www.thestatesman.com | FOLLOW US: India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | @TheStatesmanLtd Pages 12 | @thestatesmanltd ` 5.00 Editorial | KOLKATA People’s Parliament, Always in Session thestatesman1875 | NEW DELHI | MUMBAI | BHUBANESWAR Perspective Who will foot candyfloss economy bill? The Hasina case Page 7 | LUCKNOW | SILIGURI | 23 August 2026 S P O RT S India eye 2-0 sweep, WTC boost against Sri Lanka in Colombo Page 12 Page 6 Vande Mataram: BJP to take on Congress with own outreach Centre sets up committee to work on long-pending Gorkha issue VIBHA SHARMA After hearing Gorkha community leaders and elected representatives from the Darjeeling hills, Terai and Dooars, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday announced that the Centre would constitute a committee under the leadership of interlocutor Pankaj Kumar Singh to examine the long-standing Gorkhaland issue and work towards a possible permanent solution. The decision was announced after a tripartite meeting chaired by Mr Shah in Siliguri. Retired IPS officer Pankaj Kumar Singh, who was earlier appointed by the Centre as interlocutor to examine the long-standing demands of the Gorkha community, was also present at the meeting. Darjeeling MP Raju Bista told reporters after the meeting that the committee would soon work on a draft agreement. West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, Minister of State for Home and Hill Affairs New Delhi, 22 August T he BJP is moving to turn the Congress’ decision on Vande Mataram into a major political nation-wide campaign adopting a resolution on Saturday to honour the National Song, protect its historic legacy and create awareness among Gen Z about all its six stanzas. Countering Congress with its own resolution, the BJP “strongly condemned and unequivocally opposed” the decision taken by the Congress Working Committee on 19 August to reaffirm its 1937 resolution and restrict the singing of Vande Mataram to its first two stanzas at Congress programmes. “No Congress Working Committee resolution can stand above India’s constitutional institutions and laws enacted by Parliament. The political compromise of 1937 cannot be placed above the constitutional decision of 1950 and the law enacted by Parliament in 2026,” stated the resolution adopted at the first meeting of BJP president Nitin Nabin with the newly appointed office-bearers of the party. Prime Minister Narendra Modi later in the day met the newly appointed office-bearers at the party headquarters. Describing Vande Mataram as “the National Song of Bharat, an expression of reverence for Bharat Mata, a mantra of the freedom struggle and an immortal symbol of India’s national consciousness”, the party resolved to conduct a special awareness campaign among younger generations so that “the full national song with its six stanzas and its history are not consigned to oblivion”. “Special awareness efforts will target younger generations, preserving the full six-stanza national song and its connection to freedom, sacrifice, struggle, and national awakening,” it said. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said the meeting began with the collective singing of all six stanzas of Vande Mataram. “Embracing the spirit of ‘Nation First’, the BJP continues to advance on the path of public service with the resolve to serve Mother India and build the nation,” Mr Patra said. The newly appointed meeting of BJP national office-bearers also discussed poll strategy and outreach for the upcoming elections in elections in key states ~ Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa, Manipur followed by Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh ~ in 2027. According to those familiar with developments, discussions were also held on a campaign marking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 25 years in public life ~ from his tenure as Gujarat chief minister to becoming Prime Minister. Mr Nabin also chaired meetings with leaders and senior ministers from BJP-ruled states to plan programmes marking PM Modi’s 25 years in public life, and policies of the BJP-led NDA across the CM Adhikari vows no compromise on nationalism at Jadavpur University STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Kolkata, 22 August West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday warned that his government would brook no compromise on “nationalism, patriotism and the idea of the nation” at Jadavpur University, days after clashes between ABVP supporters and Left-backed student groups left the campus tense and the university emblem damaged. Mr Adhikari said nationalist symbols and practices would have a prime place at the university, including the national flag, ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Jana Gana Mana’. “There is a section of the media that is crying about Jadavpur University. Those who are crying in the media about Jadavpur, let me tell you: if you want to live in this state, if you want to live in West Bengal, you will have to sing Vande Mataram,” Mr Adhikari said at a programme linked to the Annapurna Bhandar scheme at Subhas Udyan in Bhowanipore. “The Chief Minister of this state will not compromise with nationalism, patriotism and the idea of the nation,” he said. “There will be nationalism, there will be Indian culture, we will have Sanatan culture. Vande Mataram will be there. The Tricolour and the Jana Gana Mana will be there,” he added. Mr Adhikari alleged that students at Jadavpur University had been prevented from singing ‘Vande Mataram’, hoisting the national flag and installing CCTV cameras. He also alleged that sections of the university were associated with what he described as the “tukde-tukde gang”, jihadis and “anti-national” elements. He did not provide specific evidence for the allegations. “Do you know that in Jadavpur people are not allowed to say Delhi software engineer dies after alleged assault by in-laws following domestic dispute STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 22 August A 31-year-old software engineer died after he was allegedly assaulted by members of his wife’s family at his residence in Delhi’s Nihal Vihar following a domestic dispute, police said on Saturday. The deceased, identified as Vinay Gupta, was employed with Adobe in Noida. According to police, a dispute occurred broke out between Gupta and his wife, Rekha, earlier on Saturday morning, following which she contacted her parental family and they reached the couple’s residence. Police said the visiting family members allegedly assaulted Gupta, leaving him critically injured. He was subsequently taken to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Four people have been identified and detained in connection with the incident. A case is being registered under Sections 103(1) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), police said. According to the victim’s family, the dispute began over the administration of medicine to one of the couple’s children. They alleged that Rekha left the house after the argument and returned with her two brothers, sister-in-law, father and uncle, among others. The family further alleged that Gupta was attacked with blows and kicks and was strangled during the assault. They also claimed that the incident was pre-planned and alleged that the CCTV cameras inside the house had been switched off before the assault. The incident was reportedly captured in CCTV footage from outside the residence. The footage purportedly shows Rekha and other members of her family arriving at the house before the alleged assault. Gupta’s mother, who lived with the couple, told the family that she had briefly stepped away to arrange water and refreshments for the visitors. On returning, she allegedly found her son being assaulted and attempted to intervene. Gupta had married Rekha around three-and-a-half years ago. The couple had four-and-a-half-month-old twins, a boy and a girl. Vande Mataram? Do you know that the national flag is not hoisted in Jadavpur? Do you know that officials of the Education Department are not allowed to enter the campus? Do you know that CCTV cameras are not allowed to be installed on campus?” he asked. The university administration has lodged police complaints over the violence and vandalism. Vice-Chancellor Prof Chiranjib Bhattacharjee filed a complaint against unknown persons on Friday, following which police registered an FIR under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. No arrests had been reported by late Saturday. Mr Adhikari’s intervention came as several BJP leaders and ministers urged political groups and outsiders to stay away from the campus and condemned the damage to the university emblem. country. Sources said Gen Z would be one of the focus areas of the BJP’s nationwide outreach involving senior central and state leaders to engage young people through dialogue and provide them opportunities to put their views directly before them. The initiative includes Mr Nabin, general secretaries Smriti Irani and Vinod Tawde. Protecting the honour, dignity, legacy and national character of the complete National Song, and “opposing attempts to subject it to communal pressures, political appeasement or vote-bank politics”, will be a key part of BJP’s campaigns for the upcoming elections to five states. The BJP will highlight Mahatma Gandhi’s description of Vande Mataram as an “anti-imperialist slogan” and an expression of “purest national sentiment” through nationwide campaigns on its history and significance, according to the resolution. MANAS R. BANNERJEE Siliguri, 22 August Bishal Lama, Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal and Director General of Police Siddh Nath Gupta represented the state government. Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan and Intelligence Bureau Director Mahesh Dixit represented the Centre. Darjeeling MP Raju Bista, Rajya Sabha member Harshvardhan Shringla and other MLAs from the Gorkha community attended the meeting as people’s representatives. Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung, general secretary Roshan Giri, Gorkha National Liberation Front president Mann Ghising, Communist Party Revolutionary Marxists leader JB Lama, Hill BJP president Sanjib Lama and other hill-based political and community leaders were also present. Speaking to reporters, Mr Shringla said: “A committee will be formed under the leadership of interlocutor Pankaj Kumar Singh to look into the matter and the issue of Gorkhaland.” He described the development as “a beginning” and said he could not provide further details at this stage. Mr Roshan Giri said Mr Singh had already been appointed interlocutor by the Centre and had visited the region and interacted with various leaders. The committee would examine the issue and work towards finding a solution, he said. “We support this decision,” Mr Giri added. EAM to visit Russia for talks on global issues STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 22 August Amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit Russia on 23-24 August to co-chair the 27th Session of the India-Russia Inter- Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC). During the two-day visit, at the invitation of Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, Mr Jaishankar will meet his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, and other leaders to exchange views on regional and global issues, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Saturday. The Ukraine conflict and India’s energy needs are expected to feature prominently in his talks with Russian leaders. In Protest Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee President S Harmeet Singh Kalka and General Secretary S Jagdeep Singh Kahlon, along with the families of the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, hold a protest outside the Delhi residence of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on the death of riots case convict Sajjan Kumar. In the National Capital on Saturday. SNS Resignation demand sparks bitter showdown among BCI top brass STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Bengaluru, 22 August A bitter power struggle has erupted within the Bar Council of India (BCI), with Vice-President YR Sadasiva Reddy demanding Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra’s (photo) resignation within 15 days and Mishra hitting back, dismissing the demand as a “political stunt” and asserting that he enjoys the support of more than two-thirds of BCI members. In a six-page letter to Mr Mishra, Mr Reddy alleged financial irregularities, lack of transparency, nepotism and misuse of the BCI chairman’s office during Mr Mishra’s tenure. He also called for an independent audit of the BCI and BCI Trust Pearl. Mr Reddy alleged that about Rs 150 crore of BCI funds had been transferred to BCI Trust Pearl, formed in 2020, and claimed complaints had been received that law colleges seeking BCI approval or renewal were being asked to make contributions ranging from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 1 crore to the trust. He also questioned transparency in recruitment to BCI posts, alleging that appointments were made in favour of persons close to the chairman’s family and associates without following a merit-based selection process. Mr Reddy further attacked Mishra over the 13 August directive concerning students of NALSAR Law University, Hyderabad. The directive had warned that students allegedly involved in a campaign against the presence of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant at the university’s convocation could face consequences in their enrolment as advocates. The order was withdrawn hours later following widespread criticism. Mr Reddy alleged that the directive was issued without consulting other BCI members and amounted to an attempt to intimidate an entire graduating batch of law students. He also questioned Mr Mishra’s continued tenure, pointing out that the BCI chairman is elected for a two-year term while alleging that Mr Mishra has remained at the helm since 2012. Responding to the allegations, Mr Mishra rejected them as baseless and described Mr Reddy’s move as a “political vendetta” and “political stunt”. “First of all, I must clarify that he is not a co-chairman of the Bar Council of India. Rather, today, he is not even a member of the State Bar Council,” Mr Mishra said, questioning Mr Reddy’s current status following the Karnataka State Bar Council elections. However, the BCI website was reported to list Mr Reddy as a co-chairman at the time of the report. Mr Mishra also alleged that Mr Reddy supported the Congress and said his criticism was politically motivated.