MONDAY 03 FEBRUARY 2025 www.thestatesman.com SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00 | LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘10.23 PC CAPEX HIKE IN BUDGET SHOWS INFRA A PRIORITY’ CONG FORMS ‘EAGLE’ PANEL TO MONITOR FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS P10 WEATHER Partly cloudy. Hazy in the evening. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 29°C and 18°C respectively. P4 A BJP govt will be formed in Delhi on 8 Feb, says Modi at election rally NIKHIL VYAS Max. 66% Min. 53% NEW DELHI, 2 FEBRUARY Min: 18.3˚C SUN SETS 17:26 hrs MOON SETS 22:22 hrs P Max: 29.2˚C SUN RISES 06:14 hrs MOON RISES 09:26 hrs Full Moon on 12 February THUMBNAILS People ride vintage vehicles during a voter awareness drive for the Delhi Assembly elections, in New Delhi on Sunday. n SUBRATA DUTTA Abhishek Sharma blazes second-fastest T20I century for India: Abhishek Sharma smashed the second-fastest T20I century for India as the hosts beat England by 150 runs in the fifth and final T20I at the Wankhede stadium on Sunday. Sharma reached the three-figure mark in just 37 balls before ending with a score of 135 as India amassed 247 for 9 wickets. Sharma then took 2 wickets for just 3 runs as England were bundled out for 97 runs. Mohammed Shami grabbed 3 wickets for India, while Varun Chakravarthy and Shivam Dube took 2 each. P9 AAP's broom is falling apart before voting: PM RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY TEMPERATURE ‘POSSIBLE TO BROADEN THE CIRCLE OF PEACE’ rime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday launched an all-out attack on the Aam Aadmi Party ahead of the Assembly elections, saying that the 'broom' (AAP's election symbol) is falling apart before voting, and exuded confidence that the BJP government will be formed in Delhi on 8 February (counting day). Addressing a massive public meeting at RK Puram here, Mr Modi mocked AAP's election symbol, saying: “Even before the elections, the broom (Jhaadu) is falling apart. The leaders of AAPda, by leaving it, have realised how angry the people on the ground are with AAP-da. The AAPda party is so scared of the anger of the people of Delhi that it is making false announcements every hour.” “It is a different matter that the mask of AAP-da people has been exposed in front of the people of Delhi,” he said. “Jhaadu ke tinke bikhar rahe hai (the broom’s straws are being scattered)”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi being felicitated by BJP leaders during a public meeting ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, at RK Puram, New Delhi. n ANI Mr Modi said, referring to eight MLAs of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) who have resigned from the party recently. The Prime Minister also attacked the AAP government in Delhi for a series of scams and said AAP leaders would be held accountable - “Jinhone loota hai, unhe lautana hi padega (The looters will have to pay back)”. Attacking AAP chief and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, without naming him, Prime Minister Modi said those who live in “Sheesh Mahal” don’t realise the importance of the middle classes’ 2 BHK flat and blamed the former chief minister for the delay in allotment of pucca houses to the poor in Delhi. Listing the failures of the 'AAP-da government', PM Modi said it has given polluted air to Delhi, deteriorated the condition of the Yamuna, given contaminated water which is leading to ailments and forced people to spend on medicines. The Prime Minister said: “AAPda has wasted 11 years of Delhi. I would request every family in Delhi to allow us to serve you. I guarantee that I will spare no effort to resolve every problem you have.” Asserting that the BJP government will be formed in Delhi on 8 February, the Prime Minister said: “8th March is International Women's Day, by 8th March, Rs 2,500 will start reaching the accounts of the sisters in Delhi." Mr Modi refuted the claims made by the Aam Aadmi Party and assured that it is the guarantee of the BJP that not a single slum in Delhi will be demolished and that the welfare schemes for the public will not be stopped. The Prime Minister highlighted that for those living in slums in the national capital, the BJP has guaranteed nutritious meals at just Rs 5. Slamming the Congress, he said as opposed to the previous governments in the national capital which imposed taxes only to fill their own coffers, the BJP government opened up the treasury to provide relief and enhance the capabilities of ordinary citizens. INDIA THRASH SOUTH AFRICA TO DEFEND WOMEN’S U19 WC TITLE P12 Trump puts tariffs on neighbours, China, presaging global trade war AGENCES WASHINGTON, 2 FEBRUARY President Donald Trump on Saturday signed an order to impose stiff tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada and China, drawing swift retaliation from the country’s North American neighbours, and marking the start of a trade war that is expected to spread to other countries. The Trump administration has levied an additional tariff of 25 per cent on imports from Canada and Mexico and 10 per cent on those from China. Oil imports from Canada will, however, be subject to a lower levy of 10 per cent. Trump’s order includes a mechanism to escalate the rates charged by the USA against retaliation by the other countries, raising the specter of an even more severe economic disruption. The inflow of “illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl, constitutes a national emergency”, the White House said in a factsheet detailing and explaining the tariff hikes. “President Trump is taking bold action to hold Mexico, Canada, and China accountable to their promises of halting illegal immigration and stopping poisonous fentanyl and other drugs from flowing into our country,” it added. This is expected to be just the first salvo in President Trump’s promise to use tariffs to address trade and nontrade issues with key trading partners. He has plans of announcing tariff hikes on computer chips, pharmaceuticals, steel, aluminium, copper, oil and gas imports later this month, with the EU in his crosshairs. The Republican president posted on social media that the tariffs were necessary “to protect Americans,” pressing the three nations to do more to curb the manufacture and export of illicit fentanyl and for Canada and Mexico to reduce illegal immigration into the USA. “The orders make clear that the flow of contraband drugs like fentanyl to the United States, through illicit distribution networks, has created a national emergency, including a public health crisis,” the White House fact sheet said. “The actions taken today by the White House split us apart instead of bringing us together,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a somber tone as he announced that his country would put matching 25 per cent tariffs on up to $155 billion in US imports, including alcohol and fruit. Mexico’s president also ordered retaliatory tariffs. “We categorically reject the White House’s slander that the Mexican government has alliances with criminal organizations, as well as any intention of meddling in our territory,” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum wrote in a post on X. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the country’s government “firmly deplores and opposes this move and will take necessary countermeasures to defend its legitimate rights and interests.” (Another report on Pg 9)