In a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, former Congress President Sonia Gandhi said that the latter was making a systematic effort to cripple Congress financially  ahed of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The 77-year-old attended a press conference where she, her son Rahul Gandhi, party President Mallikarjun Kharge, and other leaders attacked the BJP-led NDA government for the financial difficulties facing the Congress party.

In a swift response, the head of the BJP, JP Nadda, said that it was comical for a party that has looted from every sector, in every state, and at every moment of history to discuss financial helplessness. He went on to say that the insolvency of Congress is moral and intellectual.

A notice to reopen assessment for the fiscal year 1994–1995 was sent by the Income Tax to Congress last week.

The party and the IT Department are involved in a tax dispute pertaining to tax claims for the assessment year (AY) 2018–19. A amended claim of Rs 105 crore was submitted after the first claim of Rs 103 crore. But the claim increased to Rs 135 crore when interest of Rs 30 crore was added.

Sonia Gandhi said Congress’s financial crisis is affecting democracy as well as the party.

On the one hand, the Supreme Court ruled that the Electoral Bonds issue is unconstitutional. Electoral Bonds were a big advantage for the BJP. However, there is a concerted effort to target the INC’s funds, the main opposition party. They all think this to be unprecedented and undemocratic, she continued.

Rahul Gandhi claimed that the party is in such fund crunch as a result of the Congress bank accounts being frozen that they are unable to conduct campaign activities or even purchase a train ticket to send their leaders from one part of the country to another.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge criticised the BJP for its dangerous game. He said that there is no level-playing field in contesting the elections since his party’s finances had been frozen as a result of a plot. If democracy in this country has to be saved, there has to be a level-playing ground, he added.

The Income Tax Appellate Tribunal rejected Congress’s request earlier this month for a halt of the I-T department’s proceedings regarding their bank accounts. The party then asked for the order to be suspended for 10 days so that they may file an appeal with the High Court. However, the bench turned down the request.

Spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev underwent emergency brain surgery at a private hospital in Delhi on Sunday, and well wishes for a speedy recovery were sent from all around the world.

A senior physician at Delhi’s Indraprastha Apollo Hospital said on Wednesday that the patient had experienced life-threatening bleeding in the skull but bow he is on the road to recovery.

His daughter Radhe Jaggi too gave an update on her father’s health and said he is responding to the treatment and is recovering from it.

Radhe Jaggi took Instagram stories today, saying, for those who are asking, Sadhguru is doing well and recovering quickly.

The Isha Foundation’s founder, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, posted a video from his hospital bed in Coimbatore.

In the video that was uploaded to his Instagram account, Jaggi Vasudev, 66, said, the neurosurgeons at Apollo Hospital cut into his skull in an attempt to find something, but they discovered nothing at all, it was empty. They eventually gave up and fixed it. Here he is in Delhi with the patched-up skull but no damaged brain, he added.

After the procedure, Sadhguru was removed from the ventilator, according to the hospital, which also noted that he has improved vital signs and made steady improvement.

According to the hospital, the spiritual leader had been experiencing severe headaches for the last four weeks.

He carried out his regular daily routine, social engagements, and even performed the Maha Shivaratri function on March 8 despite the intensity of the pain. The senior consultant neurologist at the hospital, Dr. Vinit Suri, said in a video that the patient ignored all the pain and continued with all meetings.

But by the time the spiritual leader spoke with Dr. Suri on the phone on March 15, his headache became worse.

It further said that Suri quickly recommended an urgent MRI and suspected a subdural haematoma. The following day, the spiritual leader had a brain MRI, which showed extensive skull bleeding.

Patanjali Ayurved’s Managing Director Acharya Balakrishna said  in the Supreme Court today that the company expresses regret for its misleading advertisement. He also ensured the court that they will make sure that such advertisements are not issued in the future.

The statement from the managing director came two days after the court ordered Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev to appear in person over Patanjali Ayurved’s misleading ads in two-weeks time.

On February 27, the Supreme Court banned Patanjali Ayurved from running advertisements for its medicines, which treat a variety of conditions, including obesity, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and high blood pressure. It served Acharya Balkrishna and Patanjali Ayurved with a notice of contempt.

The company promised the Supreme Court in November 2023 that it would refrain from making any unsubstantiated claims or assertions regarding the effectiveness of medicine or criticising the medical establishment. However, the company kept running misleading ads.

Acharya Balakrishna said in his Supreme Court affidavit that the ads that were published after November 2023 were only supposed to carry general statements, but they inadvertently contained offending sentences.

The Patanjali Media Department approved the ads, however, they were unaware of the November 2023 Supreme Court order.

The affidavit said, they’ll make sure that there are no more of these ads published in the future. The affidavit stated that the deponent’s intention is to encourage the nation’s citizens to lead healthier lives by consuming Patanjali products, including products for lifestyle ailments through the use of age-old literature and materials supplementing and backed by ayurvedic research. This is not to be taken as a defense, but rather as a clarification.

The Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954, according to the corporation, is archaic and hasn’t been updated since 1996.

It further stated that the 1940 Drugs and Cosmetics Act was passed during a period of low scientific research on Ayurveda.

He also said, their only quest is for a better and healthier life for each and every citizen and to reduce the burden on the country’s healthcare infrastructure by providing holistic, evidence-based solutions for lifestyle related medical complications through the usage of the age-old traditional approach of Ayurveda and Yoga.

The idea was to promote ayurvedic products which are based on age-old literature/material backed by scientific research, the company said.