Rush Hour: Lok Sabha clears Motion of Thanks without PM’s reply, 16 killed in mine blast and more

The Lok Sabha passed the Motion of Thanks on the president’s address without Prime Minister Narendra Modi giving his customary reply as the Opposition continued its protest. This was the first time since 2004 that the prime minister has been unable to reply to the motion in the Lok Sabha.

The Opposition has been protesting against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi not being allowed to quote an excerpt of an unpublished memoir of former Indian Army chief MM Naravane about the political decision-making during the 2020 border tensions between India and China.

In 2004, the Bharatiya Janata Party, in Opposition at the time, had prevented Manmohan Singh from responding to the motion.

Modi was expected to speak in the Lower House at 5 pm on Wednesday. However, amid protests by Opposition MPs, the proceedings in the Lower House were adjourned till Thursday. But the prime minister’s speech did not take place. Read on.

The Mumbai Police claimed that British doctor Sangram Patil’s visit to India on a tourist visa and his social media activities were part of a “larger, organised effort” to post material about Prime Minister Narendra Modi that it alleged was defamatory and inflammatory material. The police described this as a matter of serious concern in an affidavit responding to...

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