Daily Briefing: Fault lines in Manipur; Bidens host private dinner for Modi

With fault lines deepening in Manipur, civilians on either side of the divide are picking up guns to defend themselves and target each other. The Indian Express came across two young men – a 25-year-old Meitei hardware shop owner and a 23-year-old Kuki science teacher – who have spent these past weeks in trenches, keeping a watch. Know their stories.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Amit Shah has convened an all-party meeting on June 24 in New Delhi to discuss the situation in the state.

Only in the Express

With the government planning to seek greater accountability from online fact-checking platforms, they could be required to obtain registration from the Centre. This is being considered as a key provision under the upcoming Digital India Bill, The Indian Express has learnt.

From the Front Page

A private dinner between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden at the White House will set the stage for the formal bilateral talks between the two sides on Thursday. Announcements on a defence industrial cooperation roadmap, a deal on co-producing jet engines for fighter aircraft, and a roadmap on semiconductors, among others, are expected.

Hours after China blocked blacklisting of 26/11 attack accused Sajid Mir as a “global terrorist”, India slammed Beijing and said that if the UN cannot proscribe “established” terrorists due to “petty geopolitical interests”, the international community lacks the genuine political will to fight this challenge of terrorism.

In its minority outreach ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP is set to distribute certificates to those “who may not like to be a part of the BJP, but are appreciative of Modiji’s governance and programmes.” The party will give away ‘Modi Mitra’ certificates to members of the Muslim community, who “will not be part of the BJP cadre, but they will be a support base,” sources said.

Must Read

In 2016, just three months after Shreya Siddangowder joined an engineering college for her undergraduate degree, her life changed forever. A devastating accident left her without her hands. But seven years and an above-elbow hand transplant later, she is on the verge of entering a new chapter in her life. After switching to economics from engineering, she managed to secure a berth at IIM-Calcutta (IIM-C). Read her inspiring story.

In our opinion section today, J Sai Deepak says ‘majoritarianism’ is used to ‘gaslight’ Hindus: “Cries of ‘Hindu majoritarianism’ ignore the fact that expression of Hindu will is based on civilisational nexus between Hindu worldview and this geography. Constitutional morality cannot display selective historical amnesia.”

With PM Modi in the US, a landmark deal agreed to transfer at least 11 critical jet engine technologies is on the cards. What is this deal and why does it matter for India? We explain.

Here is an update on the wrestlers’ protest: The much-awaited Wrestling Federation of India elections have been delayed by five days and will now be held on July 11. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA)-nominated ad-hoc committee took this decision on Wednesday owing to the multiple disputes within the state bodies, whose members will vote in the elections.

And Finally…

It has now been five days since the ‘Titan’ submarine, carrying five passengers onboard, went missing. While rescue efforts are underway, estimates point to the oxygen in Titan running out as early as Thursday morning. Follow our live blog for the latest.

🤐 Delhi Confidential: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan recently flew to Havana to express solidarity with Cuba in its “fight against US imperialism”. He led a delegation of Cabinet ministers and top officials to Cuba — first for a Communist CM from India engaging with Cuba.

🎧 In today’s episode of the 3 Things podcast, we talk about the killing of the Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the CBI probe into the Coromandel Express crash, and the failure to deliver NAMO tablets.

Until next time,

Rahel Philipose and Sonal Gupta

Business As Usual by EP Unny