Desi Talk

www.desitalk.com – that’s all you need to know 12 INDIA May 1, 2026 BJP Gains Ground In India’s Upper House After AAP Lawmakers Defect I ndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP party strengthened its position in parliament’s upper house after seven opposition lawmakers joined it, a parliamentary list showed on Monday, a shift that could ease the government’s passage of legislation. All seven defectors are from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by one of Modi’s most high-profile critics, Arvind Kejriwal. The party governs the northern state of Punjab and previously ran the national capital territory of Delhi. The defections leave the AAP with just three seats in the Rajya Sabha house, while Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party now has 113 members, 10 short of a simple majority in the 245-member chamber. Modi’s broader National Democratic Al- liance coalition holds about 140 seats in the house, also known as the Council of States. Rajya Sabha members are elected for six-year terms by elected members of state legislatures and federal territories with legislatures, using a proportional rep- resentation system. Modi’s coalition rules 19 of India’s 28 states and two of its three federal territories with legislatures. The defectors include former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh and Raghav Chadha, the de facto leader of the group who gained prominence by raising middle-class concerns such as the high cost of food at airports. Chadha accused the party of being run by “corrupt and compromised” people. The AAP said the defectors were being opportunistic. All but one of the former AAP members were elected from Punjab, where state polls are due next year and Modi’s party has never won a majority on its own. Sev- eral other AAP leaders, including Kejriwal, have faced court cases over corruption allegations. A New Delhi court in February de- clined to proceed with a trial against Kejriwal and other party colleagues in one such case, which the AAP has described as politically motivated. The matter is now before a higher court. - Reuters Supporters of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) carry Raghav Chadha, one of the party’s candidates, during celebrations after learning of the initial poll results outside the party headquarters in New Delhi, India, February 11, 2020. PHOTO:REUTERS/ANUSHREE FADNAVIS “Trust Of People Behind Success”: BJP Celebrates Landslide Win In Gujarat Local Body Polls I n the recent local body elections in Gujarat, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has received overwhelming support from the people, as the party secured a landslide victory in the municipal corporation, municipality, taluka panchayat, and district panchayat elections held across the state. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders expressed joy and enthusiasm following the party’s sweeping victory in Gujarat’s local body elections. Union Minister of Jal Shakti of India, C R Patil, extended his congratulations to party leaders and workers, praising their efforts in delivering results that exceeded expectations. He also thanked the voters of Gujarat for their continued support, noting that the party has remained in power in several regions for decades. “The Bharatiya Janata Party has achieved a grand victory in Gujarat’s lo- cal bodies, including taluka panchayats, district panchayats, municipalities and municipal corporations. I extend my heartfelt congratulations and thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Gujarat BJP President Jagdishbhai Vishwakarma, Deputy Chief Minister and state Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi, and all party workers and lead- ers,” Patil told reporters. He added that the party workers played a key role in surpassing expecta- tions and credited voters for the victory. “This grand success has been possible because of the trust of the people. In cities like Surat, the BJP has remained in power for nearly 30 years, reflecting pub- lic satisfaction with development work carried out across the state. This victory has also increased our responsibility,” he said. Patil further said the party remains committed to meeting public expecta- tions. “We will continue to work towards fulfilling your aspirations and ensuring inclusive, quality-driven development without bias. Your trust is our responsi- bility,” he added, while also acknowledg- ing the role of party workers in reaching out to voters. Other BJP leaders, including Anilku- mar Patel and MLAVinod Moradiya, also expressed gratitude to the electorate. Anilkumar Patel thanked voters for placing their trust in the party. “In the lo- cal body elections in Gujarat, the public has voted overwhelmingly for the BJP, giving us another opportunity to serve,” he told ANI. Vinod Moradiya credited the state government’s development work under Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel for the party’s performance. “The state govern- ment, under the leadership of CM Bhu- pendra Patel, has worked for the devel- opment of the state. The public of Surat has voted overwhelmingly for the BJP in the local body elections,” he told ANI. - ANI New State Department Rules Would Deny Visas To Those Who Fear Returning Home a travel ban affecting citizens of 39 coun- tries, reductions in visas for students and temporary workers and the cancellation of temporary protected status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of migrants from 13 countries. OnWednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s at- tempt to withdraw TPS for 350,000 Haitian and 6,000 Syrian immigrants. The State Department cable sent this week does not explicitly state what would happen if a visa recipient who responds in the negative to the questions were to later apply for asylum. However, such a sce- nario could leave the applicant vulnerable to allegations of visa fraud and potentially deportation. “An applicant’s fear of returning to his or her country of nationality or perma- nent residence calls into question an applicant’s intended purpose of travel and immigrant intent at the time of visa ap- plication,” the cable said. The cable also suggests that “the high number of aliens claiming asylum in the United States indicates that many aliens misrepresent this intention to consular officers in the visa application process.” In the cable, the administration cites an executive order Trump signed in January 2025 that called for the reevaluation of all visa programs to ensure they were not abused by “foreign terrorists and other threats to our national security.” In that order, the administration called for “sufficient safeguards … to prevent any refugee or stateless individual from being admitted to the United States with- out undergoing stringent identification verification.” The State Department did not immedi- ately respond to a request for comment. Advocates for refugees and asylum seekers said the new policy further dam- ages the image of the United States as a safe haven for oppressed people. “What’s really striking about this is how it just completely abandons any pretense that the U.S. cares about protection against persecution,” said Konyndyk. “You’re explicitly asking someone: ‘Are you being persecuted in your country?’ And if they say ‘yes,’ the U.S. government’s of- ficial answer is: ‘Okay, stay there.’” Konyndyk, whose organization ad- vocates for displaced people, said if the Trump administration’s vetting proce- dures had been in place in previous de- cades, it would have barred Iranians in the 1970s, Soviet dissidents during the Cold War and German Jews in the 1930s. “A lot of people would’ve been left out by this,” Konyndyk said. -TheWashington Post - Continued From Page 10 IMMIGRATION