The big news: Congress, BJP attack each other on Hinduism, surgical strikes, and 9 other top stories
Other headlines: Mehbooba Mufti urged the Centre to open a route to Sharda Peeth, and Ministry of Defence approved military procurement worth Rs 3,000 crore.
A look at the headlines right now:
- Narendra Modi used surgical strikes as a ‘political asset’, says Rahul Gandhi in Rajasthan: Gandhi also claimed the prime minister does not understand the ‘foundation of Hinduism’ – a remark that was later criticised by the BJP.
- Mehbooba Mufti writes to Narendra Modi, seeks opening of route to Sharda Peeth temple in PoK: Meanwhile, Pakistan said it is dismayed at ‘negative propaganda’ in Indian media against the Kartarpur project.
- Ministry of Defence approves procurement of defence equipment worth Rs 3,000 crore: This includes BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles for two stealth frigates of the Navy.
- CBI files chargesheet against former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda in land allotment case: The agency claimed that the re-allotment of a plot in Panchkula to Associated Journals in 2005 caused a loss of Rs 67 lakh to the exchequer.
- Around 77% voter turnout recorded in sixth phase of panchayat elections in J&K: The turnout was 84.6% in the Jammu division and 17.3% in Kashmir.
- Odisha government shuts down shelter home in Dhenkanal after inmates allege sexual harassment: The person who was in charge of the shelter has been arrested.
- Congress claims conspiracy as EVMs reach collection centre in Madhya Pradesh 48 hours after polling: Several Congress workers protested outside the collection centre on Friday after the machines arrived there two days after polling.
- Former United States President George HW Bush dies at 94: The 41st president of the United States breathed his last at his Houston home at 10.10 pm local time on Friday.
- Arun Jaitley calls for a policy to decide how RBI surplus should be spent: The central bank is keeping reserves for a rainy day while generations wait for rain, the Union finance minister told ‘India Today’.
- CBI accuses Andhra Pradesh of leaking details of its operation to arrest corrupt officials: The state government passed on the details to the state Anti-Corruption Bureau, which arrested just one person while several others escaped, the agency claimed.