chennai l thursday l may 29, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l vellore EDITION Industrial output slips to 2.7% in April; mining, power laggards IIP slowed to 2.7 % in April 2025 due to poor performance of manufacturing, mining, power sectors, data released on Wednesday showed industrial production growth revised capital goods segment a saving grace The factory output, measured in terms of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), rose by 5.2% in April 2024, govt data showed. The National Statistics Office (NSO) also revised upwards industrial production growth for March to 3.9% from the earlier estimate of 3% released last month. The IIP growth was 2.7% in February also ■ ■ The capital goods segment growth accelerated to 20.3% in April 2025, an increase from 2.8% in the year-ago period Mining production contracted by 0.2% as against a growth of 6.8% a year ago, while power output growth also slowed to 1% in April 2025 against 10.2% in the year-ago period, official data analysis indicated 4% growth recorded by Infrastructure sector 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 Court papers Trump tariffs forced India, Pak to declare ceasefire: US J AYANTH J ACOB @ New Delhi Trump administration officials have told a US court that President Donald Trump’s emergency tariff powers were instrumental in securing a ceasefire between India and Pakistan earlier this month. “This ceasefire was only achieved after President Trump interceded and offered both nations trading access with the United States to avert a fullscale war,” read the legal documents submitted to the US Court of International Trade on May 23. The revelation is in stark contrast to India’s official position that there was no thirdparty role in the ceasefire worked out between the Directors General of Military Operations of India and Pakistan. The US assertion was part of the Trump administration’s response to a Donald Trump, lawsuit filed by US President small American businesses challenging Trump’s broad use of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The plaintiffs claim the law does not authorise the president to impose tariffs and argue Trump’s trade policies have inflicted economic harm. Senior US officials, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, defended the use of IEEPA. Lutnick said Trump’s offer of enhanced trade access helped de-escalate a military standoff between ‘nucleararmed’ India and Pakistan. The US submission also claimed that Trump’s tariff pressure helped bring Beijing to the negotiating table. Not Dilli, not Pindi. B’desh First, says BNP B angladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Tarique Rehaman, son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and the late President General Zia Ur Rehman, on Wednesday gave his sea of supporters in Dhaka a slogan to remember and use in elections he insisted the interim government must hold in December. “Not Dilli, not Pindi, nor any other country Bangladesh first,” . Rehman thundered, to a roar of approval from lakhs of people who turned the street outside the BNP’s head office at Naya Paltan in Dhaka into a carpet of yellow BNP pennants and green and red Monideepa Banerjie Senior journalist Part 1 Bangladesh flags. The Delhi dig was directed at the Awami League, which BNP has consistently claimed is in India’s pocket. The reference to Pindi is a first and directed at the growing warmth between the Muhammed Yunus government in Dhaka and the Pakistan military headquartered in Rawalpindi. Within weeks of being installed, the Yunus government had opened its ports to ships from Pakistan and extended several other facilities to a country that was shunned during the Awami League’s regime. Rehman’s address, delivered from London over large screens dotting the rally venue, had tough words for the government, which he accused of exceeding its mandate and delaying the polls. Last week, Army chief WakerUz-Zaman had reportedly made the same demand — polls by December — and though the comments were officially denied later, they triggered a near crisis. Yunus threatened to resign if pushed on the issue. Political Manipur MLAs meet guv, ‘stake’ claim to form govt 44 lawmakers ready to form new govt, says BJP leader T R Singh P r a s a n ta M a z u m d a r , RA J ESH K UMAR THA K UR & MU K ESH RAN J AN @ Guwahati/New Delhi FORTY-FOUR MLAs are ready to form a new government in Manipur, BJP legislator Thokchom Radheshyam Singh claimed on Wednesday after meeting Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla. But there was no clarity on who would head the new government. Singh, along with nine other MLAs — seven from the BJP, two from the National People’s Party and an independent — met Bhalla. The state has 60 Assembly seats, one of which became vacant after the death of an MLA. Asked if they would stake a claim to form the government, he said, “We conveyed to the governor that 44 MLAs are ready This is akin to . staking a claim,” Singh said. He claimed that all MLAs, except the 10 from the Kuki-Zo community and five from Congress, favoured the installation of the government. Singh said the Centre could reimpose President’s rule if a popular government failed. Manipur has been under Central rule A Mahila court in Chennai on Wednesday convicted the sole accused, A Gnanasekaran, in the case of rape of an Anna University student inside the institute’s campus on December 23, 2024. The court had framed charges against Gnanasekaran under Sections 329, 126 (2), 87, 127 (2), 75 (2) r/w 75 (i), (ii), (iii), 76, 64 (1), 351 (3), 238 (b) of BNS and BNSS, Section 66 of the IT Act, and Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Women Harassment Act. The charges pertain to rape, sexual harassment, wrongful confinement, abduction of a woman, and criminal trespass. He was convicted on all 11 counts. The court will pronounce the quantum of sentence on June 2. Gnanasekaran, a biryani vendor who is an accused in multiple cases of theft and other offences, pleaded not guilty. After judge Rajalakshmi convicted him, he pleaded for a lenient sentence, saying he had to take care of his mother and young daughter. The case came to light on Christmas day (December 25) last year after the survivor filed a complaint at the Kotturpuram All-Women Police Station (AWPS) the day before.  P5 2024 Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla meets the MLAs on Wednesday | PTI No change in Biren Singh’s security The Manipur administration on Wednesday refuted claims of a security downgrade for former chief minister N Biren Singh, clarifying that only surplus personnel deployed with him have been recalled since February after BJP leader N Biren Singh resigned as the chief minister, amid criticisms about his government’s handling of the ethnic clashes between Meiteis and Kuki-Zos, which broke out in May 2023. Amid uncertainty murmurs , around government formation have grown louder among the Dec 23: A Gnanasekaran (37) rapes girl student on Anna univ’s Guindy campus Case timeline Sole accused, A Gnanasekaran (37) | express INSIDE Dec 24: Survivor files complaint with Kotturpuram AWPS Dec 25: Incident gets reported in media outlets, Gnanasekaran arrested Dec 29: Madras HC constitutes a three-member SIT of woman IPS officers to probe the case Feb 2025: Charge sheet filed by SIT in court May 28: Mahila court convicts Gnanasekaran on all 11 counts stalin lauds verdict, thanks cops | P4 probe, trial finished in 5 months | P4 Kamal Haasan, Salma, S R Sivalingam & P Wilson | express Kamal reserves Rajya Sabha seat with DMK support Rokkaiah Malik, alias Salma. The opposition AIADMK Honouring its promise may announce its candidates made during the 2024 Lok for the other two seats. Sabha elections, the ruling When the Election ComDMK on Wednesday, while mission announced the poll announcing its list of candi- on Monday TNIE had report, dates for the upcoming Ra- ed that DMK will give Kamal jya Sabha elections, a Rajya Sabha seat, confir med that instead of giving a Makkal Needhi second ter m to Maiam (MNM) Vaiko, leader of Hard-working founder and actor MDMK, another members in the Kamal Haasan will ally of the DMK, DMK are always enter Parliament whose RS tenure is duly recognised. later in July . ending. I see this as an Of the six Rajya acknowledgment Moreover, as reSabha seats in Tamil of four decades of ported by TNIE, inNadu for the June obedient hard work cumbent DMK Ra19 biennial election, jya Sabha members S R Sivalingam, DMK named three M M Abdulla and M DMK Salem East candidates and gave Shanmugam were district secretary one seat to MNM. not renominated. While the party re-nominatThough elections have ed senior advocate P Wilson, been announced for six vathe other two candidates are cancies, considering the DMK’s Salem east district strength of DMK and its alsecretary S R Sivalingam, lies, the party will be able to and writer and poet A send four MPs.  P5 state’s legislators. While a section of the BJP’s central leadership dismissed the possibility of lifting President’s Rule in the short run, others senior leaders hoped a new Manipur gover nment would be installed soon. They kept their fingers crossed, citing a meeting home minister Amit Shah had with President Droupadi Murmu in the day. However, the fact remains that normalcy is yet to be restored, suggesting Central rule was necessary for now. Sources in the Union home ministry said any decision on President’s Rule in Manipur would be made at the political level, and as of yet, they had not received any formal indication in the matter. As K’taka fumes, Haasan defends ‘Kannada remark’ E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Chennai/Bengaluru plastic beach Tonnes of plastic nurdles from the Kerala shipwreck wash up on the shores of Kanniyakumari district in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday | express A speech by Kamal Haasan on Kannada during the audio launch of his upcoming film ‘Thug Life’ in Chennai on Saturday has triggered a linguistic row, with protests erupting in Karnataka and political leaders, including CM Siddaramaiah, slamming the actor. Haasan on Wednesday defended his remarks saying they were only an expression of affection. A few TN political parties have now rallied in his support. At the audio launch, Kamal, while addressing Kannada star Shivarajkumar who was present at the event, said, “Your language (Kannada) was born out of Tamil.” He added, “That’s why I began my speech with ‘Uyire Urave Tamizhe’ (my life, my relation, my Tamil) and I include you in that.”  P5 Lokpal gives clean chit to ex-Sebi chief Madhabi Buch Di pa k M o n d a l @ New Delhi IN a major relief to former Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch, the Lokpal on Wednesday gave her clean chit against a number of corruption charges based on the Hindenburg Research report published in August 2024. Clearing her of all the charges, the anti-corruption ombudsman said the allegations against Buch were ‘unjustified’ and ‘politically motivated’. The allegations against Buch and her husband Dhawal Buch, made by three complainants including Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, were related to undisclosed investments, conflict of interest, quid pro quo and influencing Sebi outcomes. Dismissing the allegations, the Lokpal noted that the complainants failed to establish basic allegations or produce any prima-facie evi- Madhabi Puri Buch dence in any of the allegations. The anti-corruption body also stated there was no prima-facie evidence that Buch or her husband obtained any undue advantage in any of the cases. In one of the charges, it was alleged that Buch and her husband invested in a fund linked to Adani Group companies, which were under Sebi scrutiny for stock price manipulation, and that she failed to disclose these investments leading to a conflict of interest. The Lokpal said while the complainants could not establish the Buchs took any advantage from Adani Group, the Sebi chief gave documentary evidence to prove that her investments were made in 2015, long before investigations into Adanis began in 2020. li f e i n n o r w a y Biryani to podi dosa, Kerala eatery serves Indian chess stars S w a r o o p S w a m i n at h a n 2025 No evidence K E z h i l a r a s a n @ Chennai Gnanasekaran convicted on all counts in Anna univ rape, sentencing on June 2 E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Chennai parties rushed to placate him and he relented. But he did not budge from the six-month window — between December 2025 and June 2026 — he has given himself for holding polls. There is a rider. A commission has been set up to review and fix flaws in the electoral process. Yunus insists that the reforms must be completed and implemented before polls. The BNP, which is pressing for December polls, wants elections first and for the remaining reforms to be implemented by an elected government. This debate pushed Bangladesh on edge last week. It is still teetering there. @ Stavanger (Norway) AFTER obliging the vast array of autograph hunters outside the playing hall at the venue, Arjun Erigaisi got into a car and made his way to an eatery that has become the rage among Indian chess players here. It’s a trip all four Indian players — R Vaishali, D Gukesh and Koneru Humpy the others — have already made at the ongoing edition of Norway Chess. Erigaisi, featuring in Stavanger for the first time, was told about the place by R Praggnanandhaa, who tasted their food last year. The players’ favourites include lamb masala, chicken biryani and, in Vaishali’s case, podi dosa. “A few of the players ordered south Indian style lamb masala,” says Nitish Kamath, one of the five owners of Spisoh. “Humpy doesn’t have a set template and we have noticed that Vaishali has picked up podi dosa on a few occasions.” Spisoh — an unlikely portmanteau between the Norwegian word spis (to eat) and the Arjun Erigaisi with co-owner Nitish Kamath (right) at the restaurant in Stavanger hindi word khaao — was a product of the pandemic thanks to the imagination of several first generation immigrants origi- nally from Kerala. “We came up with the concept of a ghost kitchen,” says Kamath, who has been working in the energy sec- tor for more than a decade. Spisoh is ‘official food partner’ this time. The one-time ghost kitchen still has only one permanent employee — a chef from Tamil Nadu who was about to go back home after losing his job in an Oslo hotel after Covid. Gukesh was one of the first Indian players to try out Spisoh’s food in 2023. Less than 10 minutes after Erigaisi bested Gukesh, the former was seen exchanging a few friendly words with Kamath outside the playing hall. “I’m going there to pick up my food,” he said.  P11