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 Stock markets tumble in heavy selling Page 10 ‘Repeating a lie 100 times doesn’t make it the truth’ WORLD ‘Trump asked Xi Jinping if he wants to buy US arms’ Page 9 Page 5 Earlier govt’s negativity cost us many central projects: Suvendu STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Kolkata, 28 September W est Bengal was left out of several benefits of the Centre’s energy and welfare initiatives because of the “negative attitude” of the earlier state government, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Monday, alleging that the previous administration was "reluctant" to cooperate with the NDA government in New Delhi for political reasons. Speaking at a curtain-raiser event for India Energy Week BRIEFLY ACs, TVs, fridges to get costlier from October: New Delhi: Consumers could face higher prices for air conditioners, televisions, refrigerators, washing machines and other consumer electronics as manufacturers are expected to implement another round of price increases from October, just ahead of the festive shopping season.Air conditioner prices are expected to increase by around 5-8 per cent from 1 October, while some manufacturers are reportedly considering price hikes of around 3-4 per cent for televisions, refrigerators and washing machines. The latest revisions would come at a time when demand for consumer durables typically picks up during the festive period. (IEW), Adhikari said the Trinamul Congress government had failed to respond to repeated requests from the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) for the development of oil resources at Ashokenagar in North 24 Parganas district. “Oil excavation in Ashokenagar has started successfully. ONGC had given so many letters regarding Ashokenagar, but they were not responded to. After we came to power, we gave full support.We are giving full backing to ONGC and the Ministry of Oil and Natural Gas. We will give land and other support,” he said. Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said ONGC had already invested around Rs 1,000 crore in the Ashokenagar project but was unable to proceed because it did not have the required lease. “ONGC has invested Rs 1,000 crore, but we were not getting the lease. Now, after we got the permission of the state government, we have started excavating oil,” Puri said. He said cooperation from the state government was essential for such projects as drilling wells involved substantial capital expenditure. “We need the help of the state government because digging a well is a capital-intensive project and we cannot make our machines sit idle,” Puri said. Adhikari alleged that the previous government had not maintained a positive approach towards the Centre’s energy initiatives. “There was nothing positive with the earlier government. Whenever the Prime Minister came for an energy-related programme, there was no official from the state government present there,” he said. Citing the Ujjwala scheme, Adhikari said West Bengal had received around 1.29 crore gas connections under Ujjwala 1 and 2, but claimed that applications were not forwarded under Ujjwala 3 despite the Centre allocating 15 lakh connections to the state. “The earlier government instructed the District Magistrates verbally not to send the applications. I, being the head of the administration, am telling this with all my responsibility,” he said. Adhikari also said the state government was digitising beneficiary lists to eliminate ineligible or false beneficiaries. “Those who are infiltrators and those who have been rejected by SIR (Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls) will not get Ujjwala or any other benefits,” he said. He further alleged that the earlier government had discriminated against people from Bihar while extending benefits to illegal migrants, saying, “People from Bihar were called outsiders and the Bangladeshis were treated as NCP will not join NDA, asserts Sharad Pawar STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Mumbai, 28 September Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder Sharad Pawar, asserting that his party would not ally with the BJP-led NDA, said on Monday other parties may join hands with his outfit. Ending months of intense political speculation about a possible realignment with the BJP, Pawar said here, “We will not go with anyone. We will not merge with any other party. If you want to come, then come with us. We will not join anyone.” He also ruled out all rumours of a rapprochement with the Sunetra Pawar-led NCP or any larger alliance with the BJP-led NDA. In a statement, he reiterated his party's commitment to the Tuesday, 29 September 2026 SPORTS NATION BUSINESS | Congress-led Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra and the INDIA bloc at the national level. Pawar stressed that his decision was final and that his party is now prepared to fight all coming political battles on its own terms. The meeting on Monday brought together senior functionaries of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP and served as a platform for the NCP founder to criticise the Devendra Fadnavis government’s handling of the severe drought situation in Maharashtra. Acknowledging that a drought has been officially declared in 265 talukas across Maharashtra, Pawar pointed to significant shortcomings in the relief measures announced by the administration. He specifically highlighted that suspending agricultural loan recovery did not equal a loan waiver, warning that farmers would carry the debt burden into the next year, making them ineligible for fresh credit. Speaking about horticulture, Pawar stated that the assistance announced for orchards excluded the banana crop cultivated extensively in Jalgaon, Parbhani and Nanded. son-in-laws.” Meanwhile, Puri said IEW, which began in 2023, had emerged as a globally recognised energy event. The 2023 edition attracted more than 35,000 participants and 326 exhibitors, while the 2026 edition is expected to have around 75,000 participants and 700 exhibitors, with more than 120 countries and around 500 speakers taking part. The theme of this year’s event is “Unlocking Innovation, Securing Energy and Shaping Tomorrow”, which Puri said would reflect the key challenges and opportunities shaping the global energy sector. Explaining the decision to hold IEW in West Bengal, Puri said, “Something remarkable happened in the state this year. This state is strongly moving forward under the leadership of the dynamic Chief Minister and so the Hon’ble Prime Minister wanted this.” He also referred to Kolkata’s geographical location and its long industrial history, saying the city had historically been an important centre of industry and commerce. Kohli unleashes new ODI avatar with record nine sixes Page 12 Ensure automated counter-terrorism response, Amit Shah tells top cops DEEPAK RAZDAN New Delhi, 28 September Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday told the country’s top police officials to institutionalise an automated counter terrorism response at every level of the security set-up for eliminating all forms of terrorism effectively. The Home Minister was inaugurating a Conference on ‘PRAHAAR - CT Policy and Strategy’ here. Besides the police officials, the conference was attended by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. The top security officials at the conference included heads of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs)/Central Police Organisations (CPOs), DGPs of 15 states, Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chiefs of all states and Union Territories, in person; while other state DGPs and cutting-edge police officers joined the conference virtually. The conference deliberated on the seven pillars of the counter-terrorism strategy PRAHAAR -- Prevention, Response, Aggregating Internal Capacities, Human Rights, Attenuating Conditions for Terrorism, Aligning International Apex court gives ECI three months to decide TMC name, symbol dispute PARMOD KUMAR New Delhi, 28 September The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to decide within three months the dispute over the All India Trinamul Congress name and its “flowers and grass” symbol after rival factions led by former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Leader of Opposition in West Bengal assembly Ritabrata Banerjee complete their pleadings. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana granted both the Mamata Banerjee -led AITC-Mamata faction and the Ritabrata Banerjee-led AITC-Democratic faction four weeks to complete their pleadings before the poll panel. The court directed the ECI to pronounce its final decision within three months thereafter. When counsel for the ECI sought six months to decide the dispute, Justice Bagchi said, “Three months is good enough.” As the Commission’s c o u n s e l maintained that the timeframe would be difficult to meet, the bench said it could approach the court if any extreme exigency arose. The order came on Mamata Banerjee’s petition challenging the ECI’s 17 September interim order freezing the All India Trinamul Congress name and its reserved symbol pending CEC controversy: BJP deploys political contingency measures to counter Oppn VIBHA SHARMA New Delhi, 28 September With opposition parties framing a united front against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, the BJP has mounted a coordinated counter-offensive to defend the Election Commission’s credibility. Senior leaders and chief ministers of BJP-ruled states are leading the campaign against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and INDIA bloc leaders. Rather than treating the EC controversy as a routine political issue that will fizzle out on its own, the BJP is seeking to portray the INDIA bloc as an alliance undermining India’s democratic institutions, accusing its leaders of “conspiring to malign the country’s constitutional institutions and spreading lies.” The Opposition has launched nationwide protests demanding Kumar’s removal and resignation, accusing him and the BJP of manipulating electoral rolls through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to orchestrate “vote theft”. The controversy has also given opposition parties a fresh political issue ahead of key Assembly elections scheduled next year. However, sources say that the position of Gyanesh Kumar as the CEC remains secure unless the BJP itself makes him resign, which is highly unlikely given the circumstances. “Gyanesh Kumar’s removal will send a wrong message to the voters. Therefore the party has no option but to defend him. Removing a CEC requires a two-thirds majority in both Houses of Parliament, a condition the Opposition cannot meet against the ruling NDA coalition,” a senior party leader said, explaining the deep offensive launched by the BJP. Unleashing a coordinated counter-attack, the BJP has deployed its chief ministers alongside senior central leaders — party National President Nitin Nabin and Union Minister J.P. Nadda — who on Monday attacked Rahul Gandhi, saying that “repeating a lie a 100 times does not make it the truth”. Nadda said the people of India had taught a “befitting Efforts and Recovery & Resilience through a whole-of-society approach. The Home Minister said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government has adopted a 'zero-tolerance' policy against all forms and manifestations of terrorism. He said there is need for consistent efforts to strengthen and improvise the PRAHAAR strategy through a continuous analysis of terror incidents and establishing a strong and concrete PRAHAAR mechanism for the next 10 years. Focusing on percolation of the tenets of PRAHAAR up to the police station level, Mr Shah laid stress on adopting a proactive approach towards every aspect of the PRAHAAR initiative. Mentioning various steps undertaken for mitigating terrorist threats, he advocated institutionalising an automated counter terrorism response at every level of the framework. Impressing upon the necessity of result-oriented approach towards each pillar of PRAHAAR, he called for coordination among the stakeholders to prevent any delay in action. The Home Minister said from 2019 to 2026, the government successfully brought back 288 fugitive criminals to India from 36 countries. As a result of better coordination among agencies, more than 40 modules of Shahzad Bhatti network involved in cross-border smuggling of weapons, explosives and narcotics were busted, more than 100 FIRs were registered and 350 individuals were arrested across 15 states. At the same time, the government declared the Shahzad Bhatti network as a terrorist organisation under the UAPA, he said. The Home Minister launched a new Extradition Portal which will synergise and expedite the efforts to bring back fugitives from abroad. He asked the state police forces to establish dedicated teams for working in tandem with the Central agencies to bring back fugitives from abroad. lesson to the forces seeking to create instability in the country” and that “every delusion and their conspiracy will be shattered again”. He also criticised opposition leaders Arvind Kejriwal, Akhilesh Yadav and Mamata Banerjee. The BJP has deployed 11 senior leaders, including chief ministers Yogi Adityanath, Devendra Fadnavis, Himanta Biswa Sarma and Suvendu Adhikari, to target the Opposition. In states without BJP/NDA governments, state BJP presidents or Leaders of the Opposition held press conferences. “From north to south and east to west, the misinformation aimed at weakening the country’s democratic framework and creating anarchy is being strongly countered across the nation,” they claimed. The BJP’s message is clear — that the “smear campaign” has been engineered by INDIA bloc allies to “cover up their own electoral defeats” and that disagreements within the Election Commission reflect a “vibrant democracy” rather than a system operating “under a dictatorial command” while highlighting ideological differences among INDIA bloc parties vis-à-vis the NDA’s “shared” principles. adjudication of the rival claims. At the previous hearing on 24 September, the Supreme Court had asked the ECI to indicate a realistic timeframe for deciding the dispute after noting Banerjee’s grievance over the delay in the proceedings. The bench had said both sides should be given a fair opp or tunity while ensuring that the matter did not remain pending indefinitely. The dispute arose after rival factions led by Mamata Banerjee and Ritabrata Banerjee staked claim to the party’s name, symbol and organisational control. Pending a final decision, the ECI has barred both groups from using the All India Trinamul Congress name and symbol. The Mamata Banerjee faction has been allotted the name Mamata All India Trinamul Congress and the ‘football player’ symbol, while the rival faction has been given the name Democratic Trinamul Congress and the ‘envelope’ symbol. The interim arrangement is significant in view of the Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly by-elections scheduled for 6 October. Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Kalyan Banerjee appeared for Mamata Banerjee, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi represented the AITC-Democratic faction, while senior advocates Dama Seshadri Naidu and Neeraj Kishan Kaul appeared for the ECI. SC seeks Centre’s response on UPI charges above `2,000 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 28 September The Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from the Centre and others on a petition challenging the decision to impose a Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on specified UPI person-to-merchant transactions above Rs 2,000. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana agreed to hear the plea and directed the Centre, the Reserve Bank of India and others to file their counter affidavits within four weeks. The bench refused to grant any interim stay on the Centre's decision to impose MDR. Additional Solicitor General N Venkataraman, appearing for the Centre, told the bench that 96 per cent of people using the gateway were exempt. "It is less a legal and more a technical issue," the bench observed. After the top court issued notice and directed the respondents to file their counter affidavits within four weeks, the counsel appearing for the petitioner requested the bench, "Please stay it till then." The bench refused to grant any interim stay. The public interest litigation (PIL) was filed by advocate Anjan Datta. Ending nearly six years of fully free UPI payments, the government has introduced a 0.4 per cent fee on transfers worth over Rs 2,000 made to merchants through the UPI platform from October 15, while explicitly ring-fencing everyday person-to-person transactions and small payments from any charge.