Overview
- At a CWC meeting convened to plan a 5 January mobilisation against proposed MGNREGA changes, Digvijay Singh shifted the focus by alleging many sleeper cells inside Congress and urging a stronger, decentralised organisation.
- Singh had posted an old photo of Narendra Modi and lauded RSS–BJP cadre discipline before the meeting, and later clarified he opposes RSS ideology but respects its organisational capacity.
- Congress voices split over his remarks, with Pawan Khera and Supriya Shrinate rejecting any learning from RSS, while TS Singh Deo and Shashi Tharoor backed calls to fortify the party’s ground network.
- BJP leaders used the episode to question Congress leadership, as Home Minister Amit Shah launched a 2026 campaign push with visits scheduled for Assam on 28–29 Dec, West Bengal on 30–31 Dec, Tamil Nadu in early January, and Kerala in the second week of January.
- Beyond India, Myanmar’s junta-run vote begins in four phases covering 274 of 330 townships under UN criticism of the civic climate, and Russia followed large strikes on Kyiv with a warning from President Vladimir Putin that goals would be pursued by force if talks are rejected, ahead of a planned Trump–Zelenskyy meeting.