India First: Tuhin Sinha, Brijesh Kalappa, Shehzad Poonawalla on Vande Mataram Row

Former Vice President Hamid Ansari has triggered a political controversy after citing an observation attributed to India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru during the A.G. Noorani Memorial Lecture. Quoting from a book, Ansari highlighted Nehru's remark stating that Hindu right-wing communalism posed a greater threat to India than communism. The Bharatiya Janata Party attacked the comments, alleging they reflected the ideological stance of the Congress party. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath criticised the statement as an insult to Sanatan traditions. Additionally, cleric Umar Ahmed Ilyasi accused Ansari of provoking Muslims, while defenders highlighted Ansari's background as a diplomat, scholar, and member of an esteemed family.

A major political controversy has erupted following a skit performed at an event in Indore. The performance, which involved a mimicry of the Prime Minister and an incident involving an elderly lady, drew sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party, which accused the organisers of insulting women and misleading the youth. In response, the Congress defended the act as satire and not a serious statement, while questioning past remarks against its own leadership. The incident comes amid ongoing debates over political satire, past skits on foreign policy, and remarks by the former Vice President that have triggered further political confrontation.

The Karnataka Assembly witnessed a political showdown between the Congress government and the Bharatiya Janata Party over the rendition of Vande Mataram. The assembly opened its session with the national song, where the Congress opted to stop after the first two stanzas. However, BJP legislators continued singing the full song inside the house. The BJP accused the ruling Congress of engaging in appeasement politics and failing to accord full honour to the national song, citing central government directives. Defending its stance, Congress highlighted historical precedents regarding the shorter rendition and challenged opposition members over their knowledge of the lyrics.

TVK Minister Nilamalai Kumar addressed the ongoing investigation into the sexual abuse of minors involving a Chennai-based granite baron. He stated that Chief Minister Vijay has instructed the police to conduct a thorough high-level probe without procedural lapses. Implicating the former administration, he alleged, "We straight away accuse the previous government and then chief minister, Mr. M.K. Stalin." Kumar questioned how the earlier intelligence team could have missed the incident and insisted that no officer could stall such an inquiry without top-level approval.