News18.com Daybreak | Ram Madhav on PDP Break-up and Other Stories You May Have Missed

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Break-up explained: BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir in-charge Ram Madhav on Wednesday blamed the break-up of the party’s alliance with the People’s Democratic Party on the “soft approach” of the Mehbooba Mufti government over violence in the Valley. In an interview to CNN-News18 hours after the imposition of Governor’s Rule in Jammu and Kashmir, Madhav said the death of Mehbooba’s father and then chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in January 2016 was the first blow to the alliance. Read excerpts from the exclusive interview to decode the break-up.

Married or not? Prime Minister Narendra Modi's estranged wife Jashodaben on Wednesday expressed her shock over Madhya Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel's statement in a leading Gujarati daily that Modi was unmarried. Reading out a statement in a video shot from her brother Ashok Modi's mobile phone, Jashodaben said that she considered Modi to be Ram for her and was very surprised at the comment.

Calling it quits: After completing nearly four years as the Chief Economic Adviser, Arvind Subramanian called it quits months before his term was to end. He will be returning to the US citing "very compelling reasons". Though no last date has been fixed for his departure yet, he said he would be remitting office within the next two months. Subramanian who is a senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, was preceded by Raghumram Rajan. He was appointed as CEA, in October 2014 for a 3-year term when Rajan became the (now former) Chief of RBI. He received an extension last year, even though his official contract was till May 2019. Speaking fondly about his tenure, Subramanian, called it the "the best job I ever had, not without controversies sometimes”. He added, “I will go back with the best of memories. I will always be committed to serving the country at all times in the future.”

Blatant bigotry: An inter-faith couple who had applied for their passports in Lucknow, were allegedly humiliated and shamed by a passport officer before he rejected their application. The couple later tweeted their ordeal to Union Minister Sushma Swaraj and the Prime Minister’s Office and sought their intervention.

Clearing the air: Radhika Vemula, the mother of University of Hyderabad research scholar Rohith Vemula whose suicide in 2016 had sparked a major political row, denied she was given money to target the BJP over her son's death. The clarification came after controversy following Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal’s accusation against the opposition of exploiting the tragedy for political gains.

Red flag: The Bengal unit of BJP seems to be developing cracks in its ranks after party leader Chandra Kumar Bose raised questions on the functioning of the state leadership and asked why the state president should not be an elected one instead of the current selection process. Read his exclusive interview with News18.

Tough stance: Bengaluru residents may soon have to give up their dream of buying a new car if they don't have a parking space for it. Transport Minister DC Thammanna on Wednesday said that such a proposal is being mulled to tackle the notorious traffic problem in the Karnataka capital.

Morocco eliminated: Cristiano Ronaldo powered-home a fourth-minute header to give Portugal a 1-0 World Cup victory over Morocco that took them top of Group B on Wednesday. The North African side became the first to be eliminated from the tournament. And while you are at it, watch this Hijabi teenager storming the Internet with her football skills.

Immigration horror: A small clip of television anchor Rachel Maddow breaking down on air has gone viral. The MSNBC host was reading out news about the Trump administration operating “tender age” shelters for migrant babies and toddlers. The video follows massive outrage that broke out in the US after a leaked audio clipping revealed voices of screaming children who were separated from their immigrant parents and stowed away in detention centres as part of Trump's 'zero tolerance' immigration policy.

Ordeal continues: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal may have ended his sit-in at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal’s house but the protest has left the Aam Aadmi Party chief unwell. According to sources, Kejriwal had higher blood sugar levels than normal, which forced him to rest on his first day back from the sit-in. The sources said he is likely to return to work on Thursday.

Agree or disagree?

The recent rift in the Kerala unit of Congress over the “gifting” of a Rajya Sabha seat to ally Kerala Congress (Mani) was seen as an obvious opportunity for the BJP. But a deadlock with the RSS over a new state unit chief may hurt the saffron party’s chances of cashing in, writes Anu Narayanan.

On reel

Durga Gawde, also known as Shakti, is a gender-fluid individual who defies preconceived gender norms and is set to educate the world about why gender shouldn't exist at all. On some days, Durga can be sporting a highly contoured face with a beard while on some days, you’d see the 25-year-old being very feminine. This pride month, let's look beyond what we understand as predefined binary genders.