The Catch Up: 2 May

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.
It’s the 2nd of May and here are today's headlines.


Intensifying the attack against the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that the “partnership between Congress and Pakistan” has been “exposed” as leaders in Pakistan are “offering duas” for Rahul Gandhi to become India’s prime minister. While addressing an election rally in Gujarat, Modi said Pakistan “has been crying” as the Congress, which “only handed terror dossiers” to Pakistan, continues to lose ground in India. All 26 seats of Gujarat will go to poll on May 7 in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024.

Meanwhile, in Shivamogga, Rahul Gandhi raked up the many allegations of sexual abuse against Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna and said, “PM Modi has asked for votes for a ‘mass rapist’.” Speaking of Revanna, the Special Investigation Team probing the allegations of sexual abuse against him has issued a lookout circular after he failed to appear before it officials following a notice of appearance served on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he sought seven days to appear before the SIT. The SIT also issued notices to his father H D Revanna, who has been named as accused based on the complaint of one of the women, on the same day.

The Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has approved the removal of 223 contractual staffers at the Delhi Commission for Women, deeming their employment “irregular” and “illegal”. It is alleged that the former chairperson of the DCW, Swati Maliwal, had appointed the staffers without permission, going against the rules. Maliwal asked, quote, "If all the contract staff is removed, the Women’s Commission will be locked. Why are these people doing this? This institution has been built with blood and sweat. Instead of giving it staff and protection, you are destroying it from its roots?” Unquote.

A Mumbai school principal has been asked by the school management to resign, allegedly over her posts on social media platform X on the issue of Palestine and the Hamas-Israel conflict. Parveen Shaikh, who has been with the school for 12 years and became its principal 7 years ago, has refused to resign. She said, quote, “I live in democratic India; I hold the principle of freedom of speech in high regard as it is a cornerstone of democracy. It is unimaginable that my expression would provoke such a malicious response, furthering their biased agenda. I will not resign because I have given hundred per cent to the organisation,” Unquote.

Arguing that immigrants have made the United States stronger, President Joe Biden said that xenophobia from India, China, Russia and Japan has stalled their economic growth. Speaking at a fundraising event in Washington, he said, quote, “Why is China stalling so badly economically, why is Japan having trouble, why is Russia, why is India, because they are xenophobic. They don’t want immigrants. Immigrants are what makes us strong. One of the reasons why our economy is growing is because of you and many others. Why? Because we welcome immigrants,” Unquote.

This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.