Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, left, Mustafizur Rahman, middle, and BJP leader Sangeet Som

NEW DELHI: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Saturday released Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad following a directive from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).KKR had picked Mustafizur Rahman for Rs 9.20 crore at the IPL auction held in December. However, his selection triggered a political backlash in India after reports emerged of recent mob violence and lynching incidents involving Hindu minorities in Bangladesh.Following the BCCI’s directive, Mustafizur Rahman will not be part of the IPL 2026 season, and the franchise has been permitted to name a replacement player in accordance with league rules.In a media advisory, KKR said, “Kolkata Knight Riders confirms that BCCI/IPL as the regulator of IPL has instructed it to release Mustafizur Rahman from the squad ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season.” The franchise added that the release was carried out after due process and consultations, and that the BCCI would allow a replacement player as per IPL regulations.Also read | Mustafizur Rahman out of IPL 2026: Will KKR get their Rs 9.20 crore back?The controversy drew reactions from political leaders, with Congress MP Shashi Tharoor coming forward in Mustafizur Rahman’s support, while the BJP strongly opposed his selection and targeted KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan, calling him a “traitor.”

Congress supports cricketer, questions BCCI

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said sports should be separated from political tensions. “Cricket should not be made to bear the burden for attacks on minorities in Bangladesh,” he told reporters, adding that Mustafizur Rahman had no role in the violence.“Mustafizur Rahman is a cricketer and has nothing to do with any of these things. He has not been personally accused of any hate speech or condoning or defending any attacks. Mixing these two things is simply not fair,” Tharoor said.Also read | ‘Who are we punishing?’: Shashi Tharoor slams ‘mindless politicising of sport’ after KKR release Bangladesh player Mustafizur RahmanHe also cautioned against isolating neighbouring countries. “If we become a country that isolates all of our neighbours, and say nobody is playing with any of them, how does it do any good? It is purely a sporting decision, and we should not let politics come into this,” he added.Congress leader and Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge criticised the BJP for targeting the IPL franchise, saying overseas players participate in the league as per BCCI and IPL rules.In a post on X, Kharge said, “The BJP and their ‘Vichar Parivaar’ are outraged over the inclusion of a Bangladeshi player in the IPL. If an overseas player is in IPL, it is because BCCI or the IPL rules allow him. Instead of blaming the franchise, shouldn’t the BJP leaders ask why BCCI is allowing Bangladesh players to participate in IPL, when they should be banning it.”He further cited past instances to criticise BJP leaders. “The same BJP leaders have no problem when: India played with Pakistan soon after the Pahalgam attack. IPL shifted matches to Islamic countries during COVID. IPL auctions are held in Islamic countries… For BJP, ‘nationalism’ appears only when it suits their politics,” Kharge added.Congress MP Tariq Anwar defended KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan, calling it inappropriate to target the actor. He said foreign players can only be included after due permission from cricketing authorities and under international norms.Reacting to the controversy, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate said the focus should be on who permitted Bangladeshi players to be included in the IPL auction in the first place.Speaking to ANI, she said, “First of all, I want to ask who put the Bangladeshi players in that pool. This question is for the BCCI and the ICC. Home Minister’s son, Jay Shah, should answer who put the Bangladeshi players in the pool where IPL players are bought and sold, the pool where the players’ auction takes place… he is the ICC’s chief and the main decision-maker in cricket all around the world.”

BJP welcomes BCCI decision

BJP leader Sangeet Som welcomed the BCCI’s decision and launched a sharp attack on Shah Rukh Khan, calling him a “traitor.” He cited repeated violence against religious minorities in Bangladesh and claimed Mustafizur Rahman would not be allowed to play in the IPL.“Despite all this, traitors like Shah Rukh Khan… invest it in players from a country that is working against India,” Som told ANI, adding that the cricketer would not be able to play in the tournament.Uttar Pradesh Minister Narendra Kashyap also praised the BCCI’s move, saying it respected national sentiment. “We welcome the decision of the BCCI that they understood the sentiments of the nation and removed the Bangladeshi player,” he said.

Madan Lal backs Shah Rukh Khan

Former India cricketer Madan Lal and World Cup winner supported Shah Rukh Khan, saying the actor had no role in team selection.“This is the decision of the BCCI and the Central government must have taken this decision, given the atrocities are being committed against Hindus in Bangladesh,” he told ANI.He added, “There is no fault of Shah Rukh Khan as they have the team who picks the team.”

Mixed reactions continue

National President of the All India Muslim Jamaat, Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi, said there was no act of betrayal in Shah Rukh Khan selecting a Bangladeshi player.Meanwhile, Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi of the All India Imam Organisation said Shah Rukh Khan should apologise to the nation over the selection.Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam had urged Shah Rukh Khan to remove the Bangladeshi player, saying it would protect India’s interests and prevent the actor from becoming a target.Also read | Another Hindu dies in Bangladesh: Khokon Das succumbs to injuries after 3 days; was set ablaze by mobHindus in Bangladesh have been victims of mob violence and lynching in the aftermath of protests and the killing of student leader Osman Hadi. On December 18, 2025, Dipu Chandra Das was beaten to death by a mob over alleged blasphemy charges in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district. In another incident, a Hindu youth, Amrit Mondal, was lynched in Rajbari district, triggering protests and strong reactions in India.

Tamil Nadu chief minister and DMK president MK Stalin (ANI)

NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu chief minister and DMK president MK Stalin on Saturday launched the party’s election manifesto portal 2026 at the party headquarters, Anna Arivalayam, in Chennai, marking the beginning of preparations for the upcoming assembly elections.Stalin introduced the official email ID, WhatsApp number and social media platforms of the DMK Election Manifesto Drafting Committee, which is intended to collect ideas and suggestions from people across different sections of society for the party’s election manifesto.He also announced the launch of the “Tamil Nadu Assured Pension Scheme,” which will extend the benefits of the Old Pension Scheme.Under the new scheme, government employees will be assured a pension equal to 50 per cent of their last drawn salary. To implement this, the state government will contribute the entire additional amount required to the Pension Fund, over and above the 10 per cent contribution made by employees.Addressing the gathering, MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi said the party leadership wanted the manifesto to be shaped by public opinion.“This manifesto should be the people’s manifesto, which is what our leader advised us. Suresh Sambandham have created a portal, and we are going to launch it today, where people can give inputs. We thank our leader who came to launch the portal today. I also thank our CM for coming here after a big announcement on pensions,” she said.Kanimozhi said the DMK’s election manifestos have consistently focused on fulfilling promises made to the people. She added that the newly launched portal would allow common citizens from any sector to speak, write or upload their suggestions. “Today, we are launching a portal where common people who may be from any sector can talk, type and upload their inputs. Using AI, the portal will give us a recommendation,” she said.The launch comes a day after Congress MP Jothimani took a veiled jibe at DMK, warning that the Tamil Nadu unit of her party was being prevented from carrying out basic election-related responsibilities. She said the Congress was heading towards gradual destruction due to the selfish interests of a few leaders.“No political party would ever think of obstructing its parliamentary members from submitting the list of polling booth agents to the Election Commission at election time. Yet, in the Congress party, that is precisely what is happening,” she said, adding, “Tamil Nadu is facing an unprecedented peril from communalist, separatist, and violent forces.”Meanwhile, the BJP on Monday accused the Congress of exposing what it termed the DMK government’s “failure model” in Tamil Nadu. BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan cited remarks by a Congress affiliate on rising state debt, questioned the stability of the Congress-DMK alliance, and sought responses from Chief Minister MK Stalin and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin.Tamil Nadu is among the states where assembly elections are scheduled to be held later this year.

NEW DELHI: In a major move to strengthen patient safety, India has, for the first time, brought blood components used in transfusions under uniform pharmacopoeial standards, tightening regulatory oversight of blood banks and transfusion services nationwide. The step is accompanied by stricter quality specifications for widely used medicines—from tuberculosis and diabetes drugs to cancer therapies—aimed at curbing risks from unsafe blood products and substandard medicines.Blood transfusion involves giving whole blood or specific blood components into a patient’s vein to replace blood lost due to injury, surgery or illness, and is essential for treating conditions such as severe anaemia, major surgery, trauma, cancer care, childbirth complications and inherited blood disorders.The measures were formalised with the release of Indian Pharmacopoeia 2026, India’s official book of drug standards, by Union health and family welfare and chemicals and fertilisers minister JP Nadda at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre on Friday.Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP) standards are legally enforceable in India and accepted in courts, with regulators using them to ensure drug quality. The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, sets and regularly updates these standards under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules, 1945.Published by the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission on behalf of the Ministry of health and family welfare, the Pharmacopoeia lays down authoritative and legally enforceable standards under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. These standards form the basis for licensing, inspection and distribution of medicines across the country.A major regulatory expansion in the 10th edition is the first-time inclusion of 20 monographs for blood components used in transfusion medicine, bringing blood banks and hospital transfusion services under clearer and more consistent oversight—an important safeguard for surgeries, trauma care and maternal health.The monographs cover standards for whole blood and blood components, including whole blood (standard and irradiated); a wide range of red cell products (packed, additive solution, leucodepleted, buffy coat removed, cryopreserved and washed RBCs); plasma components such as fresh frozen plasma (from whole blood and apheresis), cryoprecipitate and cryo-poor plasma; platelet products including PRP, pooled and random donor platelets, buffy coat and apheresis-derived platelets (including additive solution and double units); and granulocyte components obtained through apheresis or buffy coat pooling.The edition also tightens the country’s drug safety framework by adding 121 new drug standards, taking the total number of monographs to 3,340. Each monograph specifies how a medicine must be manufactured, tested, stored and labelled, strengthening regulators’ ability to act against sub-standard or unsafe products.A key public-interest gain is the expanded and sharper coverage of medicines used under national health programmes. Drugs for tuberculosis, diabetes and cancer—relied upon by millions for long-term treatment—will now be subject to more uniform quality checks, a critical safeguard for patients dependent on public healthcare systems.Officials said the revised standards will also strengthen safety surveillance. Highlighting the progress of the Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (PvPI) under the IPC, Nadda said India—ranked 123rd globally during 2009–2014 in contributions to the World Health Organization’s pharmacovigilance database—has now climbed to 8th position worldwide in 2025, reflecting faster reporting of adverse drug reactions and stronger regulatory action.With public healthcare bearing the bulk of the country’s disease burden, Indian Pharmacopoeia 2026 is expected to directly strengthen blood safety, improve medicine quality and enhance patient protection across the healthcare system.