BHUBANESWAR l sunday l november 16, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l LATE CITY EDITION Trump scraps tariffs on some items including coffee, fruits The abrupt retreat from his signature tariff policy comes amid mounting pressure on his administration to combat high consumer prices Admits levies causing prices to shoot u-turn after party’s election losses The president signed an executive order on Friday that removes tariffs on coffee, tea, beef, fruit juice, cocoa, spices, bananas, oranges, tomatoes, and certain fertilisers imported into the US. “We’ve just made a slight rollback on some foods,” Trump said. He acknowledged that his tariff policy has contributed to a rise in consumer prices in “some cases” | P10 ■ ■ The reversal comes after voters in off-year elections this month cited economic concerns as their top issue, resulting in big wins for Democrats in Virginia, New Jersey and other key races around the US “The president is finally admitting what we always knew: his tariffs are raising prices for the people,” senior Democrat Don Beyer said $2,000 The amount trump proposed to give each American as tariff dividend 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 CM expected to dissolve House, stake fresh claim on Monday daughter quits lalu family, politics e x press ne w s ser v i c e @ Kolkata/Chandigarh/Srinagar R a m as h ankar @ Patna A day after the Rashtriya Janata Dal-Congress-led Mahagathbandhan’s crushing defeat in the Bihar Assembly elections, a feud erupted within RJD leader Lalu Prasad’s family, with his daughter Rohini Acharya announcing that she was quitting politics and severing all ties with the family . “I am quitting politics and also disowning my family. This is what Sanjay Yadav and Rameez had asked me to do. I am taking all the blame,” Acharya wrote on X. Sanjay Yadav is an RJD MP and a close confidant of Lalu’s younger son, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, while Rameez is Tejashwi’s friend from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh. Neither Sanjay nor Rameez reacted, deepRohini Acharya ening the mystery and fuelling speculation of pressure within the party and the family . Rohini Acharya had previously made headlines when she donated one of her kidneys to her ailing father, Lalu Prasad. Responding to Rohini’s announcement, her brother Tej Pratap, who himself was expelled from the party a few months back, said: “Those who are trying to harass my sister will not be spared. ‘Jai Chand’ (traitor) will be taught a lesson at an appropriate time.” JD(U) MLC Neeraj Kumar said, “The daughter who saved the life of Lalu is now saying in pain that she is stepping down from politics and snapping ties with the family It is a big question on . Lalu and Rabri Devi.” More arrests in ‘white collar’ terror module case LJP(RV) chief Chirag Paswan greets Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna | PTI Mind games by Nitish before 10th term shot R A J E S H K UM A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi A day after the NDA registered a stunning landslide victory in the Bihar elections, there was no doubt in anybody’s mind that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will get a record 10th term at the government’s helm. But Nitish being Nitish, he could suggest to the BJP that it should lead the government since it emerged as the single-largest party For its . part, the BJP could graciously insist that the mandate was for Nitish in the hot seat and should stay that way . In 2024, when he returned to the NDA after walking out of the Mahagathbandhan, Nitish enacted the same drama of asking the BJP to stake its claim for chief ministership, but the BJP respectfully turned it down. Of course, the final call will be taken by the BJP’s national leadership. “But, there is no chance of the BJP leading the government; it will send a wrong message within the NDA. The current arrange- ment is working fine,” remarked a senior BJP leader. The swearing-in ceremony is tentatively expected between November 18 and 21, depending on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s availability . Given the solid performance of Chirag Paswan’s LJP(RV) at the hustings — 19 out of 25 seats it contested, it could be rewarded with a deputy chief minister’s position. As for the BJP, it could name a Yadav leader from the party like Ram Kripal Yadav for the second deputy CM’s slot. The idea is to consolidate the BJP’s position in the Yadav vote bank, especially after making inroads into this demographic this time around. A state cabinet meeting on dissolving the outgoing assembly is expected on Monday, after which Nitish will submit his resignation to the Governor. Later, a meeting of the NDA legislative party will elect Nitish as its leader. Nitish will then return to Raj Bhavan and stake his claim to form the new government. MORE arrests continue in the Delhi car blast case with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) detaining Zanishar Alam, a 2024 MBBS graduate of Al Falah University, from his village in Suryapur market of Dalkhola in West Bengal’s North Dinajpur district on Saturday . Alam was released late in the evening, NIA officials said. He had returned home on November 12 to attend a wedding. NIA officials traced him from Ludhiana, where his father lives. Acting on a tip-off, officials contacted Touhid in Ludhiana and collected details of his son.“He was released after questioning. His mobile phone has been seized, and told to be present if summoned again,” the officer said. Meanwhile, a surgeon from Pathankot linked to Al Falah University and two doctors and fertilizer store owners from Haryana was also detained. Sources said that 45year-old Dr Rayees Ahmad Bhat, presently associated with White Medical College in Pathankot, was detained by NIA on Saturday and is currently being questioned after investigators found that he was allegedly in touch with Dr Umar Un Nabi, the Delhi blast kingpin. Sources said Bhat was taken WHO norms on diabetes during pregnancy out The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its first global guidelines for the management of diabetes during pregnancy, a condition affecting about one in six pregnancies — or 21 million women annually | P7 BJP suspends R K Singh | P8 Cops in decoy ops nab two Bihar arms dealers E x press N e w s S er v i c e Undercover cops had agreed to pay `1 lakh to Divyanshu and Chandan to procure the carbine and `50,000 for each semi-automatic pistol. The duo is likely to have earlier supplied illegal weapons in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Khurda and other parts of the state – S Dev Datta Singh, police commissioner @ Bhubaneswar In a successful decoy operation, the Special Crime Unit (SCU) of Commissionerate Police busted a major interstate arms dealer gang, arresting two Bihar natives and seizing a carbine with two magazines, five semi-automatic pistols and nine rounds of ammunition from them. Addressing mediapersons, police commissioner S Dev Datta Singh said SCU officers had got credible information that the two accused Divyanshu Kumar and Chandan Kumar, both aged 26 years and natives of Bihar’s Khagaria district, were active in the il- e x p r ess r e a d Lokpal paves way for CBI charge sheet against MP Kolkata: The Lokpal has granted its nod to the CBI to file a chargesheet against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra within four weeks for her involvement in a cash-for-query case. Following the approval, the CBI has initiated legal process against the MP representing the Krishnanagar constituency in Nadia district in West Bengal. On November 12, a full bench of the Lokpal held a meeting and decided to allow the probe agency to submit the chargesheet in the relevant court | P8 Police seize carbine from 2 Bihar natives legal arms trade in Odisha. Police officers posed as arms procurers and struck a deal with Divyanshu and Chandan to buy the weapons from them. After being lured, the two arrived in the city and were apprehended near Malisahi late on Friday night. The arms and ammunition were in their possession, he added. Investigation revealed the accused had procured the firearms from Bihar’s Munger. As part of the operation, undercover cops had agreed to pay `1 lakh to Divyanshu and Chandan to procure the carbine and `50,000 for each semiautomatic pistol. Police said the duo is likely to have earlier supplied illegal weapons in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Khurda and other parts of the state. Their past deals are being verified, they added. Further investigation is on to uncover more details regarding the supply chain, financial backers and wider criminal network involved in the arms racket. “This operation marked a significant milestone in the ongoing drive to disrupt and dismantle illegal arms syndicates operating in the city Singh said. ,” MHA probe into nowgam blast The Home Ministry (MHA) said a probe has been ordered to determine the cause of the Nowgam police station ‘accidental’ blast that killed 9 people, including cops, on Friday accidental explosion: dgp The explosion at Nowgam police station on Friday in Srinagar has raised serious questions on handling of explosives by police. DGP Nalin Prabhat said it was an “accidental explosion” | P7 WITH THIS ISSUE A policewoman consoles relatives of Mohammad Shafi Parry, a tailor who was among nine killed in the explosion at Nowgam police station | Zahoor punjabi into custody to ascertain whether he was part of the “white-collar” terror module managed by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind. The NMC has cancelled the registrations of the four doctors — Dr Muzaffar Ahmad, Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather, Dr Muzamil Shakeel and Dr Shaheen Saeed with immediate effect — for their alleged involvement in the terror module. Devil’s Doctor d e M in e th nsid of the I Urban Terrorist PLUS 12 P AGES CM unveils projects worth `1,955 cr, says govt committed to uplift tribals P R A S A N J E E T S A R K A R @ Rourkela Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi unveiled development projects worth `1,955 crore in Sundargarh district on the occasion of Janjatiya Gaurav Divas celebration, marking the 150th birth anniversary of legendary tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda, at Rourkela on Saturday . Paying rich tributes to Birsa Munda, he recalled his invaluable contribution to India’s freedom struggle, fight against colonialism, exploitation, torture and religious conversion of the tribal people as well as land grabbing by the zamindars of British government. Majhi said the BJP governments in Odisha and at the Centre have been relentlessly working for socio-economic development of tribal people along with preservation of tribal culture, tradition and languages. By granting around 4.6 lakh individual forest rights titles, his gover nment has emerged as one of the country’s leading states to implement the Forest Rights Act, he said. Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi for working towards all-round development of the tribal people, the CM also exhorted the tribal people Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi pays tribute to Bhagwan Birsa Munda during Janjatiya Gaurav Divas celebration at Rourkela on Saturday | Express The BJP governments have been relentlessly working for socio-economic development of tribal people along with preservation of their culture, tradition and languages Mohan Majhi, CM to educate themselves and fight for their rights. He spoke about PM-JANMAN Yojana, Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan, Janjatiya Jeevika Parishad initiative, Adi Karmayogi Abhiyan and Dharti Abba Jan Bhagidari Yojana, all aimed at all-round development of tribal masses along with their socioeconomic empowerment. “Till today, tribal literacy is low and tribal communities are struggling with issues of livelihood and backwardness. Under the Mukhya Mantri Janjatiya Jeevika Mission (MMJJM), my government has been sincerely working to ensure sustainable livelihood for tribal families and providing them with economic assistance for rehabilitation,” he said. Under the MMJJM, so far, around 1.5 lakh tribal families have been covered, the CM said, adding it is getting implemented across 119 tribal-dominated blocks and an allocation of `500 crore has made from 2023-24 to Continued on P5 2025-26.  t r a d in g z o ne Samson to CSK, Jadeja RR dominate buzz; KKR brace for auction E x press N e w s S er v i c e @ Chennai The trading window of the Indian Premier League has shown signs of maturity as the tournament has evolved over the years. With the window closing on Saturday, most teams seemed to have covered their bases, especially Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru making most of it. Going by the money left in the purse, Kolkata Knight Riders, after a poor outing last season, are looking to rebuild the team. CSK too are following a similar script. The two are expected to engage in a fierce battle to secure the choicest of players, especially Australian all-rounder Cam Green. Interestingly, most of the players released by teams will go into the auction pool. KKR are looking for a captain as well. The central figures on the last day of trading were Sanju Samson and Ravindra Jadeja. The wicket-keeper batter was traded with the left-armspinning all-rounder. Samson landed with CSK for a figure of `18 cr while Jadeja left for Rajasthan Royals, surprisingly on a pay cut – `14 crore. For CSK, the move would help consolidate their fanbase and fortify their keeping with icon Mahendra Singh Dhoni, at 44, not growing any younger. CSK’s Sam Curran’s move to RR too was part of deal. CSK have managed to free up some `40 crore after releasing a host of players, including stars like New Zealand’s Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra, Deepak Hooda and Matheesha Pathirana. Similarly, KKR have 13 slots open, including six Purse `64.30cr `43.40cr Remaining KKR CSK overseas. Mohammed Shami was bought in an all-cash deal by Lucknow Super Giants from Sunrisers Hyderabad. Though MI, the five-time champs, have a smaller purse (`2,75cr), they have already got a balanced team after securing Shardul Thakur, Sherfane Rutherford and Mayank Markande. Same is the case with RCB and PBK. Auction will be held at Abu Dhabi on Dec 16.