New Delhi: A video from Wednesday captured a notable moment in Parliament as Sonia Gandhi and Jaya Bachchan engaged in a jovial conversation, signaling a potential thaw in their relationship. The interaction occurred as opposition leaders exited Rajya Sabha proceedings and gathered outside, where Sonia Gandhi’s convoy arrived. Upon her arrival, Congress leader Rajeev Shukla, a Rajya Sabha member from Chhattisgarh, greeted her warmly.

Moments later, Sonia Gandhi shared words and laughter with Derek O’Brien of Trinamool Congress and Jaya Bachchan, a veteran Rajya Sabha member representing the Samajwadi Party and wife of Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan. Their interaction, captured on camera, depicted a rare moment of camaraderie, though the specifics of their conversation were not disclosed.

Historically, the Gandhi and Bachchan families shared a close friendship, particularly between former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Amitabh Bachchan. Bachchan contested and won the Lok Sabha election from Allahabad in 1984 at Rajiv Gandhi’s request but resigned amid the Bofors scandal, leading to a strain in their relationship. Consequently, the families grew apart, with Sonia Gandhi and Jaya Bachchan sitting in separate rows in the Rajya Sabha.

Sonia Gandhi, who recently moved from the Lok Sabha to the Upper House, now occupies a front-row seat in Rajya Sabha, while Jaya Bachchan sits a few rows behind. Their interactions had been infrequent, but with their new parliamentary roles, they are more likely to cross paths. In recent developments, the Congress and the Samajwadi Party formed an alliance under the INDIA bloc platform, which recently delivered a surprising blow to the BJP. Rahul Gandhi and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav have also displayed notable camaraderie during this period.

On Wednesday, MPs from the INDIA Bloc staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha, protesting what they claimed was discrimination against states governed by opposition parties in the Union Budget. The session began with opposition members addressing budget allocation issues.

KATHMANDU, July 24 – Eighteen people lost their lives when a regional passenger plane belonging to Nepal’s Saurya Airlines crashed and caught fire while taking off from Kathmandu on Wednesday, officials reported. A video of the tragic incident has gone viral.

The plane, carrying two crew members and 17 technicians, was en route to Nepal’s new Pokhara airport for regular maintenance. The airport, opened in January, is equipped with aircraft maintenance hangars.

“Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft veered off to the right and crashed on the east side of the runway,” stated the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.

Of the passengers, 18 were Nepali citizens, and one engineer was from Yemen, according to Saurya Airlines. “Only the captain was rescued alive and is receiving treatment at a hospital,” said Tej Bahadur Poudyal, spokesman for Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport.

Television footage showed firefighters battling the blaze and thick black smoke rising into the sky. Other visuals depicted the plane tilting to its right before crashing, rescue workers sifting through the charred remains, and bodies being carried to ambulances.

“The plane was scheduled for maintenance starting Thursday. It is unclear why it crashed,” said Mukesh Khanal, marketing head of Saurya Airlines. Kathmandu airport was temporarily closed following the crash but reopened within hours.

The aircraft was identified as a 50-seater CRJ-200 with the registration 9N-AME. Saurya Airlines operates two CRJ-200 regional jets, a program originally owned by Canada’s Bombardier and acquired by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in 2020.

Bombardier deferred questions about the incident to MHI RJ Aviation Group, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Established in 2014, Saurya Airlines introduced the “jet experience” on Nepal’s domestic routes, flying to five destinations. Nepal has faced criticism for its poor air safety record, with many airlines operating in remote, mountainous areas. The country is home to eight of the world’s 14 tallest peaks, making aviation particularly challenging.

Since 2000, nearly 350 people have died in plane or helicopter crashes in Nepal. The deadliest incident was in 1992, when a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus crashed into a hillside near Kathmandu, killing 167 people. More recently, a Yeti Airlines crash in January 2023 killed at least 72 people, attributed to pilot error.

Flightradar24 noted that it did not track the crashed Saurya flight because the aircraft lacked a modern ADS-B transponder.

Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav criticized the directive, alleging BJP’s desperation, comparing it to the decision allowing government servants’ RSS participation, highlighting BJP’s reliance on communal politics.

New Delhi, Jul 22 : Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra and other opposition MPs on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to impose an interim stay on directives from the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments requiring eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display names of owners.

Moitra, one of the petitioners, described the directives as unconstitutional and hailed the court order as a victory for all Indians. “We have just got a stay on the completely illegal and unconstitutional Kanwar Yatra order which UP had started… Muzaffarnagar Police, and then extended it to the whole of UP and parts of Uttarakhand,” Moitra stated.

She argued that the requirement for establishments to display owners’ and staff members’ names was leading to religious discrimination. “This is a great victory for the Constitution, and for all people of India,” she added.

Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav criticized the directive, alleging it reflected the BJP’s desperation. He compared it to the recent decision allowing government servants to participate in RSS activities, suggesting that such moves indicate the BJP’s reliance on communal politics.

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram likened the directive to the Nazi regime’s order for Jews to display the Star of David, warning that such measures could lead to further discrimination. “Today it is the names, tomorrow they will say put your caste,” he cautioned.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut praised the Supreme Court for protecting the Constitution, stating the directive aimed to deepen communal divides and spread hatred. “Any amount of criticism is not enough for this policy of the BJP,” he said.

Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) MP Chandrashekhar stressed that people are more concerned with issues of livelihood and will not accept discriminatory practices disguised as part of the Kanwar Yatra, which has been a long-standing tradition.

The Supreme Court bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and S V N Bhatti issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Madhya Pradesh governments, seeking their replies on the pleas challenging the directive.