LIVE News Updates: Congress’ Digvijaya Singh, Kamal Nath celebrate after winning 1 out of 3 RS seats from MP

All party meeting with PM over India-China border issues: Congress President Sonia Gandhi said, "all party meeting should have happened much earlier. Even at this late stage we are in the dark. Congress has specific questions..." (Source)

Congress leaders Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath celebrate after the former wins one out of three Rajya Sabha seats from Madhya Pradesh. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sumer Singh Solanki have won the other two seats.

Shiv Sena's Uddhav Thackeray at all-party meet: India wants peace but that doesn’t mean we are weak. China’s nature is betrayal. India is 'Mazboot' not 'Majboor'. Our government has the ability to - 'Aankhien Nikalkar Haath Me de dena'.

June 19th, 2020

Mr Prime Minister, Ministers, Leaders of Political Parties,

We meet today in the aftermath of a tragic conflict and our hearts are filled with great sorrow & anguish. Let me begin by paying homage to the brave soldiers of our Army, who laid down their lives as also convey my deepest condolences to the bereaved families. To the injured jawans, we wish them a speedy recovery and good health.

This meeting, in my view, should have come sooner and immediately after the government had been reportedly informed about the Chinese intrusion on May 5th, 2020 into several places in Ladakh and elsewhere. As always, the entire nation would have stood together like a rock and fully supported the government of the day in the steps required to defend the territorial integrity of the country. Alas, that was not to be.

In fact, even at this late stage, we are still in the dark about many crucial aspects of the crisis. We have some specific questions, for the Government: On which date did the Chinese troops intrude into our territory in Ladakh? When did the government find out about the Chinese transgressions into our territory? Was it on May 5th, as reported, or earlier? Does the government not receive, on a regular basis, satellite pictures of the borders of our country? Did our external intelligence agencies not report any unusual activity along the LAC? Did the Military Intelligence not alert the government about the intrusion and the build-up of massive forces along the LAC, whether on the Chinese side or on the Indian side? In the government’s considered view, was there a failure of intelligence?

We in the Congress Party believe that valuable time was lost between May 5 and June 6, the date on which the Corps Commanders meeting took place. Even after the June 6 meeting, efforts should have been made to talk directly, at the political and diplomatic levels, to the leadership of China. We failed to use all avenues, and the result is the loss of 20 lives as well as dozens injured. I would urge the Prime Minister to kindly share with us all the facts and the sequence of events beginning April this year till date.

The question is, what next? What is the way forward?  The entire country would like an assurance that status quo ante would be restored and China will revert back to the original position on Line of Actual Control.

We would also like to be briefed on the preparedness of our defence forces to meet any threat. In particular, I would like to ask what is the current status of the Mountain Strike Corps, with two mountain infantry divisions, that was sanctioned in 2013? Should the Government not treat it with utmost priority?

We in the  Indian National Congress and the entire opposition unitedly stand by our defence forces and are prepared to make any sacrifice to ensure they are battle ready. The Entire nation expects that Government will take all Opposition Parties & the country into confidence and brief us regularly so that we may present to the world a picture of unity and solidarity.

Prime Minister Modiji I thank you for inviting the Indian National Congress to this meeting.

Jai Hind!

JDU Chief and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar at all-party meet with PM Modi: There is nationwide anger against China. There should be no differences among us. We are together.

Reserve Bank of India directive on Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative bank extended for 6 months, from June 23 to Dec 22, 2020; withdrawal limit raised to Rs 1 lakh

Tamil Nadu reports 2,115 fresh COVID-19 cases, , taking the total number of cases to 54,449. Death toll rises to 666 after 41 deaths were reported today: State Health Department

337 new cases and 10 deaths have been reported in Karnataka today. Total number of cases stand at 8281 and death toll is at 124: State Health Department

Mamata Banerjee at all party meeting:China is not a democracy.They are a dictatorship.They can do what they feel. We,on the other hand,have to work together.India will win,China will lose. Speak with unity. Think with unity. Work with unity. We are solidly with the Govt. (source)

We failed to use all avenues of talks to ease LAC tension, lost valuable time, and the result was loss of 20 lives: Sonia Gandhi

Congress wins 2 seats from Rajasthan in Rajya Sabha elections, while BJP has won 1 seat.

118 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the state today. There are 1380 active cases and 1509 recovered cases in the state: Kerala Health Minister's Office

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs all-party virtual meeting to discuss India-China border situation, at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, Delhi; 20 parties attend the meeting

The total number of COVID19 positive cases in Himachal Pradesh stands at 619 including 223 active cases, 377 recovered and 6 deaths: State Health Department

People who have arrived in Puducherry from other states since beginning of this month must register themselves with nearest primary health centre (PHC) by June 20, says govt

Members of the Tibetan community from Switzerland & Lichtenstein held an anti-China protest in front of the United Nations complex in Geneva, today.

A Delhi court grants bail to suspended J&K DSP Davinder Singh, in connection with a terror case after Delhi Police fails to file charge-sheet within the stipulated period, says lawyer.

His latest CT scan report shows that the pneumonia patches in his lungs have increased. He experienced increased giddiness and tiredness today. The advice of doctors will be followed: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Health Minister Satyendar Jain

Two Pakistan Rangers officials and a civilian were killed in a blast in Sindh province on Friday, police said.

According to Senior Superintendent of Police Farrukh Lunjar, the blast took place in the city of Ghotki near a Rangers van that was parked in a market, reports Dawn news.

At least three people were also injured in the blast.

It is not yet clear if the attack was targeted.

The nature of the blast was yet to be ascertained.

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has an agreement with Chinese company Li Ning. The company sponsors kits of our players. We will call a meeting of our executive to take a decision to suspend the agreement: IOA Treasurer Anandeshwar Pandey in Lucknow.

Our heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of the soldiers who lost their lives in Galwan valley: German Ambassador to India Walter J Lindner

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain, who has tested positive for COVID19, put on oxygen support after his lung infection increases: Office of Delhi Health Minister

4 deaths and 376 new COVID19 cases reported in Andhra Pradesh today; the total number of positive cases in the state is now 6,230: State Health Department

It’s sad to see senior GOI ministers reduced to lying in order to protect the PM. Don’t insult our martyrs with your lies.

Those youngsters who worked hard for the examinations, who were waiting for the results want justice.

The govt is in a 'brushing facts under the carpet' mode in such a big scam because the names of people associated with the ruling party have come out in this connection.

Injustice to youth is unacceptable.

My best wishes to First President of Kazakhstan-Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev for early recovery and good health. We stand with our friend and strategic partner Kazakhstan in efforts to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic: PM Narendra Modi

Several NCP leaders, including Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, extend greetings to former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on his 50th birthday

Himachal Pradesh reports no new COVID positive case. Total number of positive cases in the state stands at 595 including 200 active cases, 376 recoveries and 6 deaths: State Health Department

With the number of Covid-19 cases inching closer to the 50,000-mark, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday assured people that testing will be ramped up further in the coming days.

"Delhi residents will not have any problem in getting tested for coronavirus. In the coming days, much more testing will be done," tweeted Kejriwal.

Committee has recommended ₹ 8000-10000, 13000-15000 & 15000-18000 including PPE costs for isolation bed, ICUs without and with ventilator respectively to all hospitals as compared to the current charges of ₹ 24000-25000, 34000-43000 and 44000-54000 (excluding PPE cost): MHA

Petition by Sharjeel Imam seeking clubbing of multiple FIRs against him for alleged inflammatory speeches: SC refused to stay his prosecution going on in various courts; asked Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam to file affidavits within 2 weeks. Matter to be heard after 3 weeks.

The meeting between Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and officials has been rescheduled to 5 pm. Discussion on increasing number of ICUs in the national capital to be taken up in the meeting.

Following is the criteria to be invited for the All Party meeting - All recognised national parties, Those with over 5 MPs in the Lok Sabha, Leading parties from the Northeast, Parties with Union Cabinet Ministers: Sources

All party meet called by Prime Minister Modi - 20 parties to attend the meet today, Home Minister, Defence Minister and BJP president JP Nadda to also be present in the virtual meet. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh personally called & invited all leaders on behalf of PM yesterday.

Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia to meet officials at 12:30 pm today to hold discussion on increasing number of ICUs in the national capital. Minister Satyendar Jain, who is currently admitted at hospital after testing positive for COVID-19 to participate via video conferencing.

It’s now crystal clear that:

1. The Chinese attack in Galwan was pre-planned.

2. GOI was fast asleep and denied the problem.

3. The price was paid by our martyred Jawans, tweeted Rahul Gandhi

52 COVID-19 positive cases, 1 death, 59 recovered and 54 discharged till 10:30 am in Rajasthan. The total number of positive cases in the state rises to 13,909, including 331 deaths, 10,801 recovered and 10,538 discharged: State Health Department

UP government cannot hide the truth by filing an FIR. Amid the pandemic there are many irregularities on the ground. There is possibility of improvement by showing the truth but UP government is filing FIRs against journalists, former employees and opposition for unveiling the truth.

Shamefull, tweeted Priyanka Gandhi

Two more COVID-19 patients die in Jammu and Kashmir, taking number of fatalities due to coronavirus in the Union Territory to 74

The number of coronavirus cases in Agra rose to 1,116 after nine more people tested positive for the disease in the past 24 hours, health officials said on Friday.

The state also reported two more deaths on Thursday, taking the COVID-19 toll to 72.

District Magistrate P.N. Singh said, "908 people have been discharged after recovery. Agra now has 137 active cases."

One more terrorist has been eliminated by security forces in Munand area of Shopian district, Jammu and Kashmir. So far, five terrorists have been killed in the operation which is still underway: PRO Defence, Srinagar

165 new cases of COVID-19 recorded in Odisha in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 4,677 out of which 1,519 cases are active: State Health Department

India reports the highest single-day spike of 13,586 new COVID-19 cases and 336 deaths in last 24 hours. Total number of positive cases now stands at 3,80,532 including 1,63,248 active cases, 2,04,711 cured/discharged/migrated & 12,573 deaths: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare

Petrol price hiked by 56 paise/litre, diesel by 63 paise; rates go up cumulative by ₹7.11 and ₹ 7.67 respectively in 13 days

Around 730 workers at a slaughterhouse in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) had tested positive for the novel coronavirus as of Thursday, German news agency DPA reported.

Local authorities had ordered the Toennies Group meatpacking plant in Rheda-Wiedenbrueck in the district of Guetersloh to be temporarily closed on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The number of hospitalized coronavirus patients in the U.S. state of Texas hit record highs for seven consecutive days, local media reported Thursday.

According to figures released by the Texas Department of State Health Services, there are 2,947 people currently in hospitals being treated for COVID-19 on Thursday, the seventh consecutive day the state reported a record number, Xinhua news agency reported.

The United States on Thursday expressed its deepest condolences to India on the loss of lives of its soldiers in violent clashes with Chinese troops at Galwan Valley in Ladakh early this week.

We extend our deepest condolences to the people of India for the lives lost as a result of the recent confrontation with China, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a tweet, hours after his meeting with top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi.

We will remember the soldiers' families, loved ones, and communities as they grieve, said Pompeo.

The State Department did not say if the recent India-China confrontation along the Line of Actual Control in East Laddakh appeared during the Pompeo-Yang talks in Hawaii.