6 min readMumbaiDec 8, 2025 10:12 AM IST First published on: Dec 8, 2025 at 10:09 AM IST
Good morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to open the 10-hour discussion on ‘Vande Mataram’ in Parliament today, marking the song’s 150th anniversary. The ruling party has said that the House discussions will “expose” former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, whom they accused of “omitting” stanzas from the song. The Congress party, in turn, has accused the BJP of “insulting” the stalwarts who were present at the 1937 Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting where the resolution was adopted. The CWC’s resolution stated that only the first two paragraphs of Vande Mataram should be sung in gatherings, as they were an “inseparable part of our national movement”, but the rest could be left out as “they are little known” and “contain certain allusions and a religious ideology”. The history aside, amid these attacks and counters, will Parliament witness fireworks once again?
On that note, let’s get to the rest of the edition👇
🚨 Big Story
A deadly blaze at a nightclub in Goa claimed at least 25 lives late Saturday night. Most of the victims were the restaurant staff — migrant workers,making modest earnings. The incident has raised serious questions about the safety standards of such clubs and business establishments operating in the state.
As it happened: According to eyewitnesses at Birch by Romeo Lane, shortly before the fire broke out, the club management had used fireworksduring a belly-dance performance. The Fire Department’s technical evaluation attributes the incident to possible “short-circuiting” in electrical systems located above the main stage. The report points to a lack of fire safety infrastructure in the club, as well as combustible interiors, which worsened the blaze. Most of the fatalities were due to toxic smoke inhalation as some of the guests rushed to the basement, where staff were already present, and found themselves trapped in thick smoke amid inadequate ventilation and the absence of exit routes.
Red flags: The FIR filed in the case notes that the club was operating without permissions/licenses from competent authorities. The club has been under scrutiny for a few years now. In 2023, the Arpora-Nagoa village panchayat received a complaint that the club was built on an unstable structure in a salt pan. In 2024, the panchayat deemed the construction illegal and issued a demolition notice, which was eventually stayed. The Chief Minister has initiated an inquiry into how the club was allowed to operate without the required licenses and who issued the stay order. Four of the club’s managers have been arrested. The FIR also names the owners, partners and the event organiser.
⚡Only in Express
Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju has a tough task to handle amid frequent House disruptions and reduced productivity. In an Idea Exchange with The Indian Express, Rijiju said that the last two sessions were productive despite disturbances, as many Bills were passed. “It all depends on how the Opposition behaves… once the trust is broken…” Read the full transcript.
📰 From the Front Page
The aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on Saturday issued show-cause notices to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and chief operating officer Isidre Porqueras over the widespread flight disruptions over the last few days. The responses are expected today, after the DGCA gave the duo a one-time 24-hour extension on Sunday. The notices state that “large-scale operational failures” at IndiGo indicate significant lapses in planning, oversight and non-compliance with rules, according to sources.
Nosedive: Aviation sector experts have also raised questions over the airline’s high-profile board— and whether it did enough to ensure the implementation of the new Flight Duty Time Limitation rules, which specified crew rest and duty hours. Notably, IndiGo’s annual reports for the last two years make no mention of the new rules.
What next? Per sources, IndiGo will likely face stringent action given the scale of the disruptions, which threw commercial flight operations out of gear all over the country and left thousands of passengers stranded. The action will be taken based on the DGCA’s four-member inquiry committee’s report, expected in two weeks. Additionally, the Parliamentary Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture is likely to summonthe airline’s top officials over the issue.
📌 Must Read
Slump: The deficit in India’s goods trade is counterbalanced by surpluses in the “invisible” trade, that is, the flow of services, people, data and ideas. The current account deficit (value of imports > exports), hence, doesn’t pose problems for the Indian economy. So, what explains the rupee’s slide? The slump in foreign capital. Harish Damodaran explains.
Spider and the web: Twenty days ago, the Gujarat Police made a big arrest, nabbing ‘The Ghost’ — a moniker for 29-year-old Nilesh Purohit alias Neel at the centre of transnational cybercrime operations. Neel faces five FIRs for running a human trafficking operation that trapped at least 500 victims in “cyber slavery” in countries like Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand. Here’s what we know about The Ghostand a cybercrime network spanning three states and involving agents from China and Pakistan.
⏳ And Finally…
Scores of young couples are flocking to OPDs for fertility tests — some facing pressure from families for babies, and others testing their prospective partners. Many find that, despite traditional notions that infertility is a woman’s problem, it is as much a man’s problem. Experts suggest that 40 per cent of infertility cases in India are due to male factors. Of late, the trend has been growing. What’s behind the rising male infertility? Read.
Business As Usual by EP Unny
That’s all for today, folks! Until tomorrow, Sonal Gupta
Business As Usual by EP Unny