Cong Prez's alleged Facebook page sparks row; foreign influence, charges BJP
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka BJP has alleged that Congress President M Mallikarjun Kharge's social media is managed by foreign handlers, referring to a verified Facebook page in his name, a charge debunked by his son.
Kharge's son and Karnataka Minister for Electronics, IT/BT Priyank Kharge said the page is "fake" and that they have requested Facebook to take it down.
"Mallikarjun Kharge, who is in news for waqf land grab, now has foreign handlers managing his social media. We've been warning about the foreign influence behind Congress’s divisive caste-based politics, and this only confirms it. Why@khargeji?," Karnataka BJP posted on 'X'
"Why trust foreign handlers over your own people? After all that India has given you, why this betrayal?" it further asked, while sharing a screenshot of "page information" from a Facebook page in Mallikarjun Kharge's name.
The "page information" of the Facebook page bearing Mallikarjun Kharge's name says, "Primary country/region location for people who manage this Page includes: Norway (1)"
Mallikarjun Kahrge is also the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha.
Hitting back at BJP's post, Priyank Kharge said despite having what they claim to be the “most effective Home Minister” in India’s history (referring to Amit Shah), BJP cannot determine whether an Opposition Leader’s account is genuine.
"I truly appreciate the relentless efforts of @BJP4India’s IT Cell. For just Rs 2, they’ve launched a malicious social media campaign against Congress President, Shri @kharge," he said in a post on 'X'.
"For clarity, Kharge has only two official social media accounts," he said, sharing the links of the Congress president's 'X' account and WhatsApp Channel.
Instead of focusing on pressing national issues, BJP seems obsessed with investigating a dead Facebook page that hasn’t been active since 2020, linked to an unknown email, Priyank Kharge said, adding, "Since we have no idea who is behind it, we’ve officially requested Facebook to take it down. Moreover, a Facebook Blue Tick is easily obtained through a paid subscription."
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
ISRO successfully conducts second integrated air drop test for Gaganyaan mission
New Delhi (PTI): Space agency ISRO has successfully conducted the second integrated air drop test (IADT-02) for the upcoming Gaganyaan mission at the space station in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota.
The system is essential to ensure a safe recovery of the crew module -- the capsule in which astronauts sit during a human flight -- during re-entry and landing.
Union minister Jitendra Singh congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for successfully conducting the test.
"Congratulations #ISRO for the successful accomplishment of Second Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-02) for #Gaganyaan, India's first Human Space flight scheduled next year. The second Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-02) was successfully conducted at Satish Dhawan Space Station Sriharikota," Singh said in a post on X.
The IADT-02 follows the successful completion of the first IADT, which took place on August 24, 2025, at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
Air drop tests recreate the last leg of a spacecraft's return to Earth. An aircraft or helicopter drops the spacecraft from a height to test various systems under different scenarios.
These are the deployment of the parachute system in case the mission is aborted mid-flight, system performance when one parachute fails to open and the spacecraft's orientation and safety during splashdown etc.
In the IADT-02 test, a simulated crew module, weighing about 5.7 tonnes, was lifted by an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter to an altitude of about three kilometres and released over a designated drop zone in the sea, near the Sriharikota coast.
In a statement, the ISRO said, "Ten parachutes of four types were deployed in a precise sequence during the descent of the crew module, gradually reducing the velocity for safe touchdown. Subsequently, the simulated crew module was successfully recovered in coordination with the Indian Navy."
