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The Morning Wrap: Rajasthan Govt Rewriting History; George And Amal Clooney Expecting Twins

Our selection of interesting news and opinion from the day's newspapers.
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The Morning Wrap is HuffPost India's selection of interesting news and opinion from the day's newspapers. Subscribe here to receive it in your inbox each weekday morning.

Under the garb of promoting Indian culture, the BJP-led government seems to be trying to wipe out the idea of Muslim conquerers who have ruled India. The latest one in the series of events is to say that Rajput king Maharana Pratap had won the battle of Haldighati against Mughal emperor Akbar's army. Reportedly, the Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government in Rajasthan has put its weight behind a proposal to rewrite university history textbooks.

Virali Modi who has been on a wheelchair after at the age of 13, recently said that she has been "groped and manhandled" several times in Indian Railways as there is no proper provision for differently-abled persons to travel. She is now trying to get Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu's attention to fix a problem that affects a large number of people. She has also started an online petition on Change.org.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee lashed out at the Modi government for "threatening" other political parties and accusing them of hoarding black money. She also likened him to the famous Sholay (1975) villain Gabbar Singh, saying, "The situation is just like you are threatening a kid by saying keep shut or else Gabbar Singh will come."

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed real estate baron Gopal Ansal to serve a year's jail term while his elder brother Sushil Ansal got relief from incarceration with prison term already undergone by him in Uphaar Cinema fire tragedy in which 59 people had died. But the apex court upheld the fine of ₹30 crore each imposed on both the convicts earlier and said it should be utilised for setting up a trauma centre.

After the controversy surrounding Sanjay Leela Bhansali's upcoming film Padmavati and the row on its sets, now, the Varun Dhawan-Alia Bhatt starrer Badrinath Ki Dulhania has come under the radar of extreme right wing groups. According to The Quint, a source confirmed to them that a group had approached the Central Bureau of Film Certification (CBFC) with the complaint that the main character should not be named Badrinath, as it is holy place of pilgrimage. The "flippant" use is "defiling and desecrating the place", the letter said.

Two boys, who were just hanging out on the terrace of their home in southwest Delhi, saved lives of over 194 people when they saw and reported the fire and smoke emanating from the tail of an aircraft. The Bengaluru-bound GoAir flight captain was informed and the aircraft made an emergency landing at Indira Gandhi International airport after the boys called the Police control room, who in turn called the airport.

George Clooney and his wife, Amal, are expecting two babies this year, multiple sources confirm to People magazine. A source close to the couple also revealed that Amal "has let everyone in both families know quietly" and that "they're all very happy". This exciting news means the Clooneys will become first-time parents this year.

The Indian blind cricket team is facing funds problem, despite it having won an One Day International World Cup (2014), a T20 World Cup (2012) and an Asia Cup (2016). The major problem, says the team, is due to the fact that it is not being governed by the BCCI, but the Cricket Association for the Blind in India.

Karnataka Home minister G Parameshwara stepped into controversy on Thursday by saying that the drugs menace in the state was caused primarily due to African nationals who are peddling drugs.

The Good Samaritan law is not enough to create confidence to act during road accidents, because the reluctance to do something is habitually guided by apprehension, says Krishna Kumar in The Hindu. "It will take a long time for people to feel secure under its provisions. Any law that attempts to change people's perception of a state agency demands a parallel change in the behaviour of the agency itself... Both the will and the resources required to implement them are in short supply," he writes.

In the long run, household debts have a negative effect on growth, writes Tulsi Jayakumar in Mint. "While the Economic Survey and the budget document have raised concerns about corporate debt and government debt, growing household debt may be the blind spot. Economic analysts and monetary authorities, may need to go beyond their traditional obsession with the growth-inflation outcomes of monetary policy to the underlying conundrums of such growth," she writes.

The reports of attacks and a hate campaign in the form of agitations and police reports against academic Nivedita Menon of JNU and Rajshree Ranawat of the JNVU show the decline of state universities, perversion of student politics, says Apoorvanand in The Indian Express. "The divide between the state universities and central educational institutions, in terms of finances and knowledge, is huge and daunting. The sheer insensitivity of state governments and political parties towards the young is demonstrated in the way they treat and maintain universities. Vice chancellors are selected not for their ability in academic leadership, but their loyalty to the government of the day," he writes.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.