Referring to hope, aspiration and opportunity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the people of J&K that withdrawing the state’s special status was not about claiming territory but an instrument for their development and prosperity.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi speech on Kashmir: He said elections will soon be held in the new Union Territory and people will have the opportunity to elect their MLAs and Chief Minister in the manner they did earlier.

Swaraj was the architect of a sustained diplomatic campaign that led last month to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) granting India consular access to Jadhav, the retired Navy officer who has been in Pakistan’s custody since March 2016.

From Prime Minister Narendra Modi his predecessor Manmohan Singh, politicians across party lines gathered at Swaraj’s Jantar Mantar home in the morning.

The Prime Minister, according to this source, reminded his ministerial colleagues that being the ruling party, BJP leaders should be aware of the “repercussions” of such a decision and its effect on a section of people.

The fresh set of orders triggered panic as people boarded buses, hired SUVs and multi-purpose vehicles and pick-up trucks to reach towns like Jorhat, Charaideo, Sivasagar and Golaghat.

The decision to dismiss the 53-year-old was taken on May 11 by the FCC, which received approval from the powerful Congregation for the Oriental Churches on August 5 through the Vatican’s representative in Delhi. Kalapura was handed the order Wednesday.

Delhi chose not to respond Wednesday with sources indicating that it did not want to fall for what it considers a bait, and a desperate bid by Islamabad to internationalise the issue.

This is the fourth consecutive cut this year, bringing down the repo rate — the rate at which the RBI lends funds to banks — by a total of 110 basis points from 6.50 per cent.

He said he has been under detention at his home and “I feel sad that the Home Minister of India can lie like this”.

Kashmir Valley: Markets and shops shut, schools and colleges suspended, roads barricaded and guarded by gun-toting security men and vehicle movement restricted only to emergency hospital services.

The Kashmir Valley’s connection with the inside and the outside world has been cut — all internet connectivity, cellular, landline, and cable TV services have been snapped.

China, with which India shares a contested border, said that “the parties concerned should exercise restraint and act with caution, especially to avoid actions that unilaterally change the status quo and exacerbate the tension”.

The CWC issued a statement after a three-hour meeting that did not question the move but focused on the manner in which the change was brought.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah ruled out any talks with the separatist Hurriyat Conference and declared that India will continue to claim the territories of Jammu and Kashmir in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Aksai Chin.

Youngest Minister in 1977 to External Affairs in 2019, BJP’s fighter-in-chief blended grit and grace.

Two-thirds of those present in Rajya Sabha pass Bill to bury Article 370 and redraw map of J&K.

Targeting the BJP-led central government in both Houses of Parliament and outside, a stunned Opposition led by the Congress said the Centre had committed a “cardinal blunder” and a “fatal legal error”.

From property-related laws, criminal laws to crucial central laws like Right to Information & Education — these will be among the many that will be applicable to the proposed Union Territories (UTs), Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

The government sought to dilute the special status to Jammu and Kashmir guaranteed under Article 370 of the Constitution without scrapping the provision. It did so without bringing a Constitutional amendment that would require two-thirds majority in the Parliament.

For the BJP, Article 370 has been a lightning rod. But political compulsions forced it to keep it on the backburner when it had to run coalition governments during 1998-2004.

The PDP MPs trooped into the Well along with Opposition parties shouting slogans against the Modi government’s move to scrap Article 370 and bring a Bill to bifurcate the state into two Union Territories.

In Pune, the district administration has announced a holiday for schools and colleges on Monday, while NDRF teams are working on relief and rescue operations in flood-affected areas.

Earlier, several leaders, including Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, had suggested that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra take over as the Congress president.