1. Mansoon Session: Row erupts as BJP, Congress spar over Rahul Gandhi’s remarks
2. Parliament observes a minute’s silence for 1985 bombing of Air India flight 182
3. PM Modi to skip SCO summit; EAM Jaishankar will represent India
4. New Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi outlines his priorities on 1st day in office
5. Opposition MPs stage protest outside Parliament, accuse BJP-led NDA of ‘misusing’ agencies

What Else

1. Medha Patkar sentenced to 5-month jail term in defamation case; ordered to pay ₹10 lakh to Delhi LG
2. “Would hope any country on planet condemns terrorism anywhere”: US on Indo-Pak relations
3. RBI says $954mn worth of withdrawn 2000-rupee banknotes remain in circulation
4. Chinese rocket Tianlong-3 crashes after accidental launch during test run
5. South China Sea: Chinese academics urged to ‘construct narratives’ to defend maritime claims
6. Antony Blinken warns of threat to Europe as China helps Russia ‘sustain Ukraine war’

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Mansoon Session: Row erupts as BJP, Congress spar over Rahul Gandhi’s remarks

• Calling the entire Hindu community violent is a very serious matter: PM Modi: After LoP Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi attacked him, PM Modi responded by saying, “Calling the entire Hindu community violent is a very serious matter.”
• This came after LoP Rahul Gandhi stated, “Abhayamudra is the symbol of Congress…The Abhayamudra is the gesture of fearlessness, is the gesture of reassurance and safety, which dispels fear and accords divine protection and bliss in Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism and other Indian religions…..But, those who call themselves Hindu only talk about violence, hatred, untruth…Aap Hindu ho hi nahi,”
• Home Minister Amit Shah targeted Gandhi and said connecting violence with any religion is wrong.
• “Narendra Modi is not the entire Hindu society. BJP is not the entire Hindu society, RSS is not the entire society, this is not BJP’s contract,” Rahul Gandhi said. (here)
• PM Modi likely to respond to Motion of Thanks debate in Lok Sabha today (Tue)
• Rahul Gandhi attacks govt over Agnipath scheme; Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah counter: LoP Rahul Gandhi on Mon attacked the govt in LS over the Agnipath scheme for short-term induction of soldiers, claiming that the Agniveers recruited under it were not granted the status of martyrs and were akin to “use and throw laborers.”
• Gandhi’s contention was refuted by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah who accused him of misguiding the house with wrong facts.
• “LoP shouldn’t mislead the House by giving wrong speeches. If an Agniveer dies during war or at the border, his family gets ₹1 crore,” said Singh.
• “He should keep the factual position. Otherwise, he should apologize,” said Shah. (here)
• Parliament Session resumes Mon following adjournment on Fri after Speaker Om Birla refused to accept the Opposition’s demand on a discussion on the alleged irregularities in NEET (National Eligibility-cum-Entrance test).
• Opposition parties in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are expected to demand an immediate discussion on the NEET examination row.
• Congress MP Manish Tewari has given an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha to discuss the three new criminal laws that came into effect from today.
• In LS BJP MP Anurag Thakur will open the debate on the Motion of Thanks.
• The motion will be seconded by Bansuri Swaraj, a first-term Lok Sabha member and daughter of the late BJP leader Sushma Swaraj.
• INDIA bloc leaders have said that they will call for a protest in the Parliament on Mon, demanding a discussion on the NEET-UG paper leak issue

Parliament observes a minute’s silence for 1985 bombing of Air India flight 182

• The RS on Mon observed a minute’s silence for the 329 victims of the deadly bombing of Air India flight 182 in 1985 by Khalistani elements, once again expressing India’s concerns about terrorism.
• Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, the chairperson of the upper house of Parliament, referred to the bombing of the airliner on Jun 23, 1985, and said the day marked the anniversary of “one of the darkest days in the fight against terrorism”.
• “Two Air India aircraft flying out of Canada were targeted by terrorists [and] 329 innocent people lost their lives when Air India [flight] 182 Kanishka was blown up off Ireland on Jun 23, 1985,” he said in the Rajya Sabha.
• “Regrettably justice was never fully served in these cases. These incidents are a grim reminder of why the world must show zero tolerance towards terrorism and violent extremism,” Dhankhar said.
• Lower House of Parliament, Lok Sabha pays homage to victims of Air India 1985 Kanishka terror attack.
• External affairs minister S Jaishankar had cited the attack in a post on X on its anniversary last month and the Indian high commission in Ottawa had organized a ceremony to pay homage to the victims.
• This came at a time when India-Canada relations are at an all-time low over New Delhi’s concerns at Ottawa’s perceived failure to act against pro-Khalistani elements.
• The RS also paid homage to world leaders who died recently, including Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi and FM Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Tanzania’s former president Ali Hassan Mwinyi, and Malawi’s vice president Saulos Klaus Chilima.
• The House recalled their contributions to strengthening bilateral relations. (here)

PM Modi to skip SCO summit; EAM Jaishankar will represent India

• External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will represent India at the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Org in Astana next week as PM Modi has decided to skip it.
• PM is set to visit Russia from Jul 8 to 9 in his first trip to that country in nearly 5 years.
• Concluding the visit to Russia, he is likely to travel to Austria on Jul 9 on a 2-day trip.
• PM Modi decided to skip the SCO given his planned 2-nation trip to Russia and Austria.
• There is no official confirmation of Mr. Modi’s visit to the two countries yet.
• The SCO summit to be held on July 3 and 4 is expected to focus on the regional security situation and ways to boost connectivity and trade.
• “The Indian delegation at the SCO summit will be led by external affairs minister S. Jaishankar,” MEA spox said at his weekly media briefing on Friday.
• The situation in Afghanistan, the Ukraine conflict, and boosting overall security cooperation among the SCO countries are expected to figure in the summit. (here)

New Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi outlines his priorities on 1st day in office

• Continuing the focus on modernisation, the Army’s new chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi has spelt out his priorities, which largely centre on faster induction of new technology into the ranks and file of the 1.1 million-strong force.
• He said the geo-political landscape is at a fast pace and technology was evolving at a very fast pace, adding that the Army faced a unique operational challenge amid all this.
• The general was referring to the fact that India has 2 very active borders with Pakistan and China while being involved in CT operations in J&K as well as the Northeast.
• General Dwivedi has taken over as the 30^th Chief of Staff of the Indian Army from General Manoj Pande following his superannuation.
• The Army chief said he would endeavor to ensure that the Indian Army will always be able to operate in the full spectrum of conflict and maintain synergy with the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force, among other stakeholders.
• General Dwivedi also reached out to veterans and Veer Naris (spouses of soldiers KIA) and their families, saying that he would extend full support to them. (here)

Opposition MPs stage protest outside Parliament, accuse BJP-led NDA of ‘misusing’ agencies

• Opposition INDIA bloc MPs staged a protest in the Parliament premises in New Delhi on Mon against the alleged misuse of probe agencies by the govt to “target” them.
• LS LoP Rahul Gandhi alongside several leaders of the INDIA bloc, including those from the TMC and AAP, participated in the protest on the steps in Parliament.
• As power reports, they carried placards, which read “Stop misusing agencies to silence opposition” and “BJP mein jao bhrashtachar ka licence pao (Join the BJP and get a license for corruption)”.
• Some AAP leaders also displayed posters of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal standing behind bars. (here)

Medha Patkar sentenced to 5-month jail term in defamation case; ordered to pay ₹10 lakh to Delhi LG

• A Delhi court on Mon sentenced renowned social activist Medha Patkar to 5 months of imprisonment in a 23-year-old defamation case filed by the then NGO, National Council of Civil Liberties, VK Saxena, who is currently serving as the Lt Guv of Delhi.
• Metropolitan Magistrate found Patkar guilty of defamation and directed her to pay ₹10 lakh as compensation to Saxena for the damage caused to his reputation.
• The court, however, suspended her sentence under section 389(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure till August 1 to allow her to appeal against the order.
• Rejecting Patkar’s prayer to release her on the condition of probation, the judge said, “Considering the facts…damages, age, and ailment (of the accused), I am not inclined to give excessive punishment.” (here)

“Would hope any country on planet condemns terrorism anywhere”: US on Indo-Pak relations

• Principal Dy Spox for the US Dept of State, reiterated the country’s stand on terrorism and said that they hope that any country on the planet condemns terrorism anywhere.
• Spox was asked about where the US relations stand with India and Pakistan as India has always emphasized that terrorism and talks cannot go together with Pakistan.
• Addressing the media briefing on Mon, the US official was responding to a question on where the US stands as a triangle between the US-India, Pak-India, and India-US relations
• The reporter restated PM Modi’s intent and quoted that he has been trying even during his second term that India wants a good relationship with Pakistan, adding that terrorism and talks cannot go together. (here)

RBI says $954mn worth of withdrawn 2000-rupee banknotes remain in circulation

• The Reserve Bank of India has revealed that over about $954 million worth of 2000-rupee banknotes have not been deposited and remain in circulation, even after the withdrawal of the high-value denomination from the system.
• This represents 2.24% of the total of about $42.6 billion worth of 2000-rupee notes that were in circulation when the withdrawal was announced on May 19, 2023.
• The RBI had initially set a deadline of September 30, 2023, for the public and private entities to either exchange or deposit the 2000-rupee notes.
• This deadline was later extended to Oct 7, 2023.
• The objective was to meet the currency requirement of the economy expeditiously.
• However, with the availability of banknotes in other denominations, the printing of 2000-rupee notes was stopped in 2018-19. (here)

 [Neighborhood]

Chinese rocket Tianlong-3 crashes after accidental launch during test run

• Chinese rocket Tianlong-3, which is comparable to SpaceX’s 2-stage Falcon 9, was accidentally launched during formative tests in central China’s Henan Province and crashed into a hillock seconds after take-off.
• The incident was caused by a “structural failure at the connection between the rocket body and the test bench”, causing the rocket to be “detached from its launch pad”, said Space Pioneer, the developer and a private aerospace company based in China.
• “After liftoff, the computer on the rocket automatically shut down, and the rocket fell to the ground,” it said.
• Tianlong-3, also known as ‘Heavenly or Sky Dragon 3’, is a large liquid-launch vehicle with a diameter of 3.8 meters and a take-off mass of 590 tonnes.
• Its low-earth orbit (LEO) transport capacity is 17 tons, with a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) capacity of 14 tons. (here)

South China Sea: Chinese academics urged to ‘construct narratives’ to defend maritime claims

• Chinese academics have called for more studies of the country’s claims to the disputed South China Sea.
• “Narrative construction and discourse building are essential if we are to effectively defend our rights and interests in the South China Sea – both in the present and in future,” Wu Shicun, founder of the National Institute for SCS, said
• Beijing lays claim to much of the SCS, citing historic activities and records in support.
• Its claims were rejected by the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague in 2016 in a case filed by the Philippines.
• Recently the two countries have been involved in a series of clashes near disputed reefs – including collisions, China using water cannons, and a recent incident in which a Philippine sailor lost a thumb.
• These have raised fears that the situation may escalate into a serious conflict (here)

Antony Blinken warns of threat to Europe as China helps Russia ‘sustain Ukraine war’

• US Secy of State Antony Blinken reiterated concerns about China’s support for Russian war efforts in Ukraine on Mon, 8 days before a NATO summit begins in Washington.
• Blinken said China was helping fuel “the biggest security threat … since the end of the Cold War” for Europe, a threat that is echoed by China’s neighbors in Asia.
• He made the comments at the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank.
• “Partners in Europe see challenges halfway around the world in Asia as being relevant to them, just as partners in Asia see challenges halfway around the world in Europe as being relevant to them,” Blinken said.
• He pointed to a joint statement by NATO and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida last year that said “what happens in Europe could happen in Asia tomorrow” Russia’s war on Ukraine
• Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and S Korea are NATO’s partners in the Indo-Pacific region and will take part in the summit, which starts on Jul 9.
• They will gather with leaders of 32 member countries over the three-day summit, the first since Sweden joined the security alliance. (here)