Five of family burnt alive after car catches fire on Delhi-Mumbai expressway in Alwar

New Delhi, April 20 (IANS) Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday launched a sharp attack on the Congress party and its allies during an event at the Parliament complex marking the installation of a statue of Jagajyothi Basaveshwara in Delhi, saying they “must face consequences” for opposing the Women’s Reservation Bill.

Speaking to the media, Rijiju strongly criticised the Opposition following the defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill 2026 in the Lok Sabha.

The bill, which aimed to provide 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament, failed to secure the required two-thirds majority, receiving 298 votes in favour and 230 against.

Quoting the Prime Minister’s stance, Rijiju said, “The Prime Minister said that we cannot immediately reveal what steps we will take next, but we will continue to make efforts; this is our commitment to give women their rights. However, the party that opposed and blocked this bill must face consequences. The Women’s Reservation Bill was defeated, and those responsible should be punished for it, or not? We are putting this in front of the nation’s women that those who opposed women’s reservation deserve consequences, and the black spot on Congress marked after denying this will never get clean.”

He further added, “There should be no confusion about this, and one should not be misled by what Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, or the Indian National Congress are saying. There is no need to engage in unnecessary arguments. Think about it simply – it was a bill to provide reservations for women, and Congress and its allies did not support it. Now they are making excuses. Women across the country are very angry, and out of fear, they are now offering justifications; this is not something to make excuses about.”

Rijiju made these remarks on the sidelines of a ceremony held at the Parliament complex, where a statue of Jagajyothi Basaveshwara was installed at Prerna Sthal.

Calling it a moment of pride, he said, “It is a matter of great pride and privilege for all of us that a magnificent statue of Jagajyothi Basaveshwara has been installed at the Prerna Sthal in the Parliament complex. On this auspicious occasion, we have gathered here along with our senior colleagues, H.D. Kumaraswamy and several others. We paid floral tributes to the statue of Mahatma Basaveshwara, offered prayers, and sought his blessings.”

Echoing the sentiment, Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said, “Our great Mahatma Basaveshwar, during the 12th century, at a time when the country was in a difficult condition, through his philosophy of ‘Kayakave Kailasa’, strengthened society and empowered people.”

–IANS

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Guwahati, Nov 26 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday underscored a “major turnaround” in the state’s battle against child marriage, saying a combination of stringent enforcement and systemic reforms has led to significant declines in the underage marriages and boosted legal accountability.

CM Sarma claimed that according to NFHS‑4 (2015-16) data, 31.8 per cent of women in Assam aged 20–24 were married before turning 18 – a rate that exceeded the national average.

Moreover, district-level fact sheets had recorded alarming prevalence in districts such as Dhubri, South Salmara, Barpeta and Nagaon, as high as 40–55 per cent.

However, the state now claims a decisive shift. Between 2023 and 2024 alone, more than 8,600 arrests were made in coordinated crackdowns under both the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA).

According to the Chief Minister, in 2022 the number of cases registered stood at 224, sharply up from just 149 in 2021, indicating a steep rise in enforcement.

CM Sarma said, “Beyond arrests, Assam has formed district-level task forces, headed by superintendents of police, to track and intercept impending child marriages. Community-level workers – including ASHAs, Anganwadi staff and schoolteachers – are now required to report suspected cases in real time.”

“Several districts have also reportedly established digital databases and child-protection tracking mechanisms,” he added.

The CM claimed that these measures have borne fruit: In hotspot districts, the incidence of child marriage fell by 8–17 per cent within a year, and more than 3,000 planned child marriages were prevented in 2023–24 alone.

Notably, the Assam government’s recent actions – from sustained crackdowns to setting up institutional safeguards – reflect a far more aggressive stance on child marriage than seen in earlier years, when the practice was largely treated as a social issue rather than a crime.

–IANS

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Hyderabad, Aug 18 (IANS) Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Monday expressed the apprehension that ‘vote theft’ may happen in Telangana and called upon people to remain alert to foil the conspiracy to steal democracy. He urged people to verify their and their family members’ names in the voter list.

He accused the BJP of committing large-scale voter fraud across the country and stated that Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, was leading the movement to protect the sacred right to vote of every citizen.

The Chief Minister was addressing a meeting organised to mark the 375th birth anniversary of Sardar Sarvai Papanna Goud, the 17th Century warrior.

“The vote theft is not limited to Maharashtra or Bihar. Conspiracies are being hatched to commit similar vote fraud tomorrow in Telangana. You all should be alert and check if your and your family members’ names are there in the voter list. We must all unite and fight against those who try to steal our votes,” he said.

He alleged that the BJP came to power in Maharashtra with fake votes. He said in just four months, one crore new voters were added in Maharashtra.

“Can one crore people be born anywhere in four months? Even if they were born, would they get voting rights immediately?” he asked and accused the BJP of trampling democracy to come to power. He said the BJP mocked the Constitution in B.R Ambedkar’s own land.

CM Reddy said ahead of elections in Bihar, the BJP in collusion with the Election Commission indulged in vote theft by deleting 65 lakh voters’ names. He claimed that even living people were shown as dead.

The Chief Minister said LoP Rahul Gandhi exposed this conspiracy but instead of punishing the culprits, the Election Commission was questioning him and demanding affidavits.

Stating that LoP Gandhi has undertaken a padyatra in Bihar against the vote theft, he announced that he, along with Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and TPCC President Mahesh Kumar Goud would join the padyatra.

He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy of obstructing 42 per cent reservation to Backward Classes (BCs) under the guise of religion.

He slammed the BJP-led government at the Centre for not approving two Bills passed by the Telangana legislature to enhance BC reservation to 42 per cent in education, employment and local bodies.

He dismissed the argument by BJP leaders that the Bills were not being given the Presidential assent as Muslims will also get benefit of reservation along with BCs.

He said that for 56 years, BCs among Muslims have been enjoying the reservation benefits in different parts of the country. “Why can’t BJP remove them in Gujarat, or Uttar Pradesh if they are so opposed to reservations to Muslims?” he asked and accused the BJP of using religion to deny BCs their rights.

He also criticised the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) for not joining the dharna in New Delhi over the BC reservation Bills. He accused BRS of doing great injustice to the BCs in its 10-year rule and continuing its discrimination by siding with the BJP.

Revanth Reddy said the Congress government conducted a caste survey to fulfil the promise made by LoP Gandhi during elections.

CM Revanth Reddy, who earlier laid the foundation stone for Papanna Goud’s statue near the Tank Bund, paid rich tributes to the warrior.

Stating that Papanna Goud established his empire centuries ago, CM Revanth Reddy promised to preserve his legacy and added that the government protected the historic Khilashapur Fort, which will be developed into a major heritage tourism site.

–IANS

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