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 ■ ■ tirupati l tuesday l july 22, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Last of the old-school Marxists A N I L S @ T’Puram E nd of 1990s. The E K Nayanar-led Left government was in power in Kerala. It was around the time Pinarayi Vijayan was set for his first tenure as CPM state secretary A . section of leaders were eyeing a new political combine — to get the Indian Union Muslim League into the LDF fold, with an eye on cementing a longterm rule for the Left front in the state. Informal talks were held at varying levels between senior leaders. Several possibilities were discussed. But one question kept bothering them — who would tell VS, the LDF convener and the most powerful leader who called the shots in the front? I U M L l e a d e r Ku t t y Ahammed Kutty who shared a , warm rapport with VS, was handed the task. Kutty conveyed the idea to VS, who heard him through. And, without batting an eyelid, he said something that is now part of state political lore: “Kutty it is , not yet time for the Congress to die in Kerala!” A deeply insightful statement especially relevant in the current political scenario. Ignoring shortterm political gains, the far- sighted leader batted for a line that till date underscores how both the Left and the Congress remain relevant in their fight against the saffron front in Kerala’s political landscape. To VS, it was simple logic. A UDF minus the IUML would naturally weaken the Congress. And in no time, Hindutva forces would rush in to occupy the vacuum. Ve l i k k a k at h S a n k a r a n Achuthanandan, who passed away on Monday, remains an unparallelled Communist, the biggest crowd puller in recent times, last of the old-school Marxists, and one of the greatest mass leaders Kerala has ever seen. The 101-year-old, who was incapacitated following a stroke in 2019, was undergoing treatment at a private hospital following a cardiac arrest on June 23. A founding leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), VS began his political career as a trade unionist and was later seen at the forefront of land struggles. The Communist movement in Kerala, since its inception in 1939, evolved with VS. He was the last among the 32 leaders who walked out of the historic CPI national council meet in 1964 to form the CPI (M). In many ways, the influence He devoted many years of his life to public service and Kerala’s progress. I recall our interactions Prime Minister Narendra Modi VS Achuthanandan | 20 Oct 1923 - 21 July 2025 wielded by VS in the CPM has its intrinsic roots in the quirkiness of modern-day factionalism in the party His 1996 defeat . in the Marxist bastion of Mararikulam, was a tur ning point. The simmering resentment brought out the vengeful politician in VS, leading to the historic 1998 ‘Vettinirathal’—a total elimination of the CITU lobby in the party Then began . the murkiest and most spiteful episode—VS vs Pinarayi—that lasted for two decades. VS transformed himself into a popular leader by taking up people’s issues and advocating for environmental protection and women safety His de. liberate makeover through careful interventions in social issues shaped up the mass leader he became. A champion of the poor, he upheld the values of principled politics through bold decisions Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader A glorious era of revolutionary will and persistence comes to an end with the passing of our beloved comrade Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan 16-hour discussion in LS HC acquits all accused in 7/11 blasts on Op Sindoor next week S U D H IR S U R YA W A N S H I @ Mumbai Cong agrees to proposal since PM will be abroad from June 23-26 P r eetha N a i r @ New Delhi Even as the first day of the Monsoon session of Parliament witnessed ruckus and adjournments, the government agreed to hold a 16-hour discussion on the recent Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha next week. The decision was taken at the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee. Though the Opposition initially objected to the timing of the debate, the Congress said that it will abide by the proposal of the government. While the gover nment’s floor managers pointed out that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be abroad from June 23-26, the Opposition insisted that the discussion should start immediately followed by the PM’s reply . Later in the evening, at a meeting of floor leaders, the Congress decided that it will wait until Modi’s return for the discussions on the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor to take place. “We will ask the government to hold the discus- Amaravati Sub-committee to review land pooling phase-2 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) Dr P Narayana on Monday said that the second phase of land pooling is under review by the Cabinet sub-committee, and a final decision will be taken in the upcoming Cabinet meeting. Speaking to the media after inspecting ongoing works in the capital region, Minister Narayana reaffirmed the government’s commitment to completing the construction of Amaravati within three years. The Minister expressed strong criticism of the previous government, accusing it of stalling progress and causing hardships to farmers and contractors alike. He stated that government buildings currently under construction will be completed by March next year, while the quarters for MLAs, MLCs, and All India Service (AIS) officers will be ready by December this year. Minister Narayana, accompanied by CRDA engineers, reviewed the construction of bungalows meant for ministers, High Court judges, principal secretaries, secretaries, and quarters for AIS officers. He interacted with the representatives of construction companies, sought details about the workforce, and reviewed the equipment and machinery beP4 ing used.  3-day debate, not under specific rule The special discussion on Pahalgam and Operation Sindoor and Pahalgam terror attack will be spread over three days and will not be under any specific rule, said a source who attended the BAC meeting sions as soon as the PM returns from the trip,” said a leader who attended the meeting. The leader told this paper that the party will hold a meeting with the floor leaders of INDIA bloc leaders on Tuesday and will take a final call. At the BAC meeting, Opposition members protested that the government’s agenda for the week did not mention their demand on Operation Sindoor. Some Opposition members also called for a debate on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and the situation in Manipur. Earlier, both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha proceedings were 17 adjourned for the day amid noisy protests by the Opposition, which demanded a discussion on Operation Sindoor and other issues. The Lok Sabha saw four adjournments. Defence minister Rajnath Singh assured the opposition MPs that the government is ready to have a long discussion on all issues the Speaker agrees to. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju appealed to the Opposition to place their demand during the BAC meeting. “The government is ready to reply to all the issues that the Speaker agrees to at the BAC meeting. But to raise slogans and not let the House function on the first day of the Monsoon session is unacceptable,” Rijiju said in the House. The Rajya Sabha, too, saw continuous disruptions despite Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar’s request to the Opposition to allow the House to function. “The government is ready for a discussion. I will meet the leaders and settle for a discussion. And I will ensure full-fledged discussion for as much time as you want,” said Dhankhar. THE Bombay High Court on Monday acquitted all 12 accused in the 2006 train blast case as it set aside the special MCOCA court’s order handing death sentence to five and life term to seven accused, saying it was “hard to believe” they committed the crime. Nineteen years ago, on July 11, 2006, seven bombs ripped through Mumbai’s local trains killing 189 persons and maiming 820 innocent travellers. The bombs were timed to go off during the evening rush to inflict maximum casualties. In the order, a bench of Justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak cited several reasons for overturning the 2015 verdict of the MCOCA court. Bumrah to play in manchester India pacer Mohammed Siraj confirmed on Monday that Jasprit Bumrah will play the fourth Test beginning on Wednesday. Focus was on all-rounder Anshul Kamoboj during nets | P11 During the evening rush hour on July 11, 2006, seven bombs ripped through Mumbai’s local trains, killing 189 The bench noted that the evidence was not properly collected and presented. The first arrest was made on July 20, 2006 followed by continuous arrests. However, the test identification parade was not done for four months. Besides, some of the witnesses in the case were also the witnesses in the 2002 Pilot too killed; at least 50 others critically injured Plane crashed in front of classrooms for students of classes 3 and 4 The Bangladesh’s Air Force training jet that crashed into a school in Dhaka | AFP Shocker from Dhankhar as he quits as Vice-President the necessity to adhere to medical advice, he later submitted his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu. The timing of the resignation — on the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament — led to speculation on his successor. Dhankhar, 74, had assumed office in August 2022. Sources revealed that Dhankhar had hinted at his decision to resign during the latter half of the day, surprising PM Narendra Modi. express read NISAR satellite launch on July 30 After the Axiom-4 mission, the next space mission all space scientists and enthusiasts were waiting for - NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar), will launch on July 30. The satellite is scheduled for launch at 5.40 pm from Sriharikota. The ISRO’s GSLV-F16 will launch the 2,392 kg NISAR satellite into a 743 km sunsynchronous orbit | P5 Ghatkopar bomb blast case and their testimonies were shattered in cross examinations. The appellants shall be released frpm jail if they are not required to be detained in any other case by giving a bond of `25,000 each, the order added. The MCOCA court had sentenced Kamal Ansari (de- Summons to advocates ‘ED crossing all limits’, says CJI, mulls guidelines S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y The Enforcement Directorate is “crossing all limits”, observed Supreme Court Chief Justice B R Gavai on Monday, while hearing a case on the probe agency summoning advocates who offered legal opinion or represented parties under investigation. “Communication between lawyers and clients is privileged. How can notices be issued against them... they (the ED) are crossing all limits,” he said, and suggested the need for drawing up guidelines. “Any communication between a lawyer and the clients, even if it is wrong, is privileged communication. How can notices be issued against them?” the CJI asked. The bench, also comprising Justice K Vinod Chandran, had on July 8 taken suo motu cognisance of the ED summoning senior lawyers Arvind Datar and At least 20 killed, 17 of them children, 171 other injured as a F-7 BGI crashes into Milestone School and College in Dhaka | P9 In an unexpected development that sparked intense speculation, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar put in his papers on Monday evening, citing medical advice. Right through the day , there was no hint of any such development, as Dhankhar continued to perform his parliamentary duties as Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Citing health concerns and Mumbai train blasts case @ New Delhi children killed as B'desh Air Force jet crashes into school RAJ ES H KU MAR T HAKU R @ New Delhi 2006 Pratap Venugopal for offering legal opinions or representing clients who were under investigation. After massive outrage, the ED withdrew its summons. Both Attorney General R Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta agreed that lawyers cannot be summoned for rendering legal opinions. But Mehta said there were attempts to malign institutions based on some interviews and YouTube channels by creating false narratives. The bench said its actions are not influenced by ‘media narratives’. “Have you seen any of judgment authored by us in which the decision is not based on the facts of the case? Name one judgment,” the CJI said. The ED was in the line of fire in another case too, where the same bench upheld the Karnataka High Court’s decision to quash the case against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife, B M Parvati, in the MUDA case. ceased), Mohammad Faisal Ataur Rahman Shaikh, Ehtesham Qutubuddin Siddiqui, Naveed Hussain Khan, and Asif Khan to death. Tanveer Ahmed Mohammed Ibrahim Ansari, Mohammed Majid Mohammed Shafi, Shaikh Mohammed Ali Alam Shaikh, Mohammed Sajid Margub Ansari, Muzammil Ataur Rahman Shaikh, Suhail Mehmood Shaikh, and Zameer Ahmed Rehman Shaikh were handed life term. Another accused, Wahid Shaikh, was acquitted by the trial court after he spent nine years in jail. Maharashtra’s Anti-Terrorist Squad, which investigated the case, said it would challenge the high court’s order in the Supreme Court. ‘Zero Fare Tkts’ for AP women in RTC from Aug 15 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada In a significant move to empower women and enhance public transportation, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials to implement a free bus travel scheme for women under the Andhra Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC), starting from August 15, 2025. The initiative includes issuing ‘Zero Fare Tickets’ to female passengers, detailing the financial benefits they receive through this government subsidy During a review meeting . held at the state secretariat on Monday, the Chief Minister emphasized the importance of transparency in the scheme. He instructed officials to include specific details on the tickets, such as the journey’s origin and destination, the amount saved by the passenger due to the free travel, and the full subsidy provided by the government. This measure aims to ensure that women across the state clearly understand the financial relief being provided. To facilitate this, the Chief Minister ordered the development of specialised software to streamline the ticketing procP4 ess.  ‘Would you let your kids sleep on floor?’, HC raps officials over poor conditions in hostels E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada The Andhra Pradesh High Court, comprising Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur and Justice Cheemalapati Ravi, expressed strong displeasure over the negligence of officials in providing basic amenities in social welfare, BC, and Gurukul hostels across the state. The court, hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Kakinada resident Keethineedi Akhil Sriguru Teja in 2023, crit- icised the lack of regular inspections by district-level officials and the de plorable conditions in these hostels. The court questioned how officials could remain unaware of the dire situation in hostels and demanded accountability for the crores of rupees allocated annually for their maintenance. “Are works being carried out solely for the benefit of contractors?” it enquired. The bench expressed dismay over the absence of basic facilities like beds, forcing students to sleep on the floor, and rhetorically asked if officials would allow their children to P4 endure such conditions.