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Manmohan Singh served as Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014 and is remembered as a key architect of India's economic reforms in the 1990s.
Congress leaders paid homage to former PM Manmohan Singh
NEW DELHI: Remembering him as a statesman and a visionary, Congress netas Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi Saturday led the party in paying homage to late Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on his birth anniversary. Congress held a ceremony at the party office where the Gandhis, senior functionaries and office-bearers paid floral tributes to Singh. A prayer meeting was also organised by Singh's family at their residence, which was attended by Rahul. On the occasion, All India Professionals Congress announced the second batch of "Dr Manmohan Singh fellows program", under which professionals join the party to work on issues ranging from policy to politics. Rajya Sabha MP Praveen Chakravarty and AIPC chairman Madhu Yaskhi Goud said the first batch had 50 fellows, while the second batch has been scaled up to 100.
Bangladesh authorities suppressed Awami League activists celebrating former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's birthday in Dhaka, detaining hundreds and raiding the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal office after 'Joy Bangla' slogans were reported, with officials warning against destabilization attempts.
Bangladesh's Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's government has proposed replacing planned sculptures commemorating Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's March 7, 1971 speech and the 1971 Pakistani forces surrender at Suhrawardy Udyan with water fountains, as part of a plan to 'rescope and repurpose' the Independence Monument project, according to ministry sources.
Rahul Gandhi accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of being a BJP headhunter after media reports claimed Kumar was approached to recruit for BJP while serving as an IAS officer, later appointed to oversee elections; Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh criticized the EC's response as damage control.
The Election Commission of India has retained the mandatory declaration requirement for fresh voter enrolment via Form 6 in states and union territories undergoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), while removing it for non-SIR areas. The declaration, which maps applicants to previous SIR electoral rolls, was upheld by the Supreme Court and introduced in phases starting June 2025. Internal dissent among commissioners and opposition criticism over unilateral changes were noted, but the EC affirmed full commission approval of all SIR orders.
India and Bangladesh are working to reschedule a visit by Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman to India in the third week of November, with the unresolved extradition of former PM Hasina being a key concern for Dhaka, following Rahman's birthday greetings to Modi and his prompt response boosting prospects for finalizing dates.
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng used his UN General Assembly address to indirectly criticize US foreign policy, calling for the end of sanctions against Cuba and respect for the sovereignty of Middle Eastern nations, including Iran.