Top News Of The Day: Promise, Spiritual Politics - Rajinikanth

Superstar Rajinikanth will launch his long-anticipated political party in January, five months before the Tamil Nadu election. Promising "a wonder and miracle" in the polls, he said his party would bring "spiritual secular politics" with no caste or religion. Parkash Singh Badal, Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former Punjab Chief Minister, has returned his Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award, to protest against the "betrayal of farmers" by the government. Actor Kangana Ranaut, called out on Twitter for misidentifying an elderly woman at the farmers' protest in Delhi as one of the organisers of the Shaheen Bagh demonstration against the centre's controversial citizenship law, lashed out at singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh on Thursday, setting off a lengthy exchange of unpleasantries on the social networking site. Farmers in Jhajjhar have come in a large number in tractors with free ration for those who are in and around Delhi protesting against the centre's new farm laws. Farmers in Maharashtra have also joined the protest against the centre's farm laws, even as talks with the government are going on. India recorded 31,118 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total Covid caseload to over 94.62 lakh. The number of fresh infections is nearly 20 per cent lower than yesterday's. Southern Tamil Nadu and southern Kerala are on high alert as Burevi inches closer to the southern shores. The cyclonic storm is expected to make first contact with the Indian coast between Pamban and Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, sometime between tonight and tomorrow morning.