66th SAARC Literature Festival begins today in new delhi, without pakistan 66th SAARC Literature Festival begins in New Delhi on Sunday at the Academy of Fine Arts and Literature Writers, poets, scholars, and artists from seven SAARC nations — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and India — are taking part; Pakistan is absent An organiser called Pakistan’s absence a “political issue,” citing the suspension of SAARC summits since the 2016 terror attack on Indian soldiers tirunelveli l sunday l november 09, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l city EDITION 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 Different strokes Casual versus diligent on roping in manjhi Bihar to dominate House from Dec 1 Oppn raps govt over short session of Parliament D e x p r ess r e a d Stalin slams BJP, TVK on DMK’s 75th anniv Chennai: Targeting BJP and TVK on DMK’s 75th anniversary, CM Stalin said some who don’t know DMK’s history are trying to intimidate it, while a few others daydream about replicating party’s success | P4 Private bus operators stop service to Kerala Chennai: Private bus owners have suspended service to Kerala from 8pm Saturday after 30 TN buses were levied fines of `2L to `2.5L per bus by Kerala transport officials for alleged violations | P4 ashrath Manjhi’s died, in 2007, home was still a new house has a visi- thatched-roof hut. The lot of tor. A surprise politi- many among his ‘Mahadalit’ cal visitor. Not the community of Musahars, and one you would have millions of others in Bihar. expected if you knew Then came Rahul Gandhi. the prequel to this It was revealed a few months story But it’s the sequel that ago that the Congress leader . can contain clues to the dif- had quietly — without any ference between India’s two fanfare or publicity, without national parties. Yes, the man even being asked — sponwho moved mountains in life sored a five-room pucca house can move politics even in for the Manjhi family Media . death—though not as much briefly hailed the Good Saas he would have maritan act, then liked. forgot all about it. Who’s Dashrath Bihar had much Manjhi? For those more compelling who somehow missed business to attend to. out, he’s the man who There was the SIR, cut through a mounRahul’s own yatra in tain all on his own, the run-up to a hotly santwana with a hammer and contested assembly bhattacharya chisel, over 22 years. election. A sidelight Editor His wife had died there was that Rahul because medical care had come visiting was 70 km away by road, Gehlaur again. Bhagirath though just over the moun- Manjhi, Dashrath’s sixtytain in reality He swore that something son, was the one . such a fate should never befall who had invited him for his anyone again. And kept his first visit. That time Bhagirath word. Town is now just a kilo- had not asked for any favour. metre away from his Gehlaur This time he did. He wanted a village. He was feted belatedly Congress ticket to contest the as the ‘Mountain Man’, a post- election. Rahul assured him age stamp was issued in his one. It made eminent sense name, films were made about too. The Congress was now his life—a documentary, a speaking up for Dalit rights Hindi movie, even a couple of with a new force. What better Kannada films. way to illustrate it than to have But the destitution had not Dashrath’s son contesting unchanged. When Dashrath der its flag?  Continued on: P8 Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra addressing poll rallies in Bihar on Saturday | PTI Pr e e t h a Na i r @ New Delhi The outcome of Bihar’s assembly elections is expected to dominate the the Winter Session of Parliament, which will be held from December 1 to 19. The Opposition is also planning to up the ante on the nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and the alleged vote theft in Haryana and Maharashtra. Though there is no joint Opposition strategy on SIR so far, Opposition-ruled states Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Kerala have intensified their protest against the exercise. All parties will come together to oppose the SIR during the session, said an Opposition leader. Speaking to the media, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that the key issue will be the SIR. “The Prime Minister’s silence on Trump’s statements is a major issue. The current relationship with China is unresolved... There hasn’t been a border agreement with China. We haven’t returned to the previous situation. Negotiations are being held between the two countries based on the new normal that China has established. Besides, there are many such issues regarding the rate of economic growth, GDP unemployment. There , is no shortage of issues. We keep issuing notices again and again, but no action is ever taken on them. The government does whatever it wants,” Ramesh said. This session is set to be one of the shortest since 2014. The previous winter session ran from November 25 to December 20. Opposition parties rapped the government for ‘curtailed’ session. Ramesh said the session is “an unusually delayed and truncated one”. “It will be just 15 working days. What is the message being conveyed? Clearly, the government has no business to transact, no Bills to get passed, and no debates to be allowed.” Echoing the view, TMC leader Derek O’Brien said the government is avoiding parliamentary scrutiny . “15-day Winter Session announced. Setting dubious records.” Among the bills likely to be taken up are the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025, the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill. Canada got Nijjar’s killing intel from UK: Report New Delhi: A new documentary has claimed that British spy call intercepts helped Canada draw alleged links between India and the 2023 killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. ‘Inside the Deaths that Rocked India’s Relations with the West’, produced by Bloomberg Originals, reports that UK spies intercepted conversations mentioning three individuals — including Nijjar, who was declared a terrorist by India in 2020. The intercepted calls were between individuals believed to be working for the Indian government and referred to three “targets” — Nijjar, British activist Avtar Singh Khanda, and US-based Gurpatwant Singh Pannun — followed by discussions suggesting Nijjar’s “elimination.” PTI WITH THIS ISSUE Malevolent Marauder PLUS 12 P AGES