5 min readNew DelhiJan 24, 2026 09:30 AM IST First published on: Jan 24, 2026 at 09:30 AM IST
Good morning,
What emerged as a rallying cry in the early 1900s and became closely associated with India’s freedom struggle, the country’s national song, Vande Mataram, is now back for discussion on the government table. This time, with the question of whether its disrespect should attract penalties? High-level debates over possible protocols for its recitation – similar to those for the national anthem Jana Gana Mana – are underway. In a meeting recently convened by the Ministry of Home Affairs, senior government officials deliberated ways to formalise the singing/recitation of the national song along the lines of the anthem. The ruling BJP has described it as part of an effort to elevate the song’s standing, something it has accused the Congress to have diminished in the past.
With that, let’s move on to the top 5 stories from today’s edition:
🚨 Big Story
“India is no longer merely an important partner: it is a major strategic partner. This is a qualitative shift.”
As we inch closer to the state visit of the European Union leaders to India between January 25 to 27 , High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas said Friday that the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is a “strategic choice” and provides a chance to reduce reliance on China, Russia and US. In an exclusive interview to The Indian Express, Kallas, who holds the rank equivalent to Foreign Minister, said that the EU and India will sign a new Security and Defence Partnership on January 27 at the India-EU leaders’ summit. Here are the excerpts.
Amid trade negotiations between India and the EU, an EU official has said that the EU leaders’ visit to India next week is aimed at concluding the long-pending negotiations. The formal signing of the trade deal could follow after internal procedures are completed. The EU official also said there is political will on both sides to expand the trajectory of the relations beyond the FTA.
Jawed Ashraf, in today’s Opinion column, explains how European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visit as chief guests for India’s Republic Day celebrations, could stand as a moment of enormous global impact. Ashraf writes: “The familiar world order that shaped national choices will not return, even if a change of political actors on the global stage raises hopes. India and Europe need to turn the turbulence of a world in transition into a tide of opportunities that steers their nearly 2 billion people, living in democracy and diversity, to a future of resilience, security and prosperity.”
⚡ Only in Express
As a string of setbacks leave Maoists in Chhattisgarh at their weakest, the Indian government is racing ahead with key highway projects in what were until recently referred to as no-go areas. These projects planned under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways have gained pace, and timelines are being advanced to align them with Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s stated target of eliminating the movement by March 2026. Travelling 500 km across Bastar and down three state highways – Narayanpur-Sonpur-Moroda, Bijapur-Avapalli-Basaguda-Jagargunda and Dornapal-Chintalnar-Jagargunda, The Indian Express finds that in these parts, development is a two-way road. It’s often a transaction – if it offers unimaginable opportunities in the form of schools, banks, hospitals and markets, it also takes away a way of life. Read the Big Picture here.
💡 Express Explained
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Health Minister JP Nadda have recently raised awareness about Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR) stemming from antibiotic overuse, highlighting how India is facing a silent public health crisis. According to the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, Washington University, an estimated 2,67,000 deaths were attributable to AMR in 2021. “… One in 10 patients in India who are admitted to hospitals with some kind of infection are resistant to last resort antibiotics,” says Kamini Walia, a senior scientist at ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research). Walia explains how the overuse of antibiotics is making common infections untreatable in India.
✍️ Express Opinion
In our Opinion section today, Sanjaya Baru sheds light on the relevance of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s address to the annual meeting of the Davos World Economic Forum, calling it a “manifesto for global solidarity against Big Power hegemonism.” Baru writes: “In a different era, Trumpism and the re-assertion of American hegemonism would have been challenged by leaders of post-colonial nations, most certainly India. It is just as well that rather than a victim of Big Power hegemonism and western imperialism, it was left to a member of the western alliance to challenge Trumpism.”
🎬 Movie Review
‘Sandese ab bhi aate rahenge’: Wondering what to watch this weekend? Well, we’ve got you covered! The much-awaited Sunny Deol-Varun Dhawan-Diljit Dosanjh-Ahaan Shetty film, Border 2, has hit your nearby screens, this time, showing conflict not just on land and air, but also water. Shubhra Gupta, in her movie review, shares: “Of course Pakistan is still Enemy Number One, what else, and of course the jingoism is clear and present — no war film can be made without the ‘dushman’ being downsized and shown to be mean and small— but it is never allowed to overtake the film. And for that we have to now be grateful.”
Business As Usual by E P Unny