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Deccan Herald
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
50 years of Emergency and the Trump-ceasefire saga 2.0
Greetings readers, A slew of events unfolded in the political arena this week, with US President Donald Trump effortlessly taking the center stage. Forced by his habit of taking credits, Trump 'almost' took the credit for brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Iran too, after days of conflict. Back home, Shashi Tharoor and his English-speaking skills dominated the headlines, with the Congress leader praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi post Operation Sindoor. The praise is not sitting right with his party leadership and speculations have emerged of Tharoor looking for alternatives with his newly found 'wings'. So bear with us as we unpack each of the significant political developments one by one in this week's DH Political Theatre. A Nobel 'act'.After 12 days of air strikes on each other, and a cameo by the US–much like President Trump's cameos in several TV shows and movies prior to him stepping into politics, Iran and Israel finally agreed to a ceasefire on Tuesday, albeit a fragile one. Trump first declared a ceasefire between the two West Asian nations, hours after Iran fired missiles at the US military base in Qatar on Monday night. Trump later berated both sides for violating the ceasefire he had announced. While Iran said it would respect the truce if Israel did, Israel said it had refrained from further in announcing it had agreed to Trump's plan, said it had achieved all its military prior to all this, Trump was probably just inches away from clinching the Nobel Peace Prize, when towing the lines of previous US Presidents, he decided to meddle in the Middle East and sent B-2 bombers to attack Iran's nuclear sites. While the damage incurred by Iran's nuclear dreams cannot be ascertained clearly, the damage to Trump's Nobel dreams is done and in his own words the award may once again end up in the hands of a 'liberal'. Emergency 50-50.'The biggest flaw of democracy is that you can't permanently take someone out of the picture. …What can you even call those High Court judges, who so promptly hand down verdicts against the government. They are all ungrateful.'The above excerpt from Urdu and Hindi author Rahi Masoom Raza's 1978 book Katra Bi Arzoo perfectly encapsulates the power of a democratic setup and why political leaders feel the need to trample upon it for extending their year marked the 50th anniversary of the Emergency imposed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on June 25, lesson that can be learned from the chapter of Emergency of Indian history is the perils of the occasion, Home Minister Amit Shah released a book titled The Emergency Diaries - Years that Forged a Leader, a compilation of Modi's experiences during the anti-Emergency book describes how 25-year-old Modi distributed many newspapers published secretly in markets, among students and women, reminiscent of the times when the prime minister was probably not aversive to press conferences its futile attempts to justifying the reasons for the imposition of Emergency, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh shared a White Paper tabled in Parliament on July 21, 1975 saying the government had imposed Emergency to put democracy "back on the rails" and in the wake of activities of "fascist groups" in the country that crossed all permissible president Mallikarjun Kharge said an 'undeclared emergency' has been prevailing in the country for the last 11 years, an accusation which did not sit well with the BJP leaders.'Saffron'...gives you wings?.'Don't ask permission to fly. The wings are yours and the sky belongs to no one,' read a post on X by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor sometime after party chief Mallikarjun Kharge expressed displeasure with the Thiruvananthapuram MP's praise for PM Modi. Tharoor, in an article published in a leading newspaper on Monday, said Modi's energy, dynamism and willingness to engage remained a "prime asset" for India on the global stage but deserved greater backing. The article has elevated the uneasiness in the relationship between the Congress leadership and Tharoor. Though Tharoor on Tuesday tried to clear the air around the issue and said that his article was not a sign of his "leaping to join" BJP and just a statement of national unity, it did not stop Congress leaders from questioning Tharoor's conduct since he was chosen to be part of an all-party delegation on Operation Sindoor. Congress' Manickam Tagore even warned his Lok Sabha colleague that free birds should be aware of 'hawks, vultures, and eagles' preying in the the 'free-spirited' Tharoor will stop by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Marg and are BJP leaders secretly taking English speaking lessons, is still unclear. Bypolls: A boost for AAP and Trinamool Congress retained their four sitting seats in the bypolls on Thursday while Congress snatched one held by a former Left-backed independent in Kerala, putting the ruling CPM-led Left Democratic Front on the won its two sitting seats in Gujarat's Visavadar and Punjab's Ludhiana West while it was pushed a distant third in Gujarat's Kadi, where the BJP retained the seat. Trinamool Congress won the Kaliganj seat while in Kerala's Nilambur, Congress won with a convincing margin against the CPM. Buoyed by the victory, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal told reporters that if the bypolls were semi-finals to 2027 elections then there will be a 'typhoon in 2027.' No mention of Pahalgam in SCO document .Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday refused to sign the joint communique of the Shanghai Cooperation Organsation's defence ministers meeting as the document neither mentioned the dastardly Pahalgam terrorist attack nor took into account India's concerns on terror strikes emanating from Pakistan. Because of India's refusal, the SCO, which follows the principle of consensus, could not issue a joint statement after the two-day meeting at Qingdao, sending a strong message to Pakistan and its all-weather ally China, who are understood to be the main players behind making such a draft. Kanhaiya, the twelfth leader Kanhaiya Kumar accepted being "the twelfth man" in Bihar polls and said that he will contest the upcoming elections if the party tells him a cricketing analogy, Kumar said that just like batting, bowling, and fielding are responsibilities that have to be fulfilled on the cricket field, fighting polls is also a responsibility in politics."If the captain tells me to sit outside and deliver drinks for those at the crease, I will do that. And if the captain tells me to, I will also pad up and bat," Kumar said. He also said that there is no confusion or dispute in the 'Mahagathbandhan' over Tejashwi Yadav being the main face for the Bihar chief minister's post. That is all about the political drama that unfolded this week. DH Political Theatre will come back again next week with more political advancements from around the world. Exit Stage Left, DH Newsletters Team
Deccan Herald
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
Modi talks tough on terror while Trump claims ceasefire credit
Greetings readers, After four days of military standoff which included drone strikes and attacking each other's military bases, India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire on Saturday. The key event which came as a relief to civilians living in the border areas remained the most important development in the political circle for most of the week, except for US President Donald Trump sneaking in here and there. Please remain seated as we take you on a political tour around the globe in this week's DH Political Theatre. No business as usual: Modi draws the line on days after the announcement of ceasefire between India and Pakistan, and for the first time since Operation Sindoor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation and sternly warned the noisy neighbours that India will not succumb to nuclear blackmail. He also sent a clear message to the world: terror and trade cannot happen together, terror and trade cannot go the Indian Armed Forces targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan by dropping missiles, Modi resorted to his classic mic drop rhetoric to caution the neighbouring country on harbouring terrorists. "Operation Sindoor is India's new policy against terrorism and our unwavering pledge for justice. It is the new normal. We have only kept in abeyance our operations against Pakistan and the future will depend on their behaviour," Modi said in a 22-minute to India putting in abeyance the Indus Waters Treaty, Modi said that blood and water cannot flow ceasefire announcement however, was rather dramatic as US President Donald Trump shared the news on his Truth Social handle before any of the countries involved. While Pakistan has acknowledged the 'constructive role played by the United States' in supporting the de-escalation, India has maintained that no third party was involved in the decision. And the credit for ceasefire goes to….Unfazed by New Delhi's rejection of his claim that the US brokered the India-Pakistan ceasefire, President Donald Trump has now not only vowed to help resolve the dispute over Kashmir but also said that the conflict his administration helped end could have killed millions. Trump repeated his claims during his visit to Saudi Arabia as well. The Indian government has reiterated several times that the directors general of military operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea without any third party involvement. The contradictory claims have kicked up a political storm with the opposition Congress asking the Modi government, "Ameriki papa ne war rukwa di kya?""What do the typically loquacious PM and EAM have to say about this revelation? Did they mortgage India's security interests in the face of US pressure?" Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said on opposition parties have also requested for a special session of Parliament to discuss all the events following the Pahalgam terror attack. While Trump's unrelenting claims have put the Modi government in a tight spot, the elation is quite evident in the President's speeches of having finally and allegedly played the 'peacemaker' between two countries as Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Gaza conflicts still continue. The enemy within .While the whole nation including political leaders across party lines stood together in solidarity with the Pahalgam victims and the Indian Armed Forces, the narrative of unity set in place with army personnel from different backgrounds addressing the media on Operation Sindoor was crushed under the weight of condemnable remarks of a BJP leader. Madhya Pradesh Tribal Affairs Minister Vijay Shah came under fire for his comments aimed at Colonel Sofiya Qureshi during a public event in Indore. Shah tried to present Col Qureshi as the 'sister of terrorists', prompting the Madhya Pradesh High Court to take suo motu cognisance of his the orders of the HC, police have booked Shah for making objectionable remarks about Col Qureshi, who gained national prominence along with another woman officer, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, during media briefings on Operation Shah has apologised for his remarks, considering the "scurrilous" comments at such a sensitive time combined with his history of controversial statements, the apology holds less significance. Another leader from Madhya Pradesh, the state's deputy CM, too has courted controversy. Jagdish Devda went an extra mile while praising PM Modi and said the country, its army, and soldiers have 'bowed down at the feet' of the Prime Minister for giving a befitting reply to Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror a little too excited over the caste census announcement and feeling left out, Samajwadi Party leader Ramgopal Yadav too joined in and said that Colonel Qureshi was targeted by the BJP minister as she is a Muslim but Wing Commander Vyomika Singh was spared thinking she was Rajput."Let me tell you. Vyomika Singh is a Jatav from Haryana and Air Marshal Bharti is a Yadav from Purnia. So all three were from PDA (Picchda, dalit, Alpsankhyak or Backwards, dalits and minorities). One was abused as she was a Muslim. The other was spared thinking that she was a Rajput... and there was no information (to them) about Bharti. When it came in the (news)paper, they are forced to think about what to do now," Yadav said. Bihar in the brewing .With months to go for the Bihar Assembly polls, the caste census issue has taken the center stage in the state's politics. Playing the social justice card to the hilt, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday addressed inmates of an 'Ambedkar hostel' in Bihar and watched a movie based on the life of legendary reformers Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai also remarked that despite its earlier reluctance, the Union government eventually decided to hold a nationwide caste census 'out of fear.'Earlier, the Darbhanga district administration denied Rahul the permission to meet students on the campus saying the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha can hold his meet at the Town Hall instead of the university hostel. He then chose to get out of his car and walk several hundred metres to reach the ground adjacent to the hostel, where a huge canopy had been put up."My car was stopped at the gates. But I did not relent...I took a circuitous route to reach here on foot", Gandhi said at the function, speaking into a hand-held in US-China trade and Washington have agreed to a 90-day pause on tariffs after holding bilateral talks in Geneva last weekend, surpassing market expectations, as both sides agreed to significantly roll back most of the tariffs imposed on each other's goods since early the other hand, US President Donald Trump was on a four-day tour of the Gulf nations this week. During his tour, Trump announced deals worth hundreds of billions of dollars between the United States and the oil- and gas-rich Middle of the major deals of the tour included Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways committing to spend $14.5 billion to buy 28 Boeing 787 and 777X aircraft powered by GE Aerospace is all about the political drama that unfolded this week. DH Political Theatre will come back again next week with more political advancements from around the world. Exit Stage Left, DH Newsletters Team
Deccan Herald
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
Leaders show rare united front as Operation Sindoor dents terrorists and Pakistan
Hello, dear readers!Another week has passed by, a week that saw significant developments that led to political sights which are as rare as finding a four-leafed clover. It also saw renewed hope in eradicating terrorism, and a new Pope that Trump may, or may not, without further ado, let the curtains rise to this week's DH Political Theatre!.Divided by ideologies but united in grief and politics, unity between ideologically different parties is almost impossible to think of. However, even the impossible becomes possible in extraordinary Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which saw 26 people killed, was an extraordinary circumstance. It left the whole nation in shock and seething with anger, seeking justice and retribution against the perpetrators, the Resistance Force, which is a front of the Pakistan-based terror outfit Laskhar-e-Taiba. Putting their politics and ideologies aside, all Indian parties united to support any action the Centre and the Armed Forces weeks since the attack, in the dead of night (between 0105 and 0130 hours on May 7), the Indian Armed Forces provided the retribution that citizens sought through Operation Sindoor, hitting at the core of the terror infrastructure inside Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, destroying nine terror Sindoor's success was hailed by leaders across the country, from regional to national, from MPs and MLAs to CMs, Ministers, and LoPs. The next day, leaders across the political spectrum attending an all-party meeting convened by the government were united in support of Operation Sindoor. "All the leaders have shown maturity at a time when the nation was faced with big challenges," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju told was an extremely rare sight for the Indian political sphere, but the circumstances themselves were also precision and maybe even some perception?.While the operation was lauded almost unanimously in India, the symbolic messages that India has been giving through its actions has also been loud and government's choice of the name Operation Sindoor signalled its intention to avenge the widowed women in the Pahalgam attack. It was intended to invoke the image of Himanshi Narwal sitting beside the body of her slain husband Vinay Narwal, who was an Indian Naval it was two female defence officers, Colonel Sofia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, who addressed the media on the operation conducted by the armed daughter of Kochi native N Ramachandran who was killed in the Pahalgam terrorist attack, said, there is no better name than 'Operation Sindhoor' to the terrorist act that wiped off the sindoor of many women like my senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said that a war cannot be won on emotions and wondered whether the name "Operation Sindoor" was picked by the government for scoring "sentimental benefits".Whether or not it provided political benefits to any party remains to be seen, but the optics certainly did boost the nation's Modi misses meet, LoP Kharge turns up the all-party meet was the second since the Pahalgam attack. And both were chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. PM Modi skipped both of them. No matter how united the Opposition is with the Centre given the circumstances, they were bound to question his absence. "We wanted the PM to participate and briefly talk about the action against terrorism. We salute the jawans who have shown bravery. We wanted him to come and brief us but he did not. He had not even attended the last meeting," Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said after Thursday's all-party came after Kharge had claimed he had received information that the Prime Minister had cancelled his visit to Kashmir on April 19 following intelligence inputs, and questioned why that intelligence wasn't given to security forces in the to those allegations, BJP Jharkhand president Babulal Marandi said Kharge's criticism of Modi was "uncalled for", as it "lowers the morale of security forces" at a time the fight against terrorism and Pakistan was at a "decisive juncture"..Nation stands united, yet some noises of bickering the nation focus was on the tensions on the border, Assam's CM and Lok Sabha's deputy LoP continued their usual political back and forth with fresh leader Gaurav Gogoi on Tuesday hit back at Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for making allegations against his wife, saying the BJP IT cell was indulging in "petty politics" at a time the entire country was united and supporting the Centre in its efforts against had alleged Gogoi's wife, Elizabeth Colburn, had "good relations" with the Pakistan Army, adding that she had travelled 19 times between India and Pakistan, and Pakistan Army officials had accompanied her in the neighbouring even in the most unusual of circumstances, it isn't possible to expect complete unity between water says Haryana, too much water says the background of the conflict between India and Pakistan, tensions between Punjab and Haryana are also extremely Bhagwant Mann government in Punjab on Monday moved a resolution in the state assembly here, vowing not to spare even a single drop of water from its share for the neighbouring here, political parties united in their stand, with Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa extending full support to the was after Haryana's leaders, at an all-party meet, hit out at the Punjab government, saying not following the Board's direction to release water was "unconstitutional, inhuman" and an attack on the federal structure of the Constitution. CM Nayab SIngh Saini also claimed that there was a drinking water crisis in Supreme Court intervened on the matter and, after hearing submissions, directed Punjab and Haryana to cooperate with the Centre in reaching an amicable solution on the SYL canal then, it seems the states have put aside their issues for now to focus on the border tension, as Punjab shares a border with Pakistan and needs to remain on alert over potential steadily, Bihar the elections themselves will be conducted somewhere around October-November, politicians in Bihar are slowly building up steam towards the last dash. Last week saw two NDA leaders, Anil Singh, a former BJP leader, and Shambhu Patel, who was with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U), inducted into the their I.N.D.I.A. bloc allies, stated that they are set to contest 12-15 seats out of the 243 assembly seats in Bihar, subject to discussion with their allies.I.N.D.I.A. bloc seems determined to win in Bihar, having faced the humiliation of being kicked out of power after JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar switched sides to the NDA to form a fresh govt in the state. They will also hope that a victory for them might sway the Bihar CM's loyalty again, and through it, put pressure on the ruling NDA in the innovation, or 'Gobarnama'?.SP chief Akhilesh Yadav was at it again against UP CM Yogi Adityanath, this time taking shots at the BJP leader's directive to use cow dung-based paint in government buildings."Gobarnama: BJP government's new feat," Yadav said in a post on X in to Yadav's post, BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi claimed the Samajwadi Party chief hated cow dung and cattle. "Yadavuvanshi Akhilesh Yadav hates cow dung and cattle. Has he forgotten Indian culture and traditions after going to Australia, or does he insult cow, Ganga and Gita for his appeasement politics?" Tripathi of Trump's wish comes true, President Donald Trump, when asked who he wanted as the next Pope, had jokingly said that he would be his own 'number one choice', reports had was followed by the White House's official social handles sharing an AI image of Trump as the seems Trump's wish somewhat came true, Francis Prevost, who was elected the 267th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday and took the name Pope Leo XIV, is the first Pope from the United while Trump himself wasn't elected Pope, at least it was an American. However, Pope Leo did, at one point in time, criticise Trump and Vance. So it remains to be seen what the White House's attitude to their home-grown Pope will is all about the political drama that unfolded this week. DH Political Theatre will come back again next week with more political advancements from around the Stage Left,DH Newsletters Team
