MADURAI l friday l august 08, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Trump, Putin likely to meet next week in uae, says kremlin File photo russia mum on having ukraine on table There was no immediate comment on Thursday from the White House and it was unclear how the announcement of the meeting would affect Trump’s Friday deadline for Russia on Ukraine. Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov brushed aside the possibility of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joining the meet, something Trump was open to The news of the meeting from Kremlin came on the eve of a White House deadline for Moscow to show progress toward ending the war in Ukraine ■ 25% first u.s.-russia summit since 2021 ■ The meeting would be the first US-Russia summit since 2021, when former President Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva. It would be a significant milestone toward Trump’s effort to end the war Since the start of the war, Russia’s relentless pounding of urban areas behind the frontline has killed more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians of ukrainians told gallup poll that they want the war to end CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Rahul shows 1L ‘vote theft proof’ in K’taka P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi Days after his ‘atom bomb’ barb against the Election Commission of India (ECI), Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday alleged large-scale irregularities in voter rolls, citing an analysis of the Mahadevapura assembly segment poll rolls in Karnataka for the 2024 general elections, where 1 lakh instances of ‘vote theft’ were allegedly found. He said the ‘election was stolen’ through a collusion between the BJP and the EC, adding the judiciary needs to get involved in this because “the democracy that we love so much, does not exist anymore”. Rahul said six months of tedious work on Mahadevapura poll rolls threw up “criminal evidence” of ‘vote theft’, and alleged that the poll body was busy destroying such proof across the country . He alleged that there was ‘theft’ of 1,00,250 votes in the Mah a d ev a p u r a segment, with 11,965 duplicate voters, 40,009 voters ‘SElf-defence’ Cops shoot dead man who killed SSI in Tiruppur Express News Service @ Coimbatore Two days after the brutal murder of a special sub-inspector (SSI) of Police in Tiruppur, the prime suspect in the case, M Manikandan (32), was shot dead by the police in “self-defence” near Upparu stream in Chikkanur in the outskirts of the district early on Thursday . SSI M Shanmugavel (57), attached to Gudimangalam police station, was allegedly hacked to death on Tuesday night while attempting to resolve a dispute, involving Manikandan, his brother and their father. Police sourcM Shanmugavel es said that they had opened fire on Manikandan after he assaulted SI N Saravanakumar with the sickle used for the murder and attempted to escape from custody The incident . occurred when the suspect was being taken to Upparu stream at Chikkanur, located close to Gudimangalam — the crime scene — for probe and retrieval of the murder weapon. A team comprising four policemen, led by Gudimangalam police inspector S Thirugnanasambandhan, was at the spot to retrieve the weapon.  P5 with fake and invalid addresses, 10,452 bulk voters or single address voters, 4,132 voters with invalid photos and 33,692 voters misusing Form 6 meant for enrolling new voters. Form 6, he added, was the most misused one. “Normally the new voters’ age varies between 18 to 25 years, but in this category, there were voters with age 98, 97, 85, 75 years and so on. “There is not a single person in the 18-25 age group,” he pointed out. While the EC responded by demanding Rahul’s signed declaration on his claims, he fired back, saying he made the remarks publicly and they can “take it as an oath”. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP secured 6,58,915 votes in Bangalore Central, winning with a margin of 32,707. In the Mahadevapura assembly segment, the Congress received 1,15,586 votes as against the BJP’s 2,29,632. “The Congress won all Vidhan Sabha segments except Mah a d ev a p u r a , which swung the scales.” Heat on poll body If EC denies machinereadable data on poll rolls for the past 10-15 years and the CCTV footage, they are partaking in the crime, Rahul said It doesn’t matter how senior or junior you are (in EC). One day, the Oppn will come to power. Then you’ll see what we do to you Rahul Gandhi National shame 260 doping positive cases in 2024 In a major embarrassment, 260 positive cases in one year could be the highest in the history of the country | P11 7,466 samples collected in 2024 76 Athletics on top, lifting (43) Sources say no amount of aid can offset the huge losses to affected sectors India Inc SOS to govt as US tariffs kick in DI PAK MONDAL @ New Delhi WITH the US imposing a massive 50% tariff on Indian products, the affected sectors—primarily textiles, gems & jewellery, and MSMEs—have warned of a possible disruption of critical supply chains, plummeting exports, and thousands of job losses. These sectors have also sought both fiscal and non-fiscal support from the government. However, government officials and industry experts say any support would fall short of offsetting the business losses caused by the high tariffs. On Wednesday the US imposed an additional , 25% tariff over and above the earlier-announced 25% tariff on Indian exports, to penalise India for its continued crude oil imports from Russia. The first 25% tariff took effect on Thursday while the , second levy will kick in on August 27. A senior official from the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) said businesses might have stayed afloat with 25% tariff by absorbing 10-15% of it through margin cuts. “But with a 50% tariff, doing business with the US has become unviable. Many MSMEs will shut shop,” the official said, warning that lakhs of jobs are at risk. The impacted sectors have sought relief measures such as deferment of interest on working capital, permission for SEZs to sell in the domestic market, and shortterm relief packages similar to those introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, insiders say that even if the government steps in, it cannot bridge the cost gap. Indian exports to the US stand around $87 billion, accounting for 20% of its total exports. Estimates suggest that 40-50% of these exports could be affected. India’s top exports to the US include electronics (including smartphones), pharmaceuticals, gems & jewellery textiles, organic chemi, cals, and machinery. While smartphones and pharmaceuticals enjoy zero tariffs now, most other sectors are subject to a 50% or higher duty . The US is the largest market for India’s garment exports, with exports worth $5.33 billion in FY25. The gems and jewellery sector exported goods worth $12 billion to the US in FY25 and now faces a 50% duty “The US is our single largest market,” . said Kirit Bhansali, chairman, GJEPC. The MSME sector is also feeling the heat. “The additional 25% penalty could cut exports by halfMSMEs exporting to the US,” said Anil Bhardwaj, secretary-general, FISME. You can’t act like a crook, SC tells ED s u c h i t r a k a lya n m o h a n t y @ New Delhi India-US trade talks on Despite the tariff action, talks are on between India and the US for a trade deal. A US delegation will travel to India later this month. “We hope to find a middle ground,” said an official Putin to visit India, says Doval Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit India soon, said National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. Sources said both sides are looking at an early date for the visit ‘Wait for secondary sanctions’ Responding to a question on why India was singled out, US President Donald Trump said a lot more secondary sanctions are on the way Prime Minister Narendra Modi conferring the maiden ‘M S Swaminathan Award for Food and Peace on Prof Ademola A Adenle, in New Delhi on Thursday | PTI Ready to pay heavy price to protect farmers: PM J i t e n d r a C h o u b e y @ New Delhi On a day the first half of the heavy US tariff on India kicked in, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was willing to bear any significant personal cost to defend the rights of farmers and the dairy sector. “I know that I will personally have to pay a heavy price. But I am ready for it,” Modi stated. “For us, the interests of farmers is the top priority India will never compromise on the . interests of farmers, dairy sector and fishermen,” the prime minister said in his address at the M S Swaminathan Centenary International Conference here. The sticking point in the trade deal with the US is India’s refusal to open up its farming sector. The US wants permission to sell genetically modified crops such as maize and soybean, and full access to India’s dairy market. Modi released a commemorative coin and stamp in the honour of the legendary agricultural scientist, Prof M S Swaminathan. He also established a global award, the ‘M S Swaminathan Award for Food and Peace’. The first edition of the award was conferred on Prof Ademola A Adenle for his efforts in combating hunger in Nigeria. The PM highlighted the achievements of yesteryear scientists in making the country self-sufficient in food and urged young scientists to focus on India’s nutritional security . Lula agrees to scale up ties Brazilian President Luiz In’cio Lula da Silva called up PM Modi. They agreed to boost bilateral ties in trade, tech, energy, defence, agri and health at a time when both nations face 50% US tariff T M u r u g a n a n d h a m @ Chennai AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, in an exclusive interview to TNIE, said that the allegations of BJP’s interference, if the AIADMK-BJP alliance wins the 2026 Assembly elections, are being raised by DMK and its allies since they are afraid of their defeat. He said that his emphasis on a formidable alliance to defeat DMK is a strategic move to defeat a powerful adversary and not a sign of AIADMK’s weakness since his party has contested and won on its own, many times in the past. To the ruling DMK’s criti- press interview Edappadi K Palaniswami cism that AIADMK has not imposed any conditions on BJP on important issues like exempting Tamil Nadu from NEET, and release of school education funds without insist- ing on implementing the threelanguage formula, Palaniswami said these issues pertained to the union government and hence they need not be imposed as conditions for forming an alliance for Assembly elections. He questioned the DMK’s failure to ensure states’ autonomy in the field of education when it was part of the governments at the centre in the past. Reiterating his strong criticisms of the incumbent government on the issues of law and order and fiscal management, he said he could sense from the public that they have decided to “gift” a resounding defeat to the DMK in the 2026 polls.  FULL INTERVIEW ON P4 WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH... A biker braves heavy rainfall as he negotiates a flooded road in Hyderabad, on Thursday | PTI e x p r e ss r e a d CM to launch door-to-door delivery of ration items on Aug 12 Chief Minister MK Stalin will inaugurate the door-to-door delivery of essential commodities — such as rice, sugar, wheat, palmolein oil, and toor dal — under the Public Distribution System (PDS) for senior citizens above 70 years of age and persons with disabili- WHILE flagging low conviction rates in cases investigated by the Enforcement Directorate, the Supreme Court on Thursday lambasted the central agency and said it cannot act like a “crook” and has to confine itself within the four corners of law. “You cannot act like a crook. You have to work within the four corners of law. There is a difference between law-enforcing authorities and law-violating bodies,” said a three-judge bench headed by Justice Surya Kant. The bench, also comprising justices Ujjal Bhuyan and N Kotiswar Singh, made these observations while hearing submissions on the maintainability of a batch of review petitions filed by Karti P Chidambaram and others challenging the validity of the 2022 Vijay Madanalal Chaudhary (VMC) judgment which upheld various provisions under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) granting ED power of arrest. Slamming ED for its low rate of convictions, Justice Bhuyan, quoting a minister’s reply in Parliament, quipped: “After 5,000 cases, less than 10 convictions. Why? We are equally concerned about the image of the ED.” The bench stressed that there is a difference between law enforcement agencies and those who violate it. Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for ED, said one of the reasons for low conviction rates in PMLA cases is that the “rich and powerful use a battery of lawyers and file many applications at different stages to protract the proceedings.” Justice Bhuyan said, “At the end of 5-6 years of judicial custody, if people are acquitted, who will pay for this?” Justice Kant said the solution was dedicated courts akin to TADA and POTA courts for expeditious disposal. The hearing will continue next week. Formidable alliance a strategic move, not a sign of AIADMK’s weakness: EPS Thayumanavar Scheme B ANBUSELV AN @ Chennai low conviction ties across Tamil Nadu, starting August 12. The initiative has been named as the Chief Minister’s Thayumanavar Scheme. TNIE was the first to report the Tamil Nadu government’s decision to implement this initiative statewide on June 17, this year. Out of the state’s 2.26 crore ration cards, which cover a population of 7 crore, a total of 21.7 lakh beneficiaries registered under 16.73 lakh ration cards will be covered under the Chief Minister’s Thayumanavar scheme. This includes 15.81 lakh family ration cards with one or more elderly members, benefiting 20.42 lakh people. Additionally, 1.27 lakh people enrolled under 91,969 ration cards — where one or more members are disabled — will also be included. According to sources, staff After completing Aadhaar authentication process, the staff will hand over the entitled goods to the beneficiaries at their doorstep — Official release, state government from the Co-operation Department, attached to the respective ration shops, will carry out deliveries on the second Saturday and Sunday of every month. Items will be transported using mini-vans and other vehicles, equipped with point-ofsale (PoS) machines and weighing scales. As many as 34,809 ration shops function in the state.  P5 HC orders security for theatres screening ‘Kingdom’ Chennai: Moviemakers have the right to express their views and none can disrupt screening of a movie, certified by the censor board, said the Madras High Court on Thursday, while ordering protection to the theatres screening Vijay Devarakonda-starrer ‘Kingdom’, in the wake of NTK protests against the alleged negative portrayal of Sri Lankan Tamils in the film | P2 Stalin to release State Education Policy today Chennai: CM MK Stalin will release the State Education Policy (SEP) for school education on Friday. While the school education minister had earlier said that SEP would be unveiled in two separate parts for school education and higher education, the policy submitted to the government covers both school and higher education | P4