Vice-President Dhankhar faints at Kumaon University programme
As the Vice-President stepped down from the dais after delivering his speech, he approached his former parliamentary colleague, Mahendra Singh Pal, who was seated in the audience.
Mr. Pal, an advocate in the High Court of Uttarakhand, served as a Lok Sabha MP in 1989 when Mr. Dhankhar was also an MP from Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan.
Both men appeared to become emotional upon seeing each other. After talking to each other for a while, Mr. Dhankhar embraced Mr. Pal and appeared to pass out on his shoulders. Noticing something was wrong, the medical team accompanying the Vice-President quickly responded and brought him back to consciousness.
Mr. Dhankhar soon recovered and proceeded to the Raj Bhawan, where he would spend the night.
The Vice-President began his three-day visit to Nainital on Wednesday (June 25, 2025).
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Manipur Congress MP alleges he was stopped from visiting area in his constituency
IMPHAL: Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, Lok Sabha MP from Inner Manipur, has said that he was stopped from visiting Phougakchou-Ikhai Makha Leikai Keithel in Bishnupur district, which falls within his parliamentary constituency, on Monday. Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, Congress Lok Sabha MP from Inner Manipur. The Congress MP said it happened despite the heavy presence of security forces, including the Indian Army, and alleged that there was an 'imaginary and unconstitutional buffer zone', which violates Article 19 of the Indian Constitution and fosters communal division, in the strife-torn state. Speaking to the media at his Imphal residence on Tuesday, Bimol sai dthat preventing an Indian citizen, let alone an elected Member of Parliament from freely moving within his own constituency, was a blatant breach of constitutional rights. He accused security forces of implicitly supporting the buffer zone concept, which, he claimed, was fueling division between communities in Manipur. 'The enforcement of an imaginary and unconstitutional buffer zone reflects a communally driven agenda that is deepening divisions in Manipur,' Bimol said, adding that the government had already clarified that no such zone officially exists. Despite this, he claimed, security forces continue to act as if one does. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, the Congress MP wrote: 'I, an elected Member of Lok Sabha, was stopped from visiting Phougakchou-Ikhai Makha Leikai Keithel in Bishnupur District, which falls within my parliamentary constituency (Inner Manipur) today, despite the heavy presence of security forces, including the Indian Army. Tellingly, civilians belonging to other communities (such as Pangals) are allowed to travel through the same place right in front of me. It speaks of the clandestine ways through which the state has been nurturing a communally founded division of Manipur and enforcing an unconstitutional buffer zone.' Bimol further clarified that his attempt to visit the market area was not provocative and accused the security forces, specifically the 6 Assam Rifles, who erected the barricade in May 2023, of contributing to ongoing tensions. The so-called buffer zone was initially set up to control mobs but has since become a symbol of communal segregation, he said. 'Manipur is not divided by communal ideology,' he said. The MP further said, 'For the past few months, farmers have been facing attacks from armed militants intended to instill fear and discourage agricultural activity.' He cited two recent incidents, one in Imphal East on June 16 and another in Bishnupur on June 20. In the Imphal East incident, he alleged that members of the Kuki community prevented Meitei farmers from working in their fields, claiming the land was disputed and did not belong to the Meiteis. In the second case, a farmer sustained bullet injuries after allegedly being attacked by armed Kuki militants at Phubala, located on the volatile border between Meitei-majority Bishnupur and Kuki-dominated Churachandpur.
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
GST is a brutal tool of economic injustice: Rahul Gandhi
Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a 'brutal tool of economic injustice and corporate cronyism', Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday (July 1, 2025). His remarks come on the eighth anniversary of GST. The Congress leader said India deserves a tax system that works for all, not just the privileged few, so that every Indian, from the small shopkeeper to the farmer, can be a stakeholder in the nation's progress. 'Eight years on, the Modi government's GST is not a tax reform — it's a brutal tool of economic injustice and corporate cronyism. It was designed to punish the poor, crush MSMEs, undermine states, and benefit a few billionaire friends of the Prime Minister,' he said in a post on X. A 'Good and Simple Tax' was promised, he said, but instead we got a compliance nightmare and a five-slab tax regime that has been amended over 900 times. 'Even caramel popcorn and cream buns are caught in its web of confusion,' Mr. Gandhi said. This bureaucratic maze favours big corporates who can navigate its loopholes with armies of accountants, while the small shopkeepers, MSMEs, and ordinary traders, Mr. Gandhi said, drown in red tape. 'MSMEs - India's largest job creators have suffered the most. Over 18 lakh enterprises have shut down since the rollout of GST eight years ago. Citizens now pay GST on everything from tea to health insurance, while corporates enjoy over ₹1 lakh crore in tax breaks annually,' he said. 8 years on, the Modi government's GST is not a tax reform - it's a brutal tool of economic injustice and corporate cronyism. It was designed to punish the poor, crush MSMEs, undermine states, and benefit a few billionaire friends of the Prime Minister. A "Good and Simple Tax"… — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 1, 2025 Petrol and diesel have been deliberately kept outside the GST framework, hurting farmers, transporters, and ordinary people, he said. 'GST dues are also weaponised to punish non-BJP ruled states - clear proof of the Modi government's anti-federal agenda,' Mr. Gandhi alleged. He said the GST was a visionary idea by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), meant to unify India's markets and simplify taxation. 'But its promise has been betrayed by poor implementation, political bias, and bureaucratic overreach. A reformed GST must be people-first, business-friendly, and truly federal in spirit,' Mr. Gandhi said.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
'Brutal tool of economic injustice, corporate cronyism': Rahul slams GST, calls for reform
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel With the Goods and Services Tax (GST) completing eight years, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday claimed that it is a "brutal tool of corporate cronyism" and asserted that a reformed GST must be "people-first, business-friendly, and truly federal in spirit".The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said India deserves a tax system that works for all, not just the privileged few, so that every Indian, from the small shopkeeper to the farmer, can be a stakeholder in the nation's progress."Eight years on, the Modi government 's GST is not a tax reform - it's a brutal tool of economic injustice and corporate cronyism. It was designed to punish the poor, crush MSMEs, undermine states, and benefit a few billionaire friends of the prime minister," he said in a post on X."A 'Good and Simple Tax' was promised. Instead, India got a compliance nightmare and a five-slab tax regime that has been amended over 900 times. Even caramel popcorn and cream buns are caught in its web of confusion," Gandhi bureaucratic maze favours big corporates who can navigate its loopholes with armies of accountants, while small shopkeepers, MSMEs, and ordinary traders drown in red tape, he claimed and added that the GST portal remains a source of daily harassment."MSMEs - India's largest job creators have suffered the most. Over 18 lakh enterprises have shut down since the rollout of GST eight years ago. Citizens now pay GST on everything from tea to health insurance, while corporates enjoy over ₹1 lakh crore in tax breaks annually," Gandhi said. Petrol and diesel have been deliberately kept outside the GST framework, hurting farmers, transporters, and ordinary people, he said."GST dues are also weaponised to punish non-BJP ruled states - clear proof of the Modi government's anti-federal agenda," Gandhi said the GST was a visionary idea by the UPA, meant to unify India's markets and simplify taxation."But its promise has been betrayed by poor implementation, political bias, and bureaucratic overreach. A reformed GST must be people-first, business-friendly, and truly federal in spirit," Gandhi said.
