Overview

• A medical student at the state-level women’s mock Parliament in Bhopal asked why debates focus on “Developed India” and the Emergency rather than serious topics like sexual harassment.
• Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said Madhya Pradesh became the first Indian state to introduce the death penalty for sexual crimes and cited a swift Bhopal case that ended with a capital sentence.
• Yadav pointed to the appointments of women as collector and SP of Narsinghpur and as divisional commissioner of Shahdol to illustrate the government’s commitment to female leadership.
• The chief minister used his address to mock the Indian National Congress for its foreign affiliations and to question its failure to adopt an Indian name.
• The mock Parliament event marking 50 years since the Emergency has drawn attention to tensions between historical themes and pressing social issues.