Independent MP from Purnia, Bihar Rajesh Ranjanis popularly known as Pappu Yadavon Friday defended her comments on the Women’s Reservation Bill, saying “I will do anything to protect” women entering politics.Yadav, questioned whether he had done anything wrong for which an apology was necessary, said his stand was in support of the daughters of the country and if his comments had hurt anyone, he would apologise.“…What mistake did I do for which I have to apologise? To whom will we apologise? If any of my mothers or sisters come into politics, I will do anything to protect them. If any of our sisters who come into politics are hurt, we will ensure that all our daughters are safe and clean.” If despite this any person creating ruckus gets hurt. When I am fighting for my daughter, if someone is hurt by my conduct, what harm do I have in apologizing to them?” ANI quoted him as saying.Yadav also alleged that politicians, officials and capitalists are “feasting on the rape of 6 to 12 year old girls”, and suggested that his previous comments should be seen in the same context.He said, “The world knows that there is nothing left after the Epstein case. All the leaders, officials and capitalists are feasting on the rape of 6-12 year old girls. Should I apologise?…I will do anything to save the honor of my daughters and sisters from politicians and not hurt them. If I have to apologize 1 billion times, I will apologise.”Questioning those who issued notices against him, he said, “Who are these people who have served me notices? Who are they with? People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.”The comments come after a series of controversial comments by Pappu Yadav about politicians and women in politics, which drew strong criticism and prompted the Bihar State Women Commission to take suo motu cognizance of the issue.“Taking suo motu cognizance of this matter, the Bihar State Commission for Women seeks clarification from you as to why you made such an objectionable statement. It is also asked as to why a recommendation should not be made to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha for cancellation of your membership,” it said in a statement.On the allegations and action taken against him, Yadav said, “I have also said in the House that 70-80% of the leaders watch porn. So get everyone checked. If there is porn on my phone, then get me checked too.”Alleging large-scale exploitation in politics, Pappu Yadav said, “I had said that male politicians do not allow women to enter politics without exploiting them. Is this wrong?”He further claimed that his comments were meant to highlight the issues faced by women in politics, adding that he was “fighting women’s battles.” Responding to the criticism, she said, “Why are they (Women’s Commission) upset if I talk about male politicians?”Linking her comments to the broader debate on women’s representation in politics, she said, “These politicians exploit women, and then they talk about the Women’s Reservation Bill.”

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah made a scathing attack on Friday Mamata Banerjee And his government, after huge turnout in the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections, claimed that the people of the state have voted for change and the Bharatiya Janata Party is heading towards an absolute majority.Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, Shah said the departure of the Trinamool Congress government was near and predicted a massive victory for the BJP.“Didi is going to leave, BJP is going to come.”He also said that voters have already made up their minds in the early phase of voting.“People have decided to vote for Didi.”Shah claimed that BJP’s internal assessment has shown that there has been a strong lead in the seats going to polls in the first phase.“From the feedback we have received, the people of Bengal have decided their future in the first phase… 92.98% voting on 52 seats in 16 districts means that Didi is going to go and BJP is going to come, fear is going to go and trust is going to come. We have made an assessment with all the committee members last night…BJP is going to win more than 110 seats out of 152 seats…It means that after the second election phase, we are going to form a pure BJP government in Bengal.“He said that the first phase of voting reflects the public demand for political change.“Yesterday, in the first phase of voting for the 2026 Bengal Assembly elections, breaking all records, the people of Bengal voted with unprecedented zeal and enthusiasm for change in Bengal. The turnout is encouraging for those who believe in democracy across the country… I would like to congratulate and thank all the voters of Bengal who voted in the first phase. You have so successfully started the journey from fear to trust, and the voters of the second phase will also continue this journey from fear to trust.“Shah also promised that if voted to power, the BJP would appoint a Bengal-born, Bengali-speaking chief minister and focus on law and order, women’s safety and governance reforms.“It is very important for the BJP to form a government in Bengal. Our first priority will be to provide security to the women of Bengal and free them from fear.”Targeting the ruling party over corruption allegations, Shah accused the Banerjee government of institutionalizing corruption.“Mamata Banerjee has institutionalized corruption. There has been corruption of over Rs 10,000 crore through more than 30 frauds in Bengal. Our government will definitely provide a corruption-free, transparent administration.”He said the alleged corruption cases would be investigated by a retired Supreme Court judge and those found guilty would face punishment.Shah also accused the state government of allowing extortion and syndicate rule, adding that under the BJP government traders would no longer have to pay what he called “nephew tax” or “bhaipo tax”.On election conduct, Shah praised the Election Commission of India, CAPFs and Bengal Police for peaceful voting.“Because not a single person has died (during elections) in Bengal after a long time. This type of election has taken place, which is a surprise in itself…”Claiming that his party is on a strong footing, Shah concluded: “I see a tsunami (in support of the BJP). I think we will win seats by a huge margin.”The comments come as campaigning intensifies ahead of the next phase of Bengal assembly elections, in which the BJP is trying to oust Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress from power after being in power for more than a decade.

BENGALURU: A Japanese construction technology firm and an Indian Institute of Science-backed data platform have joined forces in an effort to unlock one of urban planning’s most persistent blind spots: the vast amounts of construction data that goes dark as soon as a building project kicks off.Tottori-based expert in open-standard built environment data OneStructure Inc. and DataKaveri Systems, the commercial arm of IISc Bengaluru’s Center for Data for Public Good (CDPG), signed an MoU to integrate construction data in Indian and Japanese cities into AI-ready urban data exchanges.The signing took place on the sidelines of the inaugural Japan-India AI Strategic Dialogue – a bilateral initiative to advance cooperation in AI and data infrastructure.Under the agreement, both organizations will work to connect OneConstruction’s OpenBIM platform – built around IFC, the internationally recognized open data standard for construction information – with DataKaveri’s Intelligent Universal Data Exchange (IUDX), a platform already in place covering urban mobility, utilities, environment and public services across 55 smart cities in India.The ambition is to have construction data such as floor plans, utility layouts and asset histories flow securely into city-scale AI applications and digital twins, rather than being lost or locked within individual project silos after construction is finished.Lucas Haywood, vice president of global strategy at Oneconstruction, said the collaboration points to a future where standardized building data can be useful “in the context of everything that describes a city.” Ashok Krishnan, vice president of commercial business and revenue at CDPG and DataKaveri, described the construction industry as sitting on a “gold mine of data” that rarely goes beyond the boundaries of individual projects.The two companies said they will jointly explore AI use-cases based on joint construction and urban datasets and pursue bilateral funding opportunities. Both said they hope this model can be replicated internationally.

PM Modi and US President Donald Trump (file photo)

TOI correspondent from Washington: US President Donald Trump on Thursday worsened Washington’s already sour relations with the world’s two largest countries by reposting a four-page racist rant by a supporter, calling India and China “hell” and accusing them of exploiting America’s birthright citizenship privileges.The MAGA supremo, who is considered unpatriotic and unregulated by a growing number of Americans and is known for posting unfiltered garbage, decided to repost an anti-immigrant attack by conservative radio host Michael Savage, who supports nativist nationalism while emphasizing borders, language and culture. In his article, Savage claims that under birthright citizenship, “Here a child becomes an instant citizen, and then they bring the whole family over from China or India or some other hellhole on the planet.“In language that echoes crude nativist overtones, he charged that immigrants from these countries exploit the system through so-called “birth tourism” and described them as “gangsters with laptops”, accusing them of undermining American workers and institutions.The post shared on Trump’s Truth social platform was not a casual endorsement or a casual “like.” It was a wholesale amplification of Savage’s comment, effectively elevating the sitting president’s rhetoric into mainstream political discourse. By choosing to repost the entire comment without any warnings or distorted language, Trump was seen as endorsing not only the policy criticism, but the rhetoric itself.The repost comes as the US Supreme Court considers the legality of Trump’s executive order seeking to curtail birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment. It also coincides with falling approval ratings and a contentious midterm election cycle, suggesting that immigration and the cultural concerns surrounding it remain central to Trump’s political strategy.US officials, some of whom are clearly frustrated by Trump’s unfiltered posts and statements, were left to clean up the mess by repeating some of the complementary things he had said about India in the past. The MAGA boss has often spoken of his personal relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, citing personal warmth and great friendship, while rarely articulating a concrete policy approach to US-India relations.Despite US diplomats trying to highlight the fiasco, the US Embassy in New Delhi approached the media to play down the latest scandal, with former officials admitting that US-India relations are currently at an all-time low. Former Obama White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel recently said at a Harvard event that the Trump administration had basically spit in India’s face, even as many regional experts are surprised by the US President’s embrace of Pakistan, a country he described as a haven for terrorists during his first term. India’s External Affairs Ministry said it had seen Trump’s post, without elaborating.Trump’s record is littered with controversial—and often explicitly racist—comments dating back years. During his first presidency, he reportedly referred to Haiti as well as African countries as “waste countries” in a White House meeting, while expressing a preference for immigrants from Nordic countries.Previously, in one of the most infamous cases, Trump took out full-page newspaper ads in 1989 calling for the death penalty for the Central Park Five case – five black and Latino teenagers who were later acquitted after spending years in prison. Even after his innocence was established, Trump continued to question his acquittal, a stance that has been widely criticized as racially charged and is emblematic of a broader pattern of prejudice dating back to his father, Fred Trump, who was seen as an exploitative land shark.Trump’s political career began with the so-called “birther” conspiracy targeting Barack Obama, which falsely claimed that the first black American president was not born in the United States. Throughout his campaigns, Trump also called for a “complete and total shutdown” of Muslim immigration, described Mexican immigrants as “rapists” and repeatedly warned of an “invasion” from the southern border. In that context, Savage Repost seems less an aberration than a continuation.