vijayawada l monday l january 19, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Advocates can’t use RTI Act to seek details for clients’ cases: CIC Using the transparency law in this manner fails to advance its core objectives, the Central Information Commission (CIC) has observed Case relates to dispute over a supply deed ‘RTI act can’t be used for personal ends’ The case relates to the termination of a fruit and vegetable supply contract at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Haryana. The supplier’s advocate sought to use the RTI Act to obtain information on behalf of his client. “It appears that the appellant has sought information on behalf of his client per se, which is not permissible,” the CIC said ■ ■ Quoting a Madras High Court order, the CIC underlined that “laudable objectives of RTI Act cannot be used for personal ends” The Madras High Court had cautioned against allowing advocates to use the RTI Act to obtain information on behalf of clients, stating that this “does not advance the objects of the scheme” 17.5 lakh the overall number of RTI applications filed during 2023-24 CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Modi targets Congress, Trinamool in poll-pitch against ‘infiltrators’ EU pushback against tariff threat over Greenland Accuses the two parties of endangering national security for the sake of vote-bank politics AG E NCI E S P RASANTA MA Z UMDAR & SUBH E NDU MAITI @ Guwahati / Kolkata PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday mounted a sharp political attack on the Congress and Trinamool Congress (TMC), accusing the two parties of endangering national security by protecting infiltrators for vote-bank politics. After laying the foundation stone for the `6,957 crore Kaziranga Elevated Corridor, and virtually flagging off two Amrit Bharat trains from Kaliabor in election-bound Assam’s Nagaon district, Modi accused the Congress of allowing infiltrators in exchange for votes during its years in power in the north-eastern state. Taking potshots at the Congress for its poor show in the recent Bihar Assembly election and Maharashtra local body polls, Modi said the grand old party has lost the trust of the nation and the BJP has become the first choice of people. “In the recent Bihar elections, even after 20 years, people gave a record number of votes to the BJP helping it win , Projects worth `7,787 cr launched Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a gathering during the foundation stone laying ceremony for the Kaziranga Elevated Corridor, in Nagaon, Assam on Sunday | pti a record number of seats. Mumbai, for the first time, gave a record mandate to the BJP. In most cities of Maharashtra, people gave the BJP an opportunity to serve them,” he said. Modi also pointed to the BJP’s electoral breakthrough in Kerala, where the party secured the mayor’s post in Thiruvananthapuram for the first time. According to Modi, the results across states reflected a consistent national trend. “The voters today want good governance and development. That is why they like the BJP , ,” he said, adding that the results show the Congress is being repeatedly rejected by voters. Later in the day addressing a , rally at West Bengal’s Singur, Modi accused the TMC government of sitting idle on the Centre’s request to acquire land for fencing the Bangladesh border. “The Centre has been writing to the TMC government in Ben- PM launched development projects worth `7,787 crore in poll-bound Assam and West Bengal. In Assam, he laid the foundation stone for the `6,957 cr Kaziranga Elevated Corridor and virtually flagged off two Amrit Bharat trains. In West Bengal, Modi launched projects worth over `830 crore and flagged off three Amrit Bharat trains connecting Kolkata with other parts of the country gal for the past 11 years requesting land for border fencing to prevent infiltration in the state. But it sits idle on the issue,” Modi alleged. Sharpening his attack on the TMC, he said the party is “playing with the country’s security” by giving support to infiltrators from Bangladesh. “The state government is giving safety and security to infiltrators and that’s why they vote for TMC,” the PM said. Intel agencies warn of LeT recruitment drive in PoK MUK E SH RAN J AN @ New Delhi Video shoot: TTD lodges complaint E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Tirumala The TTD has lodged a formal complaint with police against Praveen Kyasa and Sidha Moni Mahinder, two self-styled social media influencers, for allegedly misusing the sanctity of the hill shrine to promote an unauthorised lottery scheme. According to TTD Vigilance officials, the two influencers, who got a modest following online, conducted a video shoot lasting more than 30 minutes in front of the Lord Venkateswara temple, the Akhilandam, and other parts of the shrine. They reportedly urged subscribers to pay `399 to register for a “lucky dip”, promising prizes such as a Toyota Fortuner and an Apple iPhone. The complaint noted that they changed costumes during filming, suggesting a deliberate plan to exploit religious sentiment for commercial gain. Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) has launched a renewed and intensified recruitment campaign with an aim to establish new training camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Indian intelligence agencies have learned. The recruitment campaign is being spearheaded by senior LeT commander Nasr Javed. Sources said Javed has visited several strategic locations in PoK over the past few months to mobilise local youth. Over the past two weeks, he was in Mirpur, Kotli and Poonch districts of PoK. During these visits, he addressed more than four open rallies organised by the PoK unit of Lashkar-e-Taiba and held over 10 closed-door meetings with local operatives and sympathisers. The primary objective of these engagements, intelligence sources said, is to recruit Three soldiers injured in J&K encounter Three soldiers were injured in a gunfight with terrorists in a remote forested area in the upper reaches of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district on Sunday, officials said young men for the new LeT training camps expected to come up soon in PoK. Javed is considered a key operational figure within LeT and is known for his expertise in terrorist training. As per the sources, Javed has been tasked with raising a new unit in PoK, with a specific mandate to prepare recruits for counter-insurgency and crossborder operations. Noting that the recruitment push is not confined to PoK, the intelligence sources said in November last year, Javed, along with LeT operative Abdul Rauf, held more than 50 rallies and secret meetings across Pakistan’s Sindh province. “Security agencies assess that these coordinated visits across provinces point to an effort to build a broader pool of recruits and revive LeT’s operational strength nationwide,” a source said. Meanwhile, intelligence inputs suggest that efforts to reactivate Markaz-e-Taiba, the LeT’s headquarters, are gaining pace. Buildings damaged during Operation Sindoor are being repaired with photographs and videos of construction activity circulating on social media, sources said. Red Cross personnel walk amid the ruins in Jabalia, Gaza Strip on Saturday | AP Trump invites Modi to join ‘Board of Peace’ J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi US President Donald Trump has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to join a proposed “Board of Peace” for Gaza, in a significant outreach as Washington seeks to shape the post-war governance and reconstruction of the besieged enclave. The invitation letter was sent on January 16. “It is my Great Honor to invite you, as Prime Minister of the Republic of India, to join me in a critically Historic and Magnificent effort to solidify Peace in the Middle East and, at the same time, to embark on a bold new approach to resolving Global Conflict!” the letter from the US president said. Pakistan’s Foreign Office had earlier said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also been invited to be part of the initiative. Several global leaders have been invited to be part of the board, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah elSisi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and the leaders of France, Germany Australia , and Canada. More details about the proposed body surfaced after letters sent by Trump to Argentine President Javier Milei and Paraguayan President Santiago Peña were posted by the two leaders on social media. In his letter to Milei, Trump said the board would work to “solidify peace in the Middle East” and pursue a “bold new approach to resolving global conflict.” EUROPEAN leaders on Sunday slammed US President Donald Trump’s threat of tariffs over their opposition to his designs on Greenland, warning transatlantic ties were at risk. Several European countries — including Denmark, of which Greenland is an autonomous territory — emphasised they “stand united” against Trump’s vow on Saturday to hit them with tariffs of up to 25 percent unless Greenland is ceded to the United States. “Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral,” Britain, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden warned in a joint statement Sunday . The European Union, which clinched a deal with Washington in July for most EU exports to face a 15-percent US levy has , called an extraordinary meeting of its ambassadors in Brussels on Sunday . France’s President Emmanuel Macron will ask the European Union to activate a never-before-used “anti-coercion instrument” against the United States if Trump makes good on his tariff threat, Macron’s aides said. Scrambling for recognition, YSRCP resorted to ‘credit theft’, says Naidu E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Turning the tables on his detractors, particularly the YSRCP, Chief Minister and TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday accused them of “claiming credit for work they never did.” Speaking at a meeting at the TDP headquarters to mark the 30th death anniversary of party founder NTR, Naidu alleged that his rivals were “spreading falsehoods while scrambling for recognition.” He pointed to several marquee projects as examples. “Kakinada’s AM Green is investing $10 billion, the Bhogapuram airport land acquisition was done by us, and the Civil Aviation University is being set up for the first time. Yet they shamelessly claim it as their achievement,” he said. He reminded TDP cadre that CM Naidu speaks at the party meeting held at the TDP headquarters on Sunday to mark the 30th death anniversary of Telugu Desam founder NTR | Express similar claims were made earlier about Kia Motors, despite the opposition having “no role whatsoever” in it. He accused the YSRCP of running a parallel narrative. “They cry ‘credit theft’ while actually stealing credit themselves. Cyberabad, Kia, Google, Bhogapuram, and green energy — these are all TDP’s contributions. Their credit lies elsewhere - sand, wine, mines, drugs and ganja. Spending `700 crore of taxpayers’ money to get his image printed on survey stones. That’s their record,” P4 Naidu thundered.  RTC plans to develop 6 bus stations under PPP mode; unions oppose move P h a n i n d r a Pa pa s a n i @ Vijayawada The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) has proposed the development of six major bus stations across the State under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model with an aim to modernise passenger infrastructure and generate addi- tional non-fare revenue. However, the move has triggered a strong opposition from RTC employee unions, who fear backdoor privatisation of public assets for three to five decades will leave the corporation crumbled, limiting the exploration of revenue. According to sources, the proposed projects include the redevelopment of integrated bus terminals at Autonagar in Vijayawada, Rajvihar in Kurnool, Guntur and Kadapa, besides the construction of a modern intermodal station in Tirupati, and a bus stationcum-commercial complex in Chittoor. The total estimated investment of six projects runs into `958 crore. Among the six projects, the redevelopment of Autonagar Integrated Bus Terminal in Vijayawada at an estimated cost of `154 crore is stated to be “ready to bid.” The Tirupati Intermodal Station, pegged at `495 crore, has completed its Detailed Project Report (DPR). The remaining four projects are still at the DPR preparation stage. The six projects are planned under different PPP formats such as Design-Finance-BuildOperate-Transfer (DF-BOT), BOT with Viability Gap Funding (BOT-VGF), and BOT with revenue-sharing mechanisms. On the other hand, RTC union leaders have raised serious concern over the move, alleging that the PPP model would ultimately benefit private companies at the cost of the corpoP4 ration.