INDIA www.thestatesman.com SPORTS PM to inaugurate two road projects in Haryana on 17 Aug FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 NATION Congress along with Jinnah, Mountbatten facilitated India’s partition Former Australia skipper, coach Bob Simpson passes away Page 3 Page 5 Page 16 People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 BRIEFLY Rahul to kick off ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ from today: Patna: To protect democracy and the right to vote in Bihar, the INDIA Alliance will launch a 16-day ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ from Sasaram on Sunday. This Yatra will pass through 25 districts of Bihar and conclude with a massive public rally in Patna on 1 September. (P5) J&K cloudburst toll reaches 60 Jammu: The death toll in the cloudburst at the Chashoti village of Kishtwar has reached 60 while the rescue teams for the third day on Saturday continued their search operation for the missing persons who are believed trapped in the massive debris brought down by the flash-flood. The death count might rise further, it is feared. More than 100 injured persons have been admitted to different hospitals for treatment. As many as 67 injured have been shifted to the government hospital. (P4) Foreign Secretary Misri on 2-day visit to Nepal from today: Pages 16 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI AGENCIES BHUBANESWAR | 17 August 2025 T he Donald Trump administration may not impose secondary tariffs on India over purchasing Russian energy, as the US President said that Russia has already lost a key oil client. Speaking to Fox News aboard Air Force One en route to Alaska, Trump said the USA may not impose secondary tariffs on countries continuing to buying Russian crude oil. "Well, he (Vladimir Putin) lost an oil client, so to speak, which is India, which was doing about 40 per cent of the oil. China, as you know, is doing a lot…,” said Trump. “And if I did what's called a secondary sanction, or a secondary tariff, it would be very devastating from their standpoint. If I have to do it, I'll do it. Maybe I won't have to do it,” he added. The secondary 25 per cent tariffs on India are likely to come into effect from 27 August. Earlier this week, US Treasury NIKHIL VYAS NEW DELHI, 16 AUGUST Secretary Scott Bessent said if “things don't go well” between Trump and Putin at the Alaska summit, then secondary sanctions on India for purchasing Russian oil could go higher. New Delhi has already said the targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable. “Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security,” the government had said. The fact is that India has sharply increased its purchases of oil and gas from America. This, in turn, has led to a reduction in India’s trade surplus with the US, which is a major aim of the Trump administration’s trade policy. Official figures show that India’s oil and gas imports from the US have jumped by as much as 51 per cent from January to June this year. The country’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from the US nearly doubled to $2.46 billion in the financial year 2024-25 from $1.41 billion in 2023-24. NDA parliamentary meet on Tuesday; to discuss Vice Presidential candidate STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will hold its parliamentary meeting on 19 August, it was announced on Saturday. An official notice, issued by Office Secretary of the NDA Parliamentary Party Shiv Shakti Nath Bakshi, said the meeting is scheduled to take place in the GMC Balayogi Auditorium of the Parliament Library Building (PLB) at 9.30 am, and all the NDA MPs have been requested to attend the same. The BJP is also expected to hold its parliamentary board meeting on 17 of this month at the party headquarters. The leaders, the party sources said, are to discuss NDA's candidate for upcoming Vice-Presidential election among other pressing political issues. "The BJP parliamentary board meeting is scheduled STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 16 AUGUST police presence here since morning. We are filmmakers, not criminals. I never imagined facing this situation in the land of Satyajit Ray. If this is not dictatorship or fascism, then what is it?” Agnihotri said from the stage. The launch was originally planned at a Chinese FM on 2-day visit to India from tomorrow India welcomes Alaska talks New Delhi, 16 August for 17 August 2025 at the BJP office in Delhi. All parliamentary board members will attend,” they said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and other parliamentary board members are expected to be present at the meeting. On 6 August, leaders of the ruling NDA had unanimously passed a resolution authorising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief and Union Minister JP Nadda to finalise the NDA's candidate for the Vice-Presidential election, scheduled to be held on 9 September, 2025. Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced 9 September, 2025 as the date for the election. It would be conducted from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Parliament House. India on Saturday welcomed the Alaska Summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that the world wants to see an early end to the conflict in Ukraine. After the summit, Trump and Vladimir Putin said they made progress in three hours of talks, moving closer to finding an end to the Ukraine War, but did not announce an immediate ceasefire. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in its reaction said that India has welcomed the progress made at the Alaska Summit between the United States a n d Ru s s i a . T h e M E A highlighted India's position of dialogue and diplomacy being the way forward as the world looks to see an early end to the conflict multiplex, but Agnihotri claimed political pressure forced organisers to shift it to a five-star hotel. After initial delays on Saturday, the trailer was played briefly before being stopped midway. Producer and actor Pallavi Joshi, who is also Agnihotri’s wife, said: “You can see for yourself what is happening here.” Some local reports suggested the event lacked proper municipal permissions, prompting police to intervene. Agnihotri, however, dismissed that suggestion: “How can such a big event be organised without permission?” Hotel authorities did not respond to Press' requests for comment. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union minister Sukanta Majumdar on Saturday condemned the disruption of the trailer launch of The Bengal Files, alleging the event was sabotaged under political "INDIA APPRECIATES THE PROGRESS MADE IN THE SUMMIT. THE WAY FORWARD CAN ONLY BE THROUGH DIALOGUE AND DIPLOMACY. THE WORLD WANTS TO SEE AN EARLY END TO THE CONFLICT IN UKRAINE," THE STATEMENT ADDED. in Ukraine. " I n d i a we l c o m e s t h e Summit meeting in Alaska between US President Donald T r u m p a n d P re s i d e n t Vladimir Putin of Russia. Their leadership in the pursuit of peace is highly commendable," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) sp o ke sp e r s o n R a n d h i r Jaiswal said in a statement. "India appreciates the progress made in the Summit. The way forward can only be through dialogue and diplomacy. The world wants to see an early end to the conflict in Ukraine," the statement added. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 16 AUGUST Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will be on a two-day visit to India starting from Monday to hold the 24th round of the Special Representatives' (SR) Talks on the India-China boundary question with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Saturday. The Chinese Foreign Minister's visit is scheduled to take place days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's planned visit to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit scheduled to take place at Tianjin, from August 31 to September 1. "At the invitation of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China and Chinese Foreign Minister Mr. Wang Yi will visit India on 18-19 August 2025. During his visit, he will hold the 24th round of the Special Representatives' (SR) Talks on the India-China boundary question with India's SR, NSA Doval," the MEA said in a statement. "External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will hold a bilateral meeting with Mr. Wang Yi," the statement further said. The Chinese Foreign Minister's visit to India was also confirmed by the Chinese Ministry for Foreign Affairs. "From August 18 to 20, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Minister of Foreign Affairs and China's Special Representative on the China-India boundary question Wang Yi will visit India and hold the 24th Round of Talks Between the Special Representatives of China and India on the Boundary Question at the invitation of the Indian side," the Chinese Ministry for Foreign Affairs said in a statement. CEC Gyanesh Kumar to address his first presser amid Opposition heat over Bihar SIR CONGRESS LEADER RAHUL GANDHI, A FEW DAYS BACK, PRESENTED WHAT HE CALLED ‘PROOF’ OF VOTER LIST MANIPULATION, CITING ALLEGED IRREGULARITIES IN KARNATAKA’S MAHADEVAPURA CONSTITUENCY AND DRAWING PARALLELS TO THE 2024 MAHARASHTRA ASSEMBLY POLLS AGENCIES New Delhi, 16 August All eyes will be on Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday, 17 August, as he will address his first press conference since taking charge of the Election Commission of India (ECI) in February this year after his predecessor Rajiv Kumar’s retirement. The briefing, scheduled for 3 p.m. at the National Media Centre in New Delhi, comes at a politically charged moment, with the poll body under intense scrutiny from the Opposition. The immediate backdrop is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive in Bihar, which has snowballed into a national political flashpoint. Opposition parties have accused the poll panel of Promo launch of The Bengal Files disrupted in Kolkata hotel The promotional trailer launch of filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri’s upcoming film The Bengal Files ran into controversy on Saturday after a luxury hotel in Kolkata abruptly halted the event soon after it began, citing no official reason. Agnihotri, known for directing The Kashmir Files, told reporters that hotel authorities informed him the screening could not go ahead, allegedly following instructions from an unspecified “powerful force.” “Without any reason, the electricity connection to the screening hall was cut off. There has been a heavy | US softens stance on India, may not impose 25 pc tariff NEW DELHI, 16 AUGUST New Delhi: Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will be on a two-day official visit to Nepal beginning Sunday at the invitation of his Nepalese counterpart Amrit Bahadur Rai & this visit will be an opportunity to further advance bilateral ties between India & Nepal, the MEA said on Saturday. (P4) | pressure. “In the land of Satyajit Ray, West Bengal has once again witnessed a shameful episode that shatters every limit of democratic decency,” Mr Majumdar wrote on X. Agnihotri’s film purportedly recreates the turbulence of Partition-era Bengal and the communal violence that engulfed the province then. While the story is set around 16 August 1946, critics have alleged that several dialogues in the film deliberately provoke communal divisions. The Bengal Files marks the third political thriller in Agnihotri’s “Files” trilogy after The Tashkent Files and The Kashmir Files. “colluding” with the BJP to manipulate voter rolls ~ a charge the Commission has firmly denied via official sources, through its social media accounts and by issuing fact-checks. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, a few days back, presented what he called “pro of ” of vo ter list manipulation, citing alleged irregularities in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura constituency and drawing parallels to the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly polls. That marked a notable shift in the Opposition’s strategy ~ moving away from its years-long fo c us on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to directly challenging the ECI’s credibility. The Bihar SIR drive, coupled with demands for transparency in linking Aadhaar to voter rolls, has become the latest rallying point against the poll panel. For Gyanesh Kumar, the stakes could not be higher. His remarks on Sunday will not only be his maiden opportunity to set the tone of his leadership but could also shape public perception of the ECI at a time when its impartiality is under the scanner. Me dia questions are expected to range from the Bihar SIR drive to the inclusion of Aadhaar, and from the conduct of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls to last year’s Maharashtra Assembly elections. With Opposition leaders sharpening their attack and civil society groups amplifying concerns, Sunday’s briefing could become a defining moment for the new CEC. Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla arrives in India today AGENCIES New Delhi, 16 August After weeks of rehabilitation in the US, post his successful space mission, Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla on Saturday announced his return journey to India. He is expected to reach the country tomorrow. Taking to social media platform Instagram, IAF Group Captain Shukla shared an emotional post reminiscing about his journey and the excitement of meeting with friends and family. “As I sit on the plane to come back to India, I have a mix of emotions running through my heart. I feel sad leaving a fantastic group of people behind who were my friends and family for the past one year during this mission,” he wrote. “I am also excited about meeting all my friends, family, and everyone in the country for the first time post mission. I guess this is what life is everything all at once,” he added. In June, Group Captain Shukla became the first Indian to reach the International Space Station (ISS). He returned on 15 July, after an 18-day mission, which was packed with several experiments led by ISRO and other activities on the orbital lab. Since then, he has been undergoing rehabilitation in the US. Group Captain Shukla stated that he is waiting impatiently to reach the country and share his experiences, which are going to be valuable for India’s future space endeavours, especially the Gaganyaan – India's first human spaceflight mission, which is targeting a launch by 2027. “Having received incredible love and support from everyone during and after the mission, I can't wait to come back to India to share my experiences with all of you,” Shukla said. Looking back at his colleagues, Shukla noted that although “goodbyes are hard”, “we need to keep moving in life”.