Edappadi delivers a stern message to ally BJP on coalition government issue
Speaking at an AIADMK meeting in Thiruthuraipoondi (Tiruvarur district) on Saturday night, Palaniswami said, 'They (the DMK) are saying that in the AIADMK-BJP alliance, we will share power if we form the government. Mr Stalin, let me make this clear: We are not gullible. The AIADMK will win the polls with a majority and form the government on its own.'
Palaniswami said the BJP joined the AIADMK-led alliance to unseat the DMK government, which is 'corrupt and anti-people'. 'Unlike you, we are not desperate to bring our heir to power. It is the will of the people that matters, and we will fulfil that,' he added.
Although Palaniswami aimed the comments at DMK president and Chief Minister M K Stalin, political analysts said that this was, in fact, a stern message to the BJP, whose leaders continue to claim that a coalition government will be formed in the state.
Quick on damage control, BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran called up Palaniswami and discussed the remarks.
Answering queries from reporters in Nagapattinam, Nagenthran denied any ulterior motive to EPS' remarks. Palaniswami had said that he was only responding to the campaign of the DMK that 'the BJP would swallow the AIADMK since the party has been mortgaged', said Nagenthran.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
11 minutes ago
- First Post
Operation Sindoor debate: What is the Sharm-el-Sheikh meeting that Jaishankar, Rajnath Singh are attacking?
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar recalled the 2009 Sharm-el-Sheikh joint statement in Lok Sabha, calling it a grave misstep after the Mumbai terror attacks. Their sharp remarks revived criticism of the meeting between then-PM Manmohan Singh and then-Pakistan PM Yousuf Raza Gilani, which controversially referenced Balochistan and delinked terror from dialogue read more Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani (L) shakes hands with India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the 15th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in the Egyptian Red Sea tourist resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, July 16, 2009. File Image/Reuters The Sharm-el-Sheikh summit — long considered one of the most contentious chapters in India's post-26/11 diplomacy — is back in the spotlight during the Monsoon session of the Lok Sabha. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, invoked the July 2009 meeting while discussing Operation Sindoor, sharply criticising the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) for its handling of relations with Pakistan in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Their interventions have revived the criticism of a joint statement issued after talks between then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh on July 16, 2009, a document that not only altered the framing of dialogue between the two countries but also made an unprecedented mention of Balochistan. Sharm-el-Sheikh was a strategic error: Rajnath Singh Speaking on Monday in the Lok Sabha, Singh launched a pointed critique of the previous UPA government, accusing it of blunting India's position on cross-border terrorism at a time when international momentum was building against Pakistan after the 26/11 attacks. 'In 2009, the government back then made a mistake in the Sharm-el-Sheikh agreement,' Singh told the House, opening the Operation Sindoor discussion. He argued that the joint statement, issued after the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit meeting in Egypt, weakened India's insistence that any dialogue with Islamabad would hinge on a demonstrable commitment to curb terrorism emanating from its territory. 'This diluted the terms set that Pakistan will not be allowed to use its land for terrorism,' Singh said, drawing a contrast with the earlier stance of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who, he recalled, made it 'unequivocally clear that any dialogue with Pakistan would be contingent upon a commitment to end terror originating from its soil.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Singh said the UPA missed an opportunity to mount decisive pressure on Islamabad after the Mumbai attacks of November 2008, which killed over 160 people and shocked the world. Quoting directly from the memoir of former President and UPA-era External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, The Coalition Years, Singh read: 'Pranab Mukherjee has written in his book 'The Coalition Years' that when the Mumbai attacks happened, India had evidence that the terrorists came from Karachi port. No one in the world believed the excuse of Pakistan's 'non-state actors'. He has written, and I quote – 'Amid heated debates within the Cabinet, there was a demand for military intervention which I rejected'.' हमारी सरकार, हमारी सेनाएं और हमारी लोकतांत्रिक संस्थाएं, सभी मिलकर देश की एकता, अखंडता और सुरक्षा के लिए हर आवश्यक कदम उठाने को प्रतिबद्ध हैं। — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 28, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Singh also recounted a meeting documented by a senior Indian Foreign Service officer, in which then Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon proposed a cruise missile strike on the Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters in Muridke, Pakistan. 'Hearing this, Mukherjee took off his glasses, cleaned them, and thanked all the officers before concluding the meeting,' Singh narrated in Parliament — a vignette that, in his view, captured the indecision of the time. Singh's critique extended beyond military restraint. He argued that the government's response to 26/11 had long-term diplomatic costs. 'Just take a look at the documents of the Brics summit held after that incident; there is no mention of the Mumbai terrorist attacks anywhere,' he said, suggesting that India failed to rally global condemnation against Pakistan. He contrasted that with what he described as the more 'forceful' actions of the NDA government after later attacks, referencing the 2016 surgical strikes and the 2019 air strikes: 'I believe that if the government back then had taken decisive and tough steps like the 2016 (surgical strike) and 2019 (air strike), Pakistan's strategic calculus could have been altered. A powerful and decisive action could have proven to be a significant disincentive for Pakistan and its army-sponsored terrorist organisations.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'People who did nothing are questioning those who acted': Jaishankar Jaishankar challenged critics of the government's handling of Operation Sindoor and turning the spotlight on the UPA's response to earlier crises. 'We were asked, why did you stop at this time? Why did you not go further? This question is being asked by people who, after 26/11, felt that the best action was inaction,' Jaishankar remarked. Speaking in Lok Sabha during special discussion on India's strong, successful and decisive #OperationSindoor. — Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 28, 2025 In his sharpest attack, he pointed to the reference to Balochistan in the Sharm-el-Sheikh joint statement: 'In Sharm-el-Sheikh, the then government and the Pakistani Prime Minister agreed that terrorism is a main threat to both countries. Now, today, people are saying America is hyphenating you, Russia is hyphenating you — that is what I heard Deepender Hooda ji say. You are hyphenating yourself. You did not need a foreign country to say please link India to Pakistan… And worst of all, they accepted a reference to Balochistan in that.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD For Jaishankar, this amounted to a damaging equivalence between victim and perpetrator: 'Now, here is a country reeling after 26/11, and you are equating Balochistan and 26/11, what happened in Mumbai, and you are saying that the perpetrator and the victim have both got a problem. And then, now you are asking me, why didn't you go further? People who did nothing are asking the Government that did so much, why didn't you do more?' Jaishankar noted that the current government had succeeded in bringing down Bahawalpur and Muridke terror sites, declaring: 'Who thought that terror sites in Bahawalpur and Muridke would be brought down the way they were?' He also traced a pattern back further, citing the UPA government's actions after the July 2006 Mumbai train bombings: 'Some years ago, if you remember Sir, the Mumbai train bombing. The Mumbai train bombing happened in the July of 2006. In September of 2006, three months after the Mumbai train bombing, at Havana, the UPA Government with its Pakistani counterpart condemns all acts of terrorism – as though we were both again equal, and agrees that it is a scourge that we need to effectively deal with together. And then they directed again, the resumption of dialogue. So, what I want to highlight is, for the people who did nothing, to have that temerity, that gumption today, to ask a Government which did so much, which brought down Bahawalpur and Muridke, to say why didn't you do more – I think it's extraordinary.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What happened at Sharm-el-Sheikh in 2009 The Sharm-el-Sheikh meeting took place on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement summit in July 2009, only eight months after the Mumbai attacks. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani held discussions that led to the issuance of a joint statement — a document that became one of the most controversial diplomatic texts in India's recent history. Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani (L) shakes hands with India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the 15th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in the Egyptian Red Sea tourist resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, July 16, 2009. File Image/Reuters The statement declared terrorism 'the main threat to both countries,' and included an assurance from Gilani that Pakistan would 'do everything in its power' to bring those responsible for 26/11 to justice. It also recorded that 'Pakistan had provided an updated status dossier on the investigations of the Mumbai attacks and had sought additional information/evidence,' which Singh said was being reviewed by India. 'Both Prime Ministers recognised that dialogue is the only way forward. Action on terrorism should not be linked to the Composite Dialogue process and these should not be bracketed. Prime Minister Singh said that India was ready to discuss all issues with Pakistan, including all outstanding issues,' the joint statement said. However, two elements triggered outrage back home. First, the statement explicitly noted that 'action on terrorism should not be linked to the composite dialogue process and these should not be bracketed.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This effectively delinked dialogue from Pakistan's progress on curbing terror — a shift from India's post-26/11 stance that talks could only proceed after credible action against perpetrators. Second, Gilani's mention of Balochistan — recorded in the statement — provided Islamabad with an opening to publicly accuse India of meddling in its insurgency-plagued province. Returning home, Gilani used the reference to claim that India had tacitly acknowledged involvement, a claim India denied but one that added to the political backlash. 'Both leaders agreed that the two countries will share real time, credible and actionable information on any future terrorist threats,' the statement read. 'Prime Minister Gilani mentioned that Pakistan has some information on threats in Balochistan and other areas.' 'Both Prime Ministers recognised that dialogue is the only way forward. Action on terrorism should not be linked to the Composite Dialogue process and these should not be bracketed. Prime Minister Singh said that India was ready to discuss all issues with Pakistan, including all outstanding issues.' The fallout in India was immediate and intense. Opposition parties branded the joint statement a 'sell-out' and accused the UPA government of compromising India's position. The BJP declared in Parliament at the time: 'Waters of the seven seas will not be able to wash the shame.' Congress launched a damage-control effort, with senior figures arguing that continued engagement with Pakistan was unavoidable despite the 26/11 attacks. Manmohan Singh defended his stance in Parliament at the time, delivering a statement that framed dialogue as a strategic necessity: 'We do not dilute our positions or our resolve to defeat terrorism by talking to any country. Other major powers affected by Pakistan-based terrorism are also engaging with Pakistan. Unless we talk directly to Pakistan, we will have to rely on third parties to do so. That route, I submit to this August House, has very severe limitations as to its effectiveness, and for the longer term the involvement of foreign powers in South Asia is not something to our liking. I say with strength and conviction that dialogue and engagement is the best way forward.' For the current NDA government, it is a case study in what it portrays as UPA-era indecision — a moment when India, in its view, squandered the opportunity to decisively confront Pakistan after the Mumbai attacks. Also Watch: With inputs from agencies
Hindustan Times
41 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Delhi waterlogged, long traffic jams amid 'red alert' for heavy rain; Atishi reacts: Watch videos
An intense spell of rainfall on Tuesday morning brought parts of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) to a standstill, with several key roads submerged and traffic movement severely affected. Water logging after heavy rain in Connaught Place in New Delhi on Tuesday.(Arvind Yadav/HT Photo) The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for the city, warning of more downpour in the coming days. Visuals from multiple locations, including Connaught Place, ITO, Pragati Maidan, Panchkuian Road, and Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, showed long traffic snarls and commuters struggling to navigate waterlogged roads. Streets near Maharani Bagh, CV Raman Marg, and the Connaught Place outer circle were heavily waterlogged, with videos showing submerged vehicles and traffic crawling through the inundated roads. Areas such as Dhaula Kuan, Minto Bridge, Naraina, RK Puram, and Jangpura also reported mild disruptions. Major stretches, including Moti Bagh, Pul Prahladpur, Talkatora Road, Mukherjee Nagar, and Rohini, witnessed heavy water accumulation, affecting office-goers, students during peak hours. Opposition slams BJP's Delhi government Former Delhi chief minister Atishi lashed out at the BJP-led state government over the city's state of infrastructure. 'The condition of Delhi's Panchkuiyan Road after 10 minutes of rain! This is the marvel of a 4-engine government!! Where is the PWD Minister @p_sahibsingh ji?" AAP leader also slammed CM Rekha Gupta for being absent amid the waterlogging woes. Water logging on Panchkuin road in New Delhi on Tuesday(Arvind Yadav/HT Photo) In a separate post, Atishi added, 'Civil Lines, where LG Sahib and the Chief Minister's residences are.. the roads are brimming with water. 10 minutes of rain and this is the state of Delhi.' She also shared a clip showing the inundated street. Meanwhile, Congress leader Pramod Tiwari hit out at both the BJP and AAP governments, calling the situation a failure of governance. 'Everyone is facing difficulty. Students, workers, officers and even MPs are late for the Parliament. 90 per cent of Delhi is facing the issue of waterlogging. BJP blames AAP, AAP blames BJP, but it's the people of Delhi who are suffering,' he told news agency PTI. Red alert issued, more rain likely till August 3 The IMD has predicted continued rainfall in Delhi and NCR till August 3, with moderate to heavy showers accompanied by lightning and surface winds reaching speeds of 30–40 kmph. A red alert remains in place for eastern NCR, while a yellow alert has been issued for the remaining areas. Delhi's Connaught Place sees waterlogging after hours of heavy rain lashes NCR(Arvind Yadav/HT Photo) As per the IMD, Delhi received 8 mm of rainfall in the 24-hour period ending at 8:30 AM on Tuesday. The minimum temperature was recorded at 26.8 degrees Celsius, slightly below normal for this time of year. The relative humidity stood at 70 per cent. Despite the heavy rainfall, Delhi's air quality remained in the satisfactory category, with an AQI reading of 87 at 9 AM, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Indian Express
41 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Iraq's prime minister seeks closer US ties while keeping armed groups at bay
The prime minister of Iraq has kept his country on the sidelines as military conflicts raged nearby for almost two years. This required balancing Iraq's relations with two countries vital to his power and enemies with each other: the US and Iran. The feat became especially difficult last month when war broke out between Israel, a US ally, and Iran — and the US struck Iranian nuclear sites. Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said he used a mix of political and military pressure to stop armed groups aligned with Iran from entering the fray. In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Al-Sudani explains how he did this, how he plans to keep these groups in check going forward and — as he seeks a second term — why he wants to get closer to the Trump administration, even as he maintains strong ties to Iran-backed political parties that helped propel him to power in 2022. After Israel launched airstrikes on Iran and it responded by firing missiles at Tel Aviv, armed groups in Iraq attempted to launch missiles and drones toward Israel and at bases in Iraq housing U.S. troops, al-Sudani said. But they were thwarted 29 times by Iraqi government 'security operations' that he did not detail. 'We know that the (Israeli) government had a policy — and still does — of expanding the war in the region,' al-Sudani said. 'Therefore, we made sure not to give any justification to any party to target Iraq.' Al-Sudani said his government also reached out to leaders in Iran 'to urge them toward calm and to make room for dialogue and a return to negotiations.' The U.S. and Iraq last year announced an agreement to wrap up the mission of an American-led coalition in Iraq fighting the Islamic State — and in March al-Sudani announced that the head of IS in Iraq and Syria had been killed in a joint Iraqi-U.S. operation. The first phase of the coalition's drawdown was supposed to be completed by September 2025, but there has been little sign of it happening. Al-Sudani said the U.S. and Iraq will meet by the end of the year to 'arrange the bilateral security relationship' between the two countries. He also hopes to secure U.S. economic investment — in oil and gas, and also artificial intelligence — which he said would contribute to regional security and make 'the two countries great together.' A variety of militias sprung up in Iraq in the years after the 2003 U.S. invasion that toppled former autocratic leader Saddam Hussein. And since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October 2023, sparking regionwide conflicts, an array of pro-Iran armed factions have periodically launched strikes on bases housing U.S. troops. Al-Sudani said the presence of the coalition forces had provided a 'justification' for Iraqi groups to arm themselves, but that once the coalition withdrawal is complete, 'there will be no need or no justification for any group to carry weapons outside the scope of the state.' One of the most complicated issues for al-Sudani is how to handle the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of mostly Shiite, Iran-backed militias that formed to fight IS. This coalition was formally placed under the control of the Iraqi military in 2016, although in practice it still operates with significant autonomy. The Iraqi parliament is discussing legislation that would solidify the relationship between the military and the PMF, drawing objections from Washington. The State Department said in a statement last week that the legislation 'would institutionalize Iranian influence and armed terrorist groups undermining Iraq's sovereignty.' Al-Sudani defended the proposed legislation, saying it's part of an effort to ensure that arms are controlled by the state. 'Security agencies must operate under laws and be subject to them and be held accountable,' he said. In recent weeks, a series of drone attacks have targeted oil facilities in northern Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish region. Kurdish regional authorities accused groups in the PMF of carrying out the attacks. Authorities in Baghdad disputed this, but haven't assigned blame. Al-Sudani called the attacks a 'terrorist act' and said his government is working with Kurdish authorities and coalition forces to identify those responsible and hold them accountable. Just as the drone attacks have called into question Baghdad's control over armed groups, so has the case of Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who went missing in Iraq in 2023. Her family believes she is being held by the Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah, and there have reportedly been U.S.-mediated negotiations to negotiate her release. Al-Sudani did not name the group responsible for Tsurkov's kidnapping, but he pushed back against the idea that his government has not made serious efforts to free her. He said his government has a team dedicated to finding her. 'We do not negotiate with gangs and kidnappers,' he said, but the team has been in discussions with political factions that might be able to help locate her. Relations between Iraq and the new government in Syria have been tenuous since the fall of former President Bashar Assad in December, after a lightning offensive led by Sunni Islamist insurgents. Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa was formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani. He once joined the ranks of al-Qaida insurgents battling U.S. forces in Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Al-Sharaa still faces a warrant for his arrest on terrorism charges in Iraq. Al-Sharaa has since broken with al-Qaida and has fought against the Islamic State. Al-Sudani said his government is coordinating with the new Syrian government, particularly on security matters. 'We and the administration in Syria certainly have a common enemy, ISIS, which is clearly and openly present inside Syria,' he said. Al-Sudani said his government has warned the Syrians against the mistakes that occurred in Iraq after Saddam's fall, when the ensuing security vacuum spawned years of sectarian violence and the rise of armed extremist groups. In recent weeks, sectarian violence in Syria has shaken the country's fragile postwar recovery. Al-Sudani called for Syria's current leadership to pursue a 'comprehensive political process that includes all components and communities.' 'We do not want Syria to be divided,' he said. 'This is unacceptable and we certainly do not want any foreign presence on Syrian soil,' apparently alluding to Israel's incursions into southern Syria.
