Watch: Congress v Tharoor, Modi's Bengal rally, courts block Trump's retaliatory tariffs & more

The Hindu

2 days ago

Watch: Congress v Tharoor, Modi's Bengal rally, courts block Trump's retaliatory tariffs & more | News Wrap
Here are the top headlines of the day.
Congress vs. Tharoor battle erupts over MP's comments on surgical strikes; he slams 'zealots'
There is a war of words brewing between the Congress and its Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor after the latter's comments about India's surgical strikes to target Pakistani terror camps in 2016.
Tharoor, who is leading a team of parliamentarians to five countries, described his critics as 'zealots' and 'trolls' while trying to explain the context of his statement on the surgical strikes.
Hitting back, Pawan Khera, who heads Congress's media and publicity wing, posted a portion from Tharoor's 2018 book in which he had accused the Modi government of 'shameless exploitation of the 2016 surgical strikes' on X .
The controversy erupted after Tharoor, addressing a public event at Panama to explain India's stance on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, claimed that India had crossed the LoC to target Pakistani terror launch pads for the first time in 2016 to avenge the Uri terror attacks.
This prompted Unorganised Workers and Employees' Congress chief Udit Raj to dub Tharoor as a 'super spokesperson of the BJP' in a social media post on Wednesday. Raj's X post was reposted by Congress communication chief Jairam Ramesh and Khera as a sign of endorsement.
Responding to such criticism, Tharoor said 'critics and trolls are welcome to distort my views and words as they see fit. I genuinely have better things to do.'
Manipur govt will ensure Gwaltabi incident does not occur in future: Chief Secretary
Manipur Chief Secretary Prashant Kumar Singh has clarified that the State government had no involvement in the Gwaltabi incident, where security personnel allegedly covered the word 'Manipur' on a state-run bus — an act that triggered widespread protests across the state. He denied that the government issued instructions to cover the name of the State, and noted that strict action would be taken.
On May 20, 2025, a Manipur State Road Transport Bus ferrying journalists to the Shirui festival at Ukhrul was stopped and the name of the State written in the windshield was reportedly covered with a white paper. Several protests over the incident have rocked the Meitei-inhabited Imphal Valley over the last week.
PM Modi tears into Trinamool Congress over Murshidabad violence, teacher scam in West Bengal
PM Modi launched a blistering attack on the TMC government in West Bengal, saying that the State is 'plagued' by violence, corruption, and lawlessness, and asserted that people are now yearning for change from the 'Nirmam sarkar' (cruel government).
He said incidents of communal violence in Murshidabad and Malda are grim reminders of the TMC regime's 'cruelty and indifference' to the sufferings of ordinary citizens. He also said that 'pervasive corruption' is eroding public trust in the system.
Turning his guns on the West Bengal teacher recruitment scam, he accused the TMC of 'ruining the future of thousands of teachers and their families' through rampant corruption and irregularities.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a two-day trip to four States to launch numerous development projects, as he keeps up a busy itinerary touring different regions in the run-up to the first anniversary of his third term in office.
IMD issuing a red alert for eight districts of Kerala
The heavy monsoon rains and accompanying strong winds damaged homes, power lines and crops in many parts of Kerala, with the IMD issuing a red alert for eight districts of the State.
The heavy rains and winds caused uprooting of trees, waterlogging, and flooding of low-lying areas. In many hilly regions like Wayanad people were relocated to relief camps.
The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority said water levels in various rivers were rising due to the heavy rains. It advised those living on the banks of these rivers to be vigilant.
Federal court blocks Trump from imposing sweeping tariffs under emergency powers law
A federal court has blocked U.S. President Donald Trump from imposing sweeping tariffs on imports under an emergency-powers law, swiftly throwing into doubt Trump's retaliatory tariffs that have rattled global financial markets, frustrated trade partners and raised broader fears about inflation intensifying and the economy slumping.
The ruling from a three-judge panel at the New York-based U.S. Court of International Trade came after several lawsuits arguing Trump has exceeded his authority and left the country's trade policy dependent on his whims.
Trump has repeatedly said the tariffs would force manufacturers to bring back factory jobs to the U.S. and generate enough revenue to reduce federal budget deficits. He used the tariffs as a tool to negotiate trade deals to serve the U.S.' interest with other nations.
We don't know if the White House will respond to the ruling by pausing all of its emergency power tariffs.