Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke refuted claims by BJP leaders that most of his party's social media followers are from Pakistan. Dipke presented analytics showing over 94% Indian followers and questioned Union Minister Kiren Rijiju's labeling of Indian youth as Pakistani.
Union minister Kiren Rijiju has quoted an exchange with Congress MP Shashi Tharoor to attack the opposition after the Women's Reservation Amendment Bill was defeated in Lok Sabha on April 17, 2026. The bill, which sought to provide 33% reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies from the 2029 Lok Sabha polls, failed to secure a two-thirds majority with 298 MPs voting in favor and 230 against. Rijiju claimed Tharoor agreed that Congress could be seen as anti-women, while opposition parties Congress, TMC, and Samajwadi Party faced criticism for opposing the bill.
Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju attacked AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal claiming all good people have left the party after seven Rajya Sabha MPs resigned and joined BJP. Rijiju rejected allegations of coercion by central agencies, stating the investigation agencies do their work. He accused Kejriwal of turning AAP into his private party and said only those engaged in illegal activities remain. The BJP leader also targeted the INDIA bloc, alleging internal divisions and accusing opposition leaders of uniting only to loot. The mass exodus saw two-thirds of AAP's Rajya Sabha members including Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal join BJP, boosting the party's strength to 113 MPs.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju welcomed seven Rajya Sabha MPs who defected from AAP to BJP, praising their parliamentary conduct. The move significantly boosts BJP's strength in the Rajya Sabha, while AAP has petitioned for the disqualification of the defecting members.
A BJP delegation met the Election Commission to protest Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge's remarks calling PM Modi a 'terrorist'. The BJP demanded strict action and an apology from Kharge, citing a violation of the Model Code of Conduct.
