THIRUVANANTHAPURAM l tuesday l December 17, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION Bangladesh may hold election in late 2025 or early 2026: Yunus Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Monday said the next general election could take place by the end of 2025 or first half of 2026 People celebrating the 53rd Victory Day in Dhaka on Monday | afp Dates will depend on political consensus Yunus said the timing of the election will depend on political consensus as well as electoral reforms. “If we have to hold the election on the basis of a flawless preparation of the voter list, it may be possible to hold it by the end of 2025... And if we add to this the expected level of reforms in the electoral process, then it may take another six months,” he added ■ Dec 16 Voter list to be updated before polls ■ Yunus said he would like polls to be held after completing all reforms “We have to make sure the names of all those who have become eligible to vote in the last 15 years are included in the voters’ list. This is a big task,” said Yunus, head of Bangladesh’s caretaker government that was installed after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina on August 5 Marks India’s victory in 1971 war, liberating Bangladesh from Pak 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 Sitharaman, Kharge exchange barbs in RS Cong head rebuts charges of constitutional changes for ‘one family’ R A J ESH KU M A R TH A KUR @ New Delhi In a show of support for the people of Palestine, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra carries a bag with ‘Palestine’ written on it | pti ‘Will not allow Lankan territory to be used against India’ y e s h i S e l i @ New Delhi SRI Lanka will not allow its territory to be used against India’s national security interests, Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. Dissanayake’s assurance comes amid concerns in New Delhi over China’s attempts to increase its military influence over Colombo. D i s s a n aya ke, who is on a threeday visit to India, held wide-ranging talks with Modi. Both the leaders decided to finalise a bilateral defence cooperation agreement and ramp up their energy ties by establishing electricity grid connectivity and multi-product petroleum pipelines. In the meeting, Modi said he and the Sri Lankan president were in “full agreement” that security interests of both countries are interconnected. Modi also assured Dissanayake of India’s support to the island nation. 16 pages, including 4 pages of THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Express Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Mallikarjun Kharge | PTI Sachin’s 99s Tendulkar’s dismissals at 99 found mention in the Rajya Sabha as Kharge sought to draw Chairman Dhankhar’s attention to his speech. When Dhankar said, “I am looking at you 99%,” Kharge quipped, “Sachin scored 99 runs 10-12 times but it couldn’t become a century.” stop communal propaganda. Kharge sharply criticised the BJP-RSS, accusing them of undermining Constitutional values. He claimed the RSS had opposed the Constitution during the Constituent Assembly debates. “RSS mouthpiece Organiser in the edition of November 30, 1949 had written about it,” he said. In a new twist to the Munambam controversy, two members of the Waqf Samrakshana Samithi on Monday filed a complaint before the Ernakulam rural police chief requesting that a criminal case be registered against the Farook College authorities for allegedly selling the disputed land at Munambam violating the basic principles of waqf. It’s learnt that the complainants, North Paravoor Mannam residents A M Sunnajan and Kuruppam Ve e t t i l M o h a m m e d Amanullah, had the blessings of a section Islamic scholars who held a meeting in Ernakulam. The complaint states that 404.76 acres of properties have been registered as waqf land (No. 2115/1950-10) at Sub Registrar Office, Edappally and handed over to the , management committee of Farook College Kozhikode, for the betterment of members of the Muslim community. The land was registered as waqf; it is clearly mentioned in the document that the land is not transferable. However, according to the complainants, most of this land was sold by the Farook College management committee and Kuzhuppilly resident Adv MV Paul, who was given the power of attorney and receiver by the college management committee, without any permission from the Waqf Board. ● More on P4 9 Mar 1951 - 15 Dec 2024 speaking hands fall silent A m i tava Sa n ya l @ New Delhi W Exports fall Record gold imports widen trade deficit DI PA K M OND A L @ New Delhi eyes of the tiger D Gukesh receives a rousing welcome on his arrival at the Chennai airport on Monday. Hundreds of fans almost mobbed the world champion | Ashwin prasath | P11 Outrage as tribal man, 40, dragged alongside car in Wayanad; probe on E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @Kalpetta In a shocking incident, a 40-year-old tribal man was dragged alongside a car, with a passenger allegedly holding on to his arm, for nearly half a kilometre. The incident took place on the MananthavadyPulpally route near Payyampally in Wayanad on Sunday evening. Police have identified the accused as Arshid, a resident of Kaniyampatta in Wayanad, who has reportedly absconded. Three of Arshid’s friends are also suspected to be involved in the heinous act. The police on Monday seized the car involved in the incident from near a house at Kaniyampatta. The victim, Mathan, a resident of Koodalkadavu, sustained serious injuries to his legs and hands. The incident followed an altercation between two groups of tourists visiting a checkdam near Payyampally. On seeing the heated exchange, Mathan intervened and tried to mediate. However, when the tourists SHYA M P V @ Kochi A video grab shows Mathan being dragged alongside a car were about to leave, one of the persons inside the car grabbed hold of Mathan’s hand. Eyewitnesses said the car accelerated, dragging Mathan along the tarred road for nearly 500m. Despite his pleas, the car passengers allegedly continued d r iv i n g u n t i l p a s s e r s by intervened. The incident drew condemnation from tribal people and activists, who demanded strict action against the culprits. On Monday the police seized , the car from Kaniyampatta after a family informed them that the vehicle was parked near their house. The family identified the car from media reports about the incident. A police team retrieved the car and brought it to the Mananthavady station for forensic examination. Police said the family which helped identify the car did not know that the car had been hidden near their residence after the heinous act. The car is registered in Malappuram and belongs to Muhammed Saif, a resident of Kuttippuram. Police recorded Mathan’s statement at the hospital and registered a case. Mananthavady Inspector Sunil Gopi said charges have been filed under multiple sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita, including Section 296B (Causing public nuisance), Section 352 (intentional provocation), Section 126 (wrongful restraint) and Section 115 (intentional harm). Authorities are analysing CCTV footage from nearby shops, homes, and border checkposts to identify and track ● More on P4 suspects.  IN what could put pressure on the economy, India’s trade deficit—the difference between imports and exports—widened to a record $37.8 billion in November, showing a 4.8% drop in exports and a record increase in imports driven by massive gold demand. The average monthly deficit recorded during the April-October 2024 period was $23.5 billion, government data released on Monday showed. In absolute terms, merchandise exports fell from $33.75 billion in November 2023 to $32.11 billion in November 2024. In contrast, imports during November 2024 grew 27% to $69.95 billion with gold shipments rising 4.3 times to $15 billion. “Such high levels of gold imports were likely driven by festive and marriage-related demand and are unlikely to sustain in the ensuing months, which would help to cool the upcoming merchandise trade deficit prints,” said Aditi Nayar, chief economist, ICRA. Even though services exports came to the rescue of the November trade, the overall trade deficit (merchandise + services) at $19.84 billion in the month was three times that of the previous year. Services sector exports jumped 27% year-on-year to $35.67 billion in November even as imports surged 29% to $19 billion. In a break from past trends, services exports for the first time in November raced ahead of merchandise exports by $3.56 billion. According to Ajay Srivastava, founder, Global Trade Research Initiative, higher services growth has been a consistent trend and is now resulting into higher export values. “Between FY19 and FY24, exports grew at a compounded annual growth rate of 5.8%, while services exports surged at CAGR of 10.5%,” he said. dEMAND in Flux Decline in exports is attributed to a slump in global demand while the uptick in imports shows robust domestic demand IMPACT ON CAD Adverse trade deficit may widen current account deficit (CAD) to 2.8% of GDP in Q3, against earlier forecast of 2%, said Aditi Nayar of ICRA hen he was born on March 9, 1951, Zakir Hussain was considered an unlucky child. The arrival of the eldest son had coincided with the family’s most distressing moment, as his ‘ bba’, Allarakha Qureishi, had fallen ill with A a heart ailment. The family was somewhat reassured when a holy man appeared at the door of their small house in Mahim, Mumbai and insisted that the son would ‘save’ the father and that he be named Zakir Hussain—a surname to honour Imam Hussain that no one else in the family shared. As presaged, the more Zakir fell ill over the next four years, the stronger his father became. By the time the son was five, both had recovered well enough to start a rigorous daily routine of practising the Punjab gharana’s style on the tabla. In time, rather than fading in the glare of his father’s stardom, Zakir stood apart with his own intonation, phraseology and temperament. In his pre-teen years, Zakir soaked up the experience of listening to his Abba’s friend Ravi Shankar on the sitar or Western musicians like the pop group ABBA from up close. Over the next few decades, he built a bridge between the older generation of Samta Prasad, Kishen Maharaj and Allarakha that stressed tradition, and younger musicians open to collaborating with other genres. This openness allowed a rare synergy among the original quartet of Shakti — which included John McLaughlin, L Shankar and T H ‘Vikku’ Vinayakram — a band formed in 1973 that electrified audiences with a unique mix of Eastern and Western music. That, half a century later, Zakir’s work with a much-changed lineup of the band would win him three of his five Grammys is testament to the relevance of his musical ideas. He would change his approach to suit the occasion. Zakir could be puckish while playing the notes of ‘Happy birthday’ or raag Durga on the tabla — something that earned him the epithet of ‘speaking hands’. But he could be utterly restrained while accompanying, say, Nikhil Banerjee at a concert or Lakshmi Shankar in a studio session. It’s this felicity that made him synonymous with his instrument. The ‘speaking hands’ finally fell silent at a San Francisco hospital as a chronic lung disease claimed him at age 73. Along with his family — wife Antonia Minnecola, and daughters Isabella and Anisa — the world is lucky to h ave b e e n b e q u e a t h e d a grand musical legacy by someone born ‘unlucky’. Illustration: Sourav Roy Palestine point Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday accused the Congress of making major amendments to the Constitution “brazenly to help the family and the dynasty”, as she initiated a discussion on the commemoration of 75 years of adoption of the Constitution in the Rajya Sabha. “Each time the Congress brazenly (amended Constitution), only to help the family The dy. nasty kept amending the Constitution, and this is how far they went even if it affects any particular woman who desperately needed the benefit,” she alleged while referring to the Shah Bano case. Rebutting the charges, Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge argued that those amendments were essential, like the first one, which aimed to provide reservations for Scheduled Castes and Tribes, resolve issues related to education and employment, and abolish the Zamindari system. Quoting from Sardar Patel’s letter to Nehru dated July 3, 1950, Kharge pointed to Patel’s view that constitutional amendment was the only remedy to Taking aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kharge accused him of twisting facts regarding Nehru’s stance on quota and demanded his apology for misleading the nation. Earlier, Sitharaman accused Congress of failing to pass the Women’s Reservation Bill due to coalition pressures and highlighted the party’s historical role in the curtailment of free speech. She cited the arrests of poet Majrooh Sultanpuri and actor Balraj Sahni under Nehru’s watch as PM as examples of suppressing dissent. Sitharaman also criticised the Congress for not installing Babasaheb Ambedkar’s photo in the central hall of Parliament for decades and for denying him the Bharat Ratna. She also criticised the socialist economic model adopted by Nehru and continued by Indira Gandhi, claiming it hindered India’s economic progress. Responding to Sitharaman’s charges on women’s quota, Kharge credited the policies of the Congress for enabling its eventual passage in Parliament and promised swift implementation if the party returned to power. He also asked why Modi had not visited Manipur where ethnic violence is yet to abate. Waqf Samrakshana Samithi members want Farook College authorities indicted tough season Results belie expectations, Blasters sack coach M a n i s h a V C S @Kochi Vociferious fans creating an intimidating atmopshere at the imposing Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi for the home matches of Kerala Blasters FC has long been a key selling point for the Indian Super League overseas. And various coaches and players have expressed a fair share of interest to be in a position to soak it all in from the Blasters dugout. It was no different with Mikael Stahre. “I have never seen anything Mikael Stahre like it before,” Stahre had told TNIE in an interview early in the season. But the Swede had huge ‘asan’ shoes to fill, that of the hugely popular Ivan Vukumanovic. Under the Serbian, the Blasters qualified for three successive playoffs, including a runners-up finish in his maiden season. The club also recorded its highest points and goals tally in a single season, in 2022, under him. And the fans were the team’s proverbial 12th man. Twelve matches into the new season, though, the Blasters have cut a sorry figure. Seven defeats, four of them at home, left the fans enraged. As if on cue, the Super League Kerala final in Kozhikode -- on Novem- ber 10 -- was reported to have garnered a higher attendance than any of the Blasters’ home matches this year. The shocking 2-3 loss away to Mohun Bagan on Saturday, after leading 2-1 till the 86th minute, has turned out to be the final straw. Amid backlash from fans following a disastrous sequence of six losses in seven games, the Blasters have sacked the head coach, along with assistant coaches Bjorn Wesstoem and Frederico Pereira Morais, with immediate ef● More on P4 fect.