mondAY 10 Feb 24 february, 2025 marks three years since Russian forces invaded ukraine in 2022 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard Kremlin refuses to confirm or deny talks X.com/TheMornStandard gaza It is not clear when the two leaders spoke. The Kremlin has neither confirmed nor denied the talks were held. Last week, Russia said contacts with the US have “intensified” since Trump took office ISRAELi forces leave key corridor A Hamas official said Israeli troops completed their withdrawal from a strategic road cutting through the Gaza strip, as part of the fragile truce deal A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS Page 9 l New Delhi l J8.00 l PAGES 12 Trump campaigned on a promise to end the war. He said he has a concrete plan on how to do it. But it’s not clear if Russia is on board Donald Trump Vladimir Putin Trump says he spoke with Putin about ending war in Ukraine US President Donald Trump said he spoke to his Russian counterpart to try to negotiate an end to the war ahead of its third anniversary Putin wants to end conflict, says Don Trump told the New York Post he believes Vladimir Putin “does care” about battlefield deaths. “All those dead people. They’re like your kids, two million of them – and for no reason,” Trump said, adding Putin too wants to “see people stop dying”. Asked how many times he has spoken to Putin after taking office on January 20, Trump said he better not say Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh 31 Maoists, 2 cops killed in resigns hours after meeting Shah gunbattle in Chhattisgarh Speaker Satyabrata Singh, minister Y Khemchand among front-runners to be the next CM P r a s a n ta Maz u m da r & Raje s h K u m a r T h a k u r @ Guwahati / New Delhi MANIPUR Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh resigned on Sunday a day before , the start of the crucial Assembly session in which he was to face a no-confidence motion. Singh submitted his resignation to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla in Imphal on Sunday evening, shortly after returning from Delhi where he met Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The governor asked him to continue in office till alternative arrangements are made, the Raj Bhavan said. The names of Assembly speaker T Satyabrata Singh and senior minister Y Khemchand are doing the rounds as Singh’s possible successor. According to sources, it is BJP’s internal politics that forced Biren Singh to resign nearly two years after the state AAP war against the system to being the system The party that staked its claim in Delhi Assembly with promises of a transparent governance found itself embroiled in grave allegations of financial irregularities | P4 Express read Rajnath to inaugurate Aero India 2025 today The Yelahanka Air Force Station here is decked up for the biennial Aero India show, which will be inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday. Themed as ‘The Runway to a Billion Opportunities’, the five-day extravaganza will showcase India’s aerial prowess and indigenous cutting-edge innovations alongside state-ofthe-art products of global aerospace companies. | P7 Narela man killed, rod shoved in private parts Angered by curry-spilling on a bus seat, three men, including an RTV driver, brutally assaulted a man, shoved a rod into his private parts, and later dumped his dead body on the outskirts of Delhi, police said on Sunday. The deceased, identified as Manoj aka Babu, was a Narela resident who worked as a cook at weddings. His body was discovered on February 2 after a PCR call alerted Bawana police station | P3 Biren Singh hands over his resignation to Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, in the presence of BJP’s Northeast in-charge Sambit Patra and other leaders | ANI was torn by an ethnic conflict between Meiteis and Kukis that left over 250 people dead and 60,000 others displaced. Before his Delhi trip on Saturday evening, Singh had called a meeting with NDA MLAs. Only 20 of the 46 MLAs turned up. The 60-member House now has an effective strength of 59. Singh wanted to see how many MLAs were with him given that many of the BJP’s 37 legislators, including five who defected from JD(U), were demanding a leadership change. Two days ago, the Congress announced its plan to move a no-confidence motion against the government. The Congress, which has five MLAs, was hoping to get the support of the Bengaluru was abuzz with energy and excitement this weekend with British singer Ed Sheeran performing two shows as a part of his Mathematics world tour. In the midst of this, the superstar decided to drop by Church Street on Sunday morning to give a surprise performance. However, just as the singer began to croon out the first few lines of Shape of You, a policeperson pulled the plug, citing a lack of permission by the singer’s team. AT least 31 Maoists, including 11 women, were killed in a fierce gun battle with security forces in the Indravati National Park region of Bijapur in Chhattisgarh on Sunday. The encounter, which took place 450 km south of Raipur, resulted in the deaths of two security personnel and injured two others. Bastar range IG Sunderraj P said troops recovered 31 bodies, which are yet to identifed. The injured personnel were airlifted to Raipur, where doctors reported signs of bullet injuries and fractures. Doctors said they’ll have to wait for 24 hours for further updates. The operation was launched based on specific intelligence inputs, with a joint team of security forces comprising the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF) and Bastar Fighters, all units of the state police, tracking real-time locations of the Maoists for more than five days. Security forces crossed hilly reds neutralised this year in hotbed Date Jan 3 Jan 5 Jan 9 Jan 12 Place Casualties Gariaband 1 Narayanpur 5 Sukma 3 Bijapur 5 BijapurJan 16 Sukma border 12 Jan 21 Gariaband 16 Feb 1 Bijapur 8 Feb 9 Bijapur 31 terrain before launching a massive offensive from different directions, surrounding the Maoists in the Annapur forest in the core national park, some 90 km away from the Bijapur district headquarters, on Sunday . Security forces recovered AK-47 rifles, self-loading rifles, INSAS assault rifles and grenade launchers from the encounter scene. This year, 81 Maoists have been killed in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh. “In the last 13 months, 282 Maoists have been neutralised, 1033 arrested and 925 have surrendered in Chhattisgarh”, said chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai. The series of encounters against left-wing extremists is a part of a renewed strategy to free Chhattisgarh from the clutch of Maoists. Shortly after the encounter, Union Home Minister Amit Shah took to X and announced, “...Before March 31, 2026, we will completely eradicate Naxalism from the country Shah .” also condoled the death of two security personnel. Ops launched after specific intelligence inputs The operation was launched based on specific intelligence inputs, with a joint team of security forces comprising the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF) and Bastar Fighters, all units of the state police, tracking real-time locations of the Maoists for more than five days. post assembly polls Delhi govt to be sworn in after PM’s return from France, US Punjab AAP in for a split, 14 CAG reports 30 MLAs in touch: Cong to reveal AAP govt’s corruption R A J E SH KUM A R T H A KUR @ New Delhi The BJP government in Delhi will be sworn in once Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns from his visit to France and the United States. Modi will leave for France on Monday, and from there, he will travel to the US, where he is scheduled to meet President Donald Trump. Modi will return to India on Thursday . Sources indicated that the swearing-in ceremony will be a grand event aimed at showcasing the unity within the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The chief ministers of all BJP and NDA-ruled states are expected to attend. On Sunday BJP president J P , Nadda met Union Home Minister Amit Shah to expedite the government formation process. Speculation is rife regarding the next Delhi chief minister. Several names are being discussed, including Delhi MLA Parvesh Verma, BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj, and party leaders such as Vijender Gupta, Rekha Gupta, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Satish Upadhyay, Manoj Tiwari, and Mohan Singh Bisht. Ver ma and Rekha Gupta are considered to be the frontrunners. Modi held consultations at the BJP headquarters on Saturday, following his victory speech. With the BJP making impressive gains across vari- H A RPR E E T B A J Wa @ Chandigarh a n u p ve r m a @ New Delhi AAP leader Atishi submits her resignation as Delhi Chief Minister to Lt Governor VK Saxena in New Delhi on Sunday | pti ous regions and communities, the party now has a broad pool of potential chief ministerial candidates. Political observers believe that broader political messaging often influences the party’s choice when selecting chief ministers, and Delhi is likely to follow this trend. “You never know… The national leadership could present an entirely fresh face who fits the bill and is capable of fulfilling the high expectations of the people in Delhi,” said a BJP worker. Meanwhile, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva has written to Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, requesting an appointment to meet with the 48 newly elected party MLAs. “I, along with the BJP MPs from Delhi and our newly elected 48 MLAs, wish to meet you at your earliest convenience,” he wrote. B’luru cops stop Ed Sheeran’s impromptu performance Ma h i m a Naga r aj u @ Bengaluru BJP rebels to take the number beyond 10 as required for the no-trust motion to stand. Sources said the BJP’s central leadership did not want to risk an embarrassing situation where the disgruntled MLAs might side with the Congress, and so it asked Singh to quit. The ‘leaked audio tapes’, in which a person taking credit for the ethnic violence, may also have worked against Singh as a forensic an analysis showed a 93% probability that voice samples were Singh’s. The matter is in the Supreme Court. The BJP was under tremendous pressure from the party’s Manipur MLAs to remove Singh. His resignation appears to be a calculated decision to avert further instability . Sources said the party leadership was growing impatient with Singh as the ethnic violence had begun to dent Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image of good governance. P8 E J A Z k a i s e r @ Raipur Recalling her excitement at a regular work day turn into a once-in-a-lifetime moment, Deha A, a 21-year-old cafeteria employee, says, “We had no idea Ed Sheeran would come even though we were watching people set up. In about 30 minutes, the whole street was crowded. It was my first time watching a live performance.” Sheeran’s performance being cut short has sparked a social media storm with some expressing disappointment at losing out on his live performance and others insisting that procedures must be followed. Atishi resigns as CM New Delhi: Lt Governor V K Saxena on Sunday ordered the dissolution of the Delhi Assembly after Chief Minister Atishi submitted her resignation. Atishi handed over her resignation to Lt Governor V K Saxena on Sunday, a day after her Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) faced a crushing defeat in the assembly polls. The L-G’s office said that Saxena has asked the outgoing CM to continue in the post till formation of a new govt Newly elected BJP MLA from Rohini and former Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta on Sunday asserted that the AAP government’s corruption will soon be exposed. He said that the new BJP government will present 14 long-pending CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) reports in the first session of the Delhi Assembly . Gupta told the media that these reports would reveal the AAP’s massive corruption and how Arvind Kejriwal and his party are involved in corruption worth crores. The BJP leader said that the opposition MLAs struggled to get these reports tabled in the assembly but failed. They even sought the intervention of the President, L-G, and Chief Secretary . Gupta said he and six other BJP MLAs then filed a petition in the Delhi HC seeking a direction to the government to present the reports. He added that despite mounting pressure, the AAP “stubbornly” refused. Reacting to it, the AAP leaders said, “We hope that the BJP abandons its negative politics and focuses on the real issues of the people. It has promised to provide `2,500 monthly to all women in Delhi by March 8, and 300 units of free electricity Now, it must uphold its prom. ises with honesty and fulfill its commitments to the people.” AFTER a humiliating defeat in the Delhi assembly elections, the Punjab unit of AAP is likely to face an internal bickering and a potential split, Congress leader and LoP Partap Singh Bajwa said on Sunday . The veteran Congress leader mentioned that over 30 AAP MLAs have been in contact with his party for nearly a year, ready to switch sides. “ leadership battle is now imA minent, as the party leadership in the capital may want to replace Mann, especially since all the MLAs and the cadre in the state are aligned with party’s national convener Arivnd Kejriwal. A by-election is due in Ludhiana (West) assembly constituency Kejriwal may be eye. ing this seat to join the state assembly he claimed. ,” Leading political analyst Kuldip Singh said, “Both Congress and BJP will want AAP to split in Punjab as they regard it as a major rival in the 2027 assembly elections. If Kejriwal decides to contest from Ludhiana (West), it could be damaging for the party and may signify end of his national ambitions.” Rejecting the claims, Punjab AAP spokesperson Neel Garg asserted, “Kejriwal is our na- Leadership battle in AAP imminent, says Bajwa LoP Partap Singh Bajwa said a leadership battle is now imminent in AAP, as the Delhi leaders may want to replace Mann, especially since all the MLAs and the cadre in the state are aligned with party’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal. A by-election is due in Ludhiana (West) assembly constituency. Kejriwal may be eyeing this seat, he said. tional convener and Mann is Punjab CM. The graph of the Congress is going down at a rapid pace. In Delhi, it scored a naught for third time in a row. In 2022 Punjab elections, it had only 18 MLAs, which will reduce further in the 2027 polls. Just look at the recent municipal elections in the state — what was Congress’s performance?” “Bajwa should be concerned about Congress not winning even a single seat in Delhi,” Garg added. india vs england Floodlight glitch disrupts second ODI for 35 minutes G o m e s h S & Ta n m ay D a s @ Cuttack Rohit Sharma and Saqib Mahmood were in the middle of the Barabati Stadium, Cuttack along with the on-field umpires. The rest of the England team had already started walking off the field. For the second time in five minutes, one of the floodlights at the venue had malfunctioned leading to a stoppage of play during seventh over of India’s 305-run chase against England in the second ODI on Sunday . First, the lights went off from 6.15 PM till 6.20 PM, and just when Mahmood was about to bowl, the lights went off again. This time, it did not turn back on till 6.45 PM, leading to a cumulative stoppage of almost 35 minutes. It is understood that the generator that supplies power to the particular floodlight malfunctioned resulting in the tripping of the lights. “The generator attached to the floodlight malfunctioned, so the lights were off on that particular stand behind the clock tower. Now we have got the back-up generator on. It took time to change the connection from one generator to the other, which caused the delay,” said an OCA official. The Barabati Stadium is one of the oldest in the country having been established in 1958. Once a Test venue, the stadium has lost its charm and is in desperate need of renovation. Pankaj Lochan Mohanty, acting president of Odisha Cricket Association, had told this daily on Saturday that the association was in talks with the Odisha government for the stadium renovation. “It was supposed to get renovated. We have made partial renovations as you can see. We have been in talks with the government,” Mohanty had said. “The new government, they are also keen to develop. They wanted to build another stadium. We told them that whatever facility they want to build, it could be done for other sports while redeveloping this stadium for cricket. It will be renovated. The government will help us to renovate and make it a vibrant stadium again,” he had added. Floodlights going off during a match in India is nothing new. Last year, India-Bangladesh T20I was affected by floodlight issue in Hyderabad. Similarly, the 2022 T20I between India and South Africa in Guwahati was also affected due to floodlight malfunctions.