This week, the Modi government announced the monsoon session of Parliament, scheduled from July 21 to August 12, rejecting the demand by more than 17 Opposition parties for a special Parliament session to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. The INDIA bloc parties had written to the Prime Minister for the special session. Initially, the perception was only Congress MPs had sent the letter. However, the party decided to rope in INDIA bloc partners at the insistence of the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. The TMC, which always toes a different line from that of its constituents in the INDIA bloc, came on board after Gandhi personally reached out to TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee. Gandhi also made an extra effort to reach out to SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, DMK’s TR Balu, and Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Aditya Thackeray. Sources said the party went into overdrive, with general secretary KC Venugopal and deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi following up with the main opposition parties. Tamil Nadu MP Manickam Tagore coordinated with the DMK and others in the state, Kerala MP Suresh Kodikunnil contacted the Left and other parties.Bihar MP Mohammad Jawed held talks with the AAP, but to no effect. NCP(SP) leader Supriya Sule maintains she could not sign the letter as she was on the multi-party delegation outreach; sources in the Congress debunk her claims. “Sharad Pawar could have signed it,” says a leader who was part of the talks. Congress gag order for outreach MPs The Congress MPs who were part of the multi-party delegations for diplomatic outreach on ‘Operation Sindoor’ have stirred controversy back home with their statements, which are inconsistent with the party’s view. As soon as the MPs touched down in the national capital, they received a phone call from the party headquarters warning them to refrain from making public statements breaching the ‘Lakshman Rekha’. No more face-palm moments, they were told. They included Punjab MP Amar Singh, former Union ministers Salman Khurshid, Anand Sharma, Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari. While Khurshid’s backing of Article 370 and his cryptic tweet on ‘patriotism’ caused some heartburn in the party, he attempted to downplay the remarks upon his return and clarified that his comments were not directed at party members. One of the MPs also wrote a letter to party general secretary KC Venugopal requesting him to arrange a press conference for the Congress MPs, who were part of the delegations, to provide more clarity to the public and the media. Tharoor said he is not anticipating any issues with the party, if there are it will be resolved through internal discussions.MHA junks pleas to defer J&K postingSince Jammu & Kashmir came under the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre, IAS officers from the pool get regular postings there. However, not everyone is eager to pack their bags. Recently, two 2021-batch officers — Ananth Dwivedi and Mahima Madan – transferred from the Delhi segment to J&K, sought to defer their postings due to personal hardships. Dwivedi cited his spouse’s medical condition, while Madan requested a year’s delay. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), however, wasn’t moved. It rejected their pleas and instructed both to report for duty in J&K without delay. If personal issues persist, they could apply for leave through proper channels – but only after joining – the officers were told.Top cop caught in Centre-state tiffJharkhand DGP Anurag Gupta finds himself in a bureaucratic limbo — retired according to the Centre, but still serving in the eyes of the state. In a peculiar tug-of-war between the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Hemant Soren-led state government, Gupta’s career has been thrown into confusion at its very end. The MHA, which controls IPS cadre postings, had firmly rejected the state’s proposal to extend Gupta’s tenure beyond his superannuation date of April 30, 2025, sending three reminders to that effect. Ignoring this, the state continued with him in office. Now, the fallout has begun. Gupta was issued a zero-salary slip for May by the Principal Accountant General’s office, which considers him officially retired. His salary hasn’t been released, and the state government appears cornered, struggling to justify its move. Sources in the MHA say the bigger challenge now is ensuring the “legal tenability” of all decisions Gupta may have taken post-retirement. With the Centre playing checkmate, all eyes are on the Soren government to see how it navigates this administrative bind — and whether Gupta, officially retired but still functionally active, retains any lawful authority.
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