MONDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2025 www.thestatesman.com SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00 | LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR REDDY URGES SOUTHERN STATES TO UNITE TO PROTECT THEIR RIGHTS ‘DEFEAT PAVES THE WAY FOR THE FUTURE; INDIA BLOC TO GROW STRONGER’ P8 WEATHER Generally clear. Hazy in the evening. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 30°C and 20°C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 83% Max: 30.5˚C SUN RISES 06:11 hrs MOON RISES 15:24 hrs P4 I Min: 20.3˚C SUN SETS 17:30 hrs MOON SETS 04:33 hrs Full Moon on 12 February THUMBNAILS A fisherman rows his boat in the Dal Lake at sunset in Srinagar on Sunday. n ANI Retd Justice C N Ramachandran Nair named accused in Kerala CSR fund scam: The Kerala police on Sunday registered a cheating case against retired Kerala High Court Judge, Justice CN Ramachandran Nair, for allegedly swindling Rs 34 lakh in the notorious Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund scam. Justice (retired) Ramachandran Nair, who was a trustee of the National NGO Confederation, has been named as the third accused in the case. (Page 4) n a decisive blow to Left Wing Extremist insurgency, security forces in Chhattisgarh killed as many as 31 Maoists on Sunday morning in a major operation conducted along the Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra border, official sources said. Two security personnel lost their lives, while two others were injured in the encounter. Over 1,000 security personnel were deployed in the operation in the Indravati National Park area of Bijapur district. All 31 bodies of the Maoists have been recovered and are currently being identified as search operations continue. According to official sources, acting on credible intelligence regarding a significant Maoist presence, the forces from the Bastar Fighters, District Reserve Guard (DRG), and Special Task Force (STF) launched an expansive operation and quickly encircled the enemy. In the ensuing clash, the security forces eliminated 31 insurgents and recovered a substantial quantity of arms and explo- The jawans who were injured in an encounter with Maoists in Bijapur district are brought to a private hospital in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, on Sunday. n ANI sive materials. Among the recovered items were automatic rifles, grenade launchers, and other weaponry. Two personnel, one each from DRG and STF, died in the encounter, and two more personnel sustained injuries. The injured have been airlifted to Raipur for medical treatment and are reported to be in stable condition. Union Home Minister Amit Shah lauded the operation, stating: “In the pursuit of a Naxal-free India, our security forces have achieved a major success in Bijapur. In this operation, we have neutralised 31 Naxal insurgents and recov- ered a large quantity of weapons and explosive material. Today, while we celebrate this victory, we also mourn the loss of two brave soldiers. The nation will always be indebted to these heroes. I extend my heartfelt condolences to their families and reaffirm our commitment to eradicating Naxalism from our country by 31 March, 2026.” Bastar Range Inspector General Sundarraj P said that the dense forest cover of the Indravati National Park has long served as an ideal operational area for Maoist elements. “Given the concentration of Maoist presence in New Delhi CM’s oath likely after PM's return from USA STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 9 FEBRUARY A crucial meeting was held here on Sunday at the residence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, where discussions were held regarding the government formation in Delhi. Union Minister and BJP President JP Nadda also attended the meeting which was held a day after the party's historic win in the Delhi assembly polls, where it wrested power from the Aam Aadmi Party by winning 48 out of 70 seats in the elections. The BJP is yet to announce the Chief Ministerial face for Delhi. The high-level meeting at Shah's residence also discussed who will be the next Chief Minister of Delhi, sources said. On Saturday, speaking on the Chief Ministerial candidate, BJP candidate from the New Delhi assembly seat Parvesh Verma said the party's decision on the CM's face will be acceptable to P12 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Amit Shah reaffirms Centre’s commitment to eradicating Maoist insurgency RAIPUR, 9 FEBRUARY Min. 51% P7 ROHIT’S TON HELPS INDIA BEAT ENGLAND BY FOUR WICKETS 31 Maoists, 2 jawans killed Manipur CM Biren Singh resigns, 21 months after ethnic violence began in Chhattisgarh gunbattle SHISHIR ROY CHOWDHURY TEMPERATURE WHAT WAS IN IT FOR THE CORPORATE SECTOR? The newly elected MLAs of the Delhi BJP meet with the party’s Delhi leadership in New Delhi on Sunday. n ANI everyone. “In our party, the legislative party decides (CM's face) and then the party leadership approves it. So the party's decision will be acceptable to everyone,' he said. Meanwhile, according to the sources, the swearingin ceremony of the new Delhi Chief Minister is likely to be held after 13 February after Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns from the United States. Earlier, following the resignation of Delhi Chief Min- ister Atishi after the AAP ceded defeat in the assembly elections, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena dissolved the seventh legislative assembly, paving the way for a new government. An official communication from Raj Niwas said the incumbent chief minister has been asked by the LG to continue on the post till the new government is formed. “In exercise of the power conferred upon me by subsection (2)(b) of section 6 of the Government of Nation- al Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991, I, Vinai Kumar Saxena, Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, hereby dissolve the Seventh Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi with effect from February 8, 2025." the LG’s order said. Atishi, who resigned as chief minister, has been serving in the capacity since September last year following the resignation of then chief minister Arvind Kejriwal from the post. Atishi became the third woman chief minister of Delhi after Sushma Swaraj and Sheila Dikshit. The BJP has won the justconcluded Delhi assembly polls, the results of which were declared on Saturday, with a historic mandate, is returning to power in the national capital after 27 years ousting the AAP. Despite AAP’s overall poor performance at the hustings, Atishi managed to retain her Kalkaji seat defeating her nearest BJP rival Ramesh Bidhuri by a narrow margin of 3,521 votes. areas like Abujhmad, National Park, and South Bastar, our forces remain vigilant. Our intelligenceled operations continue to disrupt and dismantle their network,” he added. This operation is part of an intensified campaign against Maoist insurgency in the state. Earlier on 2 February, security forces in the Gangalur area of Bijapur district killed eight Naxal insurgents after a large scale encirclement involving 800-1,000 personnel targeting PLGA Company Number 2, a unit that included key Maoist leaders. In that encounter, significant quantities of arms including INSAS rifles, .303s, 12bore weapons, and a BGL launcher were recovered. Between 20 and 21 January, in the dense jungles of Gariyaband district, an 80-hour-long operation resulted in the elimination of 16 Maoists. Among those killed, 12 had a bounty of Rs 3.16 crore, including high-profile figures such as Chalpati, a member of the Maoist Central Committee with a Rs 90 lakh bounty, and Satyam Gavade, head of the Nuapada-Gariyaband-Dhamtari Division Committee. PM to leave on two-nation trip today STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 9 FEBRUARY Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a fiveday two-nation visit to France and the United States from Monday. Mr Modi will be on a three-day France visit from 10 February at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron and will cochair the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit with Mr Macron on 11 February. After wrapping up his France visit, PM Modi will travel to the USA on the invitation of new US President Donald Trump. Mr Modi's visit to the USA will provide an opportunity to build on the strong India-US Global Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and set an ambitious agenda for a mutually beneficial and trusted relationship across all sectors, an official statement said. (Details on Page 5) IMPHAL, 9 FEBRUARY The Manipur Chief Minister, Nongthongbam Biren Singh, on Sunday tendered his resignation to Governor Ajay Bhalla, on Sunday, 21 months after the state plunged into a prolonged conflict during which more than 250 people have lost their lives and 60,000 have been rendered homeless, with the state itself left emotionally and physically divided. Biren Singh, accompanied by BJP MP Samit Patra, the party in-charge of Manipur submitted his resignation shortly after 5 p.m. to Govenor Bhalla at the Imphal Raj Bhawan today.Both he and the Governor had returned to Imphal today afternoon from New Delhi where they had been summoned yesterday by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Biren Singh had been in the eye of the storm beginning from 3 May 2023 when the ethnic conflict broke out between the tribal Kukis and the Meiteis which had led to the present state of affairs. The clamour for Mr Singh’s resignationhadbeenmounting sincemid-May2023andhehad atonepointstagedaresignation drama where he was waylaid en route to the Raj Bhavan and his resignation letter torn by a crowd of women folks. The latest drama began unfolding since 3 February after Union Home Minister Amit Shah summoned Speaker Th Satybrata Singh and dissident minister Y.Khemchand and MLA Th Radheshyam and CM Biren Singh to Delhi. None of them could meet Amit Shah and Mr Singh and his entourage had returned home after taking a dip at Prayagraj in the Kumbh Mela that is currently on. Then out of the blue Mr Singh was summoned yesterday and he caught a chartered flight to the capital. Prior to this the threat of a no-confidence motion had been looming large over Biren Singh in the Assembly Session scheduled to start from tomorrow. The motion was being planned by the Opposition Congress which has only five MLAs in the House. But then the six MLAs of the National People’s Party had withdrawn from the coalition government led by Mr Singh and were to be seatedintheoppositionbenches in the House tomorrow. The Congress was so confident of garnering support from dissenting BJP MLAs that they had even stated that they were going to launch a ‘Brahmastra’ which will destroy one of the ‘double engines’ of the BJP. According to informed sources, upon arrival in Imphal, Sambit Patra is said to have instructedtheBJPstatepresident to summon a meeting of the BJP legislators at the party’s Imphal headquarters but apparently none turned up. Hence the decision by Mr Singh to put in his papers post haste. It is not known as to who will succeed him but in all likelihood Manipur will be put under President’s Rule, keeping the Legislative Assembly under animated suspension. All eyes will now be turned to the Supreme Court that is examining an audio tape in which Biren Singh was reportedly heard claiming that he had ordered bombardments of the Kuki strongholds defying a directive from Union home minister Amit Shah. Initial reports suggest that the audio matches 93 per cent with his voice. Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla orders upcoming Assembly session ‘null and void’ AGENCIES IMPHAL, 9 FEBRUARY Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla (photo) on Sunday cancelled the Budget Session of the Legislative Assembly which was scheduled to begin on Monday. The Governor’s decision came hours after Chief Minister N. Biren Singh submitted his resignation letter to Mr Bhalla a day ahead of the Assembly session. A Raj Bhavan official said that the Governor accepted the resignation letter and requested Biren Singh to continue as the caretaker Chief Minister until alternative arrangements are made. Assembly Secretary K. Meghajit Singh in an order on Sunday night said: "In exercise of powers conferred by Clause (1) of Article 174 of the Constitution of India, I, Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Governor of Manipur hereby order that the previous orders dated 24 January 2025 to summon Manipur Legislative Assembly session, which is yet to commence, is hereby declared 'null and void' with immediate effect." The Budget session of the Manipur Assembly was scheduled to start on Monday (February 10) with the customary speech of the Governor and it would have continued till 24 February. On 14 February, Biren Singh, who also holds the Finance portfolio, was scheduled to submit the Budget estimates for the financial year 2025-26. A Raj Bhavan official said that after the formation of the new government, the Governor would summon the Budget session afresh. ‘Mounting public pressure forced resignation’ AGENCIES IMPHAL, 9 FEBRUARY Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi reacting to the Manipur Chief Minister N.Biren Singh’s resignation, said that he quit the post following “mounting public pressure”. The LoP, in a post on the X said: “For nearly two years, BJP's CM Biren Singh instigated division in Manipur. PM Modi allowed him to continue despite the violence, loss of life, and the destruction of the idea of India in Manipur.” He added that the resignation of Biren Singh shows that mounting public pressure, the SC investigation and the no-confidence motion by the Congress have forced a reckoning. “But the most urgent priority is to restore peace in the state and work to heal the wounds of the people of Manipur. PM Modi must visit Manipur at once, listen to the people and finally explain his plan to bring back normalcy,” he said. Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said that the Congress was all set to move a no-confidence motion against the Chief Minister and his Council of Ministers in the Manipur Assembly on Monday and sensing the climate, the Manipur CM has resigned. Indian households expect moderation in inflation for near term: RBI survey Aero India 2025: IAF, Army chiefs take sortie in Tejas together STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 9 FEBRUARY In a historic and proud moment for India’s defence forces, General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), and Air Marshal AP Singh, Chief of Air Staff (CAS), took to the skies together today in the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas from Yelahanka air base, Bengaluru. This unprecedented flight not only marked a personal milestone for the two chiefs, who are coursemates, but also symbolised the growing synergy and integration between the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF),” stated a release from the Army spokesperson. The Indian Air Force and Army chiefs flew for around 45 minutes in the indigenously built Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas. The sortie, which began at around 1.30 p.m. saw the IAF chief The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) forward-looking surveys in January 2025 said the Indian households expect moderation in inflation for the near term while consumer confidence declined marginally due to somewhat tempered sentiments. The households’ median perception of current inflation declined marginally by 10 basis points (bps) to 8.3 per cent, as compared to 8.4 per cent of the previous survey round held in November 2024. Median inflation expectation for the three months horizon increased by 20 bps to 9.3 per cent. It inched up by 10 bps to 10.2 per cent for one year ahead. According to the survey report, the inflation expectations showed an upward tra- jectory for three months and one-year ahead period. Reflecting confidence on spending, households’ assessment on one-year ahead outlook remained firmly in the optimistic territory, it added. There was an increase in share of households anticipating rise in general prices and inflation for both near term as well as the coming year. They expect somewhat higher inflationary pressures across product groups, especially for food products and housing, for both the time horizons. For one year ahead, the price expectation of households is closely aligned with food prices and housing-related expenses, the survey said. According to the survey, the consumer confidence survey showed subdued sentiments on spending for both essential and non-essential outlays vis-à-vis the November 2024 round. Despite some moderations, the sentiments about future spending remained strong, it added. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 9 FEBRUARY taking the pilot's seat while the army chief accompanied him in the co-pilot’s seat. This comes just a day before the Aero India show kicks off in Bengaluru’s Yelahanka Air Force station. The Aero India Show 2025 commences on 10 February and will conclude on 14 February. Developed entirely within India, the Tejas stands as a testament to the nation's determination to achieve self-sufficiency in defence technology. The successful operation of this homegrown aircraft reinforces the substantial progress India has made in the realm of indigenous defence aviation. Today’s flight also highlights the importance of cooperation between the Army and the Air Force in modern warfare. General Dwivedi and Air Marshal Singh’s flight in the Tejas today not only represents a historic achievement but also reflects India’s commitment to nation-building through indigenous defence production. As the country continues its journey toward self-sufficiency, the collaboration between the Army and the Air Force, backed by innovations like Tejas, reinforces India’s growing stature as a global defence power. The Indian Air Force (IAF), meanwhile, is organising an event titled “Navachar Utkrishtam Bhavisyam” is the Path to a Better Future) as part of the 15th edition of the Aero India show on Tuesday. The event, aimed at highlighting the role of innovation in defence, will be attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with the Chief of the Air Staff and other senior defence officials. A press release from the Ministry of Defence stated that a significant highlight of the seminar will be the launch of several initiatives aimed at accelerating the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision. Mr Rajnath Singh will unveil the IAF Compendium (Samarthya Margdarshika), a comprehensive publication that outlines the current and future challenges and opportunities for Indian industries, MSMEs, startups, and individual innovators within the aerospace and defence sectors. The event will also see the announcement of the winners of the Mehar BabaII (MBC-II) Competition, which was launched in 2022 to encourage Indian industries to explore and develop solutions in the field of swarm drone technology. The competition has successfully engaged the Indian industry in addressing realworld problem statements, showcasing the capabilities of the sector.