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 | MUMBAI | BHUBANESWAR | LUCKNOW | SILIGURI Good start to talks with US side in Oman: Iran’s Araghchi ‘Deals make India competitive’ Page 11 New Delhi, 6 February T he T20 World Cup begins on Saturday across venues in India and Sri Lanka, but for a tournament that has expanded to 20 teams and promises scale like never before, the build-up has been anything but cricket-centric. Instead of conversations around contenders, match-ups or players to watch, the spotlight has firmly remained on an extraordinary intersection of politics and sport. India, the defending champions led by Suryakumar Yadav, enter the tournament as overwhelming favourites. Yet, even before a ball has been bowled, the event has been overshadowed by diplomatic tension and controversy. Bangladesh have been ousted from the competition after refusing to travel to India citing security concerns, while Pakistan have announced a boycott of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s historic 175 powers India to record sixth U-19 World Cup title: New Delhi: Teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi produced one of the greatest knocks in Under-19 World Cup history, smashing a breathtaking 175 off just 80 balls to power India to a record-extending sixth ICC U-19 World Cup title with a 100-run win over England at the Harare Sports Club on Friday. Sooryavanshi’s blistering innings propelled India to a mammoth 411 for 9, a total that proved far beyond England despite a spirited chase. The 15-year-old rewrote multiple records in his knock, including that of fastest to a century by an Indian in the U-19 World Cup. Match report on Page 16 their scheduled 15 February clash against India in what they described as a show of solidarity with Bangladesh. Both Bangladesh and Pakistan have publicly pointed fingers at India for the chain of events, which began when Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was released from an IPL contract following instructions from the BCCI. Rahman’s exit was seen in Bangladesh as a slight to national pride, and it ultimately became a trigger for their refusal to play matches on Indian soil. The fallout has been dramatic, with the International Cricket Council (ICC) replacing Bangladesh with Scotland, who are set to face the West Indies in Kolkata on Saturday. The situation escalated further when Pakistan chose to wade into the controversy, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif defending the decision to boycott the India match, calling it “appropriate” under the circumstances. The ramifications are significant. The ICC and its broadcast partners are staring at potential financial losses, while Pakistan now risk sanctions that could have long-term consequences for their international cricketing engagements. India-Pakistan clashes, regardless of form or context, or the lop-sided results in favour of India in recent times, remain among the biggest revenue drivers in global cricket. Lost amid all this drama is cricket itself, and on that front, India appear well clear of the chasing pack. Despite the expanded field, it is difficult to identify many teams capable of seriously challenging India’s dominance in this format. If the much-anticipated India–Pakistan clash does eventually take place at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, it could pose a different kind of test for India’s young batters on a slightly tricky surface. • Turn to Page 15 LS proceedings stalled again: RBI MPC holds repo rate at 5.25 pc, maintains neutral stance New Delhi: Proceedings in the Lok Sabha continued to be stalled on Friday with Opposition MPs continuing their protests during the commencement of discussions on the Union Budget. Despite repeated reprimands from Speaker Om Birla, noting that 19 hours and 13 minutes had already been lost during the Budget Session due to disruptions, sloganeering persisted. Budget discussions are scheduled to continue from Monday, with FM Nirmala Sitharaman expected to reply on 11 February. Sources suggest the Opposition, led by the Congress may continue protests issues such as the recent India–US trade agreement, claims related to the China standoff mentioned in former Army Chief M.M. Naravane’s memoir, and the suspension of eight Opposition MPs. Page 5 New Delhi, 6 February STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE The Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted unanimously to keep the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at 5.25 per cent while continuing its neutral stance. Consequently, the standing deposit facility (SDF) rate remains at 5 per cent, and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate remain at 5.5 per cent. “The MPC noted that since the last policy meeting, external headwinds have intensified, though the successful completion of trade deals augurs well for the economic outlook. Overall, the near-term domestic inflation and growth outlook remain positive,” RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said on Friday. On the domestic front, real gross domestic product (GDP), as per the First Advance Estimates (FAE), is estimated to grow at 7.4 per cent (y-o-y) in 2025-26. The revised outlook for CPI inflation in Q1:2026-27 and Q2 at 4 per cent and 4.2 pee cent, respectively, continues to be benign and near the inflation target. The slight upward revision in the inflation outlook is primarily due to an increase in the prices of precious metals, which contribute about 60-70 basis points. The underlying inflation continues to be low, the Governor said. CPI inflation for 2025-26 is now projected at 2.1 per cent with Q4's projected at 3.2 per cent. CPI inflation for Q1:2026-27 and Q2 are projected at 4 per cent and 4.2 per cent, respectively, he added. Governor Malhotra also said that for customer protection, the RBI will issue three draft guidelines ~ one, relating to mis-selling; two, regarding recovery of loans and engagement of recovery agents; and three, on limiting liability of customers in unauthorised electronic banking transactions. It is also proposed to introduce a framework to compensate customers up to an amount of Rs 25000 for loss incurred in small-value fraudulent transactions. The next meeting of the MPC is scheduled for 6 to 8 April 2026. 31 killed, 169 injured after blast rips through Islamabad mosque DAWN/ANN Islamabad, 6 February At least 31 people were killed and another 169 injured in a suicide bombing at an imambargah during Friday prayers in Islamabad, according to authorities. The explosion occurred at Imambargah Khadijah-tul-Kubra in the Tarlai area of the federal capital. Images from the site showed bloodied bodies lying on the carpeted floor surrounded by shards of glass, debris, and panicked worshippers. Dozens more wounded were lying in the garden outside the imambargah as people called for help. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif suggested India’s and Afghanistan’s involvement in the attack, stating in a Page 16 Page 9 All eyes on India as a politically-charged T20 World Cup gets under way today TRIDIB BAPARNASH India launch T20 World Cup defence against USA amid Harshit Rana blow SATURDAY INTERVIEW Feisty Fighter Page 8 Saturday, 07 February 2026 SPORTS WORLD EDITORIAL | post on social media platform X that “it has been proved the terrorist involved in the attack travelled to and from Afghanistan. The collusion between India and Afghanistan is being revealed.” The defence minister said that security guards at the site of the incident had “challenged” the attacker, and in response, he opened fire. “He then blew himself up, standing in the last row of worshippers.” Mr Asif said that the state would respond to this “cruelty with full force”. “After a humiliating defeat, India is fighting a war through its proxies. It doesn’t have the courage to fight directly now,” he added. Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry later said while speaking to the media in Islamabad that while the attacker was not an Afghan, the authorities had been able to determine through forensic tests the number of times he had travelled to Afghanistan. Earlier, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said that “India is behind” the incident. He charged that India was involved in “terrorism activities in Balochistan, Fata and in the incident that took place in Islamabad today”. The minister said injured and the dead had been taken to Pims and Polyclinic Hospital, and emergencies had been declared in hospitals across Islamabad. According to Islamabad Capital Territory Police Spokesperson Taqi Jawad, the cousin of Islamabad Inspector General of Police (IGP) Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi was among the deceased while another of his relatives had been injured. The attack comes as Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev is currently visiting Pakistan. Separately, President Asif Ali Zardari extended condolences to the victims who lost their lives in the blast, according to a statement issued by the PPP on X. He expressed grief over the incident, saying, “Targeting innocent civilians is a crime against humanity”. The President prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured and directed that all possible medical facilities be provided to them. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the blast, according to a statement. He expressed grief over the deaths in the blast and expressed sympathy with the bereaved. In a meeting with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, the Prime Minister directed him to complete the investigation of the incident and immediately identify the people responsible for it. UP SIR drive extended by a month: Lucknow: The ECI has extended the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh by a month. As over 3.26 crore voters would receive notices regarding their inclusion in the voter list, the ECI has extended the time for claims and objections from 6 February to 6 March. Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa told media persons here on Friday that the final voter list for UP will be published on 10 April. SC declines to entertain Jan Suraaj Party’s plea on cash inducements in Bihar polls PARMOD KUMAR New Delhi, 6 February The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a petition filed by the Jan Suraaj Party, founded by political strategist Prashant Kishor, alleging that the Bihar government used a cash-transfer welfare scheme to influence voters during the recently concluded 2025 Assembly elections. A Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi questioned the bona fide of the petitioner party, observing that a political party which had suffered a complete electoral defeat could not invoke the Court’s jurisdiction to seek post-election relief. Jan Suraaj had contested 242 out of the 243 Assembly constituencies but failed to win a single seat. “How many votes did you get? Once people reject you, you use the judicial forum to get relief! Somebody should have challenged the scheme itself then. That is not the prayer before us. You just want the election to be declared null and void,” the Court remarked. The Bench further indicated that issues relating to election conduct within a single State are ordinarily, in the first instance, to be examined by the High Court concerned. “Since it deals with only one State, please go to that High Court. In some cases, there is a serious issue of freebies which we will seriously examine,” the Court said. Senior Advocate C.U. Singh, appearing for the petitioner party, argued that the welfare scheme in question was announced just before the elections and implemented when the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) was in force. “But when a State has a grave fiscal deficit, and it is a dole in the sense that Rs. 10,000 will be paid immediately, and over 35 lakh people enrolled in this scheme just after the model code of conduct was announced,” Singh submitted. The Chief Justice said, “The direct transfer scheme is different. This is about women self-help groups.”