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 | NEW DELHI | MUMBAI | BHUBANESWAR | LUCKNOW | SILIGURI 5 elusive Maoist leaders key to meeting 31 Mar deadline Sri Lanka v Oman Nepal v Italy India v Namibia BRIEFLY Ritu Tawde is Mumbai Mayor: Mumbai: BJP's three-time corporator Ritu Tawde from Ghatkopar West was elected unopposed as the Mayor of Mumbai's civic body, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), on Wednesday, ending the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena's 25-year reign over the richest civic body in India since 1997. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena's Sanjay Ghadi was also elected unopposed as Deputy Mayor. Page 5 Page 8 FM affirms Centre’s commitment to fiscal federalism, infra expansion STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 11 February U nion Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday responded to the discussion on the Union Budget 2026, highlighting the Centre’s commitment to fiscal federalism, infrastructure expansion, employment generation and support for emerging sectors. Citing the 16th Finance Commission, Mrs Sitharaman said the Commission had analysed the devolution of funds from 2018 to 2023 and concluded that the Centre’s transfers to states during each of those years exactly matched the Commission’s recommendations. She also assured that a 41 per cent share of taxes is devolved to the states. In the coming year, the states’ share is estimated at Rs 25.44 lakh crore, which is an increase of Rs 2.7 lakh crore from last year. “On the recommendation of state Finance Ministers, capital expenditure loans for 50 years are increased to Rs 2 lakh crore for SASKI. While the Centre’s capex stands at Rs 12 lakh crore, in effect, with States and UTs, it rises to Rs 17.1 lakh crore,” the Finance Minister said. “We are willing to work with states for Mega textile Parks, particularly looking at industrial textiles, which are going to be 'new age', which are now becoming a part of manufacturing sector whether it's car cushions which is completely made of industrial textiles so these new age textiles requirements can also be fulfilled,” she said. “I welcome any state, which wants to enter this area. The Centre is willing to collaborate with them,” she added. Govt ‘sold Bharat Mata’, Gandhi alleges VIBHA SHARMA New Delhi, 11 February Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led NDA government, accusing it of compromising India’s sovereignty through the trade agreement with the United States. Participating in a discussion on the Union Budget, Mr Gandhi alleged the government “sold Bharat Mata” by surrendering India’s strategic and economic interests to Washington. Describing the agreement as a “wholesale surrender,” he also argued that India’s energy security had effectively been handed over to the USA and domestic agricultural interests had been jeopardised. Mr Gandhi claimed the deal would open Indian markets to heavily mechanised American farms, placing pressure on Indian farmers. “You have sold India. Are you not ashamed of selling our mother, Bharat Mata?” he asked amid protests from the Treasury benches. “You have allowed the US to weaponise our energy and finance,” he also said. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who told him in the House that ‘aaj tak koi mai ka lal paida nhi hua jo Bharat ko khareed sake’ (there is no one in the Puri rubbishes Gandhi’s claims: New Delhi: Union Minister Hardeep S Puri on Wednesday personally addressed charges levelled by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi linking him to the Epstein Files, clarifying that his “three-four” meetings with the infamous American sex offender were entirely professional. “My boss at IPI knew Epstein, and I met him only on a few occasions, three or at max four times to be precise, as part of a delegation. Our interactions had nothing to do (with the crimes he is accused of),” he said, adding, “We talked about Make in India.” Addressing media at the BJP party headquarters, Mr Puri hit back at Mr Gandhi for mentioning his name in connection with the Epstein Files in the Lok Sabha. world who can buy India), later said the government will move a privilege notice against Mr Gandhi for “misleading the House and making baseless allegations.” In his speech, Mr Gandhi also referred to “Epstein files” and named Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri and businessman Anil Ambani, alleging their names appeared in documents held by the US Department of Justice. India & the B’desh election: Managing risk in a volatile neighbourhood JAYANTA ROY CHOWDHURY New Delhi, 11 February Bangladesh’s tryst with elections slated for Thursday is not merely a test for the South Asian nation’s democratic will, but also a test of how things will evolve on the larger South Asian canvas. Along with a choice between two parties ~ the centrist Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the Islamist Jamaat-i-Islami party, citizens of Bangladesh will also choose their nation’s ideological orientation, institutional coherence, and capacity to govern amid deepening disorder. For New Delhi, the stakes are high, given Bangladesh’s position within its own body politic, yet the choices on offer are uncomfortably narrow. Since the dramatic collapse of Sheikh Hasina’s Page 12 NATION Action prevents tragedy Today’s Matches T20 WC: South Africa survive Afghan scare in double Super-Over thriller Page 5 Stalin dismisses power-sharing talk, denies rift with Congress Page 6 Thursday, 12 February 2026 SPORTS NATION EDITORIAL PAGE | government in August 2024, Bangladesh has been governed more by a volatile mix of street mobilisation, bureaucratic reshuffling, and ideological assertion. Violence, labour unrest, and intimidation have ceased to be episodic disruptions and have instead become the background condition of politics. In this unstable aftermath, Indian officials have privately acknowledged a hard truth ~ almost any elected government is preferable to a prolonged interim arrangement whose authority is diffuse, contested, and vulnerable to capture by hostile forces. The mandate will at best be a flawed one, given that one major party has been barred from the elections and voters are witnessing a combination of intimidation and pre-poll violence, which will certainly influence voting patterns. The impact of the state itself campaigning for a ‘Yes’ in a referendum being held along with the vote for a government is also expected to tilt heavily in favour of the Islamist parties, which are backing the referendum, despite misgivings from constitutionalists. However, for Bangladesh and India, that flawed vote may still be better than a situation where there is no mandate at all and an unelected government presides over chaos and disorder, which threatens to spill over across our common borders. The choices for Bangladesh, in the absence of Awami League, which, according to analysts including Western think tanks, still commands between 27-35 per cent of the popular vote, boil down to three: a BNP-dominated government, a mix of BNP and Jamaat, and a Jamaat-dominated regime. Mrs Sitharaman also reiterated that the Budget places strong emphasis on animal husbandry, farming and fisheries, stressing the government's commitment to strengthening rural and agricultural sectors. While asserting that girls’ hostels are necessary to encourage STEM students, she says AI is introduced at all levels of education. “AI education is not just kept at elite level, but it is now for the masses,” she said. Speaking about new employment opportunities for the youth, the Finance Minister said that five Regional Medical Hubs will be developed to promote medical tourism, which alone is expected to generate one lakh jobs over the next five years. She also announced that five large Textile-to-Leather Parks will be established, creating a significant number of new employment opportunities. Congress sold India, farmers: Sitharaman New Delhi: Replying to the debate on the Union Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched a counterattack on Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, alleging that the Congress had “sold out farmers” through its 2013 agreement at the World Trade Organization (WTO). Hitting back at Mr Gandhi’s remark that the “government sold India,” she asserted that it was the Congress that had compromised the country’s interests. “The Leader of the Opposition is lecturing us. He has no moral right because his party’s government traded national interests in Bali... You are the ones who sold India,” she said. PM condoles deaths in Canada shooting STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 11 February Expressing grief over the shooting incident at a school in Canada's British Columbia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday offered his condolences to the families who lost their loved ones while wishing speedy recovery to those who were injured. Mr Modi conveyed his heartfelt condolences to his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney following the mass shooting in the North American country's Tumbler Ridge area in British Columbia that left 10 dead, including the suspect. In a post on X, PM Modi said: “Deeply shocked by the horrendous shooting in Canada. I extend my hear tfelt condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones and wish a speedy recovery to the injured. India stands in solidarity with the people of Canada in this moment of profound grief.” According to a release by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), a total of nine people were killed by the suspect, who was found dead in "what appears to be a self-inflicted injury." The police stated that the incident took place on Tuesday afternoon at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. Seven victims died at the school, including the shooter, while two more victims were found dead at a separate site in what is believed to be a linked shooting. • Related report: Page 9