India's political landscape is ablaze with activity! From the ongoing debates surrounding the new farm bills and their impact on rural India, to the upcoming state elections shaping the national narrative, the stakes couldn't be higher. Key political figures are maneuvering strategically, with alliances shifting and power dynamics constantly in flux. The opposition's challenge to the ruling party is intensifying, sparking vigorous debates on crucial policy matters including economic reforms and social justice initiatives. Parliamentary proceedings are filled with heated exchanges, reflecting the deep divisions within the nation. This evolving political climate directly impacts the lives of every Indian citizen, influencing everything from economic opportunities to social welfare programs. Stay informed about the latest developments in Indian politics, from crucial legislative decisions to grassroots movements, by exploring Abtak.com for in-depth analysis and breaking news updates. Understanding the intricacies of our political system is crucial; stay engaged, stay informed, and stay ahead.
New Delhi: In a major development, Infosys founder Narayana Murthy and author-philanthropist Sudha Murthy have declined to participate in the Karnataka government's socio-economic survey. It is important to note that the Karnataka caste census includes 60 main questions and 20 sub-questions, designed by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes. According to the reports, the Murthy couple said that they do not wish to participate in the survey. They said that they do not belong to any backward category and hence, the survey would not be of any use to the government in their case. Their written response was submitted directly on the survey form provided by the officials. "They came to my house, I did not want to answer. But the teacher who came insisted. I firmly said no. Now she says her salary will be reduced or action will be taken against me if I don't complete it. It felt like emotional blackmail," said a resident of North Bengaluru, Hebbal. As the survey progresses in Bengaluru, the state faces a harsh reality: conducting a large-scale, technology-driven census in such a vast and diverse city is far more complicated than expected, especially with a questionnaire critics are calling "overly long." "There are too many questions. I told them to ask fewer questions. People have no patience in cities," Shivakumar said, highlighting the challenges of conducting such a comprehensive enumeration in urban areas.
New Delhi, Jun 5 (PTI) The Population Fund of India on Thursday welcomed the 16th Census and called for "strong safeguards" to ensure that the count is "inclusive, accurate, and equity-focused." The Population Census-2027 with caste enumeration will be carried out in 2027 with the reference date of October 1, 2026, in snow-bound areas like Ladakh and on March 1, 2027, in the rest of the country. It has been decided to conduct the census in two phases, along with the enumeration of castes, the Union Home Ministry announced on Wednesday. "The Population Foundation of India welcomes the announc ...Read More >
Guwahati, Jun 5 (PTI) The Assam Congress on Thursday demanded a CBI inquiry into alleged illegal stone mining in Karbi Anglong district in violation of a Supreme Court order. Addressing a press conference here, former Rajya Sabha member Ripun Bora also alleged that Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council Chief Executive Member Tuliram Ronghang was allowing illegal activities in the district in nexus with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. "Large-scale illegal stone mining is taking place in the hills of Karbi Anglong in violation of the Supreme Court order. The SC had banned mining in and around K ...Read More >
NEW DELHI (AP) -- India will start counting its vast population in a mammoth exercise starting next year. The first census in 16 years will be conducted digitally and include controversial questions about caste for the first time since independence. The Home Ministry announced plans to conduct a two-stage count ending March 1, 2027, in a statement Wednesday night. India's last official census in 2011 counted 1.21 billion people. The country's population is now estimated to be well over 1.4 billion, making it the world's most populous country, according to the U.N.'s Department of Economic an ...Read More >
Rajgir (Bihar), Jun 6 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday slammed the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in Bihar over the law and order situation, alleging that the state has turned into "the crime capital of India". Addressing the 'Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan' in Nalanda's Rajgir, Gandhi also took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "remaining silent" on US President Donald Trump's claims of brokering peace between India and Pakistan during the military conflict. "Bihar, once considered the land of peace and justice, has now turned into the crime capital of India," the former ...Read More >
Mumbai: A day after leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi alleged "match fixing" between BJP and ECI, state Congress chief Harshawardhan Sapkal on Sunday demanded narco tests on chief electoral officer (CEO) S Chockalingam and then additional CEO Kiran Kulkarni to expose the truth in Maharashtra's "vote theft" in the 2024 assembly election.Sapkal said it is BJP and CM Devendra Fadnavis who have jumped in with rebuttals, instead of the election watchdog. Fadnavis had on Saturday called Rahul's allegations an outright lie and in an article published in a national newspaper and a ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Centre has asked the states and union territories to make any proposed changes in the boundaries of administrative jurisdictions before December 31, 2025, when they will freeze for the Census-2027 exercise and the first phase of the decadal population count will begin on April 1 next year, according to a communication sent by the registrar general and census commissioner of India, Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, on June 27. The freezing means the states/UTs won't be able to change the boundaries of districts, towns, villages and tehsils post December 31. The Census can be conducted on ...Read More >
New Delhi: The house-listing operations for the forthcoming census will begin from Apr. 1, 2026, marking the start of the first phase of the decennial exercise, the Registrar General of India has said. In a letter to Chief Secretaries of States and Union Territories, Census Commissioner and Registrar General of India Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan said the House-listing Operations and Housing Census shall begin on Apr. 1, 2026. Before that the appointment of supervisors, enumerators and work distribution among them shall be done with cooperation from States and District Administrations, it said. ...Read More >
Hyderabad: The BJP's OBC morcha president Dr K. Laxman said the caste census undertaken by the Telangana government is full of loopholes. He characterised it as incomplete, unscientific and not rooted in reality. Addressing the media, he said, "If Chief Minister Revanth Reddy was serious about social justice, he should have made a law and tried to implement it. This is hypocrisy of the party on the OBCs. The percentage of BCs has come down and it should be seen as a measure meant to suppress the BCs. It reflects the Congress party's mentality. They used words like Hindu BCs and Muslim BCs whi ...Read More >
Guwahati, Jun 5 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said that the caste census will greatly benefit the indigenous Muslim community living in both the Brahmaputra and Barak Valley in the state. The Centre on Wednesday announced that India's 16th Census with caste enumeration will be carried out in 2027. The indigenous Muslim communities of Assam have been demanding for a long time, a caste-based census to assert their distinct socio-cultural identities, the chief minister said on the sidelines of the World Environment Day programme here. ''The proposed caste enumerati ...Read More >
CHENNAI: PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss urged the central government to postpone the delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies across the country based on population by 25 years. In a statement, Anbumani said that the central government has announced that a caste based population census will be started from March 1, 2027. "PMK has been demanding the government to conduct the census before the end of 2025 to end controversies in delimitation and to safeguard social justice. The announcement has caused confusion, " he said. He added that the stand of PMK is to conduct a delimitation exercise b ...Read More >
Ahmedabad: In a dramatic escalation of internal turmoil within the Aam Aadmi Party's Gujarat unit, Botad MLA Umesh Makwana was suspended from AAP for five years. The decision was announced by state president Isudan Gadhvi on Thursday through a post on social media platform X, marking a severe disciplinary step against a sitting legislator who has been openly critical of the party's leadership and internal functioning. Makwana, a prominent face from the Dalit and backward communities, had triggered speculation earlier this week after he declared that he would address a press conference to "exp ...Read More >
Patna: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav alleged on Tuesday that the ongoing 'special intensive revision' of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar was a move to cut votes from the strong booths and constituencies of the Opposition, and add votes to the booths at which the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was stronger. Punching holes in the entire exercise, the RJD leader denounced it as being "full of confusion, uncertainty and repression", and demanded that the Election Commission of India (ECI) "immediately cancel all confusing orders and issue clear, final and ...Read More >
Hyderabad: The Union government announced on June 4 that it will conduct the long-pending nationwide census, starting on March 1, 2027, as the reference point. It is one of the most ambitious exercises undertaken by any democracy, as the nation's population according to the 2011 census was 121 crore (1.21 billion). Though it was supposed to be done in 2021, COVID caused a delay that extended to 6 years. The 2027 census would also take into account caste, an issue that has been politically contentious. Census is not just about counting people. It's about understanding who we are as a nation -- ...Read More >
Patna (Bihar) [India] June 6 (ANI): Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi attended the 'Samvidhan Sabha' in Rajgir, Nalanda, on Friday. Addressing the gathering, Gandhi emphasised the need for a caste census and criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stance on the issue. He questioned PM Modi's claim of being an OBC while asserting that the BJP denies the existence of caste in India, emphasising the need for a genuine caste census. 'Narendra Modi used to say in every speech, I am OBC. Then, on the caste census, they say that there is no caste in India. If there is ...Read More >
Lucknow: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has sharply criticized the disqualification of Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) MLA Abbas Ansari, alleging the BJP government selectively targets opposition leaders. The remarks came after Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana declared Ansari's Mau seat vacant following his hate speech conviction. "Only socialist leaders face membership cancellations," Yadav stated during a Lucknow press conference, noting that ruling party members routinely make inflammatory statements without consequence. He suggested judicial appointments are being made to in ...Read More >
Hyderabad, Feb 4 (UNI) BRS Working President and MLA K T Rama Rao (KTR) criticised the Congress government, stating that the people of Telangana have lost faith in its administration. Speaking during the debate on the caste survey report in the Telangana Legislative Assembly, KTR expressed disappointment, saying that many had expected historic announcements following the special Assembly session and Cabinet meeting. However, he claimed that the report lacked new insights and merely reiterated information previously shared by Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy. Referring to the Kamareddy declaration ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Former head of Air India and chairman of the Railway Board Ashwani Lohani is the new Prime Ministers Museum and Library (PMML) director. The official order for his appointment was issued on Wednesday. A 1980-batch officer of the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineering (IRSME), Lohani is known for turning around various organisations during his illustrious career. Following his retirement from IRSME service, he joined the GMR Group as the CEO. According to the order dated June 4, his appointment to the post of director, Prime Ministers Museum and Library in the rank and pa ...Read More >
Rajgir/Gayaji (Bihar), Jun 6 (PTI) Rejecting outright the 50 per cent cap on caste-based reservations, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday vowed that "the barrier will be broken" in whichever part of the country his party came to power. The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha made the promise in Bihar, the state which was a hotbed of the Mandal agitation in the 1990s, and where polls to the assembly are likely in a few months. "I wonder where did this idea of a 50 per cent cap come from? The population of the deprived sections is close to 90 per cent," said the former Congress president ...Read More >
Katra: Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Jammu and Kashmir on Friday to inaugurate multiple rail projects, including the world's highest Chenab Rail Bridge, the Anji Khad Bridge, and the Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express, as part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link. These railway projects directly connect Jammu and Kashmir to the rest of the country. The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link is an all-weather railway corridor designed to provide seamless connectivity to the region through the rail network. During his visit, PM Modi reviewed the Chenab bridge, world's highest ra ...Read More >
Rajgir, June 06 (UNI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday expressed his doubt over the intention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the caste census, saying he would not allow emerge true picture of the prevailing scenario on social dynamics in the country. Gandhi, while addressing a conference organised on the theme of "save the constitution ", said that Prime Minister Modi was not sincere and his intention was not clear on the caste census, as he had promised to do it in the country. Initially, he was not at all prepared for the caste census at the national level, but under his continue ...Read More >
New Delhi: In a joint operation, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency (ISA) have eliminated As'ad Abu Sharaiya, a senior leader of the Mujahideen terrorist organization in Gaza, and another terrorist, Mahmoud Muhammad Hamid Kuhail. According to the IDF, Abu Sharaiya was directly involved in the October 7, 2023, massacre, infiltrating Kibbutz Nir Oz, and was responsible for the abduction and murder of several Israeli citizens, including Shiri, Ariel, Kfir Bibas, and Nattapong Pinta. He also played a role in recruiting operatives for terror attacks against Israel and I ...Read More >
Hyderabad: After a carefully calibrated Cabinet expansion, providing representation to marginalised sections, the senior Congress leadership reached out to aspirants who did not make it to manage internal party dynamics. While legislators like Sudarshan Reddy, Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy, Malreddy Ranga Reddy, and Premsagar Rao -- all from upper castes -- aspired for Cabinet posts, the party prioritised social justice by inducting Dr Gaddam Vivek Venkatswamy, Adluri Lakshman Kumar, and Vakiti Srihari. The induction of three ministers -- two from the Scheduled Caste (SC) community and one fro ...Read More >
Gurgaon: Two days after a law student died and his friend suffered critical injuries when a car knocked them down as they stood near railing on the service lane of Delhi-Jaipur highway in the early hours of Tuesday, a civil engineer was arrested on Thursday.Mohit (31), an employee of a private company in the city, told police that he got drowsy while driving. He is staying at a PG facility in Sector 14.The student who died, Harsh Singhal (25), was a resident of Om Nagar colony. His friend Abhishek Kumar (23), who is from Shanti Nagar in Sector 11, is undergoing treatment at a private hospital ...Read More >
New Delhi: In a key development regarding the Census 2027, the government of India has asked states and Union Territories to make any proposed changes in the boundaries of administrative units before December 31, when they will be considered final for the census exercise. In a letter to all states and Union Territories, Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India Mritunjay Kumar Narayan has said that for the Census, all villages and towns are divided into uniform enumeration blocks and for each block, an enumerator is assigned to avoid any miss or repetition during the population count ...Read More >
HYDERABAD: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday ruled out any talks with Maoists and said the cadre of the proscribed outfit should give up arms, surrender before police, and join the mainstream. Addressing a rally after inaugurating the National Headquarters of the Turmeric Board in Nizamabad in Telangana, Shah also said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is still raising questions on Operation Sindoor, should see the weak appearance of Pakistan to understand the effectiveness of the Operation. "Congress asks (the Centre) to hold discussions with these people (Maoists). Our government's p ...Read More >
Census 2027: India's largest data exercise returns with digital tools and caste focus | Illustration: Binay Sinha After a nearly six-year delay, India's decennial census is finally back on the agenda. It would be conducted in two phases along with the enumeration of castes. India's population census is expected to be released on March 1, 2027. Here is everything known so far. What is the census and why it matters India's census is the largest population count in the world, conducted every 10 years by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, under the Ministry of Home Aff ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: As Congress MP from Sivaganga Karti P Chidambaram said there was a need for a new political party focused purely on urban issues, which avoids emotive issues like religion, caste and language, Congress leadership chose not to make any official comment.Seniors in the party said it was best to ignore the remarks, with one jibing that no one was losing sleep over remarks made either by former Union finance minister P Chidambaram in May on the state of the INDIA bloc or now by his son Kart ...Read More >
Mumbai, June 29 (SocialNews.XYZ) It was a belligerent, brilliant, and breathtaking performance from the Chennai Bulls, who were crowned the first ever champions of the Rugby Premier League, here in Mumbai, at the Shahaji Raje Bhosale Sports Complex. The Chennai Bulls thrashed the Delhi Redz by a scoreline of 41-0 in the final, to clinch the title. In fact, the margin of victory is the biggest across Season 1 of the GMR RPL. Meanwhile, the Hyderabad Heroes, who had finished top of the table in the league stage, came away with a third-place finish, after they won 17-12 against the Bengaluru Bra ...Read More >
Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said the indigenous Muslim population of the state, residing in the Brahmaputra and the Barak Valley regions, would significantly benefit from the caste census.The centre on Wednesday announced that nation's 16th population census, incorporating caste enumeration, would be implemented in 2027.Speaking on the side lines of World Environment Day event, the chief minister said Assam's indigenous Muslim communities have consistently requested a caste-based census to establish their unique socio-cultural identities."The proposed caste e ...Read More >
Chennai: Chief minister M K Stalin said on Wednesday the BJP govt at the Centre delayed the census to 2027 only to undertake a delimitation exercise and reduce Tamil Nadu's representation in Parliament.Terming the move a 'betrayal,' Stalin alleged that by not opposing the BJP's plan to reduce TN's parliamentary representation, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has become an accomplice to the 'betrayal.' Stalin levelled the charge after the Centre announced that the census will comme ...Read More >