Vulnerable Harris-district Republican brings in more than $1M as Dems scramble to flip seat
FIRST ON FOX: One of only two House Republicans serving in districts won by former Vice President Kamala Harris last year is preparing to announce that he’s brought in more than $1 million in the latest fundraising quarter. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., one of Democrats’ top targets in the 2026 midterms, will announce later on Wednesday that he’s raised $1.1 million in the third quarter of 2025. His campaign said it was the strongest third quarter the moderate House Republican has had in a non-election year. Lawler’s campaign spokesman Chris Russell told Fox News Digital that the numbers show “our message is winning, and our ground game is unmatched.” TRUMP FRONT-AND-CENTER IN THESE 2025 ELECTION SHOWDOWNS Russell went on to suggest part of Lawler’s platform is campaigning on the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” passed by Republicans earlier this year, and which Democrats have been messaging hard against. “While our opponents trip over themselves to appease a far-left base, Mike Lawler is building a coalition of working families, labor, law enforcement, Republicans, independents and mainstream Democrats who are fed up with chaos politics and radical extremists,” Lawler’s spokesman said. “Congressman Lawler delivered on SALT, secured historic tax relief for middle and working-class families and will keep focusing on commonsense solutions that make life more affordable and Hudson Valley communities safer.” His $1.1 million haul means Lawler’s campaign ended the quarter with $2.8 million cash on hand, and $3.9 million raised for the 2026 election cycle so far. HEAD HERE FOR FOX NEWS COVERAGE OF THE 2025 ELECTIONS Lawler’s district includes suburbs just outside New York City, which were critical to the GOP’s winning and then retaining the House in the 2022 and 2024 elections. New York’s 17th Congressional District, which he represents, is currently rated +1 in favor of Democrats by the non-partisan Cook Political Report. The competitive seat has already attracted eight Democrats for a crowded primary to take on Lawler in next year’s general election, but it appears he has outraised at least several of them. Army veteran Cait Conley raised over $500,000 in the third quarter, former Briarcliff Manor Mayor Peter Chatzky raised over $340,000, and Rockland County legislator Beth Davidson raised $370,000, according to Politico Playbook New York. Democrats nationwide are betting big on their base being energized in response to President Donald Trump and his policies, a gamble that paid off for the left in the 2018 midterms when they swept the House of Representatives. But this cycle, New York Republicans have been able to seize on their own boogeyman in Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, the current frontrunner for mayor of New York City. Lawler told Fox News Digital of Mamdani’s candidacy in June, “Frankly, for Democrats, this is a time for choosing. Do they align themselves with a radical socialist who engages in antisemitism, hates the police, believes that illegal immigrants should have free everything, and you know, is basically going to destroy the finances of New York City?” “They can’t have it both ways,” he said at the time.
Government shutdown 101: We’ve been here before, here’s what happens next
At 12:01 a.m. ET on Wednesday, the federal government entered its first shutdown since 2018, after two competing funding proposals, one from Democrats and another from Republicans, failed in the Senate. The setback deepened the stalemate, with neither side showing willingness to concede. Though once uncommon, government shutdowns have grown more frequent in recent decades as political brinkmanship has become a hallmark of budget negotiations. Since 1976, the U.S. government has experienced 20 shutdowns. The most recent one, the longest in U.S. history, occurred when a dispute over funding for President Donald Trump’s border wall halted government operations for 34 days, spanning from December 2018 into January 2019. HOPES DIM IN PREDICTION MARKETS AS TRADERS BET GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN WILL DRAG ON FOR WEEKS Trump on Monday evening blamed Democratic lawmakers for the shutdown, saying he’d be “happy to work with the Democrats on their failed healthcare policies” once the government reopens. “Democrats have SHUT DOWN the United States government right in the midst of one of the most successful economies, including a record stock market, that our country has ever had,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This has sadly affected so many programs, services, and other elements of society that Americans rely on — and it should not have happened.” “I am happy to work with the Democrats on their failed healthcare policies, or anything else, but first they must allow our government to re-open,” he added. TRUMP SAYS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN LAYOFFS ARE ‘UP TO’ DEMS AS STANDOFF CONTINUES Previous government shutdowns have tended to be more about political drama than economic disruption, with markets and jobs recovering quickly afterward. However, this shutdown, stretching into its first week, comes as the Trump administration warns that furloughs across the federal government could become permanent. Typically, furloughs are temporary; once Congress resolves the standoff, employees return to work and receive back pay. On Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt again placed responsibility for the potential mass layoffs on Democrats, echoing the administration’s stance on the shutdown. “This conversation about layoffs would not be happening right now if the Democrats did not vote to shut the government down,” Leavitt said.
Trump says Chicago mayor, Illinois governor ‘should be in jail for failing to protect’ ICE officers
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, both Democrats, should be jailed for failing to defend U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. “Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Trump’s remark came after Texas National Guard troops arrived in Illinois on Tuesday to protect federal personnel and property amid anti-immigration protests. “I will not back down. Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power. What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?” Pritzker said in reaction to Trump on Wednesday. CHICAGO MAYOR CREATES ‘ICE-FREE ZONES’ TO BLOCK FEDERAL AGENTS FROM CITY PROPERTY “His masked agents already are grabbing people off the street. Separating children from their parents. Creating fear. Taking people for ‘how they look.’” Pritzker added in a thread on X. “Making people feel they need to carry citizenship papers. Invading our state with military troops. Sending in war helicopters in the middle of the night. Arresting elected officials asking questions.” “We must all stand up and speak out,” Pritzker declared. Fox News Digital also reached out to Johnson’s office for comment. A Pentagon official said 200 guardsmen were mobilized for an initial 60-day period. Troops arrived in Illinois “in support of the Federal Protection Mission to protect federal functions, personnel, and property,” according to a Pentagon statement. PRITZKER SUES TRUMP TO BLOCK NATIONAL GUARD ACTION IN ILLINOIS About a dozen people have been arrested near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Broadview, where anti-immigration crowds have been gathering for days. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Saturday that additional special operations personnel would be deployed to Illinois after federal agents were rammed and boxed in by 10 cars. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson reiterated on Tuesday he believes the deployment is “illegal, unconstitutional, dangerous and wrong.” Pritzker and Johnson also filed a lawsuit Monday to block the Trump administration from deploying hundreds of National Guard troops from Illinois and Texas in Chicago and surrounding cities. Fox News’ Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.
Turning Point Montana State event featuring Ramaswamy, Gianforte draws thousands
Turning Point USA (TPUSA) drew thousands in Bozeman, Montana, on Tuesday night as part of its “This is the Turning Point” tour honoring Charlie Kirk. The event, hosted at Montana State University, featured Montana Gov. Greg Giantforte and Vivek Ramaswamy, who answered a series of questions from the crowd in typical Kirk fashion. Gianforte also led the arena in prayer before launching into his speech. Ramaswamy passionately defended freedom of speech during his time on stage as well, declaring that debate without censorship should be available to everyone, “from Nick Fuentes to Alex Jones to Jimmy Kimmel.” “It means that words are not violence, that violence is violence,” Ramaswamy said. “And violence is never an acceptable response to words. It’s not just about our constitutional principles. That’s America. That’s who we are.” CHARLIE KIRK HONORED BY 90K IN ONE OF THE LARGEST MEMORIALS FOR A PRIVATE CITIZEN Gianforte hailed Kirk for being self-educated, noting that the conservative activist was not a college graduate. “He disciplined himself to learn economics, history, philosophy, theology. He read what the great minds had written. He studied the Bible, and then he challenged what he learned against the thoughts of others who disagreed with him in respectful debate,” Gianforte said. CHARLIE KIRK’S DEATH GALVANIZES BLUE STATE STUDENT TO STOP ‘HIDING’ HER FAITH, POLITICAL BELIEFS TPUSA launched its “This is the Turning Point” tour in the days after Kirk’s assassination. So far, the tour has visited Utah, Montana and other states. Despite his young age, Kirk had become a giant in the conservative movement and was a key facet of President Donald Trump’s 2024 election victory. He founded Turning Point USA in 2012 as an 18-year-old with encouragement from Tea Party activist Bill Montgomery. TPUSA has seen a massive surge in popularity in the weeks following Kirk’s death. The organization said it received 120,000 inquiries from people wanting to start new campus chapters in just four days after the Sept. 10 assassination. Currently, TPUSA operates 900 official college chapters and approximately 1,200 high school chapters. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Kirk’s memorial service at State Farm Stadium in Arizona was headlined by political heavyweights, religious leaders and conservative media figures. Trump credited Kirk for galvanizing young Republican voters, helping him secure the presidency in 2024. Fox News’ Rachel Del Guidice contributed to this report.
ObamaCare subsidies at center of Dem shutdown fight ‘fuel’ healthcare cost inflation, conservatives say
The government has been shut down for a week and so far shows no clear sign of stopping, as Democrats continue to demand that any funding bill include an extension of enhanced ObamaCare subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of 2025. But conservative groups are pushing back hard, arguing that those subsidies are fuel on the fire of higher healthcare premiums. “What the Biden COVID credit did is they made the situation worse in two ways: They shifted a portion of the premium away from the enrollees to the taxpayer, and they brought more people into the subsidy structure by lifting the cap at four times the poverty line,” Brian Blase, president of Paragon Health Institute, told Fox News Digital. “So if the underlying ObamaCare subsidies were inflationary, then the Biden enhancements to it just pour fuel on that underlying inflationary structure.” SCHUMER’S SHUTDOWN SCHEME EXPLAINED: DEMS DOUBLE DOWN ON OBAMACARE CREDITS AS STANDOFF DRAGS ON ObamaCare, formally called the Affordable Care Act (ACA), established a marketplace where healthcare insurers offer plans under certain rules set in place by the federal government, among other provisions. People and families are eligible for subsidies based on their income relative to the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Former President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan, passed during the COVID-19 pandemic, expanded access so more Americans could qualify for subsidized ObamaCare plans while also lowering out-of-pocket costs. A Democrat-led Congress later extended those benefits to 2025 under the Inflation Reduction Act. Now, however, Democrats are warning that many Americans’ healthcare costs are at risk of drastically rising if those enhanced subsidies are allowed to expire. But conservative groups who have long objected to ObamaCare’s effects on the market are now arguing that the subsidies themselves have driven up the amount of money that healthcare companies charge for premiums. Brittany Madni, executive vice president at the Economic Policy Innovation Center (EPIC), told Fox News Digital, “You do have patients who are still continuing to pay high prices, and a huge reason that they’re paying higher prices is because the entire system has been artificially inflated by the unaffordable mandates in ObamaCare and the continued subsidies.” “The supersized COVID credit subsidies aren’t reducing prices whatsoever. They’re just adding funds to the insurance revenues,” Madni said. ObamaCare did originally include a federal-level tax penalty for Americans who remained uninsured after its passage. That was repealed under the first Trump administration, but some states have levied their own penalties in its place. But conservatives say rising healthcare costs have been most acutely felt by U.S. taxpayers rather than ObamaCare enrollees. “When insurers increase premiums, the cost is not paid by the enrollee, it’s paid by the taxpayer. So that gives insurers less incentive to negotiate lower prices with healthcare providers,” he said. He said Biden’s legislation “made the situation worse because you make the taxpayer share even greater than it already was, and he lifted the cap at four times the poverty line, which brought more people into this subsidized market. So when you have all these people in a market where they don’t care what the premiums are, that is, of course, going to be inflationary.” Madni agreed that the COVID-era subsidies served to increase costs on taxpayers. “What do you do if someone who is younger and healthier is choosing not to go into the risk pool and therefore driving up the overall cost of the risk, all because now it’s just full of sick people instead of healthy people in the middle?” You offer the plans for such a low rate that it seems silly not to jump into the deal,” she said. “You can’t actually get rid of the cost. You can only shift the cost. So it shifts from the enrollees who are in the risk pool to taxpayers.” House Ways & Means Committee Chair Jason Smith, R-Mo., whose committee has jurisdiction over the enhanced subsidies, told Fox News Digital, “Democrats are doubling down on their failure to reduce the cost of healthcare, with premiums for ObamaCare marketplace plans increasing 80% since they were created a decade ago.” “When it comes to healthcare, Americans are paying more but getting less, paying higher deductibles, having their claims denied, and unable to see their doctor while insurers profit from generous taxpayer subsidies handed to them by Washington Democrats,” Smith said. But outside conservative circles, people in the healthcare sphere argue that Americans will feel financial pain if the subsidies expire and deny the COVID-era enhancements’ contribution to inflated prices. Cynthia Cox, who oversees ObamaCare research for KFF — an independent health policy research, polling and news organization — said that extending the subsidies would cost more taxpayer dollars but that they did not raise costs for insurers or enrollees. “I think from a taxpayer perspective or from a federal spending perspective, they certainly do raise costs,” Cox said. “But from an insurance perspective, they bring down average cost and, from an enrollee perspective, it also brings down the cost that they’re paying.” Cox also said the ACA itself did have some “inflationary” aspects but that the COVID-era enhancements were not part of them. DEMOCRATS REFUSE TO BUDGE OVER OBAMACARE FIGHT AS SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON “The tax credits do not have an inflationary effect on insurance premiums. In fact, they help keep they have a downward effect on insurance and the amount that the insurance company is charging,” Cox told Fox News Digital. She pointed to the ACA’s protections for people with preexisting conditions, such as bans on insurance companies denying coverage or charging more based on individuals’ health, as potential drivers of healthcare cost inflation. “But then the tax cuts are meant to kind of offset that by reducing how much individuals pay and subsidizing them,” Cox explained. “The idea is that it will make health insurance more attractive to healthier people, so therefore would not wait until they get sick to get coverage. They would start paying into the insurance pool when
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,322
Here are the key events from day 1,322 of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Published On 8 Oct 20258 Oct 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Here is how things stand on Wednesday, October 8, 2025: Fighting Russian President Vladimir Putin said his forces have captured almost 5,000 square kilometres (1,930sq miles) of Ukrainian territory so far this year, and Moscow retains the strategic initiative on the battlefield. Russian troops have captured the Ukrainian villages of Novovasylivka in the southeastern Zaporizhia region and Fedorivka in the eastern Donetsk region, Russia’s defence ministry said. Russian air defence units destroyed 184 Ukrainian drones in recent attacks, the RIA Novosti state-owned news agency reports. Russia’s air defence units also intercepted and destroyed a drone flying towards Moscow city, said Sergei Sobyanin, mayor of the Russian capital. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, right, as Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov, centre, stands nearby during a visit to the Peter and Paul Cathedral in Saint Petersburg on October 7, 2025 [Mikhail Metzel/AFP] Ukraine’s Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk said Russian air strikes have caused “significant” damage to Ukrainian gas production capacity due to the targeting of regional gas infrastructure and power transmission facilities in front-line regions. Hrynchuk said Ukraine wants to increase imports of natural gas by 30 percent after Russian attacks on its gas infrastructure, telling reporters she had discussed additional gas imports with Group of Seven (G7) member states. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of using oil tankers for intelligence gathering and sabotage operations, and he added that Ukraine was cooperating with its allies on the matter. Russia’s state nuclear energy company has claimed that a Ukrainian drone attempted to strike a nuclear plant in Russia’s Voronezh region bordering Ukraine, but the unmanned aerial vehicle crashed into a cooling tower and caused no damage at the site. Advertisement Military aid Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia was waiting for clarity from the United States about the possible supply of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, saying such weapons could theoretically carry nuclear warheads and reiterated that Moscow would see the provision of such weapons as a serious escalation. The Kremlin also said it assumed for now that US President Donald Trump still sought a peace settlement in Ukraine. Peace talks Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone with President Putin and said diplomatic initiatives need to gain momentum to achieve a just and lasting peace in the Russia-Ukraine war, Erdogan’s office said. The statement cited Erdogan as saying Turkiye will continue to work for peace and said bilateral relations and regional and global issues were also discussed with Putin. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she believed Trump had come to the conclusion that Russia was not interested in a peace deal with Ukraine, and that the only way forward was to apply pressure, continue to support Ukraine, and impose sanctions on Russia. Politics and diplomacy Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said it is not in Poland’s interest to hand over a Ukrainian man wanted by Germany for suspected involvement in explosions which damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines three years ago. Tusk said the problem with Nord Stream 2 was not that it was blown up but that it was built. He added that Russia built the pipelines “against the vital interests not only of our countries, but of all of Europe”. A Polish court ruled on Monday that the Ukrainian diver wanted by Germany over his alleged involvement in the explosions, which damaged the Nord Stream gas pipeline, must remain in custody for another 40 days, his lawyer said. European Union governments have agreed to impose limits on the travel of Russian diplomats within the bloc, the Financial Times reported. Economy Ukraine’s foreign currency reserves totalled $46.5bn as of October 1, the National Bank of Ukraine reported on its website. Adblock test (Why?)
Italy’s Meloni says ICC complaint accuses her of Gaza genocide complicity
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says she has been accused of “complicity in genocide” in a complaint lodged with the International Criminal Court (ICC) over Rome’s support for Israel as it bombards Gaza. Meloni made the statement during an interview with state television company RAI, in the first public comment on the situation, which has not been confirmed by the international court. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Meloni said Defence Minister Guido Crosetto and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani have also been “denounced”, referring to when the court is officially alerted to a possible crime. She said that she believes that Roberto Cingolani, head of Italian weapons and aerospace company Leonardo, might also have been named. The complaint, dated October 1, was signed by some 50 people, including law professors, lawyers, and several public figures who accused Meloni and others of complicity by supplying arms to Israel, according to the AFP news agency. “By supporting the Israeli government, particularly through the supply of lethal weapons, the Italian government has become complicit in the ongoing genocide and the extremely serious war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against the Palestinian people,” the authors of the court filing against the Italian leaders wrote. The Palestinian advocacy group behind the complaint naming Meloni is calling for the court to assess the possibility of opening a formal investigation into the charge of genocide against the Italian prime minister, AFP also reported. Advertisement Last month, a UN Independent Inquiry found that Israel’s war on Gaza is a genocide, adding to similar assessments from a broad range of experts in human rights, genocide and international law. The ICC has outstanding arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, including starvation, murder and persecution. However, neither Netanyahu nor Gallant has been charged with genocide specifically. The ICC also issued arrest warrants for Hamas officials; however, those named have all since been killed in Israeli attacks. “I don’t think there is another case in the world or in history of a complaint of this kind,” Meloni said of the complaint against her in the televised comments. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators hold placards of Meloni reading ‘Accomplice to genocide’ at a protest against Israeli forces intercepting the Global Sumud Flotilla, in Milan on Friday [Stefano Rellandini/AFP] ‘Major arms’ exports According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Italy was one of only three countries to export “major conventional arms” to Israel from 2020 to 2024, although the United States and Germany were responsible for 99 percent of the exports of the larger weapons category, which include aircraft, missiles, tanks and air defence systems. The major arms that Italy provided to Israel in this period included light helicopters and naval guns, SIPRI said. It is also one of several countries involved in making parts for F-35 fighter jets, under a US-led programme, SIPRI added. “Concerns about the potential use of the F-35 by Israel to carry out violations of international humanitarian law have led to much criticism of transfers of the aircraft or its parts to Israel,” SIPRI said in a recent report. Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto has said that Italy is only sending deliveries of arms to Israel under contracts signed before October 7, 2023 and that Italy has sought assurances from Israel that the weapons would not be used against civilians in Gaza, after Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani had earlier claimed Italy had stopped sending the weapons altogether. Meloni’s acknowledgement of the complaint against her comes as hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets in mass protests against Israel’s war on Gaza in recent weeks. Italy’s major labour unions have actively supported the protests. The country’s dockworkers have threatened strike action over Israeli forces preventing the Sumud Global Flotilla from delivering aid to Gaza. Advertisement Following earlier protests, Meloni’s government sent naval ships to accompany the fleet of international vessels, but the Italian navy pulled back before Israeli forces intercepted the boats in international waters and detained close to 500 international activists. Six crew members remained in Israeli detention as of Tuesday, according to the flotilla’s organisers. Mounting legal challenges The latest complaints against Italian leaders join a growing number of legal challenges to Israel’s actions in Gaza, alongside the ICC case against Netanyahu and Gallant. At the International Court of Justice (ICJ), South Africa has submitted a case against Israel, accusing it of breaching the 1948 UN Genocide Convention. In April this year, the ICJ ruled against pursuing a case brought by Nicaragua that accused Germany of aiding genocide in Gaza for its role in selling arms to Israel. The US, which is the largest exporter of weapons to Israel, is not a member of the ICC. It has also actively pushed back against the ICC pursuing charges against Israel. Last month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the US was imposing sanctions on three Palestinian human rights organisations, Al-Haq, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, for engaging in efforts to “investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute Israeli nationals” at the ICC. Adblock test (Why?)
Muslims in India’s poll-bound Bihar battle ‘Bangladeshi infiltrator’ tag
Kishanganj/Katihar, India – More than a decade ago, when Mukhtar Alam* studied at a government school in Kishanganj, the only Muslim-majority district in eastern India’s Bihar state, he had Hindu friends. Alam was especially close to one of them. The two would do their studies and school projects together. Alam would avoid meat when they ate together so as not to make his vegetarian friend uncomfortable. But an incident two years ago created a rift in their friendship, which has not been bridged since. Addressing a rally in Kishanganj, Jitanram Manjhi, a former chief minister of Bihar and a prominent ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said the Shershahbadi community of Muslims were “infiltrators” from Bangladesh, India’s neighbour in the east, where more than 91 percent of the population is Muslim and mainly speaks Bangla. The term Shershahbadi is derived from the historical Shershahbad region, which includes areas in the neighbouring West Bengal state. The name Shershahbad, in turn, is believed to be derived from Sher Shah Suri, an Afghan king who defeated the mighty Mughals and briefly ruled over the modern regions of Bihar and Bengal (including Bangladesh) in the 16th century. Shershahbadi Muslims hold placards that read ‘Long live Shershahbadi unity’ and ‘Hindus-Muslims are brothers’ at a rally in Kishanganj, Bihar [Shah Faisal/Al Jazeera] Unlike Hindi and its dialects, as well as Urdu, spoken widely across Bihar, the Shershahbadi Muslims speak a dialect of Bangla mixed with Urdu and Hindi words. They are often referred to as “Badia” (a likely short form of Shershahbadi) or “Bhatia”, which derives its origin from the local dialect “Bhato”, meaning going against the river’s stream, since the Shershahbadi Muslims are said to have migrated upstream of the Ganges River from Malda to Murshidabad in West Bengal state, and finally to the Seemanchal region in Bihar, India’s most impoverished state. Advertisement “We felt threatened [by Manjhi’s speech],” Alam, a Shershahbadi Muslim and graduate in business administration, told Al Jazeera. Refusing to stay silent, he posted his condemnation on Facebook. Within minutes, a comment in Hindi popped up under his post: “You people are Bangladeshi infiltrators.” It was his best friend. “Reading that comment sent a shiver down my spine,” recalled the 30-year-old Alam, sitting under the thatched roof of a primary school he runs. “The comment created a rift between us. We developed trust issues and lost our brotherhood, our friendship.” Alam is one of 1.3 million Shershahbadi Muslims in Bihar, according to a “caste census” published by the state government in 2023, and most of them live in Kishanganj and Katihar districts. As Bihar, India’s third-most populous state, heads towards crucial elections to its legislature that could impact national politics, it is these districts that have emerged as the focus of a high-pitched BJP campaign against supposed “Bangladeshi infiltrators”. Why Shershahbadi Muslims? As India celebrated its Independence Day on August 15 last month, Prime Minister Modi addressed the nation from the ramparts of the Mughal-era Red Fort in New Delhi, in which he announced the formation of a “high-powered demography mission” to find the infiltrators. “No country can hand itself over to infiltrators. No nation in the world does so – how then can we allow India to do so?” Modi said, without specifying who those infiltrators were. He added that through the mission, “the severe crisis now looming” over the country will be addressed in a “deliberate and time-bound manner”. His government has not yet provided details on the workings of the mission. Hindu right-wing groups in India often use the term “Bangladeshi infiltrator” to target Bangla-speaking Muslims mainly in the states of Bihar, West Bengal and Assam. In Assam, where Modi’s BJP has been in power since 2016, the state government has been running a campaign against Bangla-speaking Muslims, labelling them “outsiders” and accusing them of trying to alter the regional demography. Nearly a third of Assam’s population is Muslim – the highest among Indian states. Only the federally run territories of Indian-administered Kashmir in the north and the Lakshadweep islands in the Arabian Sea have a higher Muslim percentage than Assam. In Bihar, the Muslim population stands at 17 million, or nearly 17 percent of its total population of 104 million, according to India’s last census conducted in 2011. About 28.3 percent of those Muslims are concentrated in what is commonly referred to as Seemanchal (“frontier region” in Hindi), comprising Kishanganj, Katihar, Araria and Purnia districts. Katihar, Kishanganj and Purnia share their borders with West Bengal state, while the Bangladesh border is just a few kilometres from Seemanchal. Bihar will hold its state assembly election in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with the results to be announced on November 14. Advertisement The BJP has never formed a government on its own in the key northern state, ruling it for a good part of the past 20 years in coalition with a regional ally. Critics accuse it of now using the “Bangladeshi infiltrator” pitch in Seemanchal to polarise the region’s voters on religious and linguistic lines. In the last two years, Alam says his worries have increased manifold as Modi himself leads the BJP’s charge against his community. “Those indulging in vote bank politics have turned Purnia and Seemanchal into a hub of illegal infiltration, putting the security of this area at risk,” Modi had said last year while campaigning in Purnia for the general elections. He repeated his stance in the BJP’s election rallies in several districts of Bihar this year. “Today, a huge demographic crisis has happened in Seemanchal and across eastern India because of infiltrators,” Modi said in Purnia last week, promising to “throw every single infiltrator out”. That drive is already under way in other parts of India. ‘Demons have come from Bangladesh’ Authorities in several BJP-ruled states have been cracking down on allegedly “illegal” Bangladeshi nationals, with hundreds of Bengali-speaking people deported from Assam, Gujarat, Maharashtra and New Delhi – despite most of them holding valid documents
SHOCKING! New audio clip in Delhi Baba case reveals how women aide pressurised students: ‘Don’t make excuses…’
The case of self-styled godman Chaitanyananda Saraswati has turned more horrific as new audio evidence has been recovered by the investigators. During the ongoing investigations, an audio clip indicates the gruesome behaviour of the baba.
Good news for passengers! Indian Railways to allow changing travel dates on confirmed tickets from…, know benefits, new policy
the Indian Railways has come up with a new policy which will allow travellers to make changes in their plans without losing money. From January 2026, passengers will be able to change the date of travel online.