www.thestatesman.com | FOLLOW US: India’s National Newspaper since 1818 @TheStatesmanLtd | Pages 44 Editorial | @thestatesmanltd ` 5.00 | People’s Parliament, Always in Session thestatesman1875 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | MUMBAI | BHUBANESWAR Perspective Wage fault lines Analysing the SC vote in West Bengal Page 8 Page 9 | LUCKNOW | SILIGURI | 19 April 2026 S P O RT S Premier League title race will be ‘over’ if Man City loses to Arsenal, says Guardiola Page 16 BRIEFLY Centre raises DA, DR to 60 per cent: New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Saturday approved an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance (DA) for Central government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) for pensioners, increasing both by 2 percentage points with effect from 1 January 2026, in a move aimed at easing the impact of inflation. Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the hike raises DA and DR from 58 per cent to 60 per cent of basic pay and pension. “The additional instalment is intended to compensate employees and pensioners against price rise,” he said, noting that the revision adheres to the government’s established formula. The financial implications of the increase are substantial, with the annual burden on the exchequer estimated at Rs 6,791.24 crore. The decision is set to benefit approximately 50.46 lakh Central government employees and 68.27 lakh pensioners. Page 12 Will not allow the nation to be PM Modi says Oppn betrayed women, will face consequences divided: CM Mamata Banerjee SHAHID K ABBAS New Delhi, 18 April P rime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday delivered a combative address to the nation, turning a legislative setback into a political rallying point by casting the failed women’s reservation push as a larger moral and ideological battle between his government and an “antireform” Opposition. Speaking a day after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 fell short of the required two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha, Mr Modi accused Opposition parties of betraying women and warned that their stance would carry electoral consequences. “A woman may forget everything, but she never forgets her insult,” the Prime Minister said, setting the tone for the address, that repeatedly invoked the idea of dignity and self-respect to frame the bill’s defeat. He described the proposed Women’s Empowerment Amendment as a “great mission” aimed at giving “wings to women across all states” in the 21st century, and argued that its rejection amounted to a direct affront to women’s aspirations. The Prime Minister named parties such as the Congress, DMK, Trinamul Congress and Samajwadi Party as having opposed the bill, accusing them of “taking women’s power for granted” and acting out of fear rooted in “family-based politics.” In one of his sharpest attacks, Mr Modi said the Opposition had “snatched women’s rights and then thumped desks in self-congratulation,” calling it “an attack on women’s dignity and self-respect.” He went further to allege that the Congress and its allies had been “unmasked” and were Defeat by design? Why the Centre pushed a bill it knew would fail VIBHA SHARMA New Delhi, 18 April If the Narendra Modi government was aware, as Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi claimed, that the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill would fail in the Lok Sabha due to insufficient numbers on the Treasury side to meet the special majority requirement, why did it introduce it in the first place? The reality is that even a “doomed” bill can serve purposes beyond becoming law ~ such as setting the agenda, shaping public discourse, drawing attention to key issues, and normalising policy ideas over time. Observers point to several practical and political reasons for introducing such a legislation despite an anticipated defeat. First is intent. By tabling the bill, the government signalled to its supporters ~ in this case, women, seen as a strong support base of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ~ that the BJP remains committed to reform. Even without adequate numbers, this can help shape public opinion, particularly during election campaigns. Second is the pressure on the Opposition. A formal debate compels parties to take a public stand, allowing the ruling party to craft a narrative that it attempted reform but was blocked by rivals. This was evident after the bill’s defeat, when BJP leaders intensified their attacks, accusing Opposition parties of being “anti-women.” Following the failure of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill ~ which was intended to enable women’s reservation by the 2029 elections based on the 2011 Census ~ Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju also withdrew two related bills: the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Delimitation Bill, 2026. Parl adjourns sine die: He accused the Opposition of missing an opportunity to support women’s rights. NDA leaders also staged protests within Parliament premises and issued strong statements against Opposition parties. The BJP framed the defeat not as a numbers issue but as a moral one, positioning itself as a champion of women’s empowerment under Prime Minister Modi. It portrayed the Congress, Rahul Gandhi in particular, and parties such as the Samajwadi Party and the DMK as resistant to gender New Delhi: Parliament’s extended Budget Session ended on Saturday with both Houses adjourned sine die, following a politically charged debate on electoral reforms. A special sitting from 16 to 18 April saw the government push the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, proposing one-third reservation for women, delimitation based on the 2011 Census, and expansion of the Lok Sabha to 850 seats. equality reforms. During the debate, both the Prime Minister and Home Minister Amit Shah said that the women of the country would not forgive those who opposed the bill ~ “desh ki mahilayen maaf nahi karengi” ~ a message likely to be used politically going forward. Iranian gunboats open fire on vessels in Strait of Hormuz, Indian-flagged supertanker forced to turn back UNITED NEWS OF INDIA Tehran, 18 April Two vessels, including an Indian-flagged supertanker, were forced to turn back from the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday after being approached by Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval units, according to shipping monitor TankerTrackers. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed reports of the incident, issuing KMTO WARNING 038-26. A container ship was struck by an unknown projectile, causing damage to some containers, though no fires or environmental hazards were reported. Authorities are investigating the attack. Audio recordings reportedly indicate that the IRGC gunboats fired upon the vessels before redirecting them westward, Iranian media reported. One of the ships involved was a very large crude carrier carrying approximately two million barrels of Iraqi oil. Some merchant vessels also received radio messages stating that the Strait of Hormuz was temporarily closed to shipping. The escalation comes after Iran said it had reimposed restrictions on the vital waterway. A day before, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said that Tehran has opened passage for all commercial ships to pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz, for the duration of the recently announced Israel–Lebanon ceasefire. On Saturday, Iran reversed its reopening of the crucial waterway in retaliation after the United States pressed ahead with its blockade choking off Iranian ports. India conveys deep concern over shooting incident; MEA calls Iranian ambassador: New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday conveyed “deep concern” to Iran's Ambassador Dr. Mohammad Fathali (photo) over the shooting incident earlier today involving two Indian-flagged ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The MEA’s spokesperson said in a statement that Iran's Ambassador was called in for a meeting with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri this evening. The Foreign Secretary urged the Ambassador to convey India’s views and resume the process of facilitating India-bound ships across the Strait. “During the meeting, Foreign Secretary conveyed India’s deep concern at the shooting incident earlier today involving two Indian-flagged ships in the Strait of Hormuz,” the statement said. The Foreign Secretary noted the importance that India attached to the safety of merchant shipping and mariners and recalled that Iran had earlier facilitated the safe passage of several ships bound for India. surviving politically by “feeding off their state partners like a parasite.” The address marks a strategic pivot by the government, which has sought to reframe the parliamentary defeat not as a legislative failure but as a political opportunity to consolidate support among women voters ~ a demographic that has become increasingly central to electoral outcomes. Mr Modi repeatedly asserted that “100 per cent of the nation’s women power” stood with his government and pledged to “remove every obstacle” in the path of women’s reservation, signalling that the issue will remain a key plank of the ruling party’s campaign narrative. The bill’s failure came after a polarised debate over its linkage with delimitation and the proposed expansion of the Lok Sabha to 816 seats, a provision that drew scepticism from Opposition parties wary of its political implications. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Kolkata, 18 April The BJP sought to bring about delimitation under the the garb of the Women’s Reservation Bill because Prime Minister Narendra Modi could not have won the next election with the existing number of seats, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Saturday. “That is why he wanted to increase the number of seats to around 850. This was his underlying game. That is why our 21 MPs went to stop it yesterday despite the election campaign. We will not let the nation be divided, no matter what,” Miss Banerjee said at a public meeting in Baruipur. “The Women’s Reservation Bill has been pending for a long time. What was the need to club the Delimitation Bill with it? Do they think they are so clever?” she asked. Making clear her ire over the Election Commission of India (ECI) shuffling and transferring officials in Bengal, Miss Banerjee said: “They have changed everyone, starting from the Chief Secretary to the OC. What is the point of all this? The government will be formed by the TMC regardless of the names they deleted and the torture they meted out. All chairs and all officers are respectable, yet they are being threatened. They are trying to occupy Bengal with the help of Central forces. We will foil all their plans.” She pointed out that the BJP’s failure to see through the bills in Parliament proved what she has been saying all along ~ the BJP does not have the numbers. “It was proven yesterday that BJP is a minority party, not a majority. They are in power with the help of two other parties. Nitish Kumar was used for elections, and after that he was ousted,” she added. She warned the electorate not to fall into BJP’s traps. “Do not fill their forms or give them your personal details and bank account information. All these agencies are cheaters. They are bringing I-T agencies from outside that will be used to cheat you. Be careful of them. Even if they use my name to get your details, do not comply,” she said.