A Geopolitically Well-Timed Launch
The launch of Ram Madhav’s latest book, “New World: 21st Century Global Order in India”, could not have been better timed, given the current global churn. The event was a star-studded affair with Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar giving the keynote address. Other panellists who spoke at the launch included Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari, ex Union Minister Suresh Prabhu and ex Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran. Given the bipartisan nature of the panel, the Vice President, who is also the chairperson of the Rajya Sabha quipped that “this is a litmus test for me, before the coming monsoon session of Parliament.” He also singled out Tewari for praise, commenting that “even if I disagree with him, which is more often than not, I admire him for his sharp intellect, for he never trips, and he demonstrated this recently during his trip abroad.” (If you recall, Manish Tewari was part of the government delegations sent abroad post Operation Sindoor). The Vice President lavished praise on the author too, pointing out that the book quite rightly highlights a perpetual decline in multilateralism and prescribes India to give up romanticism and focus on economic growth. And then, on a personal note, commented that Ram Madhav reminded him of the two epics, Ramayan and Mahabharat for he is named after the central figures in both—Ram and Madhav. The packed auditorium was also felicitated by the Vice President who said wryly, that he “rarely had occasion to address an audience of such high intellect,” and then added with a mischievous smile, “my parliamentarians will take offence.” The good humoured banter aside, the evening was an edifying one, as each speaker shared sharp insights about the shifting geopolitical landscape. As the publisher, Rupa’s Kapish Mehra said in his introductory speech, either Ram Madhav had got his astrology right or else he had a hotline to Trump.
Tharoor vs the Congress
The articulate Shashi Tharoor has clearly upset his colleagues within the Congress. Recently, at a press meet, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge singled out Tharoor for censure, commenting that Tharoor was a member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) due to his good language (English) skills. Responding to Tharoor’s recent praise of PM Modi, Kharge added that while the Congress puts the nation first, for some, it’s Modi first. Tharoor was quick to pick up the gauntlet when he tweeted that, “Don’t ask permission to fly…the wings are yours. And the sky belongs to no one.” The post came on a poster accompanying a bird. Soon another Congress leader, Manickam Tagore joined the conversation adding, “Birds don’t need clearance to rise… But in today’s sky even a free bird must watch the skies—hawks, vultures and ‘eagles’ are always hunting. Freedom isn’t free, especially when predators wear patriotism as feathers.” For now, Tharoor has chosen not to respond, but birdwatchers watch this space.
Awaiting the QED
Clearly, all the political headwinds these days are on X (formerly known as Twitter). Another Congress leader, Rajya Sabha MP and ace constitutional expert Abhishek Manu Singhvi created a buzz on social media with his comments about New York’s mayoral candidate. Singhvi posted on X that “when Zohran Mamdani opens his mouth, Pakistan’s PR team takes the day off. India doesn’t need enemies with `allies’ like him shouting fiction from New York.” This caught most of his Congress colleagues by surprise, with one twitterati even claiming, “Wow. This is Amit Malviya stuff”, while another stated that “the Congress needs to learn from Dr Singhvi.” While the Congress doesn’t have a party line on Mamdani, it would be interesting to see where this conversation is heading towards.
