Three-time Prime Minister and Bharat Ratna awardee Atal Bihari Vajpayee had reportedly locked himself in a room at a friend’s house for three days when his parents tried to get him married. The room was locked from outside and he would knock when he needed food, son of Vajpayee’s late friend Gorey Lal Tripathi, Vijay Prakash, said.

Telangana CM KCR on Friday announced Rs 25 crore and 10 reverse osmosis plants worth Rs 2.5 crore for flood-ravaged Kerala. Telangana IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao tweeted: “To aid and assist our brothers and sisters of Kerala in their hour of grief, Telangana CM KCR Garu has just announced assistance of Rs 25 crore and 10 reverse osmosis plants worth Rs 2.5 crore towards the flood hit Kerala.” At least 350 people have died so far across Kerala, since torrential rain on August 8 submerged large areas in the state and created havoc.

Speaking to journalist Karan Thapar, former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee had once said, “Rajiv Gandhi is the reason I’m alive today.” Vajpayee recalled that Rajiv Gandhi, who was the PM then, called him after learning about his kidney problem. Gandhi had included him in the delegation to the UN so that Vajpayee could get the required treatment in New York.

A leader from the TRS today unfurled his party flag instead of the Tricolour on the occassion of 72nd Independence Day. The incident happened in Sangareddy district of Telangana. In the gross mistake, party leader Veerababu was found hoisting the pink flag of the TRS instead of the Tricolour. If the unfurling of the wrong flag on Independence Day wasn’t enough, people gathered around were seen singing the National Anthem. This happened in Keroor village today.

Former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee died here on Monday at a private clinic following a cardiac arrest and prolonged illness, nursing home sources said. He was 89. “He died at 8.15 a.m.,” Bellevue Clinic CEO Pradip Tondon told media. Chatterjee was critical following the heart attack he suffered on Sunday. He was also suffering from a kidney-related ailment and was admitted to the clinic in a critical condition on August 7.

Rahul Gandhi’s attempt to increase women participation in the party is being quietly stonewalled by state units. A few months back, Gandhi threw a challenge at his state unit chiefs asking them to appoint a few women district presidents — a politically significant post. When followed up, most state presidents got back to Gandhi’s office saying they could appoint women as block presidents but not as district chiefs. Last heard, Gandhi is trying to find a way out.

Telugu Desam Party MP Naramalli Sivaprasad dressed up as German dictator Adolf Hitler as part of his protest at Parliament demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh. He had earlier dressed up as Lord Ram and Narad Muni to protest over the issue. TDP quit BJP-led NDA over the Centre’s refusal to grant special category status to the state in March.

Former DMK chief M Karunanidhi, on his 86th birthday in 2010, had donated his Gopalapuram residence to a trust for running a free hospital for the poor, after his and his wife’s lifetime. He donated it after getting consent from his sons. He had said the handing over of the documents was his “most memorable moment” in the house.

DMK chief M Karunanidhi, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 94, was popularly known as ‘Kalaignar’, which means ‘scholar of arts’ and pronounced as ‘Ka-lai-nyar’. Apart from being a political leader, Karunanidhi had worked as a screenwriter in Kollywood and wrote several poems and books like Ponnar Sankar, Thirukkural-Kalaignar Urai and Thenpandi Singam among others.

Citing legal issues, the Tamil Nadu government has announced that five-time CM M Karunanidhi cannot be buried near Anna Memorial at Chennai’s Marina Beach as requested by the DMK leader’s family. It allocated 2 acres of land near Anna University for Karunanidhi’s memorial. However, the DMK has moved the Madras High Court seeking an urgent midnight hearing over the matter.

After sending a team to Assam to take stock of the situation following the release of the draft NRC list, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee is now resorting to her literary skills to express her protest. Banerjee has written a poem in which she narrates how the people of Assam have suddenly become stateless. For the record, Mamata has written over 70 books, including a few poems.

Dubbing CWC as “corruption wali committee” (committee of corruption) instead of Congress Working Committee (CWC), the BJP on Saturday said that every act of corruption in the country is linked with the Congress and 10, Janpath is its permanent address. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra accused the Congress of misleading people against the government and said: “10, Janpath is the permanent address of corruption.”

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday appointed former Union Minister S. Jaipal Reddy as the spokesperson of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), informed AICC chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala. Reddy served as Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Urban Development, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Science and Technology and Earth Sciences at various stages during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) rule.

Seventeen opposition parties plan to ask the Election Commission to use ballot paper to conduct the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. “This is a matter on which all opposition parties agreed. We are planning to meet next week,” Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien said. Further, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee also urged opposition leaders to approach the EC over the matter.

Slamming BJP over the final draft of the National Register of Citizens in Assam, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee today said, “They are trying to divide the people. The situation cannot be tolerated. There will be a civil war, bloodbath in the country.” She added, “The NRC is being done with a political motive. We will not let this happen.”