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 | SPORTS WORLD US Supreme Court blocks Trump’s plan BUSINESS NATION Shah’s UCC pitch exposes fault lines in NDA NSE sets stage for mega IPO Page 10 Wednesday, 16 September 2026 Page 5 Page 9 West Indies ODIs force selectors to take tough calls Page 12 India’s global interests, responsibilities Suvendu claims ‘Bhaipo Gang’ gave `2 cr to have have grown, says EAM Jaishankar STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE THE MINISTER SAID INDIA, WITH GREATER INTERESTS, WIDER EXPOSURE, A LARGER NUMBER OF PARTNERS AND OPERATING IN AN INCREASINGLY COMPLEX LANDSCAPE, WOULD HAVE TO “CONSTANTLY APPLY AND RE-APPLY ITSELF” TO CHANGING GLOBAL DYNAMICS New Delhi, 15 September E xternal Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said India’s close ties with all the parties involved in the conflicts in West Asia and Ukraine have made it difficult to formulate a straightforward approach. ‘’There are two major conflicts currently underway, one in the Gulf and the other in Ukraine. In each case, India has good ties with all the parties involved. Forging an approach is, therefore, not easy. How to balance out the various equities is a legitimate subject of conversation,’’ he said addressing the inaugural session of the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA). The global economy, he said, is witnessing the weaponisation of everything. ‘’We are also seeing greater volatility in tariffs and increased dumping on other markets. How that could be best countered? Another subject for discussion, or let us take competition itself, it is now taking an extreme form with less restraint and higher risks,” said Jaishankar. The minister said India, with greater interests, wider exposure, a larger number of partners and operating in an increasingly complex landscape, would have to “constantly apply and re-apply itself” to changing global dynamics Emphasising that India has to customise and draw lessons from the experiences of others, Jaishankar said, “Diplomacy, after all, is very much an exercise in nuance; it is not enough to optimise. India also has to customise. We can draw lessons from the experiences of others, but ultimately the fact is that we are unique. It is, therefore, all the more important for us to have those debates amongst ourselves, an exercise where ICWA can make a real difference.” Highlighting India’s growing engagement with the international community, he said, “India today engages with a much wider range of countries and regions. Our interests have become increasingly global, our responsibilities have grown, and expectations of India have also risen correspondingly. India is also articulating with greater confidence its perspectives on global challenges, including those that concern the Global South. As India’s global role grows, our intellectual engagement with international affairs must keep pace.” “While much of the established discourse on international relations has been shaped by concepts and experiences developed elsewhere, a rising India must increasingly bring its own history, experience, interests, concepts, and even terminology to the way it approaches the world. ICWA has an important place in this endeavour. By encouraging informed debate from an Indian perspective, it (ICWA) contributes to a deeper understanding of the choices before us and a more confident articulation of India’s approach to the world. It must therefore play an active part in the debates that always accompany the rise of any power,” he added. former aide murdered STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Haldia, 15 September West Bengal Chief Minister Shuvendu Adhikari on Tuesday claimed that Rs 2 crore was spent to murder his former aide Chandranath Rath and alleged that a “Bhaipo Gang” had delivered the money to the shooters. "As far as I know, they (the contract killers) were given Rs two crore to kill him and the cash was supplied by Bhaipo Gang," Adhikari said, without elaborating. Adhikari made the remarks afteraccompanyingBJPcandidate Hasirani Rath, Chandranath’s mother,asshefiledhernomination papersattheHaldiaSub-Divisional Officeforthe6OctoberNandigram by-election. Speaking about the murder, Adhikari said the case had been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) because of alleged interstate links. “Seven people, including the shooters and those who allegedly arranged the contract killing, have been arrested and the CBIhasalreadyfiledachargesheet,” the chief minister said. According to Adhikari, those who allegedly delivered the money to the shooters were from Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas district. He also claimed to have heard their call records. “I cannot say anything more. The CBI is investigating the rest,” he said, adding that he believed the accused would receive the death penalty. Of the people arrested so far, most are professional criminals from outside West Bengal. Two of the accused, Sagar and Saheb Sonkar, have been identified as alleged conspirators. A CBI officer had earlier said that Sagar and Sonkar were allegedly involved in various aspects of the plot, including bringing in the shooters, arranging logistical support and assisting with reconnaissance. Chandranath was shot dead in Madhyamgram on May 6, two days after the results of the state Assembly election were declared. He was travelling in a car in the front passenger seat when assailants arrived on motorcycles and opened fire. The driver was also injured. Chandranath was taken to hospital, but was declared dead by doctors.