In this episode of ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, we take a deep dive into Women’s Reservation Constitutional Amendment Bill, which was defeated in the Lok Sabha on April 17, 2026.

Joining the conversation are Varghese K. George, resident editor at The Hindu, and Swapnil Tripathi, lead at Charkha (Centre for Constitutional Law) at Vidhi.

Together, they explain what the bill aimed to do and why linking it with delimitation and census data led to political disagreement.

The discussion also covers concerns over North-South balance, population-based seat redistribution, and parliamentary accountability.

*Timestamps*

00:00 – Introduction

01:47 – Political Timing of Women’s Quota Bill

05:38 – Delimitation Debate

11:02 – PM Modi’s Guarantee

17:03 – Impact on South India

20:24 – Chandrababu Naidu’s Stand

25:49 – Furore Over Delimitation

30:55 – Reserved Constituencies in India

35:11 – Population & Tax Contribution

40:28 – Tharoor’s Proposal

49:23 – Political Consensus on Women’s Reservation

52:44 – DMK’s Private Member’s Bill

56:43 – Executive-Centric Governance in Democracies

1:07:19 – Arvind Kejriwal & Mamata Banerjee in Court

Kangana Ranaut is a BJP MP from Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi and an actress known for speaking her mind. In this edition of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, she shares her journey in Bollywood and reflects on whether her bluntness has cost her opportunities in the industry.

She also speaks about her controversies with Karan Johar and her ‘tapori’ remark on Rahul Gandhi. The conversation covers the Women’s Reservation Bill, her upcoming film Queen 2, why she chose to become a parliamentarian, and more.

Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction

00:53 – Salman’s Compliment

06:21 – Bollywood Journey

12:54 – Interview with Karan Johar

16:14 – Turning Point in Career

18:52 – Why Actresses Avoid Comedy Roles

20:51 – First-Time MP Experience

25:57 – ‘Tapori’ Remark Against Rahul Gandhi

29:28 – Women’s Reservation Bill

39:36 – Delimitation Debate

43:41 – Mandi Constituency Challenges

48:13 – Passion for Handloom Sarees

53:15 – ‘Dhurandhar’ Effect on Bollywood

59:23 – Snap Reactions

1:06:37 – Career vs Marriage Choice

1:17:35 – Journey from Mandi to Mumbai

Air Marshal Sanjeev Kapoor (Retd) has served as the Director General (Inspection and Safety) of the Indian Air Force. He has also held the position of Commandant at both the Air Force Academy and the National Defence Academy. With over 7,800 hours of incident-free flying on various trainer, transport, and strategic aircraft, he is considered one of the stalwarts of Aerial Refuelling Operations in the Indian Air Force. He has also flown the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft.

In this edition of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Air Marshal Sanjeev Kapoor explains how modern warfare in West Asia is driven by air power, missiles and drones, and how Iran’s air defence has challenged U.S. and Israeli air superiority.

He also highlights that China’s J-20 stealth fighters in Tibet pose a serious challenge and India must develop strong fifth-generation capabilities, while also pointing out that India’s indigenous satellite navigation system needs to be strengthened further.

*Timestamps*

00:00 – Introduction

01:16 – Iranian Air Defence Response

05:47 – Iran’s Decentralised Command Structure

09:57 – Iran’s Underground Missile Bases

18:05 – Limits of Modern Interceptor Systems

23:13 – Multi-Domain Warfare

29:20 – US Aircraft Losses

31:54 – India’s Satellite and Navigation Capability Gap

43:53 – Role of Theatre Commands

47:46 – Global Energy Supply Chains

50:56 – Indigenous Defence R&D

54:56 – Jamming and Spoofing

57:42 – Rafale Source Code Access Debate