Vol. 35 No. 28 | SUNDAY | APRIL 7, 2024 | 24 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Nashik, Konkan, Indore, Bhopal, E-paper Veteran actor Jeetendra remembers his childhood in South Mumbai’s Girgaon P18 Gudi Padwa memories THE FP BULLETIN MALDIVES THANKS INDIA M aldives foreign minister Moosa Zameer thanked India in a post, following the increase in export of certain essential commodities for FY 24-25. The move signified long standing bilateral friendship and the commitment to further expand trade and commerce between the two, stated Zameer. The Indian High Commissioner made the announcement on X, saying this was being done ‘under unique bilateral mechanism’, under which quotas have been revised upwards, the highest numbers since 1981. The move comes against the backdrop of rising political tensions between the two. SISODIA CUSTODY EXTENDED A Delhi court on Saturday extended the judicial custody of Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia till April 18, who was arrested in a money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. Special Judge Kaveri Baweja extended Sisodia's judicial custody after he was produced before the court on the expiry of the judicial custody granted earlier. AAP leader and co-accused Sanjay Singh, who was recently granted bail also appeared before court. MEXICO CUTS TIES WITH ECUADOR M exico cut diplomatic ties with Ecuador following the arrest of former Ecuadorian vice president Jorge Glas in a late night raid at the Mexican Embassy on Friday. Glas, facing corruption charges in Ecuador, had taken shelter in the embassy. The former VP was seeking political asylum in Mexico, which he had been granted on the day of the raid. The Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced the decision and lashed out at the arrest on X, calling it an “authoritarian act” and “a flagrant violation of international law and sovereignty of Mexico”. CPI RELEASES MANIFESTO T he Communist Party of India (CPI) released its manifesto for the Lok Sabha Elections on Saturday. Notable features of the manifesto included scrapping the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, removal of the 50% reservation cap for SCs, STs and OBCs, and a caste census. Presenting its manifesto, the party rallied for support, antagonising BJP’s rule as “disastrous”, and called for their defeat to save democracy. CHINA’S AI THREAT Villagers waylay officials travelling with two people wanted in connection with a bomb blast in 2022 that claimed three lives. Mamata Banerjee blames Centre Three months after an attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas of West Bengal, officials of another central agency were attacked in Bhupatinagar area of East Midnapore district of the state. Villagers attacked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials on Saturday when the team had gone to the area to investigate a 2022 bomb blast case there that claimed three lives. One officer sustained a head injury while the , windscreen of their car was also damaged. Around 9:30 am women of the area surrounded the car in which the NIA officials were travelling and hurled stones at the vehicle, according to an NIA officer. The attack took place even as the team was tak- S BALAKRISHNAN / MUMBAI After giving tense moments over several days to Eknath Shinde, the BJP finally agreed to let the Shiv Sena renominate the Chief Minister’s son, Dr Shrikant Shinde, in the Kalyan Lok Sabha constituency . Significantly , Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis from the BJP made the announcement and not the CM himself. However, supporters of BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad, who is currently in jail after he opened fire recently on the Shiv Sena’s Mahesh Gaikwad, have passed a resolution stating that they will not campaign for Dr Shinde. A bitter tug-of-war was underway between the ruling Mahayuti allies – the BJP and the Shiv Sena (Shinde) – visa-vis the Kalyan seat. The BJP insisted on fielding its candidate on the ground as out of the six assembly segments in the parliamentary constituency the Shiv Sena , Step aside, Iran tells US after attack FPJ NEWS SERVICE / TEHRAN Iran has reportedly warned the US to stay out of the conflict with Israel after a suspected consulate attack in Syria, while Hezbollah, its main proxy in West Asia, warned the Jewish state it is prepared for war. The US should not “get dragged into Netanyahu’s trap”, the Iranian President’s deputy chief of staff for political affairs, Mohammad Jamshidi, posted on X, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The US should “step aside so that you don't get hit,” he said. This comes in the wake of an Israeli airstrike earlier this week on the Iranian consulate in Damascus that killed at least seven Iranians, including two generals. Israel has over the past few months targeted Iran-linked assets in Syria, but this is the first time that it struck an Iranian diplomatic building. Jamshidi said that the Washington has, in response to the message from Tehran, “asked Iran not to hit American targets”. Washington has, however, not commented on the message allegedly sent by Tehran. The Islamic Republic has said it will deliver a “slap” to Israel, its arch enemy Still, it . is unclear when that would happen or whether Iran would try to attack Israel directly or through proxy groups such as Hezbollah, based in Lebanon. CONTD. ON P11 Why did they go to raid at midnight? Did they have any permission? They didn’t take state police but have taken BJP police. The women of the area had asked why they came at midnight? The women will not sit back if they are attacked. – Mamata Banerjee (Shinde) had its MLA in only Ambernath, while BJP MLAs were there in Ulhasnagar, Kalyan East and Dombivli. The NCP (Sharad Pawar) held the MumbraKalwa seat and Kalyan Rural was with the MNS. The BJP suggested that Dr Shinde be shifted to the neighbouring Thane constituency However, the CM . was apparently not confident of his son winning the Thane seat as the rival Shiv Sena (UBT) was in a do-or-die mood to retain the seat where its candidate Rajan Vichare was elected in 2019. The Shiv Sena (UBT) wants to teach a lesson to the CM in his home The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is facing heat with a former leader of its party in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal being arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for running a child trafficking racket and the woman allegedly naming some “influential political leaders” of the party in Delhi during the investigation. Juhi Chowdhury , the leader of the BJP’s women’s wing in Jalpaiguri district, was arrested on the night of April 2 from Batasia, close to the India-Nepal border in Darjeeling, according to the CID. The following day , Chowdhury was remanded in CID custrody for 12 day . The BJP then removed her from the post of state secretary of the Mahila Morcha. turf to avenge his betrayal of the united party . It was because Shinde walked out of the united Shiv Sena with over 30 MLAs in 2022 that the Uddhav Thackeray government collapsed. Meanwhile, in as many as 15 seats the situation is still not clear as the ruling MahaYuti, that also includes NCP (Ajit Pawar), is yet to announce nominees in eight seats and the Maha Vikas Aghadi is unsure about its nominees in five seats. PM sees Muslim League stamp in Cong manifesto In his first reaction to the Congress Manifesto released on Friday the Prime Naren, dra Modi launched a blistering attack on the Congress, accusing it of veering away from its historical roots and aligning with influences antithetical to India's founding principles. He was speaking at an election rally in Saharanpur which goes to polls along with seven other seats in Uttar Pradesh on April 19. Modi equated the Congress with the Muslim League, suggesting a departure from its legacy of contributing to India's independence struggle. "The Congress, once synonymous with the fight for India's independence, now finds its ideology overshadowed by the Muslim League and leftist influences," asserted PM Modi, underscoring a perceived ideological shift within the party . Highlighting the disconnect between the Congress' manifesto and contemporary India's aspirations, PM Modi lamented its lack of vision and relevance. "Their manifesto reflects outdated ideologies, reminiscent of past eras, devoid of relevance in today's dynamic landscape," he remarked, questioning the party's commitment to addressing current challenges. Reaffirming his administration's commitment to com- FPJ NEWS SERVICE / GWALIOR NASA Astronaut Loral O'Hara returned to Earth after a six month research mission aboard the International Space Station on Saturday, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, and Belarus spaceflight participant, Marina Vasilevskaya – AFP Chowdhury had gone to Delhi with a woman accused of child trafficking, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said, adding that she has been removed from the post as her activities had proved “harmful for the party’s image”. Chowdhury who said she , was being framed in the case, added that “they can’t prove me guilty”. However, Additional Di- rector General of CID, Rajesh Kumar, claimed that Chowdhury was directly involved in the trafficking of newborn children. The CID, which has been investigating the racket for several months, allegedly recovered a diary from another accused in the case, Manas Bhowmik, that ostensibly had detailed entries about Chowdhury’s connection with child traffickers. CONTD. ON P11 Samajwadi Party is in such a condition that they have to change the candidates every hour and for Congress, it is even worse, they aren't finding candidates, even at their strongholds... 'Do ladkon ki film jo pichali baar flop ho chuki hai, un do ladkon ki film ko in logon ne fir se release kiya hai. – PM Modi bating corruption, PM Modi pledged to continue the anticorruption drive unabated, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding the nation's future. "Today the country is , speaking with one voice that the Congress which fought for the country's independence, that was finished decades back. The Congress that is left has neither policies for in nation's interest nor vision for country's progress," he said. CONTD. ON P11 Arrest warrant issued against Lalu BACK ON TERRA FIRMA BJP faces heat on child trafficking racket GAURAV VIVEK BHATNAGAR NEW DELHI Legendary singer Usha Uthup talks about receiving the Padma Bhushan and more P24 BISWAJEET BANERJEE SAHARANPUR AT LAST, CM GETS TO FIELD SON IN KALYAN T ech giant Microsoft on Saturday warned that China may use Artificial Intelligence to boost its geopolitical interests by swaying public opinion in countries facing elections. Clint Watts, General Manager, Microsoft Threat Analysis Center, made the claim in a blog post, naming India, South Korea and the US as likely targets. Lok Sabha elections in India are set for April 19, while South Korea and the US hold elections on April 10 and November 5 respectively. ing two Trinamool Congress (TMC) booth level leaders, Balaicharan Maiti and Monobrata Jana, with them for investigation into the blast. The NIA has recorded statements of the two TMC leaders, according to the agency’s officials. “The arrested leaders had skipped summons twice earlier. This time we carried a search warrant. We recovered Rs2.36 lakh in cash from Maiti’s house and seized four mobile phones from them. The two arrested leaders have direct connection with the attack,” said NIA officials. An officer from the Bhupatinagar police station said they had earlier assured all help to NIA during the probe. “Some of the NIA officials had reached the spot without us. There a scuffle broke out between the villagers and the NIA officials. CONTD. ON P11 MEMBER: AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATION JANUARY TO DECEMBER 2023 ‘Every day is a turning point…’ Tips to handle stress during annual workplace appraisal time P21 Appraisal anxiety www.freepressjournal.in WORLD HEALH DAY NIA team attacked in Bengal ARITRA SINGHA / KOLKATA Quality at Value Reg. No. MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 46955/1988 M.p.c.s. office Mumbai-400001 A special court in Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh has issued a permanent arrest warrant against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Yadav (75) in a case related to alleged illegal purchase of arms and ammunition in 1995-97. Mahendra Saini, Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) of the special court set up to try MPs and MLAs, issued the permanent warrant against Lalu Yadav, according to special public prosecutor Abhishek Mehrotra. “The case of 1995-97 relates to arms being purchased from an authorised dealer here by using fake documents. There were 23 accused in the case, which was registered at Inder- ganj police station, and all have been chargesheeted. Of these, Yadav has been declared an absconder," he said. The permanent arrest warrant was issued on Friday as no one appeared in court on behalf of the RJD leader, according to the prosecution. A permanent arrest warrant is issued after the bailable, arrest or non-bailable arrest warrants are served but the person does not present himself before the court, Jabalpur-based MP High Court lawyer Rakesh Pandey said. “Under bailable and arrest warrants, the court sets the time for the accused to appear before it after serving orders to them. This is not so in the case of a permanent arrest warrant,” Pandey said. After blaming stars for his loss, Singhvi challenges tradition FPJ NEWS SERVICE / SHIMLA More than a month after he lost the Rajya Sabha election from Himachal Pradesh, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Saturday filed an application in the high court challenging the interpretation of draw of lots rules by the election officer after there was a tie in the poll. BJP nominee Harsh Mahajan won the February 27 election through draw of lots after both candidates secured 34 votes each. "There is nothing in the law, neither in the act nor in the rules which compels an interpretation which requires that the person whose name is drawn in the draw of lots is a loser," Singhvi told reporters after filing his petition in the Himachal Pradesh High Court. "It is written in the stars and written by God. In a normal draw of lots, the name taken out wins. Under strange rule of EC the name taken out of the box, which was mine, loses... is excluded," Singhvi had quipped then, conceding. CONTD. ON P11 LAST WORD Manipur falling off poll campaign map SP springs Mukhtar Ansari poster FPJ NEWS SERVICE / IMPHAL It is almost impossible to make out from outward appearances that Manipur is going to polls in less than a fortnight. Inner Manipur goes to polls on April 19, and Outer Manipur on April 26. There are no posters of political parties, no big rallies, no movement of leaders, reports the PTI. The only thing pervasive is the presence of security forces. There is a hint of the impending election, though. They are the hoardings put up by local election authorities urging citizens to exercise their franchise. Major party figures have so far stayed away from the conflict zone that is Manipur. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi Star campaigners are tip toeing around this troubled zone. Not one has turned up there yet, with less than a fortnight for the polling and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are billed as star campaigners elsewhere, Manipur has seems to have fallen off the electoral map where they are concerned. This applies equally to the Congress lineup of leaders such as Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and other key leaders. The Election Commission of Manipur says that there are no restrictions on cam- paigning activities, and party representatives emphasise subdued campaigning to avoid aggravating the delicate situation in the state. "There are no restrictions from the Election Commission's side on campaigning. Anything which is within the boundaries of the model code of conduct is allowed," Chief Electoral Officer of Manipur, Pradeep Jha told PTI. To get around the problem, the candidates -- BJP's Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh, Congress' Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, Republican Party of India's Maheshwar Thounaojam and Rajmukar Somendro Singh who is backed by the Manipur Peoples' Party (MPP) -- have come up with a solution. CONTD. ON P11 BISWAJEET BANERJEE LUCKNOW In a move that has stirred controversy a , Samajwadi Party (SP) leader in Lucknow, Sudhakar Yadav, erected a poster of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari outside the party's office on Friday night urging Muslims to refrain from celebrating Eid and instead observe a two-minute silence for Ansari. The poster was removed by police for being put up without the requisite permissions from district authorities. Mukhtar Ansari, a notorious figure known for his criminal past, passed away due to cardiac arrest while in jail on March 28. Despite his tainted history , the SP offered what they termed a 'humble tribute' to Ansari, further fueling the controversy surrounding the incident. With elections on the horizon, there appears to be an orchestrated effort to refurbish Ansari's image, portraying him as a 'messiah' for potential electoral gains. However, the Ansari family's legacy is tainted by allegations of terror and violence, particularly in eastern Uttar Pradesh. As part of this effort, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is slated to visit Mukhtar Ansari's ancestral residence in Yusufpur, Mohammadabad town of Ghazipur district, on April 7 to express condolences over his demise. The visit comes in the wake of Mukhtar's death on March 28 in a Banda district jail. During his visit, Yadav is expected to meet Mukhtar's family members, including his brothers Sibgatullah Ansari and Afzal Ansari, the latter being a sitting BSP MP from Ghazipur. CONTD. ON P11