The New Indian Express wishes its readers a Ayudha Pooja Our offices and press will remain closed today and there will be no issue of the paper on Thursday kollam l wednesday l october 01, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l city EDITION don, Hegseth to end ‘politically correct’ leadership in military promotions based on race, gender to end Hegseth had called military leaders to the Marine Corps base in Quantico, near Washington on Tuesday, without publicly revealing the reason. During his nearly hour-long speech, Hegseth said the US military has promoted too many leaders for wrong reasons based on race and gender. “The era of politically correct leadership ends right now at every level,” Hegseth said President Donald Trump joined Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in declaring an end to “woke” culture in the US armed forces don: u.s. under invasion from within ■ ■ Trump bragged about US nuclear capabilities and warned the posse of top military leaders that “America is under invasion from within... the purposes of our military is only to protect our republic” In keeping with the nonpartisan tradition of the armed services, the military leaders sat mostly stone-faced through Trump’s remarks EQUAL fitness standards for both male and female soldiers in offing 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 PM says the 20-point plan offers a pathway to lasting stability for the war-ravaged region Modi backs Trump’s Gaza peace proposal Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) leader Sajjad Kargili at a press conference in Delhi | PTI 2nd outfit in Ladakh says ‘no’ to talks with Centre Pr e e tha nair @ New Delhi THE Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) has announced it will not participate in talks with the Union government until Sonam Wangchuk and other activists are released, and a time-bound judicial inquiry is initiated into the deaths of four persons during recent violence in Ladakh’s Leh. KDA founder-member Sajjad Kargili, in an interview with this paper, confirmed the decision, asserting that any meaningful dialogue is not possible under the current circumstances, despite the Centre’s willingness to hold talks on Ladakh. The KDA’s move comes a day after the Apex Body, Leh (ABL), the other major group leading the joint agitation for statehood for Ladakh and inclusion under the sixth schedule of the Constitution, withdrew from the talks, saying dialogue with the Centre would remain suspended until normalcy is restored. In a statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs said the government continues to welcome discussions with ABL and KDA through the High Powered Committee on Ladakh or any other platform. “We cannot hold talks with the Centre when they opened fire on our youth and arrested protesters under draconian laws. We demand a time-bound judicial probe into the deaths and the unconditional release of all activists, including Wangchuk,” said Kargili, adding that if the government fails to meet the demands, the agitation will continue. J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi India on Tuesday welcomed US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi terming the proposal a “viable pathway” to lasting peace, security, and development for both Palestinians and Israelis. The ambitious roadmap, unveiled by Trump during his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday, aims to bring an immediate halt to nearly two years of devastating conflict in Gaza. The plan mandates a 72-hour window for Hamas to release all hostages, both living and deceased, in exchange for a ceasefire and partial Israeli troop withdrawal. “We welcome President Donald J Trump’s announcement of a comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict,” Modi said. India, which supports a twostate solution and has consistently condemned terrorism, said it hopes “all concerned will come together behind President Trump’s initiative and support this effort to end conflict and secure peace”. India’s endorsement of Trump’s plan is consistent with its longstanding call for diplomacy and dialogue to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict. Sources highlighted New Delhi’s historical support for Palestinian statehood, its early recognition of the Palestine Liberation Organization, and its vote in favour of the “New York Declaration” on peaceful settlement earlier this month. India has maintained a delicate diplomatic balance throughout the war, condemning Hamas’ October 7, 2023 terror attack while also calling for an end to the war in Gaza. Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan proposes a ‘Board of Peace’ led by Trump and international experts, including former British PM Tony Blair, to oversee an interim government in Gaza. Central to the proposal is the reconstruction of the enclave as New Gaza alongside a renewed push for a two-state solution with secure, recognised borders. The peace push comes amid international exhaustion with the prolonged conflict, which has claimed over 66,000 lives. India is the new builder of the world... We want you to build our regions as well Israeli ambassador Reuven Azar It (Trump’s plan) provides a viable pathway to longterm and sustainable peace, security and development for the Palestinian and Israeli people Narendra Modi, PM S O V I V I D YA D H A R A N @T’Puram Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with US President Donald Trump at the White House | ap/pTI Ceasefire, return of hostages & aid flow to Gaza central to plan Trump’s 20-point plan outlines an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, with all hostages—living or deceased—to be returned by Hamas to Israel within 72 hours. The proposal calls for a suspension of all military operations and a freeze on battle lines, followed by a phased Israeli withdrawal contingent on compliance of the terms of the peace proposal. In exchange for hostages, Israel will release 1,950 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas members who renounce violence will be granted amnesty and safe passage to leave, if they wish so. Humanitarian aid will flow into Gaza under the supervision of the United Nations and other multilateral agencies Stampede: Vijay insinuates conspiracy T M u r u g anandham @ Chennai Actor and TVK president Vijay on Tuesday insinuated that there was a conspiracy in the stampede that led to the death of 41 people during his rally in Karur last Saturday and asserted that he and his party did not do anything wrong apart from delivering a speech at the spot for which permission was granted by the police. In a video message posted on X, Vijay also dared Chief Minister MK Stalin to take action against him instead of filing FIRs against his party people or those posting messages on social media. “CM sir, if you want to take revenge, do whatever you want to me, but don’t touch them. I will either be in my office or home,” he said. Responding to criticisms that he I have never faced such a painful situation in my life. My heart is filled with pain and only pain Vijay, actor & TVK president left Karur for Chennai immediately after the incident, Vijay said he avoided visiting Karur again and left the city since he did not want that to be used as a reason to create further tension. “Am I not a human being? When these many people have been affected, how could I leave that place?” he asked. Pointing out that nothing like what happened in Karur occurred in around five other districts where he had conducted similar rallies, he asked, “Why did this happen only in Karur? How did this happen?” He went on to add that people know all the facts, and they are watching everything. “When those people from Karur were speaking out those truths, I felt as if God himself had come down and was speaking those truths,” he said, adding that the whole truth will come out soon. “At the place allotted to us, we went, spoke and came back. Beyond that, we did not do anything wrong,” he said. He blamed the government for filing FIRs and arresting party people and friends from social media. 7.42 cr in final list of Asia Cup controversy: Bihar voters, 47L out BCCI corners Naqvi f iro z mir z a @ Chennai M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi The Election Commission of India on Tuesday released the final voters’ list for poll-bound Bihar, dropping 47 lakh names that were on the rolls before their Special Intensive Revision began. The final list has 7.42 crore voters in Bihar as compared to 7.24 crore in the draft list. While 21.53 lakh were added to the draft electoral rolls, 3.66 lakh ineligible ones were deleted from that list. In the draft rolls, the ECI had deleted 65 lakh names from the list of 7.89 crore electors in Bihar, who were eligible to vote in the Lok Sabha elections held in 2024. The 47 lakh deletions in the final rolls include deaths, migration and illegal immigrants – Nepali, Bangladeshi and Rohingyas from Myanmar. “If any eligible person still wishes to apply for inclusion of their name in Electoral Roll, they can submit an application up to 10 days before last date for filing nominations for the elec- Figure it out Electors as on 24 June 2025: 7.89 crore Electors removed from draft list: 65 lakh Electors in draft list after SIR: 7.24 crore Ineligible electors removed from draft list: 3.66 lakh Eligible electors added to draft list: 21.53 lakh Total electors in the final list: 7.42 crore tion and if any person is not satisfied with decision of ERO regarding an entry in final electoral roll, they may, under Section 24 of the RP Act, 1950, file a first appeal before District Magistrate and a second appeal before CEO,” the EC said. The SIR controversy is yet to be settled judicially. The final hearing on the matter in the Supreme Court will take place on October 7. The court had earlier said even the final voters’ list could be canceled if any wrongdoing is found. The Asia Cup trophy issue spilled over to the Asian Cricket Council’s annual general meeting in Dubai on Tuesday Sources said the Indian . cricket board (BCCI) registered a strong protest over the decision of not presenting the winner’s trophy to Suryakumar Yadav and Co after they beat arch-rivals Pakistan by five wickets in the final on Sunday . ACC president Mohsin Naqvi, who also happens to be Pakistan Cricket Board chairman and interior minister of the country, however, remained defiant even forcing at least one of the BCCI representatives — former treasurer Ashish Shelar — to walk out of the meeting though for a brief period. Vice president Rajeev Shukla was another BCCI representative in the meeting. “The BCCI raised a strong objection for not handing over the trophy to the Indian cricket team,” a source, who attended the meeting told this daily “Naqvi tried to end . the matter by saying the issue is not on the agenda but the BCCI representatives continued with their demand and also asked why the tro- ‘Unfit’ buildings in 1,157 state schools, 75% govt-managed ACC president Mohsin Naqvi | AFP phy is in the hotel and not at the ACC headquarters. Later it was decided that the ACC members will resolve the issue amicably.” The single point agenda of the meeting was to elect a vice president but that was also deferred. Earlier, Naqvi’s opening remark stirred yet another controversy as he congratulated Nepal for winning a T20I series against the West Indies and Mongolia for becoming an ACC member but didn’t mention India’s Asia Cup triumph. Shelar then questioned Naqvi for not congratulating India for winning the continental tournament. Naqvi then duly obliged and extended his wishes to the winners, sources said. Even as the government proudly showcases the various infrastructure development projects it has implemented in state-run schools, the latest figures tabled in the assembly paint a different picture. Buildings in as many as 1,157 schools across the state have been certified as “unfit” for conducting classes by the local self-government department (LSGD). Notably, over 75% of these schools housing the unfit buildings are government schools. In a written reply to Karungapally MLA C R Mahesh’s question in the assembly Gen, eral Education Minster V Sivankutty said the government views the situation seriously and was taking measures to address it. “While construction of new buildings is being carried out by utilising plan funds and through KIIFB (Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board) projects, separate funds are also being used for maintenance,” he said. Of the 1,157 schools listed, 875 were government schools and 262 were aided. An analysis of the statewide figures Schools with unfit buildings Govt 875 Aided 262 Unaided 20 Total 1,157 shows Kollam had most schools (143) with unfit buildings followed by Alappuzha (134) and Thiruvananthapuram (120). Notably, only 20 unaided schools had unfit buildings, exposing serious flaws in the periodic maintenance being carried out in state-funded g o ve r n m e n t a n d a i d e d schools. As per rules, schools need to obtain fitness certificates from the local body concerned before reopening each ● More on P6 year.  EXPRESS READ Cong MLAs, Satheesan lock horns Kerala third in suicide rate T’Puram: Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan locked horns with some MLAs at the Congress parliamentary party meeting on Monday after the latter accused the leadership of failing to convene meetings and abruptly winding them up without discussions | P6 T’Puram: As many as 16 persons ended their lives because of poverty in Kerala in 2023, according to the report ‘Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India 2023’ released by NCRB recently. At 30.6, Kerala ranked third among all states and UTs in suicide rate | P7