Regional journal: Not a lesson they prepared for

Nearly 50 children from government schools across the country were special visitors to the new Parliament on August 20 — the day the Lok Sabha erupted into chaos following the introduction of the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025, by Home Minister Amit Shah. Seated in the galleries, the students watched as MPs from the Opposition and ruling parties sparred, sloganeered, tore papers and appeared to enter into a slugfest. As soon as the House was adjourned amid pandemonium, the children were ushered out of the galleries by anxious teachers. “This is not the lesson we wanted,” they said.

Congress eyes AAP-BJP faceoff

The BJP’s aggressive outreach in Punjab, coupled with AAP’s police crackdown on saffron party leaders, has unsettled the state Congress leadership. With assembly elections just 17 months away, party strategists fear that AAP’s resistance to the BJP’s expansion — across both urban and rural pockets — could inadvertently eat into the Congress vote bank. All eyes on how events unfold and the way Congress responds.

Empty benches in Himachal

Have Vidhan Sabha sessions lost their relevance? Congress legislators spent half a day welcoming Himachal Pradesh state in-charge Rajni Patil, while BJP MLAs head to Una for a training session with their national general secretary — both skipping the ongoing Assembly session. Ironically, the BJP often blames the Congress for shortening sessions to avoid tough questions. This time, both parties seem united in sidelining public issues for political convenience.

Reels over reality

Outside Sukhbir Singh Badal’s residence in Badal village, a queue of vehicles is all it takes for the Akali Dal’s social media team to declare political dominance. Reels flood timelines, showcasing the crowd as proof of Sukhbir’s relevance. Yet, behind the filters, he’s navigating one of the toughest phases of his career. For now, visuals are doing the heavy lifting — because in digital politics, perception often trumps performance.

Contributed by Aditi Tandon, Rajmeet Singh, Ambika Sharma and Archit Watts