"Parliament special session on April 16 to take up women's reservation bill": Union Minister Rijiju

On the Women's Reservation Bill, Rijiju said the government is committed to women's empowerment and called for political unity on the issue.

"We are convening the Parliament on 16th April. We will take up the Women's Reservation Bill then. Empowerment of women is our commitment. We must come together for the empowerment of women, not play politics," he said in an interview with ANI on the sidelines of the Kerala Assembly elections.

On Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan's allegation that the Centre is ignoring concerns of minorities over the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) Amendment Bill, Rijiju, who also holds the portfolio of Minority Affairs, pushed back sharply and alleged that Congress used to treat the minorities, particularly the Muslim community, as its vote bank.

"I am the Minority Affairs Minister. Before PM Modi became the Prime Minister, the minorities in the country were being ignored. Congress used to treat the minorities, particularly the Muslim community, as its vote bank. The micro minorities are also being given due importance under our government," he said.

Appealing directly to the Muslim community, Rijiju said, "I want to tell the Muslim community that Congress is treating their community as a vote bank, which is harmful for Muslims. Why should they become a vote bank of one party? We are for everybody. Only the illegal FCRA accounts will be affected," he added.

Earlier on Thursday, Keralam Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan strongly criticised the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, calling it a "severe" measure which increases anxiety among minority communities.

The Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25, seeks to amend the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, with the stated objective of enhancing transparency and accountability of foreign contributions in India.

However, CM Vijayan alleged that the Bill views a section of society with suspicion.

"The stance on FCRA has already been made clear earlier. This is a country where all its people must be taken into confidence; viewing a section of the population with suspicion is in no way beneficial. However, the current situation in our country is that there is deep concern among certain sections of people, especially among the minority communities. This did not arise at a specific moment; it has been ongoing for some time. The positions taken [by the Centre] have not been ones that alleviate these concerns. Only measures that increase anxiety have come from the government's side, and the aforementioned FCRA is the most severe among them," the Chief Minister said.

Polling for the 2026 Keralam Legislative Assembly elections will be held on April 9, with the counting of votes on May 4. The tenure of the current assembly is set to conclude on May 23. (ANI)