Month: April 2026

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday used “magician” jibe against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during debate in Lok Sabha on bills to implement women’s quota from 2029 general elections, with his remarks drawing strong objections from the treasury benches and disapproval from Speaker Om Birla, who said there is need to stick to parliamentary decorum.

In his remarks, Rahul Gandhi, who is the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, slammed the government over the Delimitation Bill and termed the government’s move concerning three bills an “anti-national act”.

“The magician of Balakot, demonetization, Sindoor has been suddenly caught…everybody knows there is a partnership between the magician and the businessman,” he said, drawing strong protests from the treasury benches.

Rahul Gandhi started narrating an anecdote about a magician before using it to target the Prime Minister.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the word cannot be used against any minister. He also objected to his remarks relating to Operation Sindoor and the Balakot strike.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also condemned Rahul Gandhi’s remarks and said it is an insult to the people of the country.

Amid interruptions, Gandhi continued his attack on the BJP. “There is a central confusion in the minds of the people of the BJP. You aren’t the people of India or the armed forces. Stop hiding like cowards behind the armed forces and the people of India,” he said.

“What you (BJP) are doing, because you are scared of what is happening in the politics of the country, you are scared of the erosion of your strength, and you are trying to rejig the Indian political map. You did it in Assam, J&K, and now imagining you can do it in India. You need a constitutional amendment to do that,” he added.

Rahul Gandhi referred to Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks yesterday that the government will conduct a caste census.

“Manuvad over Samvidhaan…Amit Shah ji says that the caste census has begun. He repeated twice, trying to be clever, saying that houses don’t have caste. The point is whether or not the caste census is going to be used in representation in Parliament & State Assemblies. And now, what you are trying to do is that caste census has nothing to do with representation for the next 15 years,” the Congress leader said.

“It is a historical fact that how Indian society treated Dalits and OBCs and their women…What is being attempted here is a bypass of the caste census. Here, they are trying to avoid giving power and representation to my OBC brothers and sisters and taking power from them,” he added.

The Congress leader began his speech with an anecdote about how his grandmother, Indira Gandhi, taught him to fight fear.

Rahul Gandhi said he feared darkness as a child and his grandmother briefly took him to their garden at night and later addressed his fear.

“My grandma told me that I want you to be able to see in the dark like the central idea of Shiva. I asked why? Because real strength hides in the dark,” he said.

The Congress leader slammed the government over the Delimitation Bill, which is among the legislations to implement women’s reservation from the 2029 Lok Sabha polls, and said it has “nothing to do with the empowerment of women” and is an “attempt to change the electoral map of India.”

“The first truth is that this is not a women’s bill. This has nothing to do with the empowerment of women. This is an attempt to change the electoral map of India. Actually, it is a shameful act,” he said.

“What is being attempted here is a bypass of the caste census. What they are trying to do is they are trying to avoid giving power, giving representation to my OBC brothers and sisters, and take away from them…the point is not that, but the point is that whether the caste census is going to be used for representation in Parliament, Vidhan Sabha. What you are trying to do is to make sure that the caste census has nothing to do with representation. So that you can kick the ball down by 10 years,” he added.

Rahul Gandhi said the opposition will not allow the three bills to be passed and said the government should implement the Nari Shakti Act without delay.

“Giving the women’s reservation, which is easy to do, and every Opposition member will pass it…bring that old bill back right now, we will help you pass it with implementation this second. That is the women’s bill, this is something else. The truth needs to be told about what this is,” he said.

He accused the BJP-led Central government of trying to “rejig the entire political map of India” in an attempt to remain in power.

“Second thing being done, equally bad and dangerous is that because you are scared of what is happening in the politics of this country, you are scared of the erosion of your strength. You are scared of the erosion of your strength. You are trying to rejig the Indian political map. You have done it in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, and you are trying to imagine you can do it for the rest of India,” Gandhi said.

Lok Sabha on Friday resumed discussion on the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Delimitation Bill, 2026.

The discussion began yesterday afternoon and continued late in night till 1.25 am. (ANI)

S

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday received a telephonic call from French President Emmanuel Macron.

The two leaders discussed the situation in West Asia and agreed on the need to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

PM Modi underlined that Delhi and Paris would continue to advance their close cooperation for stability in the region and beyond.

He said on X, “Received a phone call from my dear friend President Emmanuel Macron. We discussed the situation in West Asia and agreed on the need to urgently restore safety and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. We will continue our close cooperation to advance peace and stability in the region and beyond.”

India continues to maintain high-level interactions with leaders across the world as the security situation continues to evolve in West Asia and the Gulf region.

Previously, PM Modi had spoken to the French President earlier in March on the situation in West Asia and said that they would continue to closely coordinate to advance peace and stability in and beyond the region.

Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a call from US President Trump during which the two leaders discussed the security situation in West Asia and stressed the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and secure.

Today, here in the national capital, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker underscored the importance of ensuring safe and unimpeded maritime passage in West Asia.

“The two sides also discussed recent developments of concern in the West Asia region; they underscored the importance of dialogue and diplomacy in resolving issues in a peaceful manner, including the safe and unimpeded passage of maritime shipping,” MEA Secretary (West) Sibi George said during a press briefing.

The call by the French President comes amid the backdrop of France and the United Kingdom being set to host a joint conference aimed at bringing together over 40 countries to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that the video conference will take place in Paris on Friday, later this week, which would see peaceful players come together and contribute towards a ‘multilateral and defensive mission’, aimed at restoring the freedom of navigation in the world’s critical energy chokepoint. (ANI)

The Supreme Court has directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to ensure that wherever claims of excluded voters are allowed by the Appellate Tribunals before the polling dates between April 23 and 29, their names are incorporated in a supplementary revised electoral rolls to entitle them to exercise their right to vote.

The decision, originally pronounced during the April 13 hearing in the West Bengal SIR case, has been formally affirmed today through a detailed order uploaded on the Court’s official website. In its order, the bench led by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant also clarified that merely having an appeal pending before the Appellate Tribunal would not entitle an excluded person to vote.

“Therefore, invoke our powers under Article 142 of the Constitution of India and direct the ECI that, wherever the Appellate Tribunals can decide the appeals by April 21, 2026, or April 27, as the case may be, such appellate orders shall be given effect to by issuing a supplementary revised electoral roll, and all necessary consequences with respect to the right to vote shall follow. However, it goes without saying that the mere pendency of appeals preferred by excluded persons before the Appellate Tribunals shall not entitle them to exercise their right to vote”, the Court noted in its order.

The Court has listed the matter for the next hearing on April 24.

On April 13, as had been reported by ANI on X, the Court had verbally remarked that the people whose names have been excluded from the voter list and whose appeals are pending to be adjudicated before the Appellate Tribunals would be allowed to vote if their names are included after final adjudication.

The Court’s remarks had come after it was informed by the counsels appearing for the petitioner, the West Bengal government, that the names of 34 lakh people had been excluded from the voter list.

“The Judicial Officers have completed the adjudication by April 9 — even if they had exceeded by 1-2 days, I have permitted them (to adjudicate further claims). There are 153 constituencies — there was some spillover of 7-8 constituencies — those names that were left out would be added to the list for the April 23 elections. Don’t worry — if their names are there, they will be voting,” Justice Joymalya Bagchi had said during the hearing on April 13.

The Court had also, in its April 13 hearing, directed the West Bengal government and the Election Commission of India (ECI) to continue and strengthen security for judicial officers (JOs) working on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. The Court had said that the concern regarding the safety of JOs deputed in SIR must reach a logical conclusion and should not remain a routine administrative task.

The Court had also said that it will examine issues flagged in the NIA’s interim report and noted that it wants to take the matter to its logical conclusion.

“We direct the ECl and State Government to ensure that the security already provided to judicial officers is not withdrawn. Security cover shall not be withdrawn without assessing further threat perception. Deployment of forces in terms of order passed on April 2 will consequently continue till further orders”, the Court had observed.

As regards the pendency of claims in the SIR, the Court had relied on inputs from the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court and had noted that deputed judicial officers had completed verification of about 60,00,000+ claims, with only 1,822 (around 0.03%) objections left pending.

The Court had also noted that a system is already in place, including 19 appellate tribunals monitored by a 3-judge committee and a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued on April 7, 2026, followed by inspection on April 10, 2026.

It has also appreciated the work done by judicial officers and said it has no reason to doubt that the remaining work will be completed soon. (ANI)

In a clear clarification addressing ongoing speculation, actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut has denied any romantic involvement with fellow politician Chirag Paswan, stating that they share only a friendly bond rooted in their past collaboration in a film.

In an interview with ANI, Kangana directly addressed viral images and public chatter surrounding the two, firmly rejecting the rumours of a romantic relationship.

“No, no, Chirag is a friend. When I see him, I think of a friend. There’s no romance happening, let me be honest. We know each other for like… He did his film with me 10 years ago. If it wasn’t then… If it was romance, then today we would have had children'” she said.

She added, “If I wanted to have romance, then it would have happened. It’s not happening. You know, like, it’s just that… that friendly vibe, you know, which you get from somebody who, who’s just kind of your, you know, your type as in like he, he’s from also in a way from film industry. So I feel very good around him.”

The clarification comes amid repeated social media discussions around the duo, who have been spotted together at public events, often drawing attention and sparking speculation among fans.

Kangana Ranaut and Chirag Paswan’s connection dates back to their collaboration in the 2011 romantic drama ‘Mile Na Mile Hum’, directed by Tanveer Khan.

The film marked Paswan’s debut, with Ranaut playing the female lead alongside Neeru Bajwa and Sagarika Ghatge.

Both Kangana and Paswan are now more widely recognised for their political careers, though their occasional public interactions continue to attract attention due to their shared cinematic history.

On the work front, Kangana Ranaut was last seen in ‘Emergency’, a film she also directed, in which she portrayed former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. (ANI)

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday tore into the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), saying that it wants to delay the caste-based census because if conducted, the Centre will have to release the caste-based data and implement caste-based reservations for the backward communities.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Yadav stressed that the Samajwadi Party welcomes the Women’s Reservation Bill, which will reserve 1/3rd seats for women in the Parliament, but raised questions on the “motives” of the government in the rush of its implementation.

He said that the BJP is “transforming women into slogans.”

“Samajwadi Party is in favour of the Women’s Reservation Bill. We have always worked towards the growth of women. But the Bhartiya Janata Party is trying to turn a woman into a slogan. BJP must answer out of 21 States they are ruling, how many of the States have women Chief Ministers? Even your Delhi CM does not have the rights of a Chief Minister; she is a ‘half Chief Minister’. I want to know why there is a hurry?” he asked.

He said that the BJP wants to delay the caste-based census. He accused the BJP of using women to play games and flagged ulterior motives behind the implementation of the Bill. He underlined that the BJP wants to avoid the caste-based census to avoid sharing caste-based data into public domain, which will compel them to give caste-based reservations to backward communities.

“The truth is that the BJP wants to delay the caste-based census. BJP’s electoral deception has been shattered. When we caught the Form 7 and SIR scams cutting out voters’ names, the BJP came up with these Bills. This time, the BJP is using women to play games, but it won’t succeed,” he said.

“The haste the BJP is demonstrating in the name of this amendment is driven by an ulterior motive. The BJP wants to avoid conducting a census. This is because if a census were to be conducted, they would be compelled to release caste-based data and, consequently, implement caste-based reservations for the backward communities. This constitutes a massive conspiracy on the part of the BJP,” he added.

Earlier today, the Constitution (131 Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Delimitation Bill, 2026, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 were introduced in the Lok Sabha after the Opposition pressed for a division against the move to introduce three Bills, instead of a voice vote.

As per the final division, there were a total of 251 AYES and 185 NOES out of the total 333 votes.

The Lok Sabha primarily uses voice voting, but if challenged, a “division” is called, where the Automatic Vote Recorder (Ayes, Noes, Abstain) is utilised.

The government has convened a special sitting of Parliament on April 16,17,18 to pass the amendment to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.

It seeks opposition support for passing the amendment bill to implement the women’s reservation bill from the 2029 Lok Sabha polls on the basis of the 2011 census. (ANI)

Military adviser of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mohsen Rezaei, issued a sharp warning against any US naval blockade efforts targeting Iran, stating the military of the Islamic Republic was ready if directly threatened by US naval assets, Iranian state media Press TV reported.

According to Press TV, citing a televised interview, Rezaei said, “Pressure must increase. Our launchers are now locked on the warships, and we will sink them all.”

Referring to US efforts to impose a naval blockade on Iran, Rezaei claimed the move would fail, asserting that Iran could counter such actions.

“Just as the United States suffered a historic defeat in trying to open the Strait of Hormuz, it is also doomed to fail in the naval blockade,” he added, as quoted by Press TV.

He further stated that Iran’s armed forces would not allow any success of a US-led blockade and claimed that Tehran possessed “major untapped leverage” to respond.

This comes amid an announcement by the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) on Wednesday that a comprehensive blockade of Iran’s ports has been successfully implemented, with US forces asserting maritime dominance across key regional waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement, CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said that within 36 hours of the operation’s launch, US forces had effectively halted all maritime trade entering and leaving Iran.

Rezaei also alleged that Washington, in coordination with Israel, had previously pursued military plans against Iran, including an alleged attempt to deploy paratroopers in Isfahan to seize uranium materials–claims that could not be independently verified, Press TV reported.

He further said that Iran believed extending any ceasefire would not serve its interests unless broader conditions were met.

“Only when all agreements and our rights are fulfilled, and a resolution is submitted to the UN Security Council, will a ceasefire be meaningful,” he said, as quoted by Press TV.

The Iranian official also cited what he described as “moral and humanitarian” considerations as a reason for Iran agreeing to a temporary ceasefire.

On the possibility of future talks with the United States, Rezaei stressed caution and precision in any negotiations.

“We must be sensitive to every single word,” he said, as quoted by Press TV. (ANI)

Opposition parties under the INDIA bloc met in the Parliament premises on Thursday to chalk out their strategy for the special session, focusing on their stand on the Women’s Reservation Bill and the proposed delimitation Bill.

Opposition parties are set to bills, including those on women’s reservation and delimitation, in both Houses of Parliament.

Three important bills are likely to be introduced in the special session of Parliament starting today, including one to reserve seats for women in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections and another to redraw constituency boundaries.

The opposition is raising concerns about the reasons for changing these boundaries and increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to a maximum of 850.

The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Delimitation Bill, 2026, are slated to be introduced by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, by Home Minister Amit Shah.

The government has convened a special sitting of Parliament on April 16,17,18 to pass the amendment to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.

The Law Minister is also slated to move a proposal in the Lok Sabha to suspend the provisions of Rule 66 with the objective of passing the Women’s Reservation Amendment Bill and the Delimitation Bill together.

The motion states that the this House “do suspend the proviso to rule 66 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha in its application to the motions for taking into consideration and passing of the Delimitation Bill, 2026 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 in as much as these are dependent upon the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-first Amendment) Bill, 2026”.

The government has been seeking opposition support for passing the amendment bill to implement the women’s reservation bill from the 2029 Lok Sabha polls on the basis of the 2011 census.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had urged opposition parties to support the amendment to ensure the women’s reservation comes into effect from the 2029 general elections.

“This is the wish of every sister and daughter of this country, and we must fulfil it with unanimity,” he said at an event in Dehradun on Tuesday. (ANI)

Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Thursday said he wore a black shirt in protest against the proposed delimitation Bill, alleging that the Union government was attempting to reduce Tamil Nadu’s representation. The Tamil Nadu Deputy CM also burned a copy of the bill to register his protest.

While campaigning in the Madurai East constituency, to support DMK candidate and Minister P Moorthy, DCM Stalin said, “Today is a very important day. I am wearing a black shirt opposing the Delimitation Bill. The Union government is trying to reduce the representation from Tamil Nadu. Using the election time in Tamil Nadu, the Union government is trying to divert us with the election and bringing this Delimitation Bill.

During his visit to Sourashtrapuram in the Vandiyur area, DCM Stalin wore a black shirt to show protest against the Union Government’s proposed Delimitation Bill.

This comes after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, earlier in the day, burned a copy of the proposed delimitation bill, whose implementation is tied to a population-based revision of constituencies based on the 2011 census.

Stalin further raised a black flag to kick off statewide anti-delimitation agitation.

Echoing similar concerns, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP T. R. Baalu also termed the proposed delimitation Bill “anti-national.”

Meanwhile, DMK candidate from the Virugambakkam Assembly constituency Prabhakar Raja carried out a door-to-door campaign in Chennai’s MGR Nagar area wearing a black shirt as a mark of protest against the proposed delimitation process.

DMK district leaders, party cadres, and members of alliance parties, including Congress, Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK), Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), Communist Party of India, and Communist Party of India (Marxist), accompanied him during the outreach campaign.

In Karur district, former minister and DMK candidate V. Senthil Balaji also staged a protest by hoisting a black flag in front of his residence, raising slogans of “Tamil Nadu will fight, Tamil Nadu will win” against the proposed constituency delimitation Bill.

Wearing a black shirt, Senthil Balaji raised slogans and led the protest, with several key party functionaries joining him and echoing the slogans.

The protest comes amid continued opposition from M. K. Stalin, the DMK president and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, who has been voicing strong concerns against the delimitation proposal.

In line with directions from the DMK headquarters, party cadres across Tamil Nadu have been staging similar protests by hoisting black flags in front of their residences. (ANI)