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 ■ ■ chennai l tuesday l august 05, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 20 l late city EDITION Enough! India holds up a mirror to Trump’s hypocrisy J AYA N T H J A C O B & D I PA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi IN a strong rebuttal to renewed US criticism on India’s trade with Russia, New Delhi on Monday accused Washington and its allies of “unjustified and unreasonable” targeting, reminding them that it was the United States itself that once encouraged those very purchases to stabilise global markets. Ruling out any rethink on its energy trade with Russia, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated: “Like any major economy India will take , all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security .” The sharp message came minutes after US President Donald Trump threatened to ‘substantially’ raise tariffs to punish India for its purchase and resale of Russian oil. Trump’s statement posted on Truth Social on Monday said: , “India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil... they are selling it for big profits. They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Ma- chine... I will be substantially raising the tariff paid by India to the USA.” In its blistering response, India made it clear that such rhetoric smacks of geopolitical hypocrisy “India has . been targeted by the United States and the European Union for importing oil from Russia after the commencement of the Ukraine conflict,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. “But in fact, India began importing from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe. The US at that time actively encouraged such imports to strengthen global energy market stability .” Jaiswal’s message was loud and clear that India will not be lectured. “India’s imports are meant to ensure predictable and affordable energy costs to the Indian consumer. They are a necessity compelled by global market realities... However, it is revealing that the very nations criticising India are themselves US continues to import uranium hexafluoride, palladium, fertilizers and chemicals from Russia. The targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable. Like any major economy, India will take all measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil... they are selling it for big profits... They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA —Ministry of External Affairs indulging in trade with Russia... Such trade is not even a vital national compulsion.” India listed hard numbers to underscore the double standards. The EU in 2024 had — Donald Trump a bilateral trade of Euro 67.5 billion in goods with Russia. It had trade in services estimated at Euro 17.2 billion in 2023. This is significantly more than India’s total trade with Russia that year or subsequently European imports of . LNG in 2024 reached a record 16.5 million tonnes, surpassing the previous record of 15.21 million tonnes in 2022. Trump’s snooty remarks evoked a sharp reaction from Russia as well. “Washington is unable to accept the erosion of its dominance in an emerging multipolar international order... No tariff wars or sanctions can halt the natural course of history said Maria ,” Vladimirovna Zakharova, spokesperson of Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. sirajmatazzheld high HC expresses india Oval and out with head CB-CID Probe TNIE in England Firoz Mirza @london T India celebrate England’s Jamie Overton wicket in the fifth and final Test on Monday. Captain Shubman Gill (right) with the Player of the Series medal. Mohammed Siraj was adjudged Player of the Match | AP Ungaludan Stalin Nomenclature of schemes: SC to hear TN plea on August 6 S u c h it r a K a lya n Mo h a nty @ New Delhi The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear on August 6 the appeal of Tamil Nadu government against the Madras High Court’s interim order restraining it from using names and photographs of living personalities, former chief ministers or ideological leaders in government welfare schemes, such as the ‘Ungaludan Stalin’ and ‘Nalam Kaakum Stalin’. A division bench comprising Chief Justice of India B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran agreed to hear the matter after senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for TN, submitted that the HC in its order asked it not to use names and photos of present and former CMs in welfare schemes. Rohatgi contended that the top court, in various orders, has held that the name and pictures of CMs, former CMs and political leaders can be used in gover nment welfare schemes. “There is no bar on it,” he said, submitting that the HC has passed an unusual order that no scheme of the government can have the name of the CM or any other political figure. “This is completely contrary to your lordships’ judgment which said don’t put the photographs except the photos of PM, CM. Why can’t we name a scheme? These are schemes for the welfare of the poor,” he contended. On July 31, a division bench of the Madras HC comprising Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice Sunder Mohan in an interim order said while launching and operating government schemes through advertisements, the name of any living personality , photo of any former CM/ideological leaders or party insignia/emblem/flag of DMK shall not be included.  P7 AIADMK contempt plea against bureaucrats | P2 he Oval match was the story of the series. It reflected the ferocity with which it was fought. First Test, England win comfortably India re. turn the favour with same magnanimity Third Test, . England win but with quite an effort. India draw despite trailing by 311 runs in the fourth. It would have been a travesty for cricket had the last not gone to the wire. India won by the barest of margins — six runs. Series 2-2. The celebration in the middle was wild. It’s poetic that after carrying the burden of bowling in the series, Mohammed Siraj took the final wicket and finished with a fifer (four in first innings and 23 overall). There he stood celebrating like his football idol Cristiano Ronaldo. He admitted how he changed the wallpaper on his phone on Monday morning to inspire him on the field. The conditions early on favoured pacers and Siraj was right on the money With only . 35 runs to get, margin of error was thin. The crowd, like in all days thronged the stadium to witness one of cricket’s most enthralling finishes. India did not disappoint, either. Siraj in beginning of the series was in the shadow of Jasprit Bumrah. As a batter, he was the last to fall in the third Test at Lord’s. On Monday he was the archi, tect of a historic win. A lot was at stake for the two incredibly talented sides. No series has seen so many ups and downs or twists and turns as this one. If Harry Brook and Joe Root were regaling the audience with their artistry, Siraj enthralled with 25 deliveries he bowled out of 53. He had taken three out of four wickets that fell. And, of course, the adage of frontline bowler for India will be his to keep. As for now, it’s Oval and out.  P15 SC’s ‘true Indian’ barb at Rahul State inks 41 MoUs TN Rising conclave S u c h it r a K a lya n Mo h a nty @ New Delhi The Supreme Court on Monday castigated Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his comments on China capturing Indian territory in the wake of the Galwan attack in 2020, adding if he was an “true Indian”, he wouldn’t have said it. “How do you (Rahul) get to know when 2000 sq km was acquired by China? What is the credible material? A true Indian will not say this. When there is a conflict across border, can you say all this? Why can’t you ask the question in Parliament?” asked a bench comprising justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih. The court, however, stayed further proceedings against him in a defamation case in Lucknow and fixed Singhvi: It was about suppression on info Singhvi said that Rahul was only on the point of proper disclosure and raising concerns about the suppression of information the matter for further hearing after three weeks. During the hearing, Justice Datta said, “just because you have 19(1)(a) you cannot say anything.” Senior advicate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Rahul, said: “If he can’t say these things which are published in the Press, he can’t be a leader of opposition... It is also possible that a true Indian will say that our 20 Indian soldiers were beaten up and killed and that it is a matter of concern.” The defama- tion complaint filed by Uday Shankar Srivastava, the former Border Roads Organisation (BRO) director, was pending in a Lucknow court. His petition said Rahul made the ‘derogatory’ remarks was on December 16, 2022, during his Bharat Jodo Yatra. In May, the Allahabad High Court had rejected Rahul’s plea challenging the issuance of summons by an MP/ MLA court in Lucknow. The court said that freedom of speech and expression does not include the freedom to make statements defamatory to the Indian Army . In its pushback later in the day the Congress said every pa, triotic Indian has sought answers on China since the 2020 Galwan incident, adding the Centre has chosen to obfuscate and hide the truth with its policy of “DDLJ—deny, distract, lie, and justify .” worth `33K crore E x p r ess N e w s S e r vice @ Thoothukudi The Tamil Nadu government signed 41 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) worth `32,553.85 crore during the TN Rising Investors Conclave chaired by Chief Minister MK Stalin in Thoothukudi on Monday The CM also launched the . commercial production of four Stalin inaugurates projects established at a cost of VinFast’s EV plant `1,230 crore and expected to Thoothukudi: CM MK Stalin generate around 3,100 jobs. Addressing the conclave, Sta- inaugurated VinFast’s EV lin said 22 MoUs worth an as- assembly plant, the firm’s sured investment of `32,288.70 first facility outside Vietnam, crore with the potential to cre- in Thoothukudi | P4, P14 ate 48,649 jobs, and 19 MoUs on behalf of MSMEs with an investment of `265.15 crore, expected to provide 1,196 jobs, have been signed. “We are materialising industrial development in south Tamil Nadu with the construction of a Tidel park in Madurai, neo Tidel park in Thoothukudi, renewable energy projects in Tirunelveli and PM Mitra (Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel) industrial park in Virudhunagar district,” he said.  P7 express read MP Sudha injured after man snatches her chain Girl hurt in pet pitbull attack in Chennai More skeletal remains found at Dharmasthala New Delhi: Mayiladuthurai MP R Sudha was injured on Monday when her chain was allegedly snatched by a scooter-borne man near Polish Embassy as she went on a morning walk | P7 Chennai: A seven-year-old girl was hurt after she was attacked by her house owner’s pitbull in Chennai on Sunday. The owner was arrested and the dog was relocated to a pound | P2 Bengaluru: The SIT probing the alleged mass burial case in Dharmasthala on Monday recovered multiple skeletal remains from a new site, police sources said | P7 Chief Minister MK Stalin chaired the Tamil Nadu Rising Investors Conclave in Thoothukudi on Monday | v karthik alagu anguish over rise in ‘honour killings’ in TN R S I V A K UMAR @ Chennai The Madras High Court on Monday expressed anguish and concern over the increasing number of killings in the name of caste honour in Tamil Nadu and how there appeared to be no end to such heinous crimes in sight. Justice P Velmurugan made the comments while transferring the investigation into a suspected case of murder of a Scheduled Caste student in the name of caste honour in Cuddalore district this May from the local police to the Crime Branch-CID. “So many cases of honour killing are reported in Tamil Nadu but unfortunately there is no full stop (end to such crimes). The honour killings are increasing day by day,” he said, adding that the truth behind such crimes is not brought to the fore. The petition to transfer the investigation was filed by M Murugesan, father of the deceased youngster M Jayasuriya, a B.Com student from Arasakuli in Cuddalore. The judge directed the police to hand over the case records immediately to the CB-CID, which has been ordered to hold a “fair investigation” to bring out the truth. Advocate A Arasuganesan, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that the deceased had fallen in love with a girl belonging to a dominant community He alleged that on May 18, . 2025, Jayasuriya was forcibly taken on a motorcycle by his collegemate, Praveen, and never returned. Although his father called him up several times, he responded only once saying that he was with Praveen and another person named Jeevan, the counsel said. Later, the youth’s father got a call from Kullanchavadi police station, informing that his son had died in a road accident as per a complaint given by Jeevan. The counsel submitted that the involvement of a professor, belonging to the girl’s community , is suspected as he was present at the site of the incident “in a mysterious way”.  P7 Jan 11, 1944-aug 4, 2025 Shibu Soren and the soil-soaked struggle for self-rule V V P S h a r m a @ New Delhi S hibu Soren was an avatar to the Santhals of the Chhotanagpur plateau of the undivided Bihar. They called him Dishom Guru — the god of all 10 directions. In his younger days, his black locks, flowing beard and chiselled features mesmerised the tribals as much as they frustrated the Bihar Police, as he led a movement for tribal rights that saw a separate tribal state of Jharkhand carved from Bihar in his lifetime. At 81, Soren breathed his last in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in the national capital from kidney complications on Monday . Called Guruji by now, he became chief minister thrice, never able to complete a full term as politics or police cases disrupted his reign. He even went to Delhi as minister at the Centre, but as the years dragged on, and the health taking its toll, he hung up his boots and, succumbing to dynasty politics, handed over control of the party he cofounded, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), to his son, He- mant. The younger Soren is the current chief minister of a coalition with the Congress. Shibu Soren’s legacy is inseparable from the struggle for tribal rights in undivided Bihar. A Santhal, he grew up in an oppressive environment where politicians, landlords and usurers milked tribals of their dignity and displaced them from their hereditary forest dwellings, reducing them to literal slavery . Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays respects to Shibu Soren in New Delhi on Monday | PTI The angry young man decided to rebel and become the prophet of tribal identity. His target was the “diku”, an outsider in the tribal language. That could mean any of the many oppressors. His demand was for ‘jal, jungle, zameen’, water, forest, land, which the tribals considered their godgiven resources. The movement he birthed thus arose from generations of exploitation, dispossession and deprivation of tribals — he preferred ‘adivasis’ — till in the early 1970s it turned into a political struggle under the ban- ner of the JMM. It was headquartered in the hundreds of tribal villages, the tribal councils deciding agitational agendas, the Santhali folk songs arousing political passions. Soren nurtured the movement across the land. He would move from village to village on foot. He had nothing he could call his own except the clothes and chappals he wore. The villagers fed him, listened to him, and obeyed him blindly. He would explain to them facts of life they felt but could not express.  Continued on: P10