hyderabad l wednesday l july 30, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION lord meghnad desai no more, tributes pour in from leaders Eminent economist Lord Meghnad Desai, who played a key role in developing the Human Development Index, passed away on Tuesday Lord Meghnad Desai July 10, 1940 - July 29, 2025 authored 25 books, 200 academic articles Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his condolence message said Desai was instrumental in bettering India-UK ties. Born in Vadodara, Desai won a scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania, where he completed a PhD in economics. His authored more than 25 books, ranging from Marxian economics to globalisation theories, and 200 academic articles ■ 1991 strong votary of 2016 demonetisation ■ Desai supported India’s 2016 demonetisation but advised better implementation. He advocated for merging India’s public sector banks to create stronger institutions and criticized rigid labour laws Desai received the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award, in 2008 for his contributions to economics and public service year in which the economist was elevated to UK house of lords 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 Cong takes talking Rahul dares Modi points from Pak: PM to call Trump a liar F i e r y e x c h a n g e s on O P sin d oor D i pa k M o n d a l @ New Delhi Before asking why PoK has not been taken back yet, Cong must respond — who let it go. India is still suffering from the mistakes committed by previous Cong govts, starting from Jawaharlal Nehru You told Pakistan exactly what you would do: that you would not target military establishments and you didn’t want escalation. That’s surrender. Immediate surrender in 30 minutes Our ops range from Sindoor to Sindhu (Indus Treaty)... World saw the strength of self-reliant India. We destroyed terror sites deep inside Pak within 22 mins to avenge the April 22 attack If he is lying, the PM should say here that Trump is lying. If he has the courage of an Indira Gandhi let him say here, ‘Trump, you are a liar, you did not make a ceasefire and we did not lose any planes’ Those who consider themselves big Cong leaders are pained as to why India’s stand was presented before the world. Perhaps some of their leaders have been barred from speaking in Parliament... I said 3-4 months back that India’s biggest foreign policy challenge has been to keep Pak and China apart... you have destroyed the single biggest goal of foreign policy. China and Pak are fused Narendra Modi, prime minister J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, asserting that no world leader asked India to halt Operation Sindoor, and accusing Congress and its allies of echoing Pakistan’s narrative while the international community backed India after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. “No leader came into India. No country asked us to stop. Only three nations spoke for Pakistan at the United Nations. The rest of the world stood with India… but Congress couldn’t,” Modi said, replying to a two-day debate on the terror attack and India’s military response. He dismissed the Opposition’s claims that India acted under US pressure, referring directly to President Donald Trump’s repeated claims of brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. “On May 9, US Vice President JD Vance tried calling me 3-4 times. I was in meetings with our armed forces. When I returned the call, he warned of a Pakistani attack. I told him: if Pakistan fires bullets, we will answer with cannons.” Modi said India’s precision strikes during Operation Sindoor destroyed terror camps deep inside Pakistan within 22 minutes. “The airbases we hit are still in the ICU,” he added, asserting that India’s response shook the masterminds behind the Pahalgam attack, leaving them sleepless. “India got support from the entire world, but it is unfortunate that the Congress did not support the valour of our soldiers. Congress leaders targeted me for political gains, but their frivolous statements ended up discouraging our brave soldiers,” Modi said. He accused the Congress of amplifying Pakistani propaganda and questioned its repeated scepticism of India’s military intent. “Congress now depends on Pakistan for talking points. They questioned our response, doubted our soldiers, and called the operation a ‘tamasha’. The world supported us, Congress didn’t.” Taking aim at historical decisions by the Congress, Modi blamed Nehru-era Pakistan policies. “Before asking why PoK (Pakistan occupied Kashmir) hasn’t been taken back, Congress must explain who let it go? We’re still paying for Nehru’s ceasefire in 1948.” He also slammed Jawaharlal Nehru for the Indus Waters Treaty “Nehru didn’t just give away our rivers — . he gave Pakistan money to build dams,” Modi said, adding, “From Sindoor to Sindhu, this is a notice: India will strike until Pakistan stops attacks.” He said India had “called Pakistan’s nuclear bluff ” and proved it would not be blackmailed. “Our made-in-India drones and missiles exposed Pakistan’s outdated arsenal.” Calling the Parliament session a Vijayotsav — a celebration of victory — Modi said: “I said we would teach the terrorists and their masters a lesson. Our forces did just that — and their masters haven’t slept since.” Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader Pahalgam attackers eliminated: Shah Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday told Parliament that three Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists behind the April 22 Pahalgam attack were killed in Operation Mahadev near Srinagar, while blaming Congress for the creation of Pakistan. The slain terrorists, Suleiman, Afghan, and Jibran, were top LeT operatives responsible for killing 26 tourists in Baisaran Valley | P7 Shah must take onus for ‘lapse’: Kharge Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said Home Minister Amit Shah must take responsibility for the ‘security lapse’ which led to the Pahalgam attack. “J&K L-G Manoj Sinha admitted that Pahalgam was a security lapse and took responsibility for it. However, the home minister must take responsibility and not the L-G,” he said | P7 Nadda apologises to Kharge in RS The RS witnessed heated exchanges after Leader of the House J P Nadda made some objectionable remarks against Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge. He later withdrew them and apologised. Nadda accused Kharge of “losing his mental balance” as he made some remarks against the PM. Amid opposition protests, Nadda later apologised | P7 P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi Launching an all out attack on the ruling NDA government, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused it of lacking the political will to support the armed forces. He dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to call US President Donald Trump’s bluff on brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. “If Modi ji has even 50% of the courage that Indira Gandhi had, then clearly he must say in Parliament — Donald Trump is lying and no planes fell during Operation Sindoor,” Rahul said. Participating in a special discussion in Lok Sabha on ‘Operation Sindoor’, he alleged that the government revealed sensitive details about Operation Sindoor to Pakistan, soon after it was launched. Referring to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s speech in Parliament, Rahul said it showed the lack of political will of the government. Otherwise, he asked, why would the India tell Pakistan within just half-an-hour of launching Operation Sindoor that it had not hit its military installations and did not want any escalation. “This was like a meek surrender in 30 minutes,” he said. The former Congress president cited remarks by Indian defence attache in Indonesia, Group Captain Shiv Kumar, to claim that there were constraints by the political leadership to not attack the Pakistani military establishment and their air defences. Why were the hands of the Indian Air Force tied, Rahul asked. He also referred to the military integration between Pakistan and China, saying that India’s defence forces did not fight Pakistan alone, but the joint might of the Pakistani and Chinese armies and air forces. Rahul said India needs a prime minister who frees the Army, Air Force and Navy and tells them, “Go, finish the job,” much like what Indira Gandhi did. The goal of Operation Sindoor was to save and protect the image of the Prime Minister, who had the blood of the Pahalgam terror victims on his hands, Rahul charged. “It is dangerous at this time for the PM to use the forces to protect his image. It is dangerous for the country he said, while asserting that the defence forces ,” should only be used in the national interest. Stressing that there was no “tactical mistake” by the armed forces, which led to its aircraft “being downed”, Rahul said, “CDS Anil Chauhan must have the courage to say ‘My hand were tied behind my back, and I was sent , into a war, and my enemy was told by my own government that we will not attack you air defence system.’” Attacking External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Rahul said: “The mastermind of the Pahalgam terror attack and Pakistan Army Chief, Asim Munir, was hosted for lunch at the White House by President Trump, who went on to thank Munir for the ceasefire.” CM orders landmark at Kothwalguda Jn E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad Water gushes out from the 26 crest gates of the Nagarjunasagar Project that were lifted on Tuesday after the reservoir reached the 587.2 ft (305.62 tmcft) mark, close to its full capacity of 590 ft First time in 18 years, NSP gates lifted in July Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Tuesday lifted 14 gates of the Nagarjunasagar project to a height of 5 feet, discharging 78,060 cusecs of water. Later, 68,000 cusecs were released Nagarjunasagar dam levels (as of Tuesday) 587.20 feet (FRL: 590 feet) Storage: 305.62 tmcft (Capacity: 312.04 tmcft) Inflows: 2,28,900 cusecs Outflows: 1,18,790 cusecs The benefits 22.12 lakh acres irrigated 6.30 lakh 4.08 lakh acres in Telangana acres in Andhra Pradesh Canal-wise distribution Right canal (Nehru): 11.74 lakh acres Left canal (Lal Bahadur Shastri): 10.38 lakh acres The left canal 112.02 km in total length 101.36 km of it is in Telangana 15.64 km in AP District-wise coverage in Telangana 1.46 lakh acres covered in Nalgonda and 2.30 lakh acres in Suryapet US prez hints at 25% tariff on Indian imports Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Tuesday instructed officials to construct an iconic landmark at Kothwalguda Junction, on the lines of India Gate, Gateway of India and Charminar, as part of the Musi Riverfront Development Project. Chairing a review meeting with officials from the Municipal Administration department at the Integrated Command Control Centre (ICCC), Revanth instructed acceleration of the Musi project, spanning from Himayathsagar to Gandhi Sarovar. He also sought plans for a bridge-cum-barrage across the Musi River. Reviewing the progress of the Mir Alam Tank development works, the chief minister instructed officials to ensure that the sewage treatment plants (STPs) installed near the tank operate at full capacity . He also directed a hotel with a view of Zoo Park and Mir Alam Tank be constructed with modern facilities to accommodate tourists. Stressing the need to make Hyderabad an ecofriendly city, Revanth said, “People in cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai are facing problems due to increased pollution. Such a situation should not arise in Hyderabad.”  Continued on P4 With the August 1 deadline around the corner and no interim deal in sight, President Donald Trump on Tuesday hinted that the US may impose a 20– 25% tariff on imports from India. Speaking to reporters, Trump said the final tariff rate is yet to be decided as the two countries continue negotiations on a trade deal ahead of the deadline. “India has been a good friend, but India has charged basically more tariffs than almost any other country Trump said aboard Air Force One ,” as he returned to Washington from a five-day visit to Scotland. “You just can’t do that.” Indian government sources had earlier said that New Delhi is not in a hurry to finalise the deal. “We are in negotiations with the US government for the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), but if an interim Donald Trump, US president agreement is reached, it is well and good,” a senior government official told this newspaper. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Monday that the US needed more time to assess India’s willingness to further open its markets. A US trade delegation is scheduled to visit India on August 25 for further talks on the BTA, the first tranche of which both sides had agreed to conclude by September–October this year. In April, Trump had announced a 26% reciprocal tariff on Indian goods exported to the US, but put it on hold pending trade negotiations. assent to bills SC to hear Prez reference case from Aug 19 s u c h i t r a k a lya n m o h a n t y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Tuesday fixed a schedule for hearing a Presidential Reference that raised constitutional issues on whether timelines could be imposed for disposing of bills passed by state assemblies, and decided to hold the hearing from August 19 to September 10. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice B R Gavai, which is examining whether the exercise of discretion by Governors and the President on bills can be subjected to judicially enforceable timelines, asked the parties to file their written submissions by August 12. The court also appointed advocates Aman Mehta and Nisha Rohatgi as nodal counsels for Union and the parties opposing reference, respectively . The bench also comprising justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, P S Narasimha and A S Chandurkar said it will first hear preliminary objections filed by Kerala and Tamil Nadu questioning the maintainability of the Presidential Reference on August 19 for an hour. SC raps lawyers for remark on HC judge E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi Expressing strong displeasure over scurrilous allegations made by a petitioner, Peddi Raju, against Telangana High Court judge Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya, the Supreme Court on Tuesday issued contempt notices to him and his lawyers. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) B R Gavai and Justice Vinod Chandran stated that no litigant would be allowed to make baseless accusations against a judge. “We can’t permit judges to be put in a box and allow any litigant to make such allegations. Here, we were trying to protect lawyers,” the CJI observed while criticising the petitioner for his remarks.  Continued on P4