New Delhi, Dec 17: Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Wednesday refuted the remarks made by Congress leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Operation Sindoor, asserting that the claims were entirely incorrect and misleading.

Athawale’s reaction came after Chavan alleged that India suffered a defeat on the first day of Operation Sindoor and that Indian aircraft were shot down during the four-day military engagement. Responding to these assertions, the Union Minister said such statements were irresponsible and did not reflect the reality of the operation.

Speaking to Media, Ramdas Athawale said, “I firmly believe that whatever Prithviraj Chavan has said is completely false. He is a responsible leader who has served as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, and such remarks are not expected from someone of his stature. Operation Sindoor was a highly successful mission in which more than 100 terrorists were eliminated. Pakistan was gripped by fear after the operation. In such a situation, it is completely wrong to portray the operation as a defeat for India.”

He further added that misrepresenting a successful military operation only weakens national morale.

“We did not lose Operation Sindoor. On the contrary, it was a decisive action. The Congress party, however, lost the 2024 elections and also suffered defeats in states like Bihar and Maharashtra. Making such statements is not appropriate and only reflects political frustration. Issuing comments like these is very wrong,” Athawale said.

The Union Minister also responded to comments made by West Bengal Governor C.V. Anand Bose regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process of electoral rolls in the state. Bose had stated that the SIR exercise has led to the identification and exit of illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators since its implementation.

Supporting the Governor’s remarks, Athawale said the SIR process was necessary to ensure electoral integrity.

“The Governor of West Bengal has clearly stated that no one has the right to vote illegally. Since the SIR process began, many illegal Bangladeshi immigrants have returned to Bangladesh. This is an important development. The SIR was required to clean the voter rolls and protect the voting rights of genuine citizens,” Athawale said.

He also pointed out that even the Congress has raised concerns about alleged ‘vote theft’ and wrongful deletion of names from electoral rolls.

“The Congress itself demands that there should be no vote theft and that names should not be arbitrarily removed. Therefore, the SIR process cannot be termed anti-any party. It is a neutral exercise aimed at cleaning the voter list and safeguarding democratic rights. In that sense, the SIR was necessary,” he added.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Governor Bose had stated that infiltration became more evident after the SIR process began and that there was a visible outflow of illegal migrants from West Bengal to Bangladesh.

“Infiltration is a reality, and the SIR process has brought this issue to the forefront. There is a noticeable movement of illegal migrants back across the border. This phenomenon has been studied extensively. As far as elections are concerned, the SIR will certainly bring change and cleanse the system to a large extent,” Bose told Media.

When asked about the impact of illegal immigrants on elections, the Governor noted that while the problem may not be entirely eliminated, it has significantly reduced. “After the SIR, the chances of illegal infiltrators influencing elections have decreased. I am not saying the issue is completely resolved, but it has certainly lessened,” he said.

The SIR exercise in West Bengal began on December 4 and concluded on December 11. The process witnessed the departure of a significant number of illegal Bangladeshi nationals and also triggered protests by booth-level officers (BLOs), who cited work pressure and tight deadlines.

Following the completion of the exercise, the Election Commission of India released the draft electoral rolls for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections. As a result of the SIR process, over 58 lakh voter names have been identified for removal.

The publication of the draft voter list marks the conclusion of the enumeration phase and the start of a more rigorous stage involving claims, objections, and hearings. The second phase of the three-stage SIR exercise will continue until February 2026, with the final voter list scheduled to be published on February 14, 2026, ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections.

New Delhi, Dec 17: Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar highlighted Hardik Pandya’s impact with bat and ball, stating that the Men in Blue have benefited massively because of the all-rounder’s abilities.

Pandya returned to competitive cricket earlier this month after missing out for over two months due to the injury he sustained during the Asia Cup semi-final in September. He made an immediate impact in the game for the Men in Blue and played a crucial role in the team’s successful outings against South Africa in the ongoing five-match T20I series.

Speaking to JioStar, Bangar lavished praise on Pandya, emphasising the Baroda cricketer’s unique batting mechanics and his value as a bowling option in T20 cricket, as he said, “Going deep inside the crease is Hardik Pandya’s speciality.

Even when he goes that deep, his weight remains on the front foot, which is a very good thing. As a batter, we always encourage waiting for the ball. He plays with a very wide base, which allows him to generate a lot of power.”

“He can play front-foot shots, back-foot shots, baseball-style hits, full shots and the upper cut. He opens up both sides of the ground, which is a special ability. He bowls at around 132–133 kmph with a fuller length, where close to 54 per cent of his deliveries are pitched up, and he gets wickets from there. He allows the ball to swing, and when required, he goes for the yorker as well. The Indian team has benefited immensely from his ability,” he added.

Bangar highlighted Abhishek Sharma’s fearless approach, underscoring the technical elements that enable the young batter to dominate bowlers. Opining on his attacking mindset, Bangar stated, “First of all, it’s his attacking mindset. If there’s a delivery outside the off stump, he hits it very hard. One very important aspect of his batting is his high backlift. He holds the bat above the handle, which gives him excellent reach. Because of the swing he generates, he can hit big sixes, especially over the covers. Hitting sixes over the covers is a special ability. He doesn’t try to hit from below, which gives him an incredible range.”

Turning his attention to Shubman Gill, Bangar acknowledged the Indian opener’s form while pointing out specific areas that need refinement, particularly against straight deliveries.

“In the beginning, his footwork was very positive. But if you remove three or four boundaries over 28 games, the issue has been on straighter lines. Against straight deliveries, his strike rate has fallen quite low. Outside the off stump, his strike rate is good, but there have been a few edges as well.

Overall, he has scored runs, but straight-line play is something he will want to improve. In the second game, the ball that got him out was a very good delivery—it could have dismissed any batter. His footwork has improved, and if he continues to play with clear footwork, he will be able to hit the same shots consistently, like the three or four boundaries we’ve seen,” he noted.

While India have enjoyed the upper hand in the series so far, Bangar cautioned against underestimating South Africa, particularly with the conditions on offer in Lucknow, saying, “The way this series has gone, South Africa has fought well in every format. On the Lucknow pitch, there is bounce and seam, and South Africa’s fast bowlers will look to make early inroads. India will need to be prepared for that challenge.”

With India holding a 2–1 advantage in the five-match T20I series against South Africa, the spotlight now turns to Lucknow for the fourth game, as the two sides gear up to face off at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

New Delhi, Dec 17: Geopolitical uncertainties driven by the delay in the India-US trade deal have been the single-most important reasons for the rupee sliding against the US dollar, an SBI Research report said on Wednesday, adding that the rupee is likely to bounce back strongly in the second half of the next fiscal.

India’s trade data shows the remarkable resilience in navigating through prolonged uncertainty, more protectionism and labour supply shocks.

“While the geopolitical risk index has moderated since April 2025, the current average value of the index for April-October 2025 is much greater than its decadal average, which indicates how much pressure global uncertainties are exerting on INR,” State Bank of India’s (SBI) Group Chief Economic Advisor, Dr Soumya Kanti Ghosh, said.

Dr Ghosh further stated that consistent with their empirical analysis, “the rupee is currently in a depreciating regime and is likely to exit it”.

After breaching the psychologically important mark of 90 per US dollar, the rupee crossed the 91-level on Tuesday.

However, the rupee staged a sharp recovery on Wednesday, trading as strong as 90.25 during the day, as the cooling of crude prices also contributed to improved sentiment.

According to the SBI report, the data also indicates that the current fall is the quickest (in terms of number of days) of the rupee, scaled to 5 per USD. In less than a year, the rupee has slid from 85 to 90 per dollar.

The current slide appears to be primarily driven by FPI outflows, chiefly equities (after two years of robust inflows) and uncertainty regarding the US-India trade deal.

Since April 2, 2025, when the US announced sweeping tariff hikes across economies, the Indian rupee (INR) has depreciated by 5.7 per cent against USD (most amongst the major economies), notwithstanding sporadic phases of appreciation owing to optimism over the US-India trade deal.

“While INR is the most depreciated currency, it is not the most volatile. This clearly indicates that the 50 per cent tariff imposed on India is one of the major factors behind the current phase of rupee depreciation,” the SBI report noted.