Today in Politics: Can Congress, Shashi Tharoor bury the hatchet and move on?
The gap that had started widening between Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor and the Congress now looks more like a yawning chasm after the former said there were some 'differences of opinion' with some in the Congress leadership.
This comes after weeks of the Congress taking potshots at Tharoor, unhappy that he had been chosen to head one of the all-party delegations that went around the world to spread the government's message on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, even though the party had not recommended him.
The lack of any attempt at reconciliation became clear after the MP told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram that he had not been invited to campaign for the Nilambur bypoll. He also mentioned the 'misunderstandings' between the party and him and how, when he was abroad, 'they engaged in arguments without understanding what I had said'.
While he was in Panama during the multi-nation tour, Tharoor had riled his party by claiming that the Army had breached the Line of Control between India and Pakistan for the first time to 'conduct a surgical strike on a terror base, a launch pad… (after) the Uri strike in September 2016' and that it was 'something we had not done before'. The Congress hit back, reminding Tharoor about surgical strikes under the UPA government and suggesting that the BJP should name him 'super spokesperson'. Before he went on the tour, the Congress had been unhappy about his public comments since Operation Sindoor, and, in one instance, said he had crossed the 'lakshman rekha (red line)'.
But what options do the two sides have? Though the Congress attributed the lack of invitation to him for campaigning in Nilambur to a 'communication gap', the party may have to take a call, sooner rather than later, on whether it wants this situation to continue or if rapprochement is possible.
In one of her columns last month, Neerja Chowdhury noted the pitfalls of taking action against Tharoor. 'Action against him at this juncture could queer the pitch for the party in Kerala where elections are due next year. It is the one state the Congress has been confident of winning … Tharoor, who has called for a bipartisan approach on security issues, has carved out a niche for himself in the last few years that goes beyond the Congress. He has a following amongst the intelligentsia, the professional classes, and the youth.' Letting the sense of antagonism fester also reflects poorly on the party, which seems to be caught in a Catch-22.
Tharoor will also have to evaluate the choices before him. Floating a new party is way beyond difficult, and joining the BJP will likely dent his image in the liberal intelligentsia constituency. On Thursday, he categorically ruled out joining the ruling party and said, 'Let the Congress reveal their thoughts about me.'
PM Modi in Bihar, Odisha
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will head to Bihar for the fourth time this year. He will be in Siwan, where he will inaugurate the new Vaishali-Deoria railway line project and flag off a new train service on the route. In a boost for connectivity in north Bihar, the PM will also flag off a Vande Bharat Express train between Patliputra and Gorakhpur via Muzaffarpur and Bettiah. Modi will then flag off a locomotive built at a plant in Marhaura in Saran district for export to the Republic of Guinea. This is the first export locomotive manufactured in this factory.
The PM will also inaugurate six sewage treatment plants under the Namami Gange project, launch several other projects related to water supply and power infrastructure, and release the first instalment of the PM Awas Yojana (Urban) to more than 53,600 beneficiaries. He will also hand over keys to a few beneficiaries to mark the 'grih pravesh' ceremony of more than 6,600 completed houses.
Modi will then head to Bhubaneswar, where he will launch multiple development projects and release the Odisha Vision Document on the BJP-led state government's roadmap for the next 11 years, when the state will celebrate its centenary.
What will be the most closely tracked are the PM's speeches at public events in both these places.
Why Amit Shah is in Bengaluru
Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Bengaluru on Thursday night, and Friday morning, he will inaugurate Adichunchanagiri University's Bengaluru campus. The university is linked to the Adichunchanagiri Mahasamsthana Math, a monastery in Karnataka's Mandya district.
— With PTI inputs
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