Sonia Gandhi, Chief of the Congress parliamentary party, expressed her party’s support for the women’s reservation bill and called for its immediate implementation. She also demanded provisions for the reservation of OBC women.
During the Lok Sabha debate, Gandhi stressed that delaying the implementation of the reservation would be a grave injustice to Indian women. She urged the government to act swiftly and make provisions for the reservation of SC, ST, and OBC women after conducting a caste census. DMK leader M. Kanimozhi called for the removal of the “after delimitation” clause in the bill to avoid unnecessary delays in its implementation.
She emphasized that the bill aims to eliminate bias and injustice, not just provide reservation. NCP leader Supriya Sule criticized the bill as a “post-dated cheque” and questioned the government’s decision to hold a special session to approve it when census and delimitation dates are still uncertain.
She called for a clear timeline for implementation. JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh accused the Modi government of using the bill as a political maneuver to win the 2024 elections. While he supported the bill’s objective, he called it a “jumla” or empty promise. Samajwadi Party member Dimple Yadav called for the reservation of women from backward classes, SC/STs, and minority communities in the bill.
Opposition Backs Women’s Bill with OBC Quota
Trinamool Congress member Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar criticized the government for linking the bill’s implementation to population census and delimitation, calling it a “sinister” move. BSP chief Mayawati urged the government to separate the bill from census and delimitation processes to ensure its immediate implementation. She accused both the BJP and Congress of using the bill for political gain and stated that certain provisions would delay its benefits for years.
Bandi Sanjay Criticizes KCR’s Free Power Supply Plan for Muslim Dhobis:
BJP National General Secretary and MP, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, criticized Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, accusing him of practicing appeasement politics. Kumar condemned the government’s decision to provide 250 units of free power to Muslim dhobi ghats and laundry shops in the state, expressing concern that this move would lead to unemployment among the Rajak community.
Kumar argued that numerous laundry shops serve various sections of the population and that providing free power to Muslim Dhobi ghats and shops would negatively impact the livelihoods of the Rajak community. He suggested that this decision was made to appease the MIM party and its leader, Asaduddin Owaisi.
According to Kumar, the Chief Minister’s actions reflect a form of religious favoritism, and he accused KCR of prioritizing vote banks over the financial well-being of BCs (Backward Classes) who engage in caste-based professions. Kumar emphasized that KCR’s decision would have a detrimental effect on BC communities, as their businesses had already been affected by others.
Bandi Sanjay Criticizes KCR’s Free Power Supply Plan for Muslim Dhobis
Kumar concluded that the Chief Minister’s move appeared to be driven by a desire to secure vote banks for upcoming elections, causing significant distress among BC communities due to the economic challenges they would face as a result.
Telugu Desam (TD) MPs and former MPs, along with Nara Lokesh, staged a silent protest at Rajghat in Delhi on Tuesday wearing black badges against the arrest of Nara Chandrababu Naidu.
The TD MPs Kesineni Srinivas alias Nani, Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, Galla Jayadev, and Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar alleged that the state government is in jitters as people across the globe have taken up various protest programs against the illegal arrest of the former chief minister and TD supremo, Chandrababu Naidu.
They said that on the first day of the Parliament session, they raised the issue of the illegal arrest of Naidu by the YSRC government led by Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. The MPs claimed that there was no involvement of Naidu in the AP Skill Development scam and that it was a false case fabricated by the Jagan government under political vengeance. They expressed hope for justice in the court proceedings.
TDP MPs and Lokesh’s Protest at Rajghat
They stated that Naidu was falsely accused and illegally arrested, emphasizing his belief in justice and righteousness.
CM Jagan to Offer Silk Robes to Goddess Durga on October 20 in Vijayawada:
“The Schedule for Dasara Sarannavarathri Utsavalu at Indrakeeladri Durga Temple Announced” The festivities will take place from October 15 to 23, with various attires for Goddess Durga. The nine-day celebrations on Indrakeeladri hill will feature the presiding deity, Goddess Sri Kanaka Durga, appearing as ‘Sri Maha Chandi Devi Alankaram’ on October 19.
Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy is set to present silk robes to the goddess on October 20, when the presiding deity will appear as Sri Saraswathi Devi Alankaram.
The Sri Kanaka Durga temple trust board chairman, Karnati Rambabu, and EO Bhramaramba announced that the CM will offer silk robes at 3 pm on the auspicious Moola Nakshatra day, with over 3,400 police personnel ensuring law and order during the Dasara festivities.
The temple authorities are seeking coordination from all departments to ensure the success of the festivities, given incidents in the past.
During the nine-day Dasara celebrations, the goddess’s darshan timings will be from 3 am to 11 pm, except for the first day, when devotees will be allowed in after 8 am due to special poojas, Snapanabhishekarm, and other rituals.
On the auspicious occasion of Moola Nakshatra on October 20, devotees can have a darshan of the goddess from 2 a.m. to 11 p.m., and the CM Jagan Mohan Reddy will present silk robes to Goddess Durga.
As is tradition, neither devotees nor VIPs will be allowed the Anthralaya Darshan during the nine-day Dasara festivities. To accommodate devotees, the temple will make available 20 lakh laddu prasadams in advance.
CM Jagan to Offer Silk Robes to Goddess Durga on October 20 in Vijayawada
This year, the temple is allocating around Rs. 7 crore for the arrangements, with Rs. 2.50 crore spent on engineering works.
Queue line works have already commenced, and devotees will be offered Annaprasadams during the festival, with Annadanam taking place at the Mahamandampam. Additionally, 600 barbers will be deployed for the convenience of devotees, and over 800 showers will be installed for bathing.
AP CM Jagan Provides Financial Aid to Ill Individuals:
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy exhibited his compassionate side on Tuesday as he met individuals grappling with various illnesses and provided them with substantial financial aid.
After returning from the inauguration of a lift irrigation project in Krishnagiri Mandal, Reddy sanctioned a total of Rs. 4 lahks in financial assistance, with each of the four beneficiaries receiving Rs. 1 lakh. Additionally, he assured them of improved medical support.
AP CM Jagan Provides Financial Aid to Ill Individuals
The district collector presented checks to the family members of the four individuals at her office on Tuesday. Beneficiaries of the financial assistance included Nivansh, Usharani and the 7-month-old son of S. Venkateswara Goud and from Narasimha Reddy Nagar in Kurnool town; B. Ram Prasad and from Potugallu village in Krishnagiri mandal T. Venkata Ramudu, and from Chennampalli village in Thuggali Mandal, O. Venkateswara Reddy’s family.
AP CID Seeks Production Warrant for Naidu in Rs 114 Crores AP Fibrenet Scam Case:
Nara Chandrababu Naidu, the leader of the Telugu Desam Party, is confronted with fresh challenges as the AP-CID submits a request for a prisoner transit warrant in the ACB court. The warrant is sought to facilitate his custody for interrogation in relation to the AP Fibrenet Phase-I project scam, which resulted in a loss of Rs 114 crore to the state treasury.
The AP-CID has accused the primary suspect, Naidu, and his associates of funneling “the embezzled funds” through a network of companies owned by their associates, employing counterfeit invoices. In a memo submitted to the court on Tuesday, the AP-CID included Naidu as Accused 25 in the case, in addition to filing the petition for a PT warrant. Currently, Naidu is in judicial remand at the central prison in Rajahmundry due to his involvement in the AP Skill Development Scam, which amounts to Rs 371 crore.
According to the CID memorandum, Naidu should be considered the primary accused because he served as the chief minister and held the position of the energy, infrastructure, and investment department when the scam occurred.
The AP-CID highlighted that Naidu personally endorsed the execution of the AP Fibernet project through the energy, infrastructure, and investment department, rather than the IT department. Additionally, he played a direct role in the appointment of Vemuri Harikrishna as a member of the governing council-governance authority, despite Harikrishna having a criminal background.
Furthermore, Naidu approved the project estimates for the Fibrenet project without taking into account that no market survey had been conducted regarding the procurement of items or the standards to be followed.
Furthermore, Naidu exerted pressure on senior government officials to include Vemuri Harikrishna Prasad in various tender evaluation committees. He also pushed for the revocation of the government’s blacklisting of M/s Terasoftware, which was in effect at the time. Naidu actively advocated for awarding the tender to M/s Terasoftware, effectively silencing protests from other bidders such as M/s Pace Power. Additionally, he orchestrated the transfer of officers who were seeking a fair tender process and replaced them with more compliant officials.
The other individuals implicated in the scam include Vemuri Harikrishna Prasad, who served as the managing director of NET India and was a member of the governing council of the e-Governance authority. Koganti Sambasiva Rao, formerly the Vice-Chancellor and Managing Director of INCAP and the Managing Director of APSFL, currently holds the position of Chief Commercial Manager at SCR, among others.
AP CID Seeks Production Warrant for Naidu in Rs 114 Crores AP Fibrenet Scam Case
Regarding the extent of financial loss and the misuse of government funds, the AP-CID uncovered evidence of manipulation in the tender process. This manipulation resulted in the allocation of the work order for phase-I of the AP Fibernet project, valued at Rs 330 crore, to a favored company. This was achieved by disregarding established norms and manipulating the tender process.
Furthermore, a series of irregularities occurred from the initial tender allocation to the completion of the entire project, leading to significant financial losses for the state treasury, as outlined in the CID memorandum.
It was observed that the project suffered due to the use of substandard materials, violations of specified conditions, and a failure to adhere to the specifications outlined in the Request for Proposal (RFP). These deviations resulted in approximately 80 percent of the Optic Fiber Cable’s capacity becoming unusable. Consequently, this deviation caused a financial loss of about Rs 114 crore, in addition to further losses incurred due to costly operation and maintenance work, as well as revenue loss stemming from the use of unsafe optic fiber.
Telangana High Court: Special Reservations to Be Considered Horizontally:
The Telangana High Court criticized the state government and the residential educational institution’s recruitment board for categorizing special reservations as vertical reservations rather than horizontal ones when hiring teaching positions at residential educational institutions.
These special reservations encompass categories such as women, physically challenged individuals, ex-service personnel, and sportspersons, among others.
Justice P. Madhavi Devi of the Telangana High Court issued interim instructions to the authorities, instructing them to adhere to the horizontal reservation system, as stipulated by the Supreme Court in the case of Rajesh Kumar Daria vs. Rajasthan Public Service Commission.
The court also reprimanded state authorities for allocating roster points for special reservations in the recruitment process. The judge handled a petition from unemployed youth who had applied for teaching staff, librarian, and physical director positions at degree and Intermediate residential educational institutions operated by the state government. They alleged that authorities were using special reservations as a pretext to allocate 100 roster points and, based on these points, were implementing vertical reservations instead of horizontal reservations.
Following a review of the case, the judge issued an interim order to adopt horizontal reservations and instructed the government and recruitment board to provide their responses.
Telangana High Court: Special Reservations to Be Considered Horizontally
Vertical reservation pertains to social reservations in favor of SC, ST, and OBCs, whereas special reservations benefit physically handicapped individuals, women, etc., under Articles 16(1) and 15(3). When a vertical reservation is established for a particular group, candidates from that group can compete for non-reserved positions based on merit. If they are appointed to non-reserved positions based on their qualifications, their numbers are not counted against the quota for horizontal reservations.
Jagan Mohan Reddy Inaugurates Lift Irrigation Project in Krishnagiri:
Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy officially opened a lift irrigation project in Krishnagiri Mandal, which is designed to provide both drinking and irrigation water to 77 tanks.
The project’s initial budget was Rs 253.72 crore, and the state government has invested Rs 207 crore to date. To inaugurate the project, the Chief Minister arrived at Orvakal airport via a special flight and then reached the Lakkasagaram pump house by helicopter.
The project includes a pumping station at Alamkonda as its starting point, distributing water to various areas through a network of pipelines, ultimately benefiting around 10,300 acres in Kurnool and Nandyal districts.
Jagan Mohan Reddy Inaugurates Lift Irrigation Project in Krishnagiri
Several dignitaries attended the inauguration event, including Water Resources Minister Ambati Rambabu, Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy, Labor Minister G. Jayaram, and various legislators and officials.
Owaisi Encourages Muslim Youth to Participate in Politics and Contest Elections:
AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi encourages Muslim candidates to participate in elections, emphasizing that contesting, even if they don’t win initially, helps them discover their potential. He made these remarks at the launch of a book titled “Absent in Politics and Power: Political Exclusion of Indian Muslims” by retired IPS officer Abdur Rahman.
Owaisi pointed out that Muslim representation in Indian politics has historically been disproportionate to their population. He argued that claims of discrimination starting in 2014 are an attempt to obscure the longstanding issue of underrepresentation. He noted that even before 2014, Muslim political representation faced challenges in various elections, including in 1952, 1954, and during the emergency period.
Owaisi Encourages Muslim Youth to Participate in Politics and Contest Elections
Currently, he highlighted that only four percent of Members of Parliament are Muslims. Of these, only two MPs won from constituencies with 10 to 15 percent Muslim population, while the rest secured victory in areas with over 30 percent Muslim population, implying that secular parties did not necessarily favor them.
PM Modi Vows to Transform Women’s Reservation Bill into Law:
In his address to the House, the Prime Minister Modi marked the historic first session in the New Parliament Building, extending his best wishes for the occasion. He expressed gratitude to the Speaker for allowing him to address the Special Session on the inaugural day of the New Parliament and warmly welcomed all the Members.
Emphasizing the significance of the moment, the Prime Minister noted that this marks the beginning of a new era for India as the nation moves ahead with determination into the newly constructed Parliament building. While highlighting recent accomplishments, he cited achievements such as Chandrayaan 3 in the field of science and India’s role in hosting and impacting the global stage through the G20. He underscored the exceptional opportunity that lies before India, symbolized by the inauguration of the new Parliament building today.
In reference to the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, the Prime Minister acknowledged Lord Ganesh as the deity symbolizing prosperity, auspiciousness, reason, and wisdom. He emphasized that it is a moment to set and achieve new resolutions with renewed vigor and enthusiasm. While commemorating Lokmanya Tilak’s role in transforming Ganesh Chaturthi into a means of inspiring the spirit of Swaraj during the Freedom Struggle, the Prime Minister noted that India continues to move forward with the same inspirational fervor.
PM Modi Vows to Transform Women’s Reservation Bill into Law
Additionally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recognized that today also marks Samvatsari Parva, a festival centered on seeking forgiveness for any deliberate or unintentional actions that may have caused harm to others. In the spirit of the festival, he extended his Michchhmi Dukkaa wishes to everyone and encouraged them to move forward with a commitment to leave behind any lingering bitterness from the past.
