Congress-ruled states, including Karnataka, Kerala, and Telangana, are preparing to challenge the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2026, in the Supreme Court. They allege the new law undermines states' rights by restricting their powers to levy taxes on mineral resources, a claim the Centre denies, stating it aims for uniform mineral rates.
'They want to sabotage the caste census and bury Muslim backward classes, Hindu backward classes, Sikh backward classes and Buddhist backward classes.'
The Congress and BJP are engaged in a political spat over the implementation of the Women's Reservation Bill and its proposed link to delimitation, with Rahul Gandhi urging unconditional implementation of the 2023 law and Kiren Rijiju highlighting the constitutional requirement for delimitation based on post-2026 census figures.
In a major embarrassment for the Congress party, Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy's resolution to reject the bill was passed unanimously.
The Telangana Bill has been passed in the Lok Sabha after a voting and a heated debate on Tuesday. To ensure that none of the Members of Parliament use TV coverage to cause chaos and drama, Speaker Meira Kumar stopped the live telecast.
Opposition BJP has assured the ruling UPA that it would support the bill for the creation of Telangana in Parliament
Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned following an uproar over an alleged derogatory 'lungiwala' remark made by BJP MP Sushmita Dev against CPI(M)'s John Brittas, who had moved a privilege motion. Dev denied the accusation, stating she had not cast aspersions on any state's attire.
The BJP is significantly increasing its digital engagement with young people on Instagram, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several Union ministers, in response to the NEET-UG paper leak controversy and subsequent student protests. This strategic shift aims to counter the narrative and communicate government actions on examination reforms.
Election-related freebies and populist measures are other factors crimping the revenue profile of these states.
The bill on separate Telangana could rock the last session of the 15th Lok Sabha beginning Wednesday with several parties asking the government to first get the Vote on Account passed before taking up any other legislation.
Central tax authorities detected input tax credit (ITC) fraud worth Rs 74,781.56 crore across 30,162 cases in FY26, more than doubling the number of cases from the previous year, according to the Ministry of Finance.
The Bharatiya Janata Party is wanting for the Telangana Bill to be referred to the Standing Committee of Home Affairs before it is introduced in the Lok Sabha. It also plans to write to the Speaker if the House Meira Kumar on the issue.
The government has released a set of FAQs to address concerns and clarify the details surrounding the Women's Reservation Bill, which aims to provide 33 per cent quota for women in legislatures.
Time is running out for a hapless UPA govt over the Telangana bill, and the latest observation by the Rajya Sabha secretariat -- that the bill has financial implications and so must be introduced and passed in the Lok Sabha first -- has only worsened the crisis for the ruling alliance. Anita Katyal reports.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday offered conditional support to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the crucial Telangana bill, making it clear that the government should address concerns of the people of both Telangana and Seemandhra.
President Pranab Mukherjee has given his nod to the Telangana Bill, which is likely to be tabled in Parliament on Tuesday.
Notwithstanding vociferous opposition, the government is expected to table the Telangana bill in Lok Sabha on Thursday.
The Lok Sabha has passed a bill recognising Amaravati as the sole and permanent capital of Andhra Pradesh, solidifying the city's status after years of debate and uncertainty. The bill aims to prevent future changes to the capital and received support from both the ruling NDA and the opposition Congress, while the YSR Congress Party opposed the bill.
The controversial Communal Violence Bill and the bill for creation of Telangana will be tabled in the next session of Parliament, Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said on Thursday.
There was absolute chaos at the Andhra Pradesh assembly with members of the Telegu Desam Party burning the Telangana Bill in the assembly.
Amid unprecedented bedlam, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde moved the Telangana bill in Rajya Sabha for consideration leading to three adjournments within 30 minutes.
The Group of Ministers on Telangana is likely to take up six official amendments to the Telangana Bill on Monday. The GoM will have daily meeting for three days from February 3 in New Delhi.
Notwithstanding Andhra Pradesh assembly's rejection of Telangana bill, a Group of Ministers on Tuesday cleared the draft legislation to be placed before the Union Cabinet on Thursday to pave the way for its tabling in Parliament.
The much anticipated Telangana Bill was not taken up in the Rajya Sabha, which witnessed high drama and repeated adjournments throughout Wednesday.
Holding that there are severe shortcomings in the current form of Telangana Bill, Union minister M Pallam Raju on Tuesday said it should not be passed in a manner that sends a wrong message and permanently hurt sentiments.
The UPA managers feel the remaining phase of the Winter Session of Parliament, which will be dominated by the Telangana issue, may actually end up as a repeat of previous sessions. Anita Katyal reports.
The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, 2014, better known as the Telangana Bill, was passed in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday amid uproar and a raging controversy as the televised screening of the House proceedings were suspended.
The Telangana Bill will not come up in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday with the House secretariat on Monday seeking clarifications from the Union law ministry over whether or not it is a money bill.
A deepening payment paralysis in Telangana's liquor industry is beginning to choke manufacturing units and strain supplies, employment, and the broader investment landscape, industry bodies have warned, as unpaid dues accumulate to levels they describe as "unprecedented" and "severe".
Lok Sabha on Tuesday looked like a virtual battle-ground during the consideration of the controversial Telangana Bill with Congress members seen protecting Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and other top leaders from protesting members.
Notwithstanding opposition from within Congress and outside, the Union Cabinet on Friday cleared the Telangana Bill which will be introduced in Parliament on February 12.
The Bharatiya Janata Party supported the Telangana bill in Rajya Sabha onThursday but sought amendments to ensure the Seemandhra region got justice and a "defective" legislation was not passed.
Rediff.com has in its possession the full Cabinet Note that was given to the members of the Cabinet ahead of the crucial meeting on Friday evening.
The Congress's strategy is to get the bill passed in the Rajya Sabha and then try its luck in the Lok Sabha, where it is unsure of the Bharatiya Janata party's support for it. This, say sources, is the GoM's face-saver plan, as the Rajya Sabha's okay will keep the Bill alive for the 16th Lok Sabha.
Indian states significantly increased their reliance on market borrowings to finance gross fiscal deficits in 2025-26, with the share of market borrowings rising to 76.3 per cent, even as the weighted average cut-off yield on State Government Securities (SGS) and spreads over central government securities also increased.
President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday gave seven more days to the Andhra Pradesh assembly till January 30 to discuss and debate the draft Telangana Bill in the House before returning it to the Centre.
President Pranab Mukherjee, a stickler of rules, will give the Andhra assembly six weeks (up to January 23) to respond to the draft bill on Telangana
The Indian government has increased import duties on gold and silver from 6 per cent to 15 per cent to curb inbound shipments of precious metals amid a rising import bill due to the West Asia crisis.
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.
The deadlock in the Andhra Pradesh assembly is likely to end on Monday, when the Telangana Bill will finally be presented in the House.
