FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 16 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA LC | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR | LUCKNOW Page 8 Page 11 Wednesday, 28 January 2026 India flags emergence of ‘parallel’ platforms to UN Aus Open: Alcaraz clears De Minaur challenge to make first semifinal Page 16 NATION India, EU conclude ‘mother of all deals’; FTA to reshape global order ASHOK TUTEJA Wide-ranging security & defence pact signed, talks on data security: New Delhi, 27 January A pathways for growth, investment and strategic cooperation,’’ PM Modi said. He said the agreement will drive trade, investment and innovation while strengthening the strategic relationship. It reflects the shared resolve of the two sides to shape a stable and future-ready economic relationship, he said. “Today marks a historic moment as we open a new chapter in EU-India relations ~ on trade, security, and peopleto-people ties. Our Summit sends a clear message: in a reshaping global order, the | Page 5 The Tully Standard Trump reshuffles immigration team after Minneapolis killing fter years of thorny negotiations, India and the European Union (EU) on Tuesday announced the conclusion of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that will significantly enhance bilateral trade and investment and help the two sides fight the ‘weaponisation’ of tariffs by US President Donald Trump. In what is being called “the mother of all deals”, the pact was announced at a joint Press conference by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President of the European Council Antonio Costa and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen at the end of the 16th India-EU Summit here. “India and Europe have taken a major step forward today. The India-EU Free Trade Agreement opens new MUMBAI SPORTS WORLD EDITORIAL | EU and India stand together as strategic, reliable partners,’’ the President of the European Council said while the European Commission President said Europe and India are making history by concluding “the mother of all deals.’’ She said the two sides have created a free trade zone of two billion people which will benefit both of them. “This is only the beginning. We will grow our strategic relationship to be even stronger,’’ she added. • Related reports: Page 12 New Delhi: India and the European Union (EU) on Tuesday announced the signing of a Security and Defence Partnership, the first such overarching defence and security framework between the two sides that will deepen ties in the domains of maritime security, defence industry and technology, cyber and hybrid threats, space, and counter�terrorism, among others. They also welcomed the launch of negotiations on a Security of Information Agreement that will facilitate the exchange of classified information and pave the way for a stronger cooperation in areas related to security and defence. The two sides also announced the signing of nearly ten more agreements at a media interaction addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of the European Council Antonio Costa and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen at the end of the 16th India-EU Summit here. These include an MoU on Comprehensive Framework on Co-operation on Mobility; Launch of negotiations for an India-EU Security of Information Agreement; Constitution of a Green Hydrogen Task Force; and MoU between RBI and European Securities and Market Authority (ESMA). The two sides commended progress on the ‘India�EU Strategic Partnership: A Roadmap to 2025’. They reiterated their determination to further reinforce their strategic partnership, delivering tangible benefits for both sides. Akhilesh projects Mamata as BJP’s strongest national challenger UNITED NEWS OF INDIA Kolkata, 27 January Samajwadi Party president and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday projected West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as the most effective leader in the country in taking on the BJP, placing her above all other opposition figures in the fight against the ruling party. After a nearly 45-minute meeting with Mamata Banerjee at Nabanna, the state secretariat, Mr Yadav told the media: “If anyone has truly confronted the BJP across the country, it is the Chief Minister of West Bengal.” The meeting was also attended by SP leader and former Left Front fisheries minister Kiranmoy Nanda. Mr Yadav’s remark is being seen as politically significant at the national level, as it indirectly suggested that even the Congress has failed to challenge the BJP with the same resolve as Mamata Banerjee. Regional parties have often accused the Congress of “high-handedness,” particularly during seat-sharing talks, including in Bihar. Mr Yadav's comment echoed the wider opposition view that while the Congress claims to fight the BJP in over 250 seats, that assertion is not reflected on the ground. The SP chief is in Kolkata on a two-day visit to attend a family function. He expressed confidence that the BJP would once again be halted by Mamata Banerjee in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections. He also predicted that the BJP was contesting in the state only for a “respectable defeat.” On the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in 12 states, including Uttar Pradesh, Mr Yadav claimed that nearly three crore voters’ names had been removed in his state. He alleged that West Bengal was being specifically targeted. “Earlier, the Commission worked to ensure more people became voters. This is the first time a constitutional body is working with the objective of deleting voters’ names,” he said. Mr Yadav also praised Mamata Banerjee’s conduct during the Enforcement Directorate searches at the residence of I-PAC head Prashant Jain and the firm’s office on 8 January.