PM Narendra Modi will address the nation at 8.30 pm tonight, the government has announced, but the subject of his address has not yet been disclosed Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at 8:30 p.m. tonight. The announcement comes a day after Opposition parties blocked the Women
To date, 22 installments of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme have been released. The 22nd installment of this scheme was deposited into farmers’ bank accounts on March 13, 2026, and farmers are now awaiting the 23rd installment, which is expected to be deposited into their bank
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stated that political parties opposing the women's reservation bill will face consequences. He urged Union ministers to highlight the opposition's stance as anti-women to the public. The bill did not secure the required majority in the Lok Sabha
The Iranian military on Saturday said that it was closing the Strait of Hormuz again, AFP reported. Iran’s central military command said that, in response to the naval blockade of its ports imposed by the United States, the strategic waterway was again “under strict management and control of
Meetings platform Zoom has partnered with Sam Altman's human ID verification company World to verify that the participants in meetings are actual humans and not AI-generated avatars. The new integration, dubbed World ID Deep Face, is aimed at combating the rising threat of deepfakes and AI-driven
Congress says Centre’s conspiracy to weaken democracy defeated
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday accused the Union government of conspiring to weaken democracy and alter the federal structure of the country by attempting to bring in a bill to amend the 2023 Women’s Reservation Act and redraw the boundaries of electoral constituencies.
Speaking to reporters, the Wayanad MP added that the defeat of the 2026 Constitution 131st Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha on Friday was a victory for the Constitution as well as the unity of the Opposition.
Vadra demanded that the Union government implement the women’s quota using the current strength of the Lok Sabha.
“The women’s reservation bill, which was passed unanimously in 2023, should be implemented by the [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi government now, and women should be given their rights,” she said. “The entire Opposition is ready for women’s reservation.”
The Congress MP added that the draft legislations were not about women’s reservation in Parliament and state Assemblies.
“This was related to the delimitation,” she said. “The Modi government had to carry out the delimitation on this basis, in which it would not need to look at the data of the caste census and would have complete freedom to act arbitrarily.”
The Constitution 131st Amendment Bill, one of three draft legislations, required a two-thirds majority of votes in Parliament to pass. The ruling National Democratic Alliance does not have a two-thirds majority of MPs in any House.
The consideration of the bill was rejected by the Lok Sabha with 298 MPs voting in its favour and 230 against. With 528 MPs present in the Lower House, the bill would have required the support of 352 of them.
The Union government then decided to withdraw the two other bills, saying that they were linked to the Constitution 131st Amendment Bill and could not be taken up for consideration separately.
The bills had been introduced by the Union government on Thursday, when a special three-day session of Parliament began. The draft legislations sought to increase the strength of the Lok Sabha to 815 from 543 and to operationalise the 33% quota for women in the Lower House and Assemblies under the Women’s Reservation Act.
Vadra said on Saturday that the “entire country has seen how the Modi government is defeated when the Opposition unites”.
Referring to speeches made by Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the discussion of the bills, the Congress MP said that both of them had claimed that if the Opposition did not agree on the matter, it would never be able to win elections or come to power.
“These statements alone make it clear what the government’s intention was,” Vadra said. “I believe that the conspiracy hatched by the government had the objective of gaining power. For this, the government used women.”
She added: “The Modi government believed that if the bill passes, it would be their victory, and if the bill does not pass, they would label the Opposition as anti-women. BJP wanted to do this to prove itself as the messiah of women.”
Vadra also said that the Union government had lost the trust of the public. “It’s a Black Day for them because they’ve felt a shock for the first time, which they deserved,” she said.
The Opposition INDIA bloc had earlier said that while it supported women’s reservation, it would oppose the bill for delimitation of Lok Sabha seats.
Opposition parties had said that population-based delimitation would give an undue advantage to northern and central states in the Lok Sabha, as the proportion of seats in the North would be higher. They had also noted that the ruling BJP had greater support in northern states than in the South.
Although speculation about the amendment to the law had been rife in political circles for the past two weeks, copies of the draft legislation were shared with MPs for the first time on Tuesday.
Article 82 of the Constitution states that after every census is completed, the allocation of Lok Sabha seats to each state must be adjusted based on changes in its population.
The current composition of the Lok Sabha is based on the 1971 Census. According to the 84th Amendment Act of 2001, constituency boundaries were frozen until the first census after 2026.
The census, which began on April 1, is expected to conclude in 2027.
The bill that was introduced in Parliament proposed to amend Article 82 of the Constitution to remove the entire proviso. This would have paved the way for delimitation to take place based on the latest census, which was held in 2011.
The 2023 Women’s Reservation Act was brought into force on Thursday through a notification issued by the Union government. This came while Parliament was debating the amendments related to the same law, including proposals to modify its implementation timeline.
Source: Scroll
Related Posts: Conspiracy defeated Centre’s amendment bill for delimitation defeated and more Vikrant Massey says Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan was never defeated Rupee poised to weaken on dollar’s post-Fed rally DPDP doesn’t weaken RTI Act Depression over Odisha to weaken Cyclone Shakti to weaken in the Arabian Sea China's rare earth export delay offers US chance to weaken Beijing's grip on market Opposition’s motion to remove Lok Sabha speaker defeated Defeated bill to defend idea of India
US-returned techie says salary in India feels more like ‘pocket money’An Indian woman who spent several years working in the US, before moving back to India, has opened up about how the shift changed her perspective and priorities Updated on: Apr 19
Just now
Around seven lakh new voters have been added to West Bengal electoral rolls ahead of the assembly elections, with the Election Commission yet to disclose the age or gender break-up of this additional electorate, officials said on Saturday. Around 3
Just now
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have finished their brisk four-day visit to the east coast of Australia. With an itinerary of Indigenous culture, Australian sport, multiple good causes and a trip to the national war memorial, it had all the hallmarks of a traditional royal tour
Just now
Weekly Panchang for April 19-25, 2025: Auspicious & Inauspicious MuhuratsWeekly Panchang for April 19-25, 2025, to determine the auspicious & inauspicious time for performing day-to-day tasks based on the planetary positions. Published on: Apr 19
Just now
There were chants of "we want our Chelsea back" during a protest march before kick-off - then the chorus spread to the stands during the second half of the defeat by Manchester United. The frustration from supporters is understandable, given Chelsea have now lost their past four Premier League
Just now
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury criticizes Mamata Banerjee's role in voter list issues. He states the Congress will contest all assembly seats alone this time. Chowdhury believes the political landscape has changed. The party aims to establish its presence in every polling booth
Just now
Prime Minister Narendra Modi mourned the passing of former Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Punj, remembering him as a prolific writer, thinker, and public intellectual who significantly contributed to strengthening the BJP. Punj's impactful writings and parliamentary interventions, rich in facts and theory
Just now
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday accused the Union government of conspiring to weaken democracy and alter the federal structure of the country by attempting to bring in a bill to amend the 2023 Women’s Reservation Act and redraw the boundaries of electoral constituencies
Just now
Delhi airport alert: Weather conditions in the National Capital have changed again, and they are negatively affecting air travel operations. IndiGo, an airline based in India and one of India’s largest airlines, has released a detailed travel advisory
Just now
The two centres of this crisis are the 24-mile Strait of Hormuz south of Iran and 7,000 miles away in the White House. This week was the unique opportunity for the rest of the world to make its economic case to US President Donald Trump's administration directly at the Spring meeting of the
Just now
HDFC Bank Q4 Results: HDFC Bank reported a steady performance for the quarter and full year ended March 31, 2026. The bank’s standalone net profit for FY26 rose to Rs 19.12 billion, marking a 10.9% increase compared to the previous year.HDFC Bank Q4 Results: HDFC Bank reported a steady
Just now
PIB fact-checks influencer CA Sarthak Ahuja's video about income tax clearance certificate for travel abroadUnder Section 230 [of the Income Tax Act, 1961], tax clearance certificates are not mandatory for everyone, says PIB Updated on: Apr 18
Just now
The sacred Char Dham Yatra has taken a step forward as offline registration officially commenced, allowing thousands of devotees to prepare for one of India’s most significant pilgrimages. With the yatra set to begin on April 19 on the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya
Just now
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday alleged that Opposition parties stood against the women’s reservation bill for their “selfish political interests”, and that they insulted the framers of the Constitution by doing so. Modi made the statement a day after the Union government’s bill to
Just now
Jannik Sinner faced early season setbacks but has since achieved remarkable success. He has captured three consecutive ATP Masters 1000 titles and regained the world number one ranking. Sinner's improved serve and baseline game present challenges for rivals
Just now
Indian nurse in Germany gifts sister iPhone 16 with first salary: ‘My first salary was hers’An Indian woman in Germany fulfilled a promise with her first salary. Published on: Apr 19, 2026 7:56 AM IST By Mahipal Singh Chouhan Share via Copy link An Indian nurse working in Germany has struck an
Just now
Sumit Antil's complaint prompts quick action: PCI sacks Dronacharya awardee Naval Singh after Neeraj Chopra backs claimsThe Paralympic Committee of India has dismissed coach Naval Singh amid allegations of harassment by champion Sumit Antil. Published on: Apr 19
Just now
‘Conspiracy defeated’: Priyanka Gandhi calls women’s bill failure a win for ConstitutionPriyanka Gandhi hailed Opposition unity and said, “It was a victory for the Constitution, the country and the unity of the opposition." Updated on: Apr 19
Just now
Iran says it is closing the Strait of Hormuz again to commercial vessels and that any ship that approaches it will be targeted. The closure came as reports emerged of vessels in or near the strait, including a tanker, were targeted by Tehran on Saturday
Just now
A 36-year-old man in Florida died by suicide after weeks of extensive interaction with an artificial intelligence chatbot, a case that is now at the centre of a lawsuit against Google and a wider debate on AI safety. Jonathan Gavalas, described by his family as stable and without a history of
Just now
India's G20 satellite for climate and pollution study is set for a 2027 launch. ISRO is leading this initiative. The nation also aims for a human mission to the moon by 2040. This will place India alongside leading space-faring countries. ISRO is also developing a titanium vessel for the
Just now
Iran had reopened the crucial waterway on Friday after a ceasefire agreement was reached in Lebanon, but Trump said the US blockade around Iranian ports would remain. Iran’s military command on Saturday said the control of the Strait of Hormuz has “returned to its previous state” because of
Just now
Japan has unveiled a new name for days that reach 40C (104F) or above, after the country experienced its hottest summer on record last year. The term - kokushobi - has been translated as "cruelly hot", "brutally hot" or "severely hot" day by Japanese and international media
Just now
Which method do you typically choose to check the balance in your Employee Provident Fund (EPF) account? For many, the answer would be to visit the official EPFO website, where they enter their UAN, password, and Captcha to access their details. However
Just now
‘Defeated bill to defend idea of India’: Rahul Gandhi as Oppn blocks women's quota bill in Lok SabhaClaiming that the Opposition blocked the move, Gandhi said, “Every state should have a voice and be free to express its language and protect its traditions.” Updated on: Apr 19
Just now
Bajaj Chetak is a city-focused electric scooter offered in multiple variants with 2.5 kWh to 3.5 kWh battery options. It comes with 113-153 km range, practical features and funky colours. The Bajaj Chetak range is structured around multiple variants, battery options as well as feature levels
Just now
Progress had been made in negotiations with the United States to end the war, Iran's parliamentary speaker said on Saturday night, but added the sides were still far from an agreement. "We are still far from the final discussion," Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is also one of Iran's negotiators
Just now
