Chadha Cites ‘Sheesh Mahal’ as Key Issue

Chadha argued that the political embarrassment of Arvind Kejriwal's chief ministerial residence chipped away at the credibility the party had been trying to build for more than a decade.
"If there was one major reason for the Aam Aadmi Party's loss in the Delhi elections, the Sheesh Mahal was one of the main reasons for the party's defeat. But today, not even a year has passed since the Delhi elections ended, and Sheesh Mahal Part Two has come," he said.

"I wonder how the few remaining good workers of the Aam Aadmi Party will respond when people in the streets and localities ask them questions about Sheesh Mahal. The Aam Aadmi Party should introspect and think about it," he added.

Massive Drop in Chadha's Instagram Followers

Chadha’s decision to quit AAP and join the BJP has reflected on his social media popularity. Data has shown that Raghav Chadha lost nearly 10 lakh Instagram followers in the last 24 hours, a steep fall which is being attributed to the backlash from Gen Z, who had supported him for his relatability and focus on common issues. An icon for Gen Z politics, Chadha’s follower count went from 14.6 million to 13.3 million. The fall is major for a leader whose image is strongly tied to his social media presence, with a particular support base of young urban voters. 

Internal Rift Weakens AAP leadership

A serious blow to AAP, its 7 out of 10 MPs left the party and joined BJP on Friday. AAP alleged that BJP is engaging in "Operation Lotus". This step is taken due to escalation of tensions between Chadha and the party leadership.
Earlier this month he was demoted as AAP’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha after some of the senior members of the party accused him of only "soft PR" instead of tackling the Centre. He had been at loggerheads with the party for a year now, staying out of the country while Kejriwal was arrested for the excise policy scam in March 2024, and even for all the 6 months he was in jail. 

Their release was part of the visit of the Indian Vice President to the region, and many people are thinking it represents a major diplomatic decision when India joined the fray for Sri Lanka.

Fisherman Thanks PM Modi

Upon his arrival at the Chennai airport, one of the released fishermen, Sebastian expressed relief and joy.

He said they were released during the Indian Vice President’s visit and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for helping them get their early release.

But he also urged the government to keep fishing for more of the rest of the sailors that are still in Sri Lankan jails. 

“We ask the government to return them as well,” he added. 

Bigger Problem Still Remains

It is not a new problem and this is nothing new: Tamil Nadu fishermen in northern Tamil Nadu have already been arrested by the authorities of Sri Lanka. Many fishermen in the Palk Strait experience such frustrations because of fighting over fishing rights and over the maritime borders.

For many families, even more worrying not only were they the arrests, but also the confiscated fishing vessels, which are often their only source of income. 

Government Working on Solution

The Tamil Nadu government and the Ministry of External Affairs have in recent days stayed in touch with Sri Lankan officials to secure the release of the other fishermen held down and reclaim boats recaptured. 

Long-term steps are also being taken to stop this type of repeated arrest and shield the livelihoods of fishermen living along the ocean's coastal border.

Nineteen fishermen in Tamil Nadu have come home safe from jail in Sri Lanka. Their homecomings gave emotional opportunities to families who had been anxiously waiting for them for weeks.

The fishermen were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy on March 25, 2026, for crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) while fishing offshore in the Palk Strait. 

Arrested for Crossing Maritime Border

A political controversy has erupted after Yogi Adityanath allegedly misattributed a famous quote during a rally in West Bengal.

The situation escalated when Mahua Moitra strongly criticized the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, calling him “Bulldozer Buddhi” on social media. She pointed out that the iconic line “Give me blood and I will give you freedom” was originally said by Subhas Chandra Bose, not Swami Vivekananda.

Soon after, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also joined the attack. Taking a dig at Adityanath, he said, “Only those who change names have had their own names changed.” His comment is being seen as a reference to the renaming of cities and institutions in Uttar Pradesh.

The controversy grew further when a video of Adityanath’s speech was shared online by the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC). The party accused him of showing “ignorance” about Bengal’s history.

In its post, TMC highlighted the difference between two iconic figures—Subhas Chandra Bose and Swami Vivekananda—stating that both are highly respected but completely different personalities. The party criticized the mix-up, calling it disrespectful.

Mahua Moitra also took a sharp dig, asking Adityanath to “get his facts right” and mocked his speech in a strongly worded post.

This incident has now turned into a major political debate, with leaders from different parties reacting and social media buzzing over the viral video.

Opposition Slams Centre's Delimitation Bill

The move has caused political heat with political parties across the spectrum largely backing the proposed reservation for women while opposing its accompanying delimitation proposal. Opposition parties claimed that a population-driven allocation of seats might result in disproportionate advantage being gained by the high-population growth states, hence will bring out of balance the federal structures, giving less weightage to states that have maintained a check over population.

Congress leaders also alleged that the move is intended to gerrymander the elections and that overlooking a caste census data will diminish the representation of backward classes, i.e. OBCs, Dalits and Adivasis, while calling for Delimitation on new comprehensive data, including a caste census.

Tamil Nadu CM Burns Delimitation Bill Copy

Intensifying his stand against the Centre’s proposed delimitation exercise, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin symbolically burned a copy of the delimitation bill and hoisted a black flag, protesting the delimitation bill. The Chief Minister urged the people of Tamil Nadu to hoist a black flag on their rooftops to signify their disapproval, calling the proposed legislation a 'black law' that would weaken political representation for the state. 

Giriraj Singh Confident on Bill Consensus

Union Minister Giriraj Singh expressed hope Thursday that the Women's Reservation Bill will pass Parliament with a comfortable consensus, claiming that every political party would eventually have to endorse the bill, even with the opposition raising objections regarding delimitation and other associated matters.
Singh said, "The Women's Reservation Bill is being introduced. The opposition says they have objections to delimitation and won't support it.”
He added, "There will be no discrimination anywhere. The bill will come to the House, and the subject will be presented. There's no need to doubt it before it's even presented. I'm fully confident that just as it was passed before, it will be passed now. No discrimination against any state, equality for all.”

Bills Link Women's Quota to Delimitation

High stakes legislation showdown is expected as the Center is all set to introduce the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 in the three day special session of Parliament that would commence on Thursday, aimed at accelerating the enforcement of 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies.
According to sources, these changes will ensure equal increment in representation in each state. The centre has hinted that the number of seats will rise by about 50 percent across states to counter the concern from some states, particularly southern ones, that larger populated states could be benefited too much.

INDIA Bloc Opposes Delimitation Bill

INDIA bloc parties reached a consensus to oppose the delimitation section in Constitution (131st) Amendment Bill, 2026, said the Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge after the coalition meeting on Tuesday, as the opposition is not against the women's reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav have termed this as a "conspiracy".

Rijiju Slams Delimitation Misinformation

Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Kiren Rijiju warned against misleading people of southern states over the delimitation.
“Some people are trying to mislead the South Indian States on Women Reservation by providing wrong Delimitation figures. There should be no politics in giving reservations to Women in Lok Sabha & Legislative Assemblies. All political parties are united for Nari Shakti,” he said on social media platform X.

Delimitation: Redrawing Seats Post-Census

Delimitation is a process for the determination of the number and boundaries of constituencies for the Lok Sabha and Legislative assemblies. Delimitation process is also the determination of the seats to be reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) in those houses.
Article 82 and 170 of Constitution stipulates that the number of seats in Lok Sabha and State Legislative assemblies and its allocation to territorial constituencies shall be re-adjusted after each Census. Such a "delimitation process" is carried out by the "Delimitation Commission" which is formed by act of parliament.

ECI Tracks Polls via Webcasting

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Dr. S.S. Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi, are closely monitoring the polling process through live webcasting. Voter-friendly initiatives have been put in place, including easily recognizable color photographs of candidates on Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) ballot papers, a Mobile Deposit Facility, and newly designed Voter Information Slips for better readability. Additionally, each polling station is set to accommodate up to 1,200 voters.

Assam Hits 85% Turnout

As the day progresses, the voter turnout in Assam stands at an impressive 84.42%, with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) seeking a third consecutive term in power, while the Congress party aims to reclaim the state it lost a decade ago. This election is particularly significant, being the first Assembly election since the electoral map was redrawn following a delimitation exercise in 2023. Voters have cast their ballots at 31,490 polling stations across 35 districts, with voting starting at 7 a.m.

Kerala Records 78% Voter Turnout

In Kerala, voters are casting their votes for all 140 Assembly seats, with polling hours extended until 6 p.m. to ensure that everyone has a chance to participate. Voters arriving at polling stations before the deadline receive tokens and can cast their votes. By the end of the day, Kerala reported a turnout of 78.24%, slightly up from the 74.06% seen in the 2021 Assembly elections.

Puducherry Receives 89% Turnout

In Puducherry, where polling also closes at 6 p.m. for 30 Assembly constituencies, initial estimates suggest an outstanding turnout exceeding 89.08%. The NDA is working hard to maintain its hold on power in this Union Territory, while the Congress-led opposition is determined to challenge the AINRC's leadership, focusing on issues like local autonomy and administrative concerns.

stands exposed” with Pakistan assuming a significant global role. 

What happened?

Following weeks of climbing tensions, the United States, Iran, and Israel agreed to a two-week ceasefire. Yet paradoxically, Pakistan said it would hold peace talks between the US and Iran in Islamabad beginning Friday. The decision was met with political backlash from the Indian public, which has challenged the government’s foreign policy stance. Congress Attacks BJP Government. 

Congress Attacks BJP Government

Jairam Ramesh took a sharp dig at PM Modi by members of Congress when he commented: But India’s attempts to isolate Pakistan from the world have failed. The role of Pakistan mediating talks is a “serious diplomatic setback.” PM Modi’s silence on global conflicts demonstrates weak leadership. He also chastised the Prime Minister for declining to comment on: Israel’s actions in Gaza. Rising tensions in West Asia. Statements spoken by U.S. leaders. Ceasefire Details.

Ceasefire Details

US President Donald Trump said the military was put on pause for two weeks. Iran agreed to permit safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The goal of the talks is to avoid further escalation in the region. Diplomatic relations included Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying military operations would pause if attacks stop.

Why This Matters

The conflict has already: Killed thousands. Disrupted global oil supply. It sparked an energy crisis. But Pakistan’s unexpected joining of peace negotiations has sparked widespread concern about India’s power as a diplomat.

Political War Heats Up

Congress equated the situation now with that of former PM Manmohan Singh, saying that after the Mumbai attacks he managed global pressure relatively better. As of now the BJP has yet to reply to these criticisms.

BJP Fires Back at Youth Congress Disruption

Citing the protest as irresponsible, BJP leadership said these moves tarnish the country’s international image when such moves were made during a high-visibility conference attended by international delegates.
The BJP also claimed the show was yet another instance of opposition disruption – calling on Rahul Gandhi to face scrutiny and for the party leadership, and for political unity. The BJP argued that the “national interest” trumped political differences in international arenas. 

Patra's Attack: "Topless, Brainless, Shameless" Congress

BJP MP Sambit Patra said, "Rahul Gandhi and the Congress Party are traitors of the highest order. The nation's biggest traitors. Wherever the country progresses, wherever happiness prevails, they will surely spoil it. These are traitors...I have only three words for Congress: topless, brainless, shameless.”
"Today, they went topless, brainless. Congress doesn't have that much wisdom that this AI summit that is going on is not a BJP summit. This is an AI summit of the entire world," he added.

Goyal Accuse Rahul of Humiliating India Globally

Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal said Rahul Gandhi tried to humiliate India.
He said, "This is CONGRESS ARROGANCE & FRUSTRATION on display! So, Mr. Rahul Gandhi, humiliating India to target the Government is your idea of opposition!"
"While you want to CHOKE India's development by peddling lies about the recent trade deals, your foot soldiers are marching shirtless at the prestigious AI Summit, attempting to embarrass 140 crore Indians globally. This disruption strategy only exposes your and your party's lack of vision for India," he added.

IYC Workers Detained at AI Summit

The comments came after some 10 Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers were detained for briefly raising slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi inside Bharat Mandapam’s Exhibition Hall No. 5, police officials said.
The “topless” protest sparked a political spat of words, with BJP figures charging the Congress with arranging the disruption. 

FIR Filed: Probe into Criminal Conspiracy and Manuscript Leak

The Delhi Police responded by questioning how the memoir reached Rahul Gandhi despite being unpublished. Not long after, an FIR was lodged, and in only 24 hours, two clarifications were made by Penguin . 

The notice, officials said, asks for answers to a number of questions tied to the unpublished memoir and invites the publisher to join in the investigation, after the Delhi Police Special Cell lodged a case on criminal conspiracy charges following the purported leak of the book. 

BJP Protests: Unpublished Book Barred from Parliament

The controversy over Four Stars of Destiny began when Rahul Gandhi tried to quote from it in the Lok Sabha to decry the government, and had to face opposition from senior ministers.
While Gandhi started quoting from the book, the BJP protested strongly. Subsequent to launching the attack, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh declared that an unpublished book cannot be cited in Parliament.
Speaker Om Birla subsequently held that Gandhi could not quote from the work as it amounted to unpublished literature and had not received any authenticated references. This episode only intensified the political dispute, with people asking how an unpublished book came to Rahul Gandhi before it was officially put out by its publisher. 

Publisher Warns of Copyright Breach in Leaked Copies

Penguin Random House India said that the book has not been officially released and is still pending clearance from the Ministry of Defence. The publisher also warned that any circulating PDFs or physical copies would be an infringement of copyright.
As the case escalated, Delhi Police lodged an FIR over the alleged illegal circulation of the manuscript in digital and other formats.
“Delhi Police Special Cell has issued a notice to Penguin India. Through the notice, several questions have been asked, and responses have been sought,” said Delhi Police.

Penguin Clarifies: No Copies Released

Penguin Random House India said it held exclusive publishing rights to the memoir and insisted that no copies were publicly available, in a statement on Monday.
“In light of recent public discourse and media reporting, Penguin Random House India would like to clarify that we hold the sole publishing rights for the book 'Four Stars of Destiny', a memoir by General Manoj Mukund Naravane, former Chief of the Indian Army. We wish to make it clear that the book has not gone into publication. No copies of the book -- in print or digital form -- have been published, distributed, sold, or otherwise made available to the public by Penguin Random House India," the publisher said officially.

Rohit Pawar's Bombshell Claim on Ajit Pawar's Death

Rohit Pawar said during a presentation in Mumbai on the air crash which killed Ajit Pawar and four others last month. When briefing on the incident, he said that the prelude to the crash itself deserves much closer scrutiny.
Pawar said, “Everyone has this question in their mind: was it an accident or something else? Did the plane carry excess fuel tanks? CCTV footage should be scanned to see if they did. Such an act is not just illegal, but also acts as a bomb. Was the pilot directed to save fuel? Why didn’t they take another roundabout? Was there an alternative for landing?”

Missing Transponder Data

In the press conference, Rohit Pawar urged the investigating agencies to investigate the Ajit Pawar plane crash.
He said, “AAIB (UK), BEA, NTSB - either of them should investigate, apart from govt investigation.”
“Transponder details are not available for the last one minute. Why was the transponder shut down at the last minute at 8:43? What happened at the last minute when the flight was aligned to the runway? Why isn’t the main pilot’s voice recorded anywhere? Had he decided that he had to take the flight in some other direction?” he added.

Eyewitness Reports Strange Noises Before Stall

Rohit Pawar questions the maintenance of the plane on eye-witness evidence where a woman's account describes strange noises from the aircraft.
“Why was the plane stalled? Where is the techlog of the craft? Where is the airworthy report of the craft? Who had done the routine check-up?, he asked.

VSR Company's Shady History with Regulators

He also alleges that VSR Company, which owned the Learjet aircraft, wielded influence over aviation regulators.
“The final probe report of the 2023 crash involving a VSR company aircraft has already been submitted. Even now, VSR company planes continue to be used by high-ranking political leaders. Why was the company’s licence never cancelled?” Pawar asked.

Urgent Call for Probe into Baramati Crash

Rohit Pawar also cited a myriad of technical and operational problems such as whether the aircraft's transponder had been switched off, why a difficult runway was chosen despite poor visibility, and why the Learjet flight attempted to land under those conditions.
Ajit Pawar was killed on January 28 after a chartered plane crashed as he tried to land at the table-top airstrip in Baramati, Pune district. Four other people, including his personal security officer, the pilot, co-pilot and a flight attendant also died in the crash. 

Key Allegations

The Opposition has also laid all kinds of challenges to it, from the refusal to allow Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi to speak, to the suspension of Opposition members, to the purported failure to act against BJP MP Nishikant Dubey following his remarks.
Leaders have also pushed back against accusations that female MPs were a danger to the Prime Minister. 

Signatures Overview

Under Article 94(c) of the Constitution, a Lok Sabha member may send a written notification of intention to refer the resolution on the removal of the Speaker to the Secretary-General, which shall be given to the Secretary-General at a minimum of 14 days’ notice.
The notice for the resolution seeking removal of Mr Birla from Lok Sabha holds 119 signatures: T.R. Baalu, DMK, Dimple Yadav, SP. The members of Trinamool Congress have not signed. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi also declined to sign, as one of the charges relates to him not being able to speak. 

Government Response

Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said the Opposition lacked the numbers to carry the resolution. The no-confidence move comes on the heels of another protracted matter in the Lok Sabha, with multiple adjournments following demonstrations by opposition members over the denial of speaking time during key discussions. 

Speaker's Position

Speaker Om Birla has decided that he will not go to the House until such time as discussion and decision are made on the motion against him by the Opposition MPs seeking his removal.
Under Article 96(1) of the Constitution, a Speaker may be unable to preside over any sitting, even if in attendance, when a resolution to remove his or her name or position is proposed. But the Speaker has the discretion to attend and speak during the proceedings and there the Speaker gets a chance to defend against the allegations, he added.
During such proceedings, the Speaker may be on the floor of the Lok Sabha but must vacate the Chair. 

Sarma Vows Civil and Criminal Action

The chief minister of Assam said he was initiating both civil and criminal proceedings.
“I am initiating civil and criminal defamation proceedings on 9 February 2026 against @JitendraSAlwar, @bhupeshbaghel, @GauravGogoiAsm and @DsaikiaOfficial for making false, malicious and defamatory statements against me in today’s press conference,” he said.
“The era of hit-and-run politics is over. If they have even an ounce of courage or evidence, let them prove every allegation before a court of law,” he said, adding, “I will not be intimidated by propaganda, coordinated slander, or political theatrics of so-called slaves of Gandhi family,” he added.

Congress Fires Back with AI Misuse Complaint

This defamation case has been initiated by the Chief Minister at the Kamrup District Civil Court, and further proceedings are underway. The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Tuesday lodged a police complaint at Dispur Police Station against the BJP and Sarma, alleging misuse of artificial intelligence to malign Gogoi and targeting Muslims through the now-deleted 'point blank shot' video.
The development comes after Gogoi, who is the Assam Congress president, claimed last week that a probe by the party revealed that almost 12,000 bighas of land were occupied by Sarma and his family members across the state. 

Cross-Allegations Heat Up Election Battle

Assam's political space has already heated up ahead of the assembly elections this year. Sarma opened another front against Gogoi after he alleged that the Congress leader and his British wife, Elizabeth Colburn, had "deep links" with a Pakistani national, Ali Tauqeer Sheikh.
The Chief Minister suggested that intel might have been passed to Pakistan. The Congress hit back swiftly, claiming that Sarma had no documentary evidence to support his claims and "lost his mental balance".