DHAKA: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which is set to form the govt soon, is inviting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the new govt as the party led by its chairman Tarique Rahman wants to engage constructively with India to advance the multifaceted relationship between the two neighbours. The newly elected MPs are expected to take oath by Feb 17, cabinet secretary Dr Sheikh Abdur Rashid said on Saturday.Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif and other heads of govt of Saarc countries are among the leaders who will be invited to the swearing-in ceremony, senior BNP leaders indicated. This would be only the second time after PM Modi’s swearing-in in 2014 that such an assembly of leaders of south Asian countries would take place.“We look forward to engaging constructively with India to advance our multifaceted relationship, guided by mutual respect, sensitivity to each other’s concerns, and a shared commitment to peace, stability, and prosperity in our region,” BNP said while responding to PM Modi’s message on his verified social media handle X.“Thank you very much. We greatly appreciate your kind acknowledgement of Tarique Rahman’s leadership in securing the BNP’s decisive win in the national elections,” BNP said.BNP chairman Rahman said the country’s foreign policy will be decided keeping the interests of Bangladesh and the people of the country in mind. In response to questions from an Indian journalist, he said, “The interests of the people of Bangladesh and country come first; we will decide the foreign policy by seriously considering their interests.” Rahman said Saarc was initiated by Bangladesh and he would want to revive it.“We are about to begin our journey in a situation marked by a fragile economy left behind by the authoritarian regime, weakened constitutional and statutory institutions, and a deteriorating law and order situation,” said the BNP chief.The interim govt of Bangladesh will organise the swearing-in ceremony. The date of the swearing-in ceremony and the guest list have not been finalised yet.

EC will kick off its visits to poll-bound states to assess poll preparedness, with a tour of Assam from Feb 16 to 18, according to sources in the commission.Sources told TOI that CEC Gyanesh Kumar and ECs S S Sandhu and Vivek Joshi may visit Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in the last week of this month. The tour of Bengal and Kerala is likely to happen only in March; the dates are yet to be finalised.Assembly polls are due in the four states and UT of Puducherry in April-May. An announcement is possible in the second half of March.During their visits, EC will hold discussions with political party netas, chief secretary and DGP, district magistrates, and the brass of law enforcement agencies.

CHENNAI: DMK platform speaker J Sivaji Krishnamoorthy has been sentenced to imprisonment for two years for making obscene and derogatory remarks against Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi and several political leaders during a public meeting in 2023.On Thursday, the 10th metropolitan magistrate in Egmore, P Revathi, found Sivaji, 65, guilty. Beside the jail term, the court imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on him.

The case stemmed from a public meeting organised by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam at Krishnamoorthy Hall in Erukkancheri on June 16, 2023. In his speech, Sivaji Krishnamoorthy used abusive and derogatory language while referring to the governor, actor-turned-politician Khushbu Sundar, Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami, former BJP state president K Annamalai and former minister D Jayakumar.The Kodungaiyur police booked him under sections 294(b) (uttering obscenity), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace) and 505(2) (promoting ill will between groups) of the Indian Penal Code and arrested him in June 2023.According to the chargesheet, the remarks were capable of disturbing public tranquillity, spreading fear among citizens and provoking enmity between communities divided along religion, caste and language lines.The counsel representing Sivaji maintained that police had foisted a false case. However, the magistrate stated that the court had carefully examined the video submissions and found it clear that the accused had made an objectionable speech in a public stage in a manner that would disturb public order and create enmity between groups.

NEW DELHI: Two journalist bodies on Saturday criticised Congress neta Rahul Gandhi for questioning the impartiality of mediapersons, saying political leaders must use respectful language while addressing the press, especially in public spaces like the Parliament.The reaction came after Gandhi, speaking to reporters outside the Parliament earlier in the week, asked journalists to be more objective in their coverage. Responding to queries on the treasury benches considering a privilege notice against him over his recent speech on the Budget, the LoP said media should not merely repeat what it is told.Condemning the remarks, National Union of Journalists and Delhi Journalists Association issued a joint statement calling Gandhi’s comments inappropriate. “The LoP targeting and insulting media personnel in such a manner is highly condemnable,” NUJ president Ras Bihar said. He added that such statements amount to an attack on press freedom and undermine the role of media in a democracy.DJA president Rakesh Thapliyal and general secretary Pramod Kumar Singh said journalism exists to question those in power and provide accurate information to the public. Associating the media with any particular political party, they said, harms the professional dignity and independence of journalists.Rahul Gandhi had told reporters, “You are not totally employed by BJP. At least try a little bit of objective stuff. It gets really shameful. It’s too much.”

NEW DELHI: EC has directed West Bengal chief secretary Nandini Chakravarty to comply with its directives regarding payment of honorarium to BLOs, appointment of suitable SIR/poll-related officers, the rescinding of unilateral transfer of roll observers and registration of FIRs against errant officers, by 5.30 pm on Feb 17.Chakravarty was summoned by EC here Friday to discuss matters pending with Bengal govt, including one in which EC has sent multiple reminders. EC had last written to Bengal govt on Feb 4, seeking a compliance report by 3 pm on Feb 9, 2026.Among the key issues flagged by EC is the failure of state govt to pay full honorarium to BLOs. As of now, Bengal govt has paid Rs 7,000 as honorarium to BLOs, as against Rs 13,000 payable as per EC’s guidelines. BLO supervisors, for whom EC has fixed an honorarium of Rs 20,000, have not been paid at all. Chakravarty has now been directed to immediately release the pending amount.The poll panel also asked Chakravarty to comply with its directives dated 05.08.2025 for registration of FIRs against two electoral registration officers, two assistant EROs and one data entry operator over their alleged failure to perform their statutory duty and for violating data security policies. A reminder in this case was last sent to West Bengal on Jan 2, 2026.The commission also pressed its directive dated Jan 25 for suspension of Basirhat assistant electoral registration officer Sumitra Pratim Pradhan, who had “unauthorisedly deployed 11 additional AEROs to conduct hearing by issuing suo-motu order, in contravention of statutory provisions”.EC further directed the chief secretary to cancel transfer orders issued by state govt in respect of three electoral roll observers without consulting it.

NEW DELHI: Congress minister Rahul Gandhi Saturday accused the govt of “cheating cotton farmers and textile exporters in the country through the India-US interim trade deal” and alleged that the agreement “is likely to inflict deep damage on both sectors”.“18% tariff vs 0% — let me explain how the PM and his cabinet are spreading confusion on this issue. And how they are cheating India’s cotton farmers and textile exporters through the India-US trade deal,” he said on X.“Bangladesh is being given zero % tariff benefit on garment exports to US — the only condition is that they import American cotton,” he said.“After the announcement of 18% tariff on Indian garments, when I raised the question in Parliament about the special concession being given to Bangladesh, the reply from a minister of Modi govt was: ‘If we also want the same benefit, we will have to import cotton from America’,” Gandhi said.“Why was this fact hidden from the country till now? And what kind of policy is this? Is this really any kind of choice, or is it a trap designed to push us into a ‘well in front, ditch behind’ situation?” he asked.“If we import American cotton, our own farmers will be ruined. If we don’t import it, our textile industry will lag behind and get destroyed,” Gandhi claimed.Highlighting the importance of textile industry and cotton farming, he said that “attacking these sectors means pushing millions of families into the pit of unemployment and economic crisis.”He further said, “A visionary govt that thinks in the national interest would have negotiated a deal that protects and ensures the prosperity of both cotton farmers and textile exporters. But exactly the opposite has happened…”