Vol. 67 No. 116 | TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 13, 2024 | 25 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only Quality at Value www.freepressjournal.in EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Nashik, Konkan, Indore, Bhopal, E-paper EDIT Both play brothers in a new advt to promote a men's health brand 17TH LOK SABHA: HITS AND MISSES Faster and convenient travel Modi Sarkar ki Guaran ntee THE FP BULLETIN LIFE-TERM SUSPENDED T he Delhi High Court on Monday suspended the life sentence of four men convicted for the murder of journalist Soumya in Vishwanathan the year 2008. The Division Bench granted bail to convicts Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, Ajay Kumar and Baljeet Malik noting that they have been behind bars for nearly 14 years. Their life sentence will remain in suspension till the High Court deals with their appeal against conviction and sentencing in the case. Vishwanathan was a journalist working with India Today. She was found dead in her car in Vasant Kunj in September 2008. Forensic reports indicated she died due to a bullet wound in her head. ED SPOTLIGHT ON FAROOQ V eteran Jammu and Kashmir leader and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged money laundering case. The 86-year-old, who represents Srinagar in the Lok Sabha, was summoned in the same case last month. But citing health reasons, he did not appear at the offices of the agency in Srinagar. He is the latest Opposition leader -after Jharkhand's former Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Delhi's Arvind Kejriwal -- to be called in for questioning ahead of the national elections due in summer. The case involves alleged siphoning of funds belonging to the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association or JKCA, which were apparently being transferred to personal bank accounts of various people, including the office bearers of the association. SONIA IS EYEING RS POLL ROUTE F ormer Congress president Sonia Gandhi is likely to be the party’s candidate for Rajya Sabha elections from Rajasthan; with that, draws to an end the Congress stalwart’s 25 years of Lok Sabha journey. Besides Gandhi, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Ajay Maken and Akhilesh Prasad Singh are likely to feature in the party RS list which will be out this week. 77-year-old Gandhi was first elected to Lok Sabha in 1999 from Congress bastion Rae Bareli. Since then, she has been winning from the seat. Senior Congress leaders have earlier offered their Rajya Sabha seats in Telangana and Himachal Pradesh to Sonia Gandhi, reports News18. SENSEX TANKS 523 POINTS ON PROFIT-TAKING In the run-up to the general election, at a time when public perception matters the most, former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ashok Chavan has resigned from the primary membership of the Congress Party More important, he may . join the BJP possibly when , Home Minister Amit Shah visits Maharashtra. The setback has come at a time the Congress is trying to reconcile to the exit of former MP of South Mumbai Milind Deora and Bandra MLA Baba Siddiqui; both have aban-doned the party and joined the Shiv Sena and the NCP respectively Cha, . van’s departure is more likely to create an upheaval at the ground level than the exit of Viksit Bharat RAJA MANE/ MUMBAI F ormer CM Ashok Chavan caught the party by surprise by renouncing his party membership on Monday . Word is that he is upset with Congress state chief Nana Patole and will be joining the BJP . Many Congress leaders and MLAs from the state are likely to cross over with him. After the split in the Shiv Sena and the NCP , there was talk of another political earthquake in the state. Earlier, BJP leaders had indicated that a similar tumult was imminent in the Congress. Their words are now proving true. The impending exit of Ashok Chavan will deal a body blow to the Congress in Marathwada, given his clout in the region and in his stronghold, Nanded. CONTD. ON NATION Captive Indian Navy personnel are back charges public. Seven of them returned to India in the wee hours. These include Captains Navtej Gill and Saurabh Vasisht (retired), Commanders Purnendu Tiwari, Amit Nagpal, SK Gupta, BK Verma, and Sugunakar Pakala (retired), and sailor Ragesh. Commander Tiwari stayed back in Doha and is likely to return soon. By an uncanny coincidence, the release of the veterans comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Doha in Qatar on Feb- ruary 14. Before their arrest, the veterans were employed by a private consultancy firm, Dahra Global, and engaged in a Qatar Navy stealth submarine project. The seven veterans had no clue about their imminent release, according to an official. They were asked by jailors to pack up and later whisked away to the Indian Embassy from where they were taken to the airport; here, they boarded an IndiGo flight that landed in Delhi at 2 am. CONTD. ON NATION Delhi turns Nitish cruises through vote fortress to ward off farm march First UAE Hindu temple awaits PM Deora or Siddiqui, with a number of MLAs owing allegiance to Chavan inclined to cross over if they are denied tickets for the LS poll. The dividends for the BJP are obvious: In the year 2014, when Modi wave was at its zenith, the Congress could muster only two LS seats – one of which was Nanded Lok Sabha constituency a , personal fiefdom of Chavan. According to political observers, Chavan has not only the capacity to win elections but also has the wherewithal to spread the goodwill and win seats for his supporters. CONTD. ON NATION FPJ NEWS SERVICE / NEW DELHI In what is being tom-tommed as a major diplomatic victory Qatar has released , eight former Indian Navy personnel who were languishing in captivity . The release came 46 days after the death sentences handed to them in October were commuted to jail terms of varying durations. The veterans apparently faced charges of espionage but neither Qatari authorities nor New Delhi made the DHEERAJ KUMAR / PATNA The newly-formed National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar won the trust vote on Monday in the 243-member Assembly . The NDA secured 129 votes amid a walkout by opposition members and with three Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLAs cross-voting in favour of the government to help it cross the 122 mark needed to prove majority . The floor test, which was conducted two weeks after the new government was sworn in and followed a confidence motion moved by Kumar, was passed by voice vote. LATE-NIGHT FARMERS-GOVT TALKS FAIL FPJ NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, CHANDIGARH Apprehending unrest, the Delhi Police on Monday imposed a ban on large gatherings across the national capital till March 12, even as actortrolleys in large numbers set out from different parts of Punjab to join a planned farmers’ march towards the national Capital. There is also a complete ban on carrying fire arms and inflammable substances, as well as makeshift weapons like bricks and stones, and stacking of petrol cans or soda bottles. The use of loudspeakers has also been banned. More than 200 farmer unions are expected to participate in the 'Delhi Chalo' march to press the central government to accept their demands including the enactment of a law to guarantee a minimum support price (MSP) for crops. In this backdrop, the outcome of a meeting of farm representatives and three Union ministers in Chandigarh was awaited; the deliberations were still on when reports last trickled in at 10.30pm. This is the second rounds of talks. The first meeting was held on February 8. Authorities in Haryana have fortified the state's border with Punjab at many places in Ambala, Jind, Fatehabad, Kurukshetra and Sirsa using concrete blocks, iron nails and barbed wire to scuttle the proposed march. CONTD. ON NATION However, all opposition members from the RJD, the Congress, CPI (ML), CPI (M) and CPI walked out from the House before the floor test was held. INFLATION SLOWS DOWN TO 5.1 PC FPJ DESK / MUMBAI India’s retail inflation slowed to 5.1 per cent in January this year from 5.69 per cent in December 2023, bringing some relief to household budgets, according to official figures released on Monday . Food inflation, which accounts for close to half of the overall consumer price index (CPI), fell to 8.3 per cent in January from 9.05 per cent in December. However, the prices of vegetables, pulses and spices registered a double-digit growth during the month, though there was some consolation as cooking oil prices continued to decline. The data show that vegetables prices shot up by as much as 27.03 per cent, which was lower than the 31.34 per cent during December. There was no relief as far as pulses are concerned as they turned costlier by 19.54 per cent, while spices were dearer by 16.36 per cent. CONTD. ON NATION (PTI) party winning the most seats in Parliament, questions loom over what the next government of Pakistan will look like. None of the three major parties, the PML-N, the PPP or , the PTI have won the necessary seats to secure a majority in the 266-member National Assembly and, therefore, will be unable to form government on their own, leaving it unclear who will be picked as the cash-strapped country's next prime minister. The leaders of PML-N and the PPP discussed the idea of appointing a prime minister for half the term during their first meeting held on Sunday following the February 8 elections as part of their efforts to form a coalition government in the Centre and provinces, according to a source privy to the development. “It has been proposed that a PML-N candidate will serve as As many as 43 Janata Dal (United) MLAs, 78 Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs, four Hindustani Awam Morcha legislators, an independent MLA and three RJD MLAs voted in favour of the motion. Deputy speaker Maheshwar Hazari of the JD (U) could not cast his vote as he was in the chair, while JD (U) MLA from Sursand, Dilip Rai, did not participate in the voting process in violation of the whip. The RJD MLAs who cross-voted in favour of the government are Chetan Anand, Neelam Devi and Prahlad Yadav . All the RJD MLAs were at the residence of party leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav at 5, Deshratna Marg. CONTD. ON NATION Kenya’s Marathon WR holder dies in car crash HARIDEV PUSHPARAJ / MUMBAI He was hyped as the next big thing in the world of marathons after creating a new world record at the Chicago Marathon last year but such is life that Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum is no longer with us. The 24-year-old Kenyan athletics sensation and his coach lost their lives in a horrific car crash late on Sunday in the area of Kapsabet, a high-altitude region in Kenya, renowned as a base for elite long-distance runners from Kenya and around the world. Kiptum rose to prominence when he created a marathon world record of 2:00.35 in Chicago and thereby becoming the first man to run a full marathon under 2 hours and one minute. Power-sharing and 5-year split office tenure The top leaders of the Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz and the Pakistan Peoples Party have discussed a new power-sharing formula for dividing the five-year tenure between them, as efforts to form a coalition government gathered pace on Monday following a split verdict in the elections. Despite independent candidates backed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf Sunrise : 07:09 am Sunset : 06:37 pm Hamara Sankalp NAWAZ SHARIF’S PML-N & BILAWAL BHUTTO’S PPP DISCUSS NEW POWER-SHARING FORMULA TO FORM NEXT GOVT SAJJAD HUSSAIN & M ZULQERNAIN ISLAMABAD, LAHORE 0 Scan for more information MLAs WAIT IN THE WINGS TO CROSS OVER KALPESH MHAMUNKAR / MUMBAI 0 30 c. 24 c. Government of india Faster connectivity across the country by high speed indigenous Vande Bharat trains; Giving momentum to Indian Railways CONG LOSES ITS ‘ADARSH’ NETA Uptick in exchange margin requirements caused a decrease in positions, primarily in mid and small caps cbc 22201/13/0265/2324 RANVEER SINGH COLLABORATES WITH JOHNNY SINS prime minister for three years and PPP's leader for two years,” the source said, adding that it was not yet decided who will get the first term. The meeting was attended by PPP-Parliamentarian President Asif Ali Zardari, PPP Chairman Bilawal-Bhutto Zardari, and former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif from the PML-N. The same powersharing formula was chalked out by PML-N and National Party (NP) in Balochistan in 2013 when two chief ministers from the two parties held office for half of the five-year CONTD. ON NATION term. The young lad broke the record of fellow countryman and marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge en route his monumental effort. The Kenyan, who was on the wheels when the car veered off the road and into a ditch before hitting a tree, was looked upon as one of the top contenders for the Olympic gold in marathon at this year’s Summer Games in Paris. CONTD. ON NATION FPJ NEWS SERVICE / ABU DHABI Preparations are in full swing for the inauguration of ‘BAPS Mandir’, the first Hindu temple in the UAE, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 14. This will be a “dream” that has come true for “Indian community”, according to volunteers at the temple, which sits on 27 acres of land that was gifted by the UAE leadership. Meanwhile, preparations at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi, where Modi will address the Indian diaspora on February 13, are progressing at a rapid pace. The BAPS Hindu Mandir is set to become the Middle East’s first traditional Hindu stone temple. Situated in the Abu Mureikhah area, this majestic structure embodies the spirit of cultural peace and collaboration; it is also a testament to the enduring friendship between India and the UAE. CONTD. ON NATION LEGAL CORNER SC ASSURES UBT OF EARLY DATE T he Supreme Court on Monday deferred the hearing on the Shiv Sena (UBT) plea challenging the Maharashtra assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar’s January 10 decision rejecting their petitions seeking disqualification of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and 38 MLAs who are backing him. Initially the bench said that it will hear , UBT’s plea on Friday -- February 16 -- but at a later point the bench said it will do so at an early date. The Thackeray faction in its petition has said that the Speaker Narwekar’s decision was a “colourable” exercise of power based on “extraneous and irrelevant” considerations. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who appeared for SS(UBT), urged the court to list the matter soon, otherwise elections would be declared. SISODIA GETS 3-DAY BAIL A Delhi court on Monday granted threeday interim bail from February 13-15 to senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia, who has been arrested in the alleged excise policy ‘scam’, to attend his niece’s wedding. The interim bail came after multiple hearings during which the Enforcement Directorate (ED) opposed the plea citing the influence of the former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had arrested Sisodia, who has been in jail for almost a year, on February 26, 2023, over alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22. Following his arrest by the CBI, the ED arrested him on March 9 from Tihar jail in a related money laundering case.