FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 12 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA LC | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR | Monday, 08 September 2025 SPORTS PERSPECTIVE A PM’s tribute to Bhupen Hazarika WORLD NATION Russia strikes Ukraine with 800 drones in biggest attack BRIEFLY Japan’s PM Shigeru Ishiba resigns Rift resurfaces in NDA over seat-sharing for Bihar polls Page 7 Page 9 Sabalenka retains crown with win over Anisimova Page 12 Page 5 Ruling, Opposition camps meeting ahead of VP election STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Seven-MP BJD could abstain: W Bhubaneswar: BJD president and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik left for New Delhi on Sunday and is expected to announce his party’s position on the vicepresidential elections after consulting BJD MPs. Mr Patnaik chaired a meeting of the party’s Political Affairs Committee at his residence on Saturday, where members opposed supporting NDA candidate C.P. Radhakrishnan. They reiterated that the party has also distanced itself from the INDIA bloc. The PAC authorised Mr Patnaik to take the final decision. Speculation is rife that the BJD, which has seven MPs, will abstain from voting, citing its consistent stance of maintaining an equal distance from both the NDA and the INDIA bloc. New Delhi, 7 September Tokyo: Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced Sunday he will step down following growing calls from his party to take responsibility for a historic defeat in July’s parliamentary election. Ishiba, who took office in October, had resisted demands from mostly rightwing opponents within his own party for more than a month, saying such a step would cause a political vacuum when Japan faces key challenges in and outside the country. The resignation came one day before his Liberal Democratic Party was to decide whether to hold an early leadership election, a virtual no-confidence motion against him if approved. Page 9 SC to resume hearing on Bihar SIR New Delhi: Supreme Court is slated to hear on Monday a clutch of petitions challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar. The move aimed to purify the voter list has triggered sharp political and legal debates ahead of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections. As per the causelist published on the website of the apex court, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi will resume hearing the pleas against the ECI order directing SIR exercise in Bihar on 8 September. The Bench earlier declined to extend the 1 September deadline set by the ECI for filing claims and objections to the draft electoral rolls published after the first phase of the SIR. ith the crucial election of the Vice President scheduled on 9 September, pitting NDA’s candidate, C P Radhakrishnan, the current Governor of Maharashtra, against the Opposition’s B Sudershan Reddy, a former Supreme Court judge, political activity has intensified in New Delhi. Congress President and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, will host a dinner meeting for Members of Parliament (MPs) from the INDIA bloc on Monday evening at the Parliament Annexe. On the NDA front, the BJP has mobilised its MPs well ahead of the election. All BJP lawmakers were asked to report in Delhi by 6 September. BJP President JP Nadda hosted a dinner for party MPs that evening, followed by a two-day workshop for NDA MPs on 7 New Delhi, 7 September The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) on Sunday refuted a viral social media message claiming that new GST transition benefits, including unutilised cess credit, ITC on exempted supplies, and fresh price adjustment provisions, will take effect from 22 September, calling the claims “false and misleading.” In a statement posted on the social media platform X, CBIC clarified that no such changes are planned and urged the public not to rely on unofficial messages. “It has come to notice that an informal message claiming to be from Chairman CBIC is being widely circulated on social media, claiming that certain transition benefits and 8 September at the Parliament complex. The election comes after Jagdeep Dhankhar's sudden resignation on 21 July, citing health reasons, which left two years of his term remaining. However, the winning candidate will serve a full five-year term. Mr Radhakrishnan, the 68-year-old current Governor of Maharashtra, hails from Tamil Nadu. He has been a member of the BJP's ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and served as the state president of the BJP in Tamil Nadu between 2004 and 2007. B Sudershan Reddy, the 79-year-old former Supreme Court judge from Telangana. Reddy was appointed a permanent judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in 1995 and later became the Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court. He served as a Supreme Court STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Rajgir, 7 September India lifted their fourth Hockey Men's Asia Cup crown with a commanding 4-1 victory over South Korea in the final in Rajgir, Bihar, on Sunday. The triumph marks India’s first continental title in eight years and secures their qualification for next year’s World Cup in Belgium and Netherlands. Sukhjeet Singh, Dilpreet Singh and Amit Rohidas found the back of the net for the hosts, with Dilpreet bagging a brace. Korea’s Son Dain managed a consolation strike in the final quarter, but it wasn’t enough to derail India’s dominance. Jugraj Singh nearly added to the tally but saw his penalty stroke saved. The victory capped off a memorable campaign for India, who entered the final brimming with confidence after dismantling China 7-0 in the Super 4s. India maintained their unbeaten record in the tournament, including five wins and a draw. Under the leadership of Harmanpreet Singh, India dominated the pool stage with three consecutive wins. In the Super 4s, they continued their strong run with emphatic victories over Malaysia (4-1) and China (7-0). Congress amplifies allegation of electoral roll discrepancies STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 7 September The Congress party has intensified its campaign against alleged electoral discrepancies, with Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi launching a newsletter that accuses the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of colluding to manipulate voter lists. The newsletter highlights Mr Gandhi's claims of over 100,000 fake voters in Bengaluru’s Mahadevapura assembly constituency, citing specific instances of electoral manipulation, and his charge that the ECI and BJP of working together to steal votes and rig elections. Congress president CBIT clarifies: GST transition benefits not kicking in 22 Sept AGENCIES Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during the ‘Sansad Karyashala’, a two-day workshop for BJP MPs ahead of the Vice-Presidential election, at GMC Balayogi Auditorium in Parliament House Complex in New Delhi on Sunday. ANI judge from 2007 to 2011 and was also the first Lokayukta of Goa. The vice-presidential election has turned into a "South v/s South" contest, with Mr Radhakrishnan hailing from Tamil Nadu and Justice Reddy from Telangana. The vice president is elected by an electoral college comprising elected members and nominated members of the Rajya Sabha and the elected members of the Lok Sabha. The total strength of the Electoral College is 788, but due to vacancies, it currently stands at 782. Under the prevailing dynamics of the Electoral College, a candidate requires at least 391 votes to win. The BJP-led NDA has a comfortable edge in the election, with a total of 422 members supporting them. Both candidates have been campaigning intensely. While Radhakrishnan's win seems likely given the NDA's numerical advantage, the opposition's united stance makes this contest worth watching. Hockey: India lift 4rth Men’s Asia Cup, qualify for 2026 WC under GST will be applicable from September 22 on issues related to unutilised cess credit, ITC of exempted supplies and new price adjustment provisions. It is hereby informed that such claims are factually incorrect and misleading,” the CBIC said. The viral message had falsely claimed that unused cess credit could be utilised, ITC benefits on exempt supplies would be allowed, and a new price adjustment policy would be introduced. The government has already introduced next-generation GST reforms, which include a major rate restructuring. The earlier four-rate structure has been reduced to two slabs ~ 5 per cent and 18 per cent ~ while a special 40 per cent rate has been kept for luxury and sin goods like tobacco and cigarettes. Mallikarjun Kharge has also accused the Election Commission of India of complicity in voter fraud, alleging that the poll body is shielding those behind a massive voter deletion operation in Karnataka. Mr Kharge raised concerns about the ECI's sudden decision to block vital evidence in a case related to voter forgery. “Is the Election Commission of India (ECI) now BJP's Back-Office for #VoteChori," Mr Kharge questioned on the X social media platform. The controversy dates back to the May 2023 Karnataka elections, when the Congress exposed a massive deletion of voters in the Aland Constituency. A probe revealed 5,994 forged applications, leading to a CID investigation. However, the ECI's decision to block crucial evidence has raised suspicions about its impartiality. Mr Kharge alleged that the ECI is bending under BJP pressure to derail the CID probe, effectively protecting those accused of voter fraud. “Who is it protecting? BJP's Vote Chori department?” he questioned. Nine years later Candidates for the teacher recruitment examination conducted by the West Bengal School Service Commission wait in queues at an examination centre in Kolkata on Sunday. Many of these candidates had cleared the 2016 recruitment exam and taken up service, who were forced to appear again nine years later on the directives of the Supreme Court on account of a recruitment scam that had rocked Bengal politics. ANI (Page 3) India urges diversified, resilient, WTO-centred fair trade system at SCO ministers’ meet STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 7 September Amid the ongoing uncertainty in global trade triggered by the tariffs unilaterally imposed by the United States, India emphasised the need for an open, fair, inclusive and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system centred around WTO norms, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Trade Ministers’ Meeting in Vladivostok, Russia. India also called for leveraging the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) collective strengths to drive shared prosperity at the meeting held on Saturday. According to an official statement issued by the commerce ministry, India also cautioned that export-related measures should not be weaponised or misused to create artificial scarcity, distort markets, or disrupt supply chains, and emphasised that their calibrated and transparent use is essential to maintain trust in international commerce. India highlighted the need for export diversification, reducing dependency, and building resilient supply chains. With the SCO accounting for 42 per cent of the world’s population and 17.2 per cent of global trade, India emphasised the importance of coordinated action to enhance trade flows, address vulnerabilities, and support inclusive growth across the region. Amitabh Kumar, Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, underlined the importance of an open, fair and inclusive multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core. He pressed for a development-focused agenda, including a permanent solution on Public Stockholding (PSH) for food security, effective Special & Differential Treatment (S&DT) for developing countries, and the restoration of a fully functional WTO dispute settlement system. India highlighted services trade and the temporary movement of skilled professionals as key enablers of economic growth and urged greater MSME integration into global value chains. On supply chains, India stressed the need for diversification through geographical spread, interoperable logistics, and enhanced connectivity while cautioning against the misuse of export restrictions to distort markets or disrupt flows. On the digital economy, the Ministry proposed new SCO workstreams to develop fair and transparent regulatory frameworks, promote voluntary best-practice sharing, and support capacity-building. It showcased its Digital Public Infrastructure achievements, including UPI for real-time payments, India Stack for identity management, and ONDC for digital commerce models that could reduce costs for MSMEs and expand cross-border digital trade. In the sustainability domain, India reiterated its commitment to equity and the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC). It spotlighted the Mission LiFE initiative, calling for finance and affordable technology to support climate action, while warning against trade-linked climate measures that may lead to arbitrary or unjustified discrimination. The Indian delegation also pitched the AVGC sector (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics) as a driver of employment and exports.