TUESDAY 09 APRIL 2024 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC Twitter.com/thestatesman Facebook.com/thestatesman INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘PM MODI HAS GIVEN PERMANENT GUARANTEE SCHEMES TO POOR’ P4 GAMBHIR HAILS DHONI AS INDIA’S MOST SUCCESSFUL CAPTAIN P5 SENSEX 74,742.50 Generally cloudy sky. Rain or thundershower likely to occur. Maximum and Minimum Temperature most likely be around 32°C and 25°C respectively. RAINFALL: 000.5 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY P11 ` vs $ 83.31 NIFTY 22,666.30 WEATHER GOLD 71,043.00 P12 SILVER 79,096 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 90.51 ‘Corrupt will have Not scared, let PM convert to go to jail, this is Parliament into jail: Mamata Modi’s guarantee’ She also launched a scathing attack against the BJP on the Uniform Civil Code issue Max. 90% Min. 61% Max: 30.0°C (-5) SUN RISES 05:23 hrs MOON RISES 04:56 hrs Min: 25.9°C (+1) SUN SETS 17:54 hrs MOON SETS 17:35 hrs TEMPERATURE ‘IN EVERY JOURNEY BALANCE IS VERY IMPORTANT’ ‘PM, SHAH’S IDEOLOGICAL ANCESTORS SUPPORTED MUSLIM LEAGUE’ KANCHAN SIDDIQUI Full Moon on 24 April THUMBNAILS Children wearing traditional attires participate in the 'dhol badan workshop' organised by the Pub Guwahati Bihu Sanmilan ahead of the Rongali Bihu festival in Guwahati. ANI TMC delegation calls on Governor: A Trinamul Congress delegation led by party’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee met the Governor CV Ananda Bose this evening and requested him to take up the matter of detaining party MPs in Delhi. Talking to newsmen after meeting Mr Bose, TMC national general secretary said the Governor had assured that he would take up the matter with the Election Commission of India within 24 hours. RAIPUR, 8 APRIL hief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday that she is not scared even if Prime Minister Narendra Modi converts the entire Parliament into a jail after the Lok Sabha elections. “How can he threaten the Opposition to be put behind bars after 4 June? How can the Prime Minister intimidate citizens like this? Does it suit a PM using dialects like ‘4 June ke baad chun chun ke Jail me bharunga (We will send the culprits to jail)’,” the chief minister lambasted PM Modi, while addressing a poll rally here today. The Prime Minister said this while asserting his vow to crackdown on corruption after 4 June. She said, “Should the Prime Minister talk like this? What if I say, I'll put the BJP leaders in jail after the election? I won't say it like this, because it's not the way democracy functions." An angry Mamata said, “Yesterday, the Prime Minister was in Jalpaiguri where he's said so, instead of declaring any relief for the storm-ravaged district. This is essentially 'Modi's guarantee' of imprisoning the Opposition after 4 June, but our guarantee stands with Ma, Mati, Manus C with Lakhhir Bhandar, with Krishak Bandhu.” Modi, in Jalpaiguri claimed yesterday that while he advocates for combating corruption, the Opposition stands to protect the corrupt. The seven-phase general election is scheduled to end on 1 June and its result is scheduled to be out on 4 June. Mamata Banerjee warned Modi, “Try such hysteric roaring speeches with your party men to give them moral boost, but don't try to disturb an injured Royal Bengal tiger here, it’s far more dangerous.” Mamata mocked Modi, referring to the Central Vista - the new Parliament building erected during Modi's regime, saying, “Your new Parliament will be turned into a jail where the autocratic, emperors of thieves, the goondas (miscreants) like your party will be thrown. Although I don't like revenge politics, I've seen enough blood in my life. I suffered many wounds in my head, hands and legs." She ridiculed Modi for exploiting the Central agencies saying: "You have ED, CBI in one pocket, while in another you have NIA and Income Tax. They are your brothers who arrange your funding. You try to frighten us using your such brothers but we are not scared." Addressing the gathering, the chief minister also launched a scathing personal attack against Saumitra Khan, the sitting BJP MP who has been re-nominated from Bishnupur, one of the two Lok Sabha constituencies in Bankura district, where the Trinamul has fielded Khan’s estranged wife Sujata Mondal Khan. “I don't know if the divorce has finally happened. His wife is a candidate here this time. If I reveal some of his photos, the people of Bishnupur will understand the kind of people flocking to the BJP. I have all the pictures,” the chief minister said. She also launched a scathing attack against the BJP on the Uniform Civil Code issue. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 8 APRIL Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said he had stopped the Congress' “loot” of the country and was therefore receiving abuses, but it was “Modi’s guarantee, the corrupt will have to go to jail; let them give him any threat.” Addressing a large BJP election rally in Bastar in Chhattisgarh, he said after Independence, the Congress thought it had secured a licence to loot. He cancelled this “licence” when people voted him to power in 2014.“Why should not they abuse him when their licence is cancelled; he is, however, safe as crores of people of the country provide him a protective shield,” he said. The Prime Minister said during the Congress rule, corruption had become the country’s identity. The worst to suffer from corruption are the poor, as it deprives them of their rightful due, he said. Before 2014, there were scams of lakhs of crores of rupees. One Congress Prime Minister had said only 15 paise reached the people when one rupee was sent by the Central government. Who took the 85 paise? The Modi government, Let there not be contest: Supreme Court on Centre-state funds row Army was against Agniveer scheme, decisions were made in PMO: Rahul AGENCIES AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 8 APRIL Let there not be a 'contest' between the Centre and states, the Supreme Court remarked, while hearing the Karnataka government's plea seeking a direction to the central government to release financial assistance for drought management on Monday. The apex court's observation came when it noted that various state governments are approaching court these days. A bench of justices BR Gavai and Sandeep Mehta asked the Attorney General and Solicitor General to take instructions on the Karnataka Government plea and come back to court in two weeks. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted before the Supreme Court that instead of filing the petition, the state government would have talked to the union government. He also questioned the timing of these petitions. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal appeared for the Karnataka government. Karnataka government, in the plea filed through advocate DL Chidananda, urged the top court to direct the Centre to forthwith take a final decision and release the financial assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to the state. The plea also sought to declare that the action of the government in not releasing the financial assistance for drought arrangement as per the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) is exfacie violative of the fundamental rights of the people of the State of Karnataka guaranteed under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India. Kerala Government said that the impugned action of the Central Government in denying financial assistance to the State is ex-facie violative of the fundamental rights of the people of Karnataka guaranteed under Articles 14, and 21 of the Constitution of India. Further, the impugned action of the Central Government is violative of the statutory scheme of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the Manual for Drought Management and the Guidelines on Constitution and Administration of the State Disaster Response Fund and National Disaster Response Fund, the state government said. Karnataka Government submitted that under the Manual for Drought Management, the Central Government is required to make a final decision on the assistance to the State from the NDRF within a month of the Maldivian politician apologises after ‘insulting’ post on Tricolour STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 8 APRIL Ma l d i v i a n politician Mariyam Shiuna, who was suspended for derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this year, has triggered a fresh row with her social media post allegedly disrespecting the Indian national flag. In the now-deleted post, the Maldivian leader had shared Maldivian Opposition's campaign poster in which she had replaced the party's logo with an image representing the Ashok Chakra that appears in the white band of the Indian national flag. The post triggered severe backlash from Indian social media users following which Shiuna deleted her post. Later, she clarified that it The post triggered severe backlash from Indian social media users following which the minister deleted the post. was an "unintentional mistake" and apologised for the same. "I would like to address a recent social media post of mine that has garnered attention and criticism. I extend my sincerest apologies for any confusion or offense caused by the content of my recent post," she wrote in a post on 'X'. Clarifying her actions, she said, "It was brought to my attention that the image used in my response to the Maldivian opposition party MDP ( Maldivian Democratic Party) bore a resemblance to the Indian flag. I want to make it clear that this was entirely unintentional, and I sincerely regret any misunderstanding it may have caused." Shiuna further said that "Maldives deeply values its relationship and the mutual respect we share with India" and that she will be more vigilant in the future. Shiuna was among the three Maldivian leaders who were suspended from their posts for making derogatory remarks against Modi on social media in January this year. Reacting to Modi’s Lakshadweep visit, Shiuna had made derogatory remarks against the PM. Her remarks triggered a massive diplomatic row with Maldivian Opposition leaders even d e m a n d i n g Pre s i d e n t Mohammed Muizzu's resignation. receipt of the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT). The plea said that Karnataka is reeling under severe drought, affecting the lives of its citizens. "For the Kharif 2023 season as a whole, after fulfilling all the Indicators of the Manual for Drought Management 2020, a total of 223 out of 236 taluks are declared as drought-affected during Kharif 2023 with 196 taluks categorized as severely affected and the remaining 27 categorized as moderately affected. The Southwest Monsoon (SWM) set in over the coast of Karnataka on 10th June 2023, as against the normal onset of 5th June. The SWM gradually advanced thereafter and covered the entire State on 24th June, as against the normal coverage date of 15th June. The delayed onset coupled with the sluggish progress of SWM during June resulted in Malnad districts and North Interior Karnataka districts with large agricultural land recording large deficit rainfall. SHAHDOL, 8 APRIL Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday claimed that the Indian Army was against the idea of the Agnipath scheme adding that this policy was a brainchild of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and all decisions regarding it were taken in the Prime Minister Office. "Earlier poor used to join the Army, they used to get pension. Now they are training an individual for 4 months whereas a Chinese soldier is getting training for five years. You know what will happen, and when an agniveer dies he won't get anything no pension, no canteen.We will abolish this scheme once our government comes to power. Interstingly, even the Army is against the Agniveer scheme. This scheme was the idea of the Prime Minister and its decision was taken in the Prime Minister's office," Rahul Gandhi said while addressing a rally in Shahdol. Congress in its manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls has promised to abolish Agnipath Scheme and return to the normal recruitment processes followed by the Army, Navy and Air Force. "It will guarantee economic and social security for our soldiers," the manifesto read. Rahul Gandhi further said that a caste census and an economic survey are much needed for the country. "If the Govt of India spends Rs 10 then an Adivasi officer decides for only 10 paise. This has to be changed. A caste census and then an economic survey would expose the truth.The economic survey will also reveal the data about the accumulation of the resources," he said. Wayanad MP also mentioned that 30 lakh vacancies are lying vacant in the Union Government but BJP is unwilling to fulfil it. "The Govt of India has 30 lakh vacancies. The people in the BJP don't give them to you. They give you work on contract but don't give you govt jobs. We will grant you 30 lakh govt jobs as our first step after the formation of our govt," he said. Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh will be conducted in four phases. The first phase of polling would be held on April 19, followed by April 26, May 7 and May 13. Madhya Pradesh has a total of 29 Lok Sabha constituencies, making it the sixth-largest state in terms of parliamentary representation. In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, the BJP secured a massive victory in Madhya Pradesh, winning 28 out of the 29 seats. The Indian National Congress (INC) managed to win only one seat. ‘How many will be jailed before polls?’, asks Supreme Court; grants bail to YouTuber PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 8 APRIL The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Tamil Nadu government “If before elections, we start putting behind the bars everyone who makes allegations on Youtube, imagine how many will be jailed”, as it (top Court) restored the bail of a YouTuber 'Sattai' Durai Murugan, accused of allegedly making a derogatory speech against the Chief Minister M K Stalin in 2021. Setting aside the Madras High court order cancelling the bail, earlier granted to 'Sattai' Durai Murugan on November 2021, a bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan observed that he could not be said to have misused the liberty granted to him. As senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi appearing for Tamil Nadu government urged the bench to impose certain conditions on the Youtuber to dissuade him from making scandalous remarks against the Chief Minister Stalin while on bail, Justice Oka said, “Who shall decide whether a statement is scandalous or not.” Observing that Murugan did not misuse his liberty by protesting and expressing CMYK his views, the bench ordered, “He continues to be on bail for two and half years ... All the same, we do not find grounds to cancel bail. We thus quash the High Court order cancelling bail, and restore the earlier order granting bail. Needless to say, cancellation of bail can be applied for if deemed fit.” The top court order restoring bail to Murugan came while hearing his plea chal- lenging the High Court order cancelling his bail. Cancelling the bail, earlier granted to Murugan, the High Court had observed that within a few days of giving an undertaking before the court, he indulged in further offence and made derogatory remarks against the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. It was alleged that Murugan made certain derogatory remarks with an intention to breach public peace and tranquility and on a complaint of a DMK member, police registered a case against him. Murugan was arrested in October 2021. The Madras High Court had in November 2021 granted bail to Murugan, however, later a division bench of the High Court cancelled his bail. In 2022, the top court had granted him interim bail. he said, shut down the “establishment” of loot of the Congress. He said his government was able to deposit Rs 34 lakh crore in the bank accounts of the poor under various schemes. If it was Congress rule, and just 15 per cent of the amount reached the targeted beneficiary, there would have been a massive loot of public money. As much as Rs 28 lakh crore out of the total Rs 34 lakh crore would have been lost in the“transfers.” The Prime Minister said tempers have been running high ever since he shut down the middlemen’s commissions, Strict action is being taken against the corrupt in Chhattisgarh also. Those who cheated the youth are under probe. “Angered by this, they are threatening to break my head with a lathi, but Modi is the son of a poor, walks with his head held high, and will not be cowed down by their threats,” he said. “You tell me, those who looted the poor, should they get the punishment or not? If somebody intrudes into someone's house and starts looting, everyone in the family joins to retaliate. For Modi, mera Bharat is mera Parivaar (my India is my family). That is why I am trying to save my country, my family from the loot,” he said. Two arrested for ‘nuclear bomb’ threat at IGI airport STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 8 APRIL Two passengers were arrested at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here for allegedly proclaiming that they were carrying "nuclear bombs" during a security check, police said on Monday. They said the two were later released on bail and the matter is being thoroughly investigated. According to police, it was on April 5 that the security supervisor of Akasa Aviation lodged a complaint with IGIA Police Station where the two passengers during the security landing process check (SLPC) expressed dissatisfaction with the security screening, questioning its necessity despite prior checks. "Despite due explanation given by the airline staff regarding the security protocol, the passengers became irate and one of them angrily stated that they were carrying a nuclear bomb. The airline then offloaded the passengers in view of ensuring safety of the other passengers and the airplane," a senior police officer said. During investigation, it was revealed that the two -Kashyap Kumar Lalani and Jignesh Malani -- were business contractors in the construction industry. They were based in Rajkot, Gujarat, and had come to Delhi's Dwarka to meet a business associate regarding work. Consequently, a case was registered under sections 182/505 (1) (b) IPC based on the complaint and subsequent inquiry, police added.
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