QWrap: Melania, the Copycat and Sidhu, the Flying Jatt of Punjab

The day’s top stories in under 90 seconds.

Soon releasing in Punjab. (Illustration: Lijumol Joseph/ The Quint)

1. Melania Copies Michelle Obama’s Speech, Gets Trolled

Melania Trump’s well-received speech on Monday at the Republican National Convention contained two passages that match nearly word-for-word the speech that first lady Michelle Obama delivered in 2008 at the Democratic National Convention.

In Mrs. Trump’s speech in Cleveland, she said:

From a young age, my parents impressed on me the values that you work hard for what you want in life, that your word is your bond and you do what you say and keep your promise, that you treat people with respect. They taught and showed me values and morals in their daily life.

In Mrs. Obama’s 2008 speech in Denver, she said:

And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: like, you work hard for what you want in life, that your word is your bond, that you do what you say you’re going to do, that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don’t know them and even if you don’t agree with them.

2. Is Punjab’s Jatt Sikh Flying to Aam Aadmi Party?

His perpetual battle with the Akali Dal and dim prospects at the Centre had put a question mark over Navjot Singh Sidhu’s political future. His resignation as a Rajya Sabha MP, a post he rejected a year ago and reluctantly accepted few weeks ago, came as no shock to political observers. Navjot Singh Sidhu’s wife, Navjot Kaur today confirmed that he has quit the BJP, but kept the media guessing on the prospects of him joining the Aam Admi Party as its Chief Ministerial candidate.

3. Pakistan and India’s Reasons To Mourn

The honour killing of Qandeel Baloch and the gangrape of a Dalit girl in Rohtak have more in common than you’d think. They were murdered not just because they were women, but because of their identity.

Qandeel Baloch was murdered by her own brother because she refused to be anything but the provocative social media star that she was.

And in Rohtak, Haryana, a Dalit girl was gangraped by the same men who raped her three years ago. Why? Because she said no to an out of court settlement with the upper caste convicts.