'Our leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, are in touch with all Opposition parties, including the DMK and the AAP.'
The Centre has notified the implementation of the Women's Reservation Act 2023, providing a 33 per cent quota for women in legislatures, Jammu and Kashmir, and Union Territories, with the provisions set to come into force on April 17, 2026.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah criticises the Congress and its allies for the defeat of the Constitution amendment bill aimed at implementing 33 per cent women's quota in legislative bodies before the 2029 Parliamentary polls.
The Monsoon session of Parliament is expected to begin on July 20 and last for three weeks. Key political developments, including recent election victories and party rebellions, are set to influence the session, alongside the government's redrafting of a significant Constitution amendment bill concerning women's reservation and Lok Sabha seats.
India's Central government is likely to see its fertiliser subsidy bill double to a record 3.4 trillion in FY27, up from the Budget estimate of 1.7 trillion, due to surging global fertiliser prices exacerbated by the West Asia war. This significant increase, coupled with revenue losses from excise duty cuts for oil-marketing companies, is straining the government's fiscal space, though capital expenditure plans remain unchanged.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of misleading the nation regarding the women's quota bill and plotting to push through the delimitation exercise by using women as a shield.
The Indian government has clarified that consumers will not be charged for UPI transactions, and most merchant transactions will also remain free. This comes amidst speculation following an amendment to the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007. Any future merchant discount rate (MDR) would be nominal, threshold-based, and aimed at ensuring UPI's long-term sustainability and infrastructure development.
In a swift political counter-offensive, the Bharatiya Janata Party and its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners have announced a massive, nationwide protest campaign targeting the Opposition.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to the opposition to support the government's bills for implementing the women's reservation law, cautioning against politicisation and assuring that delimitation will be fair to all states.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of betraying women by obstructing the passage of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which aimed to reserve 33 per cent of seats in Parliament and state assemblies for women. Modi asserted that women in West Bengal would punish the TMC in the upcoming assembly elections.
The article details instances where the Narendra Modi government has yielded to public and political pressure since 2014, leading to policy reversals and ministerial resignations. It highlights the recent resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak, alongside past events like the withdrawal of land acquisition amendments, M.J. Akbar's resignation, the repeal of farm laws, and other policy retreats.
'For the rest of his tenure, people will start with the assumption that even Modi can be forced to bow down'
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra criticised the government's handling of the women's quota bill, accusing them of political maneuvering and neglecting the rights of OBCs.
'The Supreme Court stated that once the delimitation plan is approved by Parliament and receives assent of the President, it cannot be undone. Nor can it be modified.'
Commending India for spurring "one of the greatest successes globally" in women's empowerment, executive director of the United Nation Women Michelle Bachelet on Wednesday strongly batted for enacting law giving reservation to women in Parliament.
Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy on Friday claimed that the Congress tried to divert people's attention from coalgate by introducing the reservation bill but failed in its attempt.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of being 'anti-women' and obstructing the passage of the women's reservation bill in Lok Sabha. He criticised the TMC's opposition to the bill and defended the BJP's commitment to increasing women's representation in politics.
As with the Women's Bill, so also with the proposed Lok Pal legislation, the exercise is essentially one of grand posturing by all parties, says Neerja Chowdhury.
Despite government declaring it as a "top priority," the Women's Reservation Bill is unlikely to come up in the Budget session of Parliament beginning on Thursday.
The BJP and opposition parties are engaged in a political battle over the implementation of the Women's Reservation Act, with the BJP defending it as historic and the opposition accusing the government of delaying its notification and using it to push an unconstitutional delimitation exercise.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Indian Parliament is expected to extend its budget session to introduce a bill increasing Lok Sabha seats to 816, reserving 273 for women, and amending the women's reservation law.
Police forces from several adjoining districts were requisitioned to man key junctions, sensitive locations and government buildings in the Lutyens' area ahead of the march.
Rahul Gandhi playfully remarked on his and PM Modi's lack of 'the wife issue' during a Lok Sabha debate, highlighting the influence of women in everyone's lives.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the BJP-led central government of using the proposed amendment to the women's quota law as a front for the Delimitation Bill, which she claims will divide the country. She asserted that her party will fight this move at every step.
Women MPs toe party lines on Reservation Bill
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed BJP workers after the party's performance in assembly elections, urging an end to political violence in West Bengal and a focus on the state's future.
Opposition leaders have criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation, calling it politically motivated and a misuse of official platforms during ongoing elections.
The BJP-led government in Bihar secured a vote of confidence in the state assembly, with Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary pledging economic development and significant investments. The motion was passed amidst heated debates and accusations between the ruling NDA and the opposition, highlighting political tensions and differing views on issues like women's reservation.
A bill to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies by increasing the lower house's strength to 850 is slated for introduction in Parliament. The bill seeks to amend Article 81 of the Constitution and utilise 2011 Census data for redrawing constituencies.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has announced a significant increase in Lok Sabha seats for the five southern states following delimitation, countering misinformation and clarifying the timeline for women's reservation implementation.
Beyond imprisonment, candidates caught cheating face cancellation of examination scores, blacklisting under China's social credit system and multi-year bans from appearing in state examinations.
Its strength is set to increase by 3 seats once the current round of Rajya Sabha polls for 27 seats are concluded on June 28.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of spreading falsehoods and offering no relief to the poor through his speeches. She made these remarks at a rally in Bhangar, South 24 Parganas district, ahead of Modi's address to the nation.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has assured that the Women's Reservation Bill would be tabled in the budget session of Parliament. Singh told a delegation of women leaders, which included MPs, that an all-party meeting would be convened on March 20 to arrive at a consensus and hinted that there had been some kind of a "breakthrough" in negotiations with other political parties on the issue.
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor criticised the government's decision to link women's reservation with the expansion of Parliament, calling delimitation a 'political demonetisation'. He argued that women's reservation should be implemented immediately based on existing parliamentary strength.
The Government's move to ensure passage in Parliament of a key bill which seeks to keep faculty appointments in 47 institutes of excellence from the purview of reservation, has kicked up a controversy with a national commission terming it "a dangerous bill."
The bill will not apply to three institutions of scientific and technological importance, including one in Chennai.
The Election Commission will examine a complaint filed by opposition parties alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation violated the Model Code of Conduct for elections.
The Indian government and opposition parties are set for a showdown in Parliament over a Constitution amendment bill concerning the implementation of the women's quota law and the delimitation exercise. The Opposition is concerned about the potential impact of delimitation on the political representation of southern states.
