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Amid demands from the opposition that the president and not the prime minister should inaugurate the new Parliament building, the leaders of several political parties have decided to boycott the ceremony on May 28. Sources said the leaders of like-minded opposition parties deliberated on the issue and a joint statement by all the floor leaders will be issued soon, announcing a united boycott of the event.

Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) said they will skip the inauguration. The sources added that the final decision will be taken on Wednesday, once the formal invitation is received by the parties. "Parliament is not just a new building; it is an establishment with old traditions, values, precedents and rules -- it is the foundation of Indian democracy. Prime Minister Modi doesn't get that. For him, Sunday's inauguration of the new building is all about I, ME, MYSELF. So count us out," TMC's leader in the Rajya Sabha Derek O'Brien wrote on Twitter.

Barely days after the Supreme Court ruled that the elected Delhi government should have total control over transfers and appointments of bureaucrats in the capital, the Centre lost no time in bringing in a special law, making the Lt Governor, who is appointed by the Centre incidentally, the final arbiter in the matter. The main opposition Congress is in two minds over extending support to the Aam Aadmi Party on the matter and a final decision is expected on Tuesday.

A meeting of key Congress leaders from Punjab and Delhi is currently underway over the Ordinance on the transfer of bureaucrats in Delhi. Senior Congress leaders Partap Singh Bajwa, Ajay Maken, Sandeep Dikshit and others are believed to be attending the meeting. According to people aware of the developments, the Congress party so far has not been keen on extending support to the AAP government on the issue citing a few crucial factors.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) will support the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in its fight against the Centre's ordinance on control of services in Delhi, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced in Kolkata on Tuesday shortly after meeting her Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal.

As part of a nationwide tour to garner support for his fight against the Centre's ordinance, CM Kejriwal along with his party's CM for Punjab Bhagwant Mann met Banerjee in Kolkata. They were accompanied by AAP leaders Raghav Chadha and Atishi Singh.

Former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satyapal Malik has once again raked up the Pulwama attack claim to target the Narendra Modi government, claiming that the 2019 Lok Sabha elections were 'fought on the bodies of our soldiers'.

At an event in Bansur of Alwar district, Malik alleged that had there been a probe conducted, the then-home minister would have had to resign.

"Elections (Lok Sabha 2019) were fought on the bodies of our soldiers and no investigation was done. Had an inquiry been done, the then-home minister (Rajnath Singh) would have had to resign. Many officers would have been jailed and there would have been a huge controversy," Malik said.

Jewellery sale has risen marginally after the central bank's move to withdraw ₹ 2,000 notes from circulation, but it can't be compared with the 2016 rush when ₹ 500 and ₹ 1,000 notes were discontinued, say jewellers.

The Reserve Bank of India's Friday announcement to take back ₹ 2,000 notes in exchange for lower denomination ones differs from the 2016 exercise as the ₹ 2,000 notes will remain legal tenders.

The 2016 exercise saw panic buying of the precious yellow metal, a trusted investment tool for middle-class Indians that was at half of its current prices. But the situation this time is different, says a top jewellers body.