thursdAY 05 february, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard bnp chief backs eco-led foreign policy The BNP would pursue an “economy-based foreign policy” if elected to power in the Feb 12 general election, the party’s new chief Tarique Rahman has said. New beginning A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS Page 9 Rahul’s ‘traitor’ jibe at MoS Bittu sparks firestorm l New Delhi J8.00 l PAGES 12 Lok Sabha impasse Trapped inside a digital world, forces cancellation three minor sisters let go of life of Modi’s address n a m i ta b a j pa i & n i t i n r a w at @ Lucknow/Ghaziabad PR E E T H A NAIR & H ARPR E E T BAJWA @ New Delhi/Chandigarh A sharp war of words between Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu snowballed into a political storm on Wednesday with the BJP urging the Lok Sabha Speaker to take action against the LoP . The face-off took place outside Parliament’s Makar Dwar, where Rahul was standing with the suspended opposition MPs, who were protesting on the stairs. While walking past the protesting MPs, Bittu is not just an Bittu said, “They are sitting MP or a member of here as if they have won a a Sikh family. His war.” In response, Rahul grandfather— said, “The thing is, here is a Sardar Beant traitor walking right by. Singh—fell to an assassin’s bullet. Take a look at the face. How And you call him a he looks.” traitor. This is Rahul then extended his completely hand towards Bittu and unacceptable said, “Hello brother, my traitor friend. Don’t worry you , Hardeep Singh Puri will come back to the Congress.” Bittu refused to shake hands, saying: “Desh ke dushman (enemies of the country),” pointing at Rahul. A former close aide of Gandhi, Bittu had switched to the BJP ahead of the 2024 polls. Later in a video statement, Bittu asked why Rahul didn’t say such a thing to other MPs, but only to a Sikh? “I am the grandson of a martyr (former Punjab CM Beant Singh, who was assassinated by militants in 1995) and as long as I was in the Congress, it was fine. But, now that I am with the BJP, he is giving me such names,” he said. Stepping up the attack, the BJP fielded its Sikh leaders, including Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Delhi minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, to accuse the Congress of harbouring the same “anti-Sikh mentality” that was on display at the height of the 1984 riots. But Congress MP Sukhpal Singh Khaira said the word “my traitor friend” used by Rahul was to address Bittu as an individual who ditched the party in testing times. “It is by no means an insult to the Sikh community .” The ‘traitor’ jibe evoked reactions in Punjab, which will go to polls next year. Ashwani Sharma, BJP leader, said Rahul is trying to cover up his failures by using abusive language. P8 express read CCI orders detailed probe against IndiGo for unfair business practices The Competition Commission on Wednesday ordered a detailed probe against IndiGo for unfair business practices, nearly two months after the country’s largest airline cancelled thousands of flights due to operational issues, causing hardships to passengers | P10 Tharoor’s son among one-third of Washington Post staff laid off The Washington Post has laid off hundreds of employees, with Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s son Ishaan among the journalists affected. The Post eliminated sports department. The changes were announced by executive editor Matt Murray in a Zoom meeting with the staff. P9 Cong insists on Rahul Gandhi completing his speech, suspension of BJP MP Dubey Opposition MPs seeking to gherao the Treasury benches in the Lok Sabha during the Budget session of Parliament in New Delhi on Wednesday | PTI P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled reply to the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address could not take place on Wednesday, as the Opposition stepped up its attack on the government for blocking Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s speech and suspension of eight MPs. As soon as the House convened at 5 pm after three adjournments, women MPs from the Opposition marched towards the Treasury benches holding banners which read “Do what is right.” Modi was not present in the House when the Opposition members made their way to the Treasury benches protesting against the suspension of MPs and former Army Chief M M Naravane’s unpublished memoir. BJP MP Sandhya Rai, who was in the chair, adjourned the proceedings for the day in a few minutes. In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi said, “PM Modi won’t come to Parliament because he is scared and doesn’t want to face the truth.” Later, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge called a meeting of the floor leaders in both Houses. It was decided that floor leaders of all Opposition parties will meet on Thursday morning to chalk out strategy ahead. “How can the PM speak when the LOP was not allowed to speak? What was the PM going to reply to?” said Congress MP Jairam Ramesh. Though Speaker Om Birla convened a meeting of the Opposition leaders at 4 pm ahead of the PM’s scheduled speech, it failed to break the logjam. The Opposition put forward two demands — the suspension of BJP’s Nishikant Dubey and to allow Rahul to speak in the House. The meeting was attended by Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi and K C Venugopal among others. The leaders conveyed to the Speaker that if the government does not yield, the Opposition will disrupt the PM’s speech. Earlier, a row erupted when Dubey began his speech by referring to books such as Edwina and Nehru and Mitrokhin Archive among others and made remarks targeting former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. P7 Modi gave the message (to the then Army Chief MM Naravane), do what you think is right (on LAC). Meaning he shed responsibility Rahul Gandhi, LS Leader of Opposition Fire-fighting by Speaker Speaker Om Birla convened a meeting of the Opposition at 4 pm ahead of the PM’s scheduled speech, but it failed to break the logjam Rule 349 As Dubey kept listing books about the Gandhi family, the chair disallowed it citing Rule 349, which bars reading from any book except in connection with the business of the House ‘EC targeting Bengal...’: Mamata argues in SC with folded hands, questions SIR S U C H ITRA K A LYAN M O H ANT Y @ New Delhi T HE S u p r e m e C o u r t o n Wednesday witnessed dramatic scenes as CM Mamata Banerjee appeared in person to make submissions in a case challenging the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal. Banerjee, who holds a law degree, alleged her state was being targeted and people were being bulldozed. “We are not getting justice,” she told a bench comprising CJI Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi. Banerjee, who was represented by senior advocates Shyam Divan and Kapil Sibal, sought five minutes to personally advance submissions. The CJI l Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla felicitates new Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh after his swearing-in ceremony, in Imphal, on Wednesday; and (inset) deputy chief ministers L Dikho (top) and Nemcha Kipgen | PTI | P8 granted her 15 minutes. “They (EC) are targeting Bengal. We have given everything to ECI... all kinds of documents, but got no justice. I am a very less important person. But please protect people’s rights,” Banerjee told the bench with folded hands. She alleged that the names of women who take their husbands’ surnames after marriage or shift to their inlaws’ houses are deleted, citing mismatches. The bench took note of Banerjee’s submission and said genuine persons must remain on electoral rolls. Referring to the poll panel as a ‘WhatsApp Commission’ t h at p a s s e s i n s t r u c t i o n s through the instant messaging app, Banerjee alleged that “the SIR process is only for deletion, not inclusion”. Questioning the rationale for conducting SIR in her state, she asked how can a process that usually takes two years be done in three months. p8 ... We have given everything to ECI... all kinds of documents, but got no justice. I am a very less important person. But please protect people’s rights... the SIR process is only for deletion, not inclusion Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal CM The night was quiet in a Ghaziabad housing society, like most winter nights, until it wasn’t. By early morning, three sisters were gone, their home sealed, their family shattered, and a residential complex left trying to understand how such a loss could happen without warning. The three, who lived together, stayed together, and in the end, died together, leaving behind only handwritten pages and questions that have no easy answers. Nishika (16), Prachi (14), and Pakhi, (12), lived in flat number 907 on the ninth floor, B-1 Tower, Bharat City residential complex, under Teela Mor police station, in the Loni border area of Ghaziabad. The three were biological sisters—the eldest born to their father Chetan Kumar’s first wife, and the younger two to his second wife. Kumar, a foreign exchange trader, lived in the flat with his two wives, who are sisters, and their five children. There was an eyewitness to the episode. Arun Kumar Singh, who lives in another tower of the society , said, “Before going to bed, I stepped out onto the balcony to get some fresh air. The flat’s lights were on, and I saw someone sitting on a window ledge/balcony facing the oppo, site side, who was repeatedly lean- Cellphone addiction & Korean games Nishika (16), Prachi (14) and Pakhi (12) were biological sisters—the eldest born to their father Chetan Kumar’s first wife, and the younger two to his second wife. Kumar lived with his two wives, who are sisters, and their five kids. All three girls were influenced by Korean culture and online games also had an influence on them. “Papa, sorry. We cannot leave Korea. Korea is our soul...,” their suicide note read. Police said they were addicted to an online Korean game called ‘Love Game’. P4 ing back. That made me feel that something was wrong,” he said. He described what he then saw: “Then one child came and hugged the former. It seemed like the third tried to catch them, but they let go of their hands, and all three fell together,” he said, adding that he went downstairs and informed the police, the ambulance service, and the society’s authorities. The police were informed around 2.15 am. Neighbours later told police that the family largely kept to itself and that the three girls were almost always together, moving as a group in lifts, corridors and common areas. Police said their closeness was so intense that they “stayed together all the time”. According to the police reconstruction, on the intervening night of February 3-4, the household had gone to sleep sometime before midnight. Assistant Police Commissioner Atul Kumar Singh said that around 12.30 am, the three girls were with their mothers. After some time, they went into a smaller room in the apartment—a puja room— and locked it from the inside. Inside that room, investigators later found what would become central to the case. A diary lay open, with 18 pages forming what police described as a suicide note. The main handwritten note spanned several pages and bore the title “True Life Story”. On one page, the girls had written instructions asking the reader to read the diary in full, stating that everything in it was true. Family photographs were scattered on the floor nearby and a , crying caricature had been drawn in the diary Continued on P4 .