The Congress on Monday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent appeal for austerity measures points to deeper economic troubles than the government has publicly acknowledged.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the Prime Minister’s remarks during a rally in Hyderabad indicated that the country’s economic situation may be far more severe than official figures suggest.

In a post on X, Ramesh claimed the government could be preparing the public for stringent austerity measures, including a possible rise in fuel prices.

“The economic reality on the ground is very different from the government’s narrative,” he said, pointing to stagnant real wages, rising household debt and weak private investment in job-generating sectors.

The Congress leader argued that the Centre was attempting to create public acceptance for difficult economic decisions by urging citizens to cut back on spending and consumption.

The opposition party had earlier criticised Modi over his remarks advising people to use petroleum products carefully amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia. Congress accused the government of failing to adequately safeguard India’s energy security despite the prolonged geopolitical tensions affecting global supply chains.

Addressing a Telangana BJP rally in Hyderabad on Sunday, Modi urged people to reduce fuel consumption, use public transport and carpooling, and make greater use of electric vehicles. He also suggested postponing foreign travel and gold purchases for a year in order to conserve foreign exchange reserves.

The Prime Minister said the crisis in West Asia had significantly increased the prices of petrol and fertilisers, putting pressure on the economy despite government efforts to manage the situation.

Calling for collective responsibility during global uncertainty, Modi also encouraged citizens to revive practices adopted during the Covid-19 pandemic, including remote working, virtual meetings and video conferencing.

He further appealed for reduced edible oil consumption, lower dependence on chemical fertilisers, and greater support for natural farming and domestically manufactured products to strengthen economic self-reliance.

Congress, however, described the remarks as evidence of the government’s inability to effectively handle the economic fallout of international crises, accusing it of shifting the burden onto ordinary citizens instead of implementing stronger contingency measures.

With PTI inputs

The political war over India’s economic response to the ongoing US-Iran conflict intensified on Sunday after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for urging citizens to cut fuel consumption, avoid foreign travel and postpone gold purchases to conserve foreign exchange.

Reacting sharply to the prime minister’s appeal, Rahul Gandhi said the government was shifting the burden of its failures onto ordinary citizens instead of taking responsibility for the country’s economic challenges.

Taking to social media platform X, the Congress leader wrote: “Yesterday, Modi ji called upon the public to make sacrifices — do not buy gold, do not travel abroad, consume less petrol, cut down on fertilisers and cooking oil, take the Metro, and work from home. These are not words of counsel; they are evidence of failure.”

He further alleged that the government had pushed the country into a situation where people were now being told “what to buy and what not to buy, where to go and where not to go”.

“Over the span of 12 years, the country has been brought to such a juncture that the public now has to be told what to buy and what not to buy, where to go and where not to go. Time and again, they shift the responsibility onto the public simply to evade their own accountability,” Rahul Gandhi said.

The remarks came hours after PM Modi, addressing a BJP rally in Hyderabad, appealed to citizens to reduce non-essential foreign exchange outflows amid mounting global uncertainty triggered by the prolonged US-Iran war.

“We have to save foreign exchange by any means,” the prime minister said, urging people to defer gold purchases and foreign vacations for at least one year.

Framing the move as part of a broader campaign for “economic patriotism”, Modi also advocated reduced fuel consumption, greater use of public transport, work-from-home systems, natural farming and support for swadeshi products.

The prime minister’s appeal comes as rising crude oil prices, supply-chain disruptions and instability in West Asia continue to put pressure on import-dependent economies like India.

With IANS inputs

One person died and more than 30 others were injured after a sleeper bus overturned on the Ganga Expressway in Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun district in the early hours of Monday, police officials said.

The accident took place near Sarai Piparia village in the Musajhaag area at around 12.30 am. The bus was travelling from Khaga in Fatehpur district to Ludhiana in Punjab when the mishap occurred.

According to Senior Superintendent of Police Ankita Sharma, the tyre of the bus burst near the 202-kilometre mark of the expressway, causing the driver to lose control.

“The bus overturned several times, crossed the divider and landed on the opposite carriageway,” Sharma said.

A passenger identified as Anuj, 34, from Fatehpur district, died at the scene.

Officials said more than 30 passengers suffered injuries, with six reported to be in a critical condition. They were later referred to a hospital in Bareilly for specialised treatment.

Several passengers became trapped inside the damaged vehicle following the crash. Police teams from Musajhaag, Dataganj and nearby stations, along with health department personnel and ambulance services, rushed to the site and carried out a rescue operation.

Rescuers reportedly smashed windows and cut through seats to free those trapped inside the overturned coach.

The injured passengers were initially taken to nearby community health centres and the district hospital. While many sustained minor injuries and were discharged after treatment, six remained under medical supervision.

District magistrate Avneesh Rai said the administration was closely monitoring the condition of the injured passengers.

Preliminary investigations suggest that overspeeding, combined with the tyre burst, may have led to the accident, officials added.

With PTI inputs

The Indian National Congress (INC) on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Centre after the government fully operationalised the four labour codes by notifying the final rules, accusing the Narendra Modi-led administration of pushing through “anti-worker” reforms that weaken labour rights and favour big corporations.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the government deliberately waited until the conclusion of Assembly elections to notify the labour codes through gazette notifications issued on 8 and 9 May.

“The Modi government, in its typical cowardly fashion, waited for the assembly elections to conclude before notifying the four anti-worker labour codes,” Kharge said in a statement.

Describing the reforms as a major setback for India’s workforce, Kharge claimed the codes would institutionalise insecure employment practices.

“For crores of India’s workers, these codes promise a future of hire-and-fire policies, contract employment, and limited space for unionisation,” he said.

The Congress chief also accused the government of bypassing consultations with labour organisations and trade unions while framing the new laws.

“It is important to note that the Modi government drafted and implemented these anti-worker codes without any consultation. It has not even convened the Indian Labour Conference since 2015,” he alleged.

“These codes, which benefit only the prime minister’s industrialist friends, are the greatest setback for workers’ rights since Independence,” Kharge added.

Reiterating the Congress party’s labour agenda, Kharge said the party remained committed to its “Shramik Nyay” vision aimed at strengthening social security and worker welfare.

He outlined the party’s five-point agenda, including expansion of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act to urban areas, a national minimum wage of Rs 400 per day, universal healthcare coverage of up to Rs 25 lakh, comprehensive social security for unorganised workers, and a rollback of what he termed the dilution of labour protections under the Modi government.

The Centre, however, has defended the labour reforms as a long-awaited overhaul intended to simplify India’s complex labour regime and improve ease of doing business while extending protections to workers in both organised and unorganised sectors.

An official said the final rules under all four labour codes have now been formally notified in the government gazette, completing the process of implementation.

The four codes — the Code on Wages, 2019; the Industrial Relations Code, 2020; the Code on Social Security, 2020; and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 — officially came into effect on 21 November 2025.

The labour codes consolidate 29 existing labour laws into four broad legislations aimed at modernising labour regulations, ensuring minimum wages, expanding social security coverage and streamlining compliance mechanisms.

However, labour unions and opposition parties have consistently opposed the reforms, arguing that they dilute protections against arbitrary retrenchment, weaken collective bargaining rights and encourage contractual employment.

With PTI inputs

The Madhya Pradesh government has constituted a one-member judicial commission to investigate the cruise boat accident at Bargi Dam in Jabalpur district that claimed 13 lives last month.

The decision was announced on Sunday, with retired high court judge Sanjay Dwivedi appointed to head the inquiry. The commission has been directed to submit its findings to the state government within three months.

The tragedy occurred on 30 April when a cruise boat operated by the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Department capsized in the reservoir. Thirteen people, including women and children, lost their lives, while 28 others were rescued.

According to officials, the commission will examine the circumstances that led to the accident and assess whether adequate rescue and relief measures were in place at the time of the incident. It will also determine responsibility for any lapses.

Beyond investigating the mishap, the panel has been tasked with reviewing safety standards governing boats, cruises and water sports activities under the Inland Vessels Act, 2021, as well as the National Disaster Management Authority’s Boat Safety Guidelines issued in 2017.

The commission is also expected to recommend standard operating procedures for the operation and maintenance of such services and suggest mechanisms for establishing Quick Response Teams at locations where water-based tourism activities are conducted.

Officials said the inquiry commission carries greater institutional credibility and public confidence than a routine departmental investigation, particularly in cases involving loss of life.

With PTI inputs

Three alleged sharpshooters arrested from Uttar Pradesh in connection with the assassination of Chandranath Rath — close aide and personal assistant to senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari — will be produced before a district court in Barasat on Monday as investigators intensify their probe into the sensational killing.

The trio was arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the West Bengal Police, which has been probing the murder that sent shockwaves through the state’s political landscape just days after the assembly election results.

Sources in the state police said the prosecution would seek police custody of the accused for detailed interrogation regarding the conspiracy, logistics and possible masterminds behind the assassination.

Investigators, however, have chosen to keep the identities of the arrested sharpshooters under wraps until they are formally presented in court and remanded to police custody. Officials have also declined to disclose the exact location in Uttar Pradesh from where the accused were picked up.

According to sources, the three men were quietly brought to Kolkata late Sunday night and taken directly to Bhabani Bhavan, the state police headquarters in south Kolkata, where they were interrogated through the night.

Rath was gunned down on the night of 6 May, barely two days after the results of the fiercely contested West Bengal Assembly elections were declared. The BJP secured victory in 207 constituencies, reducing the ruling All India Trinamool Congress to just 80 seats.

Police said Rath was returning home to Madhyamgram in North 24-Parganas district after attending a party programme when his vehicle was intercepted at a crossing by a four-wheeler.

Preliminary investigation revealed that two motorcycles had been tailing Rath’s car for a considerable distance before the attack.

As Rath’s vehicle slowed after being blocked by the four-wheeler, one of the motorcycles pulled up alongside. The pillion rider allegedly opened fire from point-blank range, pumping around 10 bullets into Rath.

Rath died on the spot, while his driver, Buddhadeb Bera, sustained critical injuries. Police sources said Bera’s condition has since improved significantly.

Investigators later discovered that the registration numbers used on the four-wheeler and the two motorcycles involved in the operation were fake, indicating meticulous planning behind the attack.

Adhikari has alleged that Rath was targeted because of his political association with him, claiming the killing would not have happened had Rath not been the aide of the leader who defeated chief minister Mamata Banerjee from the Bhabanipur constituency by a margin of over 15,000 votes.

The SIT is now probing whether the assassination was a contract killing linked to political rivalry and is trying to identify those who financed and orchestrated the operation.

With IANS inputs

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday said Kyiv had formally handed Russia a list of 1,000 detainees for a major prisoner exchange agreed between the two sides, even as Moscow and Kyiv traded accusations of violating a fragile three-day ceasefire.

“The prisoner exchange, 1,000 for 1,000, is being prepared and must take place. The Americans assumed responsibility for these guarantees,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address, according to the Ukrainian presidential press service.

The proposed exchange, if completed, would mark one of the largest prisoner swaps since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine escalated into full-scale war.

Zelenskyy also renewed calls for direct negotiations to end the war, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared ready for substantive talks after prolonged resistance.

“Now Putin himself says that he is finally ready for real meetings. We pushed him a little toward this, and we have long been ready for such meetings ourselves — now a format must be found,” Zelenskyy said.

He stressed that any future settlement must include credible long-term security guarantees for Ukraine.

The comments came two days after Russian and Ukrainian negotiators agreed to a temporary ceasefire from Saturday to Monday during Russia’s Victory Day commemorations, alongside the planned exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each side.

However, despite the agreement, both countries accused each other on Sunday of repeatedly breaching the truce.

Russia’s defence ministry claimed Ukrainian forces committed 16,071 ceasefire violations over the previous 24 hours, including artillery shelling, drone attacks and assaults on Russian positions.

The ministry said Russian troops responded with retaliatory strikes targeting Ukrainian artillery systems, multiple launch rocket systems, command centres and drone launch sites.

A day earlier, Moscow had reported nearly 9,000 ceasefire violations across several regions.

Ukraine, meanwhile, accused Russia of continuing attacks despite the declared pause in fighting. Ukrainian authorities said at least one person was killed and 15 others were injured in Russian strikes across the country on Sunday.

The general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said Russian troops launched around 60 attacks on Ukrainian positions during the day, describing the ceasefire as largely ineffective on the front lines.

The latest accusations underscore the deep mistrust between the two sides even as diplomatic efforts continue to revive negotiations and secure humanitarian agreements such as prisoner exchanges.

The war, now in its fourth year, has left tens of thousands dead, displaced millions and triggered one of the gravest geopolitical crises in Europe since World War II.

With IANS inputs

On 10 May, India remembers one of the finest poetic voices of the twentieth century — Kaifi Azmi, the revolutionary-romantic whose words transformed not only Urdu poetry but also the language of Indian cinema. Poet, lyricist, scriptwriter, activist and public intellectual, Kaifi belonged to that extraordinary generation of progressive writers who believed literature must not merely decorate society but challenge it.

Even twenty-four years after his passing, Kaifi Azmi remains astonishingly contemporary. His poetry still speaks to fractured times, to inequality, loneliness, love, resistance and human dignity. Few poets managed to combine ideological conviction with lyrical tenderness as effortlessly as Kaifi did. Whether in mushairas, political meetings or cinema halls, his words carried the same emotional intensity and moral clarity.

Born Syed Athar Hussain Rizvi on 14 January, 1919, in Mijwan village in Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh district, Kaifi emerged from a deeply traditional Shia family but soon gravitated toward radical politics and literature. According to accounts in his memoirs and biographies, he wrote his first ghazal at the age of eleven and stunned audiences when he recited it at a local mushaira. The matla of that youthful composition became prophetic of the turbulence and passion that would later define his literary life:

“Itna to zindagi mein kisi ki khalal pade,

Hansne se ho sukoon na rone se kal pade.”

(“May someone disturb life so deeply,

That neither laughter brings peace nor tears bring relief.”)

The young poet soon joined the Progressive Writers’ Movement and later became associated with the Communist Party of India. Unlike many literary figures who remained confined to elite circles, Kaifi immersed himself in workers’ movements, trade union activism and struggles for social justice. For him, poetry was not an escape from reality; it was a weapon against injustice.

The poet of revolution and compassion

Kaifi Azmi’s poetry carried the fragrance of romance but also the fire of rebellion. His celebrated nazm “Aurat” remains among the boldest feminist poems written in Urdu literature. Addressing women not as passive symbols of beauty but as equal participants in history, he wrote:

“Uth meri jaan mere saath hi chalna hai tujhe.”

(“Rise, my beloved, you must walk beside me.”)

In an era when patriarchy dominated both society and literature, these lines sounded revolutionary. Kaifi challenged the romanticised suffering imposed upon women and envisioned companionship built on equality. The poem remains strikingly relevant in contemporary conversations around gender justice.

His poetry also reflected deep empathy for the marginalised. In poems like “Makaan”, written after observing construction workers building luxurious homes they themselves could never inhabit, Kaifi exposed the cruelty of class divisions:

“Aaj ki raat bahut garam hawa chalti hai.”

(“Tonight, fierce winds rage through the city.”)

The “wind” in Kaifi’s poetry was often symbolic — the storm of exploitation, communal hatred or political betrayal threatening ordinary lives.

Yet Kaifi was never merely a slogan-driven poet. His genius lay in combining political consciousness with extraordinary emotional depth. His verses could move seamlessly from revolution to heartbreak, from collective suffering to intimate longing.

Bringing Urdu Poetry Into Indian Cinema

If Sahir Ludhianvi intellectualised Hindi film lyrics and Shakeel Badayuni infused them with classical grace, Kaifi Azmi brought to cinema the sophistication of modern Urdu poetry. He transformed the vocabulary and emotional texture of film songwriting.

Beginning with Buzdil in 1951, Kaifi gradually became one of the defining lyricists of Hindi cinema. His collaborations with filmmakers such as Guru Dutt, Chetan Anand and Khwaja Ahmad Abbas produced some of the most unforgettable songs in Indian cinematic history.

Who can forget the haunting melancholy of:

“Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam,

Tum rahe na tum, hum rahe na hum.”

(“What beautiful cruelties time has inflicted;

You are no longer yourself, nor am I myself.”)

From Kaagaz Ke Phool, the song remains one of the greatest expressions of loss and doomed love in Indian cinema. Sung by Geeta Dutt with heartbreaking tenderness, Kaifi’s lyrics elevated cinematic music into pure poetry.

Equally immortal is his patriotic elegy from Haqeeqat:

“Kar chale hum fida jaan-o-tan saathiyon,

Ab tumhare hawale watan saathiyon.”

(“We have sacrificed our lives and bodies, friends;

Now the nation rests in your hands.”)

Written in the aftermath of the 1962 India-China war, the song transcended propaganda and became an enduring meditation on sacrifice and nationhood.

Kaifi also gave Hindi cinema some of its finest songs of loneliness and existential despair. In Heer Raanjha, for which he wrote the entire dialogue in verse — an extraordinary achievement in Indian screenwriting — he penned:

“Yeh duniya yeh mehfil mere kaam ki nahin.”

(“This world, this gathering, are not meant for me.”)

The line became an anthem for generations alienated by modern life.

The literary brilliance behind the screen

To reduce Kaifi Azmi merely to a film lyricist would be a grave injustice. His literary contributions to Urdu poetry remain immense. Collections such as Aakhir-e-Shab, Jhankar, Awara Sajde and Iblis Ki Majlis-e-Shura established him among the leading Urdu poets of modern India.

His nazms combined conversational simplicity with profound philosophical depth. Unlike heavily ornamented classical poetry, Kaifi’s writing spoke directly to ordinary people while retaining literary sophistication.

One of his most powerful poems emerged after the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992. Deeply disturbed by rising communal hatred, Kaifi wrote “Ram Ka Doosra Banbas”, imagining Lord Ram returning to India only to find his ideals betrayed:

“Paon dhoye bina Sarju ke kinare se uthe,

Ram ye kehte hue apne dwaare se uthe.”

(“Without washing his feet in the Sarju, Ram rose from the riverbank,

Saying these words as he departed.”)

The poem was not an attack on faith but a lament for the erosion of India’s pluralistic ethos. It revealed Kaifi’s lifelong commitment to secularism and communal harmony.

The activist who never forgot his roots

Kaifi Azmi’s commitment to social change extended far beyond literature. After suffering a paralytic stroke in the 1970s, he returned to his ancestral village Mijwan and dedicated himself to rural development. Roads, schools, educational initiatives for girls and vocational programmes emerged through his relentless efforts.

Years later, his daughter Shabana Azmi would carry forward this legacy through the Mijwan Welfare Society. Kaifi believed true patriotism meant empowering the most neglected citizens.

Despite severe health struggles, he continued writing with astonishing resilience. Those who knew him often recalled his sharp wit, warmth and refusal to surrender to despair.

Cinema, poetry and immortality

Kaifi Azmi also left a lasting imprint through films like Garam Hawa, widely regarded as one of the greatest films on Partition. Writing its screenplay, dialogues and lyrics, Kaifi captured the anguish of Indian Muslims caught between memory, identity and displacement after 1947. The film remains painfully relevant in today’s climate of polarisation.

His later songs for Arth displayed unmatched emotional maturity:

“Tum itna jo muskura rahe ho,

Kya gham hai jisko chhupa rahe ho.”

(“You smile so much —

What sorrow are you hiding?”)

Or the unforgettable:

“Jhuki jhuki si nazar beqarar hai ke nahin.”

(“Your lowered gaze — is it restless or not?”)

These were not merely film songs; they were psychological portraits rendered in poetry.

Kaifi Azmi passed away on May 10, 2002, at the age of eighty-three. Yet poets like him do not really die. They survive wherever language resists hatred, wherever poetry speaks for justice, wherever love and rebellion coexist.

In an increasingly noisy age, Kaifi’s voice still arrives with rare moral elegance. He taught generations that poetry could be beautiful without becoming escapist, political without becoming shrill, and deeply human without surrendering to cynicism.

Perhaps no lines describe Kaifi Azmi himself better than his own immortal verse:

“Main dhoondta hoon jise woh jahaan nahin milta,

Nayi zameen naya aasman nahin milta.”

(“I keep searching for that world, but cannot find it;

Neither a new earth nor a new sky appears.”)

Kaifi spent his life searching for that better world — and through his poetry, he brought humanity a little closer to it.

~Hasnain Naqvi is a former member of the history faculty at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai

The Indian National Congress (INC) on Sunday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his appeal to citizens to cut fuel consumption and save foreign exchange amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict, accusing the government of failing to safeguard India’s energy security despite the war dragging on for nearly three months.

The Opposition party said it was “shameless, reckless and downright immoral” for the Prime Minister to ask ordinary citizens to bear the burden of the crisis instead of preparing contingency measures to shield the economy from global disruptions.

In a strongly worded post on X, Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal questioned the Centre’s preparedness in handling the fallout of the conflict in West Asia.

“Three months into the Iran-US war and PM Modi is still clueless about ensuring India’s energy security,” Venugopal said.

“It is shameless, reckless and downright immoral that the PM is pushing the common citizen into inconvenience, instead of building contingencies to ensure our economy is unaffected by this global crisis,” he added.

Targeting Modi’s governance priorities, Venugopal alleged that political calculations had overshadowed economic planning.

“When elections and petty politics are the sole priority of the PM, the end result is an impending economic catastrophe,” he said.

He further demanded that the government immediately ensure adequate fuel reserves and prevent hardship for citizens.

“The PM and his government must make all necessary arrangements to ensure India has ample fuel reserves and no citizen faces any hardship as a result of their lack of planning,” Venugopal asserted.

The Congress attack came hours after Modi, addressing a rally organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party in Hyderabad, urged citizens to adopt austerity measures to help India weather the economic impact of the prolonged Gulf conflict.

Acknowledging that the war had sharply increased prices of petrol and fertilisers, Modi said global supply chain disruptions were creating mounting challenges despite government efforts to manage the crisis.

“That’s why, during the global crisis, keeping the country above all else, we have to take resolutions,” the prime minister said.

Calling for judicious use of petroleum products, Modi encouraged citizens to rely more on metro rail services, carpooling, electric vehicles and railway freight transport to reduce fuel consumption and save foreign exchange.

“We have developed work from home, virtual meetings, video conferencing and many other methods during Corona. We got habituated to it. The need of the hour is to resume those methods,” he said.

In a broader appeal for economic restraint, Modi urged people to postpone foreign trips and gold purchases for one year.

“We have to save foreign exchange by any means,” he said.

The Prime Minister also advocated reducing dependence on edible oil imports and chemical fertilisers, while promoting natural farming and swadeshi products to make India more self-reliant amid the geopolitical turmoil in West Asia.

The ongoing US-Iran conflict has rattled global energy markets and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for global crude oil supplies, intensifying concerns over inflation and fuel availability in import-dependent economies like India.

With PTI inputs