Vol. 35 No. 19 | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 4, 2024 | 31 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only Reg. No. MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 46955/1988 M.p.c.s. office Mumbai-400001 Quality at Value www.freepressjournal.in EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Nashik, Konkan, Indore, Bhopal, E-paper Modi Sarkar M ki k Gua ante ar ee Bhujbal drops resignation bombshell oilets constructed, Over 5 lakh crore to villages declared ‘ODF+’ amara Sa ankalp Viksit Bharat p S c 22201/13/0247/2324 cbc 7/ The announcement comes less than two weeks after the consecration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and ten days after the posthumous conferment of Bharat Ratna to Karpoori Thakur GAURAV VIVEK BHATNAGAR NEW DELHI Lal Krishna Advani, one of the founders of the BJP a former , deputy Prime Minister and the man who led the Rath Yatra in 1990 for the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, will be conferred the Bharat Ratna. The announcement was made through a social media post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself on Saturday . In the post, Modi wrote “I am very happy to share that Shri LK Advaniji worked tirelessly to break the vicious cycle of dirty politics in the country. He fought continuously to free India’s democracy from the captivity of one party and one family. – Prime Minister Narendra Modi Advani Ji will be conferred the Bharat Ratna. I also spoke to him and congratulated him on being conferred this honour.” Describing Advani as “one of the most respected statesmen of our times,” the PM said, “his contribution to the development of India is monumental.” The announcement comes less than two weeks after the consecration of the Ram Mandir and ten days after the conferment of Bharat Ratna to Karpoori Thakur. CONTD. ON NATION ‘I SHOT (HIM) MYSELF, Punjab Guv quits Explain why our I HAVE NO REGRETS’ for ‘personal reasons’ boats were boarded MALDIVES TO DELHI RAJESH MOUDGIL & GAURAV VIVEK BHATNAGAR CHANDIGARH & NEW DELHI FPJ NEWS SERVICE / MALE The Maldives has asked India why its Coast Guard personnel boarded boats that were fishing in the former’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The boats fishing in the EEZ were boarded without informing any relevant authority and in violation of international maritime laws, Maldives has alleged and requested India to share the details of the operation. The development is the latest in the diplomatic row between the two nations that led to a strain in bilateral ties after President Mohamed Muizzu, seen as a pro-China leader, came to power in November last year in the Maldives. There was no immediate response from the Indian government to the Maldivian allegations. On January 31, the Indian Army intercepted Asuruma3, a Maldivian boat engaged in fishing activities within the EEZ, located 72 nautical miles northeast of Dhidhdhoo, Haa Alifu Atoll, the Maldives’ defence ministry said on Friday . CONTD. ON NATION Cops come knocking, ED goes to court Uproar over fake death stunt Branch officials of the Delhi Police on Saturday served a notice on Delhi Chief Minister The Enforcement Directorate Arvind Kejriwal, after a fiveon Saturday filed a complaint hour drama, asking him to reagainst Delhi Chief Minister ply within three days in a Arvind Kejriwal in a court probe into his claims that the here for not appearing before it Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in a money laundering case attempted to poach seven Aam linked to the alleged excise pol- Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs. icy scam even as Crime Branch This prompted cries of officials of the Delhi police “nautanki” by AAP who said , served a notice on the notices were CLOSING IN him after a five being served at the hour drama. behest of Prime ON KEJRIWAL The ED comMinister Narendra plaint was filed before Addi- Modi and Union Home Ministional Chief Metropolitan ter Amit Shah. Magistrate Divya Malhotra, “We have served the notice who put up the matter for fur- on him (Kejriwal). He can give ther hearing on February 7. the reply in three days in a “Fresh complaint case'¦for written form,” a Delhi Police non-attendance in compliance officer said. of Section 50, PMLA, 2002, reThe Crime Branch has ceived by way of assignment," asked Kejriwal to reveal the the judge noted. The judge names of AAP MLAs who heard the part arguments and were claimed to have been apadjourned the matter. proached by the BJP . CONTD. ON NATION Earlier in the day Crime , S BALAKRISHNAN / MUMBAI GAURAV VIVEK BHATNAGAR NEW DELHI Government of india Advani in Bharat Ratna turn S BALAKRISHNAN / MUMBAI Senior cabinet minister and OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal dropped a bombshell on Saturday evening by revealing that he had put in his papers on November 16. Addressing a massive OBC rally at Ahmednagar, he said he submitted his resignation to chief minister Eknath Shinde to protest against moves to include kunbi Marathas in the OBC category but he had kept the development under wraps. He is more angry after the Shinde sarkar caved in to pressure from Marathas led by Manoj Jarange-Patil and issued a notification on January 26 night paving the way to include 54 lakh kunbi Marathas in the OBC category. There is a vertical split in the cabinet on caste lines. Bhujbal said that he had tendered his resignation letter as Food & Civil Supplies Minister he chose to remain mum over it, adds IANS. The next day, Bhujbal said that he had gone for a scheduled public rally, and the following day (November 18), Shinde, along with the two Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, had called him to discuss the matter. In that meeting, the trio of CM and two deputy CMs requested Bhujbal to withdraw his resignation as it could create political complications and a potential law-and-order issue in the CONTD. ON NATION state. Ens g dignity of women suring Small time model Poonam Pandey’s ill-conceived stunt has boomeranged on her. The social media was flooded with comments slamming her for faking her death on Friday She claimed . that she lied about her socalled death to focus attention on the growing problem of cervical cancer in the country But, her critics said . there were other ways of highlighting the problem. Apparently her PR team , suggested the stunt to boost her fast sagging career in modelling. Independent MLC Satyajit Tambe asked the Mumbai police to take strict action against her. He said the cheap publicity stunt robbed the seriousness of the issue of cervical cancer. ``She has pulled a prank on cancer survivors," he added. CONTD. ON NATION FADNAVIS ORDERS PROBE INTO ULHASNAGAR SHOOTING RIZWAN SHAIKH / THANE Ganpat Gaikwad, BJP MLA from Kalyan, asserted on Saturday that he had no regrets whatsover for opening fire at Mahesh Gaikwad, ex-corporator of the Shiv Sena (Shinde) in the cabin of the Ulhasnagar Hill Line police senior inspector’s cabin late on Friday night. Apart from Mahesh Gaikwad, his associate Rahul Patil was also injured when he opened fire with a revolver. Doctors at Thane’s Jupiter Hospital removed a total of six bullets from their bodies. Their condition is reported to be ``stable." Senior BJP leader and deputy chief minister Devendra Fad- navis has ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident. Ganpat Gaikwad’s brazen attack sent shockwaves through political circles. The video of the shooting went viral. Opposition parties said the shocking incident was indicative of the total break down of law and order in the state. They wondered how a ruling party MLA dared to open fire in the senior inspector’s cabin. The video clearly showed a yellow kurta-clad Ganpat Gaikwad emerging from the side where the senior inspector’s chair was and opening several rounds at Mahesh Gaikwad who was sitting in a chair along with few others. CONTD. ON NATION If my son is being beaten in front of the police inside the police station, what will I do? – Ganpat Gaikwad, BJP MLA, Kalyan Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Saturday resigned from the post while also stepping down as the administrator of the Union Territory (UT) of Chandigarh, the common capital of Punjab and Haryana. “Due to my personal reasons and certain other commitments, I tender my resignation from the post of the Governor of Punjab and Administrator, Union Territory Chandigarh. , Please accept the same and oblige,” read his short resignation letter sent to President Droupadi Murmu. Purohit’s resignation comes a day after he met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Friday and soon after the controversial Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) victory in the Chandigarh mayoral polls. As many as eight of the 36 votes cast in the polls were declared invalid, prompting cries of “rigging” by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-Congress alliance, which claimed a clear majority of 20 votes over the BJP’s 16. AAP has moved the Supreme Court on the issue. Purohit, 83, has been an MP from Nagpur, twice as Congress member and once as a BJP member. He has been the Gover- nor of Assam and Tamil Nadu, before he becoming Punjab Governor and Chandigarh administrator on August 31, 2021. However, his stint as the Punjab Governor was marked by repeated run-ins with the AAP government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. The two have shot off letters sniping at each other over several issues, including the legality of House “sittings”, fiscal prudence, steps taken against the drug menace, and appointment of vice-chancellors. Purohit had termed the multiple sittings of the Vidhan Sabha as “illegal” and withheld several important Bills last year. The Mann government had moved the apex court while AAP leaders reacted sharply against the issues raised by Purohit, pointedly accusing him of acting at the behest of the BJP and conspiring against the state government. CONTD. ON NATION LAST WORD Chanting Minister Lekhi wakens youth FPJ NEWS SERVICE / KOZHIKODE Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi on Saturday lost her cool at a youth conclave appropriately titled `Awake Youth For Nation’ held in Kandamkulam Jubilee Hall in the city for not chanting “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” slogan despite her repeatedly asking them to do so. The audience was distinctly lukewarm and unresponsive to her exhortations that they should raise their voices and chant the slogan. Visi- bly irked, Lekhi asked them whether Bharat was not their mother? “Is Bharat only my mother or your mother as well? Tell me...Tell me...Is there any doubt? No doubt?...Enthusiasm needs to be expressed," the Union Minister of State for External Affairs & Culture said. She repeated the slogan and said that the response from the left side audience was still poor. Pointing at a woman in the audience, Lekhi said, “the lady in yellow (dress) can stand up. Don’t look on to the sides. This is how I am going to speak to you. I am going to ask you a straight question. Bharat is not your mother?... Why this attitude?" Lekhi again chanted Bharat Mata Ki Jai. The woman was still standing idle, doing nothing. “I think you should leave the house," she said. The minister also made it clear that someone who does not feel proud of the nation and who finds it embarrassing to speak about India, need not be part of the youth conclave. She kept on chanting the slogan till the response was heartening enough. ‘Awake Youth for Nation’ conclave was organised by NYCC, Nehru Yuva Kendra, Khelo Bharat and Tapasya.