Latest news with #post-OperationSindoor
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Business Standard
a day ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Race for Bengal BJP chief intensifies; new president name likely this week
With less than a year to go for assembly elections, the BJP is all set to announce its new West Bengal president this week, amid intense lobbying, internal deliberations and factional negotiations within the saffron party's state unit. The party's returning officer and MLA, Deepak Barman, issued a notification confirming the schedule, sparking speculations over who will take over the reins of the state unit ahead of the assembly polls in April-May next year. Nomination for the Bengal BJP president's post will be accepted on Wednesday, followed by scrutiny and withdrawal on the same day. The final list of candidates will be released at 6 pm, according to the notification. "If more than one candidate remains in the fray, voting will take place on Thursday from 12 noon, and the results will be declared by 1.30 pm," a senior BJP functionary told PTI. However, several party leaders maintained that the process is mostly a formality and a consensus candidate chosen by the central leadership is likely to be named without a contest. A section within the party has pitched for a seasoned leader, and one name gaining currency is that of BJP Rajya Sabha MP and senior leader Samik Bhattacharya. His sudden and formal visit to BJP national president J P Nadda's residence in Delhi on Monday has added to the speculations. "There are reports that he was invited through official channels and held a meeting with Nadda in the presence of senior leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, who is overseeing the Bengal BJP president election process," a party insider told PTI. "It cannot be seen as a coincidence." Although Bhattacharya maintained his meeting with Nadda was to brief him about the recently concluded parliamentary delegation visit post-Operation Sindoor, sources hinted that his name may be the sole nomination submitted in a sealed envelope on Tuesday, indicating a possible consensus candidate. A state BJP leader confirmed that all saffron party members of the all-party parliamentary delegations, which took part in the global outreach exercise for Operation Sindoor, on Monday met the party president. Bhattacharya, who has been with the party since its early days in Bengal, is seen as a balanced and widely acceptable face. "He has remained largely above intra-party groups, is articulate, media-savvy, and has no visible opposition within the organisation," said an office bearer of the party. "With internal rifts between various powerful lobbies peaking, someone like Samik could be a unifying force," he said. According to top BJP sources, the name of incumbent state president Sukanta Majumdar is once again under active consideration, despite the party's 'one person, one post' policy. Majumdar is also the Union Minister of State for Education in the Narendra Modi-led government. There are strong arguments on both sides, said a senior BJP leader. "Some believe that Majumdar, having served since 2021, should make way for a fresh face. But, others fear that replacing him now, just eight months before the polls, may disrupt the already fragile organisational structure," he said. Majumdar, a professor of botany, took over from Dilip Ghosh in September 2021. He is a two-time MP from the Balurghat Lok Sabha seat. The sources said the final decision will likely be announced on July 3 during a formal "president felicitation" ceremony at the Science City Auditorium in Kolkata. Political observers remain divided on the possibility of Bhattacharya's appointment. While some see it as a safe and loyalist choice, others fear it could be a "bad move" for the party, citing concerns over his mass base. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari has reportedly backed BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul for the top state post, and has communicated this to the party's Delhi brass. However, most insiders believe that Paul and BJP MP Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato, also in the race, remain outside the zone of serious consideration. "Samik da is leading the race now," a state party leader admitted, requesting anonymity. "He fits the requirement for a face that appeals to both the grassroots and the central leadership." Still, others in the party cite the example of Maharashtra, where a state president was changed less than three months before the polls, and yet led the party to success. "A well-accepted leader, even if newly appointed, can energise the base, if chosen wisely," the state party leader said. The BJP constitution allows Majumdar to serve a second tenure as president, having completed one full term since taking over in 2021. "But with ministerial responsibilities, it is increasingly difficult for him to do justice to both roles. And the party is clear about its 'one person, one post' guideline," another BJP leader said. As many as 415 state council members will vote if an election is required, though most leaders expect the process to be uncontested. "The final choice will reflect the central leadership's strategy for Bengal. The president will have to strike a balance between visibility, acceptability and discipline," a senior political observer said. Conspicuously missing from the discussion is former two-time state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh. Though some party members had pitched for his return, the central leadership and the RSS reportedly remain discontent with him, ruling out his reinstatement at this stage. While the leadership remains tight-lipped and no official confirmation has emerged, BJP circles are abuzz that the "real election is already over" and what remains is a procedural wrap-up.
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Business Standard
4 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Don't be surprised if India responds again to provocation: Tharoor
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said foreign countries were told clearly during the post-Operation Sindoor diplomatic outreach that in case of a fresh provocation, India would repeat its action. Speaking at a discussion here, he also said that on the 50th anniversary of Emergency, politicians should dedicate themselves afresh to the Constitution and the values of our founding fathers rather than scoring political points. Indian delegations which visited foreign countries in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor managed to tell their hosts that India acted with restraint and responsibility, Tharoor said during a discussion at the Ahmedabad Management Association. Even Colombia, which had issued a statement earlier expressing condolences for those killed in Pakistan, withdrew it, he noted. "In other places, we actually were able to get some very high-placed people to say not only that they respected and supported India's right of self-defence, but they actually commended the restrained manner of our response, that we could have been much I would say that, by and large, they were all very understanding," said the Congress leader. "But I would usually end by conveying that they should not be surprised that if this (terrorist attack) happens again, we too would do this again, and we wanted their understanding in advance. And I believe we left everybody in no doubt about our feelings and our intentions," he added. India signaled from the start that it was not interested in protracted conflict or starting a war, Tharoor further said. "What we were interested in was retribution against terrorists, and we only hit terrorist camps, terrorist facilities, terrorist bases. And from our point of view, that was it," he later told media persons at the venue. India's position was that "if Pakistan hits, we hit back, if it stops, we stop, so that the day they signaled that they would stop, India was willing to stop from the very start, and no one needed to persuade India to stop. "That's what the prime minister has also said. On the other hand, perhaps Pakistan needed persuasion, we don't know what the Americans may have said to Pakistan. If Pakistanis feel they stopped because Americans wanted them to, good for them, that's not a problem for us," he added. The delegation to five countries led by Tharoor was one of the seven multi-party delegations India dispatched to 33 global capitals to reach out to the international community to highlight Pakistan's links to terrorism. Speaking about the Emergency imposed by the erstwhile Congress government 50 years ago, Tharoor said everyone is very clear that it was "a bad period in our history because of a lot of suspensions (of liberties)," and then prime minister Indira Gandhi herself called elections and gracefully accepted their outcome. "I think all of us should use this anniversary to re-dedicate ourselves to the Constitution, to the values of freedom, to the values that our founders fought for and established," he said, adding, "I hope everyone uses this 50th anniversary not to play political games and score political points, but rather to re-dedicate ourselves to those ideals..." On his recent Russia visit, Tharoor said it was an opportunity to touch base with his counterparts and meet his "old friend", Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. "By and large our message (on Operation Sindoor) has been consistent. Fortunately the delegation sent by our government had already been there and met these people, so my task was not a difficult one to reinforce the message," he said. Russia has been India's old and trusted friend and it is always good to maintain these relationships, the Congress leader added. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV
4 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Don't Be Surprised If India Repeats Action Upon Provocation: Shashi Tharoor
Ahmedabad: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said foreign countries were told clearly during the post-Operation Sindoor diplomatic outreach that in case of a fresh provocation, India would repeat its action. Speaking at a discussion, he also said that on the 50th anniversary of Emergency, politicians should dedicate themselves afresh to the Constitution and the values of our founding fathers rather than scoring political points. Indian delegations which visited foreign countries in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor managed to tell their hosts that India acted with restraint and responsibility, Tharoor said during a discussion at the Ahmedabad Management Association. Even Colombia, which had issued a statement earlier expressing condolences for those killed in Pakistan, withdrew it, he noted. "In other places, we actually were able to get some very high-placed people to say not only that they respected and supported India's right of self-defence, but they actually commended the restrained manner of our response, that we could have been much I would say that, by and large, they were all very understanding," said the Congress leader. "But I would usually end by conveying that they should not be surprised that if this (terrorist attack) happens again, we too would do this again, and we wanted their understanding in advance. And I believe we left everybody in no doubt about our feelings and our intentions," he added. India signaled from the start that it was not interested in protracted conflict or starting a war, Tharoor further said. "What we were interested in was retribution against terrorists, and we only hit terrorist camps, terrorist facilities, terrorist bases. And from our point of view, that was it," he later told media persons at the venue. India's position was that "if Pakistan hits, we hit back, if it stops, we stop, so that the day they signaled that they would stop, India was willing to stop from the very start, and no one needed to persuade India to stop. "That's what the prime minister has also said. On the other hand, perhaps Pakistan needed persuasion, we don't know what the Americans may have said to Pakistan. If Pakistanis feel they stopped because Americans wanted them to, good for them, that's not a problem for us," he added. The delegation to five countries led by Tharoor was one of the seven multi-party delegations India dispatched to 33 global capitals to reach out to the international community to highlight Pakistan's links to terrorism. Speaking about the Emergency imposed by the erstwhile Congress government 50 years ago, Tharoor said everyone is very clear that it was "a bad period in our history because of a lot of suspensions (of liberties)," and then prime minister Indira Gandhi herself called elections and gracefully accepted their outcome. "I think all of us should use this anniversary to re-dedicate ourselves to the Constitution, to the values of freedom, to the values that our founders fought for and established," he said, adding, "I hope everyone uses this 50th anniversary not to play political games and score political points, but rather to re-dedicate ourselves to those ideals..." On his recent Russia visit, Tharoor said it was an opportunity to touch base with his counterparts and meet his "old friend", Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. "By and large our message (on Operation Sindoor) has been consistent. Fortunately the delegation sent by our government had already been there and met these people, so my task was not a difficult one to reinforce the message," he said. Russia has been India's old and trusted friend and it is always good to maintain these relationships, the Congress leader added. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Time of India
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Congress Slams Shashi Tharoor's ‘Modi First' Politics After MP's Praise for PM on Operation Sindoor
/ Jun 25, 2025, 05:21PM IST Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has broken his silence over Shashi Tharoor's public praise of PM Modi post Operation Sindoor, saying 'For us, the nation comes first — but some say Modi first, India second.' While he ruled out action against Tharoor, Kharge hinted at clear discomfort within the party over the Thiruvananthapuram MP's pro-Modi tone. Tharoor had lauded Modi's 'energy and dynamism' in a recent op-ed, prompting backlash from Congress leaders like Pawan Khera and Udit Raj. Tharoor was also controversially included in India's global outreach delegation after the Sindoor ceasefire. Kharge defended CWC unity, but his veiled dig has set off fresh debate within the Congress on loyalty, discipline, and positioning in the post-Operation Sindoor narrative.#shashitharoor #kharge #operationSindoor #modipraise #congressrift #indianpolitics #tharoorvscongress #modidiplomacy #cwc #tharoorcontroversy #khargeonmodi #nationalinterest #modifirstindiasecond #rahulgandhi #congressnews #bjpvscongress #indiadiplomacy #politicaldebate #breakingnewsindia #modiinternational #toi #toibharat #bharat #breakingnews #indianews
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First Post
22-06-2025
- Business
- First Post
How Turkey's interests in the Indian Ocean go beyond just Islamism
Like many other European nations, the US or China, Turkey has also seemingly concluded that the Indian Ocean is where the action is, and outsider nations should have a presence here if they have to be counted in, even as a wannabe global power read more In the post-Operation Sindoor domestic discourse, the strategic community in India, as well as sections of the nation's polity, have been targeting Turkey, along with China, for supporting Pakistan in what essentially was a cross-border terror attack in Pahalgam. In a simplistic way, many Indians have concluded that Turkey's support for Pakistan flowed from religious commonality. At times, it has been interpreted as Ankara's desire to recreate the Ottoman Empire spirit from a bygone era, where peripheral Muslim states in South Asia may be more malleable to inducements than nations from the Islamic heartland in West Asia and, by extension, Africa. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Such constructs are only partially and Pakistan have been friends and partners for over four decades, even as Ankara and New Delhi remained friends and trading partners. Turkey's backing for Pakistan, starting with the 'Kashmir issue' for some years now, is in fact a part of Ankara's two-decade-long plans for expanding beyond its immediate neighbourhood into the Indian Ocean. In a way, Turkey's ambitions in the matter are possibly older than those of China, which is also a non-territorial entity in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) but wants to have at least a piece of the cake. In comparison to both, the US, with its Diego Garcia military base, wants to be seen as an IOR entity. After the UK recently conceded Mauritius sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, of which Diego Garcia is a part, the US has got a new 99-year lease, over and above the original 50 years plus an additional 20, the latter since 2016. France, with the Reunion Island not far away from Diego Garcia, can claim greater legitimacy in the IOR. Extending the argument, it can be said China's interest in acquiring a 99-year lease of Hambantota 'territory' in Sri Lanka has a legitimacy angle to it as much as the trade, transhipment and bunkering business that it entails. No other non-regional player can claim such legitimacy and access – though in the case of China in Hambantota, the lease agreement does not entail any military presence. Hence also the Indian reservations about China sending out 'spy ships' in the name of oceanic research in recent years. In context, Turkey does not have any base or 'territory' of the Hambantota kind in these parts. That, however, has not stopped Ankara from making friends and influencing nations in the IOR neighbourhood, especially because India anyway would not have partnered with Turkey in creating a shared strategic interest in these parts. Certainly, it would not have helped India in any way. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Thus, street calls in India for a boycott of Turkey, as happened in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, on the lines of the successful social media boycott call of Maldives two years back, over time can only be counterproductive, especially if Indians are going to act on them in a big way. Such street acts on the government are forced to fall in line when New Delhi has been handling issues in a mature way. Unique Animal In geopolitical terms, Turkey is a unique animal. It has had historic links both with Asia and Europe, which is only a geographical reality. In terms of its Asian connections, rather than the religious roots, the country is a member of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC). In geo-economic terms, Turkey is not a member of the EU. But in geopolitical and geostrategic terms, the nation signed up with the US-led NATO because it feared the erstwhile Soviet Union. For the same reasons, Ankara was also a member of the US-created Central Treaty Organisation (CENTO). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Because India did not yield to American persuasions and instead created the non-alignment movement along with like-minded erstwhile European colonies in the Cold War era, Pakistan signed up, precisely for the same reason. The CENTO did not have as much relevance or importance as NATO, but it was one more venue where Turkey and Pakistan interacted. In historic terms, the Ottoman Empire had its origins in Islam that was native to Asia at the founding stage. With a 99-per cent Muslim population, Turkey is also only one of the two member nations in NATO, other than Albania (60 per cent Muslim), that has strong Islamic roots and presence. As is otherwise acknowledged, NATO is incidentally a grouping of nations that cherish 'Christian values'. Incidentally, the new name, 'Türkiye', is of very recent origins. Ankara notified the new name, or spelling, from the original Turkey to the UN in 2021 and officially adopted it only in 2023. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Turkey had a 'Vision 2023 Project' for the centenary year of the post-Ottoman Republic. It also has a 'Türkiye 2053 Project', coinciding with the 600th anniversary of the 'Conquest of Istanbul', an important milestone in Islamic political history. Since 2005, Ankara has been following a 'Three Vision' foreign policy, with a focus on Europe, West Asia and Africa, with the aim to recreate the 'Ottoman spirit'. In fact, the country even sought EU membership, and the aim is to try to leverage it to sub-serve the nation's geo-economic, geopolitical and geo-strategic ambitions. Yet, Ankara also has a clearer vision than is acknowledged, especially in 'distant' nations like India. It wants to make its mark in technology, and that includes technology for military purposes. Friendly Nations Turkey's drones played a significant role in Ukraine's continuing war with Russia, making the rest of the world look up. It has also emerged as a dependable defence supplier for 'friendly nations', of which Pakistan is only one, even in these parts. It wooed incumbent Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu from his past as Male mayor, and Turkey was the first country he visited after assuming office in November 2023. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Turkey has since delivered three drones to the Maldives to replace India-gifted aircraft to survey the vast seas around the archipelago against international drug smuggling and possible terrorist activities. More recently, Turkey also donated a 40-plus-year-old missile-capable naval vessel to Maldives, which is said to be a 'gas-guzzler' – but Ankara's message stood conveyed. In between, Turkey's 'TCG Kinaliada', a naval vessel, paid a goodwill visit to Maldives last year. During President Muizzu's maiden overseas visit to Turkey, his 'friend' Erdogan also seemingly promised to deliver the Maldives' full year's rations of essentials, including rice, sugar and wheat flour. The aim, whether of Muizzu, Erdogan or both, was to cut off Maldives' near-exclusive dependence on India in this department. Blame it on the Houthis' attack on shipping in the Red Sea or whatever; that did not happen. Maldives had to then go back to India quietly for continuing the supplies, for which Muizzu had bravely declared he 'will not depend on only one source'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Multi-polar World Plain and simple, Turkey's Indian Ocean outreach goes beyond Islam. Rather, the nation has regional and global ambitions like many others, especially in the post-Cold War era, when a multipolar world has caught the imagination of many nations. Turkey visualises itself as a 'middle power' of some kind and hopes to exploit its location advantage in political, economic and geo-strategic terms, using Islam as one more chip, or trump card, where it works. It suits the incumbent government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He and his ruling party have made 'Islamic nationalism' a steady staple in domestic politics. Erdoğan is facing re-election next year and street protests at present. The protests in March followed the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a possible challenger in next year's presidential poll. The issue of democracy may play a key role in the polls, but it does not necessarily mean that Turkey will overnight give up national ambitions. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Wannabe Power From an Indian perspective, this is important. Turkey's support for Pakistan on the 'Kashmir issue' flows from 'Islamic nationalist' and 'expansionist' tendencies. Under Erdoğan, it has vocalised and become louder – and also as frequent as Islamabad has wanted. But Turkey's national ambitions and a global role, centred also on the 'distant' Indian Ocean, remain. Like many other European nations, the US or China, Turkey has also seemingly concluded that the Indian Ocean is where the action is, and outsider nations should have a presence here if they have to be counted in, even as a wannabe global power. The writer is a Chennai-based Policy Analyst & Political Commentator. Email: sathiyam54@ Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
