SAMBALPUR  MONDAY  SEPTEMBER 08, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 16  CITY EDITION JAPAN PM TO RESIGN FOLLOWING PARTY’S DEFEAT IN JULY ELECTION Shigeru Ishiba’s decision to quit follows growing calls within his conservative Liberal Democratic Party to take responsibility for the historic defeat LDP WAS EYEING EARLY LEADERSHIP ELECTION ISHIBA: WAS WAITING TO GET U.S. TARIFFS CUT The resignation came one day before Ishiba’s party was to decide whether to hold an early leadership election, which would have amounted to a virtual no-confidence motion against him if approved. In July, Ishiba’s ruling coalition failed to secure a majority in the 248-seat upper house in a crucial parliamentary election, weakening his government’s stability | P9 ■ ■ Ishiba told a news conference on Sunday that he had intended for some time to take responsibility for his party’s election loss, but was first determined to make progress in tariff negotiations with the US He said the moment had arrived after Donald Trump lowered tariffs on Japanese cars and other products to 15 per cent from 25 per cent rate 68-yr-old ISHIBA, A SELF-CONFESSED DEFENCE GEEK, WAS AT THE HELM FOR LESS THAN A YEAR 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 Last push by NDA, INDIA bloc ahead of V-P election RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR & P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi Devi awardees seen alongside Odisha Legislative Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy, TNIE CEO Lakshmi Menon, TNIE editorial director Prabhu Chawla and resident editor of TNIE, Odisha, Siba Mohanty at the awards ceremony in Bhubaneswar on Sunday | DEBADATTA MALLICK Society can only advance if women get respect, opportunities: Speaker Devi Awards presented to 14 women from Odisha, who have made their mark in different fields EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bhubaneswar SPEAKER of Odisha Legislative Assembly Surama Padhy on Sunday called upon women to step forward and make their mark in every sphere of the society . Presenting the 33rd Devi Awards, instituted by The New Indian Express, here, Padhy said women are the cornerstone of the society “A society . truly advances when its women are respected and given opportunities,” she said. She said the real development of women is possible through their participation and inclusion in education, health, employment, social security and politics. When women become self-reliant and experience economic growth, it lends speed and strength to development and progress of the entire country, starting from individual families. “I hope women will step forward and make their mark in every sphere of society They . should strive to become unique and self-sufficient, and set an example for others. Ultimately , they will contribute to building a prosperous and developed India,” Padhy added. Recalling the great contribution of iconic leader and social reformer, Devi Ahilyabai Holkar, whose 300th birth anniversary was celebrated recently, Padhy said she was an exemplary leader who introduced a model of good governance in which the poor and the marginalised EXPRESS READ Reopening NH-2 a step in right direction: Ex-DGP Guwahati: Former Manipur DGP Yumnam Joykumar Singh (72) has welcomed the decision to reopen National Highway 2. Singh said the reopening of NH-2, which passes through Kuki-majority Kangpokpi and is widely used by Meitei commuters to reach other states, was “a step in the right direction” | P8 5 Madrasa students held for murder of inmate Berhampur: In a shocking incident, a 12-year-old madrasa student in Nayagarh was allegedly murdered after being sexual assaulted by five of his fellow inmates, all minors. The offenders dumped the victim’s body in a septic tank of the institution after strangulating him. The juvenile offenders are all in the age group of 14-15 | P4 were given utmost priority. She is a symbol of the idea that with willpower and firm resolve, no matter how adverse the circumstances, one can achieve remarkable outcomes. “ Fo r m e r P r i m e Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was another visionary leader who not only conceptualised the idea of ‘Gold Quadrilateral’ project but implemented it successfully linking the entire country. Very few people today know that Ahilyabai unified the country by linking all Char Dhams (four sacred pilgrimage sites) by roads,” she added. I hope women will step forward and make their mark in every sphere of society. They should strive to become unique and self-sufficient, and set an example for others – Surama Padhy, Speaker, Odisha Assembly A former minister and the only woman from Odisha to serve as the national president of BJP’s Mahila Morcha, Padhy said it is a matter of regret that not many people of Odisha are aware about the life and legacy of Ahilyabai simply because there is no book in Odia written about her. “I earnestly appeal that one of our women litterateurs take up the challenge to write on the life and history of Ahilyabai who represents the power of ‘Nari Shakti’ through her enduring legacy of devotion, good governance and commitment to social reforms,” Padhy said. “On this occasion of Devi Awards, I expect that women should come forward to protect the dignity of their folk and strengthen them to fight injustice in all forms. This award ceremony by TNIE will certainly inspire the women of the state in such endeavour,” CONTINUED ON P5 she said. position candidate, B Sudershan Reddy YSRCP has 7 MPs . in the Rajya Sabha and 5 in WITH just a day left for Tues- Lok Sabha. day’s Vice-Presidential elecWhile BRS chief K Chantion, both the ruling BJP-led drashekar Rao is yet to disNDA the Congress-led opposi- close his preference for a cantion have intensified efforts to didate, party insiders believe boost their numbers. the recent turmoil within the The NDA, which was the BRS is likely to tilt the scales first to announce candidate for i n f avo u r o f t h e N DA the V-P poll on August 17, has nominee. since been engaging with its The BRS, BJD, and YSRCP MPs to ensure victory for have supported the Narendra its nominee, C P Modi government in passing Radhakrishnan. crucial bills in Parliament in On his par t, the Rad- the past, but opposition stratehakrishnan has concluded his gists are not ruling out addicampaign by meettional votes from ing all MPs of the cross-voting by some alliance, travelling MPs from these paracross states and in ties. “Though we do Delhi. not expect major surAlthough the fiprises, we expect to nal result is a foreimprove our pergone conclusion in formance this time. favour of NDA’s We have reached out nominee, all eyes to the three indeare on fence sitters pendent MPs as C P Radhakrishnan and neutral parties, well,” said a senior including Naveen opposition leader, Patnaik’s Biju Jawho did not wish to nata Dal (BJD) and be named. K Chandrashekhar As the principal Rao’s Bharat Rashpartner of the NDA tra Samithi (BRS), and the party responwhich are yet to sible for nominating show their hands. the consensus candiThe BJD has seven date for Vice PresiRajya Sabha MPs dent, the BJP is not B Sudershan Reddy while the BRS has taking any chances four. and has asked all its Congress sources told this MPs to reach Delhi by Monday paper that they don’t expect ahead of Tuesday’s election. It any surprises in Tuesday’s has also begun training the voting, as most southern par- MPs to ensure they cast their ties appear to be inclined to- votes correctly and avoid any wards supporting the NDA technical errors. A senior BJP nominee. Sources said the Op- leader said first-time MPs are position reached out to YSRCP especially given thorough chief Jagan Mohan Reddy for training in the voting process support but he conveyed his and taught how to handle the unwillingness to back the op- secret ballot papers. Age no bar so long as capable leaders with credibility run the country: Ram Madhav EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bhubaneswar WITH a debate taking shape on the merit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi continuing in active politics even after attaining 75 years of age and the post-Modi era, strategic thinker, author and former national general secretary of BJP Ram Madhav said age should not be a barrier so long as the leaders are capable with credibility . In a conversation with senior journalist Kaveree Bamzai on ‘Hindutva Paradigm: A new definition’ at the concluding day of the Odisha Literary Festival-2025 here on Sunday, Madhav said Modi is the leader of the whole country Ram Madhav speaking at OLF on Sunday and he is leading it in a visionary way . “Those who are capable and run the country efficiently should continue. In a country as diverse as India, you need a person with experience and credibility He . is doing an excellent job. I would not say that people over 75 years of age should quit politics and go away,” was Madhav’s cryptic reply . Citing the example of ex-President of USA Ronald Reagan, the author said his young opponent questioned the former’s ability to run for the presidency during the 1979 election because of his old age. Reagan said his job is to exploit the talents of the youth of the country . With the prime minister always being in a hurry to achieve his goals, Madhav, who is the president of think tank India Foundation, said there is nothing wrong in it. “To be in a hurry is not wrong. There will be occasions when you need to be in a hurry. We have to race forward, otherwise we will be left out. We need to go out of the curve to meet out targets,” he CONTINUED ON P5 stressed. Integrated BAMS, MBBS course to be of over 5 yrs K A V I TA B A J E L I - D AT T @ New Delhi THE Centre’s proposed new integrated MBBS-BAMS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery and Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) course at JIPMER in Puducherry will be a degree course spanning more than five years, with a one-year internship leading to the dual degrees, an RTI reply has revealed. The proposal, which has been prepared by Auroville Foundation and announced with great fanfare by Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare and AYUSH, Prataprao Jadhav, on May 27, also states that the syllabus for phase 1 is ready and is prepared on the competency-based curriculum (CBME) proposed by the Na- tional Medical Council (NMC), a statutory body that regulates medical education, medical professionals, institutes, and research. However, key regulatory bodies including the National Medical Commission (NMC) and the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM), which decide on new courses and syllabi, were not involved in the proposal, as per RTI documents. This paper was the first to report on the Centre’s push for the integrated medical course that wo u l d c o m b i n e M B B S a n d BAMS. Following the report, the Indian Medical Association (IMA), representing over four lakh medical practitioners, strongly condemned the move to “mix different systems of medicine unscientifically” and demanded that the gover nment w i t h d r aw t h e “regressive proposal” in public interest. Despite the announcement by the Union Minister, JIPMER refused to share any details of the course after Kerala-based activist Dr K V Babu filed an RTI. Moreover, Auroville secretary Dr Jayanti S Ravi, who acknowledged in her January 25 letter that discussions were held over the last several months with Dr VK Paul, Member, PRESS CLUSIVE NITI Aayog; Dr Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary AYUSH, and others, had , also failed to share comments on the integrated course with the Union Health Ministry despite repeated reminders. Speaking to this paper, Dr Babu said: “There is no provision under any law in India to award MBBS and BAMS degrees together after any course. From files availed using RTI, it seems the government is supporting the proposal to award a dual degree of MBBS and BAMS by the Auroville Foundation in association with JIPMER and some satellite centres... There is nothing to suggest that the regulatory body in this case, NMC, had ever discussed it with other regulatory bodies, which is mandatory under the statute.” Oppn MPs to practise with ‘mock poll’ P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi OPPOSITION MPs would be briefed on Monday on the procedure to vote in the September 9 vice presidential polls, sources in the INDIA bloc said on Sunday . They said a ‘mock poll’ would be conducted in the Central Hall of the old Parliament House at around 2:30 PM on Monday after the briefing on the procedure to vote in the vice presidential polls. To ensure smooth voting and to avoid invalid votes, the Congress has also appointed coordinators to conduct training sessions with its allies. Though Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge was to host a dinner for the opposition MPs on Monday evening, it has been cancelled in view of the flood situation in the country . Meanwhile, in a fervent appeal to MPs, joint opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddy on Sunday exhorted them not to let party loyalty guide their choice and asserted that by entrusting him with this office, they would be ensuring that the Rajya Sabha stands as a true temple of democracy . In a 12-minute-long video message, Reddy told the MPs that he seeks their support not for himself but for the “values that define us as a sovereign democratic republic”.