The Congress has historically struggled to accommodate autonomous power centres that do not derive legitimacy from its central leadership structure. Placed against this historical arc, Tharoor’s predicament acquires sharper relief.

A teacher in a government school allegedly died by suicide at her home in Bihar’s Vaishali district, leaving behind a note apologising to her parents and requesting that her funeral pyre be lit by her three-month-old daughter and not her husband.

The Halwa ceremony, marking the final stage of the Budget preparation process for Union Budget 2026-27, was held today in the Budget Press at North Block, in the presence of Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman.