Rahul-Nirmala showdown, again in Parliament today?
 
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman are all set to lock horns again in today’s Parliamentary session on the issue of government contracts to the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. On Saturday, Gandhi alleged that Sitharaman had lied in the Parliament that government orders worth Rs. 1 Lakh crore were provided to the HAL. Sitharaman challenged Gandhi's claims on Sunday by posting photos on Twitter what seemed to be HAL contracts and demanded that the Congress chief apologise in today’s session. Meanwhile the session will also see Akhilesh Yadav raising the issue of the CBI raids over cases of illegal mining and BJP MPs take up the Sabrimala controversy in zero hour.
 
Mahagathbandhan constituents to meet in Bihar today
 
Allied parties within the ‘grand opposition alliance’ will be meeting today at the residence of Rashtriya Janata Dal state chief Tejashwi Yadav. The meeting will be attended by the other constituents of the Mahagathbandhan within the state - the Congress, the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party, Hindustani Awami Morcha and the Loktantrik Janata Dal. According to sources in the Grand Alliance, the meeting will be marked by “broad discussions on the respective number of seats to be fought by each constituent, and identifying constituencies best suited for each alliance partner”.
 


Condemnation Day to be observed today as anti-citizenship bill protests grips Assam
 
Anti-citizenship bill protests will take place across Assam from today till the January 9. Several organisations and political parties like the state Congress are primarily opposing the bill ‘s directive to grant citizenship to non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Forum Against Citizenship Act (Amendment) Bill will also be hoisting a black flag today observing Condemnation day. Meanwhile, the All Assam Students Union and 30 organisations have called for a 11-hour bandh on January 8.
 
What you May Have Missed
 
Rajnath Singh to chair the BJP’s manifesto committee for upcoming elections
 
BJP president Amit Shah on Sunday named Home Minister Rajnath Singh as the chairman of a 20-member ‘sankalp patra’ (manifesto) committee for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Members like Union ministers Arun Jaitley, Nirmala Sitharaman, Ravi Shankar Prasad have been tasked with preparing a manifesto for the party. The committee will also consist of 17 sub-committees including ‘Mann Ki Baat’ and ‘Bike Rally committee’.
  
West Bengal CM’s bid for a ‘Federal Front’, mega public rally on January 9
 
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has called on all regional parties to join the Trinamool Congress’ mega public meet that is set to take place on January 19. National Conference's (NC) Farooq Abdullah, DMK President MK Stalin, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar, noted lawyer Ram Jethmalani and BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha, will be attending the event. The Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is also expected to be there, while Bahujan Samajwadi Party and Telangana Rashtra Samithi are yet to confirm their participation. Banerjee is attempting to form a ‘federal front’ to rival the incumbent BJP in the upcoming general elections.


 
How Nishads in UP and Bihar and Their 'Multiplier' Effect May Upset BJP's Plans in Two States
 
In the recent years, the Nishad or the fishermen community have gained prominence in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar’s political landscape with Sanjay Nishad’s ‘Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal’ in UP and Mukesh Sahni’s ‘Vikasheel Insaan Party’. The focus of both these parties has been reservations for the community, which is facing a scarcity of jobs and income as a result of urbanisation. Read Manoj Singh’s analysis on how these parties rose to power and the effect that their entry into politics might have on the upcoming elections. 

News18.com Immersive: In the Line of Fire, Why Kashmiri Youth Troop to Encounter Sites
 
The trend of civilians trooping to encounter sites to shield militants has intensified since 2011. In 2017 78 civilians were killed near encounter sites in and in 2018 around 48 were killed. A majority of these deaths have occurred in south Kashmir where such acts of rebellions have been particularly prominent. News18.com’s immersive looks at why there is many civilians are fending off the security force against the militants. What are their deaths indicative of?