Tamil Nadu textile industry urged to invest under Production Linked Incentive scheme

Three-time Lok Sabha member and Rahul Gandhi loyalist B. Manickam Tagore was appointed president of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) on Saturday, June 27, 2026. File | Manickam Tagore as the new Tamil Nadu Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president on Saturday (June 27, 2026) is part of a series of organisational changes that the Congress high command is expected to undertake in the immediate future.Besides Tamil Nadu, Kerala too will get a new Kerala PCC chief as the incumbent, Sunny Joseph, has become a Minister in the State government. Prominent Scheduled Caste (SC) leader and eight-term Lok Sabha member Kodikunnil Suresh, who has served as a working president of the Kerala PCC twice, is seen as the front-runner for the post.In the southern States, the Congress no longer has a prominent SC face as a PCC chief following the change of leadership in Tamil Nadu.In Punjab, where the Assembly election is scheduled early next year, the party has appointed three observers to examine the leadership issue, as factionalism has often spilled into the open.There is also a buzz about a change in leadership in States, including Bihar and Rajasthan, though there is no official word on it.All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charges in several States are also likely to see major changes. Avinash Pande, the AICC in-charge for Uttar Pradesh, where the Assembly election is scheduled early next year, took to social media to announce that his tenure in the State ended on Saturday (June 27).The Maharashtra AICC in-charge, Ramesh Chennithala, is now Kerala’s Home Minister and, therefore, a new in-charge has to be appointed.Jitender Singh has already resigned as the AICC in-charge of Assam after the party faced its worst defeat in the recent Assembly election.Among the frontal organisations, the Congress Seva Dal has got a new chief, with former Indian Youth Congress president Srinivas B.V. being appointed its chief organiser. Published - June 28, 2026 06:57 pm IST

Thrissur District Congress Committee (DCC) president Joseph Tajet has dismissed allegations levelled against the party over the Mattathur grama panchayat issue, saying attempts to weaken the organisation by dragging it into controversies would not succeed.In a statement on Saturday (June 27, 2026), Mr. Tajet said the individuals making the allegations had repeatedly raised the same issues in public and that the Congress workers and leaders had consistently rejected them. He alleged that the group had been expelled from the party for entering into a “secret understanding” with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Mattathur and betraying both the party and the people.Stating that the expelled leaders no longer enjoyed credibility either within the Congress or among the public, Mr. Tajet said their allegations would not weaken the Congress in Thrissur.He further alleged that the group continued to support what he described as an “unholy alliance” with the BJP in Mattathur and questioned why they had not severed those ties. Their actions, he said, showed that they had drifted away from the Congress and its secular values and therefore did not deserve a response.The political controversy in the Mattathur grama panchayat centers around an unexpected post-poll realignment where Congress members resigned from their party to form an alliance with the BJP. Published - June 28, 2026 05:14 pm IST

Amid mounting speculation of the Congress exploring a tacit understanding with the Kerala Congress (M) [KC(M)] to ease the political pressure from the independent collective in Pala, the United Democratic Front (UDF)-led municipal council has decided to induct a KC(M) member into the newly reconstituted Hospital Management Committee (HMC) of the K.M. Mani Memorial Government General Hospital.The move brings to an end months of uncertainty over the reconstitution of the HMC of the hospital named after the KC(M) patriarch. The first meeting of the newly constituted committee is scheduled for July 3.Until now, the council had maintained that the KC(M) could not be accommodated in the HMC as the party did not have representation in the State Legislative Assembly. Although KC(M) district president Lopez Mathew had submitted two separate requests nearly four months ago seeking the inclusion of the party’s nominee, the council kept the matter pending.With the Congress and the KC(M) now appearing to have reached an understanding, the council is expected to approve the induction of Baiju Kollamparambil as the KC(M) representative at its next meeting. He will be inducted under the category of nominated representatives of recognised political parties.No explanationInterestingly, while both the Congress and the KC(M) leaders insist that representation for a recognised regional party in the HMC is mandatory, the UDF has offered no explanation for why the matter remained unresolved for nearly four months.Apart from Mr. Kollamparambil, KC(M) councillor Biji Jojo is already a member of the HMC in his capacity as the ward councillor. The party has now staked claim to one more berth among the three vacancies reserved for nominated social workers.“As these three positions must be filled through a unanimous decision by the 26 member municipal council, the UDF will require the support of the KC(M) members to proceed effectively. Hence, the UDF leadership as well as independent collective members will have no other option but to accept the KC(M)’s demand as independent member Binu Pulikkakandam wants to join the HMC through this category,’’ noted a Congress leader.Congress leaders allege that Mr. Pulikkakandam’s push to enter the HMC is driven by his desire to play a more active role in the administration led by his daughter, municipal chairperson Diya Pulikkakandam, who has limited administrative experience.The prolonged delay in reconstituting the HMC had fuelled allegations that the exercise was intentionally put on ice until Mr. Pulikkakandam assumed the post of municipal vice-chairperson. But the deepening rift between the Congress and the independent collective has upended those plans. With vice-chairperson Maya Rahul putting her resignation on hold, Mr. Pulikkakandam’s much anticipated entry into the HMC was pushed further down the road. Published - June 27, 2026 11:24 pm IST

BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla. File picture | The ruling party asserted that India has consistently articulated its stand on the Gaza and Palestine issue, extended humanitarian aid, and voted in favour of United Nations resolutions calling for a ceasefire. Gandhi, in an article published in The Indian Express on Saturday, alleged that the Modi government's "stony silence and inaction on Israel's Gaza genocide" are not just "morally reprehensible" but also "inexplicable from a national interest perspective".The Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson claimed that India has alienated itself from its historical allies in Palestine, Iran and the larger West Asia, distanced itself from global public opinion, and allowed Pakistan to occupy the space of a mediator.Reacting to the article, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that it once again showed that for the Congress, "vote bank policy" takes precedence over "foreign policy"."Sonia Gandhi, through her article, is trying to misinform people and conceal the real truth. The fact is that India has not only articulated its position on Gaza and the Palestine issue on multiple occasions, but has also provided tangible humanitarian aid," he said in a video statement.Mr. Poonawalla said India's stand is reflected in its support for UN resolutions on a ceasefire and noted that the highest civilian honour of Palestine has been conferred on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Highlighting the Prime Minister's diplomatic outreach, he said PM Modi has been able to maintain ties with countries on opposing sides of global conflicts."It is Prime Minister Modi who has been able to navigate a fine line and talk to both Israel and Palestine at the same time, to America, Russia and Ukraine at the same time, and to the Western camp and Iran at the same time. This is not a policy of non-alignment but of all-alignment," he said.Highlighting that Mr. Modi has received more than 30 of the highest civilian honours from countries across the world, Mr. Poonawalla said a large number of them have come from Muslim-majority nations.He alleged that Congress governments never developed relations with Israel due to the party's "vote bank politics"."The problem is that the Congress always practises vote bank politics in foreign policy. In the name of vote bank politics, it never developed relations with Israel. The same party keeps speaking up, eulogising, platforming and sympathising with the cause of Hamas, but has not once categorically condemned the terror attacks on Israel," he alleged.The BJP spokesperson further alleged that while the Congress speaks up for Muslims in Gaza and Rafah, it remains silent on Hindus in Dhaka."This shows that even its foreign policy is guided by the calculus of vote bank politics," he alleged.In the article, the Congress leader said the spirit of Indian nationhood demands that it speaks up for Palestinians whose children have been so brutally targeted, and the calculus of national interest demands that India respond to the global public opinion against the Israeli regime's genocidal actions in Gaza and its "brutal displacement and dispossession of lakhs of Palestinian families in the occupied West Bank". Published - June 27, 2026 02:39 pm IST

Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management K.A. Sengottaiyan distributing welfare assistance to women beneficiaries in Gobichettipalayam in Erode district in Tamil Nadu on Saturday | A. Sengottaiyan on Saturday (June 27, 2026) clarified that the proposed student identity cards would not contain caste details and would instead include only essential information such as the student’s address, blood group, Aadhaar particulars, and educational qualifications.Speaking to reporters after distributing welfare assistance at a function organised in Gobichettipalayam to mark Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s birthday, Mr. Sengottaiyan said the Revenue and Disaster Management Department and the School Education Department were jointly examining the feasibility of issuing a data-based identity card for students of Classes X and XII.‘Bid to streamline records’The Revenue Department had, over the past five years, been issuing certificates such as income, nativity, and community certificates directly to students in schools, sparing them the need to visit Revenue Department offices, Village Administrative Officers, or Revenue Inspectors. The proposed identity card, he said, was intended as the next step in streamlining student records and improving access to essential information.“As the next step, we are considering issuing an identity card containing details such as the student’s address, blood group, Aadhaar particulars, and educational qualifications,” he said.Rejecting reports that caste details would be in the identity cards, Mr. Sengottaiyan said no caste-related information would be included. “If caste is mentioned on an identity card issued in schools, it may create discrimination or cause emotional distress among students. Children study in schools without distinctions of caste or religion. Our movement is also beyond caste and religion. The proposal is being considered purely in the interest of students,” he said.The Minister said the card would also serve a practical purpose during emergencies. In the event of accidents or unforeseen situations, the address, blood group, and Aadhaar details available on the card would enable authorities to identify students quickly, provide immediate assistance, and contact their family members. The two departments would shortly work out the modalities for implementing the scheme for students of Classes X and XII, he added.Deaths at Kodiveri damResponding to questions on the recurring incidents of tourist deaths at the Kodiveri dam, Mr. Sengottaiyan said the Public Works Department had already prohibited persons who did not know swimming from entering the reservoir area. Visitors could bathe in the waterfalls downstream, but swimming in the storage area of the dam above the sluices remained prohibited, he said, adding that members of the fishermen’s association were stationed there.On the appointment of film producer Venkataraman as the Tamil Nadu government’s Special Representative in New Delhi, Mr. Sengottaiyan said appointing representatives was a policy decision of the government and there was nothing improper about it. Asked whether the appointee would safeguard the State’s interests in the Mekedatu project issue, he said all those appointed by the government were committed to voicing Tamil Nadu’s concerns before the Union government on inter-State river water disputes and other matters affecting the State. Published - June 27, 2026 02:24 pm IST

In a blistering attack on the Modi government, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Saturday (June 27, 2026) said its “stony silence” and “inaction” on Israel's “Gaza genocide” are not just morally reprehensible but also inexplicable from a national interest perspective.Ms. Gandhi, the Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson, claimed that India has alienated itself from its historical allies in Palestine, Iran, and the larger West Asia and has distanced itself from global public opinion, while letting Pakistan swoop in to claim the space of a mediator. Gandhi said she also termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Israel ahead of the U.S.-Israel joint attack on Iran, a "bewildering strategic decision".Follow the West Asia war LIVEThe Congress leader said the spirit of Indian nationhood demands that it speaks up for Palestinians whose children have been so brutally targeted and the calculus of national interest demands that India respond to the global public opinion against the Israeli regime’s “genocidal actions” in Gaza and its "brutal displacement and dispossession of lakhs of Palestinian families in the occupied West Bank".“The Modi government’s continued silence simply cannot be explained rationally or morally,” she said.In September 2025, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory concluded that Israeli authorities were committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, she said.In June 2026, the same commission — now headed by Justice (retired) S. Muralidhar, a distinguished Indian jurist — has poignantly reiterated that Israeli actions are intended to destroy the very existence of the Palestinians in Gaza by targeting their children, Ms. Gandhi said.“The 94-page report is a harrowing read, with grim details on the extent of the devastation perpetrated by Israel in Gaza and the genocidal intent underpinning its actions. At least 20,000 children have been killed, and another 44,000 have been wounded, many for life,” she said.The targeting of children is not incidental, but a deliberate strategy, Ms. Gandhi asserted.“Twenty-seven per cent of those killed or wounded have been children and many of the boys were found with bullets on the head and neck. Ninety-seven per cent of Gaza’s schools have been destroyed,” she said.Healthcare infrastructure, including paediatric hospitals, has been destroyed, resulting in a 300% increase in miscarriage and childbirth complications, Ms. Gandhi said.In the two-and-a-half years since the "dastardly, horrific, and absolutely unacceptable attack" by Hamas on Israel, it has become clear that the retaliation of the Israeli armed forces and political leadership has been characterised by "wanton cruelty and barbarity", she said.“Senior Israeli leaders, down from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his senior cabinet colleagues themselves, have called for the ‘complete siege’ and ‘total annihilation’ of Gaza, denounced the Palestinians as ‘animals’ who have ‘no right to exist’, and defined success for Israel as ‘hundreds of thousands fleeing Gaza’,” Ms. Gandhi said.Despite this clear “genocidal intent”, the support of President Donald Trump’s government in Washington DC has enabled the Israeli government to continue its “brutal campaign” against Palestinians, she said, adding that the rest of the world has felt the pricking of its conscience.The UN has been unable to act with any resolve due to American obstruction, but through its agencies it has played a stellar role in the documentation of Israeli war crimes, she said.Leading powers historically associated with the Western bloc — including France, the UK, Canada, and Australia — have recognised Palestinian statehood after decades of indifference to the Palestinian cause, she pointed out.South Africa, a country with which India has shared a long hi

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Mahesh Kumar Goud, MLC Balmoor Venkat and students at the launch of “Chhatron Ki Goonj” campaign in Hyderabad | The programme, organised under the aegis of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), was attended by Vikrant Bhuria, ST Cell chief. Also present were TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud, MLC Balmoor Venkat and several NEET aspirants and students.During the event, campaign posters and pamphlets were unveiled, and details of the nationwide outreach programme were announced.Addressing the gathering, Vikrant Bhuria alleged that the policies of the BJP-led Central government had created uncertainty about the future of students and youth across the country. He said that Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, had launched a nationwide movement to amplify the concerns of students and unemployed youth. Mr. Bhuria said Rahul Gandhi was directly engaging with students and job seekers to understand their challenges, suggestions and experiences.According to the campaign schedule, groundwork and mobilisation activities, including pamphlet distribution, corner meetings and student outreach programmes, will begin in 28 cities from June 30. Weekly student engagement programmes, campus outreach initiatives and Ambedkar Samvaad events will be held throughout July. Simultaneous Collectorate gheraos are planned in all 28 participating cities on August 1, followed by a Delhi Sansad Gherao on August 9. Published - June 26, 2026 11:57 am IST

Lok Sabha Member of Parliament, Shashi Tharoor. File | V. Moorthy Facing flak from his own leaders, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said on Monday (June 22, 2026) that the purpose of his visit to J&K was to study “Indo-Pak relations, Sino-Indian relations, and the functioning of passport offices and passport seva kendras” in J&K and Ladakh and “not to assess conditions in the Kashmir Valley”. “I want to make it very clear that this is not a visit about assessing the conditions in the Kashmir Valley. The committee is here to study three issues: Indo-Pak relations, Sino-Indian relations, and the functioning of passport offices and passport seva kendras. These are the only issues we are studying. We are not here to look at domestic matters; that is not our mandate. We are the External Affairs Committee,” said Mr. Tharoor.His remarks came a day after he posted on X about the meeting with J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. “Discussing the situation in the State and the encouraging progress towards normalcy. Many challenges remain and much remains to be done, but I left the meeting feeling more positive than I have felt for a while,” said Mr. Tharoor.Reacting to the statement, Congress leader Pawan Khera said, “Mr. Tharoor should talk to everyone about the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, including youth, businessmen, Kashmiri Pandits, and civilians. I fully believe that Dr. Shashi Tharoor will meet everyone and then change his opinion, as he is an educated person.”J&K Congress chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma also expressed reservations about Mr. Tharoor’s “remarks”. “Mr. Tharoor should have made some time to meet the people of the Kashmir Valley,” said Mr. Sharma.Ruling National Conference leader Shafqat Watali said Mr. Tharoor’s “Outreach on selective basis did not bear fruit. Does the L-G know what’s in the hearts and minds of the people of J&K and is he willing to know. Are he and his bosses in a position to give citizens of J&K what they deserve and desire?”Passport delaysMr. Tharoor is touring J&K and Ladakh as head of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs. “We are concerned about some of the delays that have been impeding passport issuance in this area, and we have been raising some very strong questions because we want to see improvements and speeding up of the passport delivery for applicants in Kashmir, Leh, Srinagar and Jammu.”He said, “The MPs here have found it a very meaningful visit. We’ve had some very strong and constructive discussions.”Touring the border areas of Jammu, Mr. Tharoor also commended the BSF for “keeping the country safe”. “I believe everyone should witness this firsthand. Every Indian citizen should take the opportunity to visit the border and see the work our soldiers are doing. It was a wonderful experience.” Published - June 22, 2026 06:25 pm IST

Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar speaks during the State Legislative Assembly session, in Chennai, on Monday | C.D. Prabhakar on Monday (June 22, 2026) told the House that Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar should be appreciated for his efforts to learn Tamil and pronounce Tamil words during his address to the Assembly.Reacting to DMDK leader Premallatha Vijayakant’s allegation that the Governor had mispronounced Tamil words on 37 occasions during his speech, the Speaker pointed out the Governor hailed from another State and should be commended for his efforts to learn the language.“When I invited him to address the Assembly, he told me he was deeply impressed by the history of Tamil Nadu’s freedom fighters. I also taught him a few Tamil phrases such as ‘Vanakkam’, ‘Nalamaaga Irukkireergala?’, and ‘Nalamaaga Irukkiren’,” Mr. Prabhakar said.Call for bottled waterDuring the discussion, Ms. Premallatha suggested that bottled drinking water be placed on the desks of members instead of Assembly staff serving water in glasses whenever required.At this point, former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam remarked that water bottles could be thrown during heated exchanges in the House.Ms. Premallatha responded by saying this was not a convincing argument, as glasses and other objects could also be thrown.DMK member Thangam Thennarasu wondered whether Mr. Panneerselvam’s fear stemmed from personal experience. Published - June 22, 2026 02:49 pm IST