- Tension in Assam continues as chief minister Tarun Gogoi visited Kokrajhar to review the situation in the riot-affected areas. One person died in police firing as four others were injured in an attack by a group of persons in Baksa district. Curfew was relaxed in Kokrajhar but remains in Dhubri, Chirang and Bongaigaon.
Gogoi insisted that ‘Assam is not burning’ and that it will take two or three days for things to get back to normal. Meanwhile, a delegation of Muslim MPs from Assam, including MPs from the Congress, met Home Minister P Chidambaram and sought the Centre’s intervention.
- Narendra Modi has made a very bold statement to Urdu weekly ‘Nai Duniya’, saying that he should be hanged if he is found guilty of playing a role in the 2002 Gujarat riots. But he also said that if he was found innocent, then the media should apologise to him. But Congress ministers slammed the Gujarat Chief Minister, terming his statement ‘highly reprehensible and irresponsible’.
- Rahul Gandhi may have lost steam in his popularity ratings, but he finds support in the form of 10 Congress MPs, who have written to Sonia Gandhi to appoint him as the Leader of the Lok Sabha, saying it was the ‘need of the hour’ to create a ‘sense of confidence’ among the countrymen. The post of Leader of the House in the lower house fell vacant after Pranab Mukherjee was nominated by UPA as its Presidential candidate.
Gogoi insisted that ‘Assam is not burning’. PTI
- The indefinite fast by Team Anna against the UPA government entered its second day today, but saw thin attendance at the venue. Gone are the days when thousands attended their protests, with police estimating that only around 600 protesters were at Jantar Mantar today. But organisers expressed hope that the numbers will rise.
Meanwhile, Salman Khurshid expressed his views over Anna, saying that holding talks with his team was pointless…
- It is the 13th anniversary of India’s victory in the Kargil war. Here’s a video of India remembering the war…
- And over to the Olympics. A very proud moment for Amitabh Bachchan who was invited to carry the Olympic torch on the final leg of its relay. The Indian star will be in hallowed company with United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon among the other dignitaries who were torchbearers on the relay’s final leg. Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal and his 36-year-old son, Aditya, will also be among the torchbearers today.
- More Olympic news as organisers mixed up the North Korean and South Korean flags. In a women’s football match, the South Korean flag was shown as the North Korean team lined up. Organisers have apologised since then.
