TUESDAY U.N. REJECTS U.S. RESOLUTION THAT URGED END TO WAR IN UKRAINE 25 In a win for Ukraine, the US failed to get UN approve a resolution urging an end to the war without mentioning Moscow’s aggression FEBRUARY, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in 4.22 LAKH CR facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard IS WHAT INVESTORS LOST ON MONDAY AS THE BSE SENSEX FELL BELOW 75K GERMANY RIGHT SEEKS CENTRE-LEFT HAND Conservatives led by Friedrich Merz won the national election, with far-right, anti-immigrant AfD surging to become the second-largest political force. PAGE 9 32 Kejriwal MLAs waiting to join Cong, says Bajwa H A R P R E E T B A J W A @ Chandigarh PARTAP Singh Bajwa, the Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly and senior Congress leader, on Monday claimed that 32 MLAs of AAP are in touch with his party and are ready to switch loyalties. “The coming months will witness an Eknath Shinde-like episode in Punjab. These legislators are indulging in advance arrangements with Congress, muck like the way the public buy tickets for a Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh show. I cannot disclose their names but there are 32 of them,’’ he said. Ahead of the two-day special assembly session, Bajwa acc used Un ion M i n i s t e r Ravneet Singh Bittu of acting as a “bridge” b e t we e n t h e Centre and CM Bhagwant Mann. He said, “Mann is very much in touch with the BJP, a claim I have made repeatedly The moment . Arvind Kejriwal attempts to unseat him, Mann will switch his loyalty to BJP and Bittu will facilitate the transfer.” The Congress leader accused the state government of delaying the promised honorarium of `1,000 per month, which was pledged before the elections. He said that there is complete chaos in the party Congress MLA . Pargat Singh said that the AAP would shortly unseat Mann. Punjab AAP chief Aman Arora, however, rubbished Bajwa’s claims, saying the LoP’s transition to BJP is certain. File photo BIG SETBACK FOR TRUMP ADMINISTRATION A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00  PAGES 12 April timeline Hopes dim as rescue ops enter day 3 for Modi, Yunus meeting likely EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad Both expected to hold talks on the sidelines of the 7-nation BIMSTEC summit in Thailand J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi is likely to meet the Muhammad Yunus, the chief advisor to Bangladesh interim government, on the sidelines of the 6th BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) summit in Thailand in April 3-4. April 4 will be the main summit day of the sub-regional grouping. Though the possibility of the meeting between Modi and Yunus is being explored, there is no official confirmation yet. Modi will travel to Thailand for the summit, which was earlier slated for on September 3-4 last year but got postponed due to domestic political developments in the host country . India is promoting BIMSTEC as a model regional organisation, after SAARC became largely inactive due to the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. Ties between India and Bangladesh waded into choppy waters after the removal of Sheikh Hasina as the prime minister. Speaking at a public event on Sunday just days after his meet, ing with Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Advisor Touhid Hossain in Muscat, foreign minister Jaishankar expressed concern regarding the interim administration’s hostile approach towards India and the violence against minorities. Narendra Modi and Muhammad Yunus BIMSTEC model regional grouping, says India BIMSTEC consists of seven member countries: Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal. India is promoting BIMSTEC as a model regional grouping, after SAARC became largely inactive due to the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan “What is especially concerning is the ongoing attacks on minorities in Bangladesh. This impacts our viewpoint, and we have raised our concerns.” Jaishankar also responded to the Bangladesh government’s public criticism of India in the same event, describing it as contradictory and unproductive. “If officials from the interim government keep blaming India for all their problems, some of which are entirely unfounded, it sends a conflicting message. On one hand, they claim to want good relations with us, but on the other, they continuously blame India for their domestic issues. This is a choice they must make,” the external affairs minister said. AS the efforts to save the eight workers trapped inside the Srisailam Left Bank Canal tunnel since Saturday entered the third day, the rescue workers are not only battling against time but also the slush and seepage. The continuous seepage has turned the earth inside the tunnel into slush, slowing down the rescue teams. While the fate of trapped workers remained unknown as of Monday evening, officials said the tunnel boring machine has a safe chamber and the workers would be safe if they managed to enter it. Early in the day, Telangana transport minister Jupally Indian Army personnel at the Srisailam Left Bank Canal project site | EXPRESS Krishna Rao told a news agency that he was not optimistic about the safety of the eight trapped workers. “Chances of their survival are very remote. I myself went up to the end, almost just 50 me- Weight loss? Dhoni may use UPROAR IN HOUSE OVER lighter bat this IPL season AMBEDKAR PORTRAIT THE first session of the newly-formed Assembly started on a tumultuous note on Monday, as the Opposition and the ruling party exchanged heated remarks over the removal of portraits of Bhagat Singh and B R Ambedkar from the Chief Minister’s Office, prompting a brief adjournment. The Opposition party, AAP, accused the BJP of displaying an “anti-Dalit” mindset by removing the portraits, while the ruling party denied any such action. Earlier in the day L-G VK Saxena ad, ministered the oath to Arvinder Singh Lovely as the pro-tem Speaker, who then administered the oath to the newly-elected MLAs. While Karawal Nagar MLA Kapil Mishra (BJP) took oath in Sanskrit, Sanjeev Jha (AAP) in Maithili, and Manjinder Singh Sirsa (BJP) in Punjabi. This was followed by the election of the Speaker. As the House met in the morning, AAP MLAs, led by LoP Atishi, raised slogans demanding the immediate reinstatement of the portraits. Speaker Vijender Gupta criticised their behavior, saying, “The opposition is behaving irresponsibly. I urge opposition members to take their seats and allow the House to function.” Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva clarified that the portraits of the revered leaders continue to be displayed in the CM’s and other offices. AAP and the BJP also argued over the implementation of the Mahila Samridhi Yojana. P3 MCD has announced a tax waiver for property owners. Those who settle their 2024-2025 dues will have all previous outstanding amounts waived. | P3 Katrina Kaif performs rituals and Akshay Kumar takes a holy dip at Sangam during the Maha Kumbh on Monday | PTI CALL TO ACTION PM leads charge in battle against the bulge @ New Delhi THE battle lines have been drawn in India’s war on obesity , with Prime Minister Narendra Modi launching a nationwide campaign to promote healthy living and reduce the burden of obesity-related diseases. A day after expressing concern about the growing obesity epidemic in India in his Mann Ki Baat, Modi on Monday nominated 10 influential personalities to join the war against flab, spread awareness and inspire change. Those nominated are: J&K CM Omar Abdullah, Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra, actor Mohanlal, Bhojpuri singer-actor and former MP Dinesh Lal Yadav (Nirahua), actor R Madhavan, philanthropist and Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murthy shooting cham, pion Manu Bhaker, weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, Infosys cofounder Nandan Nilekani and singer Shreya Ghoshal. Each of them has been asked to nominate 10 individuals to further the cause. Nirahua quickly responded by inviting 10 others, including Uttar Pradesh MANDAR PARDIKAR CM Yogi Adityanath, Union Minister Chirag Paswan, Malini Awasthi, Dr Kumar Vishwas, and Bhojpuri actorstur ned-politicians Manoj Tiwari, Ravi Kishan, and Pawan Singh. “I’m very happy to join the campaign against o b e s i t y launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji,” Omar said on X. He nominated 10 individuals, including Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, F I R O Z M I R Z A @ Chennai ANUP VERMA @ NEW DELHI WAIVER ANNOUNCED STARS DESCEND tres short (of the accident site) ... Mud has piled up to 25 feet,” PTI quoted him as saying. On Monday, 14 rat-hole miners and sniffer dogs too were pressed into service to find a breakthrough. However, the sniffer dogs could not go inside the tunnel due to the water. The rat-hole miners are in addition to the 584 experts from NDRF, SDRF, Army, Navy and the National Highways Authority of India, as well as from JP Associates and Navayuga. The rescuers are 40 metres away from the tunnel boring machine — separated by water, slush, and machine parts. Dewatering is in full swing using high-pressure pumps. Initially, officials considered vertical drilling — making a hole from the top of the tunnel and going inside. However, the idea was dropped. According estimates, 4,000 litres of muddy water containing slush, sand, and pebbles is flooding the tunnel every minute. 1 S T D AY, 1 S T S H O W HOUSE TAX RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR The UN General Assembly approved a European-backed Ukrainian resolution demanding Russia withdraw from Ukraine. This is a setback for the Trump administration in the 193-member world body, whose resolutions are not binding but are seen as a barometer of world opinion. Ukraine’s resolution passed 93-18, with 65 abstentions including India Sajjan Jindal, Deepika Padukone, Sania Mirza, Irfan Pathhan, Supriya Sule, Kuldeep Handoo, Sheetal Archer, Iqra Rasool, and Palak Kour Bijral. Anand Mahindra said reducing cooking oil consumption by 10% can have a significant impact on health, finances, and the environment. He nominated Anil Kapoor, P V Sindhu, Gul Panag, Nikhil Kamath, among others. Sudha Murthy nominated P T Usha, Anil Kumble, Mukesh Bansal, Kiran Bedi, Venkatesh Prasad, Tejasvi Surya, Mrunalini Deshmukh, Amish Tripathi, S Gurumurthy and Kiran Mazumdar Shaw. I’m happy to join the drive... obesity causes lifestyle related health issues like heart disease, diabetes, and stroke Omar Abdulllah, J&K CM MS Dhoni INDOOR TRAINING With IPL round the corner, MS Dhoni trained with the bowling machine at the indoor facility of JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi a few weeks ago. COME Indian Premier League 2025, former India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni might wield lighter bats. Since his U-19 days, Dhoni has been using bats weighing around 1,200 grams. The weight gradually increased as he graduated to the senior level. However, at 43, the most successful Indian captain is expected to bring down the weight of his bat by around 10-20 grams. “Four bats have been delivered to Dhoni recently by Sanspareils Greenlands Pvt. Ltd, the cricket equipment company from Meerut,” a source in the know of the things told this daily Suresh Raina, former India . all-rounder and Dhoni’s ex-CSK teammate, also confirmed the same while commentating during the India-Pakistan match on Sunday . “Each bat weighs around 1,230 grams with the same shape as before,” added the source. Reduction in weight can be seen as a natural progression. “His bats were always heavier than ours,” one of Dhoni’s former teammates, who had played age-group and senior domestic cricket with him, told this daily In his prime, Dhoni . was one of the few players to use a middle-weight bat, which weighed between 1,250 and 1,300 grams. Meanwhile, Dhoni’s training schedule ahead of the IPL season has yet not been finalised and so is his arrival in Chennai. CSK will be playing their first match on March 23. Full story: newindianexpress.com