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.
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty on Saturday said the government is ready to help the Muslim girl student, who was barred from wearing a hijab in a Church-run private school in Kochi, to get admission in any other institution where she wishes to join. A special order will be issued if the student approaches the government with a request for the same, the minister told reporters here. The announcement by the minister came a day after the student's father had said that he would like to seek admission in some other institution for his daughter."So, if the student is interested and she approaches the government, we will take steps to get her admission in any school she wishes to join through a special order," the minister said.Sivankutty said as per the culture of the state, no student should miss an opportunity for studies due to lack of admission. He also said the issues have pained the girl and St Rita school management is responsible for any mental stress she undergoes. The father of the Class VIII student had on Friday said that she would not be sent back to the school."My daughter has been under severe stress after the hijab incident. She clearly said she doesn't want to return, so we decided to respect her wishes," he had said. He said the family had already approached other schools for admission.Meanwhile, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a key ally in the opposition Congress-led UDF, on Saturday came out supporting the stand taken by the general education minister in the hijab row.IUML national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty termed the decision of the school management to bar the student from wearing hijab as an example of "utmost intolerance". "It was an unfortunate incident that should not have happened in a state like Kerala," he told a press conference in Malappuram.He said some vested interests in society were deliberately attempting to create issues and that's why the IUML didn't intervene in the matter so far. The stand taken by the school management in the matter was "very undesirable" and even their media statements were reflection of intolerance, the veteran leader alleged.The dispute started after the school recently objected to the girl wearing a hijab, citing its dress code policy. The issue later snowballed into a major controversy, even as Minister Sivankutty backed the girl. On October 10, the student's parents, along with others, visited the school and questioned the management's stance, following which the institution declared a two-day holiday. The Kerala High Court had later directed that police protection be provided to the school.
Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 27 (PTI) Zumba dance, a high-energy fitness programme introduced in schools in Kerala by the General Education Department as part of its anti-drug campaign, is facing opposition from certain Muslim groups who argue that it goes against moral values. The programme was introduced in schools following a directive from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who stated that the dance -- which combines dance and aerobic movements performed to lively music -- would help reduce stress among schoolchildren and, in turn, counter the menace of drug abuse among young people. From this ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala's General Education Minister V Sivankutty on Saturday firmly defended the government's decision to introduce Zumba in schools, amid mounting opposition from several Muslim organisations. Calling the backlash an expression of "majoritarian communal tendencies," Sivankutty reaffirmed that Zumba would continue as a part of physical activity programmes in state-run schools. "When several states protested against the hijab, we took a progressive stand. But now, some organisations are promoting conservative views under the garb of cultural protection," Sivankutty remarked ...Read More >
The Kerala High Court on Friday asked the state government to clarify its stand on a plea filed by a church-run school that is challenging an Education Department order allowing a Muslim girl student to wear a headscarf, or hijab, in class. Justice VG Arun directed the government counsel to come prepared with instructions regarding the claims made in the petition. The matter is now posted for further hearing on October 24. The case involves St Rita's Public School, a CBSE-affiliated minority in ...Read More >
The outcome of the local self-govt elections was not as expected for the LDF and the reasons for this will be examined in detail. Necessary corrections will be made moving forward, said chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.Although a significant victory was anticipated across the state, such progress was not achieved, he said in a statement. "The fact that the NDA gained an advantage in the capital city and the influence of communalism in the election campaign are concerning to those who believe in se ...Read More >
LUCKNOW: In response to the Hijab controversy created by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Samajwadi Party national spokesperson and daughter of noted poet late Munawwar Rana, Sumaiyya Rana, submitted a written complaint at Lucknow's Kaiserbagh police station against CM and UP fisheries minister Sanjay Nishad, seeking legal action over their alleged objectionable conduct and remarks. In her complaint, Sumaiyya Rana cited social media visuals showing Bihar CM Nitish Kumar trying to remove a woman's hijab while giving her appointment letter stating that the incident led to widespread resentment among Musl ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram/Kozhikode (Kerala), Jul 12 (PTI) The Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama -- a prominent association of Sunni scholars with the largest support base among Kerala Muslims -- on Saturday said that discussions need to be held before implementing the revised school timings. Prominent Islamic scholar and Samastha leader Syed Jifri Muthukoya Thangal, while speaking to reporters at Kozhikode, said responses on the issue from those representing the government should be "polite and not stubborn". He made the statement in response to reporters' pointing out that state General Educatio ...Read More >
Srinagar, Dec 17: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday drew parallels between Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's recent act of touching a Muslim woman's hijab and a past election-related controversy in Jammu and Kashmir involving Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti, terming both incidents a manifestation of a "regressive mindset". Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Omar said such episodes were not isolated and recalled an incident from an earlier election when, he alleged, a woman voter's burqa was removed inside a polling station. "We have witnessed this earlier as ...Read More >
The Supreme Court halted new temple-mosque legal battles. The court will review the 1991 law impacting religious site status. This law froze the status of religious sites as of August 15, 1947. Several cases, including Gyanvapi and Shahi Idgah, challenge this law. The law's validity is being questioned. The court's decision impacts ongoing and future disputes.In its ruling on the keenly-watched Place of Worship Act case, the Supreme Court said on December 12 that no new Mandir-Masjid suits are to ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 6 (PTI) The Kerala Government's decision to change Bakrid holiday triggered a political row in the state on Friday with the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) accusing it of attempting to implement "communal agenda and fascism" in the state. Originally Friday (June 6) was marked as holiday for Bakrid. However, following the reports that the festival would be celebrated on Saturday across the state, on Thursday, the Kerala government announced that Saturday, June 7, will be a public holiday for Bakrid. As per the change, government also declared that June 6 (Friday) wou ...Read More >
Kolkata, July 5 (SocialNews.XYZ) The West Bengal unit of BJP, under the leadership of its new State party President Samik Bhattacharya is making all efforts to ensure a political rally in the state, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing it, before Trinamool Congress's annual Martyrs' day rally in Kolkata on July 21. An insider from the state committee of BJP said that the week before July 21, the Prime Minister is scheduled to go for an election campaign in Bihar where the Assembly polls are scheduled later this year. "We are trying hard so that the Prime Minister can spare some time ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], July 5 (ANI): A group of Youth Congress workers staged a protest march outside the official residence of Kerala Health Minister Veena George in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday, demanding her resignation over the building collapse at the Kottayam Medical College. Police used water cannons to disperse the workers of the Youth Congress and detained them. This comes after a building block collapsed at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kottayam, claiming an individual's life and injuring two others on July 3. Earlier on Friday, a group of Indian Union ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], September 15 (ANI): Petitioners have welcomed the Supreme Court's interim order staying certain provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and a petitioner, said that many of the points raised, including issues related to "Waqf by User" and protection of monuments, have been accepted by the court. "To a large extent, our point has been accepted. Our point on 'Waqf by User' has been accepted. Along with this, our point on protected monuments has also been accepted, that there will be no third-part ...Read More >
Kochi (AsiaNews) - The controversy began after St. Rita's Public School in Palluruthy, run by the Latin Catholic Church, refused to allow a student to wear the hijab. In the days that followed, referring to Muslim organisations, an editorial in the Catholic daily Deepika said: 'Those who asked for prayer rooms in Christian schools have now come forward to claim the right to wear the hijab.' This has led to harsh criticism, a sign of the interreligious tension that the affair is causing in Kerala. The student at the centre of the hijab controversy in Kerala has finally decided to leave school. ...Read More >
MALAPPURAM: Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leadership has stepped in to prevent the CPM from gaining any advantage after realising that Minister for General Education V Sivankutty is winning hearts in the community for his strong position in the hijab issue at a school in Palluruthy, Kochi. IUML national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty blamed the education department for mishandling the situation. The minister has personally taken a good stand, but the girl was forced to leave the school. The fact is that a girl was forced to leave the school during the LDF rule, he told a press confere ...Read More >
Mufti called the incident shocking and deeply disturbing. Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and president of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi came down heavily on Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Tuesday over the controversial hijab incident. Mehbooba Mufti criticised Nitish Kumar sharply over a controversial incident in which he was seen pulling down the hijab of a young Muslim woman. Mufti called the incident shock ...Read More >
Bengaluru, June 9 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Karnataka BJP on Saturday welcomed the Central Government's decision to hand over the sensational murder case of Hindu activist Suhas Shetty to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The Ministry of Home Affairs issued an order in this regard on Saturday. The Karnataka BJP unit had vehemently demanded an NIA probe, alleging that the Congress-led government in Karnataka was hushing up the case. Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka and State President B.Y. Vijayendra had questioned why the investigation officers had not yet bothered to investigate the rol ...Read More >
Kozhikode (Kerala): The Kerala government on Saturday stood firm in its decision to introduce Zumba dance in state schools as part of its anti-drug campaign, saying the opposition to it is "more venomous than narcotic substance". Explaining the government's stance over the matter here, General Education Minister V Sivankutty said a section of people are deliberately creating issues over the matter and nothing harmful for children is being implemented. Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty's Statement "The government is ready to hold talks with those who have misunderstandings in th ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], July 4 (ANI): A group of Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) youth wing workers staged a protest march outside the official residence of Kerala Health Minister Veena George in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, demanding her resignation over the collapse of a building block at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kottayam. The incident claimed the life of one person, while two others were injured. Also Read | 'Seeking Clarity Is Not Misinformation': CM Siddaramaiah Responds to Biocon Chief Kiran Mazumdar Shaw on COVID-19 Vaccine Row. Visuals from the scen ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram, July 19 (SocialNews.XYZ) Two years after his death, Oommen Chandy's legacy continues to cast a long shadow over Kerala politics -- and over the ruling CPI(M) in particular. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's emotional speech on Chandy's second death anniversary on Friday has unsettled the Left, which had already begun projecting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's re-election in the 2026 Assembly polls as a certainty. While speaker after speaker paid glowing tributes at the commemorative event, it was senior Congress leader and eight-time MLA K.C. Joseph -- a close confidant of ...Read More >
Kochi: The church-run public school in Palluruthy here, where a dispute arose over a student wearing a hijab, will approach the Kerala High Court against the Deputy Director of Education's (DDE) report alleging lapses on the part of the institution. Joshi Kaithavalappil, the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) president of St Rita's Public School, told PTI that the DDE's report was submitted without a proper inquiry. "We have decided to approach the Kerala High Court against the report. It was prepared without hearing from the school management or the PTA properly or assessing the situation. Our ...Read More >
Bengaluru: A physics lecturer from a private college in Dakshina Kannada and two of his friends have been arrested by Bengaluru police for allegedly blackmailing and raping a student.When the mental torture by the trio became intolerable, the girl narrated to her parents how she was being exploited. Subsequently, she went to Marathahalli police station along with her parents on July 5 and lodged a complaint seeking action against the perpetrators. Acting swiftly, the cops arrested the trio the following day. The accused are Narendra, a physics lecturer, Sandeep, a biology lecturer -- both work ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar invited criticism from the opposition on Tuesday after he pulled off a woman doctor's hijab at a graduation ceremony. Opening himself up to more questions about his mental health a month after taking oath as the Bihar chief minister for the 10th time, Kumar was seen in a widely shared video clip as pulling a hijab down from the woman's face during a government event in Patna. The video clip shows the 74-year-old politician handing a certificate to an AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) doctor during the event on Mon ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], July 4 (ANI): A group of Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) youth wing workers staged a protest march outside the official residence of Kerala Health Minister Veena George in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, demanding her resignation over the collapse of a building block at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kottayam. The incident claimed the life of one person, while two others were injured. Visuals from the scene showed IUML workers trying to breach police barricades, prompting the police to use water cannons to disperse them. Earlier in the day, B ...Read More >
Kannur (Kerala), Jul 15 (PTI) Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty on Tuesday said that the government would not allow the "blending of religion with education" and reiterated that there would be no change in the revised school timings. Under the revised timetable, high school students (classes 8 to 10) will spend an extra 15 minutes in the morning and another 15 minutes in the afternoon on each working day except Fridays to help schools reach the required 1,100 instructional hours per year. However, the decision has been criticised by various Muslim outfits, including the Samastha ...Read More >
KOCHI: A delegation of Muslim organisation leaders led by Kerala Mahallu Coordination Committee chief coordinator T A Mujeeb Rehman met the family of the student who was denied permission to wear hijab at school and the management of St Rita's Public School in Palluruthy on Saturday in an effort to solve the issue amicably. According to Mujeeb Rehman, the parent was firm on his decision to shift the school as he felt that continuing in the same school will only fan communal divide. "We talked to the sisters at the St Rita's School also, but they expressed helplessness as it was the decision o ...Read More >
Malappuram (Kerala) | A teenager died of electrocution from an illegal wild boar trap at Vazhikadavu here, triggering widespread protests and a political row in bypoll-bound Nilambur. Jithu, a Class 10 student, and three of his friends came into contact with a live wire from an electric fence set up illegally on private land to trap wild boars on Saturday, police said. Though locals rushed them to hospital, Jithu was declared brought dead. Two others were critically injured. The death of the boy has intensified political tensions ahead of the crucial June 19 assembly bypoll in Nilambur. The ...Read More >
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Sanjay Nishad triggered a fresh political storm with his remarks on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's recent act of pulling down the hijab of a Muslim woman during a public event. Nishad, whose NISHAD Party is part of the BJP led NDA in Uttar Pradesh, questioned the criticism directed at Nitish Kumar and made comments that were widely described as insensitive. In an interview to a news outlet, he said that the chief minister's hands had only touched the woman's face and wondered what would have happened had his hands touched somewhere else. The remar ...Read More >
The Palakkad bypoll has turned into a fierce triangular contest with key defections adding to the excitement. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan campaigned for former Congress leader P Sarin, now contesting as an Independent for the LDF, while BJP’s C Krishnakumar faces a tough challenge. Sarin, a former Congress digital strategist, switched parties after being snubbed for the Congress ticket. Meanwhile, BJP leader Sandeep Varier defected to Congress, further intensifying the race. With the election crucial for UDF, NDA, and LDF's momentum heading into the 2026 Kerala assembly elections, all eyes are ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the lower courts across the country not to entertain or issue orders in cases seeking relief including the survey of religious places under the Places of Worship (Special Provision) Act 1991. The court issued the order while hearing a batch of pleas challenging certain provisions of the 1991 Act. "No orders including orders of survey in the meantime. In pending lawsuits, courts will not pass any effective interim or final order till further orders," a three-judge bench of the apex court, led by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna, ...Read More >
MALAPPURAM: Taking time off his busy election campaign schedule, UDF's Nilambur candidate Aryadan Shoukath speaks to the TNIE. Excerpts... Your candidature was announced under controversial circumstances, with V S Joy staking claim, and amid challenges raised by P V Anvar. Your thoughts... That's just a confusion created by the media. There's no confusion among us. I visit every campaign centre with the same V S Joy you mentioned. The rest are just stories. After the announcement of the bypoll and the candidate, there were many controversies within the UDF camp, such as Rahul Mamkootathil's ...Read More >