⌨The morning was dominated by the rollout of new nationalist protocols, as the central government mandated a six-stanza performance of 'Vande Mataram' at all official events. However, editorial focus quickly shifted to the Lok Sabha, where Rahul Gandhi launched a blistering attack on the India-US trade deal, labeling it a "wholesale surrender" to the Trump administration and accusing the Prime Minister of selling national data and sovereignty. This sparked immediate procedural retaliation, with government ministers preparing a breach of privilege notice against Gandhi for his unsubstantiated claims, including references to the Jeffrey Epstein files.
By early afternoon, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri took center stage to deliver a detailed rebuttal, dismissing Gandhi’s allegations regarding his own meetings with Epstein as "buffoonery." Simultaneously, editors began prioritizing the eve of the Bangladesh general election, reporting on allegations of vote-buying and the strategic vacuum left by the absent Awami League, while international desks monitored a fatal school shooting in British Columbia.