Left, Right & Centre

A day after her handbag featuring the word "Palestine" sparked a controversy in Parliament, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra appeared to double down, arriving with a new bag carrying a slogan on the plight of minorities in Bangladesh. 

Another sign of key internal differences within the INDIA Alliance - key members have outright rejected the Congress party's long-standing claims of electronic voting machine flaws. This internal discord has sparked a nationwide debate on EVM reliability, questioning the Congress's strategy and its impact on the alliance's cohesion ahead of crucial elections.

In a significant commitment on defence cooperation, Sri Lanka today assured India that it will not permit its territory to be used in any manner inimical to the security of India. Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake reiterated Colombo's stand in the joint statement today, making its promise to New Delhi official. Colombo's assurance to New Delhi comes at a time when China is aggressively pursuing its 'Mission Indian Ocean' - which targets India.

Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan says the death of Zakir Hussain feels personal. He said, "Zakir's death feels like a family member has passed away." Talking about Zakir Hussain's legacy, Amjad Ali Khan said that he gave a different dimension to tabla and became an institution himself. The sarod maestro speaks on Zakir Hussain's unique techniques and his role in changing the global perception of Indian classical music and more.

An important highlight of the ongoing winter session of parliament was the Union cabinet clearing the bills for simultaneous elections. Sources have said that the bills could be brought in next week after the house passes the first batch of supplementary demands for grants listed for Monday. Now, the bill paves the way for unified elections across the nation, something that has been on the agenda of ruling BJP for quite some time now. The process of simultaneous elections itself will not take place till 2034, the provisions of the bill indicate. Can we see concurrent polls as a move that could transform India's electoral system? What are the challenges to its execution? What are the realistic chances of the BJP shoring up numbers in its support for this bill, and if it becomes a reality will it change the way we, the people of the country, look at elections?

Nikita Singhania, the estranged wife of Bengaluru-based techie Atul Subhash who died by suicide, was arrested today. Subhash's case had sparked a major outrage across the nation due to the detailed accounts he left behind, alleging harassment by his estranged wife and her family. Along with Nikita, her mother and brother, co-accused in a case lodged in Bengaluru, were also arrested today. Now, the tragic death of Atul Subhash has underscored several concerns about the functioning of the law and legal systems in India. It is not just him, his family members also had to suffer. Today, Nikita and her family members have been arrested. We will talk to experts tonight to understand if the Indian law, its implementation needs contextual empathy.

Actor Allu Arjun was released from jail today, after spending the night in jail. The Telugu superstar addressed the media after coming out , and said that he is a law-abiding citizen and will cooperate in the probe into the 'Pushpa 2' screening stampede in Hyderabad that killed a woman and seriously injured a child.  Allu Arjun's legal team however has raised concerns about how the star was kept in jail overnight despite being granted interim bail by the high court. Calling it illegal detention, his lawyers have said they will take action.

The 34-year-old techie who died by suicide at his home in Bengaluru had been planning his death for months and had prepared a detailed checklist of everything he needed to do in the days leading up to it, ticking off every task once it was done. A printout of the checklist was pasted on the wall of his Bengaluru home, right next to another printed paper with the words 'Justice is due'. 

A major clash erupted in Parliament as the government and the opposition locked horns over Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar's handling of proceedings and the no-confidence motion. The opposition accuses Dhankhar of being biased and partisan, while the government defends him as an impartial leader.

The opposition India Bloc is itself divided over the issue of leadership of the opposition grouping. Now RJD chief and former Bihar chief minister, Lalu Prasad Yadav, known as a Gandhi family supporter, has also extended support to Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's candidature. Has Congress allies lost faith in Congress an Rahul's leadership? Will allies tell Rahul to take a walk? Is INDIA bloc up for rejig on top? That's the question we ask on LRC.