India news: Modi targets TMC in Bengal rally

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Indian PM Narendra Modi held two rallies in the state of West Bengal ahead of the second and final phase of polling, where he attacked the ruling All India Trinamool Congress party (TMC) and said, “The final phase will make sure the BJP comes to power.”

The state saw a record-breaking voter turnout in the first phase of polling amid controversy over the mass deletion of voters during the revision of the electoral register.

Referring to the high voter turnout in phase 1 of the polling, Modi said, “In the first phase of voting, West Bengal has recorded a remarkable voter turnout,” and claimed that “TMC’s arrogance is shattered with the first phase.”

Doubling down on his attack on TMC, he said, “West Bengal is not run from the state secretariat but by the goons and criminals sheltered by the party.”

The state saw a record-breaking voter turnout in the first phase of polling amid controversy over mass voter deletions during voter roll revision.

Phase 2 of the elections are slated for April 29 and the result will be declared on May 4.
 

A Swiss ‌Air ⁠flight ⁠from Delhi to Zurich aborted ​takeoff early Sunday after its engine faced an issue, and five people onboard were injured. 

The injured include four passengers and one crew member, according to Swiss International.

“Shortly after 1 ​a.m. local time on April 26, an issue occurred with ​one of the engines during the takeoff of flight LX147 in Delhi. The crew aborted the takeoff and, after assessing the situation, decided ​as a precaution to evacuate the aircraft,” Swiss International said ​in a statement.

The airline did not provide additional details, but the Economic Times reported that one ​of the plane’s engines caught on fire. It also said ⁠the passengers were injured during an emergency evacuation.

All the passengers were evacuated ‌to the runway of Indira Gandhi International Airport using emergency slides.

The airlines said it has tasked a team to investigate the incident, adding that the injured passengers were hospitalized and the crew member suffered a sprained ankle.

There were 228 passengers, four infants and 13 crew members on board the Airbus A330.

Ex-Aadm Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha lost nearly 2 million followers on Instagram after he switched to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Before announcing his switch to the BJP, Chadha had some 14.6 million followers on Instagram. However, his current number of followers stands at 12.7 million. 

The drop in the politician’s followers comes as a sign of his potential fall from grace among the younger generations in India, who saw Chadha as a representative of the younger population in the parliament.

Observers say the drop in Chadha’s followers represents his dented appeal among youngsters because of his switch to the BJP.

Fresh unrest was reported in Manipur, as thousands of protesters from the Meitei community held rallies that turned violent on Saturday.

The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) held a massive rally in the capital city of Imphal and submitted a memorandum to the Manipur government.

The rally was held after more thana week of continuous protests in Manipur over the killing of two Meitei minors in a bomb blast in the Bishnupur district.

Protesters shouted, demanding justice for the minors killed in the bomb blast.

The rally spiraled into clashes with the security forces as the protesters were stopped from marching towards chief minister Y Khemchand’s residence in Imphal. 

The state has been grappling with ethnic conflict for nearly three years between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki community, in which more than 250 people have been killed.

On Friday, three people were killed, and five others were injured after gunfire broke out between rival ethnic groups, Naga and Kuki, in India’s northeastern state of Manipur.

Raghu Rai, one of India’s most well-known photojournalists, died at a private hospital in Delhi at the age of 83.

His son Nitin Rai, a photographer himself, said Sunday that he had been battling cancer for the past two years.

“Dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer two years ago but he was cured. Then it spread to the stomach, that too was cured. Recently the cancer spread to his brain and then there were age related issues too,” he told Indian news agency Press Trust of India.

His last rites will be conducted at the Lodhi Cremation Ground in New Delhi at 4 pm on Sunday, the family informed via a post on Instagram.

A Padma Shri awardee, Rai’s camera captured a range of national events as he worked as a photojournalist for five decades for different newsrooms in India. His most prominent work includes his coverage of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy and the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.

In 1977, he became the first Indian photographer to be invited to join Magnum Photos after a nomination from French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reacted to the shooting incident at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which had US President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Vice President JD Vance in attendance.

Modi said he was relieved that the president, first lady Melania Trump and the vice president were “safe and unharmed.”

Modi stressed that “violence has no place in a democracy and must be unequivocally condemned.”

Panic broke out after gunshots were heard at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner that was being hosted at the Washington Hilton hotel Saturday evening.

Trump was escorted by security personnel from the venue unharmed. A 31-year-old suspect from California has been arrested.

Hi! This is Midhat from DW’s New Delhi bureau bringing you all the important stories from India today.

India has woken up to the grim news of veteran photojournalist Raghu Rai’s death.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended his best wishes to US President Donald Trump after a shooting scare at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

Scorching heat has gripped the northern and central states, with Delhi recording its hottest day of the year so far on Saturday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of a continuing heatwave.

Stay tuned as we bring you the latest from the country.