A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the nation for the first time since the India-Pakistan ceasefire, the BJP will initiate on Tuesday an 11-day long Tiranga Yatra nationwide after Operation Sindoor, in which terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir were struck.
“we have created a new normal,” Modi declared on Monday. “Operation Sindoor is our counter-terrorism policy. If there’s any terror strike on India, we will strike back. We will take strict action at every location from where the seeds of terror germinate. India won’t tolerate any nuclear blackmail… We won’t distinguish between the government that finances terror and terror groups.”
With the Yatra, scheduled to take place between May 13 and May 23, party sources indicated that the BJP is seeking to “mobilize people, including influential people in the society,” behind India’s anti-terrorism campaign. Party sources indicated that the tone of the campaign is not going to be political and they are seeking to mobilize people behind an issue that has attracted support from all segments of society.
As a part of the Tiranga Yatra, the BJP will organize country-wide processions in which the Tricolour would be taken by the participants, including known personalities.
Senior BJP functionaries, such as Union ministers and organisational leaders, will also be a part of the exercise. Senior party leaders, including Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and J P Nadda, who is also BJP national president, had discussed the matter on Sunday. Nadda met party general secretaries Tarun Chugh, Vinod Tawde and Dushyant Gautam on Monday to seal the exercise.
In Supreme Court
Following the Centre in the Supreme Court last week resisting the Kerala government’s withdrawal of a petition against the Governor regarding delays in clearing Bills passed by the state Assembly, the top court is scheduled to resume hearing on the issue on Tuesday.
Solicitor general Tushar Mehta had averred that Constitutional matters “cannot be filed lightly and withdrawn lightly”. Representing the state government, senior advocate K K Venugopal asserted the plea was withdrawn since the Bills were subsequently referred to the President.
The Court, nonetheless, admitted that the state could take back the plea after previously indicating it would consider if the recent judgement on a Tamil Nadu government plea setting timelines for granting assents to Bills addressed the concerns of the Kerala government.
In 2023, the highest court had been upset with the then Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan “sitting” for two years on Bills cleared by the state assembly.
Meanwhile, the government of Kerala will celebrate on Tuesday its fourth anniversary with festivities that had previously been deferred because of the India-Pakistan war. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced this on Saturday following the declaration of a ceasefire.
Odisha BJP’s farmers outreach
Starting on Tuesday and continuing till the end of May, Odisha BJP’s Krushak Morcha is holding rallies throughout the state to celebrate the state government’s initiative in increasing farmers’ incomes. “(CM Mohan Charan) Majhi has ensured that farmers get Rs 3,100 per quintal as the Minimum Support Price for paddy. While the Central government has set the MSP at Rs 2,300, the state government gave an additional Rs 800 per quintal,” the party stated.
The campaign will kick off on Tuesday with a rally in the Bhadrak district and conclude with a rally in the Dhenkanal district on May 31.
Operation Sindoor: The Central Emphasis
Though complete information about Operation Sindoor is yet to be released officially, it is said to be a strategic national operation encompassing border security and counter-terror activities. Party leaders suggest it underlines India’s increasing defense strength and a zero-tolerance approach towards terrorism.
The mission will also figure in the BJP’s election campaign lines, projecting robust governance and national security credentials.
