FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 12 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR | Lucknow | Mumbai ‘Bihar’s growth rate 3 per cent higher than national average’ T20 World Cup: India probably start as the clear favourites, says Ponting Page 5 Trump claims to fix UN financial crisis ‘very easily’ Page 12 NATION Goyal unveils ‘Future-Ready Bharat’ Vision at NSE meet Page 10 Tuesday, 03 February 2026 SPORTS WORLD BUSINESS | Page 9 Trump lowers tariffs to 18 pc after talks with PM Modi STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 2 February U S President Donald Trump on Monday spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and later claimed that the two leaders had agreed to a trade deal between their two countries effective immediately, whereby America will charge a reduced reciprocal tariff, lowering it from 25 per cent to 18 per cent. ‘’It was an honour to speak with Prime Minister Modi of India this morning. He is one of my greatest friends and a powerful and respected leader of his country. We spoke about many things, including trade and ending the war with Russia and Ukraine and to buy much more from the United States and potentially Venezuela,’’ Trump wrote later in a social media post. He said the steps they discussed will help end the war in Ukraine where thousands of people are dying every week. ‘’Out of respect for the Prime Minister and as per his request, effective immediately, we agreed to a trade deal between the United States and India, whereby the United States will charge a reduced reciprocal tariff, lowering it from 25 per cent to 18 per cent’’, he added. President Trump said India will likewise move forward to reduce its tariff and nontariff barriers against the US to zero. He claimed that PM Modi also agreed to ‘’Buy American’’ at a much higher level, in addition to over $ 500 billion of US energy, technology, agricultural, coal and many other products. ‘’Our amazing relationship with India will be even stronger going forward. Prime Minister Modi and I are two people that get things done, something that cannot be said for most,’’ he wrote. PM Modi also later took to ‘X’ to say, ‘’Wonderful to speak with my dear friend President Trump today. Delighted that Made in India products will now have a reduced tariff of 18%. Big thanks to President Trump on behalf of the 1.4 billion people of India for this wonderful announcement.’’ He went on to add, ‘’When two large economies and the world’s largest democracies work together, it benefits our people and unlocks immense opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation. President Trump’s leadership is vital for global peace, stability, and prosperity. India fully supports his efforts for peace. I look forward to working closely with him to take our partnership to unprecedented heights.’’ Chaos in LS as Rahul, BJP spar over former Army chief’s memoir VIBHA SHARMA New Delhi, 2 February The Lok Sabha on Monday witnessed a sharp political confrontation amid Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's repeated attempts to raise questions on India’s handling of China during a discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address, while referring to an unpublished memoir of former Army chief General M M Naravane. The House was adjourned till Tuesday amid heated exchanges b e twe en the Opposition and Treasury Benches with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah leading the charge with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiran Rijiju in the presence of PM Modi. At the cen tre of the controversy was Naravane’s book Four Stars of Destiny. Gandhi trie d to re ad passages from the memoir that he said related to Chinese m i l i t a r y a c t iv i ty a n d decision-making during the 2020 India-China border standoff. The aim was to counter BJP MP Tejasvi Surya’s remarks “questioning the Congress’s patriotism.” “This is from the memoirs of Army Chief Naravane… you will understand who is patriotic and who is not,” Gandhi said, before attempting to quote sections relating to the Galwan clash. He was interrupted by Rajnath Singh, who objected to the use of material from an unpublished book and asked whether it had been officially released. Singh also demanded that Gandhi table a copy of the book in the House. Despite his objection, Gandhi again referred to “the memoir of Naravane” and displayed printed pages from a magazine that had published excerpts from the manuscript. Rajnath Singh accused him of “misleading the House”, while Shah also intervened, escalating the dispute into a larger confrontation over parliamentary procedure and the Opposition’s right to raise sensitive foreign policy issues. “What are they so scared of that they are not allowing me to read from the book?” Gandhi asked at one point. Shah said Surya had not attacked the character of the Congress and accused the Leader of the Opposition of defying repeated rulings by Speaker Om Birla. Birla ruled that no member could quote from a book that had not yet been published or officially cleared. D e sp i t e t h e r u l i n g , throughout his turn, he continued to press the point regarding Narvane's memoirs, maintaining that the excerpts were “authentic” and available in a published magazine article. “I am not able to understand. They say they are fighting terrorism, and they are scared to hear one quotation. What is written in it that they are so scared that I am not allowed to read it?” he said. “If they are not scared, they should allow me to read it.” Naravane’s memoir is said to be undergoing review by the Ministry of Defence, a routine process for books by former senior military officials when they contain sensitive material. The former Army chief led the force during the Galwan clash with Chinese troops in 2020. “The book is not banned and awaits clearance from the government before publication proceeds. It is standard practice for books by former senior military officials to undergo scrutiny,” officials said. Shah and Rajnath Singh argued that the discussion was on President Droupadi Murmu’s Address, not on unpublished b o oks or speculative reports. Gandhi countered that the President’s Address covered India’s overall situation, including foreign relations and national security, and questioned whether Parliament was barred from discussing international relations altogether. When the House reassembled at 4 pm, the confrontation resumed, with Gandhi sticking to his stance. Outside the Parliament, the political sparring continued. Accusing the government of delaying the b o ok’s publication, Gandhi said: “This is not me, this is what the Army Chief (former) has written in a book. The book is not being allowed to be published. It is languishing, and this is the Army Chief's perspective. Why are they so scared of the Army Chief's perspective?” Union Minister Kiran Rijiju accused Gandhi of violating House rules and defying the Speaker. “Right from the beginning, Rahul Gandhi flouted rules… Can the Congress party bring back the landmass that was captured by China in 1959 and 1962? Rahul Gandhi should apologise to the nation,” he said. Mamata storms out of ECI meet, alleges WB voters targeted in roll revision STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 2 February West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after visiting the Chief Election Commissioner in New Delhi on Monday accused the ECI of targeting the people of her state and said she was "boycotting the meeting" as the Commission has "insulted us" and her party "didn't get justice". She claimed that Bengal's people were not being given a fair chance to defend themselves after many of their names were struck off from the poll rolls during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR). "Will the election commission choose the government before the election? We are watching," she said after coming out of her meeting with the Election commission. "We have boycotted the election commission. They have insulted us, humiliated us ... this type of EC is very arrogant," the chief minister told reporters, adding, "We didn't get justice." Banerjee, who was accompanied by her party leaders and "SIR affected people", had approached the Election Commission of India over the SIR exercise underway in the state, which has seen 58 lakh names taken off from the draft rolls. After the meeting, speaking to reporters she claimed that voters were "left out over small things like minor variations in the spelling of their names". She told reporters that she had no great hopes from the Election Commission and accused it of being "lackeys of the ruling party." Banerjee also alleged "they (ECI) are working under the directions of the ruling party ... I can bring lakhs of people to Delhi and can parade them in front of anyone" to prove her point of how people have been left out of the electoral rolls "on small issues." She said she had ultimately "boycotted the meeting" as her delegation was not dealt with respect."We didn't get justice," she added. The chief minister also said that her party had sent five letters to the ECI but did not get a reply to "a single one". Earlier in the day, she had alleged that Delhi police had barricaded 'Banga Bhavan', the state guest house, where she was staying in Delhi. Mamata also questioned the timing of the exercise in West Bengal, and the way it was conducted, stating that it should have been done in a "proper way, with proper planning." She said the poll-bound states should not have been the priority for the SIR exercise. Banerjee, the affected people and party leaders who accompanied her to the commission were wearing black clothes as a mark of protest. The chief minister expressed displeasure saying that she was "saddened" at the current turn of events, adding that in her "entire political career I have not seen such functioning" by the poll panel, which did not "allow people to defend themselves." She claimed the rules for the exercise had been altered for her state, and "people were not given an option where documents such as land records and other documents" could be accepted as in the case of other states. She questioned why SIR was not done in Assam, but insisted on in Opposition ruled West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. According to ECI sources, the AITC delegation led by Banerjee, met the Commission and raised certain issues relating to the ongoing SIR in her state. Sources said the West Bengal CM made her points by banging on the table as she left. CEC Gyanesh Kumar responded to her queries and explained that the rule of law shall prevail and anybody taking law into their own hands shall be dealt with strictly as per the provisions of law and powers vested in the commission, sources said. ICC awaits PCB communication, cautions Pakistan over India match boycott TRIDIB BAPARNASH New Delhi, 02 February Reacting to the Pakistan government’s decision to boycott the high-profile T20 World Cup February 15 match against India, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has flagged serious concerns, warning that selective participation undermines the tournament and its global audience. The ICC has said it is awaiting formal communication from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), but stressed that such decisions can have long-term consequences for the sport. On Sunday night, the Pakistan government announced on social media that while it had granted clearance for the national team to participate in the T20 World Cup, Pakistan would not take the field for the Group A clash against India scheduled to be played in Colombo. The decision is set to have significant implications for the tournament. Interestingly, Pakistan’s decision came on the same day their Under-19 cricket team lost to the Indian boys to bow out of ongoing Under-19 World Cup. The decision, conveyed through an official government statement, is being seen as a political protest linked to Bangladesh's removal from the tournament after the world body declined its request to shift matches from India to Sri Lanka on security grounds. At the time, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had said that it would reassess its participation following that decision as it showed solidarity with Bangladesh. Meanwhile, ICC, the global cricketing body, has warned against “significant and long-term implications” that Pakistan could face for boycotting the match against India. “While the ICC awaits official communication from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), this position of selective participation is difficult to reconcile with the fundamental premise of a global sporting event where all qualified teams are expected to compete on equal terms per the event schedule,” an ICC statement read. “ICC tournaments are built on sporting integrity, competitiveness, consistency and fairness, and selective participation undermines the spirit and sanctity of the competitions. While the ICC respects the roles of governments in matters of national policy, this decision is not in the interest of the global game or the welfare of fans worldwide, including millions in Pakistan.” “The ICC hopes that the PCB will consider the significant and long-term implications for cricket in its own country as this is likely to impact the global cricket ecosystem, which it is itself a member and beneficiary of,” it added. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), however, is yet to make any statement. Meanwhile, it has been reliably learnt that the BCCI has maintained restraint on the issues, with sources saying that the Indian team will stick to protocol, and travel to Colombo accordingly. The Suryakumar Yadav-led side is expected to attend the training sessions and keep their preparations on, leaving the final call to match officials. BCCI vice president Rajeev Shukla said, "ICC has issued a big statement, they have spoken about sportsmanship. We completely agree with the ICC. BCCI won't make any comments on it until we speak with the ICC." The India-Pakistan clash is the most anticipated fixture of any ICC event, drawing peak global viewership, sponsorship interest and broadcast revenues. While a walkover would hand full points to India, the ICC retains the authority to impose financial penalties on the PCB. Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said the call was beyond the players’ control and that the team would abide by the instructions given to them. At the time the announcement was made, Agha was involved in Pakistan’s third and final T20I against Australia. Speaking to reporters later, the skipper clarified that the decision had been taken entirely by the government and reiterated that the players would follow the directives issued by the authorities and PCB. “Yes, absolutely, we will go. But that is not our decision, sir, and we cannot do anything about it. Whatever our government and our chairman instruct us to do, we have to follow. Only then will we go, and we will do that,” Agha said. Former cricketers including Kevin Pietersen and Ravichandran Ashwin reacted to the announcement, made just days before the ICC showpiece begins on 7 February. “Not sure if India can meet Pakistan in this World Cup final due to groups and play offs, but if they can, would Pakistan refuse to play the World Cup final?” questioned Pietersen. Ashwin also mocked the decision, stating, “An India Pakistan clash even in the knockout is ruled out? Sure? We get there it will be a “World T20 bye”.