TMC 'betrayed' women, will be punished in assembly polls: Modi
Bankura (WB) (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accused the Trinamool Congress of "betraying" women by preventing the passage of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 in Parliament, and asserted that the women would punish the ruling party in West Bengal in the upcoming assembly polls.
Addressing an election rally at Bishnupur in Bankura district, Modi said the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC, in collusion with the Congress, blocked the passage of the bill, which sought to provide 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies, as it is "opposed to women's empowerment".
"We have seen how the TMC betrayed women in Parliament. The TMC conspired with the Congress to prevent the passage of the bill as it is against women's empowerment," he said.
"The BJP's identity, on the other hand, is tied to women's empowerment, and their safety and security. That is why women across the country shower the BJP with their blessings.
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"We want the role of women to expand in building a developed India and want more and more women to enter politics. But West Bengal has seen once again how the TMC betrayed the state's sisters and daughters," the prime minister said.
Alleging that the TMC opposed both women's reservation and empowerment, Modi said the ruling party would face the wrath of women voters in the state.
"The TMC does not want women's empowerment and reservation. The women of West Bengal will punish it," he said.
The prime minister's remarks came two days after the BJP-led government failed to secure passage of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha.
The bill sought to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies before the 2029 Lok Sabha polls through a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.
Modi accused the TMC of practising politics of appeasement while denying representation to women.
"This is the same TMC which breaks every law and every rule to benefit infiltrators, but opposes women's empowerment," he said.
"This is the same TMC which is engaged in providing reservation on the basis of religion. It is strangling the spirit of the Constitution," Modi alleged.
If voted to power in West Bengal, the BJP will provide up to Rs 1.5 lakh to women under PMAY to build homes, he said.
The prime minister also accused the TMC of insulting President Droupadi Murmu and being indifferent to tribal communities' concerns.
"The anti-tribal TMC insulted President Droupadi Murmu. Both the TMC and the Congress are anti-tribal. That is why they fielded a candidate against Droupadi Murmu in the presidential elections," he said.
Modi said this year's West Bengal polls will be historic as people will end TMC's 'bhoy' (fear) and give mandate to BJP's 'bharosa' (trust).
"I give one last opportunity to TMC's goons to surrender to police before polls as none would be spared after results on May 4," he added.
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Vice President Radhakrishnan meets Sri Lankan President Dissanayake
Colombo (PTI): Vice President C P Radhakrishnan met Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake here on Sunday and held discussions on various initiatives, including the Indian housing project, and fishermen issues between the two South Asian neighbours.
Radhakrishnan, who arrived here earlier in the day on a two-day visit, also discussed with Dissanayake the ongoing Indian project implementation in Sri Lanka with emphasis on the USD 450 million Cyclone Ditwah aid offered by India.
Accompanied by a 49-member delegation, the vice president was received at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo by Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage and several other dignitaries.
Radhakrishnan’s visit is the first ever by an Indian vice president to Sri Lanka, officials said.
Radhakrishnan laid emphasis on India’s 'Neighbourhood First' policy and developmental bilateral cooperation, officials said.
“Both leaders held productive discussions on further deepening the multifaceted India–Sri Lanka ties, rooted in shared history, strong civilizational and people-to-people linkages,” according to a social media post by Radhakrishnan.
They held wide-ranging discussions on various initiatives, including the Indian housing project and projects being implemented under the USD 450 million package for areas affected by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka, including reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in the most affected regions of the Indian-origin Tamil community, it added.
The two sides also discussed addressing fishermen issues in a humanitarian manner, considering the livelihoods of fishing communities on both sides.
The fishermen issue is a contentious one in the ties between India and Sri Lanka.
The Palk Strait, a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from both countries.
Fishermen from both countries are arrested frequently for inadvertently trespassing into each other's waters.
Later in the day, he is expected to meet with Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya.
A number of memoranda of understanding between the two countries are also scheduled to be exchanged during the visit, a Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry release said.
This visit, which follows recent high-level engagements between the two countries, is expected to further strengthen the millennia-old civilisational and people-to-people ties between India and Sri Lanka, an official statement said.
