NEW DELHI: US Secretary of State Rubio spoke with external affairs minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif on late Wednesday, urging them to “de-escalate tensions” between the two nations. He asked Sharif to condemn the Pahalgama attack that has soured the relations between the two nations.
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Indian external affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar today. The Secretary expressed his sorrow for the lives lost in the horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam, and reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to cooperation with India against terrorism. He also encouraged India to work with Pakistan to de-escalate tensions and maintain peace and security in South Asia,” US state department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.
During his conversation with Sharif, Rubio emphasized the importance of condemning the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and called on Pakistani authorities to cooperate fully in the investigation of what he described as a “this unconscionable attack.”
He further urged Pakistan to engage with India in efforts to de-escalate tensions, restore direct communication channels, and uphold regional peace and stability in South Asia.
However, Sharif accused India of engaging in “escalatory and provocative behavior,” according to a statement from Islamabad.
“India’s provocations would only serve to distract Pakistan from its ongoing efforts to defeat terrorism, particularly from militant groups,” Sharif said, according to the statement released by his office.
In the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians—mostly tourists—and left many injured, ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir have seen a sharp uptick. The attack, carried out by Pakistan-backed terrorists, has triggered a series of strong countermeasures from India.
In response, government has taken several diplomatic and strategic steps, including suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, shutting down the Integrated Check Post at Attari, and moving to reduce the strength of high commissions. Additionally, the armed forces have been granted full operational freedom to determine the nature and timing of a suitable response.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has opposed the Union Ministry of Defence (MoD)’s decision to approve a new Sainik School in Madhya Pradesh’s Narsinghpur, named after State Cabinet Minister Prahlad Singh Patel’s late nephew. 

Speaking to The Hindu on Wednesday, CPI (M) state secretary Jaswinder Singh raised objections to naming the new school Maninagendra Singh Sainik School and alleged that the person the school is being named after had multiple cases against him, including Dalit atrocities. 

Earlier on April 28, Mr. Patel had shared a letter by the Sainik School Society, MoD, which gave a ‘provisional approval’ for the school to be established by Maninagendra Singh Foundation in Narsinghpur’s Gotegaon, which is also Mr. Patel’s native place. 

The NGO was formed in May 2023 after the death of Maninagendra Singh alias Monu Patel, son of Mr. Patel’s brother and former BJP MLA Jalam Singh Patel.  

The school building is currently under construction and it will be Madhya Pradesh’s sixth Sainik School under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. 

The approval came after Mr. Patel, who is a former union minister himself, called on Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on April 25. 

“Sainik School not only provides education to children but also inculcates values ​​to give supreme sacrifice for the country. I am grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh for giving permission to start this Yagya Shala for the nation at my birthplace Shridham (Gotegaon),” Mr. Patel had written on X after the meeting. 

The CPI (M) leader said Maninagendra Singh had multiple cases against him before his death. 

“He was jailed in a case of assaulting a Dalit youth. His wife had also accused him and his family of harassment and domestic violence and filed complaints against them. It is very humiliating that we are going to open a Sainik School named after him,” he said, adding that the CPI (M) will write to the State Governor Mangubhai Patel and the Defence Minister.

As per multiple news reports, a court in Narsinghpur in 2021 had sentenced Maninagendra Singh and four other men for one year for assaulting a man in 2011. He, however, was granted bail by the M.P. High Court in the case. 

He had also been arrested in 2023 in a case of thrashing a Dalit man in 2019, as per a report.

While Mr. Patel’s office did not respond to The Hindu’s calls, Mr. Jalam Singh Patel denied the allegations against his son and said that he himself had studied in an Military school in Nashik and had wished to open a school in Narsinghpur. 

“Nothing was proven in any case. People keep making allegations of this sort but it was his dream and we are starting the school for the State’s youth,” the former BJP MLA said. 

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Dilip Ghosh during the inauguration of Jagannath temple, at Digha in East Medinipur on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Former West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Dilip Ghosh on Wednesday (April 30, 2025) met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at Digha Jagannath temple, drawing criticism from the leaders of his party.

Hours after the inauguration of the temple on Wednesday, the former Medinipur MP arrived at the temple gates with his wife. Mr. Ghosh was welcomed by State Minister Aroop Biswas and later met the Chief Minister inside the temple premises.

State BJP president Sukanta Majumdar said that Dilip Ghosh’s visit does not have endorsement of the party. “We had taken a decision not to participate in the inauguration. He ( Mr. Ghosh) has gone in his own capacity,” he said.

The development marked speculations in the political circles whether the BJP leader is tilting towards the Trinamool Congress. Defections of leaders from the Opposition party to the ruling party has been in vogue over the past few years.

Mr. Ghosh has been considered as the most successful party president in the State and under his leadership the party won 18 of the 42 Lok sabha seats in the State in 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Mr. Ghosh was replaced by Sukanta Majumdar as West Bengal BJP president in 2021. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Mr. Ghosh lost to Trinamool Congress candidate and former BJP leader Kirti Azad from the Burdwan-Durgapur Lok Sabha constituency. The party had decided to replace him from the Midnapore Lok Sabha seat which he had won in 2019.

Reports of the BJP leader being left out in the functioning of the party have been surfacing for the past several years. The development also comes at a time when the West Bengal BJP is looking for a new president to lead the party in 2026 assembly polls.