark’ is not surprising given the party’s prince Rahul Gandhi has for many years been seeking direct foreign intervention in India’s internal affairs during his foreign visits and also has a record of mollycoddling with China.
George Soros-backed NGO ADR files plea against SIR: Again, Rahul Gandhi’s political interests are aligned with foreign organisations
Unsurprisingly, a George Soros-backed so-called electoral reform NGO, the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), has filed a plea before the Supreme Court calling the ECI’s order regarding SIR ‘arbitrary’ and claiming that “millions of voters could be deprived of their right to vote”. Not to forget, this entity, funded by Omidyar and Ford Foundation, has been involved in peddling lies about the Rafale deal, electoral bonds and casting aspersions on the integrity of the Election Commission. Under the pretext of pushing for electoral reforms and advocating for democratic values, such foreign-funded outfits are operating as tools of foreign interference in India’s socio-political affairs.
Meanwhile, Icchadhari protestor Yogendra Yadav has also moved a similar plea in the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the Special Intensive Revision in Bihar.
Interestingly, another Soros-funded research-cum-propaganda machinery, The Reporters Collective, has also jumped on the bandwagon to paint the SIR exercise in Bihar as some sort of deliberate exclusionary purge intended to weed out anti-BJP voters, especially Muslims.
Their chagrin is that the ECI is conducting SIR even as the Special Summary Revision report of the review undertaken by ECI last year came out in January 2025. Reporters Collective finds it suspicious that the ECI is conducting SIR ahead of elections, even as the last SIR was conducted in 2003. By TRC’s logic, if the SIR was not conducted over the years after 2003, it should never be carried out.
Also, SSR is not as detailed and comprehensive as SIR. SSR is an annual process to update electoral rolls by adding new eligible voters, deleting ineligibles and correcting entries. It relies on existing rolls and minimal verification, conducted summarily. In contrast, SIR is a comprehensive and infrequent exercise for a detailed house-to-house verification, fresh enrollment, and stringent documentation to eliminate duplicates and fake voters to ensure a clean electoral roll comprising only genuine voters.
The immediate need to conduct SIR arose as all the political parties in Bihar were not satisfied with the current status of the electoral rolls for various reasons. In the past four months, all 4,123 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), 775 District Election Officers (DEOs), and 36 Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) conducted nearly 5,000 meetings with 28,000 political party representatives. The ECI has also invited all recognised political parties for interaction, and none of them were satisfied with the current status of the electoral rolls.
Much like the opposition parties and their media allies, the Reporters’ Collective also fearmongered that stringent documentation requirements and tight timelines are ECI’s measure to disenfranchise marginalised groups; however, the ECI has already addressed this by allowing submission of enumeration forms without immediate documents.
The ECI has allowed the voters to submit their documents (from the list of 11 admissible documents) later and even dispute the rejection of the enumeration form during the claims and objections period. The commission is also providing field support to assist voters, to ensure that a routine exercise in no way becomes a rushed or exclusionary process. While the TRC cries ‘chaos’, with around 46.95% of enumeration forms collected in the first 14 days, the exercise is going on smoothly.
The opposition parties and their extended media ecosystem have a penchant for picking up a baseless issue to create noise before every single parliament session to disrupt the functioning of democracy and then cry how democracy is under threat. Now the opposition parties are using yet another non-issue to cause ruckus in Bihar, derail the SIR, chase political clout and, most importantly, disrupt the entire monsoon session of the parliament.
Media portal The Print was recently seen spreading fake news about a purported study being conducted by the Central government to analyse a pattern “to assess the pattern of sudden deaths” in India after the COVID-19 pandemic. The Print published a news article on July 8, 2025, in which it claimed that the health research department (DHR) of the Union Ministry of Health is collaborating with INCLEN (The International Clinical Epidemiology Network) International, a New Delhi-based health research organisation, to conduct a national, community-level study to examine the rise in deaths among people under 45 years of age.
Screenshot of the news article published by The Print
Quoting INCLEN International Executive Director and proposed lead analyst N.K. Arora, the Print further claimed that “the new nationwide assessment will aim to document sudden deaths at the community level across states”. It added that “this larger study will analyse the trend of such deaths in an attempt to determine the risk factors for such mortalities”.
However, the Print news article was fact-checked by the PIB, which termed the claims made in it as fake.
In a news report, @ThePrintIndia has claimed that the Centre has commissioned a nationwide study to assess the pattern of sudden deaths in India.#PIBFactCheck
The PIB posted on X, “In a news report, @ThePrintIndia has claimed that the Centre has commissioned a nationwide study to assess the pattern of sudden deaths in India. No such nationwide survey has been commissioned by the Centre or @DeptHealthRes (DHR).”
Claims linking sudden deaths to COVID vaccine
Several claims linking sudden deaths caused by heart attack to the COVID-19 vaccine have been spreading across social media for years. However, the central government debunked all these claims earlier this month, on the grounds of two extensive studies conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR) and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. The studies found that there was no direct link between sudden deaths by heart attack and the COVID-19 vaccines.
Besides, studies by the ICMR and National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) affirmed that COVID-19 vaccines in India are safe and effective, with extremely rare instances of serious side effects. Sudden deaths due to heart attacks can be linked to a wide range of factors, including genetics, lifestyle, pre-existing conditions, and post-COVID complications.
To understand the causes of sudden, unexplained deaths, especially in young adults between the ages of 18 and 45 years, the ICMR and the NCDC conducted a study across 47 tertiary care hospitals in 19 states and UTs. Another study conducted by AIIMS with ICMR funding also examined cases of sudden cardiac deaths and found genetic mutations, pre-existing conditions, and lifestyle as the primary causes of these deaths and no correlation with Covid-19 vaccination.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday, 9th July, countered the ‘baseless’ charges leveled by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) over alleged irregularities in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, an exercise that has triggered a major political showdown in poll-bound Bihar.
The controversy erupted after RJD leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav took to the social media platform X on Tuesday, 8th July, accusing the ECI of conducting the voter revision campaign in an “unconstitutional and disorderly” manner. He alleged that the SIR process was being misused to manipulate electoral data ahead of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections.
Tejashwi alleges widespread electoral fraud
In his post, Mr. Yadav stated that Bihar, the birthplace of democracy, was witnessing a violation of basic voter rights. He raised serious concerns about the ECI’s 2025 voter revision drive, claiming it was riddled with “chaos, confusion, and illegal practices.”
He alleged that fake forms were being submitted without documents or verification, and that oral instructions were being issued to fill in forms without complete details. He further claimed that officials were obtaining fake signatures, declaring literate people as illiterate to obtain thumb impressions, and uploading voter data without individuals’ knowledge.
लोकतंत्र की जननी बिहार में मतदाता अधिकारों का चीरहरण!
बिहार में भारत निर्वाचन आयोग द्वारा चलाए जा रहे विशेष गहन मतदाता पुनरीक्षण अभियान 2025 में जो अव्यवस्था, अराजकता और असंवैधानिक कार्यप्रणाली सामने आ रही है, वह अत्यंत निंदनीय और लोकतंत्र के लिए घातक है।
“Data entry operators and supervisors are being assigned the impractical target of uploading 10,000 forms per day. All this is being rushed before the July 10 Supreme Court hearing to hide the truth through manipulated data,” Tejashwi posted.
He also flagged discrepancies in documentation norms, saying some officials were accepting Aadhaar as sufficient while others said no documents were needed at all — leading to massive confusion among voters. Calling the entire exercise a “live show of forgery,” he alleged that a pre-planned conspiracy was underway to delete genuine voters, especially the poor and backwards, from the electoral rolls.
“There are no resources, no training, no internet, no clear guidelines, and yet there is pressure to complete the process in haste. Is this not an attempt to tamper with democracy?” he asked, announcing a chakka jaam protest across Bihar against what he described as “dictatorial actions.”
ECI responds with fact-checks and clarifications
In response to these serious allegations, the Election Commission firmly rejected RJD’s charges and shared a detailed clarification on X. It stated that the SIR exercise is being conducted as per established norms and protocols and that the allegations being circulated are factually incorrect and misleading.
— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) July 9, 2025
Sharing a post on X which claimed that the RJD had appointed 47,504 booth-level agents who were actively working on the ground, and that nearly 4 crore forms (50% of the target) had already been collected under the SIR initiative. However, ECI’s official fact-check unit flagged this post as misleading.
Another RJD leader’s false claim also flagged
Adding fuel to the fire, another senior RJD leader, Manoj Kumar Jha, shared an image of an ECI letter on X, questioning the Commission’s refusal to meet the party representatives after 10th July. He accused the ECI of first agreeing to a meeting post-July 10 and then backing out.
मा. @ECISVEEP जी ….ये आपका ही पत्र है ना ? जब हमने 10 जुलाई दोपहर बाद का समय आपको इंगित किया तो पहले तय करने के बाद अब आपके लोग मिलने से इनकार कर रहे हैं।मैं एक अदना नागरिक आपसे आग्रह करता हूं कि किसी पोलिटिकल पार्टी के इशारे पर काम आपको नहीं करना चाहिए बल्कि धारा 324 के तहत… pic.twitter.com/7GLFNvDBuE
The ECI responded to this, too, calling the claim “misleading.” It reiterated that procedural integrity is being maintained and that its communication with political parties has been transparent.
The Commission also clarified that as of now, there has been no official communication or response from RJD President Lalu Prasad Yadav or his authorised representative Tejashwi Yadav, regarding the matter.
According to a letter issued on 3rd April, 2025, Manoj Jha was not authorised by the RJD president to represent the party in any official dialogue with the Election Commission. He was only authorised to attend the 2nd July meeting, which he did.
— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) July 9, 2025
So far, the Commission has held consultations with five national parties and four regional parties as part of the SIR process.
Why don’t the claims hold ground
Independent fact-checkers and analysts have pointed out inconsistencies in the allegations made by RJD leaders. While Tejashwi Yadav claims voter data is being manipulated, there is no documented proof or formal complaint to the Commission from the RJD leadership.
Furthermore, the viral claim about booth-level agents and form collection was proven to be inaccurate by the ECI’s verification.
Even within the party, contradictory messaging has emerged, with different leaders presenting different versions of events. The Commission maintains that it is following standard protocols and that allegations of selective voter deletion are unfounded and politically motivated.
Opposition comments raising the political showdown
The RJD’s campaign against the ECI appears to be part of a broader narrative being pushed by the Opposition. Speaking to the media at Patna airport, Congress leader Allavaru accused the BJP of orchestrating a behind-the-scenes operation to remove Dalits, minorities, and backwards caste voters from electoral rolls.
He said, “The BJP is using the ECI in Bihar just like they did in other states. This is a massive conspiracy to prevent poor and marginalised voters from participating in the upcoming elections.”
Congress leader Mr. Kumar also alleged that the revision drive was being hurriedly executed with the intent to disenfranchise Congress and Grand Alliance supporters. “The documents being demanded cannot be produced by many from backwards communities in such a short time,” he said.
Terming the ECI a “victim” of BJP pressure, he claimed similar voter deletions had occurred in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra in recent elections.
Earlier on 25th June, in a meeting with the Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar along with political parties, the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) had strongly voiced criticism against the revision of the voters’ list before the Assembly election in Bihar.
RJD spokesperson Chittaranjan Gagan, headquarters in-charge general secretary Mukund Singh, and State general secretary Madan Sharma were representing the party.
In the meeting, Mr. Gagan raised the question that the Bihar Assembly election is on the horizon and in such a scenario, it will not be practical to conduct a verification in a short time.
He had alleged that there was a “well-planned conspiracy” to deprive lakhs of poor people of Bihar of their right to vote. He stressed the question that since the special revision has not been done since 2003, what is the need to conduct it now, when the Assembly election is a few months away.
