Regional Journal: Making ‘digital presence’ felt

Punjab Assembly elections are two years away so several Congress leaders, especially CM aspirants, have already become active, digitally at least. Be it PPCC chief Amrinder Raja Warring, former CM Charanjit Singh Channi or former Cabinet Minister Pargat Singh, all are building their social media teams to increase online visibility. Many are also eyeing the state chief's chair. The idea is to get the High Command's attention in Delhi. Note that Channi sits behind Rahul Gandhi in Parliament, which means he's on air along with him.

‘Bakshish’ from MP

There was a sudden dash for the exit door in the MPs’ cafeteria in Parliament recently. The staff left whatever they were doing and immediately rushed out in the open area. Within minutes they all were back, beaming and smiling. The reason: every day at a designated time, a Member of Parliament from a southern state stations himself outside the cafeteria and distributes money among the staff, as “bakshish” (tip) for their prompt services!

Reels stop, followers don’t

Kanchan Kumari, aka Kamal Kaur Bhabhi, a Ludhiana resident known for her bold reels who was found murdered in a car outside a university in Bathinda recently, is gaining more followers after death than she did when alive. Her Instagram followers have jumped from 3.80 lakh to over 4.80 lakh. The police say she was lured with a fake promotional offer. Some so-called ‘guardians of culture’ had warned her earlier. Ironically, the internet now loves what it once claimed to hate.

Punjab Police in news again

Even as the Col Bath assault case controversy is yet to die down, the Punjab Police are in the news again with yet another transgression of human rights. Two officers mercilessly beat up a Batala-based journalist recently, unaware of the CCTV cameras capturing the act. The journalist had to be immediately hospitalised. The video clip went viral and has left residents horror-struck.

Like father, like son

With no constitutional power or position, Atul Bhagat, son of Punjab minister Mohinder Bhagat, formally inaugurated the development works in Jalandhar West recently. In doing so, he did exactly what his father also used to do. Mohinder's father Chunni Lal Bhagat was also a Punjab minister. Whenever his father could not reach an inauguration event, Mohinder would make it, get himself clicked and send across his pictures.

Haryana Cong’s ‘agonising’ wait

For more than a decade, the Haryana Congress has lacked a functioning grassroots structure -- district and block-level leaders don't exist. The high command has neither appointed a state president nor selected a Leader of the Opposition. Internal rivalries only exacerbate the paralysis. Rahul Gandhi’s Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan brought renewed hope for an overhaul. Still, the July deadlines slipped by, and now even August’s first week is drawing to a close without outcomes.

Tariff tremors in Ludhiana

Tremors from a distant Oval Office in the US are being felt in Ludhiana’s industrial belt. Small industries dealing in cycle parts, hosiery, auto components, etc., find themselves caught in a geopolitical crossfire. “We’re collateral damage,” says a textile exporter, watching freight costs surge and overseas orders stall. The timing couldn’t be worse. Japanese delegates had just toured Ludhiana’s manufacturing hubs, exploring tech collaborations. Optimism was taking root. Now, uncertainty clouds the skyline.

(Contributed by Rajmeet Singh, Animesh Singh, Archit Watts, Ravi Dhaliwal, Deepkamal Kaur, Bhartesh Singh Thakur & Manav Mander)