Thursday, January 8, 2026 | Vol. 69 No. 81 | 30 Pages Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation NATION Israel’s Netanyahu rings up PM Modi, discusses Gaza peace plan, fight against terrorism GAMES RED-FACED | Unacceptable: CM; Cong suspends 12 councillors Strange unions roil Maha Ravikiran Deshmukh MUMBAI The state units of BJP and Congress were left red-faced after their local units in Ambernath (Thane district) allied to form the municipal council. While the state BJP distanced itself from the move, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis termed it a violation of party discipline. Congress, meanwhile, suspended its 12 councillors involved in the alliance. In another setback, BJP’s BJP-CONG BJP-AIMIM BJP joined hands with Congress and Ajit Pawarled NCP to sideline Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena in Ambernath municipal council. BJP struck alliance with Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM and other parties in Akot municipal council in Akola district. local unit in Akot (Akola district) aligned with Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM, drawing criticism from BJP leaders. These two developments, coming amid campaigning for elections to 29 municipal corporations, triggered a furore and invited strong reactions from both the Eknath Shindeled Shiv Sena and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena. Reacting to the developments, Fadnavis said such arrangements lacked approval from BJP’s state leadership and amounted to a breach of discipline.“ Any alliance with Congress or AIMIM will not be accepted. If any local leader has taken such a decision on his own, it is wrong in terms of discipline, and action will be taken,” he said. The Shiv Sena, led by Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, which was furious over the Ambernath decision, termed the move a betrayal of coalition dharma. 4Contd on | city 4See also | city NEW DELHI Expressing serious concern over non-compliance of rules and directions by civic bodies to curb attacks by stray dogs, the Supreme Court has said that no one can read the animal's mind when it is in a "mood to bite or not". "Prevention is better than cure", a Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria said, questioning why dogs should be present in institutional spaces such as courts, schools and hospitals. The Bench heard the matter for the entire first half on Tuesday and continued detailed hearings on Wednesday. "The roads should be clear of dogs and stray animals. It is not only the dog bites but also the roaming of stray animals on roads that are proving dangerous and causing accidents. No one knows which dog is in what mood in the morning. Civic bodies have to implement the rules, modules and directions strictly," the bench said. During Tuesday’s hearing, the Bench focused largely on the issue of stray dogs in institutional premises, stressing that such spaces stand on a different footing from public streets, Bar and Bench reported. FPJ News Service NEW DELHI The SC on Wednesday questioned the view that an impeachment motion admitted by the Lok Sabha must automatically fail if a similar motion moved in the Rajya Sabha is rejected, while hearing a plea filed by Allahabad HC judge Justice Yashwant Varma. A Bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and SC Sharma was hearing Justice Varma’s challenge to the decision of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to constitute a three-member inquiry committee under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968, to examine allegations against him. Justice Varma has questioned the move on procedural grounds, Bar & FPJ News Service MUMBAI MUMBAI The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs on Wednesday proposed presenting the 2026-27 Union Budget on February 1, although it’s a Sunday, reports said. If approved, this would mark a rare instance in recent years of the Budget being tabled on a weekend, as the government sticks to its February 1 timeline. The Budget Session will begin on January 28 and the Economic Survey will be tabled the next day. Two people were killed after a fire erupted on Wednesday in Tex Centre, a commercial establishment on Saki Vihar Road, Chandivali, Andheri East. The Mumbai Fire Brigade received the alert at 4.36 pm. On reaching the site, firemen found two men unconscious inside the smoke-filled building. They were rushed to hospital, where doctors declared them dead on arrival. The deceased were identified as Bhagwan Pitale, 30, and Sumant Jadhav, 28. According N Chithra CHENNAI 4Contd on | nation Chandivali blaze kills 2 Devashri Bhujbal HC says book on Deepam row judge ‘abusive’, stays release 4Contd on | nation Union Budget on Sunday, Feb 1 to the Disaster Management Cell, the incident was classified as a Level 1 fire and remained confined to an office in Unit No. 303 of Neocell Industries on the third floor of the ground-plusfour-storeyed structure. Thick smoke engulfed the premises, prompting the evacuation of occupants, officials said. An initial report said flames affected electrical wiring and installations, office files, and furniture across an area of about 1,500 sq ft. Cooling operations were still underway at 9.30 pm as crews worked to secure the site. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Census phase 1 starts on April 1 FPJ News Service MUMBAI The first phase of Census 2027 – houselisting operations – will be conducted from April 1 to September 30 across India during a 30-day window to be specified by the states and UTs, a government notification said on Wednesday. The notification from the Ministry of Home Affairs said there would also be a self-enumeration facility available for a 15-day period immediately preceding the state-designated houselisting schedule. B’desh’s WC ties: Suspense lingers Haridev Pushparaj MUMBAI The T20 World Cup ‘will they play, won’t they play in India’ drama stirred up by Bangladesh has not yielded any concessions on its core demand to shift matches to Sri Lanka, although Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said ICC has assured it that security-related concerns would be addressed. Early on Wednesday, BCB issued a statement conveying that ICC was willing to work closely with it to address security concerns regarding the Bangladesh team’s T20 World Cup matches in India. The Board said ICC had reiterated its commitment to ensuring full and uninterrupted partici- pation of Bangladesh in the tournament. Later in the evening, BCB president Aminul Islam and government adviser Asif Naz- Govt’s projection defies headwinds, pegs growth beyond last fiscal’s 6.5% WORLD OUTLOOK: HIGH FIVE (GDP) Country 2025 (%) 2026 (%) United States 2.0 2.1 China 4.8 4.2 Germany 0.2 0.9 India 6.6 6.2 Japan 1.1 0.6 Source: IMF FPJ News Service Bench and Live Law report. The case arises from impeachment notices that were submitted against Justice Varma in both Houses of Parliament on the same day. Justice Varma has argued that despite this, the Lok Sabha Speaker proceeded to constitute the inquiry committee unilaterally, without waiting for the Rajya Sabha Chairman’s decision on admission of the motion or holding joint consultation. Justice Varma questions LS probe, SC not on same page India targets 7.4% GDP in FY26 MUMBAI The Madras HC on Wednesday stayed the release, circulation and sale of a book allegedly targeting Justice GR Swaminathan, the judge who heard the case on the lighting of a temple lamp on the hilltop in Madurai. Holding that publication of the book raised serious concerns relating to the dignity and institutional authority of the judiciary, a Bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Srivastava and Justice Arul Murugan passed the interim order on a writ petition filed by Advocate P Naveenprasad. It also initiated contempt proceedings against the publishers and directed the police to seize copies of the book, Bar & Bench and Live Law report. The HC said it had perused the title page and front cover of the book, which was proposed to be released on January 8 at Chennai Book Fair. 4Contd on | nation Edit Donroe Doctrine: East of the Sun and West of the Moon Palazhi Ashok Kumar MUMBAI Real GDP has been estimated to grow by 7.4% in FY 2025–26, higher than 6.5% in the previous fiscal year. Government forecasts resilient expansion driven by consumption, investment and services despite global trade pressures. India’s economy is projected to grow by 7.4% in FY25–26, reinforcing its position as the world’s fastest-growing major economy amid rising global uncertainty. The estimates released on Wednesday by the National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation underscore economic resilience. The report comes against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions, delays in the India–US free trade deal, and renewed tariff threats on Indian goods from US President Trump. According to the NSO, real GDP at constant prices is estimated to rise to Rs 201.90 lakh crore in FY26, up from the provisional Rs 187.97 lakh crore in FY25, reflecting growth of 7.4% compared with 6.5% in the previous year. Nominal GDP measured at current prices is projected to expand by 8% to Rs 357.14 lakh crore from Rs 330.68 lakh crore in FY25. 4Contd on | nation US seizes 2 oil tankers, Open to military use draws Russia protests in Greenland, says US When will a stray dog bite? Can’t read its mind, says SC FPJ News Service Cinema Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar becomes biggest Hindi film ever Harmanpreet Kaur hopes to take inspiration from WC win in upcoming WPL season rul addressed the media following the official statement. Nazrul adopted a more aggressive stance, again emphasising the reasons behind Bangladesh’s demand to move matches from India to Sri Lanka. He said Dhaka would make ICC understand that conditions were not suitable for playing in India and that there would be no compromise on issues of Bangladesh’s security, honour, and dignity, even as the country remained keen to participate in the World Cup. 4Contd on | nation The US has sharply intensified its economic and military pressure on Venezuela, intercepting two oil tankers in international waters on Wednesday, including one sailing under a Russian flag. The operation has propelled the crisis onto a more dangerous global stage, drawing protests from Moscow and raising fears of a prolonged confrontation. On Tuesday, Russia has deployed a submarine and other naval assets to the Northern Atlantic in order to escort the formally Guyana-flagged Iranian-linked sanctioned crude oil tanker, Bella 1 - now the Russian-flagged, Marinera - to its apparent intended destination in Northern Russia, US officials said the Coast Guard, supported initially by American special forces and assets from the European Command, boarded the tanker Marinera in the North Atlantic near Iceland. 4Contd on | nation 4See also | world Agencies WASHINGTON The White House has confirmed that President Donald Trump has been discussing “a range of options” to acquire Greenland, including the possible use of the military, describing the move as a “national security priority” for the US. In a statement to the BBC on Tuesday, the White House said: “The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the US mili- tary is always an option at the Commander-in-Chief's disposal.” Immediateley, Denmark and Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, said they have sought a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart, Vivian Motzfeldt, have requested the meeting in the near future, according to a statement posted on Greenland's government website. 4Contd on | nation