FREE PRESS The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms VOL. 13 NO. 226 | BHOPAL | MONDAY | JANUARY 29, 2024 | PAGES 12 `3 - EDITIONS: INDORE, BHOPAL, UJJAIN, MUMBAI, PUNE NITISH BACK IN NDA; takes oath as Bihar CM for record 9th time TEAM INDIA NEEDS TO PLAN FOR LIFE BEYOND VIRAT AND ROHIT SPORTS PATNA JD(U) president Nitish Kumar on Sunday took oath as Chief Minister of Bihar for a record ninth time after a dramatic volte-face, ditching the Mahagathbandhan and the opposition bloc INDIA and forming a new government with the BJP, which he had dumped less than 18 months ago. Kumar was sworn in by Bihar Governor Rajendra Arlekar at Raj Bhavan in the presence of senior leaders including BJP national president J P Nadda, hours after he resigned from the post, saying "things were not working well" for him in the Grand Alliance and the opposition bloc. BJP leaders -- Samrat Choudhary and former Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha- were among those who took oath of office. The two are named as Deputy Chief Ministers. Earlier, Choudhary and Sinha were named as leader and deputy leader, respectively, of the BJP legislature party. They thanked the party's top leadership for the opportunity and vowed to "protect Bihar from the jungle raj Bihar Governor Rajendra Arlekar, newly sworn-in Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy CMs Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha share a light moment during the swearing-in ceremony of new Bihar government, at Raj Bhavan in Patna on Sunday unleashed by Prasad's RJD". Lalu ‘JDU AS A PARTY WILL END IN 2024’ PATNA:Outgoing Bihar Dy CM Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday hit out at Nitish Kumar saying that the JD(U) will be 'finished' by 2024 as it will cease to exist as a political party. He also hinted at more developments and said that 'the game is yet to begin.Calling Nitish Kumar a 'tired CM', Yadav said, "Khel abhi shuru hua hai.’ khel abhi baki hain. JD(U) members Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Vijendra NITISH 'EXPERT' OF BETRAYAL: CONGRESS NEW DELHI The Congress on Sunday called Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar a "chameleon" and said the people of the state will never forgive this "expert" of betrayal and those making him dance to their tunes. The party was reacting to Kumar's decision to resign as the chief minister of Bihar and leaving Mahagathbandhan. MONEY INDIA’S GAS DEMAND TO RISE 6% IN 2024: IEA Yadav and Shrawan Kumar also took oath apart from former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustan Awam Morcha's Santosh Kumar Suman and independent legislator Sumit Singh. Congratulating Kumar and his two deputies, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that the newly sworn-in NDA government in Bihar will leave no stone unturned for the state's development and to fulfil people's aspirations. In a post on X, Modi said he is confident that the new government in Bihar will serve the people with full dedication. Notably, no leader of the RJD, the single largest party in the assembly, was present at the ceremony . Earlier, Kumar, after submitting his resignation, had told reporters "The government that was in place now comes to an end. I have let it go". The 72-year-old leader indicated that he was not feeling happy with the way things were in the Mahagathbandhan in the state as well as the INDIA bloc that he helped take shape but which failed to adequately recognise his efforts. CONTD. ON P6 SC has strengthened India's vibrant democracy: Modi NEWS BRIEF CM Yadav meets Amit Shah BHOPAL: Chief Minister Mohan Yadav met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday. According to reports, Yadav’s meeting with Shah is connected to allotment various districts to the ministers. The ministers are yet to be made in-charges. After Shah gives his nod, the ministers may get districts. Reports further said that the meeting may have been related to the LS election. 1 dead, 17 injured at Delhi temple NEW DELHi A 45-yearold woman died and 17 people were injured when a stage set up for a religious function at the Kalkaji temple here collapsed in the early hours of Sunday, police said. The tragic incident occurred around 12.30 am, they said, the deceased has been identified as Tina, a resident of Tughlakabad extension. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal condoled the death of the woman and wished for the speedy recovery of the injured. NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the Supreme Court (SC) has strengthened India's vibrant democracy . "Whether it is freedom of expression, personal freedom or social justice, the SC has strengthened India's vibrant democracy," Modi said while addressing the Diamond Jubilee celebration of SC at Supreme Court auditorium in Delhi. He also launched citizencentric information and technology initiatives which include Digital Supreme Court Reports (Digi SCR), Digital Courts 2.0 and a new website of the Supreme Court on the occasion. CONTD. ON P6 COUPLE, KIDS KILLED IN FIRE AT HOME FARIDPUR(UP): Five members of a family, including three children, died in a fire at their rented house in Faridpur, about 25 kilometres from here, police said on Sunday . The incident took place on Saturday night but it came to notice on Sunday morning when neighbours spotted smoke coming out of the house and informed police, they said. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sushil Chandra Dhule said a police team broke into the house and found five charred bodies. They were identified as Ajay Gupta (38), his wife Anita (36), their sons Divyansh (9) and Daksh (3) and daughter Divyanka (6), he added. The SSP said a detailed probe was on and police were trying to ascertain how the fire broke out. CULTURE OF ADJOURNMENTS MUST BE ADDRESSED:CJI NEW DELHI: Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud on Sunday said that structural issues affecting the judiciary, such as the pendency of cases, archaic procedures, and the culture of adjournments must be addressed. Speaking at the inauguration of the Diamond Jubilee year of the Supreme Court, CJI Chandrachud stressed that the legal profession must emerge from the adjournment culture to a culture of professionalism. Yogi Adityanath upholds ASI report on Gyanvapi LUCKNOW: UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday upheld the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) report on the Gyanvapi mosque complex that revealed there "existed a large Hindu temple prior to the construction of the existing structure". He further underscored the significance of the cultural heritage and historical legacy of India. He emphasized the enduring essence of tradition, rooted in the depths of millennia-old culture that defines the very essence of being Indian. "Our tradition is something we should be proud r Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2021-2023; of and we Indians should be even more proud considering the ancient traditions and culture we have. It is even beyond our history. Time cannot control us even within the scope of history Ours . is thousands of millions of years of history," CM Yogi said. "In Varanasi, the ASI report on Gyanvapi has come in Kashi Vishwanath Dham. What does ASI report say? a lot! Sets an example for you. Which was brought to you by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji during the year of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav," he added. CONTD. ON P6 WEATHER FP 23.40c. 09.90c Sunrise : 07.09 Sunset : 06.09 OUR STAFF REPORTER city.bhopal@fpj.co.in Golden age is before us and not behind us, carolled the bard of Avon, William Shakespeare. But 103-year-old Habib Nazar, a freedom fighter and resident of Itwara in Bhopal, committed this maxim to reality when he got hitched to his 49-yearold lady love, Firoz Jahan. This lovelorn man has plighted the troth for the third time since he saw the first ray of the sunlight. The wedding came to light after a video of the ceremony went viral on social media on Saturday . Immediately after the video went viral, many people have congratulated the couple. The video shows the man, after leading his love to the altar, was returning home in an auto rickshaw. There were sniggers among the residents when Habib Nazar, sweetly called 'Manjhle Bhai' reached home with his wife. Yet that dishearten this young-at-heart man. He said, "I'm 103 years old and my wife is 49. I walked the aisles for the first time in Nasik. After she passed away, I went to Lucknow to QUALITY AT VALUE www.freepressjournal.in IMRAN’S PARTY COULD BE BANNED: REPORTS WORLD JUBILANT PARTICIPANTS: Over 3000 students of more than 110 CBSE, ICSE and MP Board schools from across the city took part in Free Press' 13th "On-the-Spot Painting Competition" organized at Kalidas Sanskrit Academy premises, in Ujjain on Sunday. FP PHOTO Powerful officers of Shivraj-led govt sent to loop line Rastogi gets jails, Shukla sent as PS to Raj Bhawan Manu gets energy and Ahuja given PWD Iran launches three satellites into space TEHRAN: Iran on Sunday said it has simultaneously launched three domestically developed satellites into space for the first time in its space history, the media reported. The satellites were launched to an elliptic orbit with a minimum altitude of 450 kilometers above the Earth's surface, the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) reported. The three satellites included one communications and research satellite, Mahda, and two nanosatellites, Keyhan-2 and Hatef-1, the report said, adding that they were launched by indigenously-built launch vehicle Simorgh (Phoenix) from the central province of Semnan, Xinhua news agency reported. Mahda's primary mission is to assess Simorgh's performance over multiple tasks and evaluate new designs and technologies in space. The report said the other two will focus on global positioning and communications technology . Though the western governments, including the US, have time and again warned Iran against such launches, citing concern the same technology can be used for ballistic missiles that are capable of delivering nuclear weapons, Tehran said its satellite and rocket launches are for civil or defence purposes only On January 20, . Iran announced the launch of a domestically developed lightweight 47-kilogram research and telecommunication satellite, dubbed Soraya, using the homegrown Qaem-100 three-stage solidfuel launch vehicle. 103-year-old lovelorn man gets hitched to his 49-year-old flame Both cast the anchor at a simple ceremony r RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 tie the knot again. My second wife also left for the other world. I was feeling lonely So I resolved to mar. ry again. Jahan, who, too, was alone, was ready to take the plunge with me." Jahan who was all smiles after leading to the altar said she was happy and nobody had pressured her to get married. "My husband is absolutely fine and has no medical issues," she said. OUR STAFF REPORTER Bhopal The state government made another administrative reshuffle on Sunday when all the officers loyal to former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan were sent to the loop line. The officers, who were re- moved after Mohan Yadav became the Chief Minister, were transferred, though they were given insignificant departments. Manish Rastogi, who was principal secretary (PS) during the tenure of Chouhan, was sent as PS (jails). Similarly, Manish Singh was shifted as registrar to MP State Consumers Disputes Redressal Forum. Neeraj Vashisht was shifted as director of Semi Nomadic Tribes’ Welfare Department. Rastogi was given posting after 43 days, Singh after 40 days and Vashisht after 38 days. CONTD. ON P6 MP, Raj CMs hold talks on canal project The chief ministers of both the states held a joint press conference to inform that both the governments were committed to solve the drinking and irrigation water issues of the people JAIPUR Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Sunday reached Jaipur to meet his Rajasthan counterpart Bhajanlal Sharma to discuss the long pending Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project. "We will take the promise, which we had made with the people under the leadership of the prime minister, to the final stage very soon. There are some key issues, they will be included," Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma told reporters. He said that with the decision of both the governments, people of 13 districts will get drinking water and 2.80 lakh hectare of land will get water for irrigation. Addressing the press conference, Yadav said that an MoU will be signed for the benefit of the people. "I hope that by today evening an agreement will be ready and an MoU will be signed for the benefit of AAP to contest all assembly seats in Haryana: Kejriwal CHANDIGARH Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said his party will contest all the 90 assembly seats in Haryana on its own, but the Lok Sabha polls will be fought as part of the INDIA bloc. The Lok Sabha polls are due in April-May while the assembly elections will be held later this year a few months after the general elections. "Today people only have trust in one party, which is the Aam Aadmi Party On one side, they . see Punjab, and on the other, our government in Delhi. Today Haryana is seeking a big change. In Delhi and Punjab, people made this big change earlier and now people there are happy," he said at his party's 'Badlaav Jansabha' in Haryana's Jind. The AAP will contest all the 90 assembly seats in Haryana on its own, but the Lok Sabha polls will be fought as part of the INDIA bloc, Kejriwal said. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was also present at the event. Kejriwal said Haryana is looking for a "big change" as the people of the state are "fed up" with all the parties that have ruled here. They have tested all the other parties and these parties have only filled their own coffers, the AAP national convener alleged. Only the AAP can provide round-the-clock power supply and other facilities to people like it has done in Delhi and Punjab, he said. "Can the Congress, the BJP and the JJP do this? They cannot. Only the AAP can do this," Kejriwal said. The Delhi chief minister said the rival parties used to say that if people will get zero bills then they wont get power supply . CONTD. ON P6 the people. It will have large scale benefits in terms of tourism, industries, educational institutes and irrigation belt. I hope that areas of both Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan will prosper," the Madhya Pradesh chief minister said. He said that it will benefit the people of Bhind, Morena, Gwalior, Indore, Ujjain and Dewas, and seven dams will be built. He said that some issues are pending and talks at the bureaucratic level are on. A decision will be taken by the evening, he added. Earlier, Yadav upon reaching Jaipur Airport, had said that he has come to take a decision on water distribution of Parvati, Chambai and Kali Sindh rivers, which will benefit both the states and lakhs of farmers. CONTD. ON P6 ‘Soup’ thrown at Mona Lisa PARIS: Two climate activists hurled soup on Sunday at the glass protecting the Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum in Paris and shouted slogans advocating for a sustainable food system. This came amid protests by French farmers against several issues, including low wages. In a video posted on social media, two women with the words "FOOD RIPOSTE" written on their t-shirts could be seen passing under a security barrier to get closer to the painting and throwing soup at the glass protecting Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece. "What's the most important thing?" they shouted. "Art, or right to a healthy and sustainable food?" "Our farming system is sick. Our farmers are dying at work," they added. The Louvre employees could then be seen putting black panels in front of the Mona Lisa and asking visitors to evacuate the room. Paris police said two people were arrested following the incident. CONTD. ON P6