www.thestatesman.com India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 16 | | FOLLOW US: ` 5.00 | @TheStatesmanLtd KOLKATA 8th Day | @thestatesmanltd NEW DELHI People’s Parliament, Always in Session thestatesman1875 | MUMBAI | BHUBANESWAR | LUCKNOW Evolve SILIGURI | 26 April 2026 S P O RT S Amalfi Coast: Geography of Desire Bitter Battle for a Sweet State | Bottom-placed KKR face 9th-spot Super Giants in battle to stay alive Page 16 AAP moves to disqualify 7 MPs, BJP targets ‘Sheesh Mahal 2’ VIBHA SHARMA New Delhi, 25 April BRIEFLY A Araghchi in Islamabad, US sending envoys: Islamabad: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir in Islamabad on Saturday, in a development carrying significant diplomatic weight, as he said Iran’s “views and considerations” on ending the conflict were shared during the talks. The meeting is believed to have included a comprehensive proposal tied to a potential deal with the United States, with Field Marshal Munir expected to relay the message to Washington, while Islamabad signalled its readiness to continue mediating between Tehran and the USA. The White House had earlier indicated that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would travel to Pakistan for discussions, though there has been no confirmation of their departure. Page 9 day after seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs left the party to join the BJP, senior leader Sanjay Singh (photo) on Saturday said his party would write to the Rajya Sabha Chairman seeking their disqualification from the Upper House. “Antidefection law clearly states that no split or faction is permitted in the Rajya Sabha or Lok Sabha. Such actions carry no legal recognition, even if backed by a two-thirds majority,” Mr Singh said. On Friday, nearly a year after losing power to the BJP in Delhi, AAP suffered a major jolt when seven of its ten Rajya Sabha MPs ~ Raghav Chadha, Swati Maliwal, Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Ashok Mittal, Rajinder Gupta, and Vikram Sahney ~ resigned from the NITI Aayog reconstituted; PM calls it a vital pillar in India’s policymaking architecture party and joined the BJP. A day later, Ms Maliwal said that “no good person can work with him for long. He says one thing and does another”. She was speaking about the person responsible for her political success ~ AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal. “There was a time when he carried a Rs 2 pen and wore simple clothes. Today, only his status has changed,” Ms Maliwal, who formally joined the BJP on Saturday, added, alleging that Mr Kejriwal built multiple “sheeshmahals” ~ a term used by the BJP to suggest a lavish New Delhi, 25 April Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the NITI Aayog serves as a dynamic platform for innovation and long-term strategic thinking across sectors. A day after the government reconstituted NITI Aayog with economist Ashok Kumar Lahiri as the Vice Chairman of the government think tank, PM Modi extended his best wishes to Mr Lahiri, expressing confidence that his expertise will bolster India's reform trajectory. “NITI Aayog has emerged as a vital pillar in India’s policy-making architecture, fostering cooperative federalism, furthering reforms and boosting ‘Ease of Living,’” the Prime Minister said in a post on X. “My best wishes to Shri Ashok Kumar Lahiri Ji on becoming the Vice Chairman. My best wishes also to Shri Rajiv Gauba Ji, Prof. K. V. Raju Ji, Prof. Gobardhan Das Ji, Prof. Abhay Karandikar Ji and Dr M. Srinivas Ji on becoming Full Time Members of NITI Aayog. Wishing all of them a productive and impactful tenure ahead,” the Prime Minister further stated in the post on X. In a separate post on X, the Prime Minister said: “Met Shri Ashok Kumar Lahiri Ji and conveyed my best wishes on his being appointed as the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog. His rich experience in economics and public policy will greatly strengthen India’s reform NITI Aayog has emerged as a vital pillar in India’s policy-making architecture, fostering cooperative federalism, furthering reforms and boosting ‘Ease of Living.’ NARENDRA MODI, PRIME MINISTER journey and the journey towards becoming a Viksit Bharat. I am confident his efforts will further energise policymaking in our nation. My best wishes for a fruitful tenure.” Mr Lahiri, who was appointed Vice Chairman of the government’s apex policy think tank on Friday, held a meeting with PM Modi in New Delhi, signalling the beginning of his tenure at a time when India is navigating a complex global economic environment. The new Niti Aayog team includes two eminent experts hailing from West Bengal ~ senior economist Dr Ashok Lahiri as Vice Chairperson and Scientist Dr Gobardhan Das as Member, sources said on Friday. While details of the meeting were not officially disclosed, the interaction assumes significance as NITI Aayog plays a key role in shaping India's economic policy framework and driving reforms across sectors. New Delhi: The Election Commission of India on Saturday said that post-poll scrutiny of Form 17A and associated election records has been completed without any irregularities warranting a repoll in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal’s Phase-I constituencies. Providing details, the Commission said the scrutiny in West Bengal was carried out across all 152 Assembly constituencies that went to polls on 23 April. The process, held on 24 April, was conducted by Returning Officers in the presence of General Observers and more than 600 candidates or their representatives. “No re-poll was recommended out of the 44,376 polling stations,” the ECI said. A similar exercise was undertaken in Tamil Nadu, where all 234 Assembly constituencies that voted on 23 April underwent scrutiny. Page 5 Rahul Gandhi equates Mamata Banerjee with PM Modi on corruption scale STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Kolkata, 25 April STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE lifestyle. On Saturday, the BJP accused the AAP convenor of converting yet another offi-cial residence into a “Sheesh Mahal”, while another former friend, Mr Chadha, also joined in to slam Mr Kejriwal for his “lavish lifestyle.” Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, party leader and Delhi Minister Parvesh Verma targeted Mr Kejriwal over his lifestyle and renovated accommodation at Lodhi Estate, dubbing it ‘Sheesh Mahal 2’, alleging that private money was used to create lavish amenities in the residence. Displaying pictures, the minister said they showed that the bungalow allotted by the Centre to the AAP chief had undergone costly renovations. Even as AAP leaders pushed back, alleging that the visuals of Mr Kejriwal’s new residence were not authentic and had been sourced from the internet, the BJP's strategists seemed to have landed an ideal playbook to target Mr Kejriwal ~ a key architect and face of the 2011–2012 India Against Corruption (IAC) movement that eventually led to the idea of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Beginning as a crusade against corruption, AAP's short political journey into becoming a regional political force was also accompanied by a recurring pattern of high-profile exits and sidelining of key leaders. No repolls for Bengal phase I, Tamil Nadu: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the ruling Trinamul Congress (TMC) during campaign rallies in Hooghly’s Serampore and later at Kolkata’s Shaheed Minar, accusing the party of corruption, patronage politics and fostering violence in the state. In a combative speech, he also drew a parallel between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, alleging that both regimes thrive on similar practices. Addressing a gathering in Serampore, Mr Gandhi claimed that corruption at the Centre under the BJP and in West Bengal under the TMC were “two sides of the same coin”. “If Narendra Modi spreads hatred in the country, the Trinamul does the same in Bengal. If Modi is involved in corruption, Mamata Banerjee is no less,” he said. The Congress leader alleged that the rise of the BJP in Bengal was facilitated by the TMC’s governance failures. “It is because of Trinamul that the BJP has found space in Bengal. Had there been no corruption and had incidents like RG Kar been handled properly, BJP would not have gained ground here,” he said, referring to recent controversies that have triggered political debates in the state. Mr Gandhi reiterated that the Congress was the only party fighting the BJP on ideological grounds. “We are fighting the RSS and the BJP. Trinamul does not fight them directly,” he claimed, adding that there exists a tacit understanding between the two parties. He alleged that Central agencies such as the CBI and the ED are selectively used Disappearance of turtles at world’s largest nesting ground in Odisha baffles experts STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Bhubaneswar, 25 April Have the endangered Olive Ridley turtles skipped their annual mass nesting at the Gahirmatha coast this year? Has the rapidly fragmented and steep beach anything to do with the Olive Ridleys playing truant? Did the trawl fishing and human interference affect their privacy? Or is it global warming and climate change to blame? These points have come under sharp focus even as there are no signs of arribada, a Spanish term describing the unique natural phenomenon of millions of these marine species converging on the Gahirmatha nesting ground in Odisha’s Kendrapara district to lay eggs. “Each year, millions of these turtles used to turn up for laying eggs during January-March at the world’s largest known rookery of these species along the Gahirmatha beach. There have been instances in the past when the turtles made their appearance towards the fag end of March, but the nesting was never delayed beyond that,” said Varadaraj Gaonkar, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Mangrove Forest Division (Wildlife), Rajnagar. Turtles have already emerged at the Rushikulya river mouth, another rookery, for mass nesting, but they are yet to appear at the nesting ground at Gahirmatha. Though there is a possibility of turtles skipping mass nesting this year, as they did in 2014, we are not entirely ruling out their emergence, as the weather conditions and beach profile at Agarnasi are ideal for marine animals to turn up en masse for laying eggs, he said. It’s a unique natural phenomenon, and it is difficult to predict what has prevented them from appearing at the nesting beach so far, he added. Wildlife experts, however, tend to believe that unchecked trawl fishing and human interference might have affected their privacy, prompting them to skip nesting. They are yet to arrive at a definite conclusion on what has led to the disappearance of turtles. An element of mystery continues to surround the behaviour and habitation pattern of these marine species. Research is yet to throw much light on them. They continue to prefer the Odisha coast for breeding and nesting. But nothing much is known about their preference for Gahirmatha beach for mass nesting. against opposition leaders, while sparing the TMC leadership. Referring to his own legal battles, Mr Gandhi said he continues to face multiple cases and repeated questioning. “I am out on bail. My Lok Sabha membership was taken away. There are 36 cases against me. I have been interrogated for over 50 hours. But how many cases has Narendra Modi filed against Mamata Banerjee? How many hours has she been questioned?” he asked, questioning the perceived disparity in investigative action. IMD warns of prolonged heatwave across north-west, central and peninsular India STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 25 April The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday warned that heatwave conditions are likely to persist across several parts of the country over the next seven days, particularly in regions spanning northwest, central and peninsular India. The IMD, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, has issued detailed advisories as temperatures continue to rise above normal levels in many areas. According to the latest assessment, maximum temperatures across parts of north-west, central and peninsular India are currently ranging between 40°C and 44°C, with the highest temperature of 44.5°C recorded at Sri Ganganagar. In several regions, temperatures are running significantly above normal by 5°C or more, indicating intensifying heat stress conditions. The IMD has forecast heatwave conditions in isolated pockets of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and parts of central India over the coming days. In addition, hot and humid conditions are expected to prevail over coastal and eastern regions, while warm night conditions in parts of north India are likely to aggravate discomfort and health risks. The department has indicated that there will be no significant change in maximum temperatures over northwest India until 27 April, after which a gradual decline is expected. However, central and other regions may witness a rise followed by a slight fall in temperatures during the forecast period. In view of the prevailing conditions, the IMD has issued comprehensive safety guidelines, advising people to avoid prolonged exposure to direct sunlight, especially during peak afternoon hours, remain well-hydrated, wear light and breathable clothing, and limit strenuous outdoor activities. Special caution has been advised for vulnerable groups, including children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing health conditions.