www.thestatesman.com India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 12 | | ` 5.00 FOLLOW US: | @TheStatesmanLtd KOLKATA Nation | @thestatesmanltd NEW DELHI People’s Parliament, Always in Session thestatesman1875 | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR | 11 January 2026 S P O RT S World Language Bill sparks interstate row as Vijayan rejects ‘imposition’ charge Protests in Iran near two-week mark as authorities intensify crackdown Shubman Gill in focus as India begin ODI series against New Zealand in Vadodara Page 8 Page 9 Page 12 ED approaches SC over I-PAC raid interference STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE THE CENTRAL AGENCY HAS MOVED A PLEA BEFORE THE TOP COURT SEEKING DIRECTIONS FOR A CBI PROBE INTO THE MATTER. MEANWHILE, THE BENGAL GOVERNMENT HAS ALSO FILED A CAVEAT IN THE SUPREME COURT IN THIS REGARD. THE BENGAL GOVERNMENT HAS URGED THE COURT NOT TO PASS ANY ORDER WITHOUT HEARING ITS SIDE IN CONNECTION WITH THE ED RAIDS ON I-PAC. New Delhi, 10 January T he Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday moved the Supreme Court against alleged interference and obstruction by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her government during its raids at the office of politicsl consultancy Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), and the residence of its director, Pratik Jain. The Central agency has moved a plea before the top court seeking directions for a CBI probe into the matter. Meanwhile, the Bengal government has also filed a caveat in the Supreme Court in this regard. The Bengal government has urged the court not to pass any order without hearing its side in connection with the ED raids against I-PAC. In Thursday, the ED conducted raids at I-PAC office and its head Pratik Jain's residence in Kolkata in connection with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visits the I-PAC office in Salt Lake, during an ED raid on Thursday. a coal smuggling case. However, during the raids, Mamata Banerjee reached the spot and allegedly removed some documents. While Miss Banerjee claimed that the documents were related to her party, the ED alleged she removed evidence. Following the raids, both the ED and I-PAC head Pratik Jain moved the Calcutta High Court separately. SNS Later, two FIRs were registered against the ED's raids at Jain’s residence at Loudon Street and I-PAC’s office at Salt Lake. Meanwhile, the Kolkata Police today reached the residence of Pratik Jain to identify ED officials and CRPF personnel invovled in Thursday's raids. The police checked the footage of CCTV cameras installed at Mr Jain's residence and recorded statements of the family members. The raids at Mr Jain’s residence and the I-PAC office were conducted in connection with a 2020 coal smuggling case. The ED has claimed that the coal smuggling syndicate of Anup Majhi was linked to I-PAC via a hawala trail. The ED is said to have submitted a detailed report on Thursday’s events in Kolkata to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). West Bengal CM writes once more to CEC, alleges harassment and bias in special voter roll revision UNITED NEWS OF INDIA Kolkata, 10 January West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written yet another strongly worded letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, expressing shock and anguish over what she described as the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) “relentless harassment” of ordinary citizens during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. Alleging that the SIR exercise has resulted in 77 deaths, four suicide attempts, and at least 17 people falling sick and requiring hospitalisation, the Chief Minister, in what is her fourth letter to the Election Commission on the subject, said these incidents are because of fear, intimidation and disproportionate workload arising from what she termed an unplanned exercise undertaken by the ECI. Referring to the cases of Nobel laureate Prof. Amartya Sen, renowned poet Joy Goswami, popular film actor and MP Deepak Adhikari, international cricketer Mohammed Shami, and the Maharaj of Bharat Sevashram Sangha who were all summoned for hearing, Miss Banerjee questioned whether this amounted to “sheer audacity” on the part of the ECI, adding that many ordinary citizens were facing similar harassment. “It is a matter of 'profound shame' that Nobel laureate Prof Amartya Sen, a nonagenarian and globally ALLEGING THAT THE SIR EXERCISE HAS RESULTED IN 77 DEATHS, FOUR SUICIDE ATTEMPTS, AND AT LEAST 17 PEOPLE FALLING SICK AND REQUIRING HOSPITALISATION, THE CHIEF MINISTER, IN WHAT IS HER FOURTH LETTER TO THE ELECTION COMMISSION ON THE SUBJECT, SAID THESE INCIDENTS ARE BECAUSE OF FEAR, INTIMIDATION AND DISPROPORTIONATE WORKLOAD ARISING FROM WHAT SHE TERMED AN UNPLANNED EXERCISE UNDERTAKEN BY THE ECI. respected intellectual, was asked to appear before ECI officials to establish his credentials,” Miss Banerjee wrote. The Chief Minister further alleged that women voters who had shifted to their matrimonial homes and changed their surnames after marriage were being questioned and summoned to prove their identity. She said this reflected a complete lack of social sensitivity and amounted to a grave insult to women and genuine voters, questioning whether a constitutional authority should treat half of the electorate in such a manner. Miss Banerjee also raised concerns over the engagement of observers, alleging they were appointed unilaterally without adequate training or expertise for such a sensitive exercise. The letter alleged that so-called “logical discrepancies” were being selectively targeted in certain constituencies. PM Modi visits Somnath Temple for ‘Swabhiman Parv’ UNITED NEWS OF INDIA New Delhi, 10 January Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Somnath Temple in Gujarat on Saturday evening. The PM will participate in 'Omkar Mantra' chanting at the temple, which will be recited continuously for 72 hours in the temple complex. The event is being organised to mark the 1,000th anniversary of Mahmud of Ghazni's attack on the Somnath temple in the year 1026. Upon arriving, PM Modi called Somnath Temple a proud symbol of our civilisational courage. In a post on X, PM Modi wrote, “Feeling blessed to be in Somnath, a proud symbol of our civilisational courage. This visit comes during Somnath Swabhiman Parv, when the entire nation has come together to mark a thousand years since the first attack on the Somnath Temple in 1026. Grateful to the people for the warm welcome.” During his visit, Modi will also witness a drone show at the temple. “The Prime Minister will take part in the Shaurya Yatra, a ceremonial procession which has been organised to remember the warriors who died while defending the temple. The Shaurya Yatra will feature a symbolic procession of 108 horses, representing valor and sacrifice,” an official of the BJP said. Six injured after private aircraft crash-lands in Odisha: Bhubaneswar: Six people, including two pilots of a six-seater private aircraft, were injured today afternoon after it crash-landed in an agriculture field at Jalda near Rourkela steel city in Odisha’s Sundargarh district, said officials on Saturday. The aircraft which was flying from Bhubaneswar to Rourkela made a forced landing after it developed a technical snag. All six persons, including the pilots, are now undergoing treatment in JP Hospital, Rourkela. The District Administration including the Collector and SP are closely monitoring the situation and extending necessary support at Rourkela. The Principal Secretary, Commerce &Transport has been monitoring the situation and coordinating the concerned officials from the Union and State Government. PM Modi: India’s youth driving force behind building a strong nation STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 10 January Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday underscored that India’s youth, with their unmatched energy and commitment, are the driving force behind building a strong and prosperous nation. Highlighting the spirit and determination of India’s young generation, he expressed enthusiasm to engage with the nation’s youth at the upcoming Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue here on 12 January. The dialogue will serve as a platform for young leaders from across the country to share ideas, aspirations, and contribute to the vision of Viksit Bharat. The PM will participate in the concluding session of the dialogue on the occasion of National Youth Day, commemorating the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. He will interact with around 3,000 youth from across the country, along with young delegates representing the international diaspora. Selected participants will make their final presentations to the Prime Minister across ten thematic tracks, sharing youth-led perspectives and actionable ideas on key areas of national importance. During the programme, the PM will release Essay Compilation for Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2026, comprising selected essays authored by young participants on India’s developmental priorities and long-term nation-building goals. The Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue, now in its second edition, is a national platform designed to facilitate structured engagement between India’s youth and national leadership. India presses EU on climate rules as FTA talks near crucial juncture amid US threats JAYANTA ROY CHOWDHURY New Delhi, 10 January Amid US tariff threats to India and a developing imbroglio over American demands that Greenland be handed over, New Delhi and Brussels are racing to bridge gaps on carbon pricing, steel access and market openings with a new urgency to clinch a long-delayed free trade pact. India’s commerce minister Piyush Goyal had remained locked in marathon trade talks on Friday with his European union counterpart Maros Sefovic to try and come to a consensus on contentious issues including Europe’s controversial carbon tax and India’s red lines on farm subsidies. A top commerce ministry official told UNI: “We need the deal, they need it too as both want stable markets, which are shielded from tariff threats and we both want to decouple from China-led supply chains. India and EU both want to clinch the deal ahead of the Republic day visit by European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa. “We are near…very near as far as I know. Compromises are being found over EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism tax and India’s labour movement demands,” said Prof Biswajit Dhar, former Head of the Centre for WTO Studies at Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT). “By the time European Union leaders arrive in New Delhi for the Republic Day celebrations later this month, trade negotiators on Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal during a discussion with EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic over breakfast on the India-EU FTA and the progress of the Trade and Technology Council, in New Delhi last year. FILE PHOTOGRAPH both sides hope to have something concrete to show,” Prof. Dhar said. Other than the threat from US tariffs and policy decisions, other strategic considerations are also reshaping the talks. Under its Critical Raw Materials Act, the European Union has identified India as a key potential partner for diversifying supplies of rare earths and other strategic minerals in an effort to reduce dependence on China. India’s state-run miner, Indian Rare Earths, produces between 1,300 and 1,500 tons of neodymium oxide annually, a material vital for electric vehicles, wind turbines and advanced electronics. “Friend-shoring” such supply chains, European officials argue, could cushion the bloc against future disruptions. The talks which had dragged on for more than decade, have more or less settled other contentious points and India can hope for tariff concessions on a host of goods ranging from textiles, gems and jewellery to electronics and steel. While EU will gain market access at far lower tariff points for high end automobiles, wine and “possibly even certain dairy products, with safeguards for our dairy sector”, said officials close to the discussion. At the heart of the impasse is the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, or CBAM, a policy that has come to symbolise the friction between Europe’s climate ambitions and India’s trade priorities. Introduced to prevent “carbon leakage,” CBAM seeks to level the playing field by taxing imports of carbon-intensive goods, including steel, aluminium, cement and fertilisers, a carbon price equivalent to what European producers pay under the EU’s Emissions Trading System. India has sought trade-offs from this tax for carbon credits lodged by local producers of steel and other products which would have been hit by this duty, with price increases as a result of the tax by 15-20 per cent. Indian negotiators are not asking for blanket exemptions, which Brussels has made clear are off the table. Instead, people familiar with the talks say New Delhi is pressing for flexibility within the trade agreement which would recognise India’s domestic carbon-reduction efforts, including sector-specific mitigation measures and a planned Carbon Credit Trading Scheme, which is slated for a rollout beginning in 2026. The aim, Indian officials argue, is to acknowledge “equivalent effort,” even if policy instruments differ. Trade flows underscore the stakes. The EU is India’s largest trading partner with merchandise trade alone worth USD 140 in 2024, representing some 11.5 per cent of India’s total trade. For EU, India is its ninth largest trade partner, but also it’s fastest growing one.