The Hindu Editorial Analysis : 8th August 2026

The Hindu Editorial Analysis

We understand the significance of reading The Hindu newspaper for enhancing reading skills, improving comprehension of passages, staying informed about current events, enhancing essay writing, and more, especially for banking aspirants who need to focus on editorials for vocabulary building. This article will explore today’s editorial points, along with practice questions and key vocabulary.

DMK Lays Down Conditions to Support Delimitation Bill

• As the Narendra Modi government looks at the possibility of bringing a constitutional amendment Bill for a fresh delimitation exercise, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) may consider supporting it if the Centre makes three important changes to the legislation that was introduced in the Lok Sabha in April.
• There is currently a freeze on the number of Lok Sabha seats based on the 1971 Census, and this freeze is expected to end after the latest Census, which is likely to be completed in 2027. The DMK wants the constitutional freeze to continue for another 25 years. At the same time, it wants the Constitution to be changed to bring in a 50% increase in Lok Sabha seats for all States. This was verbally promised by Home Minister Amit Shah when the legislation related to delimitation was introduced in Parliament in April.
• The DMK also wants a Schedule showing the number of Lok Sabha seats that each State will have to be included in the legislative package, according to sources in the party. A senior DMK leader said that the government has not yet contacted the party about the issue, either “formally or informally.” The party says that it will take a final decision only after it knows the exact form and details of the Bills.
• These demands have come at a time when the Centre has again started trying to reach an understanding with the Opposition. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju spoke to Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi again on Thursday.
• “I had a productive conversation with Rahul Gandhi.” Mr. Rijiju said that he had made a request on some specific issues and had also discussed other matters. He added that the government expects regular communication with the Congress and other Opposition parties.
• He had also met Mr. Gandhi on Wednesday. During that meeting, Congress leaders are said to have again made it clear that they are opposed to any constitutional amendment for carrying out delimitation.
• Although the government does not yet have the required two-thirds majority to pass a constitutional amendment, the political situation has changed since April 17, when the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill was defeated on the floor of the House. Since then, the numerical strength of the INDIA bloc has changed significantly.
• In the present 540-member Lok Sabha, the two-thirds majority mark is 360. If all 22 Lok Sabha members of the DMK vote in favour of the Bill, the government’s strength would rise to 346 members. The government would still be short of 14 MPs, but the required number could change if some members abstain during the voting.
• If the government introduces the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, it may find it easier to reach the required two-thirds majority. In the Rajya Sabha, if all 244 members are present and vote, the government needs 164 votes. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) currently has 158 MPs.
• Home Minister Amit Shah had earlier said that once the government is sure about having the required numbers, it would bring the constitutional amendment Bill again. The Bill would seek to increase the strength of the Lok Sabha to 850 seats so that the 33% reservation for women can be implemented after fresh delimitation.
• Since April, the government has received the support of 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs, who are now part of the National Citizens Party of India (NCPI). It has also received the support of six Shiv Sena MPs who moved from the Uddhav Thackeray faction to the Eknath Shinde-led faction.
• On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to host NCPI and Shiv Sena MPs for a breakfast meeting.
• With the delimitation and the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment (FCRA) Bills expected to come up next week, the Congress is preparing to issue a three-line whip asking its MPs to remain present in Parliament next week.
• Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha continued to face disruptions because of Opposition protests over police action against student protesters. Speaker Om Birla began the morning proceedings by remembering the anniversaries of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Members then stood in silence to pay tribute to the victims of the bombings.
• After this, Opposition MPs started raising slogans and demanded the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah in the House over the police action against student protesters on July 20.
• Some Opposition members were also seen holding up placards in the House.

Jharkhand Protesters Form 11-Member Team to Meet Government

• Students protesting in Jharkhand on Thursday formed an 11-member delegation to hold talks with the Jharkhand government about their demands.
• Hundreds of students gathered at the Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in State capital Ranchi. They demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), followed by action against those responsible for the alleged irregularities in competitive exams for government jobs in the State. These exams include the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) Combined Civil Services Examination and the Jharkhand General Graduate Level Combined Competitive Examination, also known as the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission-Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) exam.
• The JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch was scheduled to hold talks with the four-member committee formed by the government on Thursday evening. However, till the time of filing this report, the Manch had not received any message about the time and place of the meeting. The Manch, however, had already sent the names of the 11 delegates who would take part in the talks.
• The delegation included eight students — Ravindra Paswan, Piyush Kumar Singh, Ravindra Kumar Ravi, Rajesh Prasad, Neetu Kujur, Kartik Soren, Sandeep Kumar and Shaalu Singh. Along with them, there will be one journalist representing the media, one person as a guardian and one legal expert.
• The JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch said that the journalist and legal expert would be present as mentors to the students. They have been told not to take part in the conversation and not to bring microphones, cameras or any recording devices to the meeting.
• During the talks, the student representatives will present all the issues, facts and demands directly to the government in a peaceful and organised manner. Student representative Ravindra Paswan said that the students were ready to talk with the government. “Our objective is to put the real demands of the students before the government. We hope that the government will listen to us seriously and take positive decisions in the interest of the students,” he said.
• Meanwhile, the peaceful protest entered its 13th day on Thursday. The students said that their protest would continue until the government takes a clear and concrete decision on their demands.
• The Jharkhand Crime Investigation Department (CID) is investigating the alleged irregularities and has arrested 19 people in the case.
• The main demand of the protesting students is a CBI inquiry into the issue. The protesters have also demanded the cancellation of the Preliminary Test of the 14th JPSC Civil Services Examination. They have also called for a review of examinations conducted through agencies, including TSR Data Processing Private Limited.

Government Opposes Income-Based Creamy Layer in SC/ST Quotas

• Opposing a group of petitions in the Supreme Court that seek to remove the “creamy layer” from the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and the Scheduled Tribes (STs), similar to the system followed for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), the Union government has said that earlier court decisions had made it clear that the “creamy layer principle does not apply to SCs and STs”.
• The Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry also told the top court in an affidavit that in a “majority” of welfare and development schemes for SCs, STs and OBCs, except for reservation in educational institutions and government services, there is already a “means test”. This test makes sure that the benefits of these schemes reach the people who actually need them.
• The government’s stand comes after the Supreme Court issued a notice on these petitions in February. The court had also asked the Centre to submit an Action Taken Report after its 2024 decision that allowed sub-categorisation among SCs and STs.
• No such report appears to have been submitted along with this affidavit.
• In its submission, the Ministry said that any change in the reservation policy, especially if income-based preferences are introduced within reserved categories, should first be based on a complete review and a proper study. This study should also include social and economic data about the people who receive benefits under reserved categories.
• It said the main aim of the reservation policy for SC, ST and OBC groups was to “achieve social equality and justice, overcome historical disadvantages and discrimination, ensure economic empowerment and upliftment for marginalised communities, and promote their inclusive participation in education, public services, and decision-making processes”.
• Further, the government has said that the current case does not raise any constitutional issue and does not show that any fundamental right given under the Constitution has been violated.
• It also said that the petitioners had “given wrong facts only with the intention of misleading” the court.
• The Ministry was referring to some parts of the petitions where certain court judgments were mentioned to support the argument that the creamy layer should also be removed from the reservation benefits given to SCs and STs. Responding to this point, the Ministry said that the judgment mentioned in the M. Nagaraj case had only referred to the creamy layer idea. According to the Ministry, this appeared to be a “general observation” related to reservations for OBCs.
• The demand to introduce a creamy layer system for SC and ST reservations became stronger after the 2024 judgment by a seven-judge Bench in State of Punjab vs Davinder Singh. In his opinion, Justice B.R. Gavai (now retired) had said that the government “must” find a way to identify a creamy layer among SCs and STs. He also said that the method used to identify this group could be different from the method used for OBCs.
• While the 2024 judgment allowed State governments to continue with their policy of sub-categorising SC and ST quotas, the Centre has not clearly stated whether it plans to use the same power at the national level.

Important Questions

1. What three important changes does the DMK want the Centre to make to the legislation related to delimitation?
2. What is the present two-thirds majority requirement for passing a constitutional amendment Bill in the 540-member Lok Sabha?
3. What demands did the students in Jharkhand want to present before the government during the talks?
4. Why did the JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch form an 11-member delegation to meet the Jharkhand government?
5. Why has the Union government said that the “creamy layer principle does not apply to SCs and STs”?
6. What did the 2024 judgment in State of Punjab vs Davinder Singh say about identifying a creamy layer among SCs and STs?

Important Vocabulary

1. Delimitation — The process of fixing or changing the boundaries of electoral constituencies.
2. Constitutional — Related to the Constitution or its provisions.
3. Abstain — To choose not to vote.
4. Numerical — Related to numbers or the number of members.
5. Delegation — A group of people chosen to represent others.
6. Irregularities — Actions or events that are not proper or according to rules.
7. Competitive — Related to a contest in which people compete with each other.
8. Concrete — Clear, definite, and specific.
9. Sub-categorisation — Dividing a larger category into smaller groups.
10. Holistic — Considering all parts of an issue together.
11. Marginalised — Groups pushed to the less important or weaker position in society.
12. Discrimination — Unfair treatment of a person or group.

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