The BJP has dropped Anupam Hazra, the MP from Bengal’s Bolpur from the post of the party’s national secretary over statements that deviated from the party line.  The decision — which will be implemented immediately — was taken by party chief JP Nadda on a day Union Home Minister and the party’s chief strategist Amit Shah is on a visit to Kolkata.

Mr Hazra was elected from Bolpur on a Trinamool Congress  ticket in 2014 but crossed over to the BJP.

He was the party’s Scheduled Caste face and was given the senior post in 2020. He was given another stint in 2023. He was also made the party’s co-incharge of Bihar.

But over the last months his statements had triggered controversies.

In September, Mr Hazra made headlines by suggesting that “corrupt” leaders of Trinamool Congress, who are expecting summons by the CBI or the Enforcement Directorate should contact him to join the BJP.

The party’s state unit distanced itself from the comment, in the backdrop of Trinamool’s  “washing machine” allegations against the party.

“You can go to my Facebook page and contact me. If you feel shy to come forward and talk about joining the BJP, you can get in touch with me and tell me your wish. We will see how your services can be used for the party,” Mr. Hazra was heard saying in a video that was widely circulated.

A blanket of dense fog covered Delhi and its surrounding areas on Wednesday morning as visibility dropped to just 50 metres, disrupting the movement of traffic. 

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted “dense to very dense fog conditions” over northwest and central India including Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, UP, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. 

In Delhi, the Palam observatory near the Indira Gandhi International Airport recorded a visibility level of 125 metres while at the Safdarjung observatory it dropped to just 50 metres. On Tuesday, over 30 flights at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport were delayed as fog enveloped the Delhi-NCR region. 

The minimum temperature in Delhi dropped to 7 degrees Celsius while the maximum temperature is expected to 24 degrees Celsius.

Apart from Delhi, several north Indian cities woke up to foggy weather that reduced visibility. While Patiala, Lucknow and Prayagraj recorded very low visiblity of 25 metres, in Amritsar it dropped to 0 metres. 

According to the weather office, very dense fog is when visibility is between 0 and 50 metres, between 51 and 200 metres is dense, between 201 and 500 metres moderate, and between 501 and 1,000 metres shallow.

Israel has warned that its war with Hamas will last for months amid an United Nations alarm over Israeli airstrikes killing over 100 Palestinians in two days in the war-torn Gaza strip.

There are no shortcuts in dismantling a “terrorist organisation”, Israel’s military chief Herzi Halevi said in a televised statement, adding that the war “will continue for many more months”.

“There are no magic solutions, there are no shortcuts in dismantling a terrorist organization, only determined and persistent fighting. We will reach Hamas leadership too, whether it takes a week or if it takes months,” said Halevi.

The UN last night voiced concern over the continuous Israeli airstrikes as it named an outgoing Dutch minister its humanitarian coordinator for Gaza.

“We are gravely concerned about the continued bombardment of #Gaza by Israeli forces, which has reportedly claimed over 100 Palestinian lives since Christmas Eve. Israeli forces must take all measures available to protect civilians,” the UN Human Rights office posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a Wall Street Journal op-ed on Monday, noted three prerequisites to achieve peace: “Hamas must be destroyed, Gaza must be demilitarised and Palestinian society must be deradicalised.”

Israel has been bombing Gaza since October 7 after a cross-border Hamas killed 1,200 people in border towns and around 240 were taken hostages. Around 21,000 Palestinians have died in Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza since.

However, Israeli strikes have raised concerns over the safety of civilians.

UN estimates suggest around 1.9 million Gazans have been displaced with many having fled south. The civilians are suffering from shortages of water, food, fuel and medicine.