India rejects Pakistan allegations of killings on its soil It is Pakistan’s latest attempt at peddling false anti-India propaganda, said foreign office 1 tirupati l FRIDAY l january 26, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late cityEDITION Blaming others for own misdeeds can neither be justification nor solution, says India 2 Pakistan on Thursday said it has ‘credible evidence’ of Indian involvement in two killings on its soil last year 3 Shahid Latif of Jaish-eMohammed and Riyaz Ahmad of LeT were gunned down last year Pak names two Indian agents Yogesh Kumar and Ashok Kumar Anand as the brain behind the killings The New Indian Express wishes its readers a Alleges India used tech, safe havens on foreign soil to commit the crimes | P9 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 Nitish gets set to bolt R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi With the trust deficit between Bihar’s two ruling regional parties — the Janata Dal (United) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) — widening after social media posts against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar by RJD chief Lalu Yadav’s daughter on Thursday the exit of , the JD(U) from the grand alliance appears inevitable. Well placed sources indicated that Nitish could reembrace the NDA between January 26 and 29. Politics in the state could be in ferment by the time the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra enters Bihar on January 30. If Nitish doesn’t rock the boat till January 29, his defection could happen after February 4. He is expected to share the dais with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 4 in West Champaran at a government event. Sources said the JD(U) is pressing the BJP for Nitish to stay as CM till the next assembly elections in 2025. It is okay with two deputy CMs from BJP. “But the BJP wants its opposite — a BJP CM and two deputy CMs from the JD(U). It is likely to be sorted out through negotiations,” said a Patnabased BJP leader. The BJP hopes to tap the 36% extremely backward classes (EBCs) vote bank that is under Nitish’s sway in the state. “Nitish ji has done a lot for voters of these classes. The EBCs are silent but deciding voters in Bihar. They are still more or less with Nitish,” admitted a BJP leader. The buzz on Nitish strengthened recently after Union home minister Amit Shah, responding to media queries on the CM’s possible re-entry into the NDA, said if any such proposal comes, the BJP will think it over. Earlier in the day BJP leaders from Bihar , arrived in Delhi for consultations with Shah. In what was seen as a critique of Nitish’s attack on dynastic politics, Lalu’s daughter Rohini Acharya put out a series of posts on X, obliquely targeting him. One of the posts said, “those, who are ideologically adrift, claim to be the champions of socialism.” While Rohini later deleted the posts, the damage was done. Rohini’s posts possibly gave Nitish the perfect excuse to bolt, said JD(U) sources. Presents celebrating grit & glory of tn devis Telangana Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, TNIE CEO Lakshmi Menon, Editorial Director Prabhu Chawla, and Editor Santwana Bhattacharya with Devi Award winners — (from left) architect Thirupurasundari Sevvel, author Shobha Viswanath, virologist Dr Priya Abraham, traditional crafts revivalist Visalakshi Ramaswamy, vocalist Aruna Sairam, SpaceTech pioneer Dr DEVI AWARDS Srimathy Kesan, entrepreneur Archana P Stalin, social entrepreneur Uma Prajapati, businessperson Kaviya Kalanithi Maran, Ta m i l Na d u astrophysicist Annapurni Subramaniam and writer and illustrator Sharanya Manivannan | P6 | P Jawahar W O M E N ’ S AWA R D S F O R D Y NA M I S M & I N N OVAT I O N Padma A blend of education & entertainment Awards Five named for dom and his wise words that left an indelible mark. “Everything is within; T h e 1 3 t h e d i t i o n 50 of whatever is without is eiThinkEdu offered a plat- 2 ther illusion or hearsay. 16 form for a comprehensive So, you have to look within exploration of themes and listen to the voice guidranging from constitution- ing you in life,” he said. al ethos to moral Following a vidprinciples. T he eo message by Unconclave featured ion Education Min25 speakers spanister Dharmendra ning law, economy, Pradhan, the secscience, politics, ond day’s events cinema, and spiritstarted with a sesuality and engaged , sion of Justice 304 students and THINKEDU S a n j ay K i s h a n CONCLAVE 160 delegates. The Kaul, former SuITC two-day event, pre- 9-10 preme Court judge. 2023 10:00 sented by SASTRA Univer- Justice Kaul, who urged sity concluded in Chennai the executive to adopt the , on Thursday . Constitution as its guiding Actor Siddharth was un- light, said, “The first job deniably the highlight of (of the courts) is to read the day — both for his fan- the Constitution, (and) reM rittika B a n erjee @ Chennai padma Vibhushan STAR SPEAKERS DAYS INTENSE HOURS PRESENTS Ex-Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, actress Vyjayantimala Bali & actor Chiranjeevi are among those who will recieve the top Padma award. Harikatha artiste from AP, D Uma Maheshwari will receive the Padma Shri | P9 FEBRUARY GRAND CHOLA AM CHENNAI ONWARDS Presenting Partner Associate Partners Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan addressed the conclave virtually | express read it when political or other dispensations don’t align.” The discussion on women in STEM featured Annapurni Subramaniam, Director of Indian Insti- tute of Astrophysics, Priya Abraham, Professor of Clinical Virology at CMC Vellore, and Srimathy Kesan, Founder and CEO of Space Kidz India. Beyond their inspiring achievements and commitment, the women were unapologetic about their choices, leaving a lasting impression on the audience. The audacious Prime Time TV warriors panel unfolded with a unique twist as spokespersons from political parties opted for a “respectable debate,” choosing to agree to disagree. “We have political maturity to not make this personal. Our differences are limited to ideology,” said Kovai Sathyan, AIADMK spokesperson. Anantha Nageswaran, Chief Economic Advisor to the Government of India, captured the audience’s interest with his erudition. Other panels delved into topics such as the illusion surrounding the glamour of civil services and strategies to combat student suicides. The day culminated on a spiritual note as Swami Mitrananda from Chinmaya Chennai, underscored the need for a moral compass in education, stating, “Education should lead children to Swadharma, which may lead to material prosperity .” morE ON p7 Collegium system too slow, says Kaul | P7