- Senior Congress leader K C Venugopal unequivocally declared that Rahul Gandhi will lead the INDIA bloc in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, dismissing speculation that Tamil Nadu CM C Joseph Vijay’s TVK had proposed him as a prime ministerial face, while accusing the BJP government of steering the country toward a “dark age” through recent crackdowns and political maneuvers.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a sharp rhetorical attack on the Congress during a Bengaluru public event, labeling opposition allies as “naraaz foofas” and accusing the party of betraying coalition partners, even as his own BJP, with 240 seats, relies on regional allies to maintain its NDA majority in the 543-member Lok Sabha.
- The BJP announced a month-long “Seva Sankalp Abhiyan” from September 17 to October 17 to commemorate 25 years of Modi’s parliamentary journey, featuring 13 nationwide programs including Anganwadi Utsav, Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra and innovation competitions, aiming to consolidate grassroots support ahead of critical state elections.
- Rahul Gandhi publicly backed protesting students over education-system failures, framing their demands as symptomatic of broader governmental neglect, while opposition leaders intensified criticism of the Centre’s handling of campus unrest and youth employment challenges across multiple states.
- Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy challenged former CM KCR to attend the ongoing Assembly session, accusing him of drawing salary for nearly a thousand days without fulfilling Opposition duties, as Congress held a mega dharna at Indira Park demanding KCR’s resignation from his MLA post over alleged absenteeism.
- Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu dismissed YSRCP’s repeated allegations over DSC-2025 recruitment irregularities with a proverbial jab that “there is no way to uncurl a dog’s tail,” signaling his administration’s intent to move past the controversy even as the opposition demanded a CBI probe and Education Minister Nara Lokesh’s resignation.
- YSRCP State General Secretary MVS Nagi Reddy demanded an immediate drought emergency declaration in Andhra Pradesh, citing a 54.73% rainfall deficit across 653 of 685 mandals, particularly severe in Annamayya, Prakasam, Chittoor, Markapuram and Visakhapatnam, urging a special relief package for distressed farmers.
- Telangana Congress leaders alleged that KCR’s nine-and-a-half-year tenure pushed the state from surplus budgets into deep debt, presenting a 1,000-day governance report while demanding accountability for corruption and misgovernance, even as KCR directed BRS legislators to attend Assembly sessions and question the ruling party aggressively.
- Hyderabad police foiled a BJP attempt to hold a rally from Balapur to Bhagyalakshmi Temple at Charminar ahead of Telangana Liberation Day, drawing angry protests from the party and reigniting debates over law-and-order management and political permissions in the Old City.
- GPCC President Girish Chodankar accused Goa CM Dr Pramod Sawant of prioritizing BJP publicity over state interests by clubbing Goa into a zonal council photo-op, reflecting internal Congress friction and regional satraps’ pushback against perceived centralization within the party structure.
Crime News (Non-Legal Focus)
- A 21-year-old nurse, VK Sirisha, was allegedly raped and murdered at a private hospital in Tukkuguda on Hyderabad’s outskirts, prompting Telangana CM Revanth Reddy to order a magisterial inquiry into security lapses, hospital management negligence and compliance with safety protocols for female employees, with police having already arrested a bike mechanic from Bihar in connection.
- Two unidentified women attacked a sanitation worker, Narasamma, with chilli powder and set her ablaze at the Adoni RTC bus stand in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday morning, leaving her in critical condition; police suspect a family dispute motivated the daylight assault and have launched a detailed probe to identify the assailants.
- In Nellore district’s Kota mandal, a woman named Yashoda allegedly murdered a 35-year-old widow, Nagabhushanamma, with an iron rod after luring her home under the pretext of resolving a conflict, driven by jealousy over an extramarital affair with her husband; police filed a murder case and began a manhunt for the accused.
- A family of four jumped into the Godavari River from a bridge in Elamanchili, Andhra Pradesh, early Saturday; rescue teams traced three bodies by Sunday while a woman was rescued by local fishermen, as authorities continued searching for two youths missing in the Veligonda Project feeder canal in Markapuram district.
- Visakhapatnam’s cybercrime losses dropped 60% this year to ₹45 crore from ₹121 crore in 2025, with police recovering ₹32 crore through coordinated action, though around 140 FIRs based on over 1,000 complaints were still registered between January and August, indicating persistent digital-fraud challenges despite improved enforcement.
- Andhra Pradesh’s Anti-Corruption Bureau seized over ₹2.5 lakh in cash during surprise checks on Transport Department officials in SPSR Nellore district, uncovering assets including three houses in Vijayawada, a site at Gunadala and 2.75 acres of agricultural land in Telangana’s Munagala village, pointing to alleged illegal collections.
- Hyderabad’s Jubilee Hills witnessed a violent pub brawl where two groups attacked each other with chairs and beer bottles, but police confirmed no case was registered as both sides reached a compromise, highlighting how urban nightlife altercations often resolve informally without formal legal recourse.
- Habeeb Nagar police arrested a 20-year-old painter in connection with a house-breaking and theft case, noting the suspect had prior criminal records, as part of ongoing efforts to tackle property crimes in Hyderabad’s expanding suburban corridors.
- Delhi police added SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act provisions and criminal intimidation charges to an FIR against Hindutva influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj over an alleged assault on a student activist’s father during a June protest at Jantar Mantar, following outrage over his interview claims.
- A building collapse in New Delhi on Sunday killed at least one person and trapped dozens, prompting emergency rescue operations and raising fresh questions about urban construction safety standards and enforcement gaps in the capital’s densely populated neighborhoods.