Afternoon briefing: Mehbooba’s reply to PM Modi’s

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Friday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should be thankful to the Sheikh family (Abdullahs), which played a key role in Jammu and Kashmir’s accession to India. The former chief minister’s remarks followed PM Narendra Modi’s accusations on Thursday, in which he criticised the Congress, National Conference (NC), and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for jeopardising the future of the region’s youth for political gain. “Modi ji should be grateful to the Sheikh family (the Abdullahs), especially Sheikh Abdullah, whose efforts made the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to the country possible,” said Mehbooba Mufti. She said the BJP should also be thankful to Omar Abdullah for implementing the party’s agenda in the former state. Dig DeeperPawan Kalyan, deputy chief minister of Andhra Pradesh called for the formation of a ‘Sanatana Dharma Rakshana Board’ on Friday in amid a massive controversy over alleged ‘animal fat being found in the Tirupati temple laddus. In a post on X, Pawan Kalyan said, “…the time has come to constitute a ‘Sanatana Dharma Rakshana Board’ at a National level to look into all the issues related to temples in entire Bharath.” “I think we all should come together to put an end to desecration of ‘Sanathana Dharma’ in anyform,” he added. Outrage erupted after the ruling Telugu Desam Party alleged that the Tirupati laddus, which are well known for being offered to devotees of the Tirumala Venkateswara temple, contained “beef tallow”, “pig lard” and fish oil in it as per a report from a laboratory in Gujarat. Dig Deeper
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Sana Khan appeared on the latest episode of Rubina Dilaik’s podcast, Kisine Bataya Nahi. The former actor and Bigg Boss 6 contestant opened up about leaving the entertainment industry and embracing spirituality, and recalled her transformation from a simple girl who wore salwar kameez to someone who was wearing backless outfits. Sana also called out husbands, who are ‘proud’ of their ‘hot’ wives wearing short clothes. In July 2023, Sana Khan and husband Anas Saiyad welcomed a baby boy. She had quit her acting career before she married Anas in November 2020. Sana is best known for featuring on Bigg Boss 6 and Salman Khan’s 2014 film Jai Ho. Dig Deeper
It’s no secret that Alia Bhatt has always been team minimal makeup. The actor never shies away from embracing her natural skin in a subtle no-makeup makeup look. In an interview with Allure magazine, she revealed that she is also not a fan of sitting too long on the makeup chair because of Attention Deficit Disorder. What’s done fast is best! She applied the same rule for her wedding to Ranbir Kapoor. Alia told Allure that on her wedding day, her makeup artist, Puneet B. Saini, asked her to give her two hours to do her makeup. However, the actor refused the request because she has ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). Dig Deeper
A heart-wrenching letter by a mother alleging that extreme work pressure led to her daughter’s death has shocked the nation. Anna Sebastian Perayil’s tragic demise and her mother’s letter to EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani have been topics of conversation for the past few days. They have also sparked conversations around “excessive workload” in corporate culture. Though EY and Memani have denied the allegations of extreme work pressure causing Anna’s death, her family believes she succumbed to work stress. Her father, Siby Joseph, has opened up about his daughter’s death and ‘glorification’ of overwork, adding that he doesn’t want anyone else to have the same fate as his daughter. Dig Deeper
Hasan Mahmud completed his five-wicket haul on Friday, the second morning of the first Test match in Chennai. The Bangladesh seamer took the last wicket of India’s innings, dismissing Jasprit Bumrah to complete his fifer. In doing so, Mahmud made history by becoming the first-ever Bangladesh bowler to take five wickets in one innings in a Test match in India, accomplishing the feat only four matches into his Test career. The young seamer had opened the floodgates on the first day of the Test, taking the big wickets of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli in the first session. While Rohit was caught in slips, both, Gill and Kohli were caught behind the wicket. Dig Deeper