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 Nigel Farage battles Count Binface in UK special election PERSPECTIVE Ambit of community service can be expanded Page 10 Exploited, always Bengal govt withdraws Banga Bibhushan from Ananta Maharaj: Siliguri: The West Bengal government has withdrawn and annulled the Banga Bibhushan honour conferred on BJP Rajya Sabha MP Nagendra Ray, alias Ananta Maharaj, on 21 February this year, with immediate effect over his alleged derogatory comments against Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. An order issued by the Information and Cultural Affairs department on Thursday said that subsequent facts and circumstances had emerged which were found to be inconsistent with the “dignity, prestige and purpose” of the honour. His name will be deleted from the official list of Banga Bibhushan recipients, and he will no longer be entitled to claim any recognition or benefit arising from the conferment. The controversy erupted after Mr Ray questioned Netaji’s role in forming the Azad Hind Fauz. Morkel backs India’s pace attack, hints at three-spinner option in Galle Page 12 Page 7 Page 6 BRIEFLY Friday, 14 August 2026 SPORTS WORLD EDITORIAL PAGE | Monsoon Session ends with record low productivity VIBHA SHARMA New Delhi, 13 August T he Monsoon Session of Parliament ended on Thursday as it had started ~ on a highly discordant note ~ with both the BJP-led NDA government and the Opposition continuing to blame each other for the standoff in the two Houses over student protests, the demand for accountability over police action and the alleged Ram Mandir donation theft. Despite efforts by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday to break the deadlock, protests and disruptions kept the two sides at loggerheads till the last day, both outside and inside Parliament, leading to a new low in the relationship between the government and the Opposition. The Congress, the Trinamul Congress, and the Samajwadi Party also boycotted the customary tea party hosted by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla after the House was adjourned sine die. Mr Birla adjourned the House sine die without the customary valedictory speech. The Rajya Sabha, meanwhile, witnessed a fierce exchange between the government and Opposition after Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that people associated with the BJP had performed a purification ritual at a stage in Uttarakhand, where he had made a speech. The Upper House also passed the Mines and Mine- rals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, before ending one of the most disrupted sessions in parliamentary history. In the Rajya Sabha, Chairman C P Radhakrishnan spoke on the functioning of the House, which was followed by Vande Mataram, before he adjourned the House sine die. Notably, the final day of the Monsoon Session saw the rendition of the national song in Parliament. When the Lok Sabha met for the day, all stanzas were played with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr Shah in attendance. Though the 2026 Monsoon Session was a virtual washout, speculation remained alive on the possibility of a special session to push legislation related to women’s reservation and delimitation. Despite the disruptions, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju described the Monsoon Session as “ very successful in terms of business” as 12 bills were passed. “However, from the perspective of debate and discussion, it was not as successful. In the Lok Sabha, we achieved only 19 per cent productivity relative to the total time allotted. In the Rajya Sabha, productivity stood at 39 per cent,” he said. “In the Lok Sabha, 11 bills were passed without discussion, while one underwent discussion. In the Rajya Sabha, one Bill was fully discussed,” he said, adding that the government was not happy with the level of debate, as he blamed the Congress for the disruptions. Sukhbir Badal attacked near Hazur Sahib, escapes with minor injuries STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Nanded, 13 August Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president and former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal suffered minor injuries after he was attacked by a knife-wielding sevadar near Mata Sahib Gurdwara at the Takht Sri Hazur Sahib complex in Nanded on Thursday afternoon. He was subsequently rushed to a private hospital in the city for medical treatment. Authorities later said he was stable and out of danger. Authorities said the incident took place at around 1:50 p.m. when Mr Badal arrived at Mata Sahib Gurdwara in the Hazur Sahib complex to pay obeisance. Mr Badal’s family, including his wife and SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, was with him when the incident took place. “A sevadar suddenly attempted to attack him,” Nanded district collector Rahul Kardile said. A member of Mr Badal’s Special Protection Unit intervened and stopped the attacker. Both Mr Badal and the security officer suffered minor injuries, the collector said. Mr Badal sustained a wound of about 4-5 centimetres on his right forearm and received stitches and medical treatment. Mr Kardile said Mr Badal was now doing well and remained under medical supervision. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis later spoke to Mr Badal and has ordered an investigation into the attack on him. The alleged attacker has been taken into police custody and is being questioned, Mr Kardile said. He said the motive and other details would become clear only after the investigation. The attack has raised questions about how the accused was able to approach Mr Badal despite his high-level security cover. Mr Badal has Z-plus security and had survived another assassination attempt outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar in December 2024, when a gunman opened fire at him but was saved by security personnel. Police later identified the alleged attacker as 62-year-old Jaspal Singh. He had reportedly been living at the gurdwara complex for about two years. His background, his activities before the incident, and the circumstances that allowed him to approach Mr Badal are now part of the investigation. Rajya Sabha witnesses fiery scenes, Kharge Parliament clears Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill, restricts states’ powers raises issue of ‘suddhikaran’ after speech STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 13 August Parliament on Thursday approved the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, with the Rajya Sabha passing the legislation a day after it was cleared by the Lok Sabha, paving the way for it to be sent to President Droupadi Murmu for her assent. The legislation seeks to overhaul the framework governing taxation and regulation of mineral-bearing lands and comes against the backdrop of a July 2024 Supreme Court judgment that held that state governments have the constitutional authority to levy taxes on mineral rights and mineral-bearing lands. The Centre has argued that the amendments are necessary to provide greater certainty and uniformity to the mining sector while preventing what it views as an unpredictable proliferation of state-level taxes, cesses and fees on mineral resources. A key provision of the Bill PM to lead celebrations marking 150 years of ‘Vande Mataram’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 13 August The stage is set for the 80th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the national ceremony on 15 August, commemorating 150 years of the enduring legacy of the National Song ‘Vande Mataram’ and highlighting the role of ‘Yuva Shakti’ in building a Viksit Bharat by 2047. For the first time, ‘Vande Mataram’ will be rendered as part of the main celebrations at the Red Fort, with the Army band playing the National Song after the hoisting of the Tricolour, followed by the National Anthem. The ceremony will begin with the Prime Minister’s arrival at the Red Fort, where he will be received by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh. He will inspect the Guard of Honour comprising contingents of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Delhi Police before proceeding to the ramparts, where the service chiefs and Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani will receive him. The National Flag will be hoisted with a synchronised 21-gun salute by the 1721 Field Battery (Ceremonial), using 105mm Light Field Guns. Two Indian Air Force Mi-17 helicopters will subsequently shower flower petals, with one carrying the national flag and the other a flag depicting ‘Vande Mataram’. restricts state governments from imposing any new tax, cess or fee on mineral rights or mineral-bearing lands without the approval of the Central Government. The move effect-ively seeks to place limits on the states’ fiscal powers over mineral resources, an area that has become the subject of significant legal and policy debate. The legislation also expands the Centre’s regulatory role by giving it direct powers to oversee and regulate mineralbearing lands in addition to mining operations. The government has maintained that a more centralised regulatory framework would help create a stable policy environment for the mining industry and facilitate investment in the sector. Another significant provision deals with demands raised by states under the earlier framework. The Bill provides that unpaid or unrecovered tax demands relating to mineral rights and mineral-bearing lands would no longer remain enforceable. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 13 August The Rajya Sabha witnessed fierce exchange between Treasury Benches and the Opposition after Leader of Opposition in the House Mallikarjun Kharge raised the issue related to a right-wing group performing a hawan for the “suddhikaran” (purification) of Haldwani’s Ram Lila Ground after the Congress president addressed a public rally at the venue. Mr Kharge slammed the ruling BJP while narrating the incident: “I was in Haldwani where I made a public speech at Ramlila Maidan. Lakhs of people were there. At that time, I did not mention the name of any community or religion; I only reiterated the issues of the Government. “But after my speech, people of BJP performed a havan there to ‘purify’ that stage...Is this the way in a democracy? How are you protecting the Constitution? I am the Leader of Opposition,” he said. Alleging that people asso- ciated with the BJP purified the stage because he was a Dalit, Mr Kharge demanded that cases should be registered under the Untouchability Act against those who purified the stage. The act was condemned by Union Minister J P Nadda who said that the BJP does not subscribe to such activities and the incident will be investigated. “This is a very sad incident, not just for the Congress but for all of us. The BJP does not subscribe to such activities. We will investigate it, and I condemn this incident,” Mr Nadda said.