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Shashi Tharoor's independent stance fuels friction within Congress

Shashi Tharoor's independent stance fuels friction within Congress

Tharoor's independent stance and BJP-like nationalist tilt are testing Congress loyalty, stoking intra-party friction and future uncertainty, writes Shine Jacob
Shine Jacob Chennai
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Once hailed in the West as 'India's Rasputin' and considered the de facto number two to Jawaharlal Nehru, former defence minister V K Krishna Menon embodied the paradox of being a global citizen who struggled to belong within his own party. Menon's eventual exile from the Congress mainstream remains a study in political alienation — one that, increasingly, observers in Kerala now see echoed in the trajectory of Shashi Tharoor, a member of the Lok Sabha from Thiruvananthapuram.
Tharoor, like Menon, is internationally popular, and seen as independent-minded. And like Menon, he is now grappling with a widening gulf between

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BJP MP Alok Sharma accuses Bhopal's Muslim gym trainers of ‘love jihad', fuelling Bajrang Dal's campaign
BJP MP Alok Sharma accuses Bhopal's Muslim gym trainers of ‘love jihad', fuelling Bajrang Dal's campaign

The Print

time36 minutes ago

  • The Print

BJP MP Alok Sharma accuses Bhopal's Muslim gym trainers of ‘love jihad', fuelling Bajrang Dal's campaign

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"We Have Enormous Respect But...": Shashi Tharoor On Trump's India-Pak Ceasefire Claim
"We Have Enormous Respect But...": Shashi Tharoor On Trump's India-Pak Ceasefire Claim

NDTV

time39 minutes ago

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"We Have Enormous Respect But...": Shashi Tharoor On Trump's India-Pak Ceasefire Claim

Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor stated India does not seek war with Pakistan, refuting Donald Trump's claim of facilitating a ceasefire. He emphasized India's focus on development and clarified that it was Pakistan needing persuasion to stop hostilities, not India. New Delhi: Days after US President Donald Trump repeated his claim that he stopped India and Pakistan from fighting, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday said that India doesn't "need to be persuaded" as it doesn't want a war. India has repeatedly denied claims that President Trump played a key role in facilitating the India-Pakistan ceasefire on May 10, which came after four days of intense cross-border fighting. Mr Tharoor, who is leading an Indian parliamentary delegation to the US to highlight India's policy of zero-tolerance to terrorism, stated that India had "consistently" said from the very beginning on May 7 - when the Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor to avenge the terror attack in Pahalgam - that it is "not interested in prolonging the conflict". "We have enormous respect for the American presidency, and we will speak with that respect in mind. But broadly speaking, our understanding is a bit different. We had consistently said from the very beginning on May 7 that we are not interested in prolonging the conflict. This is not the opening salvo in some sort of war. All it is is retribution against the terrorists, period. If Pakistan had not reacted, we would not have reacted," he told the news agency ANI. #WATCH | Brasilia, Brazil | "We have enormous respect for the American presidency, and we will speak with that respect in mind. But broadly speaking, our understanding is a bit different... No one needed to persuade us to stop. We had already said to stop. If there was any… — ANI (@ANI) June 3, 2025 Mr Tharoor, whose party has questioned the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over President Trump's ceasefire claims, said that no one needed to "persuade India to stop". "We had already said to stop. If there was any persuasion by the American president or his senior officials, it would have been persuasion of the Pakistanis. They would have had to be persuaded," he said. "We don't need to be persuaded because we don't want war. We want to focus on development. That's the basic message," the Congress leader added. Trump Says Stopped "Potential Nuclear War" Between India, Pak Shashi Tharoor's reaction comes days after President Trump said the "deal" he is most proud of is that he was able to stop "potentially a nuclear war" between India and Pakistan. "I think the deal I'm most proud of is the fact that we're dealing with India, we're dealing with Pakistan, and we were able to stop potentially a nuclear war through trade as opposed to through bullets," he said during a press conference in the Oval Office last Friday. "It was getting very bad. It was getting very nasty. They are both nuclear powers," he said. "We can't trade with people that are shooting at each other and potentially using nuclear weapons," he added. President Trump also said that leaders in India and Pakistan are "great leaders" and "they understood, and they agreed, and that all stopped." India-Pakistan Tensions Tensions between India and Pakistan have increased following the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22, which left 26 people dead. India, after finding cross-border links to the attack, launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 and struck terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Pakistan then launched a massive missile and drone attack, but the threats were thwarted. In retaliation, Indian forces struck airfields in Pakistan. A ceasefire on May 10 ended the hostilities. India has maintained that the ceasefire was agreed upon following direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two militaries.

Silent on Trump's Claims, Modi Hits the Road With Op Sindoor Blitzkrieg
Silent on Trump's Claims, Modi Hits the Road With Op Sindoor Blitzkrieg

The Wire

timean hour ago

  • The Wire

Silent on Trump's Claims, Modi Hits the Road With Op Sindoor Blitzkrieg

Menu हिंदी తెలుగు اردو Home Politics Economy World Security Law Science Society Culture Editor's Pick Opinion Support independent journalism. Donate Now Politics Silent on Trump's Claims, Modi Hits the Road With Op Sindoor Blitzkrieg Sravasti Dasgupta 7 minutes ago West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has accused him of "political holi" with Operation Sindoor Real journalism holds power accountable Since 2015, The Wire has done just that. But we can continue only with your support. Contribute now Prime Minister Narendra Modi has conducted back to back rallies across multiple states including Bihar, Gujarat, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh highlighting the success of Operation Sindoor as posters adorn streets and flower petals are showered on him. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has accused him of 'political holi' with Operation Sindoor and said that the prime minister should respect women for whom sindoor is a matter of self respect. Meanwhile, Modi has maintained silence over the Trump administration informing a New York federal court in a written filing that US president Donald Trump used trade access as an incentive to 'avert a full-scale war' between India and Pakistan. The Modi government is also celebrating India surpassing Japan as the fourth largest economy even as a NITI Aayog member himself says this will happen at the end of 2025 and experts caution against any celebration. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments. Make a contribution to Independent Journalism Related News George Fernandes: A Man of Many Contradictions 'Lack of Self-Assurance or Deliberate Obfuscation': RJD MP in Letter to PM Demanding Special Parliament Session Rewriting Haldighati's Legacy: Pride, Politics, or Peril? All India Radio Trichy FM Goes Hindi By Night, Draws Ire Trump's Coercive Attack on Harvard is Part of a Deeper Crisis That Universities Face Today BJP Denies Reports of Using Col Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh as Campaign Faces A Look at the Left Govt in Kerala and the Times It Emboldened the Sangh The Grand Tamasha of Jammu and Kashmir Politics A Queen's Legacy: The BJP's Ahilyabai Holkar Campaign and the Gadariyas' Demand for Real Power About Us Contact Us Support Us © Copyright. All Rights Reserved.

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