India News Highlights, 13 September 2026: Complaint against DMK’s A Raja for remarks against CM Vijay

The Assam Congress has decided to rebuild houses damaged by floods in Sivasagar, Jorhat and Charaideo districts, the party said on Sunday.

The decision was taken at a meeting of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee general secretaries and district presidents, held in the presence of AICC general secretary and Assam in-charge Bhupesh Baghel. Party functionaries have been asked to identify villages where houses need to be rebuilt and coordinate the work on priority.

At least 108 people have died in Assam floods this year, with houses and other infrastructure, including cattle sheds, fisheries and health centres, also damaged.

The CPI(M) on Sunday began an extensive review of its setback in the Kerala Assembly elections, with the party leadership focusing on identifying shortcomings, strengthening the organisation and preparing a roadmap for the future.

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) won 102 of the 140 Assembly seats, with the Congress emerging as the largest party with 63 seats and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) winning 22. The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) was reduced to 35 seats, while the BJP won three constituencies.

CPI(M) MP John Brittas said the party would examine the political, ideological and organisational factors behind the setback as part of efforts to rejuvenate the organisation. He said extended state and district committee meetings would be held to discuss the issues in detail.

CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan said the party had discussed ways to revamp and strengthen its organisation, stressing the need for greater involvement in grassroots-level issues and stronger ideological commitment among party members. He also alleged that the Congress and Muslim League were entering into an understanding with the BJP, citing the PM SHRI controversy.

The review exercise will continue for six months, with discussions at the state level followed by meetings of district committees.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said the Narendra Modi government had ushered in a new era of “politics of performance” by moving India away from corruption, casteism and dynastic politics.

Addressing a press conference in Mumbai to announce the month-long ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’, Shah said the campaign would be held from September 17 to October 17 to mark Modi’s birthday and his 25 years in public office as chief minister and prime minister, according to PTI reports.

“Before 2014, Indian politics was suffering from three scourges -- corruption, casteism and dynastic politics. In the political era from 2014 to 2026, these three have ended and the people have moved the country towards a politics of performance,” he said

Shah said the campaign, with the slogan “Jan Seva Hi Prabhu Seva” (public service is service to God), would focus on public participation in the goal of making India a developed country by 2047. It will include blood donation and lamp-lighting drives, youth competitions, beneficiary interactions, motorcycle yatras and programmes aimed at expanding coverage of government welfare schemes.

He also highlighted what he described as major achievements of the Modi government in infrastructure, poverty reduction, manufacturing, welfare, defence and foreign policy. Shah said 25 crore people had been brought out of poverty and cited schemes providing free foodgrains, bank accounts, healthcare cover, tap water connections, farmer assistance and toilets.

On the economy, Shah credited measures including GST, the Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile framework, banking reforms, FDI, the Production Linked Incentive scheme and Make in India for strengthening manufacturing and economic growth. He said India had moved from the “Fragile Five” to the world’s top five economies and cited 7.8 per cent GDP growth in the first quarter.

Shah also pointed to the government’s decisions on Article 370, terrorism, Left-wing extremism and security in the Northeast, as well as surgical strikes, air strikes and Operation Sindoor. He said India’s global standing had also risen, citing Vaccine Maitri, trade agreements and its leadership of the G20 and BRICS.

The West Bengal government has ordered the closure of 252 madrassas and issued show-cause notices to around 100 others following a state-wide survey that found several institutions lacked required approvals and basic infrastructure, officials said on Sunday.

Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education Minister Kshudiram Tudu said madrassas with the necessary approvals would continue to operate. The survey, conducted across all districts since early June, examined infrastructure, approval status and management systems of government and private madrassas.

Officials said further action against the institutions served notices would be taken after their responses are examined. Tudu said the exercise was initiated following directions from Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to identify authorised and unauthorised madrassas in the state.

Panchayati Raj Minister Dilip Ghosh said there had been complaints about some madrassas and alleged that people arrested for extremist activities had been found working as teachers at some institutions.

Opposition TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh, however, said all madrassas should not be “painted with the same brush”.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Goa Forward Party (GFP) on Sunday announced a pre-poll alliance, ‘Goa First’, for the 2027 Goa Assembly elections, positioning themselves as a non-BJP, non-Congress alternative.

AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, announcing the alliance in Panaji, said the BJP would not secure a majority in the next elections and claimed that ‘Goa First’ would form the government. He said AAP and GFP would be equal partners.

“The people of Goa want a change. Goa First will form the government. We will win on our own,” Kejriwal said.

GFP president Vijai Sardesai said the alliance would provide an alternative to the ruling government and alleged that it was dominated by defectors. He said the alliance was open to other like-minded political forces.

The announcement comes after seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs recently joined the BJP. Kejriwal said the development was a lesson for AAP and that the party would be “extra cautious” while selecting nominees for the Upper House in future.

AAP currently has two MLAs in the 40-member Goa Assembly, while GFP has one.

Bihar Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday accused the Centre of adopting a “stepmotherly” attitude towards the state in providing flood relief, and criticised the BJP-led government for failing to secure adequate assistance.

Addressing a press conference in Patna, the RJD working president said he had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 7, seeking that the floods be declared a “national disaster” and that Rs 5,000 crore in immediate financial assistance be provided to Bihar.

Yadav criticised Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and Union ministers from Bihar, saying they had failed to secure a relief package from the Centre. He alleged that the Prime Minister responded more quickly to floods in Gujarat, while Bihar received different treatment.

“The engines of the 'double-engine' government in Bihar have failed,” Yadav said, questioning why the state government had not been able to secure central assistance despite having several Union ministers from Bihar.

Yadav also claimed that he had not received a response to his letters to Modi and Choudhary. “Just like PM has ignored Bihar in times of flood, people will ignore him in the future,” he said.

Justice V Kameswar Rao was sworn in as the chief justice of the Patna High Court on Sunday by Bihar Governor Syed Ata Hasnain at a ceremony held at Lok Bhavan.

Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and other dignitaries attended the oath-taking ceremony.

Born on August 7, 1965, Justice Rao completed his graduation in Geography and LLB from Delhi University in 1987 and 1990, respectively. He enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi in March 1991 and practised before the Supreme Court, Delhi High Court and the Principal Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal in New Delhi.

The Delhi High Court designated him as a senior advocate in 2010. He was elevated as an additional judge on August 17, 2013, and became a permanent judge on March 18, 2015.

Justice Rao was transferred to the Karnataka High Court in June 2024, where he also served as acting chief justice. He returned to Delhi in July 2025.