kottayam l monday l july 07, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION in snub to Trump, Elon Musk forms new political party Tech billionaire Musk has formed a new political party “to give Americans their freedom back”, after a fallout with Trump Registering ‘america party’ the next step musk’s party likely to be fiscally prudent “Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom,” Musk said in a post on X. “When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,” the Tesla and SpaceX CEO said. To legally form the party would require Musk to register it with the US Federal Election Commission ■ ■ Musk first raised the prospect of forming a party during his public feud with Trump, which saw him leave his role in the administration’s DOGE and engage in a vicious public spat with his former ally The world’s richest man has indicated he wants a party that is fiscally conservative and reins in spending, without more details 2024 Musk was the largest donor to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign 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 After Bihar, poll panel now plans revision of rolls in Bengal, Delhi EC says Bihar draft list would contain names of voters whose enumeration forms were received MUK E SH RA N J A N & A s h i s h S r i v a s ta v a & RAMASHA N KAR mahua, RJD move supreme court @ New Delhi/Patna NOTWITHSTANDING the raging controversy around the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar electoral rolls, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is now preparing to launch and initiate a similar exercise in West Bengal and New Delhi sometime in August this year, sources in the poll panel told this newspaper on Sunday . The last time the ECI verified electoral rolls in West Bengal and New Delhi was in 2002 and 2008, respectively. “As the assembly elections will be due in West Bengal after Bihar, we are preparing for the exercise in advance,” a source said. For New Delhi, the Chief Electoral Officer has notified the cut-off date for the revision Trinamool Congress leader and Member of Parliament Mahua Moitra has moved the Supreme Court challenging an order of the Election Commission of India for special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. “ECI has introduced it to deprive bonafide young electorate of Bihar. Later, they will target Bengal,” Moitra told a news agency. In her plea, Moitra sought a direction to restrain ECI from issuing similar orders in other states of the country. The RJD and an NGO have also moved the top court as March 16, 2008. This means that all voter names added to the rolls after this date will now be subject to verification. Individuals falling in this category will be required to furnish documentary proof of citizenship to retain their names on the electoral list. The ECI said the revision exercise in Bihar has been going on smoothly and the initial phase of it has been completed. In an official statement, the ECI said, “It is reiterated that SIR is being conducted in Bihar as per instructions issued on June 24 and there is no change in the instructions. The draft electoral rolls that will be issued on August 1, 2025 will contain the names of persons whose enumeration forms are received.” It said electors can submit any one of the 11 specified documents anytime before July 25, 2024. “After publication of Draft Electoral Rolls, if any document is deficient, EROs can obtain such documents, from the electors whose name appears in the draft Electoral Roll, during scrutiny in the claims and objection period,” it noted. “The new directive has provided a great relief to people, as they have been given a relaxation of nearly 45 days to submit required documents,” said a senior official posted at the Bihar CEO office in Patna. Highlighting the need for the SIR in the country Chief Elec, tion Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar told this newspaper that during the past four months, “all 4,123 EROs, all 775 DEOs and all 6 CEOs have held nearly 5,000 meetings with 28,000 political party representatives”. “ECI has invited all recognised political parties for interaction. No one was satisfied with the current status of electoral rolls for one reason or the other.” The deadline for submission of forms is July 26. BRICS slams Pahalgam attack, demands urgent UNSC reforms J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi BRICS leaders on Sunday condemned the Pahalgam terror attack “in the strongest terms” and flagged the dangers of cross-border terrorism. “We condemn in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April 2025, during which 26 people were killed,” the BRICS leaders declaration said. In his hard-hitting address at the BRICS Summit at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called out countries that support terrorism, saying they “must pay the price.” He urged BRICS to take a clear stand for overcoming terrorism, saying there is no room for double standards. “We reaffirm our commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including the cross-border movement of terrorists, terrorism financing, and safe havens. We urge to ensure zero tolerance for terrorism and re- Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva upon his arrival in Brazil | pti ject double standards in countering terrorism,” the BRICS leaders’ declaration said. The declaration called for the swift adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism under the United Nations framework and demanded concerted global action against all UN-designated terrorists and entities. Making a sharp geopolitical statement, the BRICS leaders condemned the recent Israeli airstrikes on Iran and expressed alarm over escalating violence. “We condemn the military strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran since 13 June 2025, which constitute a violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, and express grave concern over the subsequent escalation of the security situation in the Middle East,” the declaration read. In his address to the 17th BRICS Summit’s session on Reform of Global Governance,” Modi made a clarion call for an inclusive world order led by meaningful institutional reform. “The Global South has often faced double standards. Whether it’s about development, distribution of resources, or security-related matters, the interests of the Global South have not been given due importance,” Modi said. Kerala varsity Syndicate revokes registrar’s suspension; VC terms decision invalid E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @T’Puram Indian players celebrate Akash Deep’s scalp of Jamie Smith in Edgbaston on Sunday | AFP MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM AT EDGBASTON E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Chennai Five days ago when India captain Shubman Gill was probed by Michael Atherton during the toss on the Playing XI (then) that looked defensive on paper, an Indian win seemed to be still in the realm of a beautiful dream. In the real world, however, even before a ball was bowled in the second Test, the balance was tilted in favour of hosts England. They successfully chased a record total in the first. India had decided to rest ever-dependable Jasprit Bumrah despite a nine-day gap between the two games. The captain Gill is just one Test old. On top of that India decided to go ahead with all-rounders rather than bolster their bowling. Things looked even more grim when India were 211/5 and were staring at another likely collapse after tea on Day One. Well, that was the last moment India seemed lost. But the one-Test old captain batted, batted and batted, and in the company of Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, broke one record after another on his way to a marathon 269. India stopped at 587. The total seemed to have done the trick. If the first innings seemed an ab e r r at i o n , t h e s e c o n d seemed like highlights with fours and sixes peppered around the ground. Morally, England were crushed on the fourth day . Inspired by the captain’s innings, Akash Deep and Mo- hammed Siraj did what India bowlers struggled in the first Test – take 20 wickets in the two innings. ‘No Bumrah, no problem’. The duo shared all ten wickets between them as India gained a 180-run lead and Gill decided to make sure the target was beyond the hosts with another strokeful hundred (161). It was only a matter of time before India levelled the series with ease, thanks to Akash Deep’s 6/99 in the second innings. For the record, this is the biggest margin (336 runs) of win for India away from home and this is their first win at Edgbaston. In sports, dreams do turn into reality. Over to L o r d ’s w i t h h o p e a n d hoopla. High drama unfolded at the special meeting of the Kerala University (KU) Syndicate on Sunday with the Left-dominated varsity body “revoking” the suspension of Registrar K S Anil Kumar even as Ciza Thomas, who is holding charge of vice-chancellor (VC), termed the decision invalid. Amid uncertainty over the validity of the revocation of his suspension, the registrar reached the university on Sunday evening and re-assumed charge. According to sources, Anil Kumar’s swift move, on the direction of the Syndicate, indi- K S Anil Kumar Ciza Thomas cated that he would withdraw the case challenging his suspension in the High Court on Monday . The single-point agenda of the Syndicate meeting, chaired by the VC, was to “finalise the statement of facts on the Registrar’s suspension”, to be submitted before the High Court on Monday in the case filed by Anil Kumar. E X P RESS READ UK team in T’Puram to fix F-35B fighter jet T’Puram: A team of British aviation engineers landed in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday to repair the F-35B stealth fighter jet that has been grounded at the international airport for the past 23 days. The 14-member team arrived aboard a Royal Air Force Airbus A400M Atlas military transport aircraft, carrying specialist equipment. The jet, stranded since June 14 due to a hydraulic system failure, was moved to a designated hangar space provided by Air India. P5 Tiger that killed rubber tapper caught Malappuram: The tiger that killed a rubber tapper at Kalikavu in Malappuram has finally been caught in a trap set by the forest department at Sulthana Estate. The female tiger has suffered injuries on its face after repeatedly hitting the bars of the cage in an attempt to escape. P4 17 warships and nine submarines await nod New Delhi: Approximately 17 warships and nine submarines of the Indian Navy are currently undergoing various stages of approval, according to sources on Sunday. This is in addition to the existing fleet of 61 warships and submarines, which are at various stages of construction. P7 everest-high dreams 17-year-old hitch-hikes across 20 states and Nepal L a k s h m i At h i r a @Kozhikode Abin Babu at Annapurna Base Camp in Nepal A 17-year-old from Ko zhikode has accomplished a journey that remains a distant dream for many, even adults. While most teenagers spent their Class 11 vacation preparing for entrance exams or relaxing at home, Abin Babu set out on an extraordinary solo adventure, travelling through 20 Indian states and Nepal. With little money in hand, he relied on hitch-hiking and the kindness of strangers to tur n his travel dreams into a remarkable reality . It wasn’t the first time Abin had ventured out alone. His first solo trip happened during his Class 10 vacation, when he travelled across several northern states over 50 days. Convincing his family to let him travel alone was no easy task. “When I was 14, my father fell ill and was admitted to a hospital in Bengaluru. I had to travel alone to visit h i m . T h at e x p e r i e n c e changed my life,” Abin tells TNIE. The trip helped him realise the freedom and the confidence that comes with solo travel. “So, by the time my Class 10 exams were over, I was determined to go on a long trip to north India. At first, my parents thought I was joking, but eventually, I stood firm on my decision,” he says. Abin’s first journey was carefully planned, travelling by train and visiting only popular destinations. But this time, armed with experience, he took a bolder route. “For this journey, I didn’t travel by train or bus. I hitchhiked, taking lifts from interstate lorry drivers and any vehicle I could find along the way I stayed . and ate at gurudwaras, temples, churches... wherever I could find shelter,” Abin ● More on P4 says.  During the meeting, pro-Left Syndicate members insisted that the registrar’s suspension be discussed. The VC turned down the demand, citing that the matter was not in the agenda. This led to heated arguments between both sides. According to the VC, the meeting could not even discuss the item on the agenda owing to protests by a section of Syndicate members. Amid the protests, the VC called off the meeting and walked out. The Syndicate members, however, continued with the deliberations even after the VC dispersed the meeting. Speaking to the media, Ciza said the claim of the pro-Left Syndicate members that the registrar’s suspension has been annulled had no validity as it was taken after the meeting was called off. “Any proceedings carried out after the chair dispersed the meeting does not have any validity Ciza said. ,” She said the documents related to the statements of facts about the registrar’s suspension were distributed to Syndicate members but they chose not to discuss it. Emerging after the meeting, Syndicate finance committee convener G Muraleedharan said the varsity body has decided to withdraw the registrar’s ● More on P4 suspension.  RTI reveals vlogger held for spying visited Kerala on govt invite; sparks row E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ T’Puram Haryana-based vlogger Jyoti Malhotra, who was recently arrested on charges of spying for Pakistan, had visited Kerala on the invitation of the state government as part of its efforts to promote tourism, it has emerged. The revelation, which came in the form of an RTI reply, has triggered controversy with criticism being raised from various corners against the gover nment decision. Jyoti was arrested on May 16, a few days after ‘Operation Sindoor’. According to the RTI reply, Jyoti was among 41 social media influencers enlisted by the tourism department from January 1, 2024, to May 21, 2025, to promote state tourism. She visited Kannur, Kozhikode, Kochi, Alappuzha and Munnar, with the state government bearing her expenses and paying a remuneration. Reacting to the development, Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas said the vloggers were brought to boost the state’s tourism prospects. “We had good intentions. Everyone knows that. Do you think the state government invited her for spying and provided all as- sistance?” he asked. Riyas said the promotion work of the tourism department is being conducted in the same manner as in the past and the controversy did not frighten him. “People know the truth and they are with us,” he said. Meanwhile, Youth League state secretary P K Firoz said the minister was shirking from his responsibility of giving an explanation on how the fiasco happened. “The news report of Jyoti being invited by the gover nment is shocking. The minister has the responsibility to answer the questions. Instead, he is giving rude replies and saying people are with them. He should have answered whether the background of the vlogger was scrutinised beforehand. But he is giving arrogant responses and acting as a super chief minister,” Firoz said. Stating that he had raised this matter a month ago, BJP leader K Surendran posted on ‘X’: “Now, RTI documents prove every word I said. Why did Kerala Tourism, controlled by CM’s son-in-law, sponsor a Paklinked spy’s trip.” He said the security of the state was not the family business of CM.