www.thestatesman.com | FOLLOW US: India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | @TheStatesmanLtd Pages 12 | ` 5.00 Nation @thestatesmanltd | KOLKATA People’s Parliament, Always in Session thestatesman1875 | NEW DELHI | MUMBAI | BHUBANESWAR | LUCKNOW | SILIGURI | 20 September 2026 S P O RT S World In nine years, 9.5 lakh appointments made in UP: Yodi Adityanath US, Denmark, Greenland reach security deal to expand US military presence Indian badminton teams to open campaign against Kazakhstan, Bangladesh Page 5 Page 9 Page 12 Bypoll drama: Mamata’s Rejinagar candidate does U-turn after pull-out decision STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Kolkata, 19 September Mamata Trinamul Congress candidate Rabiul Alam Chowdhury on Saturday announced his decision to withdraw from the Rejinagar Assembly bypoll, but reversed his stand within hours after speaking to party chief Mamata Banerjee, saying he would continue the electoral battle as her representative “braving all odds”. The ongoing drama surrounding the upcoming by-polls intensified in the morning, as Mr Chowdhury declared that he would quit the race and even left for Baharampur to complete the formalities. However, the three-time MLA reversed his stand by the afternoon and said he would begin campaigning from Saturday itself. According to Mamata all India Trinamool Congress (MAITC) sources, Miss Banerjee called up Mr Chowdhury after learning about his decision to pull out of the contest. She reportedly spoke to him at length and urged him not to leave the fray. Following the conversation, Mr Chowdhury agreed to continue in the candidate. “I had decided to withdraw my candidature, but after speaking to Didi, I have changed that decision. Didi has assured me. I work for Didi’s party and will do whatever she asks me to do,” Mr Chowdhury told reporters. Mr Chowdhury had earlier cited difficulties over the party’s new electoral symbol as one of the reasons for considering withdrawal. He had said there was insufficient time to familiarise party workers and supporters with the new symbol. He had also alleged that Trinamul workers and supporters were being intimidated. The development came a day after Mamata Banerjee’s candidate for the by-election in Nandigram, Sanchita Pradhan De met West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari and withdrew her nomination. India’s development both speedy & sustainable: PM STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 19 September P rime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asserted that India was demonstrating to the world that development and environmental sustainability could go hand in hand, while stressing that the country’s contribution to global carbon emissions on a per-capita basis remained less than half the global average. Inaugurating the two-day International Conference on “The Future of Environment and Climate Dynamics” at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, Mr Modi said India had made “exceptional progress” across every sector connected with the environment over the past 12 years, with renewable energy emerging as a major pillar of its environmental strategy. “India is showing how development and environmental sustainability can go hand in hand,” PM Modi said, underlining the government’s emphasis on pursuing economic development alongside environmental protection. The Prime Minister also questioned what he described as an unfair tendency to place responsibility for carbon emissions on developing countries. “Jabki aitihasik sachchai ye hai... aaj bhi prati vyakti carbon emission mein Bharat ka yogdan global average ke aadhe se bhi kam hai (Whereas the historical truth is this... even today India’s contribution to per capita carbon emissions is less than half the global average),” PM Modi said, pointing to India’s per-capita emissions as part of the country’s argument on climate equity and differentiated responsibilities. Mr Mo di said India’s environmental performance over the past 12 years had been marked by progress across a range of sectors. He added that renewable energy had remained a major focus and had played a significant role in environmental protection. The Prime Minister also highlighted India’s record under the commitments made at the Paris climate summit. “Bharat, G-20 mein iklauta aisa desh hai jisne Paris mein COP-21 Summit mein kiye commitments ko samay se pehle poora karke dikhaya hai (India is the only G-20 country that has demonstrated the fulfillment of its commitments made at the Paris COP-21 summit ahead of schedule),” he said. Mr Modi described the countr y’s development trajectory as both rapid and environmentally conscious. ABVP wins three of four DUSU posts, independent candidate takes VP seat Trump signs Russia sanctions law, clears way for 100 pc tariffs against India, China Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) Yash Dabas celebrates after winning the President post in the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections, in New Delhi on Saturday. SNS STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 19 September Team India India’s flag bearers Manu Bhaker and Pawan Kumar lead the Indian contingent into the stadium during the opening ceremony of the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya, Japan on Saturday. IANS US President Donald Trump has signed a law expanding sanctions against Russia and providing for tariffs of up to 100 per cent on major buyers of Russian oil and gas, which could potentially impact India and China. Mr Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 on Friday. The White House said the measure authorises and expands statutory sanctions, tariffs and prohibitions on Russia and extends existing sanctions on Iran. Mr Trump's nod came two days after the Republican-led House of Representatives passed the sweeping sanctions bill by a vote of 262-159. The legislation directs the president to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas, or countries among the top five facilitators of Russian oil sanctions evasion, according to a statement from Republican Senator Katie Britt. Neither the signing announcement nor the lawmakers’ statements named countries that would face the tariffs, nor indicate a country-specific tariff rate. The measure includes an exemption for countries whose Russian natural gas imports account for less than 15 per cent of Russia’s total natural gas exports, provided they are taking significant steps to reduce those imports, Senator Britt’s office said. The sanctions extend beyond energy purchases. They target Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, 25 key deals announced at SEMICON India 2026 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 19 September India’s semiconductor ambitions received a major boost at SEMICON India 2026, with 25 strategic announcements and collaborations unveiled on Day 2, spanning chip manufacturing, advanced packaging, materials, logistics, power electronics, chip design and workforce development. Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said the strong participation at the event reflects growing global confidence in India as a semiconductor manufacturing and technology hub. The second day of the three-day event at Yashobhoomi saw a series of agreements aimed at strengthening India’s semiconductor supply chain, expanding domestic manufacturing capabilities, developing advanced packaging and power electronics, and creating an industry-ready workforce. Mr Vaishnaw said country roundtables had also received a positive response, with more than 30 companies each from Japan and Singapore participating in their respective pavilions, besides participation from South Korea and European countries including Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden. The minister said the growing participation reflected increasing global interest in expanding semiconductor-related activities in India, adding that industry leaders had indicated their willingness to scale up investments based on their ability to execute projects. Among the key announcements was an MoU between the India Semiconductor Mission and Nippon Express Holdings to strengthen semiconductor logistics infrastructure, including expertise in logistics, warehousing, customs and supply-chain management. Tata Electronics announced several partnerships, including with INOX Air Products for high-purity gases, Sumitomo Chemical for high-purity wet chemicals and advanced materials, Kelington Engineering for gas distribution and high-purity piping systems, and Enomoto for advanced semiconductor packaging and lead-frame manufacturing. C-MET, Pune, and Hindalco Industries also signed an MoU to scale up critical raw materials for the semiconductor ecosystem and strengthen indigenous material capabilities and supply-chain resilience. MeitY, the Ministry of Power and POWERGRID announced a collaboration to support the indigenisation of silicon carbide power modules for voltage source converter-based high-voltage direct-current transmission systems. oligarchs, their family members, foreign persons, and Russian banks and financial institutions, as well as the Russian shadow fleet, according to the senator’s statement. The legislation provides for both primary and secondary sanctions against Russia and actors supporting its war in Ukraine. An amendment introduced by Democratic Congressman Steny Hoyer had called for explicitly naming 10 nations ~ China, India, the UAE, Turkiye, Singapore, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, and Slovakia - to be eligible for tariffs of up to 100 per cent under the bill's secondary tariff provisions. India could face up to 100 per cent on goods exported to the USA if Mr Trump chooses to exercise his power under the new law. This would be on top of a 10 per cent tariff that the US currently imposes on Indian imports as a penalty for not doing enough to stop the import of goods made using forced labour. New Delhi, 19 September The RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) won three of the four central posts in the Delhi University Students’ union (DUSU) elections on Saturday, with Yash Dabas defeating NSUI’s Vijay Shankar Meena to win the president’s post. ABVP candidates also secured the secretary and joint secretary posts, while independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen won the vice-president’s post. The results were declared after 20 rounds of counting at the Multipurpose Hall of the University Sports Stadium in North Campus. Dabas polled 24,576 votes against Meena’s 22,523, winning the presidential contest by 2,053 votes. Riya Chhawdi secured the secretary’s post with 21,650 votes, defeating NSUI’s Namrata Chaudhary, who received 14,869 votes. The joint secretary contest was closer, with ABVP’s Lakshya Raj Singh winning with 16,615 votes. Independent candidate Vishesh Yadav polled 15,778 votes, while NSUI’s Gopal Choudhary finished with 15,206 votes. The vice-president’s election was the only exception to the ABVP’s sweep of the other three posts. Shokeen secured the vice-president’s post with 30,615 votes, defeating ABVP’s Ishu Maurya, who received 16,910 votes. NSUI’s Vir Chatrath finished third with 4,313 votes. The results left the Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) without any of the four central panel posts. Polling was held across 52 centres on Friday, with voter turnout recorded at 40.46 per cent ~ the highest in three years. Last year, turnout stood at 39.5 per cent. After his victory, Dabas said his immediate priority would be conducting safety audits of colleges, hostels and paying guest accommodations. Legal opinion on ED request against Vijayan under scrutiny: Keralam HM STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Thiruvananthapuram, 19 September Keralam Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Saturday stated that the state government has received the Advocate General’s (AG) legal opinion regarding the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) request to register a corruption case against former Chief Minister and current Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter T Veena, and his son-in-law P A Mohamed Riyas in the CMRL-Exalogic monthly pay-off case. Speaking to the media in Pathanamthitta on Saturday, Mr Chennithala said the AG’s legal opinion was received on Friday evening and that the state Home Department was currently examining the report. He said a final decision on further action was expected by Monday or Tuesday following consultations with Chief Minister V D Satheesan. Asked about reports that the Advocate General had advised registering a case following the ED’s recommendation, Mr Chennithala said he had not yet reviewed the legal opinion as it arrived after he had left office on Friday. According to government sources, the Advocate General has advised that the state government can legally proceed with an investigation based on the ED’s findings. Asked whether Chief Minister Satheesan would discuss the development during his upcoming meeting with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi, Chennithala dismissed the possibility, saying it was an internal state matter that would be decided locally. Meanwhile, CPI-M General Secretary M. A. Baby alleged that the ED’s actions were politically motivated and aimed at targeting the CPI-M by going after Pinarayi Vijayan. Senior CPI-M leader A K Balan challenged the UDF government to register the FIR, calling it a “double-edged sword”. Balan argued that if an FIR were registered, it would backfire on UDF leaders such as Ramesh Chennithala and P K Kunhalikutty, whom the CPI-M alleges also received funds from CMRL.