Jaishankar Goes to Europe

A month after the cessation of India-Pakistan hostilities, the question of which narrative prevailed is settling in India’s favour. Attempts by Pakistani military to claim some kind of equivalence with India by circulating pictures, allegedly showing damaged Indian airbases and jets, are being called out almost as soon as the doctored and misleading images appear online. There is a view among some Indian foreign policy observers that an appropriate account of events could have been provided quickly after the May 10 ceasefire to dispel the confusion caused by US President Donald Trump’s claims about having mediated a truce. But clarifications by official spokespersons dispelled any ambiguity about India’s position in a couple of days. The decision to despatch seven all-party delegations to multiple foreign destinations has worked well. The decision to attach seasoned former diplomats as “sherpas” with the delegations is seen as a wise move. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has had to negotiate some rough weather following Trump’s self-adulatory comments but patient handling seems to have paid off. The minister is now on an important tour of Europe where he is speaking to key partners and addressing meetings with French, European Union and Belgium leaders explaining Modi’s declaration that India will not distinguish between terror organisations and their sponsors. It does seem that Jaishankar continues to enjoy the faith of the prime minister and has been entrusted to explain India’s anti-terror stance that involves negotiating Pakistan’s nuclear sabre rattling.

Sangh’s Guest List

American academic Walter Russell Mead was one of the guests at a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) function in Nagpur recently. He was received at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in Delhi a day before the Nagpur engagement. In India at the invitation of RSS, Mead was in the company of former US Congressman Bill Shuster and AI scholar Bill Drexel. In a recent article, Drexel offered an interesting view of the role of Hindu theology in India’s nuclear policy. The outreach was all the more important as the chief invitee at the function, former Congress leader Arvind Netam, highlighted the adverse impact of religious conversions on tribal societies and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said re-conversion was a process of correction or return to the original fold.

The Tharoor Effect

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has been in his element leading an all-party delegation of MPs that finished its tour with discussions and meetings in Washington DC. Armed with a sound understanding of foreign policy and familiarity with the DC political setting, the Thiruvananthapuram MP explained India’s view of relations with Pakistan and imperatives of Operation Sindoor with poise and confidence. In fact, he has been much more in the spotlight than he is at home where his role in parliamentary debates remains limited as Congress is usually represented by loyalists and the list usually does not provide many opportunities to Tharoor and other senior MPs like Manish Tewari.

Repeat Offender

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s claims of voter manipulation in the November 2024 Maharashtra state election has left the Election Commission in a quandary as its detailed clarifications have not deterred the leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis wrote a point-to-point rebuttal arguing that the “surge” in voting claimed by Rahul on the evening of polling day was no different than in the 2004, 2009 and 2019 elections. Neither was the addition of voters between elections. The Election Commission has been left with no option but to invite Rahul to submit a formal complaint which he is yet to do.

Kanimozhi Strikes a Chord

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader Kanimozhi concluded a successful post-Operation Sindoor outreach tour with an all-party delegation she was leading while visiting Spain. While in Spain, the group met the Association of Victims of Terrorism (AVT) and shared India’s experience in confronting cross-border threats, said a Doordarshan report. The interaction underlined shared concerns over terrorism with AVT’s 4,800 members being individuals directly impacted by terrorism.

A Guarded Canada

The Khalistanis, who announced their decision to protest Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Canada for the G7 summit, are preparing to observe the “martyrdom” day of Hardeep Singh Nijjar who was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey. This is proving to be a problem for Ottawa. The glorification of Nijjar, accused by the Indian government of involvement in terrorist activities, is a reminder of the Khalistani movement’s links to organised crime and terror cells run by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence. Though the ire of the Khalistani mob is directed against India, Canadians too are tiring of the aggressive in-your-face behaviour of the Sikhs for Justice members.

BJP’s OBC Spokesman

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has emerged as BJP’s main spokesperson on the caste census and has proactively taken on Congress on the issue, arguing the Opposition party’s advocacy for the backward castes is an afterthought. He has said Congress had the opportunity to conduct a caste census when it was in office but only undertook a survey littered with inaccuracies. Despite the pressure exerted by Mandal leaders part of the United Progressive Alliance, Congress did not bite the bullet. The decision to conduct a caste census signals BJP commitment
to social justice, he says.

CanadaDharmendra PradhangeopliticsOutreachpro-KhalistaniRahul GandhiS JaishankarShashi TharoorWalter Russell Mead