Now Reading: Today in India: 26 October 2026
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Today in India: 26 October 2026
Mallikarjun Kharge's 'Modi ka baap bhi jayega' remark prompts a police complaint and BJP condemnation, while Karnataka's chief minister warns IT firms over hiring bias and New Zealand reshuffle their T20 squad for a must-win match.
Row over Kharge's 'Modi ka baap bhi jayega' remark
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said 'Modi ka baap bhi jayega' at an event in Patna on 25 October after an audience member shouted that PM Modi would not go anywhere. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief Nitin Nabin condemned the remark as 'indecent' and 'unparliamentary'. A police complaint has been filed.
11 sources, 11 neutral
Karnataka CM warns IT firms over anti-Kannadiga bias
Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on 25 October warned private companies, including Bengaluru IT firms, of government action if they deny jobs to Kannadigas. His statement followed a viral video where a woman alleged language-based discrimination, claiming Kannada speakers were rejected while Telugu and Tamil speakers were hired at lower salaries.
8 sources, 8 neutral
Operation Sindoor: No target beyond IAF reach, Air Chief says
Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said on 25 October that Operation Sindoor showed no target was beyond the IAF's reach, with calibrated strikes across a 1,200 km front and 200 km depth. In an interview with PTI, he described the May 2025 counterterror operation as validation of the IAF's capability-centric approach and stressed deepening capabilities.
3 sources, 3 neutral
Jaishankar calls for UN leadership, not spectator role
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on 25 October that the UN must show leadership and 'not be a spectator' to global crises, calling for reforms. Speaking at the Chinmaya Amrit Mahotsav Global Sammelan in New Delhi on UN Day, he argued that 'the case for reformed multilateralism gets stronger by the day' and that decision-making must include more nations.
9 sources, 9 neutral
More from today
New Zealand overhaul T20 squad for must-win third match
New Zealand made multiple changes to their T20I squad ahead of the must-win third match against India at Sky Stadium in Wellington on 27 October. Pacer Matt Henry is ruled out of the remaining three T20Is and will join the ODI squad in Auckland on 2 November. Lockie Ferguson will miss the Wellington match but rejoin for the fourth and fifth T20Is.
10 sources, 10 neutral
LG Saxena declares Ladakh first fully organic UT
Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on 25 October declared Ladakh India's first fully organic Union Territory, after a phased transition that banned chemical fertilisers across Leh and Kargil. The administration prohibited synthetic fertiliser use in July 2026 and distributed organic fertiliser in March 2026. Saxena said the milestone protects Ladakh's Himalayan ecosystem and improves farmers' incomes.
11 sources, 2 pro-government, 9 neutral
Modi calls Mann Ki Baat a 'pilgrimage' on 12th anniversary
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 October marked 12 years of his monthly radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat', calling it a 'pilgrimage' that recognised ordinary citizens' contributions. In the 139th episode, he urged festive shoppers to prioritise local artisans, supporting the 'Vocal for Local' campaign. He highlighted Indian products reaching overseas, such as makhana to Greece and arhar dal to the Maldives.
9 sources, 2 pro-government, 7 neutral
Congress posters demand 200 seats in UP, Akhilesh blames BJP
Posters with the slogan '200 seat haq hai hamara, UP ko hai Rahul Gandhi par bharosa' appeared outside the UP Congress headquarters in Lucknow on 25 October as seat-sharing talks with the Samajwadi Party for the 2027 Assembly polls continued. The state Congress denied involvement, while the BJP termed the posters 'proof' of 'fighting' between the allies.
9 sources, 9 neutral
Brent crude nears $120 on West Asia tensions
Brent crude crossed $117 per barrel and nears $120 as West Asia tensions escalate, including Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure and US-Iran fears. Analysts say traders will track the US Federal Reserve's 27 to 28 October meeting and weekly inventory data. Any disruption at the Strait of Hormuz could drive crude to $120.
5 sources, 5 neutral
Eminent painter Jogen Chowdhury dies at 87 in Kolkata
Eminent painter and former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jogen Chowdhury died at Ruby General Hospital in Kolkata on 25 October at 10.15 am. He was 87. The hospital said he had been suffering from myeloproliferative neoplasm, a rare blood cancer, for 14 months and was undergoing chemotherapy. He was admitted on 16 October with a urinary tract infection and placed on ventilator support on 24 October.
9 sources, 9 neutral
Useful today
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Gold prices steady across Indian cities on 25 October
24-carat gold at Rs 1,42,580 per 10 grams in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, according to multiple reports. Delhi rates vary by source, from Rs 1,42,000 to Rs 1,42,730. Silver is uniform at Rs 2,20,000 per kilogram across all listed cities.
7 sources, 7 neutral
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Bihar may add agriculture teachers to TRE-4 recruitment
Bihar's fourth-phase teacher recruitment may include 76 new agriculture teacher posts, one per district. The file has reached the chief minister's secretariat for cabinet clearance on 28 October. The BPSC has already raised total posts from 25,857 to 33,388 through three supplementary requisitions.
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Heavy rain alert for 17 MP districts on Karwa Chauth
The India Meteorological Department issued an orange alert for 11 eastern MP districts on 29 October, with heavy to very heavy rain of 2.5 to 8 inches expected. Six more districts, including Chhatarpur, Katni, Jabalpur, Mandla, Chhindwara and Seoni, are on the heavy rain list.
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Telangana school holiday in two districts on 26 October
Adilabad and Kumuram Bheem Asifabad districts declared a holiday for all government and private schools and colleges on 26 October for Komaram Bheem's death anniversary. Residential schools are exempt. Institutions that take the day off must work on 14 November to compensate.
The closing thought
Kharge's remark and the BJP's swift condemnation show election-season rhetoric sharpening ahead of polls. Bengaluru's language row and the Congress-SP seat talks in UP both underline how identity and patronage remain central to state politics. On the economy, crude above $117 keeps the inflation watch alive. The IAF's assertion of reach and the UN reform plea remind us of India's dual push, military capability and institutional influence. What to watch: the Fed's October meeting and whether Tejashwi Yadav responds to the Bihar teacher recruitment delay efficiently.
This digest is refreshed through the day at indianopinion.org/today.
This digest was compiled and written by AI from the day’s Indian Opinion coverage.
