TUESDAY 12 AUGUST 2025 www.thestatesman.com Pages 16 |` 5.00|LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘BJP HAS TURNED ECI INTO ITS POLL RIGGING MACHINERY’ ‘LET THE HOUSE FUNCTION’ P5 SENSEX 80,604.08 p746.29 WEATHER Generally cloudy sky with a few spells of Light to moderate rain/ thundershower very likely to occur. RAINFALL: 048.7 mm P6 NIFTY 24,585.05 p221.75 ` vs $ 87.71 GOLD `1,02,950 India slams Pak Army Chief’s nuclear threat P16 SILVER `1,17,000 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 65.83 PM Modi speaks to Ukrainian Prez Zelenskyy, reiterates support for peaceful resolution The leaders reviewed the progress in IndiaUkraine bilateral partnership and discussed ways to further enhance cooperation in areas of mutual interest. Min. 89% STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE TEMPERATURE Max: 30.0˚C (-2.6) P11 ‘India has already made it clear that it will not give in to nuclear blackmail’ RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 99% ‘WILL TRY TO NETANYAHU DEFENDS NEW MILITARY OFFENSIVE IN GAZA BREAK THAT FINAL BARRIER’ NEW DELHI, 11 AUGUST Min: 25.3˚C (-1.4) SUN RISES 05:12 hrs MOON RISES 19:41 hrs D SUN SETS 18:12 hrs MOON SETS 06:53 hrs New Moon on 23 August THUMBNAILS Chief of the Australian Army, Lieutenant General Simon Stuart receives a Guard of Honour at South Block lawns, in New Delhi on Monday. nANI Air India to suspend Delhi-Washington flights from Sept 1 due to fleet shortfall: Air India on Monday informed that it is suspending its services between Delhi and Washington DC from September 1, saying that the suspension is primarily driven by the planned shortfall in the airline's fleet as it commenced retrofitting 26 of its Boeing 787-8 aircraft last month. enouncing the reported ‘nuclear threat’ remarks by Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir during his visit to the United States, India on Monday said ''nuclear sabre-rattling” is the neighbouring country’s “stock-in-trade'', and also expressed regret that these remarks were made from the soil of a friendly third country. "India has already made it clear that it will not give in to nuclear blackmail, and continue to take all necessary steps to safeguard its national security," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement. Despite this firm stance, Munir has once again threatened India, warning that Islamabad would plunge the region into nuclear war and could take "almost half of the world" down if faced with an existential threat in a future conflict with New Delhi. Sharply reacting to the remarks made by Munir, the MEA spokesperson in the statement said, "Our attention has been drawn to remarks reportedly made by the Pakistani Chief of Army Staff while on a visit to the United States. Nuclear sabre-rattling is Pakistan’s stock-in-trade. The international community can draw its own conclusions on the irresponsibility inherent in such remarks, which also reinforce the well-held doubts about the integrity of nuclear command and control in a state where the military is hand-in-glove with terrorist groups." "It is also regrettable that these remarks should have been made from the soil of a friendly third country," the statement further said. During his visit to the United States, the Pakistan Army Chief also said Islamabad will defend its water rights "at all costs" if India proceeds with dam construction on the Indus River. "We will wait for India to build a dam, and when they do so, we will destroy it ... The Indus River is not the Indians' family property. We have no shortage of resources to undo the Indian designs to stop the river," Munir was quoted as saying by leading Pakistani daily Dawn at an event organised by members of the Pakistani-American community in Tampa, Florida. Oppn MPs hit the streets demanding ‘clean voter list’, EC’s accountability STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 11 AUGUST In dramatic scenes, more than 200 Opposition MPs, including Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, TMC’s Derek O’Brien and Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav, were detained by Delhi police on Monday as they attempted to march from Parliament to the Election Commission headquarters here to protest the special revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. The Opposition MPs also hit the streets alleging "vote theft" and demanding greater transparency. They have been protesting in both Houses of Parliament against the SIR (special intensive revision) exercise, claiming it aims to disenfranchise voters in Bihar ahead of the assembly elections. The issue has led to frequent disruptions, with minimal legislative business taking place since the Monsoon session began on July 21. "This fight is not political, but for saving the Constitution. We want a clean voter list," Rahul told reporters, emphasizing the importance of protecting democratic institutions. Reiterating that the documents he cited for his “vote theft” claims came from the Election Commission’s own data, the Congress leader called it a fight for “One Man, One Vote” and questioned the state of democracy, noting that “300 MPs” were denied a meeting with the poll body. Congress’s Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi said, "They are scared. They do not want to face the truth.” She accused the government of avoiding accountability. "Democracy being assaulted, murdered right outside Parliament," said Congress's Jairam Ramesh, highlighting the gravity of the situation. "BJP's cowardly dictatorship will not work," Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said vowing to expose the BJP's Lok Sabha passes revised Income Tax Bill 2025 amidst ‘absent’ Opposition SHAHID ABBAS NEW DELHI, 11 AUGUST The Lok Sabha on Monday passed the revised New Income Tax Bill 2025, within an hour of its introduction by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Notably, the opposition benches were empty during the passage of the bill. The bill seeks to replace the existing Income Tax Act of 1961 with a more streamlined and litigation-resistant direct tax code. The bill proposes to allow deductions for inter-corporate dividendsforcertaincompanies, permit taxpayers to claim refunds after filing their returns, even if the deadline has passed, and allow taxpayers to avail NIL TDS certificates if they don't have a tax liability. The bill also aims to clarify the definition of "relative" to avoid ambiguity and allow deduction of pre-construction interest on borrowed capital for let-out properties. The revised bill is expected to benefit taxpayers in several ways including reduced litigation by simplifying tax laws and reducing complexity. The bill's focus on digital tax administration and faceless assessment will make compliance easier and more efficient. The bill also provides a more relieved tax structure, ensuring more money is saved in the hands of taxpayers. The government's objective behind introducing the revised bill is to provide a clear and updated version of the tax law, addressing concerns and suggestions from various stakeholders. According to Baijayant Panda, the new law will simplify India'sdecades-oldtaxstructure, cutting down legal confusion. "conspiracy". The city police had made elaborate arrangements, placing barricades next to Transport Bhawan to stop the protesting MPs. Despite restrictions, the parliamentarians persisted, with some climbing over barricades and raising slogans against the Election Commission. Several MPs, including Priyanka, were detained and taken away in a bus. The Election Commission had granted an appointment for an interaction with up to 30 opposition MPs at noon, seeking their names in advance due to space limitations. However, the Opposition insisted on a collective meeting, leading to the protest march. Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan criticized the Congress for "disregard for constitutional institutions" and urged them to raise matters in Parliament. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also appealed to the Opposition to avoid disruptions, emphasizing constructive dialogue. EC cracks down on dormant parties; 476 outfits face delisting STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 11 AUGUST The Election Commission on Monday initiated proceedings to delist another 476 registered unrecognized political parties (RUPPs) for failing to contest elections for six consecutive years, the poll panel said in its daily press update. The move is part of the EC's ongoing efforts to clean up the electoral system and ensure that only active and engaged parties are registered. The ECI has been conducting a nationwide exercise to identify and delist RUPPs that have not contested a single election since 2019. Munir, the Pakistani media reported on Monday, visited two US cities over the weekend and flew to Belgium on Sunday after completing his second highprofile trip to the United States in less than two months. Munir also repeated his anti-India rhetoric by describing Kashmir as Pakistan's "jugular vein," asserting that it is not India's internal matter but an unresolved international issue, Pakistan-based media outlet ARY News reported on Monday. "We will wait for India to build a dam, and when they do so, we will destroy it," Munir told members of the Pakistani-American community in Tampa, Florida, according to a report published today in The Dawn. Ahead of the Pahalgam attack, India had strongly rebutted Pakistan Army Chief General Munir's remarks describing Kashmir as Pakistan's "jugular vein," calling the claim baseless and asserting that the only relationship Pakistan has with Kashmir is to vacate the territory it occupies illegally. NIKHIL VYAS NEW DELHI, 11 AUGUST Three days after he spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday had a telephonic conversation with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during which he conveyed India’s consistent position on the need for an early and peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict in Europe. In a post on X, the Prime Minister said, "Glad to speak with President Zelenskyy and hear his perspectives on recent developments. I conveyed India’s consistent position on the need for an early and peace- ful resolution of the conflict." "India remains committed to making every possible contribution in this regard, as well as to further strengthening bilateral ties with Ukraine," PM Modi further said in the post on X. An official statement here said President Zelenskyy shared his views on the recent developments related to Ukraine. "The Prime Minister thanked President Zelenskyy and reaffirmed India’s steadfast and consistent position for peaceful settlement of the conflict and support for efforts aimed at earliest restoration of peace. PM Modi reiterated India’s commitment to extend all possible support in this regard," the statement said. "The leaders also reviewed progress in the India-Ukraine bilateral partnership and discussed ways to further enhance cooperation in areas of mutual interest," it said. The phone conversation came amid the ongoing trade tensions between India and the United States over India's oil purchases from Russia. US President Donald Trump recently increased tariffs imposed on Indian goods to 50 per cent, in what is seen as a sign of his frustration over failing to stop the RussiaUkraine war. Meanwhile, during the telephonic conversation, Modi and Zelenskyy also discussed in detail the sanctions against Russia.