Here are the top 5 news updates of June 9, 2021:
Amid continued infighting in its Punjab and Rajasthan units, the Congress suffered a major jolt today as it lost Jitin Prasada, a prominent young face from Uttar Pradesh, to the BJP. Walking in the footsteps of his father Jitender Prasada, who contested against Sonia Gandhi for the post of Congress President in 1999, Jitin raised a banner of revolt against his party, quitting ahead of the crucial 2022 Uttar Pradesh elections. Jitin was part of the group of 23 leaders who had written to party chief Sonia Gandhi last October seeking organisational overhaul and elections at all levels.
Amid pregnancy rumours, actress-turned-politician Nusrat Jahan finally broke her silence today and released an official statement about her tumultuous marriage with Nikhil Jain. Jahan, who married Jain, in June 2019, in an intimate ceremony in Turkey, said that her interfaith marriage with the Kolkata-based businessman is 'invalid' as it was never registered under the Special Marriage Act in India. In the statement, Nusrat said that because her marriage was not legal, the question of divorce doesn't arise. She said that they separated 'long back', but she had decided to keep her life private. Without mentioning names, the TMC MP accused her estranged husband of mishandling her money and accessing her bank accounts illegally.
Vaccine hesitancy may be a continued area of concern for Indian authorities, but that is just one of the myriad problems that India's COVID-19 inoculation drive faces. In a bizarre incident a man in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal claimed that he had received his COVID-19 vaccination certificate without actually receiving his jab. And going by the comments online, he is not alone. "I'd booked my vaccination slot on May 27 but before going to the vaccination center I received a message on phone saying that 'you're vaccinated successfully'," Divyansh Jaiwar told news agency ANI. Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Medical Education Minister Vishvas Kailash Sarang assured that the administration would take action against anyone found guilty.
The only way to end the ongoing farmers' protest is to withdraw the three contentious farm laws, the Congress said today and asked the government to shed stubbornness and accede to the demand. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stood in support of the farmers who have been agitating against the Centre's farm laws for over six months now, and said they have died fearlessly defending their farms and the country. "Farmers have died while defending their farms and the country. And yet the farmers continue to be fearless and true," he said in a tweet in Hindi, using the hashtag "#500DeathsAtFarmersProtest".
Equity benchmark Sensex tanked 334 points today, tracking heavy losses in index heavyweights Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank and L&T amid a weak trend in global markets. The 30-share BSE index ended 333.93 points or 0.64 per cent lower at 51,941.64. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty slumped 104.75 points or 0.67 per cent to 15,635.35. L&T was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding around 2 per cent, followed by Reliance Industries, Bajaj Finserv, IndusInd Bank, SBI, Maruti, Axis Bank and Bajaj Auto. On the other hand, PowerGrid, NTPC, Titan, HCL Tech and Asian Paints were among the gainers.
