The BJP’s emerging face for the 2014 general election, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, created a political uproar by saying he had done “no wrong” and “absolutely the right thing” during the 2002 communal carnage in his state in which nearly 2,000 people were massacred.

After Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi faced severe criticism on Friday over his controversial comments on the 2002 post-Godhra riots, the BJP jumped to his defence, asking not to misinterpret his comments and maintaining that “a controversy has been created where it does not exist”.

Various crucial economic data — exports, industrial production, inflation and car sales — released on Friday sent a worrying signal that the Indian economy is in slowdown mode. IIP in May contracted by 1.6 per cent, the lowest in the past 11 months.

The Congress core group on Friday deferred biting the bullet on the contentious issue of statehood for Telangana by declaring that the Congress Working Committee would take a final call on the matter. Indications are that the Congress would decide in favour of a separate Telangana state.

A massive controversy broke out on Friday over Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s remarks on the 2002 riots. Most of the “secular” political parties, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party, CPI(M), CPI and JD(U), not only condemned his comments, but also demanded he should apologise for comparing Muslims to a “puppy”, which they said was “humiliating”.

Veteran Bollywood actor Pran Krishan Sikand, popularly known as Pran, who played the dreaded villain and loveable character with élan in hits like Don, Milan, Madhumati, Bobby, Zanjeer and Ram Aur Shyam, breathed his last at Lilavati Hospital in suburban Bandra on Friday evening. He was 93.

Intermittent rains brought down the temperature in the city to below normal on Friday. The capital received 6.9 mm of rains between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm.

The Supreme Court on Friday issued notices to the Delhi government on a plea challenging the Delhi high court’s order which said that the Right to Education (RTE) Act is not applicable to nursery admissions in unaided private schools.

A 40-year-old woman and her two accomplices were arrested here for allegedly kidnapping a 12-year-old girl to sell her for `1 lakh to a driver in MP for marriage. The incident has been reported from Anand Parbat area of Central Delhi.

An 18-year-old youth allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling inside the Kenyan embassy in Vasant Kunj on Friday.