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 LC | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR Israel resumes ceasefire in Gaza & says aid deliveries will restart Tariff Tremors Pakistan’s possible three-front war Page 7 Page 9 CM prays for people’s health and prosperity on Kali Puja: INS Vikrant sent waves of fear across Pak: PM AGENCIES Insurgency by Maoists nearing end, says Modi: Panaji, 20 October P Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee prayed for the good health and prosperity of the people of Bengal on the occasion of Kali Puja and Diwali. Miss Banerjee wrote on the X platform: “Wishing everyone a very Happy Diwali. May the light of diyas and the spirit of this festival bring happiness, peace and prosperity to all, and inspire unity and harmony in our communities.” Miss Banerjee has been organising Kali Puja as part of her family tradition at her Harish Chatterjee Street residence for more than four decades. She observes fast and cooks food which is offered to Ma Kali. Mr Abhishek Banerjee, national general secretary of Trinamul Congress visited the Miss Banerjee’s house and offered prayer to Ma Kali. Page 2 rime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday hailed the capabilities of INS Vikrant - India's first indigenous aircraft carrier - noting how its deployment in the Arabian Sea during Operation Sindoor was enough to send "waves of fear" across Pakistan. The Prime Minister, who celebrated Diwali aboard the Vikrant, also saluted the courage of the Indian Armed Forces during Operation Sindoor that brought Pakistan to “its knees in record time.” "Just a few months ago, we witnessed how the very name Vikrant sent waves of fear across Pakistan. Such is its might~ a name that shatters the enemy's courage even before the battle begins. This is the power of INS Vikrant... On this occasion, I especially want to salute our armed forces,” PM Modi said. "The extraordinary coordination between our three services brought Pakistan Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrating Diwali with naval personnel on INS Vikrant, in Goa on Monday. AGENCIES to its knees in record time. I once again salute the brave hearts of the Armed Forces. When the threat is real and conflict seems possible, the advantage always lies with those who can stand and fight on their own strength. For our forces to be truly effective, it is vital that they remain strong, capable and self-reliant," PM Modi added. PM Modi visited the INS Vikrant off the coast of Goa and Karwar to celebrate Diwali STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Ranchi, 20 October Bihar is witnessing a split in the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) of Opposition parties as the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) formally decided not to contest or campaign in the state this year. The announcement came from senior JMM leader and minister Sudivya Kumar during a press briefing in Giridih on Sunday. Addressing the media, Mr Kumar accused the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress of political duplicity, saying their “cunning tactics” had forced the JMM to step back. He predicted that the consequences of this political maneuvering would unfold in the coming days. Mr Kumar clarified that the decision follows a series of meetings on seat-sharing held in Patna from 7 to 20 October, which, according to him, involved “manoeuvring” by Nifty, Sensex end Samvat 2081 on strong note with 6 pc return AGENCIES New Delhi, 20 October India’s stock market began Samvat 2082 with strong momentum, as the NSE Nifty 50 and BSE Sensex closed over the one-year high mark on the final day of Samvat 2081 on Monday. InSamvat2081,thebenchmark Nifty 50 has returned around 6 per cent since last Diwali, and its one-year returns stood at 3.58 per cent. The BSE benchmark Sensex returned 3.19 per cent in the last year and around 6 per cent in Samvat 2081. The Nifty Bank index reached a new high during today's session, with the Nifty PSU Bank emerging as the leading sectoral gainer. Meanwhile, the Nifty Bank delivered 12 per cent. The Nifty with navy personnel, continuing his tradition of celebrating the festival with soldiers. PM Modi lauded the induction of more than 40 ‘swadeshi’ warships and submarines into the Indian Navy from Indian shipyards in the past decade, a milestone reflecting the 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' vision. “Under our vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, our Navy is forging ahead with unmatched strength,” he declared. JMM breaks away from Mahagathbandhan, will not contest upcoming Bihar election Actor-director Asrani no more: Mumbai: Comic actor and Bollywood veteran Govardhan Asrani passed away in Mumbai on Monday after a prolonged illness. He was 84. His last rites were performed at Santacruz Crematorium on Monday. Asrani was one of Indian cinema’s most enduring comic actors. In a career spanning over five decades, he worked in more than 350 films. He became a staple of Hindi cinema in the 1970s and 1980s, often playing the lovable fool, the flustered clerk, or the witty sidekick. His roles in classic films like Sholay, Chupke Chupke and many others made him a household name. Midcap 100 rose by 5 per cent, whereas the Nifty Smallcap 250 dropped by 4 per cent. Nifty at 25,840 and Sensex at 84,363 have approached near the all-time highs reached in September 2024 of 26,178 and 85,571, respectively. Samvat 2081 saw Nifty Auto rising 16 per cent, Nifty PSU Bank increasing 14 per cent, and Nifty Metal gaining 9 per cent. Nifty IT, Nifty Energy, Nifty Realty, FMCG, and Pharma Rohit backs Nitish Reddy to be ‘all-format great’ for India PERSPECTIVE Page 6 BRIEFLY Tuesday, 21 October 2025 SPORTS WORLD EDITORIAL | were the notable losers. Top performers among stocks were Bajaj Finance, Maruti Suzuki, Bharat Electronics and InterGlobe Aviation, clocking returns in the range of 45 to 55 per cent. During Samvat 2081, as many as 433 Indian firms raised over Rs 2.9 lakh crore through various routes, up from Rs 2.53 lakh crore raised by 429 firms in Samvat 2080. Muhurat trading, the one-hour Diwali session marking the new Samvat 2082, is scheduled for 21 October from 1:45 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. Historically, indices have closed higher in most Muhurat sessions, with typical gains ranging from 0.4 per cent to 0.9 per cent, except for marginal dips in 2016 and 2017. • Related reports: Pg 10 RJD, supported by Congress. “If JMM was not to be allocated seats, it should have been communicated clearly from the start. Instead, we were left in the lurch,” Kumar said. The minister expressed regret over the party’s inability to participate, stating, “With a heavy heart, JMM must announce that it will not be contesting the Bihar Assembly elections. The political deceit of the Mahagathbandhan leadership has harmed our position. RJD and Congress will have to answer for their duplicity.” Mr Kumar emphasized that had the seat-sharing situation been made transparent, JMM could have independently contested the elections. He accused RJD of deliberately misleading the party during the negotiation period, with Congress providing tacit support. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking aboard INS Vikrant during Diwali celebrations with armed forces personnel, declared that India is witnessing the “final phase” of the decades-long Maoist insurgency. Addressing the troops from INS Vikrant in Goa, PM Modi said, “Today, the nation is moving towards the end of Maoism. Only three districts remain where Maoism persists, and they, too, will soon be free. "Earlier, 125 districts were severely affected. Now, over 100 districts can breathe a sigh of relief and celebrate Diwali in peace. This has been made possible by the valour of our police forces.” He emphasised the government’s multi-pronged strategy as instrumental in weakening Maoist influence, particularly in tribal and forested belts. Page 12 India would have to continue paying massive tariffs: Trump AGENCIES India, US trade talks make headway: Washington, 20 October Continuing his criticism of India over the purchase of Russian oil, US President Donald Trump on Sunday (local time) said that New Delhi would continue to keep paying tariffs until it halts its imports from Moscow. Mr Trump, during with the Press on Air Force One, was asked about India's denial of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call with him. "Well then, they're going to just keep paying a lot of tariffs if they said that, but I don't believe they said that. No, I spoke with Prime Minister Modi of India and he said he's not going to be doing the Russian oil thing," he said. Mr Trump added: "But if they want to say that, then they'll just continue to pay massive tariffs, and they don't want to do that." On Thursday, after Mr Trump claimed that PM Modi had assured him in a phone conversation that India would stop buying Russian crude, the Ministry of External Affairs said that no phone call took place between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump the previous day. When asked about Mr Trump's claim that India would stop buying Russian Oil, the spokesperson of MEA, Randhir Jaiswal, said that the two leaders had no phone call on Wednesday. "On the question of whether there was a conversation or a telephone call between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump. I am not aware of any conversation yesterday between the two leaders," he said. Jaiswal said that the two leaders spoke on 9 October, where Prime Minister Modi congratulated Trump on the success of the Gaza peace plan. The government had also stated separately that the country's energy sourcing is guided by its national interests and the need to protect Indian consumers. New Delhi: India and the USA have made some headway in their trade talks to resolve the tariff issue, even as New Delhi has said that it will not rush into an agreement. India’s trade delegation, led by Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal, is reported to have held constructive meetings with US officials in Washington last week, a senior official said. While the USA under the Trump administration hardened its stand on Russian oil purchases by India, New Delhi has assured Washington that Indian companies would increase purchases of American oil and gas. Piyush Goyal has stated that while the talks with the US are progressing in a "very cordial atmosphere", they are not based on deadlines. “There is no agreement unless we fully address the interests of India's farmers, fishermen, and the country’s MSME sector," the minister said. RJD releases list of 143 candidates, seat-sharing uncertainties remain STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Patna, 20 October The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), a key constituent of the Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan), on Monday released its first list of 143 candidates, including 24 women, for next month’s Bihar Assembly elections. Monday is the last day for filing of nominations for the second phase of the Bihar elections, scheduled for 11 November. While releasing the list, RJD national general secretary Abdul Bari Siddiqui said here that the party has ensured fair representation for youth, women and socially backward communities in its selection process. He said the party’s list features a blend of experienced legislators and fresh faces, reflecting an effort to balance caste, community, and gender representation. The RJD has fielded candidates from Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs), Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), minority communities and women, aiming to consolidate its traditional social base. RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav is in the fray from his traditional seat of Raghopur. Prominent names include Prof. Chandrashekhar from Madhepura, Dr. Faraz Fatmi from Keoti, Mala Pushpam from Hasanpur, Dr Ramanuj Prasad from Sonepur, Rekha Paswan from Masaurhi (SC), and Ajay Kushwaha from Vaishali. Bhojpuri singer and actor Khesari Lal Yadav has also been fielded from the Chhapra constituency Meanwhile, uncertainty remains over seat-sharing arrangements with the Congress and other allies, raising questions about the unity of the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance). The RJD’s announcement came after the Congress released a list of 60 candidates late on Sunday night. RJD sp okesp erson Mrityunjay Tiwari told a news agency, that his party is “capable of forming a government on its own” but “respects coalition dharma”. “Friendly contests” could not be ruled out at this stage, he admitted. Monday is also the last date for withdrawal of nominations for the first phase of polling. The submission of nominations for the second phase also concludes today, with scrutiny scheduled for 21 October and withdrawal of nominations by 23 October. Polling for the 243-member Bihar Legislative Assembly will take place in two phases, on 6 Novemb er and 11 November, while counting of votes will be held on 14 November. AWS outage cripples online services, platforms globally ACCESS TO AMAZON'S VIRTUAL ASSISTANT TECHNOLOGY ALEXA, THE SOCIAL MEDIA APP SNAPCHAT, ONLINE GAME FORTNITE, THE AI PLATFORM CHATGPT, EPIC GAMES STORE, AND EPIC ONLINE SERVICES WERE DISRUPTED.
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