Vol. 67 No. 183 | THURSDAY | MAY 2, 2024 | 27 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only Quality at Value www.freepressjournal.in MEMBER: AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATION JANUARY TO DECEMBER 2023 EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Nashik, Konkan, Indore, Bhopal, E-paper FARDEEN KHAN’S HEERAMANDI ELECTION NUGGETS 48 HOURS POLL BAN ON KCR T he Election Commission on Wednesday banned Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) supremo K Chandrashekar Rao from campaigning for 48 hours for making “derogatory and objectionable statements” against the Congress in Telangana’s Sircilla. The ban against the former Telangana CM will be effective from 8pm on May 1, the poll body said. Chandrashekar Rao had made the objectionable statements during his press meet on April 5 when he said, "Congressmen should sell Nirodh and papad for survival.’’ EC TURNOUT SPIKE WORRIES MAMATA W est Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday castigated the Election Commission for the alleged “delay” in releasing the final voter turnout figures for the initial two phases of the Lok Sabha polls. She also expressed concern over the sudden increase in polling percentages during those phases. The EC released the voter turnout of the first two phases of polling, held on April 19 and 26, on Tuesday evening. “The sudden jump in final voter turnout by nearly 5.75 per cent from what the EC had released earlier is worrying. There are apprehensions of manipulation of results by the BJP as several EVMs were missing for a long period,” she said at an election rally in Farakka in Murshidabad district. Mamata alleged that the higher vote percentage is being shown at those places where the saffron camp has got fewer votes. Countering Mamata, BJP Rajya Sabha MP and spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya said, “Mamata loves ballot papers more than EVM as it is easy to manipulate ballot papers.” Actor sheds light on his comeback journey Pockets Kalyan, Thane & Nashik seats as well as Sanjay Nirupam KALPESH MHAMUNKAR/ MUMBAI M aharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has had his way in three key Lok Sabha seats thanks to the dillydallying by his partners in the ruling Mahayuti government. Though the BJP had been insisting on the Thane seat, Shinde eventually ensured that the seat came his way . He has got his Man Friday Naresh Mhaske, , nominated as the Mahayuti candidate in Thane, his home turf. The BJP had tried its utmost to field its MLA Sanjay Kelkar from this seat. The Shiv Sena (UBT) has given its ticket to sitting MP Rajan Vichare. Both parties had made a prestige issue of this key seat. Kalyan, Shinde has ensured that his son In and sitting MP Dr Shrikant Shinde, is in the , fray again. His opponent is Vaishali Darekar, a firebrand activist of the Shiv Sena (UBT), well known in the constituency . In Nashik, Shinde had virtually put his foot down, insisting on the candidature of sitting MP Hemant Godse. The Ajit Pawar-led NCP was keen on fielding its senior leader and minister Chhagan Bhujbal from Nashik, which is the latter's home district. However, Shinde felt that it would be a grave injustice to Godse if he were denied the ticket. It was because of the intense infighting in the ruling alliance that the candidates for these seat crucial seats could not be finalised. CONTD. ON NATION S enior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said on Wednesday that it was "better" to vote for the BJP than to vote for the Trinamool Congress while addressing an election event in West Bengal. After a video of Adhir Ranjan's speech went viral, the Congress clarified that the party's sole aim was to "significantly decrease" the number of seats the BJP secured in 2019. QUOTE UNQUOTE If we don't get more votes, we will disconnect your electricity. Remember, I will stick to what I have said,” Congress Kagwad MLA Raju Kage in Kannada in a video. RAJESH MOUDGIL CHANDIGARH Since Wednesday morning, the buzz was that Goldy Brar, who took the responsibility for the 2022 killing of Punjab singer Sidhu Moosewala, has been shot dead along with his associate when they were standing outside his residence in Fairmont in California. Both of them were rushed to the hospital where one of them succumbed to his injuries. An official confirmation of the death of Goldy Brar was awaited even as unconfirmed reports said he was killed by members of the rival Dalla Lakhbir gang. Brar, 29, whose original name was Satwinder alias Satinder Singh and who was a close associate of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, had taken the responsibility for the 2022 sensational killing of CONTD. ON NATION SC moved to examine Covid vaccine damage OUR BUREAU / NEW DELHI Disgraced Hassan JD(S) MP Prajwal , Revanna, is expected to return to India on May and appear before the Special 3 Investigation Team (SIT) in connection with a sexual assault case filed against him. Prajwal, the grandson of former prime minister and NDA nominee for Hassan Lok Sabha seat, is accused of sexually assaulting several women besides recording the acts on his mobile phone. Hours before the Karnataka government announced the decision to set up a SIT, Prajwal had fled the country and reached Frankfurt, Germany . Late on Tuesday night, the SIT pasted a notice on the door of the residence of former minister and JD(S) MLA HD Revanna asking him to appear before the SIT in connection GAURAV VIVEK BHATNAGAR NEW DELHI payment system for citizens who were severely disabled by the vaccination drive during the Covid pandemic. The Supreme Court should pass directions to the Centre to compensate people who are severely disabled or succumbed owing to the side effects of the vaccine administered to them.” Tiwari, in his petition, has said that it was recently disclosed that Covishield vaccine had caused and may still cause side effects in rare cases. The pharmaceutical company and developer of the vaccine, AstraZeneca, has said that its AZD1222 vaccine, CONTD. ON NATION lice which asked us to vacate the premises.” Subsequently , the school authorities began calling the parents, and sending them SMS messages to pick up their children. Some of the parents, who had by now heard of the news on television, also began rushing to the schools. In the meantime, the police teams reached various schools and began Sunrise : 06:11 am Sunset : 07:01 pm their search operations. Among the schools which had received the threat were premium institutions of Delhi such as Sanskriti School Chanakyapuri, DPS R.K. Puram, Mother Mary School at Mayur Vihar and Amity International School in Saket. In Noida, Cambridge School and DPS also received bomb threats. CONTD. ON NATION were arrested by another unit had been taken away . The two, identified as Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal in the Salman Khan firing case, had been taken for questioning by Crime Branch officers. At the time, there were a total of six suspects in the lockup. The officer mentioned that on Wednesday morning, all the detainees had been served tea and breakfast, including Thapan. CONTD. ON NATION GST APRIL MOPUP AT RS 2 LAKH CR FPJ NEWS SERVICE / MUMBAI G oods and Services Tax collections grew 12.4 per cent to a record high of 2.10 lakh crore in April, aided by Rs strong economic momentum and increased domestic transactions and imports, the finance ministry said on Wednesday The GST . collections have breached the 2 lakh croreRs mark for the first time in April this year. The government had collected Rs 1.87 lakh crore in April 2023. ‘‘The Gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections hit a record high in April 2024 at Rs 2.10 lakh crore. This represents a significant 12.4 per cent year-on-year growth, driven by a strong increase in domestic transactions (up 13.4 per cent) and imports (up 8.3 per cent)," the ministry said. The GST revenue, which is basically taxes on goods sold and services rendered, was more than 1.78 lakh crore last month, while it Rs stood at 1.87 lakh crore in April 2023,’’ the Rs ministry’s statement said. The collection in April is usually higher as taxpayers clear their dues when India's financial year ends in March. The unprecedented surge in GST collections is a positive indicator of economic activity and compliance levels, said Rajat Mohan, executive director at accounting firm MOORE Singhi told wire agency Reuters. England WC players to skip their IPL play-offs FPJ NEWS SERVICE / MUMBAI The fervour of the Indian Premier League and the lure of lucre notwithstanding, England's World Cup-bound players have exhibited a profound sense of patriotism. Opting to forego the IPL playoffs, they have decided to prioritise readiness for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the United States and the West Indies, scheduled for early next month. Rob Key England's , managing director, lauded the spirited players for getting their priorities right; particularly Captain Jos Buttler, as it was his proposal to withdraw English players from the playoffs. This decision aligns with the strategic preparations for the T20 World Cup. Scheduled from May 21-26, the playoffs also coincide with England's crucial four-match T20I series against Pakistan. In the pivotal run-up to the World Cup, England will defend their title against Ireland in Barbados on June 4. Rob Key pointed out that despite Buttler's remarkable form, evidenced by two centuries for IPL table-toppers Rajasthan Royals, his focus remains resolutely on translating this success onto the international stage, particularly after leading England to victory in the 2022 T20 World Cup. Many of the players, including Phil Salt, Will Jacks, Reece Topley Moeen Ali, Sam Cur, ran, Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone, find themselves straddling commitments between England's World Cup squad and the IPL. The potential withdrawal of these players could significantly impact teams like Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders. TAILPIECE Rajput anger spills across constituencies The simmering Rajput anger can be felt in full force in Gujarat where 26 constituencies will go to polls in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections. A protest sabha was organised on May 1 in the Limbdi assembly constituency where over 30,000 Rajputs had gathered to protest against the anti-Rajput comments made by BJP heavyweight candidate Parshottam Rupala, known to be close to the prime minister; Rupala had mud- duty found Thapan hanging in the bathroom. He had used a cloth mat to hang himself from the bathroom window . The policeman informed his seniors, following which Thapan was immediately rushed to the nearby Gokuldas Tejpal (GT) Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. A police officer revealed that in the lockup where Thapan was being held, in all, 10 suspects were being detained; two suspects who with a case filed by a 47-year-old woman and one of his former cooks and a distant relative. Revanna is accused number one while his son Prajwal is accused number 2 in the case. The JD(S) lawmaker is likely to appear before the SIT on Thursday . Through his advocates, Prajwal, however, sought seven days' time to appear before the SIT. CONTD. ON NATION An old social media post by a 16-year-old student from a prestigious Delhi school, joking about ‘sending emails just for fun’, has resurfaced. A senior police officer rubbished the claim and said it was an old post. LAST WORD RASHME SEHGAL FPJ SPECIAL One of the accused held in the case of firing outside actor Salman Khan’s residence in Galaxy Apartments earlier this month, Anuj Thapan, allegedly died by suicide in police custody on Wednesday . Thapan had reportedly supplied the weapons for the firing outside the actor’s residence. According to a police officer, Thapan ended his life in the bathroom of the Crime Branch lock-up. The case will be investigated by the state CID, and a team has already reached the spot. This is the third case of suicide in the lockup in the last nine months. According to police sources, around 11am, the accused Thapan went to the lock-up bathroom. Around 12.30pm, the policeman assigned for lock-up Delhi school bomb scare, emails traced to Russia There was a major scare in more than 100 schools across Delhi and its satellite townships as e-mails were received by the school administrations about the presence of bombs on their premises. For a few hours there was panic all around as police teams rushed to check the school premises and parents rushed to pick up their wards. The security checks at the schools did not reveal any explosives. The Ministry of Home Affairs later termed the bomb emails a “hoax” and said they had originated abroad. The mails were received by the schools in Delhi, Ghaziabad, Noida and Greater Noida just as they opened this morning. As a school administrator of Noida said, “We immediately informed the po- 0 VISHAL SINGH & ASHISH SINGH / MUMBAI RAJASHEKARA S / BENGALURU Former Congressman Sanjay Nirupam, who was recently expelled from the party is expected to join Chief Minister , Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena shortly the , CM said on Wednesday According to po. litical experts, Shinde hopes to rope in Nirupam to draw the votes of north Indians for his candidates in Mumbai and Thane. Nirupam was disappointed after Uddhav Thackeray announced the candidature of Amol Kirtikar from the Mumbai Northwest constituency Niru. pam refused to campaign for Kirtikar and made allegations against the state Congress leadership. CONTD. ON NATION 0 33 c. 29 c. Salman case accused is found hanging in lock-up bathroom CM wants passport cancelled, Revanna says truth will prevail KALPESH MHAMUNKAR/ MUMBAI In the wake of the admission by pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca in the British High Court on the potential side-effects of its vaccine – known in India as Covishield -- resulting in thrombosis and formation of blood clots, the Supreme Court was moved on Wednesday . The petitioner has sought the setting up of a committee of experts from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, which should examine AstraZeneca’s vaccine, its side effects and the risk factors involved. The committee should be headed by the AIIMS Director and supervised by a retired judge of the Supreme Court, petitioner Vishal Tiwari has said in his petition. Seeking compensation for the people adversely impacted by the vaccine, the petitioner has said, “I seek directions to the Union of India to establish a vaccine damage Is mastermind of Moosewala killing dead? Power ministry has estimated around 260 GW of peak demand during summer Disgraced Revanna to return on May 3 Gharwapsi for Nirupam after 19 years C BETTER TO VOTE FOR BJP: RANJAN ECONOMY ON A ROLL, RECORD GST MOP-UP POWER CONSUMPTION RISES 11% TO 144.25 BN UNITS IN APRIL May ‘Won’ proves to be Shinde’s day CONG POSER TO PM ON REVANNA ongress leader Priyanka Gandhi on Wednesday hit out at Prime Minister Modi saying that he did not stop the JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna from leaving the country. The suspended JD(S) leader and Hassan MP Revanna, who is seeking re-election from the constituency, has been booked by the Karnataka Police in a sexual abuse case reportedly involving several women. He is said to be in Germany. EDIT died the waters by stating that Rajput rulers had collaborated with the British and that they were not averse to their women getting married to the British. Rupala’s remarks have snowballed into a major controversy across the three states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Several representatives of the Rajput community had demanded the withdrawal of his candidature from Rajkot but when this did not happen, protests erupted across Saurashtra. The Rajputs were considered one of the loyal pillars of the BJP who enabled the , party to establish its hegemony across north India along with the Brahmin and Bania communities. The situation has altered dramatically in the last few weeks and the community , which has a sizeable presence across these states, has sworn to boycott the elections rather than cast their vote in favour of the ruling dispensation. Dr Mahesh Rajput, leader of Rajput community in Rajkot, seen as the epicentre of the movement, said, “Our women were so angry at Rupala’s statement that they were willing to commit Jauhar (self-immolation). We had to come out and pacify them. A community which has made so many sacrifices for the nation is now being accused of being in league with the British.” CONTD. ON NATION YOUTUBER RATHEE LABELLED MUSLIM FPJ NEWS SERVICE / NEW DELHI P opular YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, who is followed by 21 million subscribers and is known for his anti-government and antiBJP tirade, seems to be the latest victim of a disinformation campaign with social posts labelling him and his German wife as Muslim. However, sources said Rathee, born in a Hindu Jat family in Haryana, had his schooling in India before he moved for higher studies to Germany where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Karlsruhe University followed by a master’s degree from the same institute in renewable energy Rathee, at . present, is a resident of Germany and has a German wife Julie whom he married. However, the viral posts in question claimed that Rathee's "real name" is Badruddin Rashid Lahori and his wife, Julie, is a Pakistani national called Zulaikha. They also claimed the couple reside in underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's bungalow in Karachi under the protection of the Pakistani military . "They have no answer to the videos I have made, so they're spreading these fake claims. And how desperate do you have to be to drag my wife's family into this? You can also see the disgusting moral standard of these IT Cell employees," Rathee said in response.