Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, arrived in New Delhi early Thursday morning, having cut short his official visit to the United States. His return comes in response to the recent deadly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives, including one foreign national.

Gandhi is scheduled to participate in the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting at the party headquarters in New Delhi at around 10:30 am. Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh had earlier announced the change in Rahul Gandhi’s itinerary due to the grave security situation in the Kashmir Valley.

The government is reportedly preparing for an all-party meeting on Thursday, likely to be chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, to deliberate on the national security response to the attack. The attack, which occurred at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, is being described as the most severe since the 2019 Pulwama incident.

Centre responds with strong diplomatic and security measures

In the wake of the violence, the Indian government has initiated a series of stringent actions aimed at sending a message to Pakistan, which it holds responsible for supporting cross-border terrorism. Among the measures announced are the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 and the immediate closure of the Attari integrated checkpost.

Additionally, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri declared that Pakistani nationals will no longer be allowed to travel to India under the SAARC visa exemption framework. These announcements came after a high-level Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. The CCS condemned the attack unequivocally, expressing deep sorrow for the victims and stressing the need for swift action.

Victims’ families demand justice

Emotions ran high across the country as families performed last rites for the victims. Among those killed was Indian Navy Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, whose funeral was held in Karnal. Another victim, Manjunath Rao from Shivamogga, was remembered by family and friends who called for firm government action against terrorism.

This latest incident has reignited national concerns around security in Jammu and Kashmir, especially given its scale and the timing following the revocation of Article 370 in 2019.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday took aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a government event in Ponneri, Tiruvallur district, invoking Modi’s own words as Gujarat’s Chief Minister to counter recent remarks about Tamil Nadu’s demands for funds.

Addressing a gathering, Stalin refuted Modi’s claim from a Rameswaram visit that Tamil Nadu leaders were “crying” for central funds regardless of allocations.

“With utmost respect, I remind the Prime Minister of his own stance as Gujarat CM, when he said states aren’t beggars pleading for Union handouts,” Stalin said.

He recalled Modi’s criticism of the Centre’s partisan fund allocations and accusations of Governors running “parallel governments” in opposition-ruled states. “When Tamil Nadu seeks its rightful share, how is it ‘crying’? I’m asserting our state’s rights, not groveling. I learned this from our leader Kalaignar [Karunanidhi],” Stalin asserted.

Minister S.M. Nasar, MPs S. Jagathrakshakan and Sasikanth Senthil, legislators T.J. Govindarajan, Durai Chandrasekar, S. Chandran, V.G. Raajendran, A. Krishnaswamy, K. Ganapathy, S. Sudharsanam, Collector M. Prathap, and senior officials attended the event.

Stalin also challenged Shah’s recent Chennai statement that Tamil Nadu’s demands were “diversionary tactics.” He posed pointed questions to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, “Can you exempt Tamil Nadu from NEET? Guarantee no Hindi imposition? Ensure our representation isn’t reduced post-delimitation? Specify the funds allocated to our state?”

Stalin emphasised that Tamil Nadu’s fight is for all states’ rights, citing the DMK’s landmark Supreme Court victory against Governor R.N. Ravi’s delay in approving Bills. “This historic ruling shows we act when the Centre fails,” he said.

Highlighting national awareness of Tamil Nadu’s struggle, Stalin dismissed Shah’s accusations of diversion, urging, “If our demands are distractions, why haven’t you addressed them clearly?” He underscored the state’s resolve to protect its interests, rooted in principles of federalism and justice championed by DMK’s legacy.

During the event, Stalin inaugurated over 6,700 completed projects worth ₹1,166 crore in Tiruvallur, laid foundations for 7,300 new initiatives, and distributed welfare benefits to 2.02 lakh residents.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accompanied her husband Robert Vadra to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office on Wednesday as he appeared for questioning for the second consecutive day in connection with the Gurugram land case.

Mr Vadra, the brother-in-law of Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, was seen exchanging a hug with Ms Gandhi before entering the ED office. He is under scrutiny in a money laundering probe linked to a 2008 land deal in Manesar-Shikohpur area, now known as Sector 83 of Gurugram.

Focus of the probe: land deal from Congress tenure in Haryana

The investigation stems from a land transaction executed by Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd, a company in which Mr Vadra was formerly a director. In February 2008, Skylight purchased 3.5 acres of land from Onkareshwar Properties for ₹7.5 crore. At that time, Haryana was governed by a Congress-led administration under then Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

In September 2012, four years after the acquisition, Skylight sold the same land to real estate developer DLF for ₹58 crore. The deal later drew public attention after senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka, who was then heading the Land Consolidation and Land Records department in Haryana, cancelled the land mutation, citing violations of the State Consolidation Act and procedural discrepancies.

Haryana Police registered an FIR to examine the deal in 2018, further intensifying the legal scrutiny.

ED questions Vadra under PMLA

On Tuesday, Mr Vadra was questioned for nearly five hours by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), during which his statement was recorded. The businessman has consistently maintained that the case is part of a political vendetta and emphasized that he has cooperated fully with all investigative agencies, submitting numerous documents over the years.

Calling for a closure to what he described as a decades-old matter, Mr Vadra said cases like these should not be allowed to drag on indefinitely.