Author: Supriya Jena

In Jaipur, leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Minority Morcha had a shocking fight during a meeting. A video showed two leaders, Javed Qureshi and Jackie, grabbing each other’s collars and hitting each other in front of everyone. People were surprised as they witnessed the fight.

The trouble started when Jackie tried to help BJP leader Madan Rathore get to the stage, but Javed Qureshi blocked him. They began arguing, and their words turned into a physical fight.

Meanwhile, the Rajasthan state assembly is still stuck because of comments made by Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Avinash Gehlot about former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Congress party members are refusing to attend the meetings and even held a mock session outside the assembly.

This situation got worse when Congress President Govind Singh Dotasra made comments that upset Speaker Vasudev Devnani. Congress members held signs and protested outside, asking for an apology from the minister. They also acted out a mock Question Hour, where one member pretended to be the chairperson while others asked about the actions of BJP leaders.

Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully stated that they tried to discuss the problems, but the minister wasn’t replying. He said they are ready to talk to the Chief Minister to solve the issues, but the government seems scared and doesn’t want to run the assembly properly.

The Delhi High Court is waiting to make a decision about a request from Delhi University (DU). DU wants to challenge a ruling made by the Central Information Commission (CIC). This ruling told DU to provide information about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bachelor’s degree. DU argued in court that it does not mind showing this information to the court itself.

DU’s lawyer, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, told the court that there is a Bachelor of Arts degree from 1978. Justice Sachin Datta listened to everyone’s arguments and said that the decision would come later.

During a past court meeting, DU said that it holds students’ information like a secret and that just being curious is not a good reason for someone to ask for this private information under the Right to Information (RTI) law. They said that the RTI Act has become a “joke” because people are asking for records about all students who passed their BA exams in 1978, including Modi.

The CIC had an earlier order that allowed a person named Neeraj to see details of students who took the DU bachelor’s exam in 1978, the same year Modi graduated. On December 21, 2016, the CIC told DU to let Neeraj look at the records of everyone who passed that year. The CIC rejected DU’s argument that this was private information, saying it was not legal or fair. They instructed DU to allow someone to inspect the records and to give a certified copy for free. However, the high court put a hold on this CIC order on January 23, 2017.

Three lawmakers from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi want to change the names of some neighborhoods. They are asking to rename Najafgarh to Nahargarh, Mohammadpur to Madhavpuram, and Mustafabad to Shiv Vihar. This is part of a trend where BJP leaders have changed names in other areas to move away from names connected to Mughal rulers.

Anil Sharma, who represents the RK Puram area where Mohammadpur is located, said he will push for this name change in the assembly. He pointed out that there was a proposal from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to change the name before, but the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government didn’t do it. Now that the BJP is back in power after 27 years, Sharma believes the name change will finally happen.

Another lawmaker, Neelam Pehalwan, wants to rename Najafgarh to honor local hero Raja Nahar Singh. She said that the people of Najafgarh feel they have been treated unfairly and changing the name is important for them.

Parvesh Verma, a Delhi minister, supports this name change as he feels it is overdue. Mohan Singh Bisht, who will soon be the deputy assembly speaker, announced that Mustafabad would become Shiv Vihar. He mentioned that this was a promise made during the elections, although part of Mustafabad will keep its original name.

Neelam Shinde, a student from Satara, Maharashtra, is facing a serious health crisis after a car accident in California on February 14. She has been in a coma in the hospital ever since, suffering major injuries to her head, hand, and chest.

Her family wants to visit her urgently but needs a visa to enter the United States. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is helping them speed up the visa process. They are working with U.S. officials to get her family to her side as soon as possible.

Supriya Sule, a leader from the Nationalist Congress Party, highlighted Neelam’s situation in a post. She shared that Neelam’s father, Tanaji Shinde, is desperately trying to travel to the U.S. due to the medical emergency involving his daughter.

Tanaji said that they learned about the accident on February 16, just two days after it happened, and have been trying for a visa since then. Unfortunately, they have not received it yet. The last time they spoke with Neelam was on February 12, just before the accident occurred.