Here are the top 5 news updates of July 26, 2021:
Stating that nobody pressurised him to resign, BS Yediyurappa today said he had stepped down so that somebody else could take over as Karnataka chief minister after the completion of two years of the BJP-led state government in the current term. Ahead of the 2023 Karnataka Assembly polls, Yediyurappa assured that he shall work to bring the party back to power in the upcoming polls. Speaking to reporters after submitting his resignation to Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot at Raj Bhavan, Yediyurappa said, "Nobody pressurised me to resign. I did it on my own so that someone else can take over as CM after the completion of two years of government. I'll work to bring BJP back in power in the next election. I've not given the name of anyone who should succeed me." He also assured that he and his supporters shall give their 100 pr cent to whoever will become the next Chief Minister.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said her government has formed a two-member inquiry commission to look into allegations of snooping on politicians, officials and journalists using Israeli spyware Pegasus. The decision to form a panel, with retired judges as its members, was taken at a special cabinet meeting chaired by the chief minister during the day. "We thought the Centre would form an inquiry commission or a court-monitored probe would be ordered to look into this phone-hacking incident. But the Centre is sitting idle... So we decided to form a 'commission of inquiry' to look into the matter," she said.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today drove a tractor to Parliament along with other party MPs and demanded that the three contentious farm laws be repealed. Gandhi along with party MPs Pratap Singh Bajwa, Ravneet Singh Bittu and Deepinder Singh Hooda also carried banners and raised sloganss. "These laws are aimed at helping only two-three industrialists. The entire country knows for whom these laws have been brought. These laws are not for the benefit of farmers and that is why they have to be withdrawn," Gandhi said. Meanwhile, Congress leaders Randeep Surjewala and Youth Congress chief BV Srinivas along with a number of party leaders were detained for taking out a tractor march in violation of Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
The death toll in rain-related incidents in Maharashtra rose to 164 today after the recovery of 11 more bodies in Raigad and two each in Wardha and Akola, while 100 people were still missing, the state government said. So far, 2,29,074 persons have been evacuated from the affected areas, the government said in a statement. It said till now, 71 people have died in Raigad district, 41 in Satara, 21 in Ratnagiri, 12 in Thane, seven in Kolhapur, four in Mumbai and two each in Sindhudurg, Pune, Wardha and Akola. Besides, 56 people have been injured in rain-related incidents, it said.
Equity benchmark Sensex declined over 120 points today, tracking losses in index heavyweights Reliance, SBI and HDFC twins amid a largely subdued trend in global markets. The 30-share BSE index ended 123.53 points or 0.23 per cent lower at 52,852.27, while the broader NSE Nifty slipped 31.60 points or 0.20 per cent to 15,824.45. SBI was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding over 1 per cent, followed by Reliance Industries, Tech Mahindra, M&M, L&T, Bharti Airtel, IndusInd Bank and HDFC. On the other hand, Bajaj Finserv, UltraTech Cement, Sun Pharma, Titan, Tata Steel and Kotak Bank were among the gainers.
