“Restraint is not surrender. Restraint is strength… it shows that we know what our interests are and we will act first of all to protect our interests,” Tharoor said in an interview with news agency ANI.. He said countries like India should take a constructive diplomatic role to reduce tensions. “What many countries like us ought to be doing… is to actually take an initiative to call for peace, to give both sides a ladder to climb down,” he said.. While he supported the government’s approach to the crisis, he also said India should have expressed condolences earlier after the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei, while still maintaining a careful diplomatic position.. “There is a difference between condemnation and condolence… condolence is an expression of sympathy,” he said.. BJP attacks Congress over Tharoor’s backing. The BJP was quick to target the Congress party over Tharoor’s comments supporting India’s “restraint” approach to the West Asia situation.. Party spokesperson CR Kesavan said senior Congress leaders recognising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s balanced approach during current global conflicts marks a shift from Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s repeated criticism of the government.. It is “indeed a welcome change compared to Rahul Gandhi’s mindless criticism of the government. For PM, the welfare of Bharat and its people has always been paramount,” he told ANI.. BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia also praised Tharoor’s remarks and slammed Congress’ Gandhi for “reactive and politically driven” comments.. “Notably, senior leaders like Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari have articulated a more nuanced and responsible view on the issue, underlining the importance of strategic autonomy and diplomatic balance,” he said.. Congress reacts to Tharoor’s remarks. Reacting to Tharoor’s comments backing the government’s stand, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate said she disagrees and described India’s “silence” on the crisis as “condemnable.”. She said, “It is shameful. It raises questions about our morality. It is not India’s history to remain silent on a targeted assassination in a sovereign nation. India distanced itself from Iran and sat in the lap of Israel.”. “Your diplomacy is such a failure that Russia, Pakistan and China stand together today. Your diplomacy is such a failure that Iran opened the Strait of Hormuz for several nations but not for us. I think India’s diplomacy is an utter failure. Diplomacy doesn’t run with ‘red laser eyes’. It doesn’t run with forcible hugs,” she added.. Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit also reacted to Tharoor’s statements and said the senior party MP “thinks differently.”. He told ANI, “We have been seeing this for many days, that Shashi Tharoor thinks differently. It’s okay. It’s his own opinion… I don’t think he understands very many things… If someone says something without understanding and ju 

 GUWAHATI: Prateek Bordoloi stepped down as the Congress candidate citing “changed circumstances” on Thursday, a day after his father and Nagaon MP Pradyut Bordoloi quit the party to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Assam assembly elections.. Prateek Bordoloi with Congress state president Gaurav Gogoi. Prateek said he would continue to work for the Congress. (X/@prateekbordoloi). A political debutant, Prateek was named by the Congress as its candidate for Margherita, a seat his father had represented in the assembly for four terms, in its first list released earlier this month. However, the elder Bordoloi’s defection to the BJP appears to have upended the party’s plans in the constituency.. ALSO READ | BJP fields new joinee Pradyut Bordoloi from Dispur, CM Himanta from Jalukbari in first Assam election candidate list. In a letter to Congress president and chairman of the Central Election Committee Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday, Prateek said it would be inappropriate for him to continue as a candidate in the present situation and said he would continue to remain a party member.. “In the present circumstances, following my father’s decision to join another political party, I feel it would not be appropriate for me to continue as a candidate,” he wrote in the letter, which was shared with reporters on Thursday.. “I believe the people of Margherita and the countless dedicated Congress workers deserve absolute clarity and confidence in the party’s candidate. It would be unfair to them if any confusion or perception arises regarding my commitment or the party’s position,” he added.. Prateek said he would continue to work for the Congress and the people of Margherita “in whatever capacity the leadership deems appropriate”.. A day earlier, Pradyut Bordoloi had said he had asked his son to take an independent call, without being influenced by his decision to switch sides.. Congress state president Gaurav Gogoi struck a sympathetic note, saying, “I have sympathy and moral support for Prateek Bordoloi. Whatever decision he wishes to take, I will speak on behalf of the party.” 

 In the midst of surging oil prices, a worldwide energy crisis, and escalating tensions in the Middle East from the ongoing Iran-US conflict, India has denounced attacks on commercial vessels in international waters and urged de-escalation via dialogue and diplomacy. An Indian LPG carrier, Shivalik, has reached Mundra Port after transiting the Strait of Hormuz (REUTERS). At the 36th extraordinary session of the IMO Council in London, Indian envoy Vikram Doraiswamy highlighted the importance of freedom of navigation and seafarer safety, while voicing concerns about the blockade of routes in the Strait of Hormuz—a vital channel carrying one-fifth of global oil shipments. The strait has experienced disruptions since the Iran-US war began, causing a sharp global rise in oil prices and worries in nations like India. Follow live updates on the US-Iran war here. “Targeting commercial shipping and attacks on civilian maritime infrastructure is unacceptable.” These attacks have caused the deaths of innocent people, injuries, and increased dangers, including to seafarers. India ranks among the top three countries supplying seafarers, accounting for about 13 percent of the world’s seafaring workforce. “We remain deeply concerned about the safety and welfare of all seafarers,” said Doraiswamy, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, as quoted by news agency ANI. “The exercise of navigational rights and freedom by merchant and commercial vessels in accordance with international law must be respected,” he added. Indian ships stuck at sea. Although numerous Indian-flagged vessels have received clearance to pass amid the ongoing war, many continue to be stranded at the vital strait in the Persian Gulf. A Bloomberg report states that 22 India-flagged vessels are stranded in the Persian Gulf, including six LPG carriers, one liquefied natural gas ship, and four crude oil tankers. However, some fuel carriers have proceeded to India under escort, as India deploys additional warships to the Gulf of Oman to ensure their safe passage, according to an earlier HT report. India anticipates that Iran will permit safe ship movements despite its conflict with the US. External affairs minister S Jaishankar previously noted there is no “blanket arrangement” for ship movements, and Iran receives “nothing” in return. Iran insists the vital waterway remains accessible to all operators except those from the US and Israel. Will the oil crisis intensify? 

 Israeli attacks on Iran’s South Pars gas field inflicted damage on vital infrastructure, leading Iran to retaliate with strikes on Gulf energy facilities, including Qatar’s Al Laffan LNG complex at the opposite end of the shared gas field. File photo: An Iranian man strolls through phase 15-133 of the South Pars gas field complex in the southern Iranian port city of Assaluyeh along the Persian Gulf coast on January 22, 2014 (AFP). The gas field spans a total area of 9,700 square kilometers. The world’s largest gas field lies beneath the Gulf and is jointly held by Iran and Qatar. On the Iranian side, it is known as South Pars, while on the Qatari side, it is called North Field or North Dome. Iran depends on the field to fulfill its domestic energy needs, whereas Qatar leverages it for worldwide LNG exports. South Pars: Iran’s domestic energy lifeline | Key numbers. 1990: The year the field was discovered. Gas production commenced in 2002. 

 The rupee plunged 2313.65 paise to a record intraday low of 27 versus the US dollar during early trading on Friday, driven by further strengthening of the greenback and relentless FII outflows amid the persistent West Asia conflict. File: An installation of the Rupee logo and Indian currency coins outside the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) headquarters in Mumbai (REUTERS). High global crude oil prices exerted additional strain on the local currency, though a upbeat start in domestic stock markets mitigated a steeper decline, forex traders said. In the interbank forex market, the rupee began at 83.19 versus the US dollar, then surpassed the 83-mark for the first time to trade at 83.08, down 19 paise from the prior close. The rupee had plunged 49 paise to end at a record low of 82.89 against the dollar on Wednesday. Forex markets remained shut on Thursday due to Gudhi Padwa. The rupee appears vulnerable, with the RBI as the sole defender preventing a further decline by selling dollars. FPIs were net sellers on Thursday amid a drop in Sensex and Nifty to their lowest levels in 21 months, said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director at Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP. Meanwhile, the dollar index—measuring the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies—was up 73% at 100.25. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, fell 1.64% to $106.9 per barrel in futures trading. In domestic equities, the Sensex recovered from Thursday’s plunge, climbing 960.67 points (1.29%) to 75,167.91, while the Nifty rose 311.50 points (1.35%) to 23,313.65. Foreign institutional investors offloaded equities worth ₹7,558.19 crore net on Thursday, per exchange data.