chennai l friday l june 05, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 40 l late city EDITION Maruti Suzuki unveils India’s first flexible fuel vehicle can operate on any mix of petrol-ethanol The country’s largest carmaker said the vehicle, Wagon R Flex Fuel, features an advanced engine control unit that automatically adapts to varying ethanol blends, allowing customers to operate the car on any mix of petrol and ethanol. This comes a day after Hero MotoCorp launched India’s first flex-fuel motorcycles, the Splendor+ (pic) and HF Deluxe | P14 Maruti Suzuki on Thursday launched India’s first flex-fuel passenger vehicle capable of running on ethanol-petrol blends ranging from E20 to E100 all major automakers coming on board ■ ■ Flex-fuel cars will help meet India’s goal of cutting crude imports and reducing carbon emissions as dependence on imported crude can’t be an option, said Hishashi Takeuchi, MD& CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Major automakers, including Toyota Motor, Tata Motors and Hyundai Motor are also developing flex-fuel vehicles for the Indian market `1.84 L cr is forex savings by moving to ethanol since 2014, govt claims 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 Oppn churn as DMK will skip Monday meet SW monsoon hits Kerala 5 days late J i t e n d r a C h o u b e y @ New Delhi THE Southwest Monsoon reached the Kerala coast on June 4 — three days behind its usual June 1 arrival date. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed the monsoon has set in over Kerala, Mahe, parts of Karnataka, and the Bay of Bengal. The IMD had forecast a May 26 onset. “There is a five-day delay from the forecast date,” said Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, IMD’s Director General of Meteorology . The monsoon is expected to reach Delhi by June 27 and cover the entire country by July 8. The outlook for the season is not encouraging. The IMD has predicted this monsoon season (June to September) is likely to be below normal, with expected rainfall at 90% of the Long Period Average (LPA) of 870 mm. Rainfall will be normal (94-106%) over East and Northeast. Even the monsoon core zone, essential for rainfed agriculture, is projected to receive less than 94% of the LPA. Conversely the South Pe, ninsula and Central India are expected to receive less than 94% of the LPA, while the Northwest may see rainfall below 92% of the LPA. A weak monsoon could hurt food production, as it did in 2023. WITH THIS ISSUE CHENNAI’S BEST WEEKEND GUIDE 40 PAGES, INCLUDING 24 OF INDULGE (TABLOID) Centre engaging with DMK, TMC amidst buzz on second shot at delimitation bill P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi To honour the sentiments of party workers who are pained by the betrayal of Congress, the DMK will not participate in the INDIA bloc meeting DMK statement DMK silent on alliance The DMK, however, did not spell out if it was severing ties with the INDIA bloc. Incidentally, the party also received approval from the Lok Sabha secretariat on Thursday to sit apart from Congress in the House | P7 NDA just 42 short NDA currently needs just 42 more votes in the LS for any constitutional amendment. Any shift in Oppn strength could prove decisive for bills on the ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal and delimitation The Opposition INDIA bloc appears headed for a major churn, with two of its key constituents — the DMK and the Trinamool Congress — grappling with challenges that could test the alliance’s unity and future. On Thursday, the DMK announced it would skip the INDIA bloc meeting on June 8, citing discontent over Congress “betrayal”. Long-time allies Congress and DMK are at loggerheads after the grand old party joined the Vijay-led TVK government in Tamil Nadu following the DMK alliance’s defeat in the assembly polls. “While the DMK will not attend this meeting, it will continue, as always, to raise its voice on issues affecting the welfare of the nation that may be brought forward by the other parties participating in the meeting,” said a party statement. Incidentally, the DMK received approval from the Lok Sabha secretariat on Thursday to sit separate from the Congress. Though TMC chief Mamata Banerjee and party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee are expected to attend the June 8 meeting, their party appears to be on the brink of a upheaval, with speculation on a exodus of its parliamentarians. The unrest follows a rebel faction backed by 58 MLAs claiming to be the “real TMC”. At least nine TMC Lok Sabha MPs and three Rajya Sabha members are said to be negotiating with the BJP Be. sides, sources said at least two Lok Sabha MPs are in touch with the Congress. With 28 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 13 in the Rajya Sabha, the TMC remains the third-largest party after the BJP and the Congress. The developments come amid speculation that the Centre is likely to reintroduce the delimitation bill during the upcoming Monsoon Session and has been engaging with the DMK and TMC to strengthen its position. In the previous Budget session, the constitutional amendment linking delimitation to the women’s reservation bill was defeated by the Opposition, though the NDA held 298 seats in the LS. With the DMK and TMC holding 22 and 28 MPs respectively all , eyes are now on the two parties. suicide EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Chennai A 31-year-old technician employed by a private firm contracted by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) was arrested under BNS section 305 on Thursday for allegedly stealing 18 hard disks containing official data from the TNEB headquarters in Chennai. Police said they have recovered all 18 hard disks, and further arrests are likely . The suspect, Gopinath of Arakkonam, has been working as a technician at the TNEB headquarters for the last 11 months, handling repair and maintenance of computer hard- 5 killed in Bihar ICU The charred remains of the ICU of a private hospital in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district on Thursday, where five patients choked to death following a pre-dawn blaze. The staff allegedly ran away, leaving the patients in the lurch | PTI | P12 J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodriguez at Hyderabad House, in New Delhi on Thursday | PTI Express Re a d L&T to invest `18K cr in TN, signs pact Chennai: Larsen & Toubro on Thursday committed to invest `18,600 crore across data centres, electronics manufacturing and shipbuilding infrastructure in Tamil Nadu, marking the first major industrial investment deal signed since the TVK government assumed office | P4 Tiruchy: Tiruchy police booked a 43-year-old man on Wednesday for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor Dalit girl in his car. The girl’s family alleged that she lost consciousness after the man gave her juice. He then sexually assaulted and dumped her near a market | P6 Being Pragg Lonely life of a champ, burnout & more s w a r o o p s w a m i n at h a n @ Oslo IT’S great when sportspersons talk about processes. Methods. It’s a rare peek into their rarified air where only excellence is allowed. Sometimes, it’s better when sportspersons allow themselves to be vulnerable in the company of travelling journalists. It’s a glimpse into the life of an elite athlete, someone who left school to chase greatness as a child. Before the ninth round at Norway Chess, R Praggnanandhaa, once the world’s youngest IM, is pouring his heart out. In a very candid interview, something very rare by the standards of Indian sportspersons, the 20-year-old admits to burnout because of a very punishing 2025. Before that, he also concedes that he would have liked some school or college friends to hang out with whenever he’s in Chennai. But he has none. “I would have loved to have some school or college friends (in Chennai),” the World No. 14 says. “But you have to give (up) certain things (to achieve certain things).” While he doesn’t regret it — he admits that if had a normal childhood, he wouldn’t be where he is — the yearning is hard to miss. It’s basically a look into the somewhat lonely life of an elite chess player. In a wild two month period in the middle of 2025, he played tournaments in France, Poland, Romania, Armenia, Uzbekistan and Croatia. Spanning multiple formats and in different continents, the then teen willed himself to complete this crazy schedule, in part, to qualify for the Candidates again. Post this mad two month sequence, he went to both North America as well as South America over the next few months, sandwiched by a tournament in Asia. That punishing journey eventually was rewarded as he qualified for the Candidates but it ultimately ended in disappointment. ware and software systems. During interrogation, Gopinath allegedly confessed that he had stolen the hard disks on May 17 from the fifth floor of the TNEB office when it was largely vacant, concealed them in a bag, and took them to Arakkonam. He later searched for buyers via Instagram and identified a private firm in Bengaluru and sold the hard disks to the firm for `75,000 on May 21, police said. Addressing reporters, Electricity Minister CTR Nirmalkumar said, “Efforts are on to ascertain the data stored in the hard disks and to retrieve them via digital backups.” P6 India, Venezuela agree to deepen ties Girl sexually assaulted in car, one held note of neet-UG aspirant says no courage for retest Madhya Pradesh’s Akanksha Chaturvedi, 18, who died by suicide on May 20, said in a note that there was “no guarantee” she would score good marks in the NEET-UG retest, and apologised to her parents for the extreme step | P12 One arrested for theft of 18 hard disks from TNEB HQ Even if you have the physical energy, you don’t have the mental energy to keep doing the same thing at every tournament. I just want to play chess and chill (now). I don’t want to think about the next twoyear cycle. R Praggnanandhaa India and Venezuela on Thursday agreed to deepen cooperation in energy and explore a broader economic partnership spanning critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, automobiles and mining, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held extensive talks with Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodriguez. The meeting came at a time when India is seeking to diversify crude oil supplies follow- Preferred energy partner Rodriguez said her country views India as a “preferred energy partner”. India imported around 427,000 barrels per day of Venezuelan crude in May, making it the second-largest buyer after the United States ing disruptions in global energy markets caused by the West Asia crisis, while Venezuela is looking to expand export markets and attract investment after years of the US sanctions-related isolation. The focal point of the talks was on long-term energy partnership, with both sides highlighting their natural complementarity “They see India as . a stable demander for many years to come. Therefore, there exists a perfect complementarity for India and Venezuela to work in the energy sector, in both upstream and downstream,” Secretary (East) in the External Affairs Ministry Rudrendra Tandon told reporters after the meeting.