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 | Monday, 18 May 2026 SPORTS EDITORIAL NATION NORTH-EAST RCB seal playoff berth with 23-run victory against Punjab Kings VD Satheesan to take oath as new Kerala CM today The unfinished afterlife of identity politics in Assam Page 12 Imperial signals Page 4 Page 6 Page 11 India, Netherlands elevate ties to strategic partnership STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 17 May P rime Minister Narendra Modi and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten have unveiled an expansive five-year roadmap to elevate India-Netherlands relations into a full-fledged Strategic Partnership, signalling a major deepening of cooperation across semiconductors, critical minerals, defence, clean energy, maritime connectivity, water management, healthcare, education, and emerging technologies. The “Roadmap of India-Netherlands Strategic Partnership 2026-2030,” adopted on Saturday (Netherlands time) during Mr Modi’s visit to The Hague, lays out time-bound initiatives and institutional mechanisms aimed at transforming bilateral engagement into a comprehensive strategic framework at a time of shifting global supply chains and growing geopolitical focus on resilient economic and technological partnerships. The roadmap institutionalises annual reviews by the two countries’ foreign ministers and calls for regular high-level political engagement between heads of government, cabinet ministers, and senior officials. Both countries also agreed to intensify coordination across ministries to expand cooperation in sectors identif ied as strategically important. A major focus of the partnership is economic cooperation and technology collaboration, particularly in semiconductors and high-tech manufacturing. In one of the most significant announcements of the visit, India’s Tata Electronics and Dutch semiconductor equipment giant ASML signed an agreement to support India’s first front-end semiconductor fabrication facility in Dholera, Gujarat. The two sides described the semiconductor partnership as central to building “trusted and resilient supply chains” and pledged to strengthen cooperation in artif icial intelligence, photonics, cybersecurity, quantum technologies, and advanced electronics. The roadmap also seeks to connect the Dutch Semicon Competence Centre with the Indian Semiconductor Mission to support industries, startups, SMEs, and suppliers through talent development and research collaboration. PM Modi, while interacting with leading Dutch business executives alongside Mr Jetten, welcomed the growing interest of Dutch firms in India’s economic expansion and manufacturing ambitions. “We are very happy that companies like ASML, NXP and Philips are creating world-leading solutions with Indian talent,” Mr Modi said, according to official statements released after the meeting. The roadmap reflects a wider strategic effort by both nations to diversify global value chains amid rising geopolitical uncertainty. India and the Netherlands agreed to deepen cooperation in critical minerals through a dedicated memorandum of understanding covering exploration, research, supply chain resilience, recycling, ESG standards, and industrial collaboration. The two countries also committed themselves to expanding bilateral trade and investment through the Joint Trade and Investment Committee while encouraging business forums, industrial partnerships, technology collaboration, and SME participation. Sectors identified for priority cooperation include renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, medtech, agriculture, infrastructure, telecommunications, urban development, chemicals, textiles, and metals. • More reports: Page 5 PM arrives in Sweden; focus on trade, green transition, strategic tech cooperation STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 17 May Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Gothenburg, Sweden on Sunday for a two-day official visit, marking the third leg of his ongoing five-nation tour across Europe and the Gulf region after concluding his engagements in the Netherlands. The visit, undertaken at the invitation of Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, is expected to further strengthen India-Sweden ties with a strong focus on trade, green transition, innovation, advanced technologies and strategic cooperation amid rapidly evolving global economic and geopolitical dynamics. “Landed in Gothenburg, Sweden. I will be meeting PM Kristersson with the aim of advancing the India-Sweden friendship in trade, investments, innovation, defence and more,” Mr Modi said in a post on social media platform X. “With PM Kristersson and President of the European Commission, Ms. Ursula von der Leyen, I will be meeting European business leaders at the European Business Round Table for Industry. This will also deepen investment linkages between India and Europe,” he added. In a separate post on X, he also thanked PM Ulf Kristersson for receiving him at the airport. “I’m grateful to Prime Minister Kristersson for the special gesture of coming to receive me at Gothenburg airport. Looking forward to boosting India-Sweden friendship in this important visit,” Modi said. The PM’s visit came at a time when India is intensifying engagement with European partners to diversify supply chains, accelerate clean energy collaboration and deepen technological partnerships. Mr Modi’s Sweden trip also assumes significance as it is his first visit to Europe since the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement came into effect in January 2026, opening new avenues for trade and investment cooperation between India and European economies. During the visit, Mr Modi and Mr Kristersson are expected to hold wide-ranging bilateral discussions covering cooperation in defence manufacturing, artificial intelligence, resilient supply chains, startups, emerging technologies, climate action, space collaboration and people-to-people exchanges. Officials said the talks would also review progress in ongoing partnerships and explore fresh opportunities for collaboration in sectors critical to future economic growth and strategic resilience. Economic engagement is expected to remain a central pillar of the discussions, with bilateral trade between India and Sweden reaching a record 7.75 billion US dollars in 2025. Swedish investments in India have also steadily expanded, totaling more than 2.8 billion dollars between 2000 and 2025. Indian worker among 4 killed, others injured as Ukraine launches largest drone attack on Russia India rebuts questions on Press freedom, minority rights Ship carrying 20,000 tonnes of LPG arrives in Kandla STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 17 May New Delhi, 17 May An Indian worker was among four kille d as Ukraine launched one of its largest drone strikes on Russia on Sunday, the Indian Embassy in Moscow said. While one Indian worker was killed in the drone attack, three others sustained injuries in the attack in Moscow. The identity of the deceased or those injured in the overnight drone attack is not yet known. “One Indian worker has lost his life and three others have been injured in a drone attack in Moscow region earlier today. Embassy officials have visited the location and met the injured workers in the hospital,” the Indian Embassy said on social media. “The Embassy condoles the loss of life and is working with the company management and lo c al authorities to provide necessary assistance to the workers,” the post read. The Ukraine strike killed at least four people and wounded a dozen others, according to local authorities. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the drone strikes, saying that they were “entirely justified.” The latest attack on several locations, including one where the debris fell near Russia’s largest airport, comes after similar attacks launched by Russia on Ukraine’s capital and other cities. While three people were killed in Moscow, a fourth person was killed in the Belgorod region bordering Fire breaks out in Rajdhani Express coach near Ratlam; all passengers safe northeastern Ukraine, Reuters news agency reported. The drones also damaged unspecified “infrastructure” and several high-rise buildings in the area. Zelenskyy said that the drones flew more than 500 kilometres from Ukrainian territory and that Ukraine was “overcoming” Russian air defense systems concentrated in and around Moscow. “Our responses to Russia’s prolongation of the war and attacks on our cities and communities are entirely justified. This time, Ukrainian long-distance sanctions have reached the Moscow region, and we are clearly telling the Russians: their state must end its war,” Zelenskyy said. Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks on targets deep inside Russia in recent weeks even as it seeks a resolution to end the war. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Bhopal, 17 May A f ire broke out in an air-conditioned coach of the Thiruvananthapuram–Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express near Alot in Ratlam district of Madhya Pradesh on Sunday. All 68 passengers travelling in the coach escaped unhurt. According to railway authorities, the incident occurred in the West Central Railway (WCR) division. WCR Chief Public Relations Officer Harshit Shrivastava told media persons that no casualties were reported in the blaze, which erupted around 5:15 a.m. in the B-1 coach of train number 12431. He said the fire also damaged the second luggage-cum-guard New Delhi, 17 May A ship carrying 20,000 metric tonnes of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) arrived at the Deendayal Port Authority at Kandla on the Gujarat coast after having safely sailed through the Strait of Hormuz earlier, officials said on Sunday. The Marshall Islands-flagged MV Symi started its journey from Qatar and docked at the port in Kandla around 11.30 p.m. on Saturday after crossing the Strait of Hormuz on 13 May, the officials said. Since early March, 13 India-flagged vessels, comprising 12 LPG tankers and one crude oil tanker, have crossed the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway close to the coast of Oman, through which one-fifth of the world's oil and gas exports transit during normal times. However, ship movement through the narrow waterway has been severely disrupted by the conflict in West Asia that started on 28 February, with the USA and Israel launching joint attacks on Iran, triggering retaliatory strikes. It has resulted in one of the worst energy crises the world has seen in recent decades. India has strongly condemned attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, calling them ‘unacceptable’ at a special meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Council on safeguarding global energy and supply flows. India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Parvathaneni Harish, said targeting civilian crew and disrupting freedom of navigation cannot be justified. Harish’s remarks came days after an India-flagged commercial vessel was attacked off the coast of Oman on 13 May. With Bhojshala declared Hindu temple, devotees begin worship STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Bhopal, 17 May van (SLR) attached behind the B-1 coach. The affected coaches were detached from the train, which later resumed its journey and departed for Hazrat Nizamuddin at around 9:45 a.m. Meanwhile, a railway van carrying rescue and repair personnel, along with equipment, overturned on its way to the Rajdhani fire site, injuring five Railway personnel. One of them is said to be in critical condition. According to officials, the accident occurred while the van, carrying essential equipment for overhead electric line repair and other purposes, was travelling from Shyamnagar to Alot in Ratlam district. Officials said that a cow suddenly came onto the road, leading to the accident. The government on Sunday rejected allegations of declining “press freedom” and “minority rights” amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Netherlands, asserting that the country is a “vibrant democracy” that guarantees free speech to all. Sibi George, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, made the remarks at a media interaction in response to a Dutch journalist who raised concerns over Press freedom and the condition of minorities, particularly Muslims, in India. He said such questions often stem from a “lack of understanding” about India, its history and its social fabric. “We face these kinds of questions basically because of the lack of understanding of the person who asks the question. India is a country of 1.4 billion people, the most populous country in the world. A country of civilisation of more than 5,000 years old. It’s a diverse country,” George said. He noted that India is the birthplace of four major religions and continues to remain a land where different faiths coexist and flourish. Defending India’s democratic framework, George described the country as a vibrant democracy with peaceful transitions of power and constitutional freedoms. “Today we are 1.4 billion people, diverse, living in peace and harmony, and a democratically elected government where peaceful transition of power happens. Again, a beautiful thing... Everyone has the freedom of expression and freedom of the press in the country. And that makes our democracy a very noisy democracy, and we are proud of that,” he stated. Members of the Bhoj Utsav Samiti and a large number of Hindu devotees carried the idol of Maa Vagdevi (Goddess Saraswati) on their heads and ceremonially placed it inside the Bhojshala amid chants of prayers at sunrise on Sunday, initiating regular worship rituals at the site, which the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday officially declared a Hindu temple. Prior to the installation of the idol, the sanctum sanctorum and the entire Bhojshala premises were sanctified with Ganga water and cow urine as part of traditional purification rituals. After the idol was ceremonially installed, it was garlanded and ritually purified. The eternal flame (Akhand Jyoti) was also lit and placed inside the sanctum sanctorum. Prayers continued throughout the morning, and the Maha Aarti was conducted at around 11:45 a.m. The rituals were carried out with great fervour and devotion following the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s verdict declaring the archaeological monument of Bhojshala, located in Dhar district of the state, as the Hindu temple of Maa Vagdevi. The court rejected the claim of the Muslim side that Bhojshala is the ancient Kamaal Maula Mosque. The court also cancelled Members of the Hindu Utsav Samiti along with devotees recite the Hanuman Chalisa inside the Bhojshala complex in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district after the Madhya Pradesh High Court verdict declaring the complex a temple dedicated to Goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati). IANS the long-standing arrangement that allowed Muslims to offer Juma Namaz at Bhojshala every Friday. Instead, it granted Hindus unhindered worship rights on all days. Following the court verdict, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav stated that Bhojshala would be further developed so that people from across the state, the country, and the world could visit the site and seek the blessings of Maa Vagdevi.