logo
Today in Politics: SC to hear pleas challenging Waqf Act; Cong to launch ‘Jai Hind Sabhas' on national security

Today in Politics: SC to hear pleas challenging Waqf Act; Cong to launch ‘Jai Hind Sabhas' on national security

Indian Express20-05-2025

The Supreme Court on Tuesday is set to hear petitions challenging the Waqf (Amendment) Act to consider an interim stay on its provisions.
The pleas will be heard by a bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih. The bench said it would hear arguments for passing interim directions on three issues including the power to denotify properties declared as waqf by courts, waqf-by-user or waqf by deed.
The second issue raised by the petitioners relates to the composition of state waqf boards and the Central Waqf Council, where they contend only Muslims should operate except ex-officio members.
The third issue relates to a provision that says a waqf property will not be treated as a waqf when the collector conducts an inquiry to ascertain if the property is government land.
The Centre had opposed the apex court's proposal to pass an interim order against the denotification of waqf properties, including 'waqf by user', aside from staying a provision allowing the inclusion of non-Muslims in the central waqf councils and boards.
Congress's 'Jai Hind Sabhas'
Beginning on Tuesday, and running until May 30, the Congress is set to hold 'Jai Hind Sabhas' in 15 states to raise questions on the government's handling of national security and its 'silence' on the 'concerning involvement' of the US in halting hostilities between India and Pakistan.
These meetings will see the involvement of army veterans, party leaders and the general public, Congress general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal said in a post on X.
'Congress will hold 'Jai Hind Sabhas' across India to salute the supreme valour and success of our Armed Forces. We also must raise serious questions on security lapses, the Government's handling of national security, and its silence on the concerning involvement of the US in our national security matters,' Venugopal said.
Jai Hind Sabhas will be held in Delhi, Barmer, Shimla, Haldwani, Patna, Jabalpur, Pune, Goa, Bengaluru, Kochi, Guwahati, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar and Pathankot.
The Congress has accused the BJP of 'politicising' Operation Sindoor trying to make the military action a 'brand' for itself.
Meanwhile, in Karnataka, the Congress government is set to mark two years in power with an event at Hosapete in Vijayanagara district. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said three lakh people are expected to attend the event, which will also see Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi present besides Karnataka leaders like Deputy CM D K Shivakumar.
MP Cabinet meet at Rajwada Palace
On Tuesday, the Madhya Pradesh cabinet will meet at the historic Rajwada Palace in Indore to mark the conclusion of the 300th birth anniversary celebrations of famed 18th-century queen Devi Ahilyabai Holkar. The Cabinet is expected to make several decisions concerning public welfare, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said.
Ahilyabai Holkar, wife of Holkar dynasty ruler Malhar Rao Holkar, governed the Malwa region from 1767 to 1795. She is revered for her administrative skills, philanthropy, and religious devotion.
Recently, the Maharashtra Cabinet also held a meeting at Ahilyabai's birthplace in the Ahilyanagar district to commemorate her 300th birth anniversary. Though Ahilyabai is highly revered among all castes and communities, present-day Holkars belong to the Dhangar community, which has a significant presence in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
– With PTI inputs

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

How Tharoor hit Trump, Rahul Gandhi with a single stone on ceasefire
How Tharoor hit Trump, Rahul Gandhi with a single stone on ceasefire

India Today

time27 minutes ago

  • India Today

How Tharoor hit Trump, Rahul Gandhi with a single stone on ceasefire

Diplomacy is like the proverbial tip of the iceberg. What is visible to the public is just 10% of what takes place behind closed doors. And US President Donald Trump, with his bull-in-a-China-shop approach, is a diplomat's nightmare. There is a big reason why the Indian government hasn't vociferously junked Trump's claims of having mediated a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after the mini-war in May. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor made that public, albeit with the skills of a former diplomat that he most American presidents, Trump has been big on claims and short on action. This has led to him being mocked as Taco -- Trump always chickens out. However, the flying taco leaves an imprint wherever it claim of having brokered a ceasefire was lapped up by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who used it to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Trump made one gesture from there (the US), picked up the call and said 'Modiji, what are you doing? Narender surrender'. And Modiji said 'yes sir' and followed Trump's instructions," Rahul said in Bhopal on June was less than a month ago that India launched Operation Sindoor to target terror camps inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK). The May 7 strike saw Pakistan attack military and civilian areas in India with missiles and swarm of drones. India retaliated by targeting military infra deep inside Pakistan and left its forces May 10, as Trump made a surprise announcement on Truth Social -- the US had mediated a ceasefire between the two announced that the pause to the war came about after the Pakistani DGMO called up his Indian counterpart, raising the white Rahul Gandhi and his Congress have chosen to go with Trump, who also spoke about trade in the same has repeatedly, but prudently, stated that Trump didn't play any role in the ceasefire and that the pause came about with discussions between the two warring question is, why hasn't India vociferously rejected Trump's claims?The short answer is -- diplomacy happens behind closed doors and isn't a shouting ties are bigger than a property dealer-turned-politician's ego. Similarly, messaging for the nation, in which Shashi Tharoor is currently engaged, is not about the ego-massaging of a political is leading a multi-party team to the US to put forth India's stance on Operation Sindoor and the compulsion that forced it to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan."Do you think India has been firm enough to the constant mediation claim by Trump? It is the same question that your party continues to ask back home," Tharoor was asked in the yesterday, the leader of your party, Rahul Gandhi, said Modi surrendered to President Trump," the person asking made the backdrop with a loud laugh, Tharoor strongly reiterated India's stand -- India didn't ask anyone for mediation."All I can say is that I have enormous respect for the American Presidency and the American President. All we can say for ourselves is that we have never particularly wanted to ask anyone to mediate," Tharoor who has seen all shades of global diplomacy during his stint in the United Nations, including as the Under-Secretary-General of the UN, made clear India had clear priorities and didn't want to "jeopardise" ongoing India-US talks by countering Trump on a "matter of detail"."We have enormous respect for the US, and we have a much more important, valuable, and strategic partnership with Washington that we would not want to jeopardize over a matter of detail. We are cooperating in a number of areas and are interested in enhancing all of that. Small matters can be set aside so we can focus on tomorrow," said is amid ongoing India-US talks, where a trade deal could be finalised between the two countries soon. advertisementThe former diplomat killed two birds with one stone by calling Trump's ceasefire claims, and thereby Rahul Gandhi's political rhetoric, by trashing the issue as "small matter".Like Asaduddin Owaisi, who has been ferocious against Pakistan after the Pahalgam attack and used terms unlike anyone else to expose it, the suave Tharoor performed his national duty even as his own party tried to pull him Congress and Rahul Gandhi have been an exception in attacking the government at a time when the entire country stood united and bipartisan teams are representing Tharoor diplomatically sidestepped the political question, his colleague and Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora, addressed it."As far as the political question is concerned, I would like to extend my admiration for Dr Tharoor, whom I have known for a long time. He always puts country before party," said Deora, who is among the leaders in Rahul Gandhi's inner circle to have moved out of the Tharoor explained was a growing India's treading the line in not antagonising Trump, for Trump is like Jaykant Shikre of Singham, the bhi karne ka, Jaykant Shikre ke ego nahi hurt karne ka," is his pet statement in the is the Jaykant Shikre in the White House -- a mass of bloated ego -- and India, like Tharoor outlined, doesn't believe in a diplomatic hack is no denying that the government is answerable, and will be held accountable, but this might not be the right time. It isn't the time to bolster voices against the country that might be amped up by forces inimical to India's interests. This is the time to speak up in one voice as a nation. And Shashi Tharoor is one of the millions of such voices, stating the InMust Watch

Need to develop different approach for crowd management: Tharoor on Bengaluru stampede
Need to develop different approach for crowd management: Tharoor on Bengaluru stampede

The Hindu

time29 minutes ago

  • The Hindu

Need to develop different approach for crowd management: Tharoor on Bengaluru stampede

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has termed the stampede in Bengaluru near the Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium that claimed 11 lives as 'tragic' and said 'we will have to develop different approaches to control and management'. The comments by Mr. Tharoor, currently in the U.S. leading a multi-party delegation on Operation Sindoor, came during an interview with PTI Videos in Washington on Wednesday (June 4, 2025). Asked what would be his advice to his party colleagues who run the government in Karnataka, the State in which stampede took place, Mr. Tharoor said, 'Somehow or the other, we will have to develop different approaches to control and management. The government there will do what is necessary.' 'It [the stampede] is absolutely tragic. My heart goes out to those who lost their lives,' he said. At least 11 people died while several others were injured in the stampede in Bengaluru during the celebrations of Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) victory in the IPL on Wednesday (June 4, 2025). 'The saddest thing about our excitement and buzz of our population is that we are not good at crowd control. We will learn lessons from it but what a shame that it happened,' he said. In Bengaluru, State Home Minister G. Parameshwara said on Thursday (June 5, 2025) that Karnataka Government will formulate a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for mega events, meetings and celebrations aimed at preventing any untoward incidents.

'Sindoor ka badla khoon': Shashi Tharoor on Operation Sindoor's symbolism in US; watch video
'Sindoor ka badla khoon': Shashi Tharoor on Operation Sindoor's symbolism in US; watch video

Time of India

time33 minutes ago

  • Time of India

'Sindoor ka badla khoon': Shashi Tharoor on Operation Sindoor's symbolism in US; watch video

Shashi Tharoor NEW DELHI: Congress MP and former diplomat Shashi Tharoor , who is leading an all-party delegation to the United States, on Wednesday described Operation Sindoor as a deeply symbolic and culturally resonant response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack , saying that the mission was India's way of delivering "sindoor ka badla khoon", blood in return for the sindoor wiped from the foreheads of widowed Indian women in J&K's Pahalgam. Speaking in a presser, Tharoor said the name "Operation Sindoor" was deliberately chosen to convey both cultural meaning and national resolve. "Operation Sindoor, actually, I thought was a brilliantly chosen name. Sindoor, in case some Americans obviously don't know about this, is a vermilion mark that is applied to the centre of the forehead of married women in the Hindu tradition," he said. Detailing the brutal nature of the Pahalgam attack, Tharoor added, "We were very conscious of these brutal terrorists who, by the way, shot men in front of their wives and children but spared the women, and when one wife screamed out, 'Kill me too,' she was told, 'No, you go back and tell them what we've done.'" "That sindoor had essentially been wiped off the foreheads of 26 Indian women… so we wanted first of all, to avenge that act of wiping off the sindoor. But, secondly, it's no accident that the colour of the sindoor is bright vermilion red, which is not far from the colour of blood, and in many ways there is a Hindi expression that 'khoon ka badla khoon'; here it was 'sindoor ka badla khoon' hoga," he said. On the operational front, Tharoor highlighted the precision and scale of India's military strikes. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning For Working Professionals. BITS Pilani WILP Apply Now Undo 'There've been craters on the runway, operational command centers have been busted by these Indian bombs. Just yesterday, the Pakistanis publicly admitted that Indian strikes were so wide-ranging and effective they struck from as far as Hyderabad in South Pakistan to Peshawar in the northwest,' he said. Tharoor emphasised that the delegation's visit is aimed at presenting a united Indian stand against terrorism and educating the international community on the motivations behind India's counterterror action. 'This is not about party politics. We are here to speak for a united India, to explain clearly what Operation Sindoor stands for and why the country responded the way it did,' he said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store