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Time of India
33 minutes ago
- Time of India
Approve BC quota bills or face ‘political tsunami' in '29: Revanth to Modi
Hyderabad: Chief minister A on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing the Centre of deliberately stalling the approval of Telangana's 42% Backward Classes (BC) reservation bills. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He warned Telangana's BC empowerment model and a bold quota expansion would turn into a political tsunami and "wash away the Modi-led BJP into the Bay of Bengal." Revanth's remarks came during a dharna—dubbed 'BC Poru Bata'—held at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, which saw participation from a wide spectrum of INDIA bloc parties, Congress ministers, MPs, MLCs, MLAs, and prominent BC leaders. While Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi were not present as they had gone to attend JMM leader Shibu Soren's funeral on Tuesday night, they deputed senior party leaders and MPs to show solidarity with what Revanth described as a 'historic moment' for BCs. Revanth declared, "If PM Modi wants to remain in office, he must ensure the approval of the two BC reservation bills. Telangana's BC community is prepared to sacrifice everything for this cause. If Modi fails, the OBCs will bring down his govt and make Rahul Gandhi the next Prime Minister." "Don't force us to return to Delhi again in such numbers. Next time, we will confront you in Telangana. Either sign the blls while you are still PM or watch us implement them after Rahul Gandhi takes charge. You have delayed them for four months. That's why we are here—not in Hyderabad—to expose your 'anti-BC' stance on a national stage. We are vowing from Jantar Mantar on behalf of four crore people of Telangana that we will bring down Modi govt in 2029. " Revanth also questioned the rationale behind the Centre's objection to the state-specific legislation. "We are not asking for a piece of land in Gujarat or its ports. We're only demanding the right to implement 42% reservations in Telangana—for our people, in our state. Who gave you the authority to crush this mandate?" He dubbed Modi the "biggest enemy of the BCs" and didn't spare state BJP leaders either, calling out Union ministers G Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay, and Telangana BJP chief N Ramchander Rao for their 'silence'. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "With what face will you go to BC voters now? You didn't even join this dharna. Have you aligned with Modi to block BC empowerment?" he asked. Revanth also targeted the BRS for its past decisions, blaming former CM K Chandrasekhar Rao for capping overall reservations at 50% under the Panchayat Raj Act, 2018. "We've moved an ordinance to scrap that cap. It's now pending with the President," he said. Taking a swipe at the BJP's 2029 ambitions, Revanth responded to party MP Nishikant Dubey's comments that Modi will again be the PM face. "Let Modi contest 2029. Rahul Gandhi-led INDIA bloc will defeat him decisively, and the BJP won't cross 100 seats," he claimed. He invoked Rahul Gandhi's slogan 'Jitni hissedari, utni bhagedari' (proportional representation for social justice), warning political consequences for those who ignore it. "No matter how powerful, if anyone opposes Rahul Gandhi's vision, Telangana will mark the death of their political career," the CM said. Revanth alleged that the BJP's continued delay is a deliberate attempt to suppress the aspirations of BCs. "The BC quota bills are pending with the President for the last four months. If we don't get an appointment with her tomorrow (Thursday), it will confirm BJP's 'anti-BC' bias," he said. Calling himself as a 'crusader for social justice,' Revanth added, "Over 300 chief ministers have led different states in India, but I am proud to be the one who conducted a caste survey and passed 42% BC reservations. I thank my cabinet colleagues and Rahul Gandhi for their unwavering support."
Hindustan Times
34 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Wrote to parties to push for bill on statehood restoration in Parl: Omar
As demand for restoration of statehood has gained momentum, chief minister Omar Abdullah said he has written to several parties with a sizeable presence in Parliament, seeking their support for the introduction of a Bill for the restoration of statehood in Jammu and Kashmir in the ongoing Monsoon session. J&K CM Omar Abdullah. (File) J&K CM had written to 40 MPs, including the Congress president Malikarjun Kharge, and other prominent Lok Sabha members urging them to raise the issue of J&K's statehood in the Parliament. 'I have written a letter to all those parties who have a good number of MPs in Parliament and requested them to help on the promise made to J&K on statehood and raise the issue in Parliament so that a Bill is brought in this session itself and J&K gets its statehood back,' Omar told reporters in Srinagar. 'The act of reducing J&K from a state to a Union territory in 2019 and the prolonged delay in restoring its status as a full state... has profound implications for the future of Indian polity,' the three-page letter stated. The CM said the reorganisation of J&K into a UT in August 2019 was presented as a 'temporary and transitional measure' and cited repeated public assurances from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On the Supreme Court likely to hear a plea for the restoration of statehood on August 8, Omar said the restoration should come through the court if the government does not do it. 'It is a good thing and I hope the Supreme Court keeps in mind is that when they gave a judgement on the August 5 case (in December 2023), they had said that the statehood should be restored as soon as possible. Now, many years have passed but we have not got it yet,' he said. The CM also highlighted the 'remarkable and enthusiastic participation' of the people of J&K in last year's assembly elections and said that they turned up in record numbers and demonstrated an unshaken faith in our constitutional processes and democratic institutions. In a 'respectful acknowledgement' of this, his government's first act was to pass a unanimous resolution calling for the immediate restoration of statehood. He said had the SC not set a deadline for conducting assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, 'perhaps I would not have been talking to you as the chief minister today'. 'We got elections last year as SC had set a timeframe. Otherwise they (centre) would have never held elections and I wouldn't have been a CM. Let's hope, government gives a time for statehood restoration. It has been promised to people of J&K in parliament, meetings and rallies.' Will take issue in INDI alliance meeting: Farooq Abdullah National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday said that he will raise the issue of statehood of J&K in meeting of INDI alliance. 'Congress president has called a meeting of alliance parties and will raise the issue of J&K's statehood. They have been supporting us on this,' Farooq told on sidelines of function. PDP, NC on same page on statehood demand The Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (JKPDP) welcomes the recent appeal by chief minister for a collective push toward restoring statehood in J&K. However, JKPDP expresses concern over the selective focus on statehood, while overlooking the far more critical demand for restoring Article 370 and Article 35A, which form the constitutional foundation of Jammu and Kashmir's identity, rights, and autonomy. JKPDP chief spokesperson Mehboob Beg said that while the party wholeheartedly supports the call for statehood and stands ready to back any meaningful initiative that fulfils promises made to the people in Parliament, public forums, and before the Supreme Court, it is disheartening to see that the NC, under CM Omar Abdullah's leadership, has not demonstrated equal urgency or clarity on the restoration of J&K's special status. 'The abrogation of Article 370 and 35A in August 2019 was a historic betrayal that struck at the heart of our political and cultural identity. Ignoring this reality while demanding statehood alone dilutes the larger struggle for justice and dignity,' Beg said. 'Statehood without special status is akin to treating the symptoms while ignoring the root cause,' Beg asserted. The JKPDP reiterated its position that statehood, while important, cannot be the ultimate goal. The restoration of Articles 370 and 35A must remain central to any political roadmap for Jammu and Kashmir.
The Hindu
34 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Trump non-committal on whether extra India tariffs will go with Russia-Ukraine ceasefire
U.S. President Donald Trump did not confirm whether the additional 25% tariffs he had announced on Wednesday (August 6, 2025), on Indian exports to the U.S., for New Delhi's trade in arms and energy with Moscow, would be cancelled if Russia and Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire. 'Well, we'll determine that later, but right now, they're paying a 50% tariff,' Mr. Trump told a reporter who asked if the additional 25% tariff on top of the 25% 'reciprocal tariff', would go following a ceasefire. Mr. Trump was taking questions at an event at the White House with Apple CEO Tim Cook. The President said he would be imposing a tariff of 100% on computer chips and semiconductors, while announcing that Apple would invest $100 billion in the U.S. Mr Trump had reportedly told European allies on Wednesday that he would have an in-person meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as early as next week and had plans for a follow-up with Mr. Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Also, on Wednesday, Mr. Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Mr. Putin on Wednesday. Talks 'productive' Mr. Trump described the talks as 'productive' and said he did not know if the additional tariffs on India had anything to do with this. 'And as you know, we put a 50% tariff on India on oil. They're the second largest [purchaser of Russian oil]. They're very close to China in terms of the purchase of oil from Russia. So, I don't know if that had anything to do with it, but we've had very productive talks today,' he said. After imposing additional tariffs on India for trading in arms and energy with Russia, U.S. President Donald Trump said other countries could follow suit, suggesting China by name as a possibility. Asked why he was 'singling India out' for additional tariffs, Mr. Trump said, 'It's only been eight hours. So let's see what happens over the… You're going to see a lot more. You're going to see so much secondary sanctions,' he said.
