By Rahil Nora Chopra
Amid recent discussions about the possible leadership changes in the Karnataka Congress, Yathindra Siddaramaiah has strongly backed his father, while Siddaramaiah has reiterated that there is no threat to his position as Chief Minister. Now Siddaramaiah’s camp is pushing for a cabinet reshuffle and legislators from the state have travelled to New Delhi to press for changes in the ministry. However, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who is looking forward and keenly eyeing the Chief Minister’s post, is opposed to the reshuffle. Currently, two state cabinet berths are lying vacant due to the resignation of K N Rajanna and B Nagendra. Senior leader Rahul Gandhi has expressed his desire to summon Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar after the five-state assembly election results, to settle the leadership issue in Karnataka. The Congress high command is firmly in favour of a cabinet reshuffle by dropping some ministers and bringing in new faces.
AKHILESH WANTS SUB-QUOTA FOR MUSLIMS UNDER WOMEN’S RESERVATION BILL
With the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections scheduled for 2027, the Samajwadi Party (SP) has magnified its emphasis on consolidating its traditional vote bank by raising a demand for a separate quota for Muslim women within the Women’s Reservation Bill framework. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has demanded that the proposed 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies must include sub-quotas for Muslim and Backward Class (OBC) women. Meanwhile, the sharp argument took place between Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav over reservations to Muslim women during the debate on the women’s reservation-linked delimitation bill in Lok Sabha. Raising the issue, Akhilesh Yadav said that Muslim women should get separate reservations after the passage of the women’s reservation bill. Responding to this, Amit Shah strongly rejected the idea of religion-based reservation. He said reservations on the basis of religion is not acceptable and granting reservations to Muslims on religious grounds would be unconstitutional. Taking a swipe at the Samajwadi Party, Shah said “SP can give all its tickets to Muslim women, we have no objection”. However, Akhilesh Yadav hit back, calling the Home Minister’s remarks undemocratic. He questioned whether Muslim women do not comprise of the country’s population.
PRIYANKA’S SMART CHANAKYA REFERENCE DRAWS LAUGHTER FROM AMIT SHAH
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi countered the Centre’s proposed women’s reservation bill in Lok Sabha citing a Chanakya reference that drew laughter from Union home minister Amit Shah himself and the treasury bench MPs. She said: “Aaj agar Chanakya zinda hote, to aap ki chaturai dekh kar woh bhi hairaan ho jaate.”(If Chanakya were alive today, he too would be shocked by your political cunning.) She made it clear that the Congress party fully supports women’s reservation and said there should be no perplexion about its stand. In a Lok Sabha discussion on three bills introduced for amendments in the women’s-quota law and setting up a delimitation commission, Priyanka Gandhi asked why can’t the government give 33 per cent reservation to women on the current 543 seats of the Lok Sabha. She questioned the bill that talks of increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats to up to 850 – to be done by a delimitation commission on the basis of the 2011 Census data.
BJP PROMISES DOLE FOR BENGAL’S WOMEN, DIDI CRITICISES DELIMITATION BILL
The Matrishakti Bharosa Card was launched by the former Union minister Smriti Irani on behalf of the BJP, promising each woman in Bengal monthly financial assistance of ₹3,000. The BJP had planned a hurried door-to-door outreach drive in all 294 Assembly constituencies to distribute leaflets in the form of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guarantee cards, promising the monthly dole of ₹3,000, in a bid to woo women voters. Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has claimed that the alleged linking of bills related to amending the women’s quota law and setting up a delimitation commission was a conspiracy to delete names from electoral rolls, and implement NRC. Addressing a poll rally at Mathabhanga in Cooch Behar district, Banerjee said that several attempts are being made to divide India by connecting the women’s reservation and delimitation bills. (IPA Service)
