The post Shashi Tharoor Rejects Veer Savarkar Award, Clarifies Stance on Controversial Honor appeared first on The Edge Media.
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“I will not be accepting the Veer Savarkar Award, nor will I be attending the event where it will be presented”- Shashi Tharoor.
Tharoor said, emphasizing that the announcement had been made without his agreement. He further stated that it was “irresponsible” for the organizers to publicly announce his name as a recipient without his confirmation.
Earlier in the day, Congress leader K Muraleedharan had expressed concerns about any party member, including Tharoor, accepting an award named after Veer Savarkar, given the latter’s controversial history. Muraleedharan pointed out that Savarkar had “bowed before the British”, and therefore, no Congress member should accept any honors linked to him. Muraleedharan also stated that he did not believe Tharoor would accept the award, as doing so could embarrass the Congress party.
In response to these comments, Tharoor clarified to reporters in New Delhi that he first learned about the award through media reports on Tuesday and had made it clear that he would not be attending the ceremony. “I heard about it yesterday. I am not going. I am not attending”, Tharoor said.
On social media, Tharoor reiterated his position, explaining, “In the absence of clarifications about the nature of the award, the organization presenting it, or any other contextual details, the question of my attending the event or accepting the award does not arise.” He added that he had not been informed about the award beforehand and had only found out about it through media coverage.
Despite Tharoor’s statements, Aji Krishnan, secretary of HRDS India—the organization presenting the award—claimed that Tharoor had been informed about the award in advance. Krishnan mentioned that representatives from HRDS India had met Tharoor at his residence to invite him to the event and had provided him with a list of other award recipients. Krishnan suggested that Tharoor might have backed out of attending due to the controversy stirred by the Congress party.
Kerala’s Law Minister, P Rajeev, said it was ultimately Tharoor’s personal decision whether to accept the award or not.
Tharoor had been named as one of the recipients of the inaugural “Veer Savarkar International Impact Award 2025”, instituted by HRDS India, but his rejection has brought the issue of Savarkar’s legacy back into the political spotlight.
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]]>The post Deaths of Two Booth Level Officers Raise Concerns Over Workload During Electoral Roll Revision appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>West Bengal recorded its fourth booth level officer death, since the revision began on November 4, prompting a Trinamool Congress delegation to meet the full bench of the Election Commission in Delhi and accuse the poll body chief of carrying moral responsibility for the deaths.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav also attacked the ongoing revision process, calling it a large scale conspiracy against citizens that he claimed could create a situation more oppressive than the colonial period.
The special intensive revision is currently underway in twelve states and Union territories.
In Gujarat’s Mehsana district, Dinesh Raval, a 50 year old teacher, at a government primary school in Sudasana village, passed away from a heart attack at his home between Thursday night and Friday morning according to Sadasana police sub inspector Udaysinh Zala.
Opposition leaders and teachers’ unions linked his death to heavy workload and inadequate support for booth level officers, though police denied any connection between his duties and the incident
Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi stated that booth level officers are under intense pressure to complete assigned tasks within strict deadlines, while Gujarat State Primary Teacher Association president Digvijaysinh Jadeja said he had heard from other teachers that Raval had been experiencing stress due to his BLO responsibilities.
In West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, Zakir Hossain, a teacher in a state run primary school deployed as a booth level officer, collapsed on Thursday after reporting severe chest pain and was taken to a local hospital where he died later that night according to his family.
Relatives said Hossain had been struggling to balance his booth level duties with regular teaching, and claimed that his school did not relieve him from classroom responsibilities despite multiple requests, forcing him to juggle both roles.
Leaders of the Trinamool Congress, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, have accused the Election Commission of assigning an unreasonable and poorly planned workload to booth level officers.
The Bharatiya Janata Party rejected the allegations and argued that any stress faced by booth level officers stemmed from pressure exerted by the ruling Trinamool Congress rather than the Election Commission.
A ten member TMC delegation led by Rajya Sabha MP Derek O Brien met EC officials in Delhi and raised five questions regarding the deaths and the workload, but said they received no direct answers from Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Mahua Moitra said the delegation submitted a list of forty individuals whose deaths they claim are linked to the revision process, but the Commission dismissed the list as unverified allegations.
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav posted a video on social media urging opposition parties, including NDA allies, to unite and expose what he described as a large scale plan by the BJP, warning that tampering with voter rolls could eventually lead to removal of names from land records, ration cards, caste certificates, social welfare lists, and even bank accounts.
BJP spokesperson Harishchandra Srivastava rejected Yadav’s comments and accused him of attempting to create fear and confusion among citizens.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission announced that Lakshadweep has become the first Union territory to complete full distribution and digitisation of enumeration forms under the special intensive revision.
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]]>The post Assam CM Mulls Legal Action Against Karnataka Minister Over Remark on Assamese Youth appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>Sarma sharply criticised the Congress party for failing to denounce Kharge’s remarks, calling them offensive to the youth of Assam. He stated that the comments undermine the capability and education of young people in the state. The Chief Minister went on to describe the Karnataka minister as a first-class fool for making such a statement
According to reports, Priyank Kharge told a television channel that investments originally intended for Karnataka were being redirected to Gujarat and Assam because of pressure from the central government. Responding to this, Sarma said his administration was exploring legal options to determine whether a case could be filed, as the remarks were an insult to Assamese youth and their competence
Sarma emphasised that such statements not only question the skills of the state’s youth but also reflect poorly on those who make them. He reiterated that Assam has capable and educated individuals contributing to various sectors and that the state should not be undermined in national discussions
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]]>The post BJP Leader Rekha Gupta Gets Z+ Security Cover Amid Threat Concerns appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>The decision has stirred political controversy, with opposition leaders accusing the government of favoritism and misuse of state resources. Supporters of Gupta, however, welcomed the move, saying her growing prominence in politics has made her a target for rivals.
With Z+ security, Gupta will now have a close protection team of NSG commandos round-the-clock, along with bulletproof vehicles and advanced surveillance cover.
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