kottayam l saturday l February 14, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l city EDITION BNP landslide Modi calls up Tarique Rahman, reaffirms India’s commitment to strengthen ties with Bangladesh; focus shifts to govt formation DPR survey nod for seven high-speed rail routes in state A n u K u r u v i l l a @ Kochi J aya n t h J a c o b & B ay e z i d M i l k y @ New Delhi/Dhaka In a major diplomatic outreach following the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s sweep of general election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke with BNP chief Tarique Rahman, congratulating him on leading the party to a decisive victory and reaffirming India’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties. “Delighted to speak with Tarique Rahman. I congratulated him on the remarkable victory in the Bangladesh elections,” Modi said on X after the call. “I conveyed my best wishes and support in his endeavour to fulfil the aspirations of the people of Bangladesh. As two close neighbours with deeprooted historical and cultural ties, I reaffirmed India’s continued commitment to the peace, progress, and prosperity of both our peoples.” Modi was the first world leader to speak with Rahman by phone. Reacting to Modi’s phone call to Tarique Rahman, a BNP spokesperson said Bangladesh seeks balanced diplomatic ties with India. Humayun Kabir, adviser to Rahman and tipped for a cabinet berth, described Modi’s outreach as significant. “PM Modi is the first world leader to have a telephonic conversation with BNP chief and the next prime minister of Bangladesh, Tarique Rahman,” Kabir said, calling the message “a welcome gesture”. In Dhaka, the attention is shifting to government formation. The BNP won a Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairman Tarique Rahman greets supporters as he leaves his residence in Dhaka a day after wresting power in the general elections, on Friday | PTI sweeping mandate, securing 209 seats in the 300-member parliament and attaining an absolute majority The result . grants the party the authority to amend the Constitution and undertake significant institutional reforms. Results for 297 of the 300 parliamentary seats have been declared. According to the final tally announced by the Election Commission of Bangladesh, the BNP and its allies secured 212 of the 297 seats declared. The 11-party electoral alliance led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami won 77 seats. The newly formed National Citizen Party, which led a mass movement against the Awami League and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, obtained just six seats. Islami Andolan Bangladesh secured one. Inde pendent candidates captured seven seats.  Continued on: P9 Party positions Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) 212 Jamaat-e-Islami 77 Others 8 Halfway 151 Result awaited: 2 Total seats: 299 * Polls countermanded in 1 seat due to death of a candidate Referendum Yes: 68.1% 48,074,429 NO: 31.9% 22,565,627 Total votes cast 70,640,056 Kerala’s high-speed rail ambitions have received a major push, with the Union Ministry of Railways sanctioning Detailed Project Report (DPR) surveys for seven rail line projects in the state, with a speed potential of up to 160 kmph. The move, announced by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in the Rajya Sabha on Friday opens the door , for future high-speed rail development in Kerala, even as the state was left disappointed by its exclusion from the Union Budget’s list of sanctioned high-speed rail projects. The seven projects cleared for DPR surveys are Shoranur–Mangalore (3rd and 4th line, 307 km); Coimbatore–Shoranur (3rd and 4th line, 99 km); Shoranur–Ernakulam (3rd line, 106km), Ernakulam– Kayamkulam via Kottayam (3rd line, 115 km), Kayamkulam–Thiruvananthapuram (3rd line, 105 km), Thiruvananthapuram–Nagercoil (3rd line, 71 km), and Turavur–Ambalappuzha doubling (48 km). Vaishnaw said the sanctioning of DPR surveys marks a crucial preparatory step towards infrastructure expansion and speed enhancement. “After the approval of the DPR, the sanctioning of the project requires consultation with various stakeholders, including state governments, and necessary approvals,” the minister said. ● More on P5 A new corner office for PM & PMO Colonial mindset must go, says PM Rajesh kumar thakur @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Friday shifted to his new office, Seva Teerth, from the colonial-era South Block building near Rashtrapati Bhavan on Raisina Hill. The shift came on a day — February 13 — that marked 95 years since the formal inauguration of New Delhi as India’s modern capital in 1931. On Friday Modi reached , Seva Teerth Complex in a motorcade along with Union ministers Manohar Lal and Jitendra Singh and top PMO officials, and inaugurated the complex housing the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the National Security Council Secretariat and the Cabinet Secretariat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates Seva Teerth, the new Prime Minister’s Office complex, in New Delhi on Friday | PTI The PMO will shift from the South Block on Raisina Hill to Seva Teerth, bringing together the offices of the Cabinet Secretariat and the National Security Council Secretariat that were located at different places. In the presence of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Minister of State in PMO Jitendra Singh and top officials including principal secretaries P K Mishra and Shaktikanta Das, the prime minister signed files approving the launch of PM RAHAT Scheme for extending life-saving protection for every citizen and Speaking on Friday after inaugurating the Seva Teerth complex, PM Narendra Modi said India must shed every trace of a colonial mindset as it advances towards becoming a Viksit Bharat. Referring to changes such as the renaming of 7 Race Course Road to Lok Kalyan Marg, he said these efforts to transform culture of power into a spirit of service doubling the number of lakhpati didis to six crore. “The inauguration marks a milestone ... and reflects the Prime Minister’s commitment to building a modern, efficient, accessible and citizen-centric governance ecosystem,” a note from the prime minister’s office said. A a l in s tat e ’ s y o u n g e s t o r g an d o n o r A bundle of joy — in life and in death E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Kochi Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit — John 12:24 In death, Aalin Sherin Abraham bore much fruit — giving new life to four others — as Jesus taught in the parable of the grain of wheat. On Friday, the 10-month-old became the youngest organ donor in the state. Following an accident on February 5, Aalin had been undergoing treatment at Kochi’s Amrita Hospital. She was declared brain dead on Friday afternoon. Even in the midst of Security personnel at Amrita Hospital, Kochi, give Aalin Sherin Abraham a guard of honour as her body is taken to the Kottayam MCH | A Sanesh their pain, her parents, Arun Abraham and Sherin Ann John, from Mallappally, Pathanamthitta, decided that her death should not be in vain, and pledged to donate her kidneys, liver, eyes, and heart valves. The organs were trans- ported from Amrita Hospital to Thiruvananthapuram in an ambulance, for which the police arranged smooth passage. Aalin was travelling from Kottayam to Tiruvalla with her mother and grandparents when their vehicle met with the accident. The baby lost consciousness immediately, while the other occupants suffered serious injuries. Though she was taken to hospitals in Changanacherry and Tiruvalla, her condition did not improve. On February 6, Aalin was shifted to Amrita Hospital. “Treatment was initiated as soon as she was brought in. But efforts to revive her proved in vain. Doctors confirmed brain death on Friday,” Amrita Hospital authorities said. The organ donation process was coordinated by the Kerala State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organi● More on P5 sation. Music composer A R Rahman and Ponniyin Selvan 2’s makers were asked to accept the genre’s contribution in Veera Raja Veera song of the film accept dagarvani tradition’s inputs to song, sc tells rahman sc fiat on plea against 2025 delhi hc order 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 ■ ■ A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was hearing a plea by Dhrupad vocalist Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar against a September 2025 Delhi High Court’s order, which said there was no evidence of the Dagar Brothers being the authors of a classical rendition of Shiv Stuti, which was used while composing the number in the film