New Delhi, Aug 8: Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi has said that no country can achieve true progress or fulfil its potential if women are not able to express themselves freely, stressing the need to bring women’s voices back into public discourse and create an environment where they can pursue what they want.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju responded to Gandhi’s remarks, saying that the Congress party should now have no difficulty in supporting the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament.

Responding to LoP Gandhi’s remarks, Rijiju described them as a potentially positive indication of a change in the Congress party’s approach towards women’s political representation.

“This seems to be a positive message from the Congress Party. There’s a visible change of heart in Shri Rahul Gandhi Ji about the women. Now, I hope Congress Party will support the Women’s Reservation Bill unconditionally,” Rijiju said.

The Women’s Reservation Bill, officially enacted as the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023 (also known as Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam), is a landmark law in India that reserves 33 per cent of seats for women in the Lok Sabha (the lower house of Parliament), state legislative assemblies, and the Delhi Legislative Assembly.

This came as LoP Gandhi made the comments in an Instagram post on Friday, expanding on his response during his “Ask Me Anything” session on Thursday, where he spoke about the need to ensure greater freedom and space for women in Indian society.

Reflecting on the issue, LoP Gandhi said, “I was thinking to myself that the energy of India’s women is trapped, is not allowed to express itself, is not allowed to imagine. For me, no country can be successful if its women are not expressing themselves.”

He further argued that the inability of women to express themselves has a wider impact on the country’s development and progress.

“And I think a lot of my politics, and a lot of what politics should be in this country, is about making people understand that our country is stunted and incomplete without the expression of women,” the Congress leader added.

LoP Gandhi stressed that women’s empowerment should not be restricted to their participation in business or politics, but should extend to their everyday lives, including their homes, families and public spaces.

“It is not just about women doing well in business or in the political system, but about them being able to express themselves in their homes and walk the streets comfortably,” the LoP said.

He explained that women should also have the freedom to express opinions that may differ from those of people around them and to question established norms within their families and society.

“That is them putting a point of view that many others don’t agree with, that is them questioning their parents, their husbands, their brothers, sisters, whatever. So a certain amount of freedom from this patriarchy, from the rigid control that India’s men impose on their women, is required if India has to really develop,” Gandhi said.

The exchange comes amid the continuing political debate over women’s representation in India’s legislative institutions and the implementation of the Women’s Reservation Bill.

Meanwhile, the government on Thursday reached out to the Opposition, as Rijiju spoke to Gandhi over the phone to seek support for the reintroduction of the delimitation Bill.

Sources said that Rijiju focussed on bridging the gap on the issue, marking his third effort to discuss the issue with Rahul Gandhi during the Monsoon Session.

Rijiju tried to seek support for the delimitation Bill, insisting that the Opposition’s support for its early re-introduction would speed up the implementation of the women’s reservation, said sources.

The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 had earlier failed to pass through the Lok Sabha during the Budget session in April.

Rijiju told Rahul Gandhi that if women’s reservation is not implemented, it would lead to resentment among women, according to sources.

New Delhi, Aug 8: In a significant breakthrough against cyber-enabled job frauds, the Cyber Police Station of North-East District has arrested a man who impersonated as an employee of Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, Delhi, and cheated a woman of Rs 303,120 on the false promise of securing a cabin crew job for her son.

The action was taken following a complaint lodged by Somvati, a resident of Shiv Vihar, Delhi. Based on her complaint, E-FIR No. 00061/2025 dated December 3, 2025, was registered at the Cyber Police Station, North-East District under Sections 318(4), 319, and 340 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

According to the complaint, the woman came into contact with an unknown person through Facebook in July 2024. The accused introduced himself as an employee posted at IGI Airport and assured her that he could secure a Cabin Crew position for her 20-year-old son.

To gain her confidence, the accused demanded money under various pretexts, including security deposits, documentation charges, and recruitment formalities. Trusting his assurances, the complainant transferred a total of Rs 3,03,120 through 16 UPI and PhonePe transactions between September 17, 2024, and December 26, 2024.

However, after receiving the money, the accused neither arranged the promised job nor returned the amount. Instead, he blocked the complainant on Facebook, stopped responding to her phone calls, and became untraceable.

The investigation involved detailed technical analysis, digital surveillance, and financial transaction tracking.

Acting on the directions of senior officers, a dedicated team comprising Head Constable Nitin Kumar, Head Constable Ankit Tomar, and Constable Saurabh, under the supervision of Inspector Rahul Kumar, SHO of Cyber Police Station, North-East District, conducted sustained efforts to identify and trace the suspect.

Based on technical evidence and extensive field verification, the accused was traced and apprehended on August 6, 2026, from Madhu Vihar, Delhi. At the time of his arrest, he was working as a security guard at a Blinkit store.

During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed that he deliberately posed as an IGI Airport employee to gain the trust of job seekers on Facebook. He targeted victims by promising airport jobs and collected money in the name of recruitment procedures, documentation charges, and security deposits.

Police said that after receiving the payments, he blocked victims on social media, deleted Facebook chats, destroyed the SIM card used in the crime, and spent the cheated money on personal expenses and repayment of debts in an effort to avoid detection.

The arrested accused has been identified as Rajeev Kumar (32), son of Hariram, a resident of Gali No. 2, Pulia Talab, Mandawali, Delhi. Police records indicate that he has no previous criminal involvement.

During the investigation, police recovered one mobile phone used in the commission of the offence, along with bank-related documents linked to the fraudulent transactions.

New Delhi, Aug 7: The BJP on Friday clarified that the proposed charges on Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions would not be imposed on ordinary users and would apply only to commercial transactions.

The clarification came a day after the Lok Sabha passed a Bill to amend the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, authorising the government to permit banks and other service providers to levy charges on payments made through UPI and other notified electronic payment modes.

Speaking to media, BJP MP Ashok Mittal said, “First of all, I would like to clarify that charges on UPI are not being imposed on the common man. They will only apply to commercial transactions. The charges on UPI will only be applicable to certain business-related transactions and not to ordinary users.”

BJP Bihar President Sanjay Saraogi also sought to allay concerns, saying the move would not place any burden on the general public.

“UPI has brought a digital revolution to India. Whether traders, street vendors or cart vendors, everyone has used UPI and contributed to the country’s growth. The law has only been enacted now. The extent of any charges and the manner in which they will be implemented will be decided later when the rules are framed. The RBI or the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) will have to take a decision on the matter,” he said.

Janata Dal (United) MLC Neeraj Kumar Singh defended the proposal, arguing that payment systems require sustainable business models to continue functioning effectively.

“If you want to make a transaction through UPI, what is wrong with paying a charge for it? If you have obtained a GST number for business purposes and want to carry out transactions, then you have to pay for the system. UPI was initially in an experimental stage and there were no charges. If a fee is introduced now, there should not be any issue because every business model has to be sustainable. The government is still providing significant relief to the people,” he told media.

However, the proposal drew criticism from the Opposition. BSP MLA Satish Kumar Singh Yadav said, “It seems that everything is being taxed now. Soon, the government may even impose a tax on speaking and listening. There are taxes on everything — eating, drinking, travelling and sleeping — and now even on UPI. It feels like every aspect of life is being brought under taxation.”

The amendment, passed by the Lok Sabha without discussion amid uproar, seeks to remove the existing legal provision that prevents banks and payment service providers from charging Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on notified electronic payment modes.

The government’s approach aims to levy small charge on digital payment services for consumers and small businesses while ensuring a sustainable revenue model for banks, payment service providers (PSPs), and payment infrastructure firms that drive the digital payments ecosystem.