Jan 20 news LIVE | EU, India on brink of 'mother of all deals': Ursula in Davos

Gujarat has given India Gandhi, Patel, Modi: Vice President Radhakrishnan

ED seeks FIR against TN minister K N Nehru over alleged Rs 366-crore transfer-posting bribery racket

The Enforcement Directorate has written to the Tamil Nadu government seeking registration of an FIR against state minister K N Nehru and others over an alleged Rs 366 crore bribery and money-laundering racket linked to transfers and postings in the Municipal Administration, Urban and Water Supply Department.

The ED said it recovered photos, WhatsApp chats and documents indicating bribes ranging from Rs 7 lakh to Rs 1 crore collected from around 340 officials, with proceeds allegedly invested in real estate, gold, foreign assets and luxury expenses.

The agency invoked provisions of the PMLA to share evidence with state authorities, stressing that an FIR is necessary under Supreme Court guidelines to pursue a money-laundering case.

Nehru has denied the allegations, accusing the ED of targeting him to defame the DMK government.

BCCI ropes in Google’s Gemini as IPL sponsor in Rs 270 crore deal

The BCCI has signed a three-year sponsorship deal worth Rs 270 crore with Google’s AI platform Gemini ahead of the 2026 Indian Premier League, underlining the IPL’s global appeal.

The deal comes as AI platforms show growing interest in Indian cricket, with Gemini’s rival ChatGPT already sponsoring the Women’s Premier League.

Tata Group continues as IPL title sponsor, while Apollo Tyres replaced Dream11 as jersey sponsor last year after real money gaming platforms were banned.

IPL 2026 will be held from March 26 to May 31.

Congress questions Modi’s “urban Naxal” remark, cites govt’s own stand

The Congress on Tuesday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks on the threat posed by “urban Naxals”, asking whether he considers anyone opposed to him as fitting that label.

Reacting to Modi’s speech at the BJP headquarters after Nitin Nabin was elected party president, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh pointed out that the Union Home Ministry has officially stated that it does not use the term “urban Naxals”.

Citing a 2020 Rajya Sabha reply and Modi’s own earlier comments linking caste census demands and concerns over inequality to an “urban Naxal mindset”, Ramesh sought clarification from the prime minister.

Modi, in his address, alleged that “urban Naxals” were expanding their influence globally and claimed that even those who speak positively about him or the BJP are targeted and silenced. He said such individuals are “hounded and made untouchable”, describing this as the “style of urban Naxals”, and asserted that the BJP had faced similar treatment for years.

Emphasising that “urban Naxals are continuously working to harm India”, Modi said the BJP must defeat what he called this nexus through organisational strength and ideology.

Shift from cooperative federalism to “coercive centralism” threatens India’s democracy: Siddaramaiah

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday warned that India is witnessing a “dangerous shift from cooperative federalism to coercive centralism”, with decisions increasingly being taken in Delhi and “imposed upon the states and celebrated as reform”.

Speaking at the South Indian Socialist Conference in Bengaluru, he said the idea of India rests on “many states strengthening one Union”, not one Centre ruling over the states. Calling cooperative federalism “the soul of our Constitution”, Siddaramaiah accused the BJP-led Union government of replacing “trust with control and partnership with punishment” through financial pressure, shrinking tax devolution, and uniform policies that ignore local realities.

He said such practices amounted to a betrayal of the Constitution’s socialist spirit and posed a direct threat to India’s federal structure. Warning against the proposed delimitation exercise, the Chief Minister said southern states that successfully controlled population growth now risk losing political representation, calling it “demographic punishment”.

He said states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar could gain seats while Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala could lose influence, leading to the political marginalisation of the South. “If federalism survives, India survives. If socialism survives, democracy survives,” Siddaramaiah said, asserting that socialism remains the path forward, not a relic of the past.

Sabarimala gold loss case: Vigilance court reserves order on Potty’s bail plea

A Kerala vigilance court has reserved its order on the bail plea of businessman Unnikrishnan Potty, the main accused in the Sabarimala gold loss case involving missing gold from the sanctum door frames.

Potty sought bail citing the SIT’s failure to file a chargesheet within the mandatory 90-day period, a plea opposed by the prosecution over concerns of witness tampering.

Even if bail is granted, Potty will remain in custody due to his arrest in a separate but related case involving gold loss from the Dwarapalaka idols.

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate conducted raids at 21 locations across three states as part of the ongoing probe.

Gold breaches Rs 1.5 lakh per 10g; silver hits record Rs 3.27 lakh per kg

Gold extended its record-breaking run to breach the Rs 1.5 lakh per 10-gram mark in futures trade on Tuesday (January 20), while silver surged to a lifetime high of Rs 3.27 lakh per kg as investors rushed to safe-haven assets amid mounting global tensions.

On the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), gold futures for February delivery climbed Rs 6,861, or 4.7 per cent, to record Rs 1,52,500 per 10 grams after settling at Rs 1,45,639 per 10 grams in the previous session.

Analysts said the yellow metal has been on a relentless upward trajectory since the start of 2026, tracking record gains in the international prices and a weaker rupee.

Silver, too, continued its blistering rally for the second straight session, appreciating by Rs 17,723, or nearly 6 per cent, to hit a new record of Rs 3,27,998 per kilogram on the MCX.

The white metal had breached the Rs 3 lakh milestone on Monday, before closing at Rs 3,10,275 per kg.

Illegal immigrants, urban Naxals threat to national security: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (January 20) flagged illegal immigration as a major threat to national security, asserting that such people must be identified and sent back to their respective countries.

The prime minister, addressing a gathering at the BJP headquarters after 45-year-old Nitin Nabin was declared elected as the national president of the party, also cited urban Naxals and population imbalance as significant challenges before the nation.

Modi said some wealthy and powerful nations, who consider themselves lords of the world, too, were identifying and deporting illegal immigrants, and nobody was questioning their actions.

"India will never allow illegal immigrants to loot its people and the services that belong to the poor," Modi said.

The prime minister accused some political parties of shielding illegal immigrants in the interest of votebank politics and giving them cover. 

"Another major challenge is that of urban Naxals who are expanding their influence globally," Modi said.

Vijay's TVK holds first campaign committee meeting to draft poll manifesto

Karnataka leadership question simmers as Siddaramaiah says he will go to Delhi if called

The leadership tussle within the Karnataka Congress continued to gather pace as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he would travel to New Delhi if summoned by the party high command to discuss the issue involving him and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.

The speculation has intensified after the Congress government crossed the halfway mark of its term, amid talk of a power-sharing arrangement agreed upon during its formation in 2023. Shivakumar has said discussions with the high command have already taken place and a decision has been reached, though its timing remains unclear.

Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah said focus will shift to budget preparations after the legislature’s joint session beginning January 22, with the 2026–27 budget likely to be presented in March.