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NDTV
18 hours ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Congress May Have Finally Solved Its Tharoor Dilemma In Kerala
The Congress party's victory in Kerala's Nilambur by-election has pretty much sealed the fate of its high-profile dissident Lok Sabha MP from the state capital, Shashi Tharoor. The Thiruvananthapuram MP had deliberately boycotted the campaign on the plea that he was "not invited" to address any rallies. The Congress won anyway, wresting the seat back from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) with a handsome margin of more than 11,000 votes. The outcome is a huge morale booster for the Congress, coming as it does a few months before next year's crucial assembly polls, which the party hopes to win and end its losing streak in the state elections that followed the big 2024 battle last summer. The 'Tharoor Effect' The verdict also lays to rest fears of the Tharoor effect in Kerala, because of which the Congress leadership had been handling him with care despite his flirtation with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and his defiant admission of "differences" with his party. One swallow does not make a summer. The win in Nilambur is no guarantee of a state-wide victory for the Congress in Kerala's complex demographic landscape. The next big hurdle for the Congress is the upcoming panchayat polls due towards the end of the year. Five years ago, the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) had swept these elections, paving the way for its stunning second consecutive victory in the assembly face-off that followed a few months later. The LDF is no pushover, and as the numbers in Nilambur show, it put up a strong fight despite the presence of a rebel candidate who cut into its votes. The Congress, therefore, dare not rest on its Nilambur laurels and depend on anti-incumbency - visible in the by-poll - to see it through the panchayat elections first and then the assembly face-off. However, what the Congress party's success in Nilambur has done is to render Tharoor less relevant in its political calculations for both battles. Congress circles are confident that he has lost his damage potential and that going ahead, they can afford to ignore him. The Post-Op Sindoor Outreach Perhaps Tharoor had an inkling of the Nilambur outcome and read the writing on the wall. It is significant that on the morning of the result day, an article penned by him appeared in an English newspaper widely read in the South, in which he called Prime Minister Modi "a prime asset for India on the global stage". The article was ostensibly about the Modi government's post-Op Sindoor outreach, in which Tharoor led one of the seven international delegations that travelled across the world. There, he heaped praises on the Prime Minister for "his energy, dynamism and willingness to engage". In what is being seen as an oblique disapproval of his party's repeated criticism of the government, Tharoor said the PM "deserves greater backing". Congress Indifferent? Perhaps the Congress was busy celebrating its Nilambur win because, for the first time since Tharoor began his campaign to needle his party, regular baiters like Jairam Ramesh did not carp about the fulsome compliments for Modi from one of their own MPs. In fact, few bothered to respond to what Tharoor wrote. This was in sharp contrast to the daily war of words that broke out between Tharoor and his critics in the party, such as Ramesh and Pawan Khera, to name a few, while the Thiruvanthapuram MP was jetting his way around the American continent extolling the virtues of Operation Sindoor. Congress spokespersons lost no opportunity to mock Tharoor, and he responded in kind. The petty level of the exchanges caused much mirth in BJP circles, which could not hide their glee that yet another favourite of the Gandhi family had turned rogue and was giving his party sleepless nights. What's Next? Many in the Congress feel that the Nilambur verdict may be a wake-up call for Tharoor. Is he on the margins of irrelevance in Kerala? Tharoor's main dilemma now is this: he's lost his exalted status in the Congress, and the CPI(M) will not have him. But is the BJP ready to accommodate him, and if yes, in what capacity? At one point, there was speculation that Tharoor would be useful for the BJP to make a breakthrough in Kerala, which has been off-limits to the party since the state's inception despite an active RSS and ABVP presence. Why A BJP Journey Won't Be Smooth There are two difficulties here. One is Tharoor's own diminished stature in the state after he butted heads with his party in Nilambur and came off badly. The other is the BJP's politics. The party ran a polarising campaign in Nilambur, in which it accused both the Congress and the CPI(M) of pandering to Islamic fundamentalists and extremist elements. It had hoped to woo both Hindu and Christian votes in the constituency through high-voltage propaganda. However, voters weren't happy. The BJP's candidate, Mohan George, not only polled marginally fewer votes than in the last election but even lost his security deposit. Congress Gets Some Breathing Space Nilambur is an assembly segment in Priyanka Vadra's Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency. It has been a traditional Congress stronghold, but in the last two assembly elections, the seat was won by the LDF. It is populated by Hindus and Muslims in roughly equal numbers and has a sizable Christian population as well. An initial study of the results suggests the Muslims consolidated in large numbers behind the Congress. The party also retained the support of the Christians. Congress circles hope that if this pattern repeats itself in other parts of Kerala, it will be able to recapture the state after a decade out in the cold. With the Nilambur by-election in the bag, maybe the Congress can finally put the sordid Tharoor saga behind it and concentrate on the challenging panchayat and assembly elections looming ahead. For the party to retain political relevance, it is vital that it wins both polls and proves that it is still a force to reckon with, at least in the southern states.
India Today
22-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
India builds missile shield against UNSC-member Pak with smart pick of nations
India is sending out seven teams to different corners of the world for post-Op Sindoor diplomacy and convey its stance on the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan. The seven teams of politicians and former diplomats are headed to 32 countries and the European Union. There is a reason why these countries, including Sierra Leone and Panama, are on India's list, and why some nations have been is among India's biggest diplomatic missions in recent years that will not just advocate its anti-terror measures but highlight its bipartisanship and the western countries that the teams will be visiting include the US, UK, France and Germany. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar are among the Middle East nations, and Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan are among the Asian countries that the delegations will be visiting. What is interesting is that countries like Sierra Leone, Algeria, Panama and Guyana feature in the mix of countries to be visited by the Indian reason is that the countries are part of the non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The UNSC comprises five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members with two-year Pakistan is a non-permanent member of the UNSC with its term ending in the diplomatic operation to permanent and other non-permanent USSC-member countries, India is trying to ensure that Pakistan's narrative on Operation Sindoor and the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) finds no Secretary Vikram Misri told the foreign-bound delegates that the countries had been picked on their global influence and UNSC membership, said BJP MP Aparajita is in the team being led by JDU's Sanjay Kumar Jha and will be visiting Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, and Singapore. Of these, South Korea is a non-permanent UNSC member with the term ending in 2025, while Indonesia and Malaysia are countries with big Muslim populations."When asked on what basis the nations were chosen, he [Vikram Misri] said that we are going to all countries that are members of the UNSC. We are also going to five other countries that will become members of the UNSC in the coming days," Sarangi told ANI."When a meeting will be held at the UNSC, Pakistan, which would be a member of the UNSC for the next 17 months, will definitely try to present its position. It will make anti-India claims... So, it is essential now that MPs of different parties should visit these different [UNSC] countries together and present our narrative," said other countries, the BJP MP said, "A few such countries have been selected whose voices are heard on an international level. These nations are very important."The Indian delegations also include former diplomats such as Syed Akbaruddin, former Permanent Representative of India to the UN; Taranjit Singh Sandhu, former Ambassador to the US; and Harsh Vardhan Shringla, former Foreign TURKEY, NEIGHBOURS AMONG NOTABLE EXCLUSIONSChina, which supported Pakistan with its weapons system and is investing in infrastructure projects, is the only country among the P5 UNSC members that the Indian teams won't be a team led by Shashi Tharoor is headed for the US, another led by Ravi Shankar Prasad is going to the UK and France. A Kanimozhi-led team will be visiting just China, even Turkey, which helped Pakistan fight India with military drones and Turkish operatives, doesn't obviously feature on the in India's immediate neighbourhood aren't on the list of the Operation Sindoor Hasina Bangladesh, which has drifted towards Pakistan and amped up anti-India voices, is an obvious exclusion, as are countries like Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka are strategically important to India, they do not carry a global heft, and that is why the task might have been left to officials and diplomats stationed there.'BROTHER IN ARMS' ISRAEL NEEDS NO CONVINCINGAnother notable miss from the list is Israel, which has helped India with arms and collaboration in weapon even as three separate teams are visiting countries in the Middle decision might be strategic, and with the conscious decision not to hyphenate the Jewish nation with the Arab which is also a victim of terrorism, needs no convincing of India's other countries were preaching peace, the Israeli Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, strongly backed India's Operation Sindoor."Israel supports India's right to self-defence. Terrorists should know there's no place to hide from their heinous crimes against the innocent," Azar posted on May 7 after India hit terror camps inside Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) in pre-dawn teams, one led by JDU's Sanjay Kumar Jha and the other by Shiv Sena's Shrikant Shinde, left for their destination countries on the countries chosen, and the delegates picked reveal smart and wise choices. After pushing Pakistan into calling for peace with its pin-pointed counterstrikes, New Delhi is deploying INS Tharoor and ICBM Asaduddin Owaisi on its diplomatic offensive against THE LIST OF TEAM LEADS AND THE COUNTRIES TO BE VISITED1. Team lead: Shashi Tharoor (Congress)Countries visiting: US, Panama, Guyana, Brazil, and Colombia2. Team lead: Baijayant 'Jay' Panda (BJP)Countries visiting: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Algeria3. Team lead: Ravi Shankar Prasad (BJP)Countries visiting: UK, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, and the European Union4. Team lead: Kanimozhi (DMK)Countries visiting: Spain, Greece, Slovenia, Latvia, and Russia5. Team lead: Sanjay Kumar Jha (JDU)Countries visiting: Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, and Singapore6. Team lead: Shrikant Eknath Shinde (Shiv Sena)Countries visiting: UAE, Liberia, Congo, and Sierra Leone7. Team lead: Supriya Sule (NCP-Saradchandra Pawar)Countries visiting: Egypt, Qatar, Ethiopia, and South AfricaMust Watch
