Category: Politics

On Friday, the Election Commission responded to claims made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi that Maharashtra has more voters than its total population. Gandhi spoke at a press conference, saying that according to government data, the adult population of Maharashtra is 9.54 crore. However, he mentioned that there are 9.7 crore registered voters in the state, suggesting that there are more voters than people living there.

Gandhi also stated that in just five months after the Lok Sabha (parliament) elections, 39 lakh (3.9 million) new voters were added in Maharashtra. This is compared to 32 lakh (3.2 million) added in the last five years.

After his comments, the Election Commission posted a message on X (formerly Twitter) saying that it values the opinions of political parties and the public. They promised to give a detailed written response explaining the facts and procedures that they use across the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke in the Rajya Sabha to thank the President and also criticized the rise of caste issues in society. He emphasized that his government had granted constitutional status to the OBC Commission, which helps other backward classes. Modi mentioned that for many years, OBC MPs from different parties wanted this status, but past governments did not grant it because it did not align with their politics. However, his government has taken action to officially recognize the OBC Panel.

On Thursday, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra criticized the Indian government for how it handled the deportation of Indian immigrants living illegally in the United States. A US military plane flew back 104 Indian immigrants to Amritsar on Wednesday, marking the first group sent back under the Trump administration’s strict rules against illegal immigrants. The deportees reported that they were shackled with handcuffs and leg cuffs for the entire journey and were only freed once they landed in Amritsar.

Priyanka Gandhi questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi allowed this to happen, especially since many believed that Modi and Trump were good friends. She asked, “Why couldn’t we have sent our own plane to bring them back? Is this how we should treat our people, sending them back in handcuffs?” When asked if External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar should respond, she insisted that both he and the Prime Minister should explain this situation.

Akhilesh Yadav, the leader of the Samajwadi Party (SP), said on Wednesday that the police in Milkipur are checking voters’ ID cards to scare them away from voting. This is happening during the assembly by-election where people are casting their votes. He posted a picture on X (formerly Twitter), showing a police officer checking someone’s ID outside a polling station.

The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Ayodhya, Raj Karan Nayyar, disagreed with Yadav’s claims. He explained that the person whose ID was checked in the picture is actually a polling agent, not a voter. Milkipur is located in Ayodhya district.

Yadav urged the Election Commission to take action against the officers involved in these checks, calling it a serious problem that could scare people and unfairly influence the election. He believes these officers should be removed and punished for their actions.

Meanwhile, Faizabad MP Awadhesh Prasad accused the BJP party of trying to win the by-election by pressuring voters. He noted that even with multiple visits from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and deployment of several ministers, the BJP hasn’t been able to change the minds of voters, who tend to support the SP.

According to reports, by 9 AM today, around 13.34% of voters had cast their votes in the Milkipur by-election. There are 10 candidates, but the main competition is between Ajit Prasad from SP and Chandrabhanu Paswan from BJP. This by-election was called because Awadhesh Prasad from SP vacated his seat after winning in the Lok Sabha elections.

SP wants to keep the Milkipur seat, while BJP hopes to win it back after losing in Faizabad last time. In the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Milkipur was the only seat BJP lost in Ayodhya district.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke in the Lok Sabha (the lower house of Parliament) about the President’s address, on the fourth day of the Budget session. His speech came after Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition, criticized the NDA-led government.

In his speech, Rahul Gandhi said the ‘Make In India’ program has not worked, and the manufacturing share of our country’s economy has dropped from 15.3% in 2014 to 12.6%. This is the lowest it has been in 60 years. He also asked for a census of different castes and suggested that using artificial intelligence (AI) could help in analyzing the data.

Kiren Rijiju, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, asked Rahul Gandhi to apologize. He pointed out that the Speaker had asked Gandhi four times to back up his claims with proof, but he left without doing so.

Here are some highlights from PM Modi’s speech:

– I thank the people for allowing me to respond to the President’s address for the 14th time.
– Yesterday and today, all members shared their opinions about the President’s address. It’s a normal part of democracy, with both praise and criticism.
– I feel sad that some people do not understand what poverty is.

(Tune in for more updates!)

Union Minister Giriraj Singh recently spoke out against AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi regarding the Waqf amendment bill. He said that India’s Constitution belongs to everyone and that Owaisi shouldn’t be in denial about that. Singh reassured that the new bill will follow the law, explaining that no one, regardless of whether they are Hindu or Muslim, is above the law.

In a previous speech in Parliament, Owaisi warned the government that if they pass the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, as it is, it could cause serious problems in society. He said the Muslim community does not support the bill and that it violates important parts of the Constitution. Owaisi expressed his concern that if this bill goes through, there will be no Waqf properties left, which he sees as crucial for the community.

While addressing Parliament, he mentioned, “As an Indian Muslim, I will stand firm and protect my religious sites. I will not let anyone take them away from me.” Owaisi emphasized that Waqf properties are sacred and important to him, reminding everyone that they belong to him because he is a proud Indian.

The government of Gujarat, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is expected to announce a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) on Tuesday. Last year, the Gujarat government set up a committee to study whether the UCC should be introduced and how it could be done.

The Uniform Civil Code aims to create one set of personal laws that everyone in the state must follow, no matter what their religion, gender, or sexual preference is. The BJP wants to make the laws consistent for all citizens regarding their personal matters across the country. More details will come soon!

A court in Delhi will decide on February 4 whether to call Congress MP Shashi Tharoor to court for a defamation case filed by BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar. The decision was delayed because the judge, Paras Dalal, was on leave.

Chandrasekhar claims that Tharoor made false and harmful statements about him on national television, saying that he bribed voters in Thiruvananthapuram during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Chandrasekhar argues that Tharoor wanted to damage his reputation and influence the election results, even though he knew the statements were untrue.

According to Chandrasekhar’s complaint, these statements were shared widely on news channels and social media, hurting his standing in society and contributing to his loss in the elections. The court acknowledged this complaint on September 21, 2024.

In another development, the Delhi High Court summoned Tharoor in a separate defamation case. Chandrasekhar is seeking Rs 10 crore in damages for the harm done to his reputation. The judge, Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, scheduled the next court date for April 28. The court asked for this matter to be officially registered and summoned Tharoor to respond.

On Monday, as the parliament began talking about the budget, things got noisy. The Opposition members started shouting about a terrible stampede at the Maha Kumbh that took nearly 30 lives. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju asked everyone to let the meeting go on without interruptions.

Just a few days earlier, on Budget day, Opposition members walked out while Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was speaking. They wanted the government to say something about the sad stampede that happened on January 29.

This stampede occurred early in the morning at the Sangam area of Maha Kumbh. Over a million people were trying to take a holy dip during Mauni Amavasya, one of the most important days for Hindus. Sadly, when the crowd pushed through the barriers, many people got crushed, leading to 30 deaths and around 60 injuries.

(More details will follow.)