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The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
NCBC submits pending annual reports for 2022–24 to President
The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) has submitted its Annual Reports for 2022–23 and 2023–24 to President Droupadi Murmu, the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment said in a statement on Friday (May 30, 2025) The reports were presented to the President on Thursday (May 29, 2025) by NCBC Chairperson Hansraj Gangaram Ahir and Commission Member Bhuvan Bhushan Kamal. As per its constitutional mandate, the NCBC is required to submit these reports annually, reviewing the implementation of safeguards for communities classified as Other Backward Classes (OBCs). The Commission is also empowered to recommend measures that the Union and State governments ought to take for the 'protection, welfare, and socio-economic development' of these communities. While the submission to the President is part of the regular process, the reports are made public only after they are laid in Parliament, accompanied by Action-Taken Reports (ATRs). The last NCBC report that was laid in Parliament was its consolidated tenure report for the period 2019–2022. The latest submissions follow a considerable delay. Officials familiar with the process explained that the compilation of such reports involves collecting data from various State governments, which often leads to delays. Furthermore, tabling the reports in Parliament is contingent on the preparation of ATRs by different governments, adding to the time taken. As The Hindu reported earlier this year, the National Commissions for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) and Scheduled Tribes (NCST) had also not submitted their Annual Reports for 2023–24 and 2024–25 as of last month. The NCSC's 2022–23 report, though submitted to the President in February 2024, is still awaiting tabling in Parliament. In the case of the NCST, five reports covering the years 2018–19 to 2022–23 have been submitted to the President but are yet to be laid in the House.
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Business Standard
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
'Breach of protocol': DU slams Rahul Gandhi visit, BJP labels it 'photo-op'
Delhi University alleges Rahul Gandhi breached protocol during surprise visit; BJP slams the Congress leader for politicising campus, ABVP says elected student reps were excluded from the event New Delhi Congress leader Rahul Gandhi 's unannounced visit to Delhi University's North Campus on Thursday has escalated into a political flashpoint, drawing sharp responses from the university administration, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and student bodies. The visit at the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) president's office, aimed to engage with students from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) on matters of representation and academic justice. However, the university termed the visit a 'breach of institutional protocol' and condemned what it called a disruption of student governance. In a statement, the DU proctor's office said this was Gandhi's second such visit without prior intimation, which it said violated established norms. 'Shri Rahul Gandhi has done this for the second time... coming to the university without any intimation and information to University of Delhi,' the statement read. It added that security personnel cordoned off the DUSU office for nearly an hour, disrupting normal activities and barring even elected representatives from entering. The university further alleged misconduct by members of the Congress-backed National Students' Union of India (NSUI), claiming that DUSU Secretary Mitravinda Karanwal was locked out of her office. 'Strict action will be taken against students who were involved in this,' it said. DUSU president defends invite, denies violation In a sharp rebuttal, DUSU President Ronak Khatri, who is affiliated with the NSUI, said that the university's response amounted to 'administrative overreach'. Khatri argued that the student union president is not required to seek permission for hosting a private guest within the union office, especially for a closed-door interaction. 'This visit was conducted peacefully and solely within the premises of the DUSU Office,' Khatri said. 'There exists no rule — academic or legal — that compels the president of DUSU to seek prior permission for hosting a private or informal guest interaction.' He labelled the university's statement as 'factually incorrect' and 'politically motivated', asserting that it undermined the democratic and autonomous functioning of the student body. ABVP, BJP slam Gandhi for politicising campus The visit drew fierce criticism from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and BJP leaders. The ABVP, which holds key positions in the DUSU, described the visit as 'bad theatre' and a 'photo-op' that excluded non-NSUI students. 'Turning up uninvited, silencing elected voices and treating a student union office like a private drawing room is not leadership — it's theatre,' the ABVP said in a statement. BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya also criticised Gandhi, calling the visit a 'circus' that disrupted campus life. He shared a video of a student confronting Gandhi and accused the Congress leader of staging the visit for optics. 'Today, Rahul Gandhi turned Delhi University into a circus — all for a surprise photo-op,' Malviya posted on X. Today, Rahul Gandhi turned Delhi University into a circus — all for a surprise photo-op. The campus, caught off guard, was thrown into chaos. But amidst the staged optics, the real moment came when angry students confronted him — demanding answers about his remarks on Pahalgam,… — Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) May 22, 2025 He further claimed that Gandhi avoided answering questions related to his remarks on the recent Pahalgam terror attack. 'At a time when the entire nation is united behind our brave soldiers, the Congress would do well to remember: India is watching. And it won't forget these games,' Malviya said. Congress stands by outreach Despite mounting criticism, the Congress party has defended the visit, characterising it as a genuine attempt to connect with marginalised student groups. Party leaders argue that such engagements are vital to understanding grassroots concerns and should not be construed as political grandstanding. (With agency inputs)
Time of India
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
With RSS inputs, BJP steps up spade work on 200 seats
Lucknow: In a strategic move for 2027 state elections, the BJP has stepped up its poll spadework in close to 200 assembly seats/segments of Uttar Pradesh where the party faced setbacks in the 2022 assembly and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP faced a significant dent in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections when its tally shrank from 66 to 36, a decline of around 30 seats. In all, the BJP lost 44 Lok Sabha seats, which, party insiders said, translates into around 200 seats where the party needs to augment its organisational structure and boost its position. The measure, sources said, was taken up after an exhaustive round of discussion with the RSS, the BJP's ideological fountainhead. The Sangh, it is learnt, recently deliberated on a host of steps that were required to be taken by the BJP to counter an aggressive opposition, primarily the Samajwadi Party, which has been hoisting its tried and tested Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak (PDA) plank. The party leadership has tasked state general secretary (organisation) Dharampal Singh to camp in the "vulnerable seats" and churn out remedial measures accordingly. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Insiders Swear By This Risky Forex Strategy – Find Out Why! Expertinspector Learn More Undo Singh, who has already hit the ground running, is learnt to be meeting the key party functionaries – incumbent and former organisational leaders in a host of assembly seats/segments which the BJP lost in the 2022 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections. "The motto of the meeting is 'Har Karya ke liye karyakarta aur har karyakarta ke liye karya' (work for every party worker)," said a senior BJP leader, highlighting how the state leadership was ensuring the engagement of party workers as part of ground-level preparations. The BJP leader said that after a broader assessment of the prevailing ground-level situation is done, the party brass will start deploying teams of key party functionaries to bolster the grassroots campaign. This poll groundwork will include booth-level empowerment to fortify the party's presence at the grassroots level and the outreach campaigns, including the ones like 'Gaon Chalo Abhiyan' to engage with rural voters and the 'Beneficiaries Sampark Abhiyan' to connect with recipients of govt welfare schemes. Likewise, the party plans a digital engagement to facilitate direct communication with ground-level workers and enhance the dissemination of campaign messages. The party also plans to chart out a Caste-Based Mobilisation campaign in response to the Samajwadi Party's successful caste-based outreach. The BJP, experts said, sought to sharpen its focus on non-Yadav Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Dalits, and Brahmins to consolidate its support base. Sources said that the party sought to work on a two-pronged strategy of Hindutva-driven nationalism as well as a caste-based poll narrative. While the recent terror attack in Pahalgam has already stroked the saffron pantheon to play up its nationalist agenda to the core, the BJP govt's recent decision to conduct caste enumeration in the forthcoming census has armed the saffron party to factor in caste dynamics in the overall scheme of things.
Indian Express
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Rahul Gandhi to step up outreach to Bihar backward, Dalit students: Interaction to film
Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will interact with over 2,000 students belonging to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs), Scheduled Castes (SCs), and minority communities on Thursday at the Ambedkar hostel in Darbhanga in Bihar. Launching the Congress's Shiksha Nyay Samvad (Discussion on Justice in Education) campaign, Gandhi will also watch Phule – the recently-released Hindi film on social reformers Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule – along with the students from these communities at a theatre in Patna. Bihar is slated for the high-stakes Assembly elections in October-November this year. Since February, Gandhi has been visiting Bihar at least once a month and has attended three Samvidhan Bachao (Save the Constitution) functions in Patna so far. These events have been held by the Congress to take forward its narrative of the BJP's alleged assault on the Constitution. This was also part of the Opposition INDIA alliance's campaign in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which had gained traction among a section of the marginalised communities. In these events, Gandhi has spoken about the discrimination and under-representation of the backward classes and vulnerable groups. He has also been demanding a nationwide caste census, pitching it as a crucial exercise for social justice and the 'foundation of future policy-making'. Now that the BJP-led Centre has announced the enumeration of castes alongside other categories in the forthcoming population Census, all eyes will be on how Gandhi will frame the issue in Bihar — the state that first conducted a caste survey in 2022-23. Congress leaders say that in addition to claiming credit for the Centre's caste census proposal, Gandhi would again demand the removal of the 50% cap on reservations. The 50% ceiling was stipulated by the Supreme Court in its landmark 1992 judgment in Indra Sawhney vs Union of India case. In June 2024, the Patna High Court set aside notifications by the Bihar government to increase the reservation in government jobs and educational institutions from 50% to 65%. Giving details about Gandhi's Thursday programme in Bihar, Congress spokesperson Gyan Ranjan Gupta told The Indian Express: 'About 2,000 students, from classes 11 and 12 to undergraduate courses, would gather at Ambedkar hostel of Darbhanga for live interaction with Rahul Gandhi. The Congress leader would listen to students' problems and would respond to them.' Gupta said Gandhi will take up the issue of 'the Centre delaying several scholarships for OBC, EBC, Dalit and minority students'. The Congress has alleged that the post-matric scholarship schemes for Dalits, which include free admission in higher educational or professional courses with fee waiver, are not being properly implemented in the state. 'Our party wants to engage students and tell them about their rights. Our leader Rahul Gandhi might also discuss poor implementation of Right to Education Act provisions, especially by private schools and the need for better educational infrastructure including construction of more residential schools,' said the Congress spokesperson. Since the Congress lost power in Bihar in 1990, the party has been on a downhill in the state. In the 2000 Assembly polls, the party's vote share dipped to 11.06 per cent, Five years later, it further dipped to 6.1% votes and nine seats. In the 2010 Assembly polls, when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's popularity was at its peak, the Congress managed 8.4% votes but could win only four seats — its lowest tally in Bihar till that point. In the following polls in 2015, the Congress's fortunes revived slightly as part of alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), its senior partner. The Congress got 6.8% votes, but won 27 seats. In the 2020 polls, the Congress got 9.6% votes and bagged 19 seats. Barring the 2010 polls, the Congress has been an ally of the RJD since 2005. To expand it base in Bihar, the Congress is attempting to broaden its outreach among the EBCs and Dalits in particular. The party recently replaced Bihar Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh, an upper caste leader, with Dalit leader Rajesh Kumar as the state party unit chief. This move was aimed at giving 'fair representation' to non-upper caste leaders in its organisation. Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. ... Read More
Time of India
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
CM Revanth Reddy meets governor Jishnu Dev Varma; Telangana appoints 4 new commissioners to State Information Commission
Hyderabad: The Telangana govt on Monday appointed four new commissioners to the State Information Commission under the Right to Information (RTI) announcement came just hours after chief minister A Revanth Reddy met with governor Jishnu Dev Varma . The newly-appointed RTI commissioners are: PV Srinivasa Rao, Mohsina Parveen, Deshala Bhoopal, and Boreddy Ayodhya Reddy, who is currently serving in the chief minister's office. Recently, G Chandrasekhar Reddy was appointed as the chief information was speculation that the governor had initially rejected a list of six names proposed for the commissioner posts. However, four names were approved on Monday. It remains unclear whether these approvals occurred before, during, or after the chief minister's meeting with the governor. Sources indicate that discussions may still be ongoing regarding the remaining two the meeting, CM Revanth, accompanied by minister D Sridhar Babu, is believed to have briefed the governor on several key issues, including the current situation in the state, the impact of tensions between India and Pakistan, and the state's security preparedness. They also reportedly discussed the political climate in Telangana, along with the implementation of various welfare schemes and development meeting carries political significance, particularly as the cabinet expansion in the state remains pending. Additionally, the governor recently sent the Backward Classes reservation bill for presidential reference—a move that is also believed to have been part of the this marks the first time the governor has withheld immediate consent to a list of commissioner appointments proposed by the govt, as well as to a legislative bill.
