Mamata sets stage for 'Bangaliyana vs Hindutva', asks TMC workers to launch stir against BJP's linguistic terror
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The Wire
2 minutes ago
- The Wire
Operation Sindoor: Narendra Modi's Image Versus National Interest
Prime minister Narendra Modi should know that seeking the cooperation of opposition parties to project India's case abroad after Operation Sindoor must necessarily be accompanied by showing some respect for the opposition in domestic politics. You cannot seek opposition cooperation to present a unified foreign policy position abroad and continue to treat opposition parties as "enemies" in domestic politics. After all, it was the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat who had advised the Bharatiya Janata Party not to treat the opposition as enemies and also constructive engagement after the BJP's disappointing performance at the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. In this regard has Modi learnt any lessons from the 2024 Lok Sabha results? The basic attitude and approach doesn't seem to have changed. Modi still believes that he can cynically manipulate the opposition through coercive politics without showing any sincerity of purpose. It is common knowledge now that Operation Sindoor, though a limited success, was badly bungled at several levels and mistakes were made which could have been avoided. This is something the government is yet to admit buy responsible Indian military officers have dropped adequate hints in public fora. When an honest military officer cited " restraint from political leadership" as a reason for some Indian fighter planes going down, he was serving the interest of truth. The Modi government's initial silence on the other hand was meant to protect the prime minister's image. Modi was clearly on the backfoot after operation Sindoor and was unable to fully convince his own constituency (including the RSS) that it was an unqualified success. He therefore swallowed his ego for the first time and approached the opposition parties to take part in a joint delegation to present India's case abroad as no country had explicitly condemned Pakistan's role in the Pahalgam terror attack. The Congress party led by Rahul Gandhi has been been raising tough questions around Operation Sindoor and sought a special session of parliament to discuss everything threadbare. Other opposition parties wanted the same. But then the cynical, coercive and manipulative template of politics is embedded in the regime's DNA. The opening of the parliament session was marked by the unprecedented resignation of vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar. This was the distraction the BJP needed to create chaos and disrupt what might have been a relatively more orderly parliament session with the citizens eager to learn more about the critical issues of national interest such as Operation Sindoor and the stupendous claims by US president Donald Trump on India-Pakistan ceasefire linked to trade talks. The reality is that the president of the world's biggest military power has repeated 25 times that he stopped the India-Pakistan military exchange which was about to spillover to the nuclear domain with the threat of trade. Whether Modi likes it or not, this issue will have to be discussed in parliament. The people of this country cannot be kept in the dark simply because Modi's personal image is to be kept intact. This, in fact, is the nub of the issue. Operation Sindoor and the multiple issues it has thrown up demands an open discussion in parliament to further national interests. But the regime's ecosystem is bent upon creating distractions and confusion to protect Modi's image. So national interest and the ruling ecosystem's attempt to save Modi's image are totally at odds with each other today. This was apparent even during Operation Sindoor. The BJP's media ecosystem projected Modi as a warrior who will not spare Pakistan but the moment the ceasefire happened, Modi's picture was withdrawn and replaced with that of government spokesperson Vikram Misri who announced the ceasefire. This was undisguised manipulation. Similarly, people noticed how Modi used the opposition's cooperation to burnish his own image with his domestic constituency. Even before the opposition delegation had returned, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar was boasting at a public forum that Modi had achieved with the opposition parties what even Indira Gandhi couldn't have done in the 1970s. Thus everything is a personal image building exercise for Modi first, and then something else. One only hopes that Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tiwari have internalised this aspect of Modi's narcissism when they lend unqualified support to Operation Sindoor in "national interest." Don't they see how "national interest" seamlessly converts to Modi's interest in domestic politics? Don't they see how the hyphenation of India with Pakistan, which they speak against in global fora, is paradoxically a key component of Modi's image building politics in the cow belt? They might see more of it in the current parliament session as the ruling party cynically manages everything as it has done in the past. Indeed how Modi treats the opposition parties in domestic politics, as aptly articulated by Mohan Bhagwat himself, is fundamentally the bane of Indian politics and the primary cause of democratic backsliding today. If this is not fixed nothing is fixed.
Hindustan Times
32 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Mushrif blames Ladki Bahin for delay in rolling out farm loan waiver
Mumbai: Maharashtra medical education minister Hasan Mushrif on Sunday blamed the Ladki Bahin scheme for delay in announcing the farm loan waiver promised by ruling Mahayuti alliance in its manifesto for the assembly poll held last year. Hasan Mushrif, medical education minister (Hindustan Times) 'We had promised to waive crop loans taken by farmers but the state government is spending ₹46,000 crore a year on our Ladki Bahin (scheme),' Mushrif said while addressing a public meeting in Kolhapur on Sunday. Under the scheme, introduced in July last year ahead of the assembly poll, nearly 24.6 million women from low-income families are paid a monthly dole of ₹1,500. The state government spends around ₹3,800 crore per month on the scheme, which has affected expenditure on other welfare programmes and compelled several ministers to speak out against its impact on the state exchequer. 'Despite the financial constraints, the government has introduced several measures to help the farming community,' Mushrif told the gathering. 'I have a different point of view on farm loan waivers,' he went on to say. As soon as the government promises a waiver, farmers stop repaying loans, putting banks in trouble. The government should instead double grants given to farmers who honestly repay their loans to help them emerge from crises, he said. On July 13, Mushrif's colleague in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and sports and youth welfare minister Datta Bharne had said that funds were delayed because of the Ladki Bahin scheme. Chhagan Bhujbal, another NCP leader and minister, too had raised the issue, saying the scheme had placed immense financial strain on the exchequer. Before them, Shiv Sena minister Sanjay Shirsat had objected to the diversion of ₹410 crore to the scheme from the social justice department. The Ladki Bahin scheme was credited as a major reason behind the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance's landslide win in the 2024 assembly elections. However, with an estimated revenue deficit of ₹45,892 crore in the financial year 2025-26, the government is now finding it difficult to make budgetary allocations for various other populist schemes announced ahead of the assembly elections. Consequently, it has postponed implementing its poll promise to increase the monthly allowance under the scheme from ₹1,500 to ₹2,100. 'If I were CM' Eyebrows were raised in political corridors on Sunday when Mushrif said that he would double the grants given to farmers who repaid loans on time if he became the chief minister some day. 'By God's grace, if at all I become the chief minister some day, I will double the grant to farmers who are honestly repaying loans. If they are getting a sum of ₹50,000 I will increase the amount to ₹1 lakh. This will help build a habit of repayment of loans among farmers,' he told the gathering at Kolhapur. The reference to chances of him becoming chief minister caused an uproar as his political boss and NCP chief Ajit Pawar has had the same desire for a long time.
India.com
32 minutes ago
- India.com
Parliament Monsoon Session Resumes: Operation Sindoor, Pahalgam Attack, Bihar Electoral Roll Controversy In Key Focus
Disruptions marred the first week of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. Following an agreement between the government and the opposition, both houses are set to resume on Monday, July 28, with a planned discussion on 'Operation Sindoor', India's military response to the Pahalgam terror attack. The session, which began on July 21 and lasted five days, was marked by frequent disruptions and the unexpected resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. Here is the agenda for today's parliament monsoon session. Top Points Of Today's Parliament's Monsoon Session -Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will initiate the debate, while Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and BJP leaders Anurag Thakur and Nishikant Dubey are also expected to participate. -A heated debate over the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor is anticipated in Parliament today in the presence of senior leaders from both the ruling alliance and the Opposition. -The opposition is also seeking clarification from the government regarding US President Donald Trump's claims of mediating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. -Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi may address both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. -In addition to key ministers and leaders such as Anurag Thakur, Sudhanshu Trivedi, and Nishikant Dubey, NDA members from the seven multi-party delegations that visited over 30 global capitals following Operation Sindoor are expected to speak. However, uncertainty surrounds whether Congress will allow Shashi Tharoor to speak. Tharoor led a delegation to the US and publicly praised the NDA government's response. -TDP MPs Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu and GM Harish Balayogi are also expected to participate in today's Lok Sabha debate, with the party allotted 30 minutes for their contributions. -INDIA bloc leaders are expected to protest outside Parliament at Makar Dwar at 10:30 am on Monday, opposing Bihar's electoral roll revision. -The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar has become a contentious issue, with the opposition alleging it aims to give an advantage to the BJP-led alliance in upcoming elections. -The Monsoon Session spans 21 sittings over 32 days, from July 21 to August 21. Both Houses will break for Independence Day, adjourning on August 12 and resuming on August 18.
