04022026-TT-01.qxd 2/3/2026 11:18 PM Page 1 c m y b 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 34 | 18 PAGES | ~6.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HIMACHAL PRADESH WANGCHUK DETAINED FOR INSTIGATING PEOPLE, CENTRE TELLS SC J&K /thetribunechd WILL SUPPORT ANY MOTION TO IMPEACH CEC: MAMATA NATION READY TO PURSUE ‘FAIR, ADANI, ITALIAN AVIATION EQUITABLE TALKS’ WITH MAJOR TO BUILD MILITARY US: IRANIAN PREZ WORLD COPTERS BACK PAGE wednesday | 4 february 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Agri, dairy shielded: Goyal calls US deal best among global players, slams Oppn Says technical details to be released in India-US bilateral statement soon, exports set for major boost Aditi Tandon & Aditya Rangroo Manipur ex-CM N Biren Singh offers sweets to new BJP Legislature Party leader Yumnam Khemchand Singh in New Delhi. Party MP Sambit Patra and national general secretary Tarun Chugh are also seen. ANI Meitei Khemchand set to be Manipur CM, woman Kuki legislator his deputy Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 3 The stage is set for the formation of a popular government in ethnic strife-hit Manipur with the BJP legislature party in the state electing Y Khemchand Singh (62) as their leader. A two-time MLA (2017 and 2022) from Singjamei constituency, Khemchand is a popular Meitei leader, a former Speaker of the Manipur Assembly and a minister in the last N Biren Singh-led government. A former Biren loyalist, Khemchand later turned against the former CM, building maximum Municipal polls in Pb stayedafterHCorder CHANDIGARH: The election process for nine municipal corporations and over 100 municipal councils and committees across Punjab virtually came to a standstill on Tuesday after the Punjab and Haryana HC directed the state “not to precipitate the things in any manner”. INSIDE Divyang, blind staff to retire at 58 in Hry CHANDIGARH: ‘Divyang’ and blind employees in Haryana will now retire at 58. In a jolt to these employees, the Nayab Singh Saini government on Tuesday issued a notification introducing a new service regime through the Haryana Civil Services (General) Amendment Rules, 2026. INSIDE Mahatma’sstatue stoleninMelbourne NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday strongly condemned the vandalism and removal of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the Australian Indian Community Centre in Rowville, Melbourne, and said it has taken up the matter with Australian authorities. BACK PAGE pressure on the central BJP leadership to replace him. Nemcha Kipgen, a woman leader and a representative of the Kuki tribal community, would be the Deputy CM, sources said. BJP general secretary Tarun Chugh oversaw the election of the BJP legislature party leader at a meeting of all MLAs at the BJP headquarters. Late night, a meeting of MLAs of all NDA partners would be held in Delhi where the names of the CM-elect and Deputy CM-elect will be stamped by all partners. The Meitei and Kuki combination in the leadership roles in continued on page 6 Tribune News Service NewDelhi, February3 The government on Tuesday said sensitive agriculture and dairy sectors had been protected in the just-announced India-US trade deal and that full technical details of the agreement would soon be released through a joint bilateral statement. Describing the deal as “the best in the neighbourhood and the best among all Indian competitors”, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said, “Sensitive sectors like agriculture and dairy have been safeguarded in the deal and no compromise has been made on farmers’ interests.” Goyal rejected Congress-led criticism over US President Donald Trump announcing the deal ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “The US has reduced the reciprocal tariff from 50 per cent to 18 per cent. Naturally, the information of the tariff continued on page 6 edit: tariff relief BUOYED BY DEAL, BOURSES JUMP 2.5% OPPN WILL PAY PRICE The tariff cut info came from the US as it imposed it in the first place. The country will teach Cong, its allies a lesson for anti-nationalism. ❝ ■ Sensex zooms 2,072 points (2.54%) on the back of trade deal; initially jumps 4,205.27 points to hit day’s high of 85,871.73, before settling at 83,739.13, best one-day gain 8 months ■ Nifty closes above 25,700, surging 1,252.8 points to 26,341.20, before settling at 25,727.55; clocks an increase of 639.15 points (2.55%) Piyush Goyal, UNION COMMERCE MINISTER PM BOWED TO PRESSURE Modi buckled under US pressure to finalise a trade deal and sold out the hard work of the Indian farmers through the pact. ❝ Re up 117p Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal addresses mediapersons in New Delhi on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO Rahul Gandhi, LEADER OF OPPOSITION No word from India on halting oil imports: Russia Ujwal Jalali Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 3 Russia on Tuesday said it had not received any communication from India about stopping purchases of Russian crude oil, contradicting claims by US President Donald Trump that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to halt such imports as part of a broader trade understanding with Washington. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was unaware of any decision by New Delhi to discontinue buying Russian oil and underlined that Russia intended to continue developing its relations with India “in every possible way”, according to Russian media reports. “Moscow has not yet received any statement about India halting purchases of oil,” Peskov was quoted as saying by RT news. His remarks came a day after Trump claimed that India had agreed to stop buying Russian oil and instead increase purchases from the US and, “potentially, Venezuela”, while announcing a trade deal that would see reciprocal US tariffs on Indian goods reduced to 18 per cent. While confirming the tariff reduction, Prime Minister Modi did not make any reference to oil imports or any commitment on Russian energy purchases. Echoing the Kremlin’s position, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Moscow continued on page 6 Washington, February 3 The Trump administration is working to put the details of its trade deal with India announced on Monday on paper, but it will reduce India's tariffs on American industrial goods to zero from 13.5 per cent and eliminate duties but allow India to maintain some agricultural import protections, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Tuesday. Greer told CNBC in an interview that the US would continue to work on access to certain protected areas of India's agriculture sector, but said India's tariffs “for a variety of things, you know, tree nuts, wine, spirits, fruits, vegetables, etc, they’re going down to zero”. He did not mention rice, beef, soybeans, sugar or dairy, which are commodities that India excluded from its recent trade deal with the EU. — Reuters AirIndiatoreplacefaulty Ruckus in Lok Sabha again as Can’t play with Indians’ fuel switch, send part to Rahulcites Naravane ‘memoir’ data: SC raps WhatsApp, Boeing for inspection 2 Pb Cong MPs among 8 of Oppn suspended for session Meta over privacy policy Shekhar Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 3 Air India will replace and send the impacted fuel control switch (FCS) module from its Boeing 787 aircraft operating flight AI132 to Boeing for detailed inspection, even as fresh disclosures show the component had completed less than 20 per cent of its certified service life, sources said on Tuesday, adding that over half of Air India’s 787 fleet had been inspected and nothing suspicious was found. Sources said the component in question had logged only 3,440 hours against a total certified life of 20,000 hours when the defect was reported. “The issue is with a specific component, not the aircraft. The component will be changed on the aircraft and sent to the OEM for further checks,” they said. The development comes a day after Air India grounded the aircraft and reported the matter to the Directorate Gen- AI132 scare: Component used less than 20% of life WINGTIPS COLLIDE ■ Two Airbus A320 aircraft of Air India and IndiGo made wingtip contact while taxiing at the Mumbai airport Tuesday ■ The incident involved AI2732 taxiing from C1 and an arriving IndiGo A320 joining B1 taxiway. Later, both planes returned to bays for inspection eral of Civil Aviation (DGCA), following concerns flagged by a pilot over the fuel control switch, a critical engine control, on a Boeing 787 operating the London-Bengaluru sector. In an internal memo to pilots operating Boeing 787 aircraft, Air India’s senior vice-president for flight operations Manish Uppal said they had continued on page 6 Animesh Singh Satya Prakash Tribune News Service Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 3 The Lok Sabha proceedings were again washed out on Tuesday while eight Opposition MPs were suspended for “unruly behaviour” after Rahul Gandhi was, for the second day in a row, not allowed to quote an article that cited an unpublished “memoir” of former Army Chief MM Naravane on the 2020 India-China standoff in Doklam. Rahul, Leader of the Opposition, later wrote to Speaker Om Birla, lodging his protest. “I have authenticated the article on China... why is the government scared of this book?” he said, shouting when the Chair asked other speakers to participate in the motion of thanks on the President’s address. “You can’t stop the Leader of the Opposition from speaking,” he said. Rahul said as a convention, including repeated rulings of past Speakers, a member wishing to refer to a document in the House is required New Delhi, February 3 The Supreme Court on Tuesday slammed global tech giants Meta Platforms Inc and WhatsApp for playing with the right to privacy of Indian citizens in the name of data sharing and allegedly committing theft of private information of customers, creating a monopoly in the market. “You cannot play with the right to privacy of citizens of this country in the name of data sharing… We will not allow you to share a single word of the data. Either you give an undertaking or we will have to pass an order. You cannot violate the right to privacy of citizens,” a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said. Hearing appeals of Meta and WhatsApp challenging a Competition Commission of India (CCI) order imposing a penalty of Rs 213.14 crore over the privacy policy, the Bench highlighted the unavailability of any clear option for a WhatsApp user to opt out of such a privacy policy. On behalf of Meta and WhatsApp, senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Akhil Sibal told the Bench that the penalty amount had already been deposited. The CCI has also moved the top court challenging the NCLAT’s order allowing Meta and WhatsApp to share users’ data for advertising purposes. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said, “Our personal data is not only sold, but also commercially exploited.” “Where is the question of opting out? Show me on your mobile. This is a decent way of committing theft of private information… You know your commercial interest and you also know how you have made consumers addicted to Opposition MPs throw papers towards Presiding Officer Dilip Saikia during an uproar in the LS during the Budget session in New Delhi. ANI BLOT ON DEMOCRACY There is a deliberate attempt to prevent me, as the LoP, from speaking on matters of national security. This is a blot on democracy. Rahul Gandhi, LoP INSULTING SOLDIERS He (Rahul) had only one intention... to insult Indian soldiers, democracy and Parliament. This is the only agenda the Congress is now left with. Anurag Thakur, BJP MP ❝ ❝ to authenticate it and affirm responsibility for its contents, which he did. Opposition MPs, some of whom refused to speak when asked to, in solidarity with Rahul, protested, leading to adjournment of the lower house for the day. The drama culminated in the suspension of the eight Opposition MPs, including seven from the Congress and one from the CPM, for the remainder of the Budget session after they threw pieces of papers at the Chair. The suspended MPs, continued on page 6 Tablets taken back, Haryana schools revert to blackboard Parveen Arora Absence of Wi-Fi connectivity, SIM cards & glitches to blame Tribune News Service Karnal, February 3 The state government’s ambitious scheme — eAdhigam (Advance Digital Haryana Initiative of Government with Adaptive Modules) — which was launched to promote digital learning through free tablets, seems to have run into trouble on the ground. In several government schools across Karnal and Kaithal districts, the majority of the tablets issued to students have reportedly been taken back due to the nonavailability of Wi-Fi connectiv- TO CLOSE AT 90.32/dollar Delhi to protect some agri goods: US trade chief GROUNDWORK MISSING The idea was good, but the groundwork was missing. Without Wi-Fi and SIM cards, tablets cannot function as learning tools. — A teacher Tablets lie unused in a government school in Karnal; and (left) stacked up in an almirah. TRIBUNE PHOTOS of Classes IX to XII to help them access digital learning material, enhance skills and explore new educational opportunities. The scheme was launched by then Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on May 5, 2022, in Rohtak. Under the scheme, students were provided free tablets with preloaded digital content and activated SIM cards offer- ❝ ity and SIM cards, technical glitches and the lack of operational support. The project was introduced by the Education Department with an aim to provide tablets to students c m y b ing 2 GB of free daily data, enabling access to video lectures, digital textbooks and online assignments. Around five lakh tablets were distributed across the state. However, sources said for nearly seven to eight months, neither were SIM cards provided for these tablets nor WiFi connections installed in many government schools. As a result, the scheme appears to have derailed. Apart from connectivity issues, several technical problems have also been reported. Many tablets are either nonfunctional or suffer from dam- aged screens, poor battery performance or fail to turn on, making these unsuitable for regular academic use. In Karnal district, as per the data, around 32,000 tablets were distributed among students from Class IX to XII as well as among teachers. Of these, nearly 23,000 are working, while the remaining are lying nonfunctional due to damage to screens or battery issues. In Kaithal district, around 27,000 tablets were distributed among students and teachers. Of these, nearly continued on page 6 ‘NO CLEAR OPTION TO OPT OUT’ ■ “Where is the question of opt- ing out (of privicy policy)? Show me on your mobile. It’s a decent way of committing theft of private info,” the CJI said ■ The Bench directed the Centre to file an affidavit spelling out its stand on the contentious issue ■ The top court posted the matter for further hearing on February 9 when it will consider passing some interim orders the app… everybody uses it. If users have a right to opt out, how will they know this right exists? Let’s see the option…. When it comes to opting out, the information is in a newspaper. How will a person know?” the CJI wondered. Describing Meta and WhatsApp users as silent, unorganised and digitally dependent customers unaware of the implications of data-sharing policies, the top court decried WhatsApp’s privacy policy, asserting, “We will not allow the rights of any citizen of this country to be damaged.” The top court directed that the Centre should be made a party to the case. Asking the Centre to file an affidavit spelling out its position on the contentious issue, the Bench posted the matter for further hearing on February 9 when it will consider passing some interim orders. The Bench, which also included Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul M Pancholi, warned the tech giants that it would not permit continued on page 6 Edit: Comply or Exit