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 ■ ■ SAMBALPUR  TUESDAY  JULY 22, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 14  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 Shocker from Dhankhar, as he quits as V-P RA JESH KUMAR T H AKU R @ New Delhi 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 the necessity to adhere to medical advice, he later submitted his resignation t o P re s i d e n t Droupadi Murmu. The timing of the resignation — on the Jagdeep first day of the Dhankhar Monsoon Session of Parliament — led to speculation on his successor if the resignation is accepted. Dhankhar, 74, had assumed office in August 2022. S o u r c e s r e ve a l e d t h a t Dhankhar had hinted at his decision to resign during the latter half of the day, reportedly surprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Till the time of filing this reporting, the President had not accepted his resignation. 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 | P13 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- 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 a g ainst 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 Pratap Venugopal 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 . E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Bhubaneswar Cong agrees to proposal since PM will be abroad from June 23-26 P R E E T H A 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 government’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 discussions 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. ‘ED crossing all limits’, says CJI, mulls guidelines @ New Delhi 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 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 Odisha NSUI president arrested in Lok Sabha on Op for rape; Congress suspends him Sindoor next week SUMMONS TO ADVOCATES S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y 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 He devoted many years of his life to public service and Kerala’s progress. I recall our interactions 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. 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 Earlier, both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha proceedings were 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. All 12 accused in 7/11 blasts acquitted by HC 2006 MUMBAI TRAIN BLASTS CASE During the evening rush hour on July 11, 2006, seven bombs ripped through Mumbai’s local trains, killing 189 S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I @ Mumbai 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. 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 CONTINUED ON P7 months. IN a major embarrassment for Congress which is spearheading the fight against growing crime against women in Odisha, state president of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) Udit Pradhan was arrested late on Sunday night on charges of raping a 19-yearold girl in Bhubaneswar. The incident allegedly took place at a hotel in Mancheswar area of the city on March 18 this year. The victim reportedly came forward to file her complaint with Mancheswar police on Sunday following which Pradhan was arrested. Immediately after his arrest, Pradhan was suspended from though the alleged incident had taken place four months back, the victim could not gather courage to file a complaint as she was threatened of dire consequences by the accused. Biswaranjan Senapati, ACP NSUI by the Congress. In her complaint, the victim stated that she and her female friend had come to meet a common male friend on the evening of March 18. They were in his car when Pradhan joined them at the Station Square. He was known their male friend. Pradhan then allegedly took the trio to a hotel in Mancheswar and started consuming alcohol. He allegedly spiked her cold drinks after which she became unconscious for around 30 minutes. After gaining consciousness, she realised that she had been sexually assaulted. Additional commissioner of police (ACP) Biswaranjan Senapati told mediapersons that though the alleged incident had taken place four months back, the victim could not gather courage to file a complaint as she was threatened of dire consequences by the accused. Senapati said the victim has written in her complaint that as the state government and police have begun to act seriously on crime against women, she decided to file a complaint against Pradhan. CONTINUED ON P7