A purported handwritten suicide note was recovered after former West Bengal deputy speaker and 5-time TMC MLA Asish Banerjee was found dead at a party office in Birbhum. In the note, Banerjee allegedly wrote, “Today, I feel that entering politics was a mistake.” He also said he had never been involved in corruption and claimed he had no role in tender decisions, cheque issuance, plan approvals or no-objection certificates at the Tarapith-Rampurhat Development Authority. Banerjee further urged young members of his family not to join politics and to focus on their professions. Police are investigating, while NDTV could not independently verify the note’s authenticity. (PC: NDTV)

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday accused Congress leader Sonia Gandhi of asking party leaders to stop the rendition of Vande Mataram during the Congress’ Independence Day programme. Addressing a gathering in Chittorgarh, Shah said the alleged act had hurt public sentiment and demanded an apology from Gandhi and the Congress. BJP leaders claimed Gandhi objected to the song being sung in full, while the Congress rejected the allegations. The party said Gandhi was only ensuring that the correct arrangements were made for the rendition. Shah also accused Congress of forgetting Vande Mataram due to “vote-bank politics”. (PC: India Today)

Former Trinamool Congress MLA and West Bengal Assembly Deputy Speaker Asish Banerjee was found hanging inside a TMC office near his home in Birbhum's Rampurhat on Sunday. Banerjee was a 5-time MLA who represented Rampurhat for 25 years from 2001 to 2026, but lost the seat to BJP's Dhruba Saha in the 2026 Assembly polls. Police recovered a purported note in which Banerjee denied corruption allegations and said he had no role in tender decisions or approvals linked to the Tarapith Rampurhat Development Authority. He also alleged attempts to malign him. Police are investigating, and his body has been sent for postmortem. (PC: India Today)

Protesting students in Jharkhand have escalated their agitation over alleged irregularities in government recruitment examinations, demanding stronger action from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The protesters have called on Congress to withdraw its support for Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s government or remove him from office. They are seeking cancellation of disputed examinations and a CBI investigation into alleged irregularities. The agitation has continued for weeks, with students accusing the state government of failing to adequately address their concerns. Soren has defended his government’s approach and promised reforms to make recruitment examinations more transparent. The escalating protest is increasing political pressure on the ruling alliance. (PC: X)

Former West Bengal Assembly Deputy Speaker and veteran Trinamool Congress leader Asish Banerjee was found dead at a TMC office next to his home in Rampurhat, Birbhum, on Sunday. Police said his body was found hanging and has been sent for postmortem examination. Banerjee, a five-time MLA from Rampurhat, served as Deputy Speaker and held ministerial portfolios, including agriculture and education, during Mamata Banerjee’s tenure. He was considered a close aide of the TMC chief. Banerjee lost the 2026 Assembly election to BJP’s Dhruba Saha and had stepped down as chairman of TMC’s Birbhum district core committee in June. (PC: X)

A political row broke out after a video from the Congress Independence Day event in New Delhi showed Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge making hand gestures during the rendition of Vande Mataram. Rahul Gandhi was also seen making a similar gesture. Critics claimed the leaders were asking workers to stop the national song. Congress leader Ashok Gehlot dismissed the issue, saying, “There is no controversy.” The row comes amid a wider political fight over Vande Mataram. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has criticised Congress over its history with the song. Congress has not yet given a detailed explanation of the gestures.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day appeal for political parties to support early implementation of the 33% women’s reservation in legislatures. Ramesh described Modi’s pitch as “dishonest” and accused the government of “double-faced hypocrisy,” arguing that the Centre had delayed implementation of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. Modi, in his Red Fort address, urged parties to help ensure women’s reservation becomes effective and said political credit should not matter. The controversy centres on the 2023 law’s implementation being linked to census and delimitation processes, prompting opposition criticism over the timeline. (PC: The Hindu)

The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday stressed the strong ties between India and Italy after a political exchange involving Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign policy at a party event. He questioned the idea of “hug diplomacy” and hugged party leader Sandeep Dikshit on stage. Dikshit then made a reference to Meloni. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India’s ties with Italy have expanded and strengthened in recent years. He said diplomatic discussions should remain respectful. The BJP also criticised Gandhi, accusing him of crossing the limits of political discourse.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of remaining on the sidelines while Pakistan emerged as a mediator in efforts to resolve the Iran war. Speaking at the Rachnatmak Congress National Convention in Delhi, Gandhi said India had missed a “huge opportunity” to leverage its relationships with both Iran and the United States. He criticised the government’s foreign policy, arguing that India’s ties with the two countries could have enabled New Delhi to play a meaningful role in efforts to end the months-long conflict. Gandhi contrasted India’s position with Pakistan’s emerging mediation role and questioned why the government failed to use its diplomatic relationships to make India more relevant in resolving the crisis.

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya has demanded that West Bengal be renamed “Paschim Banga”, saying the state’s name is closely linked to its history and creation in 1947. Speaking during a debate on the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, Bhattacharya welcomed the proposal to rename Kerala as Keralam. He said West Bengal was created after Partition and argued that changing its name to Bengal would ignore the history behind its formation. “West Bengal is not just a name; it has a history. We want the name to be changed to Paschim Banga,” he said. He also supported other renaming demands. (PC: The Telegraph)