Evening news wrap: Rahul Gandhi hits back at CEC over 'vote-chori' row; Amit Shah slams Voter Adhikar Yatra & more

Rahul Gandhi hit back at Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Thursday after the poll body “fact-checked” his “vote chori” charge, while Amit Shah slammed the Congress leader’s rally as a “Ghuspaithiya bachao yatra.” Meanwhile, CJI BR Gavai responded to backlash over his “ask your deity” remark, stressing that he respected all religions. The Congress also attacked Prime Minister Modi over the Pakistan–Saudi defence pact, citing national security risks. In other news, families of Air India Flight AI171 victims sued Boeing and Honeywell in the US, alleging faulty fuel switches caused the deadly Ahmedabad crash.

'Stop giving excuses': Rahul's rebuttal to ECI's 'fact-check'; targets CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Rahul Gandhi escalated his attack on Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar hours after the poll body "fact-checked" the Congress leader's new claims on his " vote chori " charge. Hitting back at Gyanesh Kumar, Rahul Gandhi accused the Election Commission chief of blocking the FIR and CID investigation into the alleged fraud in the Aland assembly constituency, which a Congress candidate won in the 2023 polls. Read more

'Spreading false narrative ': Amit Shah slams Rahul Gandhi’s ‘vote theft’ charge; terms Congress leader's rally as 'Ghuspaithiya bachao yatra'

Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday hit out at leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of spreading a false narrative after the Congress leader alleged voter deletions in Karnataka’s Aland assembly constituency. Addressing BJP workers in Bihar’s Rohtas, Amit Shah said, "Rahul Gandhi's yatra was a 'Ghuspaithiya bachao yatra'. Should infiltrators have the right to vote or free rations? Should infiltrators get jobs, houses, treatment up to 5 lakh rupees?" Read more

'I respect all religions': CJI Gavai on backlash over his 'ask your deity' remark

Reacting to the social media backlash over his "go ask your deity" remark, Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai on Thursday said: "I respect all religions". The CJI-led bench had called the plea seeking directions to reconstruct and reinstall a seven-foot idol of Lord Vishnu at the Javari Temple, a “publicity interest litigation”. Read more

'Another setback': Congress attacks PM Modi over Pakistan-Saudi defence pact; flags national security concerns

The Congress on Monday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia defence pact, calling it a matter of grave concern for India’s security and another failure of what it described as “personality-driven diplomacy.” Earlier today, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan announced the signing of a “Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement” during Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Riyadh. Read more

Ahmedabad plane crash: Air India victims' kin sue Boeing, Honeywell; blame fuel cutoff switches that FAA cleared as 'safe'

The families of four victims of the June 12 crash of Air India Flight AI171 have filed a lawsuit against US planemaker Boeing and aerospace supplier Honeywell, alleging that faulty cockpit fuel switches caused the deadly accident that killed 260 people. The complaint, lodged in Delaware Superior Court on Tuesday, claims the accident occurred seconds after the Boeing 787 Dreamliner took off from Ahmedabad for London due to a defective design of the aircraft’s fuel cutoff switches. Read more