Headlines from today's papers.
Clash of Aam Aadmi Party leaders casts shadow over party's future
A meeting of senior leaders from the Aam Aadmi Party was held under the shadow of "letter wars" between senior leaders Manish Sisodia and Yogendra Yadav. The two leaders had recently exchanged letters concerning the way the party functions, with Yadav criticising the "personality cult" to which the AAP seems to have fallen pray. Yadav's letter claimed that the party's decisions were based on the whims of convenor Arvind Kejriwal. Sisodia blasted Yadav for targeting Kejriwal and for airing internal party matters in the public. The meeting, held in New Delhi, also discussed how to bring back prominent members such as Shazia Ilmi who resigned after the party's rout in the recently-held Lok Sabha elections.
Afghan government has credible leads in priest abduction case: External Affairs Ministry
The spokesperson of the External Affairs ministry said on Friday that the Afghan administration had "concrete leads" concerning the abduction of Alexis Prem Kumar, an Indian Jesuit aid worker working in that country. Kumar was abducted from Afghanistan's Herat district five days ago. The Afghan Interior Ministry had arrested three members of the Taliban on Thursday and says it is is working on "all fronts" to rescue Kumar.
Sushma Swaraj may visit Bangladesh
In what would be her first official visit to another country since assuming charge as External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj will reportedly visit Bangladesh by the end of the month. A spokesperson of the External Affairs ministry suggested that Swaraj would be visiting one of India's neighbours, outlining the newly-elected government's focus on the region. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has confirmed that he will visit Bhutan shortly, most believe Swaraj will announce a trip to Bangladesh since she received an invitation from the country's foreign minister A H Mahmood soon after being sworn in.
Two groups clash in Golden Temple on 30th anniversary of Operation Bluestar
Twelve people were injured on Friday morning when two groups clashedinside the premises of the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the holiest Sikh temple. The clashes reportedly followed an altercation between members of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) and those of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee task force during a ceremony to mark the 30th anniversary of Operation Bluestar, when Indira Gandhi ordered the army to enter the temple complex to flush out terrorists who had locked themselves inside. Gandhi's order led to her assassination in 1984. The altercation broke out when the two groups disagreed on who should address the gathering first. Seven people have been arrested by the police and worship has resumed at the temple.
Modi asks MPs to stop touching feet, be prepared before speaking
Addressing a meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party's parliamentary group, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked Members of Parliament to dispense with the practice of touching of senior members' feet when greeting them. Modi said he wanted party members in Parliament to be well-prepared before speaking in Parliament while also possessing the "right perspective" on issues so as to not appear out of line from the party's views. According to sources, party patriarch LK Advani, BJP president Rajnath Singh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley sat on the dais facing the other MP. Senior leaders like Sushma Swaraj, Nitin Gadkari and Murli Manohar Joshi sat in the front row. Advani's presence on the dais may indicate that he has an important role to play in the current government, especially since this comes after his position as the chairman of the party's National Democratic Alliance is unclear.
