Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday strongly defended the Union Budget 2026 against criticism from Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, asserting that India’s economic fundamentals remain strong and that the government has put in place multiple measures to shield ordinary citizens from global volatility.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday said that French President Emmanuel Macron will undertake a three-day visit to India from February 17. During the official visit, Macron will hold wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi besides attending the AI Impact summit. Both the leaders will hold discussions on strengthening bilateral cooperation across a wide spectrum of areas, the MEA said.
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Political discourse intensified on Tuesday after the unexpected alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) in the Chandrapur Municipal Corporation during the mayoral election. UBT leader Sunil Prabhu reacted to the development, stating, “Supporting the BJP in the Chandrapur mayor election was a decision taken by the local leaders. Party leaders will discuss with them why they did so. We will think about how to ensure such incidents do not occur in the future or whether the decision can be reversed.” His remarks show the evident displeasure within UBT over the local-level political adjustment that has surprised many within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) fold.
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