Defending the bail of IYC chief Uday Bhanu Chib, Pilot described the arrests as an overreaction. ‘Our Youth Congress workers triggered such frenzy in the government that they invoked serious charges, even though Chib wasn’t even there,’ he said. Pilot challenged the notion that a small group’s T-shirt protest posed a national security risk.

He framed the incident as part of a broader pattern of stifling dissent through political muscle. ‘Protests happen at every big event, but this was pure retaliation—locking up youth for speaking out,’ Pilot stated. The Congress leader reaffirmed solidarity with the detained activists, stressing that such democratic expression is non-negotiable.

On a separate note, Pilot congratulated Vinod Jakhar on assuming the NSUI national presidency, praising his perseverance from Rajasthan roots to national leadership.

Turning to foreign affairs, Pilot lambasted the Israel visit’s timing amid regional sensitivities. ‘We’ve always backed the two-nation solution, but this feels like a deviation from our foreign policy principles,’ he observed. Pilot warned that basing diplomacy on personal rapport over national advantage harms India long-term, calling for policies centered on the nation’s core interests above all.

The Election Commission, Pilot argued, bears the sacred responsibility of protecting franchise for all. He demanded ironclad guarantees that no legitimate voter faces disenfranchisement.

Drawing attention to nationwide complaints, Pilot voiced concerns about BLOs being coerced into manipulating lists for partisan gains. ‘This is no minor glitch; it’s a profound threat to our democracy that requires utmost accountability,’ he warned.

He recalled Rahul Gandhi’s documented exposes on poll irregularities, particularly in Bihar, which exposed cracks in the EC’s credibility. Pilot called on activists and the public to act as watchdogs, ensuring electoral purity amid these challenges.

In Tonk, he lauded local BLOs’ steadfast commitment, highlighting their vigilance as key to transparent polls. Work continues, he noted, until lists are finalized—party members must help voters fix paperwork to avoid wrongful exclusions.

Pilot’s remarks signal Congress’s renewed push for voter rights ahead of crucial elections, positioning the party as democracy’s defender.

“As per the law, the voter list must be updated before each election. A comprehensive review of voter lists and all voter details hasn’t been conducted since January 1, 2003. This is intended to be a general practice,” he explained.

He further stated that nearly every political party has previously raised concerns about voter list authenticity and requested updates. The CEC assured that over 1 lakh booth-level officers are actively working on this update with the support of all political parties, ensuring no ineligible individuals are included. The Special Intensive Revision is an initiative by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to ensure the accuracy of electoral rolls before upcoming elections.

Earlier, Congress leader Sachin Pilot expressed apprehensions about the SIR in Bihar, questioning the Election Commission’s swiftness and urging transparency. Pilot, speaking in Dausa, Rajasthan, said that the pace of the Election Commission’s actions raises significant doubts, noting that opposition parties sought answers from the EC but were left unsatisfied.

Opposition parties like the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) have voiced worries that the SIR process might be manipulated to disenfranchise voters, especially the underprivileged and marginalized communities. In response, the ECI has affirmed that the exercise strictly adheres to Article 326 of the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act of 1950, aiming to eliminate ineligible entries while ensuring no eligible voter is excluded.

The General Secretary in charge of Communications of Congress, Jairam Ramesh, in a post on the social media platform X, shared the letter of Rahul Gandhi and Congress President Mallikarjun to PM Modi. 

In the letter, the LoP Lok Sabha wrote, “It is crucial for the people and their representatives to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack, Operation Sindoor and today’s ceasefire, first announced by US President Trump. This will also be an opportunity to demonstrate our collective resolve to meet the challenges ahead.” 

LoP Lok Sabha and LoP Rajya Sabha have just written to the PM requesting for a special session of Parliament to be convened immediately. Here are the letters pic.twitter.com/exL6H5aAQy — Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) May 11, 2025

On the other hand, addressing a press briefing, Congress Leader Sachin Pilot said that it was surprising that the India-Pakistan ceasefire was announced by the United States President Donald Trump. 

“The entire situation has changed very rapidly in the last 24 hours. We were all surprised that the ceasefire between India and Pakistan was announced by the President of America,” he said. 

He said that this is “probably the first time” that the US President has announced a ceasefire on a social media platform. 

“We should also pay attention to what he has written on his social media post,” he added. 

“It is surprising that an issue which is between India and Pakistan is being internationalised,” Pilot continued.

The US President had posted on Truth Social and announced the India-Pakistan ceasefire. 

पिछले 24 घंटों में पूरा घटनाक्रम बहुत तेजी से बदला है। हम सभी को आश्चर्य हुआ कि भारत और पाकिस्तान के बीच सीजफायर की घोषणा अमेरिका के राष्ट्रपति ने की।

यह शायद पहली बार हुआ है, जब सीजफायर की घोषणा सोशल मीडिया के ज़रिए अमेरिका के राष्ट्रपति करते हैं। उन्होंने जो अपने सोशल मीडिया… pic.twitter.com/V3jyH8gktX — Congress (@INCIndia) May 11, 2025

“After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE. Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump wrote. 

On Saturday evening, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed that Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) contacted his Indian counterpart, and both sides agreed to stop all military actions on land, air, and sea. 

Earlier on Saturday, Misri emphasised that the actions being undertaken by Pakistan against India are being seen as “escalatory” and “provocative” in nature. 

On the other hand, talking about the ceasefire, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said,” India and Pakistan have today worked out an understanding on stoppage of firing and military action. India has consistently maintained a firm and uncompromising stance against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. It will continue to do so.”

Pakistan Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also confirmed the ceasefire. 

The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, also said that both countries had agreed to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site.

Earlier, India had launched Operation Sindoor, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK); altogether, nine sites were targeted.

This came after the deadly Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, killing 26 people. This saw Pakistan up the ante with a series of unprovoked escalations using artillery guns and drones.

In an interview to PTI, the former minister for Corporate Affairs said the Indian government is accepting what has been given out and has not even offered a response.

The government was caught napping and it seems under US pressure to sacrifice Indian interests, he alleged.

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Calling for a proper strategy to deal with the issue, Pilot said if the tariff proposal was in the pipeline, the Indian government should have communicated and dealt with it in a much more strategic manner than it has.

“We are just basically accepting what has been given out and while the whole world is reacting, we are yet to respond ,” he said.

Noting that India is now a more interconnected economy around the world, he said the US move will have an impact on India especially at a time when there is “record unemployment” since Independence.

“Our national debt burden has increased exponentially and while our economy is growing the rich-poor divide is at historic levels. A large portion of our labour force is engaged in trade and export related manufacturing and millions of those jobs are facing uncertainty, and yet the government has not come out with any creative ideas on how to tackle the consequences of these tariff wars,” Pilot said.

He said it was difficult to predict what exactly the outcomes of the US imposed tariffs would be but asserted that the Indian government should have been better prepared knowing this was coming.

India being a strategic partner of the US has not yielded any benefits at least as far as the current economic scenario is concerned, Pilot added.

The US has announced 27 per cent reciprocal tariffs on India, saying New Delhi imposes high import duties on American goods, as the Donald Trump administration aims to reduce the country’s trade deficit and boost manufacturing.

The move is expected to impact India’s exports to the US.

President Trump, in a measure to counter higher duties on American products imposed globally, announced reciprocal tariffs on about 60 countries.

On the recently passed Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which has now become an Act, Pilot said the Congress made its stand very clear in Parliament and the Opposition was united in opposing it.

“The moot question – for what reason was this bill was brought into Parliament? The intention behind bringing this bill is not what is claimed.If there were some isolated incidents of non compliances or discrepancies that needed to be corrected, that could have been corrected.

“But the way the bill was brought, in such a rush, despite huge opposition from all corners, including political parties, stakeholders, community leaders, the intent was to have another debate in this country about Hindus and Muslims and Mandir and Masjid, to divide the country and polarise the narrative on religious lines,” Pilot said.

“It’s an old trick for the BJP to avoid accepting and resolving real issues like Manipur, unemployment, food price inflation, Chinese incursions into our territory and divert the attention of the country toward highly contentious and polarising issues just to suit their political and electoral agenda,” he said.

President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday gave her assent to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which was passed by Parliament last week after heated debates in both Houses.