Monday, August 11, 2025 | Vol. 68 No. 265 | 29 Pages THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation NATION Poll panel assures SC that no name will be deleted from Bihar’s draft electoral roll without prior notice GAMES Cinema So...who won at the Screenwriters Association Awards? Ganguly feels Rohit and Kohli must continue playing ODIs if they are performing Edit The reality of Trump and the art of making the deal with it ‘Make in India’ brought ‘DEAD ECONOMY? Pak to its knees: Modi FAST TRACK | In jibe at Trump, PM highlights ‘reform, perform, transform’ as growth driver INDIA SPEEDING UP IN TOP 3 GEAR’ Rajnath dig on tariff: ‘Sabka boss’ envious S heetal Agarwal has been bringing laughter and emotional relief through the art of medical clowning. Turn to the Mumbai page to find out how. SEE CITY FPJ Online RAISEN reform, perform, and transform — from clear intentions and honest efforts,” Modi said. Listing key milestones across sectors, Modi highlighted India’s transformation over the past decade. In 2014, metro rail services were available in just five cities. Today, India has a metro network spanning over 1,000 km across 24 cities, making it the thirdlargest in the world. He added that since Independence until 2014, only 20,000 km of railway lines had been electrified. Over the past 11 years, that number has doubled to 40,000 km. In a scathing critique aimed at US President Trump, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said the recent hike in American tariffs reflects the growing discomfort of global powers with India's rapid economic rise. “Some people are unable to accept India’s progress. They are not taking it well,” Singh said, suggesting that powerful nations are unsettled by India’s momentum. “They think, ‘We are everyone’s boss — how is India progressing so fast?’ Efforts are now underway to make Made-in-India products more expensive when exported, so they lose competitiveness globally.” He was speaking at the bhoomi pujan ceremony of a BEML rail coach manufacturing unit in MP. 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation Briefs Fake Noida thana busted Less than a month after a “fake embassy” was busted in Ghaziabad, six men were arrested in Noida on Sunday for allegedly misleading people through a fake office and by posing as members of international police and various other organisations, officials said. The accused, residents of West Bengal, pretended to be government officials as well and influenced locals with the logo of the office. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Noida) Shakti Mohan Awasthy said, "They used to extort money from people by showing fake documents and logos. They also pretended as government officials to impress people." He said, "The arrested accused were operating the office for the last 15 days. They also had a website, www.intlpcrib.in, and took donations." Four boards of the "International Police and Crime Investigation Bureau", Rs 42,300 in cash and other documents were also seized from the the accused. AI Dreamliner retrofitting Air India on Sunday said it will upgrade the avionics and other critical components of its 26 legacy B787-8 Dreamliner aircraft to reduce operational disruptions as well as improve overall reliability. The airline has faced operational issues with some of its planes, including the Dreamliner, after the fatal crash of London-bound flight AI-171 in Ahemedabad. Under the $400 million fleet retrofit plan announced in December 2022, the airline has started the revamp of the first legacy Dreamliner, which was flown to a Boeing facility in Victorville, California in July. A second aircraft is scheduled to depart in October, with both set to return to service in December. FPJ News Service BENGALURU Taking a veiled dig at US President Donald Trump’s remark describing India as a “dead economy,” PM Narendra Modi on Sunday asserted that the country is on track to become one of the world’s top three economies. He said that India’s economic momentum is driven by a clear roadmap built on reform, performance, and transformation — backed by intent and integrity. “We are rapidly moving towards becoming one of the world’s top three economies. This speed has come from our spirit of Submit ‘vote chori’ proof: K’taka poll panel to Rahul Vinay Madhava Gowda BENGALURU PM Narendra Modi on Sunday credited Indian technology and the 'Make in India' initiative for the swift success of Operation Sindoor, which he said brought Pakistan to its knees within hours in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack. "The world has seen the nature of new India. They have also seen how the Make in India technology destroyed the terrorist camps hiding hundreds of kilometers away in another country. The contribution of Bengaluru and India in this success is very high,'' he said. The PM was speaking after launching Metro rail projects here. Agencies NEW DELHI Operation Sindoor was akin to playing a game of chess as "we did not know" what would be the enemy's next move, Army chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi has said. Though the "Test match stopped on the fourth day", it could have been a protracted conflict, he noted. Gen Dwivedi said, "In Operation Sindoor what we did, we To substantiate the figures, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha had cited the example of one woman named Shakun Rani, alleging that she had registered twice in two months. "You have stated that as per the records given by the polling officer, Smt Shakun Rani had voted twice... On inquiry, Smt Sakun Rani has stated that she has voted only once and not twice, as alleged by you," the notice issued to Gandhi read. 4Contd on | nation FPJ News Service Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will host a dinner for INDIA bloc MPs on Monday, sources said amid a concerted bid by the opposition grouping to close ranks against the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar and alleged poll rigging. Opposition leaders and MPs would also take out a protest march on Monday from Parliament to the Election Commission office over the "poll fraud" issue. The dinner meeting is expected to discuss the coming election to choose the next Dheeraj Kumar The EPIC battle in Bihar took an interesting turn on Sunday. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav alleged that deputy chief minister and senior BJP leader Vijay Kumar Sinha was in possession of two EPIC cards in two different constituencies. Yadav himself is caught in a double EPIC card controversy. Yadav alleged that Sinha's name figured in Lakhisarai as well as Bankipur assembly constituencies in Patna district. Sinha, however, accused Yadav of making “false allegations” against him, and asked him to issue an apology as he had already applied for dele- tion of one of his cards. The RJD leader said that Sinha's age mentioned in the EPIC number issued in Bankipur constituency was 60, while another EPIC number issued in Lakhisarai had recorded it as 57. “Either he (Sinha) has signed documents for the issue of both these EPIC numbers or the entire special intensive revision Agencies Liu Jianchao, a senior Chinese diplomat widely seen as a potential future foreign minister, has been taken away by authorities for questioning, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. Liu was taken away after returning to Beijing in late July from an overseas work trip, WSJ reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Neither the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs nor the party apparatus, including the International Liaison Department and the Central Commission General Upendra Dwivedi, Army chief played chess. It means, we did not know what is the next move the enemy is going to make, and what we are going to do. This is something, we call.. the grey Vice-President as the INDIA bloc is considering to put up a joint candidate and Kharge is reaching out to opposition parties to explore names and reach a consensus on it, sources said Sunday. Congress sources said INDIA bloc MPs led by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and floor leaders of other parties will march from Parliament to the EC Office. The opposition has asked for an appointment with the two election commissioners and the chief election commissioner. The march is expected to take place at 11.30 am. 4Contd on | nation (SIR) process is a fraud," Yadav added. "People should know who is committing fraud. Lakhisarai assembly EPIC no. is IAF3939337 while Bankipur assembly EPIC no. is AFS0853341," he claimed and buttressing his claim with screenshots of the voter list. 4Contd on | nation China detains foreign minister hopeful WASHINGTON Somewhere we were giving him (enemy) the checkmate and somewhere we were going in for the kill at the risk of losing our own. Tejashwi takes EPIC shot at Bihar dy CM PATNA for Discipline Inspection, have responded to media inquiries. Liu, 61, has led the Communist Party's body in charge of managing ties with foreign political parties. Since taking the role in 2022, he has travelled to more than 20 nations and met officials from more than 160 countries. Liu's busy schedule, especially his meetings with the former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington, stoked expectations that the former ambassador and ministry spokesman was being groomed to be the next foreign minister. CRACKDOWN ■ Senior diplomat Liu Jianchao taken away for questioning after return from foreign trip. ■ This follows 2023 ouster of President Xi's protégé Qin Gang over rumours of an extramarital affair. His detention marks the highest-level probe involving a diplomat since China ousted its former foreign minister and President Xi Jinping's protégé, Qin Gang, in 2023 following rumours of an extramarital affair. Qin, who was known for his “wolf warrior” diplomacy and regarded as one of Beijing’s Operation Sindoor was a testament to the tri-services synergy and there is a need to continue the reforms, coordination and adaptability to meet the evolving security challenges, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan has said. In an address at the College of Defence Management in Secunderabad, the top military officer also emphasised on a roadmap for theatre commands to enhance joint capability. 4Contd on | nation zone. Grey zone is that we are not going for the conventional operations. But, doing something just short of a conventional operation." He made the re- marks at a function at IIT-Madras on August 4. The video of his address was shared by the Army over the weekend. "Conventional operation means, go with everything, take everything you have. Here, the grey zone means any activity that is taking place in all domains, and Operation Sindoor taught us that this is the grey zone," he said. 4Contd on | nation Kharge hosts dinner VADRA EVASIVE, today, SIR on menu PUT ONUS ON FPJ News Service The Karnataka chief electoral officer on Sunday issued a notice to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, asking him to share documents based on which he had alleged that a 70-year-old woman from Mahadevpura had voted twice. Gandhi had claimed last week there was a theft of 1,00,250 votes in Karnataka's Mahadevapura segment. He claimed these included nearly 12,000 duplicate voters, 40,000 with fake or invalid addresses, over 10,000 registered at the same address, 4,100 with invalid photos, and around 34,000 misusing Form 6 for new voters. Agencies NEW DELHI ‘Checkmated Pak in a game of chess’ NEW DELHI NEW DELHI "The Indian military demonstrated the ability to destroy the terror hubs by targeting them deep inside Pakistan and bringing Pakistan to its knees within a few hours," Modi said. "We are seeing Bengaluru as a symbol of the rise of New India. It is a city whose soul has spiritual knowledge and has tech knowledge in its action," Modi said. The Bengaluru contribution through technology has to compete globally and for that, it would require modern infrastructure, he said. A number of projects have been lined up in this direction by the government. The participation of Bengaluru corporate houses like Delta, Infosys and Biocon, which contributed a lot of their CSR funds to Metro projects is laudable, Modi said. The Make in India is going in the right direction and soon, India would be manufacturing semiconductors. The recently launched ‘India AI Mission' would make India the global AI leader, he added. NEED TO BUILD ON OP SINDOOR SYNERGY: CDS most influential policymakers, was unceremoniously removed from his position after a month-long disappearance from public view. Born in the northeastern province of Jilin in 1964, Liu majored in English at Beijing Foreign Studies University and studied international relations at Oxford before taking up his first post as a translator with the foreign ministry. He has served in China's mission to Britain and later as ambassador to Indonesia and the Philippines. 4Contd on | nation DEAD AIDES: ED Agencies NEW DELHI Robert Vadra, the businessman husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, gave “evasive” replies during questioning regarding a 2008 “fraudulent” land deal in Shikohpur village, Gurugram, according to a chargesheet filed by the ED. The agency also said Vadra shifted the “entire onus” onto his three deceased associates to avoid responsibility. The ED further alleged that Vadra exerted “undue influence” on Haryana government officials through former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in connection with this alleged money laundering-linked real estate transaction. These allegations are detailed in a 332-page chargesheet submitted on July 17 before a special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Delhi. According to the ED, Vadra, 56, illegally gained ₹58 crore as “proceeds of crime” from the land deal. On August 2, Special Judge Sushant Changotra at Rouse Avenue Courts issued notices to all 11 accused named in the chargesheet. The court has listed the matter for hearing on August 28 and directed that copies of the chargesheet Vadra illegally gained `58 crore as “proceeds of crime” from the Gurugram land deal, ED says be shared with the accused. Vadra is listed as accused number one, along with seven companies linked to him and two directors of SGY Properties (formerly Omkareshwar Properties), Satyanand Yajee and Kewal Singh Virk. Vadra’s legal team has not yet responded to the allegations. The case centers on Vadra’s company Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd (SLHPL) purchasing 3.5 acres of land in Shikohpur village, Sector 83, Gurugram, from Omkareshwar Properties Pvt Ltd (OPPL) in 2008 at a declared price of ₹7.5 crore. 4Contd on | nation Tardeo residents pledge Aug 27 exit Devashri Bhujbal MUMBAI Residents from the 17th to 34th floors of Willington View Coop Housing Society, a highrise in south Mumbai's Tardeo area, have submitted an undertaking to the BMC's legal department and D Ward office, agreeing to comply with the Bombay HC order to vacate their apartments within three weeks — by August 27. If they fail to do so, the BMC will initiate forceful eviction procedures. After the Supreme Court denied relief to the residents of the high-rise — which has only a partial Occupancy Certificate (OC) and no clearance from the Mumbai Fire Brigade — the 27 families approached the High Court seeking more time to find alternate accommodation. They also cited school-going children and the upcoming Paryushan festival observed by Jain families. On August 7, the High Court granted them three weeks' time. The Assistant Municipal Commissioner of D Ward, under whose jurisdiction Willington View CHS falls, said, “The secretary of the building, along with residents from the 17th to 34th floors, has submitted an undertaking to vacate the flats by August 27. If they fail to do so, the BMC will initiate the process of forceful eviction.” 4Contd on | nation