Morning Brief: India Tests 3,500 Km Range K-4 Missile From INS Arighaat: Report, Three Gandhis In Parliament For First Time In Decades, Deadlock Over Next Maharashtra CM Nears End

Dear reader, catch up on the day’s must-read stories with Swarajya's roundup of the morning's headlines.

India Tests 3,500 Km Range K-4 Missile From INS Arighaat: Report

India is believed to have tested a nuclear-capable submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) with a strike range of 3,500 kmon Wednesday, Rajat Pandit of the Times of India has reported. The missile test took place off Visakhapatnam in the Bay of Bengal in the morning, though there has been no official confirmation.

According to the report, which cites unnamed sources, the solid-fuelled K-4 missile, which has previously only been tested from submersible pontoons, was fired from the 6,000-tonne INS Arighaat. Earlier, India had issued a public area warning and notice to airmen (NOTAM) for an intermediate-range missile test in the Bay of Bengal between Nov 27 and 30. INS Arighaat, commissioned on August 29, is the second nuclear-powered submarine in India’s fleet capable of carrying nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles.

India plans to induct the third SSBN, INS Aridhaman, in early 2025.

Three Gandhis In Parliament For The First Time In Decades

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, who made her election debut by winning the Lok Sabha by-election from Kerala's Wayanad, will take oath as a Member of Parliament today. This will mark the first time in decades that all three members of the Nehru-Gandhi family—Sonia, Rahul, and Priyanka—will be present in the House together. Priyanka secured the seat with a massive margin of over four lakh votes, surpassing her brother Rahul Gandhi's victory margin in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The by-election was triggered by Rahul Gandhi's decision to retain his Rae Bareli seat, despite winning from both Wayanad and Rae Bareli in the 2024 elections. With Priyanka's victory, the Nehru-Gandhi family's presence in Parliament has been further solidified, with all three now set to work together in the House.

Deadlock Over Next Maharashtra CM Nears End

Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde announced on Wednesday that he has left the decision of selecting Maharashtra's next Chief Minister to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP leadership. Addressing a press conference in Thane, Shinde stated, "I have told PM Modi that I would not be an obstacle. We will go with whatever he decides," signaling a potential resolution to the ongoing uncertainty.

Despite the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance's commanding victory with 230 seats in the 288-member Assembly, the Chief Minister's position remains undecided. Leaders of the alliance have been summoned to Delhi for a meeting with the BJP leadership to resolve the deadlock. Shinde's remarks are expected to pave the way for Devendra Fadnavis to return as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

Other Developments

Supreme Court Resurrects Rs 20,000 Crore Benami Transaction Cases

The Supreme Court's recent decision to recall its previous judgment has revived 4,800 benami transaction cases that were previously stalled at the Income Tax department. These cases, involving Rs 12,000 crore in Benami assets, span transactions from 1988 to 2016, following amendments to the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2016. Data obtained by businessline reveals that these cases were at various stages of investigation and asset attachment by the Income Tax's ‘Benami Prohibition Units.’

In addition to these 4,800 cases, the Income Tax department is also investigating 3,850 more benami transaction cases from 2016 to 2024, valued at Rs 8,000 crore. The department resumed its investigation on October 18, 2024, after the Supreme Court's three-member bench, led by then Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, recalled its August 2022 verdict, which had previously declared the 2016 amendments to the benami property law as "unconstitutional and manifestly arbitrary."

FPIs Invest Rs 11,113 Crore In Three Days After Massive Sell-Off

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) have made a notable return to the Indian stock market, investing Rs 11,113 crore over the past three days, following a sharp sell-off of Rs 1.55 lakh crore since October. This comes after FPIs offloaded Rs 113,858 crore in equity in October and an additional Rs 41,872 crore through November 22, signaling a temporary retreat from India.

State Banks Get Nod To Raise Rs 25,200 Crore By March 2025

The finance ministry has approved public sector banks to raise Rs 25,200 crore through equity dilution in the current financial year, as reported by the Business Standard. So far, these government-owned banks have raised Rs 8,500 crore via Qualified Institutional Placements (QIPs) in 2024-25, according to Prime Database data.

This fundraising is crucial for the banks to fuel business expansion and meet the regulatory requirement of having at least 25 percent public shareholding by August 2026. The move is also expected to strengthen their capital base, enabling them to pursue growth opportunities in the coming years.

Khan's Aide Flees Yet Again, Leaves PTI Supporters Stranded

Imran Khan's close aide, Ali Amin Gandapur, has once again fled the scene of protests, this time in Islamabad. Gandapur, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister, and Imran Khan's wife, Bushra Bibi, were leading Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters demanding Khan's release when a midnight crackdown forced them to retreat. Protesters tried to stop Gandapur from leaving, shouting, "we must not let Ali Amin go," but he disappeared into the night, leaving deserted supporters cursing his name.

By Wednesday morning, Gandapur, Bibi, and other PTI leaders resurfaced in Mansehra, the party's stronghold in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, after hours of being incommunicado. This marks yet another instance of Gandapur abandoning protests, following a similar incident in October when he vanished from a PTI demonstration in Islamabad, only to reappear 48 hours later in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. His repeated escapes have drawn widespread criticism, with former Sindh Assembly member Dewan Sachal noting on X, "Gandapur has completed his hattrick now."

From The States

Ajmer Dargah Or Shiva Temple? Court To Hear Plea

A Rajasthan court has agreed to hear a petition claiming that the Ajmer Sharif Dargah is a Shiva temple. The plea, filed by Hindu Sena chief Vishnu Gupta, alleges that a Shiva temple exists within the premises of the revered Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti's dargah. Civil Judge Manmohan Chandel has issued notices to multiple entities in response to the lawsuit.

Advocate Yogesh Siroja, representing Gupta, confirmed that the notices have been sent to the Ajmer Dargah Committee, the Ministry of Minority Affairs, and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in New Delhi. The case seeks to reinstate Hindu worship at the site, adding a new dimension to the ongoing debates surrounding the dargah's historical and religious significance.

Thackeray Under Pressure From Party To Leave MVA

Following the Shiv Sena's defeat in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, rumblings have emerged within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance. Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena is reportedly under pressure from its party leaders to leave the coalition, with a majority of the 20 Sena (UBT) MLAs urging him to reconsider the alliance during a meeting on Monday. Sources indicate that the grassroots cadre of Sena (UBT), overshadowed by the Eknath Shinde faction's 57-seat victory, is questioning the effectiveness of the MVA.

Despite this, Thackeray, along with senior leaders like Aaditya Thackeray and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, is determined to keep the alliance intact. They see it as crucial for presenting a united opposition against the BJP. However, since the 2022 split, when Eknath Shinde took most of the Sena’s MLAs and MPs, party leaders have accused the Sena (UBT) of betraying the ideology of founder Bal Thackeray and Hindutva by allying with Congress.

Karnataka: Congress Faces Pressure To Restore Muslim Quota

The Muslim community is pressing the government to reinstate the 4% reservation they previously enjoyed, especially after voting patterns in last year’s assembly elections and this month’s bypolls showed strong support for the Congress party. The quota was scrapped by the previous BJP government, but a case challenging the decision is still pending in the Supreme Court, which has stayed the move. The issue remains contentious, with the apex court describing the abolition of the quota as "prima facie shaky and flawed" in a 2023 observation.

Restoring the quota became a key issue for Congress in the 2023 assembly elections, contributing to their return to power with an absolute majority under the leadership of Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar. Rizwan Arshad, Congress MLA from Shivajinagar, expressed confidence that the quota would be reinstated, asserting that it is the community’s "right." However, there is still no clarity on when or if the quota will be restored.

Stay tuned for more insights throughout the day.