Today in Politics: Can Congress, Shashi Tharoor bury the hatchet and move on?

The gap that had started widening between Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor and the Congress now looks more like a yawning chasm after the former said there were some 'differences of opinion' with some in the Congress leadership.
This comes after weeks of the Congress taking potshots at Tharoor, unhappy that he had been chosen to head one of the all-party delegations that went around the world to spread the government's message on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, even though the party had not recommended him.
The lack of any attempt at reconciliation became clear after the MP told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram that he had not been invited to campaign for the Nilambur bypoll. He also mentioned the 'misunderstandings' between the party and him and how, when he was abroad, 'they engaged in arguments without understanding what I had said'.
While he was in Panama during the multi-nation tour, Tharoor had riled his party by claiming that the Army had breached the Line of Control between India and Pakistan for the first time to 'conduct a surgical strike on a terror base, a launch pad… (after) the Uri strike in September 2016' and that it was 'something we had not done before'. The Congress hit back, reminding Tharoor about surgical strikes under the UPA government and suggesting that the BJP should name him 'super spokesperson'. Before he went on the tour, the Congress had been unhappy about his public comments since Operation Sindoor, and, in one instance, said he had crossed the 'lakshman rekha (red line)'.
But what options do the two sides have? Though the Congress attributed the lack of invitation to him for campaigning in Nilambur to a 'communication gap', the party may have to take a call, sooner rather than later, on whether it wants this situation to continue or if rapprochement is possible.
In one of her columns last month, Neerja Chowdhury noted the pitfalls of taking action against Tharoor. 'Action against him at this juncture could queer the pitch for the party in Kerala where elections are due next year. It is the one state the Congress has been confident of winning … Tharoor, who has called for a bipartisan approach on security issues, has carved out a niche for himself in the last few years that goes beyond the Congress. He has a following amongst the intelligentsia, the professional classes, and the youth.' Letting the sense of antagonism fester also reflects poorly on the party, which seems to be caught in a Catch-22.
Tharoor will also have to evaluate the choices before him. Floating a new party is way beyond difficult, and joining the BJP will likely dent his image in the liberal intelligentsia constituency. On Thursday, he categorically ruled out joining the ruling party and said, 'Let the Congress reveal their thoughts about me.'
PM Modi in Bihar, Odisha
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will head to Bihar for the fourth time this year. He will be in Siwan, where he will inaugurate the new Vaishali-Deoria railway line project and flag off a new train service on the route. In a boost for connectivity in north Bihar, the PM will also flag off a Vande Bharat Express train between Patliputra and Gorakhpur via Muzaffarpur and Bettiah. Modi will then flag off a locomotive built at a plant in Marhaura in Saran district for export to the Republic of Guinea. This is the first export locomotive manufactured in this factory.
The PM will also inaugurate six sewage treatment plants under the Namami Gange project, launch several other projects related to water supply and power infrastructure, and release the first instalment of the PM Awas Yojana (Urban) to more than 53,600 beneficiaries. He will also hand over keys to a few beneficiaries to mark the 'grih pravesh' ceremony of more than 6,600 completed houses.
Modi will then head to Bhubaneswar, where he will launch multiple development projects and release the Odisha Vision Document on the BJP-led state government's roadmap for the next 11 years, when the state will celebrate its centenary.
What will be the most closely tracked are the PM's speeches at public events in both these places.
Why Amit Shah is in Bengaluru
Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Bengaluru on Thursday night, and Friday morning, he will inaugurate Adichunchanagiri University's Bengaluru campus. The university is linked to the Adichunchanagiri Mahasamsthana Math, a monastery in Karnataka's Mandya district.
— With PTI inputs

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This would drastically decrease Russia's oil revenues that financed its war in Ukraine. Not only did Trump veto the proposal (rewarding Putin) but he expressed his undisguised annoyance at G7 for dropping Russia from the original G8. Those Indian GDP enthusiasts who swear that high GDP means world power may note that Russia figures nowhere in the list of top 10 GDP countries. These consist of the G7 ones and China, India and Brazil. So, India's fourth GDP rank counts for so little in the Game of Thrones. Salt on wounds do not seem to stop as Trump is even reported to have suggested inclusion of China into a new G9. Wasn't he at Xi Jinping's throat – until the latter kicked his anatomy where it hurts the most? India's foreign office must surely have noted Trump's penchant for kissing those who behave the worst. Remember how passionately he had wooed the terribly unreliable Kim Jongun of North Korea? But not even mentioning India to expand it to G 10 is a diabolical outrage, meant to wake us up to play rugger the way he does. Incidentally, this G7 summit was among the rarest – from which no joint communique could be issued – so fragmented are the big boys. It is time for India to assiduously befriend just two of the European four and try to strengthen positive relations with Japan to the next level. If China and Türkiye can stand rock-like behind Pakistan, India can not be so hopelessly isolated that not one major country comes out boldly, as an all-weather friend. Well, PM Modi did get a day's rest in Canada when the leaders of G7 huddled together, without the other 'invitees'. He figured not in the actual G7 photo, but in that of the extended group – standing somewhere on the second row, looking lost as others were busy networking. It goes, however, to a dignified, erudite Canadian PM's credit that he kept the few handful of Sikh agitators at bay and took positive steps to normalise relations with India. And, surely, PM Modi must have held bilateral talks with most – and one sincerely hopes that they begin to matter. After all, his visit to a record total of 74 countries so far could not persuade even one country– even Guyana or Fiji or Papua New Guinea would do, to begin with – to come out and say that they condemn Pakistan's terrorists and support India's retaliation. Also read: Rousing Rhetoric for Diaspora, Tourist Spot Visits, Courting Domestic Voter Base: What MPs Did Abroad The hyper-publicised seven 'all party' delegations are back home after visiting 32 countries. My former colleagues in parliament must all be tired. But the 31 political leaders from the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) must now be happy that Modi has finally cast his benevolent gaze at them – after excluding most, for years together, from either importance or power. The 20 politicians from 'other parties' are also grateful for this unique world tour and one of them weaponised it against the detractors in his party. Fine, but it is doubtful if even one of the 32 countries visited would stand up for India. But politics is politics and neither performance nor results matter – something else does. That's why I left it. We have taken the PM and his prickly, ultra-pontificating foreign minister to task in the earlier piece for landing us in such a friendless world. But we also have to admit that there is surely a strong malicious tinge in this west's disaffirmation of India's indisputable economic elevation. India's manufactured superpower narrative is also hot air, because economic growth is only one factor. History shows that no nation has ever been conferred a place on the high table without facing initial scorn, condescension and trial by fire. England, for instance, was just pooh-poohed as a nation of shopkeepers until Poseidon (or Varun) intervened with unruly storms in 1588, for Francis Drake to defeat the invincible Spanish Armada. But, England continued to face ridicule from the continental powers that dominated land warfare and its conquests in India and elsewhere attributed to a cocktail of fluke and bribery. It was only after Wellington managed to defeat Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815, with dollops of timely assistance from Field Marshal Blucher and his merciless Prussian cavalry that England mattered. If we look intently at each one of the other nations of G7, we will understand how much blood and gore they have gone through in the past centuries. In fact, the dropped-out eighth nation, Russia, alone has witnessed more death and devastation than any other country. What is more relevant is that the entire population of these nations was involved and every village lost her sons. There was, therefore, no time for pampered citizens to indulge in warmongering from air-conditioned homes. Those mercenary TV anchors who won imaginary victories in Pakistan (and their counterparts there) have brought shame to the profession and are now a laughing stock among informed global citizens. India's isolation is a current reality and while we break out of it with all we have in us, we must also realise that 'demeaning an upstart' is left-handed recognition. The rest of the nation's journey up is long, perilous and, hopefully, less violent. Jawhar Sircar is a former Rajya Sabha MP of the Trinamool Congress. He was earlier Secretary, Government of India, and CEO of Prasar Bharati.