FRIDAY 08 AUGUST 2025 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘INDIA SHOULD ALSO IMPOSE 50 PC TARIFF’ TEJASHWI BLAMES ECI FOR DUAL VOTER IDs P5 SENSEX 80,623.26 p79.27 WEATHER PARTLY CLOUDY SKY.POSSIBILITY OF THUNDRY DEVELOPMENT TOWARDS EVENING. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 37 AND 25 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: 000.0 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 85% TEMPERATURE Max: 35.8 °C (+0.6) SUN RISES 05:47 hrs MOON RISES 18:43hrs THUMBNAILS Bengali widows display rakhis to be sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a function organised by Sulabh International in Vrindavan on Thursday. ANI India declassifies military doctrines on Cyber and Amphibious Warfare: In a first, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan, who is also the Secretary of the Department of Military Affairs, released the declassified versions of the Joint Doctrines for Cyberspace Operations and Amphibious Operations during the Chiefs of Staff Committee meeting held here on Thursday. PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 7 AUGUST The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a petition filed by Justice Yashwant Varma of the Allahabad High Court challenging the recommendation for his removal by the then Chief Justice of India, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, along with the constitution of an in-house inquiry committee and the procedure it followed in probing the alleged recovery of a large sum of semi-burnt bundles of unaccounted cash from his official residence in Delhi. The court underscored that the CJI as head of the judiciary, is morally, ethically, and legally empowered to take necessary steps to safeguard the institutional integrity of the judicial system when informed of serious misconduct by a judge. NIFTY 24,596.15 p21.95 ` vs $ 87.39 NEW DELHI, 7 AUGUST Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Thursday leveled serious allegations of electoral manipulation against the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claiming that since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the poll panel colluded with the BJP to steal elections. Citing discrepancies in voter lists and sudden spikes in voting patterns to drive his point, Mr Gandhi, who P9 GOLD `1,03,730 P12 SILVER `1,17,000 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 67.12 Modi says welfare of farmers remains utmost priority of government P rime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the government is committed to prioritising farmers' welfare and will never compromise on their interests. The remarks, made while speaking at the Swaminathan Centenary Internation Conference in New Delhi today, were seen as a direct response to the imposition of tariffs by the Donald Trump administration on Indian goods imported into the United States. The 25 per cent tariff earlier announced by Mr Trump on Indian imports went into effect from today. Mr Trump on Wednesday announced an additional 25 per cent of tariff, citing India’s purchase of crude oil and military hardware from Russia as grounds, which brings the total tariffs to 50 per cent. The additional 25 per cent tariff will go into effect on 27 August. “For us, the interest of our farmers is our top priority. India will never compromise on the interests of farmers, fishermen, and dairy farmers," the Prime Minister said. "I know personally, I will have to pay a heavy price for it, but I am ready for it. Today, India is ready for the country's farmers, fishermen, and dairy farmers," Mr Modi said. “India will not compromise on farmers' interests, even if it means facing economic repercussions," he said. One of the major sticking points in the protracted negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement between India and the USA is Washington seeking greater market access for its agricultural products, including genetically modified crops and dairy. India, however, has resisted these demands, considering them nonnegotiable. Prime Minister Modi, paying tributes to the renowned agricultural scientist M S Swaminathan on his birth centenary, said that Swaminathan led the movement to make India self-reliant in food production and gave the visionary concept of "biohappiness." Russian President Putin to visit India soon: Doval STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 6 AUGUST Amid ongoing trade tensions between India and the US over Russian oil purchases, Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit India soon. This was indicated by National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, who is in Moscow, sources said on Thursday. Mr Doval, who is visiting Russia for bilateral talks focused on security, economic, and energy cooperation, met Mr Putin during the day. No specific date or time has been indicated by the NSA for Mr Putin’s visit, the sources said. The sources also refuted earlier reports of Mr Putin’s visit to Delhi in August this year, saying that the time of the end of August being reported in a section of the media is incorrect. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order imposing an additional 25 per cent tariff on imports from India, with the new measure set to take effect after 21 days from now. The move comes in response to what the USA says is India’s continued purchase of Russian oil, which Washington claims undermines its national security and foreign policy. The fresh tariff will be added to the 25 per cent duty already announced by Mr Trump, bringing the total levy on Indian goods to 50 per cent. The last visit by the Russian President to India took place on 6 December 2021, during the 21st India-Russia Annual Summit in New Delhi. PM Modi, meanwhile, made two high-profile visits to Russia last year, attending the 22nd Russia-India Summit in July and later participated in the BRICS Summit held in Kazan in October. In May, President Putin also called Prime Minister Modi and "strongly condemned" the 22 April terror attack in Pahalgam, offering "full support" to India in its ongoing fight against terrorism. Rahul questions ECI’s role in electoral manipulation STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE ‘ISL WILL BE HELD THIS YEAR’ PM: Ready to pay heavy NDA allies authorise Modi, JP Nadda to select ruling price for the country alliance’s VP candidate NEW DELHI, 7 AUGUST Min: 26.1 °C (-0.8 ) SUN SETS 19:07 hrs MOON SETS 05:28 hrs SC dismisses Justice Yashwant Varma’s plea P8 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Min. 56% TRUMP TO MEET PUTIN SOON AS UKRAINE DEADLINE NEARS is also the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha alleged that the Prime Minister needed to ‘steal’ only 25 seats to stay in power in 2024 and the BJP won 25 seats with margin less than 33,000 votes during the Lok Sabha polls. The Congress MP, who also made a presentation to back up his charges, alleged that over 1 crore new voters were added to electoral rolls in Maharashtra within just five months, a sudden spike that raises questions about the legitimacy of the electoral process. Questioning the Election Commission of India’s decision to destroy CCTV footage from polling booths in Maharashtra, and suggesting that this was done to conceal evidence of electoral manipulation, the Opposition leader claimed that his research team found large numbers of duplicate voters, invalid addresses, and bulk entries in the Mahadevapura Assembly constituency in Karnataka, where over 1 lakh votes were allegedly cast fraudulently. "The Maharashtra results confirmed our suspicion that the assembly election was stolen… The Election Commission refusing to provide a machine-readable voter list convinced us of its collusion with the BJP,” he claimed. "Anti-incumbency hits every single party in every single democracy. But for some reason, the BJP is the only party in a democratic framework that basically does not suffer this idea of anti-incumbency," he pointed out. CEC asks Gandhi to substantiate allegations STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 7 AUGUST The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Karnataka has called upon Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to provide evidence under oath to support his allegations against the Election Commission of India. This comes after Mr Gandhi on Thursday leveled serious accusations against the poll panel, questioning its credibility and impartiality. Addressing a press conference, Gandhi had leveled allegations of electoral manipulation against the Election Commission and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, claiming that since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the poll panel colluded with the BJP to steal elections. He cited discrepancies in voter lists and sudden spikes in voting patterns. Calling Swaminathan a true patriot who dedicated his life to ensuring food security in India, PM Modi said: "He was a visionary who not only worked towards making India self-sufficient in food production but also emphasised the importance of sustainable agriculture and environmental conservation." Highlighting Swaminathan's contributions to Indian agriculture, including his role in the Green Revolution and his advocacy for eco-friendly farming practices, PM Modi said: “He showed us the path to achieve food security while protecting the environment.” PM Modi also announced the MS Swaminathan Award for Food and Peace, which will be given to individuals who have made significant contributions to food security and peace. The award is a testament to Swaminathan's legacy and commitment to improving the lives of people through sustainable agriculture practices. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 7 AUGUST The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) parliamentary party floor leaders on Thursday unanimously authorised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President JP Nadda, who is also leader of the house in the Rajya Sabha, to select the ruling Alliance's candidate for the September 9 Vice Presidential election. The decision was taken during a meeting of the NDA parliamentary party floor leaders, which was held at the Parliament complex. The meeting was chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and attended by senior leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Health Minister Nadda. Briefing mediapersons after the meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said, "At the meeting chaired by Rajnath Singh ji, all senior NDA leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah and J.P. Nadda ji, were present. It was unanimously decided that the Prime Minister and J.P. Nadda ji have been authorised to decide on the NDA's candidate for Vice President. The decision taken by them will be acceptable to all NDA constituents." The post of the VicePresident fell vacant after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on 21 July, citing health reasons. In his resignation letter, Dhankhar had said: "To prioritise health care and abide by medical advice, I hereby resign as the Vice President of India, effective immediately." Mr Dhankhar’s resignation came on the first day of the Monsoon Session of the Parliament. Several NDA alliance leaders, including the JDU, the Shiv Sena, the Apna Dal, and others, have already extended their unconditional support to the BJP for the Vice President's election. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has already issued the notification for the Vice Presidential election. The process of filing nominations began on Thursday, and the last date for filing nominations is 21 August, while the polling and counting of votes will be held on 9 September. The NDA, which holds a majority in the electoral college comprising members of both Houses of Parliament, is expected to have a decisive say in the outcome.