On a day the Election Commission of India (EC) published voter rolls in Bihar after a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) adhering to its first deadline, it rebuffed charges of the ‘voter theft’ accusations levelled by LoP Rahul Gandhi, saying that the EC “ignores such baseless allegations”. On his part, Rahul claimed that an independent probe by the Opposition had revealed that the EC was allegedly involved in a massive “vote theft” to benefit the ruling BJP. He apparently warned those within the Commission of working against India, and “this is no less than treason. We will find you wherever you are, even if you are retired.” Rahul claimed that the Opposition’s suspicions grew after the results of the Madhya Pradesh and Lok Sabha elections. “Those only deepened after the Maharashtra Assembly polls — especially when we saw that 1 crore new voters had been added to the final voter list. That’s when we launched our own six month investigation”. He claimed his probe had uncovered an “atom bomb”.  If Rahul fancied SIR in Bihar helped him unite the Opposition, he may be up for a shock. SIR is not having much traction in Bihar. Even RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav is not focussing on it. Bihar Congress leaders admit no one wants to hype the SIR bogey as they feel it would put off general category voters. With Bihar SIR protest heading nowhere, one hears that Rahul is planning to take voter theft to Karnataka in the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat where the BJP won by 32,707 votes. He claims thousands of new voters aged “way above 18 years” were enrolled in one seat, a point endorsed by CM Siddaramaiah. Besides, deputy CM DK Shivkumar has not been able to reconcile the loss of Bangalore Rural (Lok Sabha) seat contested by his brother DK Suresh.

A day after the U.S. President Donald Trump announced 25% tariffs on Indian goods, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal informed the Parliament that the government would closely examine the implication and assured that all necessary steps will be taken to protect India’s national interest. He further informed the Parliament that India and the U.S. started talks for a just, balanced and mutually beneficial Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) in March 2025 and “the goal of this was to finish the first stage of the agreement by October-November 2025.” In contrast the Congress led by LoP Rahul Gandhi latched on to Trump’s jibe about India being a “dead economy” shockingly with such glee that it is unexplainable. It was as if they were happy that some economic pain or cost was going to be inflicted on India. In a post on X,  Rahul  had  even gone on to  back up Trump’s claim about the state of India’s economy —  listing   reasons for  why the economy failed under PM Modi. Of course, it wasn’t Rahul alone who was happy about the Trump Tariff jab. Former FM P Chidambaram too seemed happy. He posted that “The 25% tariff on all Indian exports to the United States PLUS penalty for buying Russian oil is a big blow to India’s trade. The U.S. ‘Dosti’ is no substitute for diplomacy and painstaking negotiations”. He was obviously targeting external affairs minister S Jaishankar. Rahul’s close aide Jairam Ramesh who has been counting  how many times Trump claimed that he had  stopped Op Sindoor midway was quite clear  that the 25% tariff  was a huge setback to PM Modi and India. He went on to say  “Taareef hi tareef mein tariff lag gaya…There were no gains from Howdy Modi and Namaste Trump. So what did we get from this (India-U.S.) friendship?”

Before replying to the Op Sindoor debate in Rajya Sabha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah chose to deal with criticism coming from the secular political parties about nomenclatures of military operations. Making it clear that names were not chosen by the government  but by the defence personnel, Shah went on to corner former Maharashtra  CM Prithviraj Chavan who had slammed the government  for knowing “nothing except naming operations on the basis of religion”. Chavan had also questioned why gunning down of Pahalgam attackers was called Operation Mahadev. It is another matter that the operation was named apparently after Mahadev Ridge inside the Dachigam forest in Kashmir where the terrorists were hiding (according to media reports). Hitting back at Chavan, Shah pointed out that the Congress simply did not want to understand that ‘Har Har Mahadev’ was not just a religious slogan.  It was the slogan of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj too.” They see everything from the angle of Hindu-Muslim”, he said. Chavan had claimed that the BJP “wanted to mix Hindutva in whatever it does. They are trying to polarise the situation into a Hindu versus Muslim conflict.” He had also questioned the naming of “Operation Sindoor” — India’s retaliatory strikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Meanwhile, the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha was quite upset that PM Modi had replied to their debate, even as they were told it would be Shah who would be replying to the Op Sindoor debate.

PM Narendra Modi ticked off Congress MP(Sholapur) Praniti Shinde who had dubbed Op Sindoor as “media tamasha” in her Lok Sabha speech. Without taking her name, Modi charged the Congress of mounting a savage attack on Pahalgam victims by setting up an ordinary member to attack the operations of armed forces. Such description of Op Sindoor was dubbed as severe and heinous akin to an acid (tezaab) attack on the Pahalgam survivors, “spreading acid” in the country.  Exposing Congress’s betrayal, Modi said, “Got the world’s support. But sadly, no support from the Congress”. Politically it is interesting that Praniti’s insensitive comment came up for mention in Modi’s intervention. Daughter of former Union Home Minister and Maharashtra CM Sushil Kumar Shinde, Praniti  was once wooed by Maharashtra BJP to join the party. However, considered close to Rahul Gandhi — she has been part of his Bharat Jodo Yatra — has firmly entrenched herself in the Congress’s charmed inner circle. On his part Modi tried answering all issues raised by the Opposition in the Lok Sabha regarding Operation Sindoor. He observed that while the country was moving ahead at a fast pace towards self-reliance, the Congress was becoming dependent on Pakistan for issues. “Unfortunately, Congress is importing issues from Pakistan.” He slammed the Opposition for doubting the timing of Operation Mahadev that involved gunning down terrorists involved in Pahalgam attack. With reference to a third country’s involvement, Modi made it clear “No country in the world has stopped India from any action in its defence against terror”. On May 9 night, “U.S. Vice President (JD Vance) tried to reach out to me 3-4 times, but I was busy with meetings with the armed forces”.

Home Minister Amit Shah hit out at Congress leader P Chidambaram for his statement that the terrorists behind the Pahalgam attack were “homegrown”, and his demand for proof that they were from Pakistan. Shah criticised the opposition leader for trying to ‘save Pakistan’ and declared, “When he says this, it means they (the Congress) are giving a clean chit (to Pak).” In a typically combative speech, Shah also said, “I thought the opposition would be happy to know the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack are dead… but it seems they are upset…” During the debate on Operation Sindoor, he elaborated on the operations in Kashmir, including the discovery of Pak-made chocolates and Pak government ID cards in the pockets of the terrorists gunned down. He also said ballistic tests on assault rifles — an American-made M9 and Russian AK-47s — recovered confirmed their use in Pahalgam. “Six forensic experts confirmed this to me on a video call… that these are the same bullets used in the Pahalgam attack,” he said. Trying to draw DMK MP Kanimozhi into a conversation, he sought to know from her why the Opposition was always giving a “clean chit” to Pakistan.  The DMK leader in a light-hearted way denied that she endorsed Chidambaram’s line. However, when her turn came to speak, Kani, who travelled on a government delegation to speak about Op Sindoor, spoke very negatively. It is quite possible that she wanted to show that she is not close to the BJP. In view of CM Stalin’s failing health, it is being said Kani fancies herself a chance to be the next CM. It is being said senior DMK leaders may not find deputy CM Udhyanidhi Stalin as acceptable to succeed his father.

It was quite refreshing to hear Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra take on the government for failing to protect the lives of tourists at Pahalgam.  She was sharp, witty and able to ask the government some pointed questions on security lapses that took the lives of 26 hapless tourists. She wanted to know why no heads had rolled the way then UPA government had forced men responsible for lapses — post 26/11 Mumbai terror strike in 2008.  Maharashtra’s then CM late Vilasrao Deshmukh had to quit so too Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil. In his initial remarks Home Minister Amit Shah did admit it was a security lapse and accepted responsibility for it. What worked for him was that the Pahalgam masterminds had been gunned down and he briefed the House with details. At the same time, Priyanka was seen faltering by refusing to accept that the terrorists were Pak-sponsored or that they had a definite communal agenda. She refused to accept that the Pahalgam victims were Hindus and opted to declare them as “Bharatiya” or Indians. It was odd that the Malappuram MP should deny the faith of victims considering the male victims were killed after asking them to recite an Islamic prayer — kalma. Possibly compulsion of her vote bank in Kerala. Zeroing in on Priyanka ambivalence about victims’ faith, BJPs’ Amit Malviya expressed shock over the Congress’s “shocking refusal to acknowledge that the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack were targeted for being Hindus” shows exactly ‘why the party remains disconnected from the sentiments of this nation and why it has no future in Indian politics.”

PM Narendra Modi who was on a two-day visit to Tamil Nadu was apparently under tremendous pressure from DMK leaders to extend “best wishes” for chief minister MK Stalin’s health and his recovery– in his public meetings–this was one thing he had skipped. It is another matter that Stalin was discharged from Apollo Hospital on July 27 evening a week after he was admitted to the hospital. It was probably around the same time that   Modi had left for Delhi. As per protocol DMK MP Kanimozhi was present at Dindigul function of PM Modi so were DMK ministers and state chief secretary present at functions near Trichy. Within the   State BJP, Modi had encouraging words for new chief Nainar Nagendran, in what is being interpreted as a snub to former president K Annamalai. AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) received PM Modi at the Tiruchirappalli airport. The meeting sealed doubts over AIADMK and BJP, particularly after the way the EPS has been asserting that his party is going to get a majority on its own. EPS and PM Modi were meeting for the first time since the AIADMK and BJP renewed their alliance. The meeting came amid the war of words between the allies ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. Earlier, EPS ruled out a coalition government with the BJP and said, “Our alliance would achieve a grand success in 2026. AIADMK will be victorious and will form a government on its own.” This statement contradicts Amit Shah’s interview where he said that the NDA led by the AIADMK will form a coalition government in TN.

One can now piece the jigsaw events that led to Jagdeep Dhankhar’s resignation on July 21 as Vice-President. Yes, he was forced to put in his papers particularly after the kind of politics he had indulged in the last few days. Sources say the government became aware of Dhankhar’s move to accept the Opposition MPs’ notice seeking removal of Justice Yashwant Varma long before he announced it in the House post-lunch. That is because for the first time Dhankhar chose to go home for lunch that day. He had asked Congress leader Jairam Ramesh to carry the notice for impeachment signed by 68 Opposition MPs to be delivered to him at his residence. Later it was the visit of this high-profile Congress leader to Dhankhar’s residence that alerted the government about what the V-P was upto. Normally any actionable notice is submitted to the Rajya Sabha secretariat. So why did Dhankhar take such unusual interest in the Opposition petition when he was aware that in the Lok Sabha the government was already moving a resolution to impeach Justice Varma? BJP leaders said a powerful legal lobby led by Kapil Sibal — Rajya Sabha MP — was out to thwart impeachment proceedings in the Parliament. Sibal had apparently sought Dhankhar’s son in law, advocate Kartik Vajpayee’s help in ensuring that the Opposition’s petition was listed in the RS first. More than the breach of protocol what upset the government was the manner in which Dhankhar had been speaking ill about PM Modi. In private conversations with Opposition leaders, he had been running down the PM and even claiming he was more popular than Modi. An Opposition leader was so shocked when Dhankhar asked him to approach one of the NDA allies — to even withdraw support. Clearly, he felt he had arrived and needed to go up the power ladder.

PM Narendra Modi on his return from the UK and Maldives will be spending two days in Tamil Nadu; he will be directly reaching Tuticorin. On July 26 he will unveil a series of landmark projects worth over Rs4,800 crore across multiple sectors which will significantly enhance regional connectivity, boost logistics efficiency, strengthen clean energy infrastructure, and improve the quality of life for citizens across the state. The PM will inaugurate the New Terminal Building at Tuticorin Airport developed at a cost of around Rs 450 crore, designed to meet the growing aviation demands of the southern region. Spread across 17,340 square meters, the terminal will be equipped to handle 1,350 passengers during peak hours and 20 lakh passengers annually. On July 27, he will participate in the celebration of the birth anniversary of the great Chola Emperor Rajendra Chola I with the Aadi Thiruvathirai Festival at around 12 noon at Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple in Tiruchirappalli. He will release a commemorative coin honouring one of the greatest emperors of India, Rajendra Chola I. This special celebration also commemorates 1,000 years of the legendary maritime expedition of Rajendra Chola I to South East Asia and commencement of the construction of the iconic Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple, a magnificent example of Chola architecture. Further strengthening the state’s power infrastructure, Modi will lay the foundation stone for a major power transmission project — the Inter-State Transmission System for evacuation of electricity from Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant Units 3 and 4 (2×1000 MW). This project, developed at a cost of around Rs 550 crore, will include a 400 kV (quad) double-circuit transmission line from Kudankulam to the Tuticorin-II GIS substation and associated terminal equipment. It will play a pivotal role in strengthening the national grid..

The BJP one learns has set its Bengal house in order. Former state president in West Bengal Dilip Ghosh had remained absent from PM Modi’s rally in the state on July 18 claiming that the state leadership had not invited him.  A solid RSS leader, Ghosh’s absence had begun to bother the BJP leadership as he has been skipping important party events and rallies in the recent past, including events attended by Modi at Alipurduar and Amit Shah in Kolkata this year. His latest absence from the Modi rally at Durgapur was particularly worrying since he had contested from the Bardhaman-Durgapur Lok Sabha constituency in West Burdwan district in 2024 and lost. Speculations were rife that he may cross over to the TMC amid reports of a souring relationship between him and the State BJP leadership. It may be recalled that it was under Ghosh’s leadership that the BJP had done well in Bengal – winning 18 out of the State’s 42 Lok Sabha seats in 2019. In May this year, Ghosh drew criticism from the BJP when he met CM Mamata Banerjee at the inauguration of the Digha Jagannath Temple. He had also made some statements backing Mamata. In this backdrop, BJP chief JP Nadda reached out to Ghosh, met with him in  Delhi and had detailed discussions. Party sources say Ghosh is keen to contest as a party candidate in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly polls but from the same Assembly constituency from where he got elected for the first time in 2016 — Kharagpur (Sadar) in West Midnapore constituency. However, he had to resign as the MLA from Kharagpur (Sadar) in 2019 after winning from the Midnapore Lok Sabha constituency in the same year.

India and the United Kingdom signed a historic free trade agreement (FTA) on July 24 during PM Narendra Modi’s visit to the UK, where he met his British counterpart Keir Starmer. This FTA which was under negotiation for around three years, will give a much-needed boost to bilateral trade between the two countries by around $ 34 bn annually. The deal was signed by Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and his British counterpart Jonathan Reynold in presence of the PMs of both the countries. With this landmark deal, India is set to see tariff slashes on several products imported from the UK and the export businesses in India will also benefit immensely. Goyal said that the deal provides duty-free access for about 99% of Indian exports, which will unlock “nearly $ 23 bn in opportunities for labour-intensive sectors, marking a new era for inclusive and gender-equitable growth.” Here’s what gets cheaper for India in terms of imports. (1) Aerospace parts & medical devices. (2) Soft drinks, cars: India will also have better access to British products such as soft drinks, cosmetics and cars. India’s average tariff on UK products will drop from 15% to 3%. (3) Duty cut on scotch by 50% — from 150% to 75% and then to 40% over the next 10 years – giving the UK an edge over international competitors. (4)  More affordable for Indians to live in the UK. Indian firms and freelancers will have access to 36 service sectors in the UK with no ‘Economic Needs Test’.  And Indian professionals can work in 35 UK sectors for 24 months, even without an office in the country. With tariff elimination (as high as 18%) under the CETA, engineering exports to the UK could nearly double in the next five years to touch $ 7.5 bn by 2029-30.

In an unusual break from noisy disruptions and hurried adjournments that have marked the Monsoon Session in the past few days, the Rajya Sabha briefly paused to bid goodbye to 6 MPs who were retiring. Incidentally, all MPs were from Tamil Nadu — MDMK veteran Vaiko, PMK leader Dr Anbumani Ramadoss and DMK leader MM Abdulla and three others. It was great to hear the way leaders of other political parties — particularly John Brittas of the CPI(M) or Manoj Jha of RJD — were paying tributes to octogenarian Vaiko for inspiring them to raise issues on the floor of the House. Recalling Vaiko’s commitment to Sri Lankan Tamils’ cause, Brittas mentioned how Vaiko would always be remembered for his daring and courageous journey to Sri Lanka some half-century ago to meet with the (now eliminated) LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran. “He had then dodged watchful eyes of the Indian Navy as well the Sri Lankan Navy. More than Prabhakaran, it was Vaiko whose daring journey to LTTE hide-out and back made him a hero.”  Brittas also shared how FM Nirmala Sitharaman had in a chat recalled Vaiko’s fiery oratory in his younger days. Barring lawyer P Wilson, DMK had not renominated any of its retiring MPs. Vaiko, who entered the RS with the help of DMK, could not have expected TN chief minister MK Stalin to back him as he had left the DMK protesting against late Karunanidhi promoting Stalin as his heir apparent. Ironically, Vaiko is now promoting his own son Durai Vaiko, who is Trichy Lok Sabha MP, at the cost of other MDMK leaders. AAP MP Sanjay Singh was amazed that DMK member MM Abdulla in his farewell speech raised an issue of connectivity for Hindu pilgrims on a busy route in Dindigul district– that too visiting a temple dedicated to a religious man who had passed away recently.

PM Modi responded to Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s resignation only after it had been accepted. In a brief message on X he said Dhankar has had “many opportunities to serve the country in various capacities” including as Vice-President of India. He wished him “good health”. What triggered 74-year old Dhankhar’s sudden resignation on the first day (July 21) of the Monsoon Session of the Parliament on July 21 evening? No one believes it has anything to do with his health. Some believe his exit is linked to the way he conducted Rajya Sabha proceedings on the first day. After years of being tough on the Opposition, he was suddenly found indulging them particularly on sensitive “national security issues”. This came as a shock to the government.  He was found allowing LoP Mallikarjun Kharge to hold forth on everything from — Operation Sindoor to Pahalgam Attack to President Trump’s role in securing India-Pak cease-fire. Leader of the House JP Nadda did lodge a protest. Kharge contradicted what PM Modi said on Op Sindoor as an incontrovertible victory over Pakistan — just outside Parliament House. BJP sources said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had conveyed the government’s disquiet — rather PM Modi’s disappointment. It is felt Rajnath’s message must have upset him.  Soon after Rajnath met Dhankhar, he was found playing the Opposition card as chairman. He mentioned that he had received a notice from the Opposition to constitute a statutory committee for the removal of Justice Yashwant Varma and that it has been signed by more than 50 members of the Upper House.  Of course, Dhankhar did ask Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal if a similar motion to impeach Justice Varma had been moved in the Lok Sabha. The buzz is Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is most likely to be next V-P– he is considered the best bet ahead of UP polls.

With assembly elections early next year in Tamil Nadu, major political parties in the state including the DMK and AIADMK, have begun to enlist the services of consultancy firms to devise political strategies and campaign plans for their leaders. DMK, the ruling party, has roped in the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and Showtime Consultancy, owned by Robbin Sharma, through its in-house firm, Populus Empowerment Network (PEN), which successfully handled its 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The DMK as a political party has faith in political strategist ever since the I-PAC, then led by ace political strategist Prashant Kishor, was credited with the party’s comeback in 2021.  This time round the DMK has roped in Robbin who worked for the TDP and Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) in the 2024 Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra respectively. TN is likely to face a four-cornered contest among DMK, AIADMK, TVK, and NTK. AIADMK, the principal opposition party has signed on Sravanth D and Hari H of the Hyderabad-based Pramanya Strategy Consulting. The firm had worked for Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena in the 2024 Lok Sabha and assembly elections. Actor-politician Vijay has been working with John Arokiasamy, a political strategist who had previously worked for Congress and PMK, for his Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK). His party colleague, Aadhav Arjuna, also owns a political consultancy firm, Voice of Commons. Current DMK President M K Stalin was the first political leader in TN to hire a political strategist, Sunil Kanugolu, in 2014. Though his strategy failed in the 2016 polls, leading to the AIADMK’s successive government, it succeeded in 2019. It is said both Dravidian parties kept political strategists away when they were led by the charismatic M Karunanidhi (DMK) and J Jayalalithaa (AIADMK), but things changed dramatically after their deaths in 2018 and 2016 respectively.

Ever since his name figured as a possible candidate to be considered for BJP President, Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav has been discreet and cautious in his conduct. It is being said he recently went on to conduct a low-profile wedding of his daughter in Himachal. In doing so, he apparently took a leaf out of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s playbook and followed her example of marrying off her only daughter in a simple ceremony in Bengaluru without drawing much attention in June 2023. He probably wanted to avoid the kind of record the incumbent BJP chief JP Nadda had set by hosting a wedding reception for his second son in a Delhi stadium two years ago. Of course in February 2022, Yadav had arranged an impressive wedding of one of his daughters in Delhi in midst of Covid-19 pandemic and top leaders including President Ram Nath Kovind and PM Narendra Modi had attended the event. With the prospect of an important responsibility looming in the horizon for him, Yadav probably didn’t want to risk his career at this juncture. Considered close to Home Minister Amit Shah, Yadav was hoping to be made Law Minister — a portfolio he lost to Arjun Meghwal who like him also hails from Rajasthan. At the same time BJP sources are still not sure if course corrections like what Yadav has done will help him clinch the top job. Much as they say will still depend on the small mercy shown by the Big 2 at the top.

There is a worry in top echelons of the government that a lobby of busy-bodies has emerged in the power echelon in Delhi that eagerly offers to fix appointments with government officials and secure policy solutions for some consideration. The rise of such a busy-body has begun to deter honest bureaucrats from entertaining any requests for interactions with any non-familiar persons. It is being said PM Modi felt it was necessary for the officials to come up with public feedback on government policy decisions for improving delivery. In the absence of any interaction with common citizens and NGOs, officials were also not coming up with fresh ideas. It is in this context that Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan’s letter to secretaries of the central government asking them to interact with people is interesting and makes sense. He flagged the “perceived reluctance” among several senior central government officials to give appointments to people, saying such interactions can give insights into ground realities, and clarify misunderstandings about “government policies or intentions”. In his letter, Somanathan made it clear that such meetings should be held in offices and not clubs or hotels. He said people from various sections of society have told him that there is a “perceived reluctance” among several secretaries of the central government and other senior officers to give appointments to people other than officials, who may wish to meet with them in connection with the work of their ministries. He said the work of the government is such that it affects or benefits many people and organisations. In some cases, “if you feel it is necessary as a precaution, you could ask another officer to be present.”

Actor Kangana Ranaut, the BJP MP from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, is showing herself to be a misfit in politics. Naturally, the BJP high command is upset with her. But they do not know how to handle her moods. Mandi is reeling from the impact of cloudbursts, landslides and flash floods. Firstly, Kangana did not rush to Mandi from Mumbai, where she normally stays. After the natural disaster that killed 85 people, Kangana was asked by BJP leaders to reach Mandi. On reaching there, she said she had no power or post to do anything. “I have no cabinet, no funds’ during a visit to Mandi on July 6.  Since her comments drew a negative reaction, BJP chief J P Nadda decided to go to Mandi himself. Nadda belongs to Himachal Pradesh. Accompanied by Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur, and Himachal BJP chief Rajeev Bindal, Nadda met with people impacted by the heavy rainfall in Mandi. Kangana was not part of his entourage despite being the local MP. Later, Thakur oversaw the relief efforts. A BJP MLA, Vinod Kumar, and another party MLA, Deep Raj, were given the responsibility to help affected people. At this rate, Kangana is indicating that she is no longer interested in politics. She told a podcast recently that “It’s a very different kind of work, more like social service…I’ve never thought of serving people.” No politician speaks the truth. What more, Kangana feels that “I’ve fought for women’s rights, but that’s different… Somebody’s naali (drain) is broken, and I’m like, ‘But I am an MP and these people are coming to me with panchayat-level problems… they come to you with problems like MLAs, broken roads, and I tell them that’s a state government issue, and they say, “You have money, you use your own money.” With that kind of comments, can Kangana survive in the BJP as an MP for long?

Has ‘Sheesh Mahal’ jibe returned to haunt the BJP?  First it was Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami who went on to splurge on a swimming pool in his official bungalow. And then Delhi CM Rekha Gupta came up with doing up her quarters. The Opposition called it ‘Maya Mahal’. This has left the BJP high command very angry. Taking a dig at Dhami’s “Jal Mahal” — a play on Arvind Kejriwal’s “Sheesh Mahal”jibe coined by the BJP — the Congress has asked “how many crores” the CM spent on the “modern, all-weather” pool. Last year, the BJP had released a video of Kejriwal’s erstwhile Civil Lines residence, calling it “Sheesh Mahal”, a “museum of corruption”, and a “luxury palace” of Kejriwal, in an attack on the AAP chief’s ‘common man’ image. AAP had lost Delhi to the BJP in the elections that followed. Dhami had shifted to the CM’s official bungalow in 2021. Built over 10 acres, the residence was termed as jinxed by many, as the previous three CMs were not able to complete their tenures. Some say Dhami apparently added the swimming pool to improve the Vaastu of his residence. The now-cancelled renovation plan for Gupta’s residential bungalow allegedly included extensive electrical upgrades, the installation of 14 air conditioners, televisions worth Rs 9 lakh, and light fixtures worth Rs 6 lakh. Improvements for Delhi CM’s bungalow ran into controversy as tender orders for 14 ACs had to be cancelled as it became a throwback to Kejriwal’s days. Gupta had been allotted two bungalows on Raj Niwas Marg by the Public Works Department, with one to serve as her residence and the other one for a camp office, which she inaugurated last week.

The Calcutta High Court directed the Union government to resume implementing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in West Bengal from August 1. The scheme, which provides 100 days of wage employment to rural households, had remained suspended in the State since March 2022. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Chaitali Chatterjee noted that the Ministry of Rural Development had invoked Clause 27 of the MGNREGA Act to withhold funds to the State, a provision that permits stoppage of fund flow for a reasonable period of time. Though the court pointed out that the Union government was within its rights to impose special conditions for implementation to avoid irregularities, Justice Sivagnanam stated that the Act “does not envisage a situation where the scheme would be put to cold storage for eternity.” The Bench also took note of irregularities in wage disbursement flagged by Central teams. Responding to the HC order the finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in an interview to The Business Line, pointed out that there should be some rationale with which money is to be distributed. “It’s also a question of how based on the BE (Budget Estimates), within the first half year itself, everything gets exhausted. If it is a demand-driven scheme, a certain BE is announced so that money can be apportioned. How does the BE get exhausted every year in every state much before the first half of the year? This is a scheme which has got to be in force when it is the non-agricultural season. So, come the rains, you shouldn’t have demand coming. But the demand is still in place even during the rain.”  Pointing out how there are states where senior citizens taking money out of MGNREGA–it is a C&AG’s observation–she wanted to know if they are productive enough to be employed and given payment? 

When it was announced that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge would interact with the media to mark Emergency anniversary, it was presumed he would come up with some punitive step against Shashi Tharoor, for intensifying his praise of PM Modi in an article published in The Hindu. However, Kharge appeared rather muted and merely stated for the party, “it is country first”, contrasting it with the view that “for some” individuals for whom it is, “Modi first and then the country comes.”  Pushed to specifically comment about Tharoor, he made it clear that the Gandhis had possibly not favoured any action against him. Tharoor enjoys rather good equations with both Sonia and Priyanka. Kharge merely said “Mr Tharoor is very fluent in English. I can’t read English well. His language is very good. That’s why we have made him a Congress Working Committee member”. A senior Kerala Congress leader also made it clear that no one in the state unit is pushing for action against Tharoor.” We hear Tharoor is looking to position himself as India’s candidate for next UN Secretary-General. It is likely that the Modi government may back him. Along with support from the U.S., Tharoor could possibly clinch it — an office he once bid for in 2006.”  Little wonder then Tharoor had responded to critics in the Congress with a message about birds “not seeking permission to fly”. Tharoor, currently at the centre of a row within the party, was on a private visit to Russia to promote a documentary series based on his book “Inglorious Empire” and had meetings with key members of the Russian leadership such as foreign minister Sergey Lavrov.

Many in the Congress are still troubled by the manner in which Priyanka Gandhi Vadra remains a AICC General Secretary without any specific assignment. Her brother Rahul, who remotely controls the AICC is apparently not interested in sharing power or responsibility with her. He has made it clear to mother Sonia Gandhi. In this backdrop it is interesting to note that Priyanka visited her cousin Varun Gandhi on the death anniversary of her uncle Sanjay Gandhi (June 23) recently. There has always been a buzz that Priyanka and Varun share a close bond and it is speculated that while she may wish for a role for Varun in the Congress it may not go down well with Rahul. Interestingly, while Rahul wants full control over the Congress, he doesn’t mind using Priyanka’s name as a shield for his frequent foreign trips. Well that’s what happened when the BJP mocked the Lok Sabha LoP for flying out all too frequently. On a backfoot, the Congress rushed to clarify that he had gone to London to attend the graduation ceremony of his niece/ Priyanka’s daughter Miraya Vadra and would be back shortly. The clarification came as BJP’s IT cell head Amit Malviya had attacked Rahul Gandhi over what he said were “frequent disappearances”. Rahul Gandhi was on a secret foreign holiday just last week. Now, he has flown abroad again to yet another undisclosed location,” Malviya said on X. There was also speculation on social media that Rahul had gone to Bahrain. The Congress dubbed it as an effort of the “PMO, as usual, up to its dirty tricks”. Politically, for Priyanka what must have been important is the Nilambur assembly by-election win.

Hindu Munnani, a right-wing outfit close to BJP, organised a Lord Murugan (or Kartikeya) Devotees Conference on June 22 and passed a resolution for ‘Hindu unity’ and protection of Hindus in the temple town of Tirupurakundram in Tamil Nadu. An interesting aspect of the Murugan Meet of devotees was that it was attended by Andhra Minister Pawan Kalyan and BJP office-bearers of Tamil Nadu. The conference adopted a number of pro-Hindu resolutions to protect the rights of Hindus. The Murugan Meet seemed like the first of steps to rally Hindu votes ahead of 2026 assembly polls. It not only suggested that the DMK government should “stop treating temples as a revenue source and use temple funds to only benefit devotees”. A highlight of the Murugan Meet was the record-breaking mass recital of “Skanda Sashti Kavacham”( a popular Tamil hymn in praise of Lord Murugan) by an estimated 5 lakh Murugan devotees. It was also resolved to have such recitals of Skanda Sashti Kavacham regularly. The political message of the meet was a clarion call to Hindus to vote en bloc. Pawan Kalyan, who had been encouraged by the RSS to take active interest in TN politics, spoke in Tamil. He hit out at ‘secularists’ and atheists for targeting Hindu gods and temples. In a grand gesture Pawan Kalyan also sought to bring together former TN BJP chief K Annamalai and present incumbent Nainar Nagendran as he made them hold hands on the stage. As for the AIADMK, former CM Edappadi K Palanisamy made it a point to send four MLAs for the meet. Meanwhile RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was in Coimbatore where he praised the spiritual tradition of adheenams in TN.

There wasn’t much reaction in Telangana Congress when former cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin’s son, Asaduddin, also a cricketer, recently parachuted in and landed as a General Secretary of the Telangana Congress. A senior leader and a former MP dismissed the appointment as a non-event and routine. After a stint in cricket, Asaduddin expressed his desire to serve the public through politics, drawing inspiration from his father and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Describing his new role as a “big responsibility”, Asaduddin said he was committed to working for the party in line with its ideology. He praised Rahul Gandhi for fighting for the Congress’s values despite facing numerous challenges He also credited his father, who has been active in politics for over 15 years, as a major influence. Azharuddin, a former Lok Sabha MP from Moradabad, UP, contested and lost the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections from Jubilee Hills constituency. Asked why he quit cricket, Asaduddin remarked that a sports person’s career is short and timing plays a crucial role in success. Married to tennis star Sania Mirza’s sister, Anam Mirza, Asaduddin felt his time in cricket was over. In a post on X, Azharuddin wished his son and said he had seen his (Asaduddin) commitment to people, his passion for service, and his sincerity up close and hoped he would stay “grounded”. With his son’s debut in state politics, Azharuddin is now confident that he will once again be fielded for Jubilee Hills by-elections.  He had lost the seat in 2023.

For AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal winning MLAs in Gujarat by itself may not be a big deal; about half a dozen or so have won before. But none of the MLAs have stuck around. However, with AAP candidate Gopal Italia winning from Visavadar for the second time in a by-election, Kerjiwal has something to cheer about. In the backdrop of losing power in Delhi, AAP felt it had to make a song and dance about securing assembly seat in Gujarat by-election– where the BJP has been in power for 30 years –that too from a seat– Visavadar which the BJP has never won. In a post on X, Kejriwal bragged that his party won with nearly double the margin compared to the previous elections and claimed that “people of Punjab are very happy with the work of our government and have voted even more in favour of us than in 2022. The people of Gujarat are now fed up with the BJP and see hope in the AAP”. Italia shot to fame during the 2015 Patidar agitation in the state. The seat has been vacant since 2023 after the then AAP legislator Bhupendra Bhayani resigned and joined the BJP. BJP sources said Italia winning the seat wasn’t a surprise. Visavadar has been a traditional Congress seat. “BJP has never won from there. In 2012, Keshubhai Patel won from there as Parivartan Party candidate. Kesubhai later rejoined the BJP.  Sources say more than Visavadar what is of significance for Gujarat politics is that BJP managed to win Kadi assembly seat, a reserved seat in Mehsana. BJP’s Rajendra Chavda won by a margin of over 39,000 votes in a triangular contest taking on both the Congress and the AAP.

Hours after the U.S. bombed Iran’s three key nuclear facilities on June 21, PM Narendra Modi spoke with President of Iran Dr Masoud Pezeshkian. “We discussed in detail about the current situation. Expressed deep concern at the recent escalations. Reiterated our call for immediate de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward and for early restoration of regional peace, security and stability,” Modi said in a post on X. The conversation assumes significance as many Indian students are still in that country, hoping to return back home. Teheran had evacuated Indian students with the help of our mission to leave Iran via Armenia and Doha. Some batches of students managed to reach Delhi. Our mission in Tehran has been helping students from Nepal and Sri Lanka also to leave Iran. Pakistan too rushed to condemn the attack and said that Iran had all the legitimate right to defend itself under the UN charter. The official comments by Pakistan come days after its Field Marshal Asim Munir visited White House for a lunch hosted by President Trump. Pak reaction seemed odd considering the initial reports suggested that the U.S. plan was to use Pak base to attack Iran. But now media reports indicate that the U.S. Stealth bombers were flown from Missouri for over 37 hours and had refuelled mid-air to carry out the operation. Clearly it seems President Trump did not trust Gen Munir and had a surprise element in the strikes. In Iran, Hossein Shariatmadari, the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s representative, has called for immediate retaliation. He talked about launching a missile strike on the U.S. naval fleet in Bahrain and simultaneously closing the Strait of Hormuz. Any adverse action in Hormuz could hurt India.

Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandra Babu Naidu’s son Nara Lokesh is clearly moving centre stage in politics. The 42-year old Minister for IT and Human Resources Development came for high praise from PM Modi on the way he organised the International Yoga Day event in Visakhapatnam. The event was a logistical success with Lokesh overseeing extensive arrangements. Modi specifically praised Lokesh’s efforts, a gesture that resonated widely within TDP circles and reinforced his growing stature. He managed to mobilise a record crowd of 302,087 at Visakhapatnam alone. Calling him bhai, PM Modi said “I want to praise Lokesh profusely. He has proved how a social celebration should be planned, and executed and how all sections of society should be brought together in just one and a half months”. How Lokesh had organised the Yogandhra Abhiyan should serve as a role model for the rest of India. In this abhiyan, two crore people took part in it (referring to events across mandals). This is the cardinal principle of the Viksit Bharat, said Modi. TDP spokesperson Prof Jyothsna Trinagari said the Visakhpatnam numbers were double of Surat which was about 1.47 lakh. A notable highlight of the event was the use of a QR code-based participant tracking system, which yielded highly accurate attendance data, setting a new benchmark. Of course, it is not that Lokesh had suddenly moved into the spotlight; he has had a number of high-profile engagements with national leaders, including a one-on-one dinner with Modi on May 17 along with his family and meetings with key Union Ministers. These suggest that he has been slowly emerging as key interlocutor for Andhra and TDP — he has been acting as a bridge between the Centre and the state. 

After spending two years at 10 Janpath with his mother Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi is moving into a new address. He started the process of shifting on his birthday on June 19. It is being said 5, Sunehri Bagh Road, barely two km from 10 Janpath, will be his new address and Rahul will move into the Type VIII bungalow before the Monsoon Session of Parliament starting July 21. The Sunehri Bagh residence was earlier occupied by Karnataka BJP leader A Narayanaswamy, who was Minister of State for Social Justice in the Modi government from 2021 to 2024, and had not contested 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Since he became an MP in 2004, Rahul has been staying at 12, Tughlaq Lane for 19 years till 22 April, 2023. This was the house he had to vacate after he was disqualified from Lok Sabha following his conviction in a defamation case involving PM Modi.  He was given the choice of moving back to 12, Tughlak Lane — but it was believed that it lacked an auspicious vastu and the Gandhis declined moving back. Rahul had the option of paying market rent and continuing to stay in the bungalow after filing an application but he chose to stay with his mother. He continued to stay at 10 Janpath even after the Lok Sabha election and assumed the chair of Leader of Opposition.

Shares of Sun TV Network crashed over 5% on June 19 after a family feud came to light. Dayanidhi Maran accused elder brother Kalanithi Maran of taking control of the Rs23,000 crore Sun TV through fraudulent practices soon after their father Murasoli Maran’s death in 2003. Now, there are reports that the legal battle over Sun TV ahead of Tamil Nadu assembly elections has begun to worry the ruling DMK. DMK leaders have begun to worry how they would face the polls without media, muscle and money. They are not only feeling caught between feuding Maran brothers but also feel they have no answer for the TASMAC liquor scam involving close aides of Deputy CM Udhaynidhi Stalin. Sources close to DMK say Dayanidhi’s revelation is bound to please chief minister MK Stalin’s son-in-law V Sabareesan as well as be music to ears of his sister DMK Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi, who also runs a TV media network Kalaignar. Both Sabareesan and Kani have been in cold and watched Udhaynidhi flex his muscles. In his notice, Dayanidhi sought to restore the Sun TV’s shareholding structure to its pre-September 2003 status. This implies that Dayanidhi and his sister, Anbukarasi Maran, along with MK Stalin, and his two brothers and sister, would be the owners of Sun TV, as Kalanithi did not own any shares in the company 22 years ago. Dayanidhi says that after their father’s death, Kalanithi took over more than 75% of the company, while the shares held by their parents were reduced from 50% to just one single share. He claims Kalanithi used none of his own money to do this. He has threatened to request a government investigation by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office if Kalanithi does not agree to fix the issue. The notice says that when Sun TV was founded in 1985, the only shareholders were MK Dayalu (Karunanidhi’s second wife) and Mallika (Murasoli Maran’s wife).

In view of the deteriorating situation because of the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel, the Government of India launched Operation Sindhu to ensure safety and security of Indian nationals in Iran. As a first step, the Indian Embassy has evacuated 110 Indian students from northern Iran, assisting them safely to cross over into Armenia on June 17. The students have travelled by road to the Armenian capital, Yerevan, under the supervision of our Missions in Iran and Armenia. These students departed Yerevan on a special flight at 1455 hrs (2.55 pm) on June 18 and will arrive in New Delhi in the early hours of June 19 as part of the initial stages of Operation Sindhu. The Government of India is grateful to the Governments of Iran and Armenia for the smooth facilitation of the evacuation process, the MEA said in a release. India accords highest priority to the safety and security of Indian nationals abroad. As part of the ongoing operation, the Indian Embassy in Iran has been assisting large numbers of Indian nationals in moving from areas seeing increased hostilities to relatively safer areas within the country and to subsequently evacuate them using the available and feasible options. Indian nationals in Iran have been advised to stay in touch with the Indian Embassy in Tehran through its emergency helpline, and with the 24×7 Control Room established by the MEA, in New Delhi.

PM Narendra Modi’s 35-minute phone call with the U.S. President Donald Trump since the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack was clearly aimed at sorting out misgivings back home. He told firmly that no mediation or trade deal led to cessation of hostilities with Pakistan. The highlight of the phone call was when Prez Trump asked PM Modi if he could visit the U.S. on his return from Canada. PM Modi politely declined the offer citing his prior engagement of visiting Croatia. But, interestingly, Prez Trump has accepted PM Modi’s to visit India for the QUAD meeting later this year. As per Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri read out of the phone chat, “PM Modi told President Trump clearly that during this entire series of incidents, never was talks held at any level on India-America trade deal and mediation between India and Pakistan by America. The talks regarding cessation of military action was held directly between India and Pakistan under the existing channels established between both militaries, it was done at Pakistan’s request…” He shared that the phone-call overtly clarified that India, “has never accepted mediation, does not accept it, and will never accept it. There is complete political unanimity in India on this issue.” Meanwhile Congress leader Jairam Ramesh was dismissive about Misri’s statement. He said “Understand the ‘triple jhatka’ that the Indian foreign policy and diplomacy has received. Today Field Marshal Asim Munir whose provocative, incendiary, inflammatory comments are directly linked to the Pahalgam terror attacks…is invited for a one-on-one special lunch with President Trump.…” BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya hit back calling Jairam “a congenital liar — much like Rahul Gandhi. He is now peddling yet another falsehood, claiming that Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s statement doesn’t match the U.S. readout — while dramatically waving his phone around. ” But here is the catch: the readout he is citing...

Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s presence at the Yogi government event on June 15 is considered significant, say UP watchers. The presence of Shah at the Lucknow event to distribute appointment letters to the newly recruited 60,244 police constables is more than a symbolic value. When CM Yogi Adityanath met Shah in Delhi on June 9, the pictures of the meeting went viral, becoming a hot topic of discussion in political circles. Although it was officially termed a ‘courtesy visit’, sources said that Yogi called on Shah to extend an invitation to be the chief guest at the ceremony for the distribution of letters to police constables recruited recently. It must be pointed out that there were a lot of misgivings between the two leaders after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections had not gone exactly the way the BJP had planned. For a party that had won 71 seats out of 80 seats from UP in 2014 when PM Modi first entered the national scene and 62 in 2019, it was quite tough when it crashed to 33 in 2024.  Apparently, it was differences in perception about choice of candidates between Shah and Yogi that had affected the outcome. Now, a year later, it looks like both the leaders were being directed by PM Modi to bury the hatchet. The result was there for all to see in Lucknow. Shah was seen showering praise on Yogi Govt for improving law and order in the state. He said after the BJP government was formed in the state in 2017 and Yogi Adityanath became the CM, Uttar Pradesh Police had moved towards achieving new heights.  That is because the Yogi government had recruited 2.15 lakh police personnel in the last eight years.

Well, when National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval met with Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on June 10 evening at his official residence in Mumbai, Fadnavis shared a picture with the ace sleuth on his X handle. Though the CM did not share details of his discussions, the meeting has set off speculation in Delhi political circles that Doval, who is 80 years old and has been the NSA since 2014, could be considered for a gubernatorial role. It is being said Doval could be moved to Raj Bhavan in view of his advancing years and somewhat indifferent health. Since he has done tremendous work in revamping the security set-up under the Modi regime, PM Modi is not keen to let go of him. It is being said Modi would like to accommodate him as Governor and Maharashtra Raj Bhavan could be an ideal place. BJP sources said governors reshuffle/appointment would be first in the series of changes in the Modi government that would come before the Monsoon Session of the Parliament. With the Governors’ appointments, changes will happen in the Union Cabinet and eventually in the election of BJP chief.  Lot of administrative changes and changes in the party set up have been delayed because of a series of unfortunate events. As far as Doval is concerned what is  working for him is that he is a much  decorated IPS officer of the Kerala cadre (1968 batch ) who hails from Uttarakhand  who has been overseeing sensitive  security operations of the Modi Government in the past decade. In June 2019, when he was reappointed NSA he became the first NSA to get a Cabinet rank. In 2024, he got a 3-year extension as NSA.

Former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani was among the 240 who died in the Air India flight crash in Ahmedabad on June 12. The plane was headed to Gatwick airport, UK when it crashed in a civilian area near the airport. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner which departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board crashed within 32 seconds after its take off.  One passenger – 40-year old British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh — survived the crash while rest of the passengers including 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals died. Rupani, the 16th CM of Gujarat (Aug 2016 –Sep 2021) was on the ill-fated aircraft. Known for his composed demeanour and firm administrative style, he steered Gujarat through a critical phase of post-Covid recovery. He was traveling to London to meet his daughter. He stepped down from the CM’s post in September 2021, making way for Bhupendra Patel. He was close to Home Minister Amit Shah. Which is why the incident has completely shaken the government, got Shah to rush to Ahmedabad as he is a local MP. Until then in the past few days Shah has been busy showcasing PM Modi’s 11 years’ in office to the national media. Meanwhile, a lot of theories are already floating about what may have led to the aircraft crash. There were speculations about engine failure. Aircraft engines are made by Rolls Royce or GE or Prat Whitney.  While bird hit is quite possible at the height from which the aircraft fell, these planes are designed to fly with one engine when the other engine shuts off. But it is impossible for both engines ingesting birds separately. The other theory was that incorrect flap settings contributed to the Air India Flight AI171 crash.

On June 9, BJP national president JP Nadda addressed a spirited presser to mark PM Modi’s 11 years in office – which he called a transformative period that should be “written in golden words”. The best part of the presser was that Nadda had marked his targets. He wanted to highlight the achievements of the government. It may be recalled that at a meeting with his ministers recently, PM Modi had shared a sense of disappointment that achievements of the government had not been adequately showcased. That is why even as Nadda attempted showcasing some of Modi government’s achievements such as reduction of Naxalite-affected districts from a high of 126 to just 18, he also settled political score with Congress leader Jairam Ramesh who was mocking PM Modi for not addressing a press conference in all these years. Nadda reminded Jairam, a Rajya Sabha MP, that he would never have spoken to the public as much as PM Modi does. Nadda credited the BJP government with bold decisions like the repeal of Article 370, abolition of triple talaq, Waqf amendment, demonetisation, and the women’s quota bill. He said PM Modi had changed the country’s political culture by making the government more responsive and accountable. Reacting sharply to LoP Rahul Gandhi’s remarks questioning Operation Sindoor and EAM Jaishankar, Nadda dismissed the LoP’s charges with a prayer  that “may God give them true wisdom” because it’s very difficult to understand their objective. “When they attend an all-party meeting, they say they stand with the country. But when they step outside, they start raising questions, questions that are completely baseless. That’s why I can only say they are playing the role of an irresponsible opposition.”

Nearly a week after Bengaluru’s stampede (June 4) that killed 11 people, the Congress high command seems to have finally got into the act. It has summoned both Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar to Delhi to meet Rahul Gandhi on June 10. It is good that the Congress leadership has stepped in as the stampede itself was widely seen as a game of one-upmanship by state leaders. DKS was at the forefront trying to hijack the IPL victory to further his own politics. The worst part was the manner in which Siddaramaiah tried to politically shift the entire blame on Shivakumar aspiring to oust him in November and administratively pinned the blame on the city police. Bengaluru police had declined permission to hold the victory parade for the Royal Challengers team that had won the IPL cup at a short notice. But phone calls from senior ministers, particularly Shivakumar, forced police officials to give go ahead for the event. Shivakumar took complete ownership of the IPL victory in such a way that he packaged it as a campaign to make him CM. When Siddaramaiah’s close aides led by K Govindaraj heard of this they decided that the Governor, the CM and other ministers should preside over a reception for the RCB team outside the Vidhana Soudha. This led the police to prioritise the Soudha event, resulting in a lesser number of policemen available for the Stadium event where more than two lakh people had gathered. Many of them were supporters of DKS who had come from his home turf of Kanakapura. It is learnt that when the stampede happened Siddaramaiah was out with his grandchildren having dosas. To fix DKS, Siddaramaiah fired his political secretary, Govindaraj three days after the stampede.

PM Narendra Modi delivered a powerful message as he marched on the Chenab Rail bridge with an Indian flag. The Tricolour march reminded many of the 1992 Republic Day flag-hoisting at the Lal Chowk in Srinagar, during the peak of militancy. At the peak of militancy in 1990s, when separatist violence sought to tear Kashmir away from India, Modi, along with BJP party stalwart Murli Manohar Joshi, hoisted the Indian flag at the iconic Lal Chowk– a move that Modi and saffron party leaders still boast of as an audacious challenge to anti-India forces. On June 6, it was the first time since the Pahalgam terror attack, followed by the recent military conflict with Pakistan, that Modi landed in Jammu & Kashmir to inaugurate the Chenab Rail Bridge in the Reasi district. As the Valley’s railway was linked with that of the rest of India, a big message of integration was delivered. Power and meaning were added to that message as Modi walked on the Chenab Rail Bridge, waving an Indian national flag. What makes the inauguration and the PM’s Tricolour walk especially significant is that they come within a month of Operation Sindoor which was conducted after the dastardly terror attack in Pahalgam, South Kashmir. The 1.31-km-long Chenab Rail Bridge is an engineering marvel. The key infrastructural project will enable direct rail travel from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. But this isn’t just any other connectivity project. It lies in the world’s most heavily militarised zone, sandwiched between three nuclear-armed countries—India, Pakistan and China. Over 215 km of approach roads were built through rugged, terrorism-hit terrain, opening up areas once reachable only by foot or boat.

When news of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra (50) tying the knot with Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and former MP Pinaki Mishra(65) in Germany was first announced in a Kolkata newspaper, mind you nearly a month after their marriage (on May 3), it was clear that the couple had officially wanted the world to know about it. A day later Mahua shared a picture of Pinaki and her cutting a cake on her X handle. Interestingly, the post was shared on TMC handle by party leader Abhishek Banerjee even as he was abroad on Operation Sindoor delegation. Looks like the news leak was timed with the private party that the couple threw for their friends in Delhi this week. Interestingly, what is worrying BJD leaders from Odisha is the manner in which Pinaki, who was a 4-term Lok Sabha MP from Puri and had been BJD Parliamentary Party leader, was being sidelined by the Bengal media. How can Kolkata media be so dismissive of the high networth BJD veteran with a poser like “who is Pinaki Misra?” BJD sources even wondered why Pinaki was getting bad press. While it may be true that Naveen Patnaik had denied Pinaki the Lok Sabha ticket in 2024 polls from Puri as his victory margin had been steadily declining, BJD sources felt it would be unfair to be dismissive of the Supreme Court lawyer. Party sources pointed out that Pinaki belonged to an eminent family of jurists — at least two from his family — Dr Ranganath Misra and his cousin Justice Dipak Misra went on to be CJI. His first wife, Sangeeta is a legal professional and hails from Maharashtra; they have two children.

In an interesting move, the Tamil Nadu government decided to lend a hand to residents of ‘Madrasi Camp’ in New Delhi, whose unauthorised houses on the bank of the Barapullah drain were demolished by the Delhi Development Authority. An official release said the State government, as directed by Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, would help the residents return to their native districts, if they chose to do so. They would be given comprehensive support, including assistance for livelihood, through the Collectors, it said.. ‘Madrasi Camp’ is an informal habitation along the bank of the Barapullah Jangpura drain, near Nizamuddin Railway Station in South Delhi. It had 370 slum dwelling units. The settlement was predominantly inhabited by persons of Tamil Nadu origin. The Delhi High Court had noted that ‘Madrasi Camp’ was an “unauthorized construction/encroachment” that had led to the obstruction and blockage of the Barapullah drain, “causing significant waterlogging in the surrounding areas, especially during the monsoon”. It had directed that eligible residents be rehabilitated and relocated under the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board Act (DUSIB). The DUSIB determined that 215 out of the 370 residents were eligible for allotment of residential units under the economically weaker section category at Narela. On May 9  all petitions filed by the residents were disposed of by the Delhi High Court, which ordered the commencement of demolition at ‘Madrasi Camp’ from June 1.While nearly half of the residents were offered alternate accommodation — most residents didn’t quite warm up to the idea of moving back to TN.  At least one resident lamented over the lack of opportunities in TN. “They should give first jobs to those already in Chennai and then they should call us,” was the general refrain.

In a throwback of sorts to his clash with TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee that had marked his didi-oh-didi campaign in the last West Bengal assembly election, incumbent CM made a personal jibe about PM Modi’s estranged wife setting off a vicious cycle of personal attacks. A controversy apparently erupted following PM Modi’s rally in Alipurduar on May 27, where he, without naming Mamata, had sharply criticised her government and the TMC. In response, Mamata at a presser called out Modi’s “politicisation of Operation Sindoor”. She transgressed the political line with a personal jibe: “Remember that every woman has respect. They take sindoor from their husbands… Modiji is talking this way. You are not every woman’s husband… why don’t you give sindoor to your Missus first?” Apparently Mamata attacked Modi on the basis of unfounded media reports that BJP was going to distribute sindoor to women.  Later, realising the inappropriateness of her comment, she immediately apologised while blaming Modi for provoking her. “I am sorry to say this. I shouldn’t get into all this. But you are compelling us now to open our mouths.” Instead of accepting Mamata’s apology, BJP’s State unit chief Sukanta Majumdar and LoP Suvendu Adhikari launched a coordinated retaliation that targeted not just Mamata’s alleged personal conduct but also her humble origins and socio-economic background. The situation reached a disturbing climax in Chinsurah, Hooghly, where BJP women workers forcibly applied sindoor on female police officers who were trying to disperse their protest. The incident drew criticism even from within the BJP’s own state unit. The episode highlights how personal attacks and identity politics have increasingly dominated Bengal’s political landscape, with both major parties crossing traditional boundaries of political propriety and raising serious questions about the health of democratic discourse in the state.

Recently, Karnataka’s deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar (DKS) and home minister Dr G Parameshwara met AICC General Secretaries, KC Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala, separately and discussed the recent political developments. According to a highly placed source, during the meeting, DKS insisted that the power sharing agreement should be honoured and Siddaramaiah should demit office after completing his two-and-a-half-year tenure in October 2025. The recent ED raid on educational institutions linked to Parameshwara with regard to the Ranya Rao gold smuggling case also figured in the discussions. It may be recalled that DKS, after meeting Parameshwara soon after the raids, had said the home minister had gifted Ranya Rao Rs 40 lakh. But this statement had not gone down well with several Congress leaders including Dr Parameshwara. Venugopal and Surjewala also met the aspirants for MLC elections, as four seats have been vacant for over seven months. Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah showed up at the residence of his bete noire and senior Congress leader BK Hariprasad’s house for breakfast signalling a desire to bury their hatchet. The breakfast meeting, which came a day after Congress general secretaries met with Siddaramaiah and his deputy DKS, raised eyebrows in political circles. It is being said that Siddaramaiah wants Hariprasad to talk to the Congress’ top brass about inducting new ministers. The outreach with Gandhi family loyalist Hariprasad is also seen as Siddaramaiah’s way of trying to be on good terms with ‘original ‘ Congressmen and alienate strong leaders like DKS. Parameshwara’s proximity with the CM is already visible. Apparently, DKS — who is eyeing Siddaramaiah’s chair — is not in favour of a Cabinet reshuffle. The buzz is that DKS wants a new ministry when he becomes the CM.

As soon as India’s military confirmed for the first time that it lost an unspecified number of fighter jets in clashes with Pakistan in May, while saying the four-day conflict never came close to the point of nuclear war, there was some jubilation and relief in the Congress. The party without going into the nuances of what Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of Indian Armed Forces Anil Chauhan had made in his conversation with Bloomberg TV saw it as a vindication of what Rahul Gandhi has been asking from Day One about Operation Sindoor– which is about loss of jets. To amplify the admission made by the CDS in Singapore, it rushed Telangana Minister Uttam Reddy, a former IAF officer, to brag before the media how Rahul had been right all along. In the TV interview, CDS Anil Chauhan made it clear that it was not that important jets being down,”but why they were being down.” The CDS was attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. At the same time, Chauhan called Pakistan’s claims that it shot down six Indian warplanes as “absolutely incorrect” though declined to specify how many jets India lost. “Why they were down, what mistakes were made…that is important” General Chauhan said. “The good part is that we are able to understand the tactical mistake which we made, remedy it, rectify it, and then implement it again after two days and flew all our jets again, targeting at long range,” he added. The comments are the most direct yet from an Indian government or military official. Elated with Gen Chauhan’s disclosures, Uttam Reddy said, “As it appears very clearly, Rafale aircraft were shot down in the 4-day operations…CDS General Anil Chauhan confirmed this. The government of India should now stop denying this…”

As the nation is gung ho about Operation Sindoor, there is a major political battle about who carried out the first surgical strike on Pakistan? Was it done when the Congress was in office? Or when PM Modi took charge? Congress MP Shashi Tharoor sparked off a controversy with his remark that India’s first across Line of Control (LoC) surgical strike occurred in 2016 after PM Modi came to power. The Indian Army’s records also seem to support Tharoor’s assertion, the Congress quickly distanced itself from his statement. In 2016, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, the then-Army Northern Command Chief, stated that the September 2016 surgical strikes were a “first” of their kind. According to Tharoor, the Uri strike in September 2016 marked a significant shift in India’s approach, where the country breached the LoC to conduct a surgical strike on a terror base. He further noted that the Balakot strike in February 2019 took it a step further, crossing not only the LoC but also the international border to target terrorist headquarters. Tharoor is leading an Indian delegation to the U.S. and four other countries as part of the Centre’s global outreach in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera has been posting on X about how surgical strikes were carried out during the UPA era too and tagging Tharoor on these posts. He also cited Tharoor’s book The Paradoxical Prime Minister published in 2018 where he had questioned the “shameless exploitation” of the 2016 surgical strikes along the LOC with Pak by the Modi government which the Congress had never done. Strongly disapproving of Tharoor, Jairam Ramesh responded to one of the posts by Khera with a poetic swipe at Tharoor saying,”Oh what a tangled web we weave, when we first practice to deceive… “

Trust TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee to invest in Opposition politics and keep the INDIA bloc going. In fact, the Congress which fancies itself as the natural leader of this grouping may not even know what is quietly happening in the backyard. Well, the West Bengal CM took time off from her hectic schedule to catch up with her old friend Lalu Yadav, who was celebrating the birth of his grandson — born to RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and his wife Rajshree on May 27 at a private hospital at Park Street in Kolkata. Mamata dropped by to congratulate the happy parents on the birth of their second child and also catch up with happy grandparents – Rabri Devi and Lalu Yadav — who had shared the happy news on X. “This is such happy news for the family…I wish them all the very best for the upcoming (Assembly) polls (in Bihar) as well…. I am quite certain that the child will bring good luck to them,” Mamata was quoted as saying in the media. Lalu shared pictures of family members with the newborn on X. Tejashwi and Rajshree have a two-year-old daughter, Katyayani. Mamata and Lalu — both former Union railway ministers — have been close since their time together in Parliament. Tejashwi was among a select few in the INDIA bloc whom Mamata trusted as an ally, and the RJD and Trinamool have firmly endorsed each other politically on most key issues in recent memory. “Tejashwi’s wife has been here for nine months. We have been in regular touch with the family. Tejashwi texted me at 6.14am with the good news,” Mamata was quoted as saying.

The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) was up and quick as it unveiled its list of candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Tamil Nadu, confirming that Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) chief and veteran actor Kamal Haasan will be among the nominees. It also extended to the veteran actor the courtesy of allowing him to contest on his party symbol. The DMK’s other candidates include senior advocate and sitting MP P Wilson, renowned Tamil poet-writer Salma, and party leader SR Sivalingam. Interestingly, poet-writer Salma is believed to be close to DMK Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi. Allocating one of its four Rajya Sabha seats to accommodate Kamal Haasan of MNM by the DMK is interesting as it shows that it kept the promise it made to the actor. Haasan, who had floated MNM, had campaigned extensively for the DMK alliance in the run-up to 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Election Commission had declared that biennial elections to fill six vacant Rajya Sabha seats from TN will be conducted on July 19.  These vacancies arise due to the completion of the terms of six incumbent members — Anbumani Ramadoss, M Shanmugam, N Chandrasegharan, M Mohammed Abdulla, P Wilson, and Vaiko—whose tenures end on July 25. Of its retiring MPs, the DMK has chosen to retain only advocate P Wilson and brought in at least three fresh faces –SR Shivalingam, writer Salma and actor Kamal Haasan.

With the Election Commission announcing elections for six Rajya Sabha seats in the MLA quota from Tamil Nadu to be held on June 19, the race for bagging party nominations has apparently heated up in Chennai. Though the DMK and AIADMK alliances are expected to retain the same number of seats they currently hold in the Rajya Sabha, political circles are abuzz with speculation about who will succeed the outgoing members. Sources claim that since DMK had promised actor Kamal Haasan a Rajya Sabha seat before Lok Sabha elections, it may accommodate him this year. No official announcement has been made so far but the only hitch seems to be a race of sorts between Kamal Haasan and former editor of The Hindu N Ram for one of the four seats the DMK alliance is guaranteed to win. With Ram emerging as the contender, it is being said, things could be tricky as both are Iyengar Brahmins. In an election year the DMK can’t be seen giving RS seats to Brahmins. Ram is viewed as being very close to the chief minister MK Stalin. Ram is seen walking with him in the morning. As for the remaining two DMK-alliance seats, sources indicate that the DMK may continue to allot Vaiko’s seat to either Vaiko himself or another senior leader from the party. For the last seat, currently held by R Shanmugam, who represents the DMK-affiliated Labour Progressive Federation, sources say it might again be given to a trade union representative. It will also be interesting to know who will get nominated from the PMK seat given the internal rift between PMK Chief S Ramadoss and his son Anbumani Ramadoss, political observers say the chances of Anbumani being renominated are slim.

Several Congress leaders are worried about Rahul Gandhi’s approach towards the government on Operation Sindoor. They believe Rahul’s views are significantly damaging the party’s image as he is obsessed with attacking PM Modi on all issues. Though he is not directly attacking the PM but throwing barbs at External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, party leaders believe Rahul is distraught that Modi did not consider his status as the leader of the opposition (LoP) and did not ask him to lead a delegation of MPs for global outreach. He feels his status is equivalent to that of late PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee who had represented India as LoP in a crucial meeting of UNHRC in Geneva in the 90s. It seems even Mallikarjun Kharge was equally disappointed that as Rajya Sabha LoP he did not get the honour. Instead, the Modi government preferred to include those who had closely worked with the MEA or had articulated sensible views on foreign policy like Manish Tewari. It is being said that as soon as the names were out a flustered RaGa aide had even tried to lecture a senior member of the all-party panel that he must now conduct himself and not toe the government line. The senior Congress leader firmly told the caller– that in such foreign policy missions there is only one line –that is the India line. It is this subtlety that seems to be lost on the likes of Rahul Gandhi and Kharge. Congress sources said it is frustration that is driving Kharge to describe Operation Sindoor as a “chutput war”. More than the war, what is worrying Congress is that Rahul Gandhi is in the grip of two advisers he had recently recruited. Party feels he has gone haywire ever since.

In an interesting political twist in Karnataka politics, Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar made a large-hearted move and defended his colleague Home Minister G Parameshwara for giving money — transferring Rs 40 lakhs to actor Ranya Rao, the main accused in the gold smuggling case. This was unexpected as Parameshwara had only appealed to CM Siddaramaiah for help. DKS supporters are pleased that at least one of the obstacles to DKS succeeding Siddaramaiah as CM by end of 2025 has been tamed with this gesture. Encouraged by Siddaramaiah, Parameshwara had been opposing DKS’s elevation, projecting himself as the most suitable candidate to be Karnataka’s first Dalit CM. He suffered a significant setback after the ED began conducting raids on educational institutions owned by him on May 21. The raids are linked to a financial transaction in which money was transferred to Ranya Rao’s account from one of Parameshwara’s institutions. DKS said Parameshwara had given money as a gift. DKS more than clarified…he even went on to give Parameshwara a clean chit saying it wasn’t possible for his institutions to fund illegal activities. DKS, as KPCC chief, visited Parameshwara. “He told me he had given Rs 15 to 25 lakh. We are all in public life. Many of us run trusts. During weddings and other occasions, it is common to give gifts.” Sources reveal that the educational trust associated with Parameshwara allegedly paid off actor Ranya Rao’s credit card bill of Rs 40 lakh. The bill was reportedly cleared following instructions from an influential individual. She is now under intense scrutiny, with hawala operators confessing to purchasing gold from her. Fearing the worst, Parameshwara called on Siddaramaiah to explain his position.

Is Mamata Banerjee changing her approach towards PM Modi? There has been speculation within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) that her nephew and party national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, is advising her to tone down her criticism of the PM and the BJP, as he believes the ED and CBI are closing in on him in various corruption cases. For some time now, Mamata’s directive to TMC leaders not to make any personal comments against Modi has been followed by them. Abhishek has been particular that the TMC should not appear to be disallowing the BJP from functioning as an Opposition party by using police and administration. The latest episode involving Abhishek joining one of the MPs’ delegations for global outreach after Operation Sindoor has caused a surprise. A day after Didi withdrew her MP, Yusuf Pathan, who had been named by the government, from a multi-party delegation, she nominated Abhishek to replace him. This was after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju reached out to Mamata to “pacify her”. Mamata is learnt to have told Rijiju that the Centre should have consulted the party instead of unilaterally picking Pathan. After Rijiju’s call, she also announced that a five-member team will visit Srinagar, Poonch and Rajouri to express solidarity with the people affected by cross-border shelling by Pakistan. She is sending Rajya Sabha MPs like Derek O Brien and Sagarika Ghose to J&K. It is being said Mamata withdrew Yusuf Pathan from the delegation only because she hasn’t been happy with him. She had found the former cricketer who hails from Gujarat is an absentee MP. He was nowhere to be seen in the aftermath of Murshidabad violence. He is apparently getting away only because of his proximity to influential bhaipo Abhishek.

PM Modi is very angry with Turkey. Under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan it has consistently been hostile to India in complete disregard for the deep-rooted trade arrangements between the two countries. During the 2023 earthquake that ravaged Turkey, India was among the first countries to respond with relief material. India launched Operation Dost to provide assistance and relief materials. Yet, Turkey provided drones and personnel to Pakistan during the military hostilities that ensued between India and Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack. Turkey’s repeated interference on the Kashmir issue and the recent support for Pakistan have adversely affected its bilateral ties with India. Modi has asked his top aides to do a systematic review of Turkey’s involvement in India’s infrastructural projects and strategic sectors such as the ongoing metro project in Lucknow, Pune and Mumbai and manufacturing in Gujarat. The government is reviewing both active and completed Turkish-linked projects and assessing their impact. While no official terminations have been made yet, the Indian government seems to be considering a gradual and economic disengagement with Turkey. During Apr-Feb 2024-25, India’s exports to Turkey amounted to $5.2 bn, forming about 1.5% of India’s total exports. Its imports during the same period stood at $2.84 bn accounting for 0.5% of India’s total imports. Between April 2000 and September 2024, India received around $240.18 mn in FDI from Turkey. Turkish companies have worked in partnership with Indian companies in several key sectors including, metro rail, tunnel construction, airport services, education, media and cultural cooperation. The Atal Tunnel project in Kashmir also had the involvement of Turkish firms. After central universities like JNU and Jamia Millia Islamia severed ties with Turkish counterparts, IITs and several universities have also followed suit.

PM Modi ‘s decision to use the services of senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor to present India’s case before other countries became quite obvious from the moment Tharoor openly came endorsing the government’s handling of Operation Sindoor. Tharoor is leading an all-party delegation to the USA, Panama, Guyana, Brazil and Colombia. The Kerala MP’s endorsement of Operation Sindoor has apparently made Rahul Gandhi very angry with him. Rahul is also upset that the government did not pick his choice — Lok Sabha deputy leader Gaurav Gogoi. Accommodating Gogoi whose wife reportedly has close links with a Pak-based NGO, had posed a challenge for the government. Jairam Ramesh said the party was dismayed that among the 4 names only one person — Anand Sharma– had made it. Other 3 Congress leaders Tharoor, Manish Tewari and Salman Khurshid were directly sought out by the government. The Congress first described Tharoor’s action as “crossing the Lakshman Rekha”. Party sources said the attack on Tharoor was organised by AICC Gen Secretary KC Venugopal, a close Rahul Gandhi aide who fancies himself as the next Kerala CM. When Tharoor punctured the Congress’s campaign of having yielded to a third party mediation in the Indo-Pak conflict by asserting that India would have never agreed to third party mediation in its bilateral issues with Pakistan, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh told the media that “When Tharoor saab speaks, it is not the party’s opinion.” With so many fireworks, it remains to be seen if Tharoor will continue to remain with the Congress swallowing the swipe. The Gandhis have not liked him ever since he contested against Kharge. But, if Tharoor bows out to carve out his own space, it could queer the pitch for Congress in Kerala, ahead of assembly polls next year.

PM Modi is very happy that he did not bow to the severe American pressure to give up buying Russian missile systems Jets equipped with Scalp missiles and S-400 Air Defence System; as they have been India’s weapons of choice in both the ongoing war with Pakistan and Operation Sindoor. The significance of the S-400 air defence system was demonstrated on the intervening night of May 8-9 when India effectively stopped an extensive onslaught by the Pakistani army employing drones and other missiles. The Russian S-400 and indigenous Akashteer defence systems successfully repelled every Pakistani attack, preventing any projectiles from hitting their objective. India’s defence forces even neutralised Pakistan’s one Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft in Punjab province of Pakistan. When India chose to purchase the S-400 defence system in 2018 through a $5 billion agreement with Russia, the Modi government was faced with significant criticism from the U.S. The acquisition of the S-400 by India was met with resistance from the earlier administrations of Joe Biden and Donald Trump. There had even been threats of sanctions from the White House under Donald Trump. However, Modi was aware of the importance of the S-400 in improving our air defences against China and Pakistan. Thus far, three S-400 squadrons have been received and are currently in service, with more expected to follow this year. It is the most advanced long-range air defence weapon in the world, with the ability to track and engage several aircraft targets up to 600 kilometres away. It is known as the “Sudarshan Chakra” inside the Indian Air Force and is capable of detecting, tracking and eliminating a wide range of airborne threats, including ballistic missiles, UAVs and fighter aircrafts. Modi has decided to place more orders for S-400 systems.