NC, PDP bonhomie ends abruptly
The brief camaraderie between Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) collapsed after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah rejected a private member’s Bill by PDP MLA Waheed ur Rehman Para seeking recognition of ownership rights over state and Kacharai lands. Abdullah argued that legalising encroachments violated existing laws and recalled the controversy surrounding the earlier Roshni scheme, which aimed to convert leasehold into freehold land before being struck down by courts. Despite Abdullah’s request for withdrawal, Para insisted the rejection was politically motivated and accused the Government of bowing to BJP’s “land jihad” narrative. The Bill was defeated by voice vote, supported by only three members. The confrontation extended to social media, where Para defended his proposal as pro-people, while NC leaders accused PDP of misleading the public.
Top rebel leaders surrender
Two senior CPI (Maoist) leaders — Central Committee Member P Prasad Rao (alias Chandranna) and State Committee leader Bandi Prakash (alias Prabhath) — surrendered before the Telangana Police on Tuesday after spending over four decades underground. Telangana DGP B Shivadhar Reddy said their surrender follows Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s appeal to Maoists to join the mainstream. The duo, citing poor health, security pressure, ideological differences, and internal rifts, decided to quit the outlawed group. Prasad, from Peddapally, and Prakash, from Mancherial, had long associations with Maoist organisations since the late 1970s and early 1980s. Their surrender marks a major success for the State’s counter-insurgency strategy, the DGP said.
Mandhana Hits Career High
India’s Smriti Mandhana consolidated her position as the world’s top 1 batter in women’s ODI cricket, achieving a career-best rating of 828 after stellar World Cup performances, including a century against New Zealand and an unbeaten 34 versus Bangladesh. She leads Australia’s Ash Gardner (731) by nearly 100 points. South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt rose to third, while England’s Amy Jones and Australia’s Annabel Sutherland also made major gains. Among Indians, Pratika Rawal climbed to 27th despite missing the rest of the World Cup due to injury. In bowling, England’s Sophie Ecclestone retained her top spot (747), with Australia’s Alana King surging to second (698) after a seven-wicket haul.