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 | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR | Monday, 03 November 2025 SPORTS WORLD Scorched Future Trump warns Nigeria of military action over Christian persecution Page 6 Page 9 EDITORIAL BRIEFLY 10 injured in London-bound train stabbing: NATION Rahul slams Modi with ‘dance for vote’, Ambani-Adani jibe ‘It’s clear which way the wind is Shafali, Deepti half tons help India set SA 299 target blowing’: PM Modi in Bihar Patna, 2 November “ Those sitting in Delhi doing political arithmetic should come here and see which way the wind is blowing.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday, as he addressed a well-attended election rally in Arrah in Bhojpur, Bihar. “When I see this energy in all of you, the resolve to build a developed Bihar becomes even stronger,” PM Modi added. Targeting the Opposition INDIA bloc, PM Modi once again raised the issues of ‘jungle raj’, infiltration, and appeasement politics. The Prime Minister also invoked the 1984 riots, that targeted Sikhs, ahead of his visit to the Patna Sahib Gurudwara to offer prayers. “On 1-2 November, 1984, Congress members carried out the Sikh massacre. Today’s Congress continues to promote and honour those guilty of that massacre. Whether it’s Congress or the RJD, neither feels any remorse for their sins,” he said. Mr Modi reiterated that the RJD-Congress alliance is trying to destroy Bihar’s identity. “These people are conducting rallies in support of infiltrators. They are fully committed to protecting them,” he said. He also said that ‘jungle raj’ was the darkness that slowly hollowed out Bihar. “The symbols of RJD’s jungle raj are gun culture, cruelty, bitterness, bad values, misgovernance, and corruption. If the RJD brought jungle raj and appeasement politics to Bihar, Congress’s identity is tied to the massacre of Sikhs,” Mr Modi stated. Commenting on the declaration of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as the CM candidate of the INDIA bloc, the prime minister said the Congress never wanted an RJD leader to be declared chief ministerial candidate, but the RJD did not miss the opportunity DMK-led all-party meet decides to challenge SIR in Supreme Court MC RAJAN Chennai, 2 November Describing the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls as anti-democratic, the all-party meeting convened by the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu on Sunday termed the Election Commission as a puppet of the BJP, decided to challenge the exercise in the Supreme Court. While all the allies of the DMK and many registered political parties, were in attendance, the principal opposition AIADMK, the BJP, and the PMK as well as actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and Seeman’s Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), have boycotted the meeting. The meeting, chaired by Chief Minister MK Stalin, termed the SIR, imposed ahead of assembly polls, as against the interests of the people of Tamil Nadu. The apex court is yet to deliver its verdict in the Bihar SIR case, it was pointed out. “The SIR is unacceptable, and the all-party meeting urges the Election commission to abandon the exercise. Only after the shortcomings are removed, it should be conducted in a transparent manner as per the guidelines of the Supreme Court afer the 2026 assembly election. There should be adequate time to carry out the exercise,” a resolution adopted at the meeting said. “It is highly condemnable that the EC remains a puppet in the hand of the BJP-led Union Government and functions in an undemocratic manner disregarding the objections of political parties in Tamil Nadu,” the resolution said. “Our apprehensions stem from the recent SIR in Bihar, which witnessed mass deletion of minorities and those opposed to the BJP. Further, the Election Commission has failed to make any statement either before the apex court or in a public forum.” “It is unmistakable that the SIR, imposed unilaterally on Tamil Nadu and 11 other States, is intended to disenfranchise a vast segment of the electorate and bury electoral democracy," the resolution said. “The SIR could be conducted only after issuance of a Gazette notification as per Section 169 of the Representation of the People Act and hence unlawful. Even the Supreme Court ,direction that Aadhaar should be the 12th document had not been adhered to,” it pointed out. “There is only confusion, for the Election Commission announcement says that no document should be collected from electors during the Enumeration Phase. There is no clarity as to when they will be demanded.” In record first, Indian Space Research Organisation successfully launches India’s heaviest ever satellite UNITED NEWS OF INDIA Sriharikota, 2 November In a record breaking effort, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday evening successfully launched India’s heaviest ever communication satellite, the 4,401 kg CMS-03, into orbit. The CMS-03 satellite, also named GSAT-7R, is meant to Page 12 Page 5 IMRAN MOJIB London: Ten people were injured in a mass stabbing on a London-bound train in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, late Saturday, with at least two people sustaining life-threatening injuries. “Ten people have been taken to hospital following a multiple stabbing on a train in Cambridgeshire. Nine are believed to have suffered life-threatening injuries. A major incident has been declared,” police said on X. The police later said two persons remained in ill-threatening condition. Page 9 Washington, Arshdeep star as India level T20I series replace the GSAT-7A satellite. After a smooth 24-hr countdown, the home grown rocket LVM3-M5 ~ also India’s biggest, nicknamed Bahubali ~ lifted off majestically from the Second Launch Pad at the Sriharikota High Altitude Range at 5.26 p.m. and after a flight duration of about 1,000 seconds successfully and precisely injected the satellite into Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) with an inclination of about 24 degrees. The 43.5 m tall LVM3-M5, with a lift off mass of 642 tonnes, is the fifth operational heavy lift Launch Vehicle of ISRO, and has a spectacular pedigree of completing seven consecutive successful missions. Though satellites launched using GSLV and LVM are normally injected into a 36,000 km GTO, ISRO had tweaked the orbital injection for this launch, considering that the satellite was the heaviest launched from Indian soil. The CMS-03 is a multi-band communication satellite that will provide services over a wide oceanic region including the Indian landmass. It will also serve military purposes, and carries several indigenous, state-of-the-art components developed specifically to meet the Indian Navy’s requirements. Addressing scientists after the successful launch from the Mission Control Centre, ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said the satellite was injected precisely into orbit and thanked all ISRO scientists and the industry partners. All the LVM missions were 100 per cent success thus far, he said, adding that it was due to the dedication and hard work of Team ISRO. ISRO had earlier launched the GSAT-7A satellite for the Indian Air Force (IAF). The GSAT-7 and GSAT-7A remain India’s two dedicated military communication satellites, while all previous earth observation and communication satellites served dual purposes ~ supporting both civilian and defence applications. either. “The RJD put a gun to Congress’s head and snatched the chief minister’s post. They forced an agreement in a closed room and then made Congress publicly announce its support under pressure,” the PM said. PM Modi further stated that the NDA’s manifesto includes plans for rural prosperity. He made major announcements for farmers and livestock owners and promised that the network of food parks in Bihar would be expanded. He announced that the new Bihar government would provide annual financial assistance of Rs 3,000 to farmers, in addition to the Rs 6,000 provided under the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi by the Central government, and that financial aid to fishermen would be increased to Rs 9,000 per year. “To boost the income of livestock owners, we are launching the Milk Mission. There was a time when Bihar used to import fish from other states; now, because of NDA policies, Bihar exports fish to other states,” PM Modi said. TRIDIB BAPARNASH New Delhi, 2 November Recalled to India’s ICC Women’s World Cup squad as an injury replacement ahead of the knockouts, Shafali Verma (photo) picked the grandest stage of all to deliver her finest ODI innings. The 21-year-old opener smashed a career-best 87 to headline a century stand with Smriti Mandhana, before Deepti Sharma’s run-a-ball 58 propelled India to a competitive 298/6 in the final against South Africa at the DY Patil Cricket Academy in Navi Mumbai on Sunday. A packed house, forced into a two-hour wait by unrelenting rain was eventually rewarded with a blistering opening act as Smriti and Shafali tore into the South African attack, racing to 104 inside 18 overs. Shafali took charge early, clearing the infield with ease, before Smriti joined the assault, helping India surge to 50 in just six overs. With both openers threatening to take the game away, South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt turned to left-arm spinner Chloe Tryon for a breakthrough, and struck gold. Tryon removed Mandhana for 45 (58 balls) with a feathered edge behind the stumps, silencing the stadium in an instant. The hush didn’t last long. Jemimah Rodrigues, India’s semifinal hero, walked out to a deafening roar as Shafali closed in on a long-awaited milestone. She brought up her fifth ODI fifty, and first since July 2022, off just 49 deliveries, ending her drought in style. Ayabonga Khaka struck in the 23rd over, with Luus pulling off a sharp catch to end Shafali’s superb 78-ball 87, studded with seven fours and two majestic sixes. At 166 for 2, Rodrigues and captain Harmanpreet Kaur took over, tasked with capitalising on the strong base. But Khaka struck again, removing Jemimah for a 37-ball 24, and the slowdown that followed allowed South Africa to claw back some control. Deepti Sharma broke the shackles with a crunching six off Marizanne Kapp, giving Harmanpreet time to settle as the pair steadied the innings past 200 in the 35th over. Just as the partnership began to blossom, left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba shattered Harmanpreet’s stumps for 20, ending a 52-run stand. The India team management then sprung a surprise by sending Amanjot Kaur ahead of the explosive Richa Ghosh, but the move backfired, as Nadine de Klerk removed Amanjot for 12.