DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA

JOURNALISM OF COURAGE
TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2024, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 20 PAGES SINCE 1932 `7.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THE WORLD
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2024
TOPOFTHE
WORLD
Polish PM Donald Tusk
POLAND
Tusk partygets
stringofwinsin
mayoralpolls
Warsaw: Polish Prime
Minister Donald Tusk is
celebratingafteraseriesof
candidates supported by
his party won weekend
races for mayor. Tusk de-
claredvictoryinthesecond
round of the country’s lo-
cal elections late Sunday
and listed the many cities
where candidates backed
by his Civic Coalition won,
among them Krakow,
Poznan, Wroclaw and
Rzeszow. It puts the pro-
European Union centrist
Civic Coalition in a favor-
able position as the coun-
try looks next to elections
to the European
Parliament on June 9. “I
think we won the second
round. We won’t stop!”
Tusk wrote on social plat-
formX. AP
JAPAN
‘Crashednavy
choppershadno
enginefailure’
Tokyo: An initial analysis of
flight data recorders recov-
ered from the crash of two
Japanese navy helicopters
showednosignofmechan-
ical problems, Japan’s de-
fenseministersaidMonday,
indicatinglikelyhumaner-
ror. One of the eight crew
membersdiedandasearch
is continuing for the seven
others. Defense Minister
Minoru Kihara said an ini-
tialanalysisofdatafromthe
twoflightdatarecorderson
each helicopter showed no
abnormality during their
flight and that mechanical
failure was most likely not
the cause of the crash.
Officialsbelievethetwohel-
icopters likely came too
close and collided, Kihara
said. AP
THE PHILIPPINES
Troopslaunch
combatdrills
withUSinSCS
Manila: Nearly 17,000
Filipino and American
troops kicked off a three-
weekjointcombattraining
exercise in the Philippines
on Monday that includes
maritimedrillsintheSouth
China Sea where Manila
and Beijing have sparred
over territorial claims.
FranceandAustralia,which
have ramped up defence
tieswithManilaintheface
of China's aggressive be-
haviour in the South China
Sea, will join the maritime
exercises to be conducted
for the first time outside
Philippine territorial wa-
ters. The annual Balikatan
or "shoulder-to-shoulder"
drills,willrunfromApril22
to May 10. REUTERS
SAUDI ARABIA
FirstIranpilgrims
in9yrstoreach
Saudiforumrah
London: The first group of
Iranian pilgrims in nine
years made its way to
Saudi Arabia on Monday
for the umrah, or minor
pilgrimage, Iran's official
news agency reported, as
a result of improving ties
between the two Middle
Eastern powers. Iranian
media had said in
December that Saudi
Arabia had lifted restric-
tions on Iranians wanting
to perform umrah but
flights were delayed un-
til now due to what
Tehran called “technical
problems”. REUTERS
DEFENCE LAWYER SAYS CASE SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN BROUGHT
At opening of hush money trial, prosecutor
says Trump planned to ‘corrupt’ 2016 election
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK, APRIL 22
DONALD TRUMP “orchestrated
a criminal scheme to corrupt”
the 2016 presidential election
when he conspired to prevent
damaging stories about his per-
sonal life from becoming public,
a prosecutor told jurors Monday
at the start of the former presi-
dent's historic hush money trial.
A defence lawyer countered
bysayingthatTrump“wasinno-
cent” and that the case should
never have been brought.
The opening statements
launched the first criminal trial
of a former American president,
acasethatwillunfoldagainstthe
backdrop of a closely contested
White House race.
“Donald Trump orchestrated
a criminal scheme tocorruptthe
2016 presidential election. Then
he covered up that criminal con-
spiracy by lying in his New York
China hails Muizzu’s
big Parliament win,
seeks deeper ties
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
BEIJING, APRIL 22
CHINAONMondaycongratulated
Maldives President Mohamed
Muizzu’s People's National
Congress which secured an ab-
solute majority in Sunday's
Parliamentpollsandexpressedits
willingnesstodeepenthe“strate-
gic cooperative partnership” be-
tween the two countries.
Muizzu-led PNC won 68 out
of 93 seats in Sunday's polls and
its coalition partners Maldives
National Party and Maldives
Development Alliance won one
andtwoseatswhichismorethan
two-thirdsoftheParliament.The
Maldivian Democratic Party, led
by former president Ibrahim
Mohamed Solih, a pro-India
leader, won only 15 seats.
CommentingonthePNC'svic-
tory, Chinese Foreign Ministry
spokesman Wang Wenbin said
‘No ifs, buts’: Sunak vows to start
migrant flights to Rwanda soon
Says will force House to sit late on Monday to pass Bill
REUTERS
LONDON, APRIL 22
BRITISH PRIME Minister Rishi
Sunak promised on Monday to
start sending asylum seekers to
Rwanda within 10 to 12 weeks,
tellingtheupperhouseof parlia-
menthewillforcethenewlegis-
lation through despite its oppo-
sition to the plan.
Sunak said the government
had booked commercial charter
planes and trained staff to take
migrants to Rwanda, a policy he
hopeswillboosthisConservative
Party's flagging fortunes before
an election later this year.
After weeks of opposition in
the House of Lords upper house
which wants to introduce safe-
guards to thedivisivelegislation,
Sunak said the government
SOUTHWEST OREGON CITY PASSED ORDINANCES THAT MADE SLEEPING IN PUBLIC SPACES A CRIMINAL OFFENCE
As affordable housing shrinks, US Supreme Court weighs anti-homeless laws
ANDREW CHUNG
& JOHN KRUZEL
WASHINGTON, APRIL 22
THE US Supreme Court on
Monday confronts the nation's
homelessness crisis as the jus-
tices consider the legality of lo-
cal laws that are used against
people camping on public
streetsandparksinacaseinvolv-
ingasouthwestOregoncity'sva-
grancy policy.
The justices will hear argu-
ments in an appeal by Grants
Pass, Oregon of a lower court's
ruling that enforcing the city's
anti-campingordinancesagainst
homeless people when there is
noshelterspaceavailableviolates
the US Constitution's Eighth
Donald Trump, on the first day of his trial at Manhattan
Criminal Court in New York on Monday. AP
business records over and over
and over again,” prosecutor
Matthew Colangelo told jurors.
The statements served as an
introduction to the colourful cast
of characters that comprise the
tawdrysaga,includingapornactor
who says she had a sexual en-
Mohamed Muizzu; Wang
Wenbin
thatBeijingwantstocongratulate
the Maldives on the successful
parliament election and respect
the choice made by the people.
“China would like to work
with the Maldives and carry for-
ward the traditional friendship...
andbuildacommunityofshared
futurebetweenthetwocountries
benefitsthetwopeoples,”hesaid.
Ever since his election as
President in October 2023,
Muizzu, who defeated pro-India
incumbentSolih,movedcloserto
China signing a “comprehensive
strategiccooperativepartnership”.
British PM Rishi Sunak in
London on Monday. AP
wouldforceparliamenttositlate
into the night on Monday if nec-
essary to get it passed.
“No ifs, no buts. These flights
are going to Rwanda,” Sunak told
a news conference. Tens of thou-
sands of migrants have reached
Britaininrecentyearsbycrossing
the English Channel in small
boats.Stoppingtheflowisaprime
Amendmentprohibitiononcruel
and unusual punishments.
The case requires the nine
justicestotacklethecomplexso-
cietal problem of homelessness
that continues to vex public of-
ficials nationwide as municipal-
ities facechronic shortages of af-
fordable housing. On any given
night in the United States, more
than 600,000 people are home-
less, according to US govern-
ment estimates.
The case is focused on three
ordinances in Grants Pass, a
smallcityof roughly38,000peo-
ple, that target sleeping and
camping in public streets, alley-
ways and parks. Violators are
fined $295, and repeat offenders
can be criminally prosecuted for
trespass, punishable by up to 30
counter with Trump; the lawyer
who prosecutors say paid her to
keepquietaboutit;andthetabloid
publisherwhoagreedtofunction
asthecampaign’s“eyesandears.”
In his opening statements,
Colangelo traced the origins of
the 2005 “Access Hollywood”
FLOODS SWAMP SOUTHERN CHINA
Houses submerged in floodwaters in Qingyuan on Monday. Reuters
■ Floods swamped cities in
southern China’s densely
populated Pearl River Delta
following record-breaking
heavy rains.
goalforthegovernment,butcrit-
ics say the plan to deport people
to Rwanda is inhumane and that
the East African country is not a
safe place.
The move has been held up
repeatedly by the unelected
House of Lords. Thelegislationis
due to return on Monday to the
Houseof Commons-theelected
lower house - where lawmakers
are expected to remove changes
proposedbytheLordsandthenit
willreturntotheupperchamber.
SomeLabourandcross-party
peers want the legislation to in-
clude safeguards for Afghans
who previously helped British
troops and to set up a commit-
tee to monitor asylum seekers'
safety in Rwanda.
Sunak said the government
was ready to move fast as soon
as the legislation was passed.
Police confronts a homeless man in Oregon’s Grants Pass.
On any given night in the United States, more than 600,000
people are homeless, according to US govt estimates. Reuters
COPS FOUND TWO COUPLES LAYING FLOWERS AT HIS BIRTHPLACE
GERMANS CAUGHT IN AUSTRIA MARKING HITLER’S BIRTHDAY
Four Germans were caught laying white roses in memory of Adolf Hitler at the house where the Nazi dicta-
tor was born in western Austria on the anniversary of his birth, and one gave a Hitler salute as they posed for
photos, police said Monday. Police said they were reporting the two couples to prosecutors.
TRUMPACCEPTSNEW
CONDITIONSON$175-MN
BONDINCIVILFRAUDCASE
New York: Donald Trump
agreed Monday to additional
restrictionsonthe$175million
bond in his New York civil
fraudcase,resolvingconcerns
by the state attorney general
thatthefundswerenotsecure.
The bond issued by Knight
Specialty Insurance is meant
tosecureTrump'scompliance
with a $454.2 million judg-
mentifhedoesnotsucceedin
anappeal. REUTERS
recording in which Trump could
be heard boasting about grab-
bing women sexually without
their permission.
“The impact of that tape on
the campaign was immediate
and explosive,” Colangelo said,
recounting for jurors how
■ The disruptive floods spark
worries about the region's
defences against bigger
deluges induced by extreme
weather events.
Australia PM
slams X for not
removing church
stabbing content
Melbourne: Australian Prime
Minister Anthony Albanese on
Monday criticised social media
platform X for refusing to re-
movegraphicpostsaboutaknife
attack on a bishop and priest in a
Sydney church last week.
X Corp announced last week
it would fight in court Australian
orderstotakedownpostsrelating
to a knife attack on a bishop in an
Assyrian Orthodox church as a
service was being streamed on-
line. Albanese said he was sur-
prised that X was fighting in the
AustralianFederalCourtordersto
take down violent content from
Australia's eSafety Commission.
XsaidtheAustralianregulator
haddemandedtheplatform“glob-
ally withhold these posts or face a
dailyfine...XbelievesthateSafety’s
order was not within the scope of
Australianlaw”. AP
prominent Trump allies with-
drew their endorsements.
The prosecutor said the
Republican National Committee
even considered whether it was
possible to replace Trump with
another candidate.
Within days of the “Access
Hollywood”tapebecomingpub-
lic,TheNationalEnquireralerted
Cohen that porn actor Stormy
Daniels was agitating to go pub-
licwithherclaimsof asexualen-
counter with Trump in 2006,
Colangelo said. “At Trump's di-
rection, Cohen negotiated a deal
to buy Daniels’ story to prevent
American voters from hearing
that,” Colangelo told jurors.
Trump has nonetheless
sought to turn his criminal de-
fendant status into an asset for
his campaign, fundraisingoff his
legal jeopardy. Hearing the case
is a jury that includes, among
others, multiple lawyers, a sales
professional, an investment
banker and an English teacher.
■ Over the weekend,
flood-waters have reached
the second storey of houses
after washing out paddy and
potato fields.
FIRST LEADER TO VISIT PAKISTAN AFTER POLLS
Iran’s Raisi meets Pak PM, agrees
to step up trade, anti-terror fight
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
ISLAMABAD, APRIL 22
PRIMEMINISTERShehbazSharif
and Iranian President Ebrahim
Raisi Monday agreed on joint ef-
forts to eradicate terrorism as
they discussed ways to promote
cooperation between their
countries, months after the two
neighbourscarriedouttit-for-tat
air strikes against alleged terror-
ist hideouts on rival lands.
Raisi, the first head of state of
any country to visit Pakistan af-
ter the February 8 general elec-
tions, was welcomed by PM
Sharif at the Prime Minister
House where the Iranian leader
inspected the Guard of Honour.
During their talks, President
Raisi and Prime Minister Sharif
agreed on joint efforts to eradi-
days in jail.
Advocates for the homeless,
various liberal legal groups and
other critics have said laws like
these criminalize people simply
for being homeless and for ac-
tions they cannot avoid, such as
sleeping in public. They point to
a 1962 Supreme Court ruling
that the Eighth Amendment
barred punishing individuals
based on their status.
Proponents including vari-
ous government officials have
said the laws are a needed tool
for maintaining public safety.
Lower courts have "hampered
efforts to address encampments
and confront the homelessness
crisis," Democratic California
Governor Gavin Newsom told
the justices in a written filing.
1ST GENERAL TO QUIT OVER ATTACK
Israel’s military
intel chief quits
over failure in
October 7 attack
Opp says Netanyahu should resign
immediately, regardless of probe
ASSOCIATED PRESS
JERUSALEM, APRIL 22
ISRAEL’S MILITARY Intelligence
chief Major General Aharon
Haliva resigned on Monday, tak-
ing responsibility for his unit's
failures during the unprece-
dentedOctober7Hamasattacks
on the Jewish state.
Haliva is the first General of
the Israeli army's general staff to
leave his position due to the fail-
ures that led to the massive at-
tack by the Palestinian militant
organisation Hamas and the
subsequent war in Gaza.
In his resignation letter writ-
ten in Hebrew, Haliva said, “The
Intelligence Division did not live
up to the task we were entrusted
with. Throughout my duties, I
knew that alongside authority
comes heavy responsibility.” The
Generalsaidhewouldliketo“take
responsibility”forwhathappened
on October 7 and promised to do
his best to complete as many of
the war's goals as possible.
Halivaalsocalledfortheestab-
lishment of a state investigative
committee, “that can probe and
find out in a thorough, in-depth,
comprehensiveandpreciseman-
ner all the factors and circum-
stances that led to the difficult
events”. At the same time, Haliva
intheletterexpressedhishighap-
preciationfortheperformanceof
the Military Intelligence
Directorate'spersonnelinthewar.
Meanwhile, reacting to the
MI Chief's resignation,
Opposition Yesh Atid Party
member, Vladimir Beliak, in a
post on X demanded the imme-
diate resignation of Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“TheIDFIntelligenceheadwas
wise to resign. A state inquiry
committee must be established
Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif,
(left) with Iranian President
Ebrahim Raisi in Islamabad
on Monday. AP
cate terrorism, state-run Radio
Pakistan reported.
It added that the two leaders
also held discussions to increase
trade and communication links
between their countries.
“There is no compassion in
stepping over people in the
streets, and there is no dignity in
allowingpeopletodieindanger-
ous, fire-prone encampments,”
Newsom added.
The case, which began in
2018, involved three homeless
people who filed a class-action
lawsuit seeking to block the
measures impacting them in
Grants Pass. One of the plaintiffs
has since died.
US Magistrate Judge Mark
Clarke in Medford, Oregon ruled
that the Grants Pass “policy and
practice of punishing homeless-
ness” by prohibiting sleeping
outside while using a blanket or
bedding, violates the Eighth
Amendment.
Thecityhaddefendeditselfin
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
AP
Site of an Israeli attack in
Rafah, on Sunday. Reuters
PRO-PALESTINE PROTEST
AT YALE CAMPUS: POLICE
ARREST OVER 40
DOZENS OF people were
taken into custody during a
pro-Palestinian demonstra-
tion at Yale University on
Monday,hoursafterColumbia
canceled in-person classes to
deescalatetensionsonitsNew
York campus, where police
cracked down on a tent en-
campment last week.
Demonstrators on Monday
blocked traffic around Yale's
campus in New Haven,
Connecticut, demanding the
school divest from weapons
manufacturers, prompting
police to arrest. REUTERS
withoutdelay.ThePrimeMinister
mustresignimmediately,regard-
lessoftheestablishmentofastate
inquiry committee," he wrote.
Meanwhile, Israeli troops
fought their way back into east-
ern Khan Younis in a surprise
raid, residents said on Monday.
Elsewhere in Khan Younis,
scores more bodies were recov-
ered from what Palestinian au-
thoritiessaidweremassgraveson
thesiteofthecity'smainhospital,
abandoned by Israeli troops.
Addressing a joint press con-
ference, Iranian President Raisi
said that the existing bilateral
trade volume was “not accept-
able” and added, “We have de-
cided as a first step to increase
tradevolumebetweenourcoun-
tries to $10bn,” Raisi said.
Sharifcalledforstrengthening
Pak-Iran ties despite challenges.
"Wehavetokeepthisrelationship
strong despite the challenges we
both face," he said. Sharif said he
had detailed discussions with
President Raisi on “religious, cul-
tural,diplomatic,investment,and
security matters”. He described
Raisi as an “ocean of political in-
telligenceandwisdom”,andsaid
Iran would progress further un-
der his leadership.
“Pakistan and Iran can pros-
per and our borders can see
progress,” Sharif said.
the case in part by noting that
homeless people have alterna-
tives outside the city, including
nearbyundevelopedfederalland,
county campsites or state rest
stops. The judge said that argu-
ment“shedslightonthecity’sat-
titude towards its homeless citi-
zens” by seeking to drive them
out or punish them if they stay.
The San Francisco-based 9th
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in
2022 upheld Clarke's injunction
againstenforcingtheanti-camp-
ing ordinances "for the mere act
of sleeping outside with rudi-
mentary protection from the el-
ements,orforsleepingintheircar
at night, when there is no other
place in the City for them to go."
A ruling is due by the end
of June. REUTERS

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2024, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 20 PAGES
BUSINESS AS USUAL
BY UNNY
SC: Denying
women child
care leave is
violation of
Constitution
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
PARTICIPATION OF women in
the workforce is a constitutional
entitlement and denying moth-
ers child care leave violates this,
theSupremeCourtsaidMonday.
A bench of Chief Justice of
India D Y Chandrachud and J B
Pardiwala was hearing a plea by
a woman, an assistant professor
in the Government College,
Nalagarh, who said the
Himachal Pradesh government
had denied her child care leave
to attend to her child who is suf-
fering from a genetic condition.
“Participation of women in
theworkforceisamatternotjust
of privilege but a constitutional
entitlement protected by Article
15 of the Constitution. The state
as a model employer cannot be
oblivious to the specialconcerns
whichariseinthecaseof women
who are part of the workforce,”
the bench said in its order.
“The provision of child care
leave to women sub-serves an
important constitutional objec-
tive of ensuring that women are
not deprived of their due partic-
ipationasmembersof thework-
force. Otherwise, in the absence
of provision for child care leave,
a mother may be constrained to
leave the workforce,” it said.
This consideration applies
more strongly in the case of a
mother who has a child with
special needs, “such a case is ex-
emplified by the case of the pe-
titioner herself”, the bench said.
Thecourtsaiditis“conscious
of thefactthatultimatelythepe-
tition does trench on certain as-
pects of policy”, and added,
“equally the policies of the state
must be synchronous with con-
stitutional safeguards”.
It said the state of Himachal
Pradeshmustbedirectedtocon-
sider the entire aspect of the
grantof childcareleavetomoth-
ers, including making special
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
EXPRESS NETWORK
RAJNATH VISITS
SIACHEN, LAUDS
‘IRON-CLAD’ WILL
OF SOLDIERS
CID TO PROBE
STUDENT MURDER:
KARNATAKA CM
PAGE 12
PAGE 1
ANCHOR Cong banks on welfare to erode coastal Karnataka’s saffron challenge
AKRAM M
UDUPI, CHIKAMAGALUR,
MANGALURU, APRIL 22
BACK IN the 1990s, Kota Srinivas
Poojary was a regular speaker at
campaign events for K
Jayaprakash Hegde, canvassing
for the then Janata Dal leader in
the erstwhile Assembly seat of
BrahmavarinKarnataka’sUdupi
district. Three decades on, much
haschangedforthetwo.Poojary
isnowtheBJPcandidatefromthe
Udupi-Chikmagalur Lok Sabha
constituency,takingonHegdefor
whom he once sought votes.
Udupi-Chikmagalur falls
D Gukesh, 17, after winning FIDE Candidates 2024 tournament in Toronto. Michal Walusza/FIDE
Gukesh scripts history, youngest
challenger to world chess champ
AMIT KAMATH
MUMBAI, APRIL 22
IF ANYONE still had any doubts
about this, the era of the Indian
teenage chess prodigies is here.
Chennai boy D Gukesh, 17, has
become the youngest winner of
theprestigiousCandidateschess
tournament, the event desig-
nated todecidethechallengerto
take on the world champion.
Playing black in the final
round,GukeshdrewwithHikaru
Nakamura of the US to take an
unassailable lead and earn the
righttotakeonChina'sDingLiren
in a world title fight next year.
The final moments of the
highly-competitive event were
notwithoutdrama.Gukesh'sfate
dependedonthegamebetween
TSMC and UMC, two of Taiwan’s biggest chip firms, at the
Hsinchu Science Park. Soumyarendra Barik
Amid India’s chip push,
Taiwan flags talent
gaps, high import tariff
SOUMYARENDRA BARIK
TAIPEI (TAIWAN), APRIL 22
A “CUMBERSOME” administra-
tive structure, lack of experi-
enced engineers, high tariffs on
electronics component imports
and inadequate infrastructure —
these are some of the challenges
that India needs to address be-
fore chip companies from the is-
landterritorystarttocommitse-
rious investments, a top
Taiwanese government repre-
sentative said.
Responding to a question
from The Indian Express on what
has stopped Taiwanese chip
companies from investing in
India, Joseph Wu, Taiwan's
Minister of Foreign Affairs, also
said the country should focus on
partlyincoastalKarnataka,often Dakshina Kannada, where
dubbed the “laboratory of polling is scheduled to beheldin
Hindutva”,andpartlyinMalnad. the second phase on April 26.
As in other constituencies in the
coastalKarnatakaregion,suchas thispartof Karnatakatook some
Dakshina Kannada, the
Hindu right wing has
been a dominant force in
Udupi-Chikmagalur that
was at the centre of the
hijab row a couple of DECISION the Chikmagalur area of
years ago. The Congress,
2024
facing an uphill battle, is
now banking on the Dakshina Kannada, the party
Siddaramaiah government’s managed to win Puttur after al-
guarantee schemes and local most a decade — it remains a
caste and community factors to challengeto break it down in the
go toe-to-toe with the BJP in Lok Sabha elections.
Udupi-Chikmagalur and
DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA
E trial of EC too, says Cong;
E X P L A I NE D
Why the
win is
● significant
EVER SINCE the pandemic,
India has seen a chess
boom. Streaming plat-
forms have become popu-
lar and the GM count has
gone to 84. Chennai hosted
the Chess Olympiad and
IPL-kind franchise league
too kicked off. With this
win, Gukesh has shown
Indians don’t just have the
numbers, but quality too.
RELATED REPORT
PAGE 17
Taiwan Foreign Affairs
Minister Joseph Wu
signing a long-negotiated free
trade agreement (FTA) with
Taiwan that would allow com-
panies in the semiconductor
supply chain to import compo-
nents, equipment and material
to India easily.
“India is known to be very
cumbersomeinitsadministrative
CONTINUED ON PAGE 9
Though the “saffron wall” in
hit last year as the
Congress swept back to
power in the state elec-
tions — at present, four
Assembly segments in
Udupi-Chikmagalur are
with the Congress and in
The Congress held Udupi-
JOURNALISM OF COURAGE
SINCE 1932
two other contenders — Russia's
IanNepomniachtchiandFabiano
Caruana of the US. A win for ei-
therNepomniachtchiorCaruana
would have seen them play
Gukesh in a tie-breaker.
Unable to take the pressure
of watchingthetournament-de-
ciding game on the adjoining
board,Gukeshwentforawalkto
soothe his nerves. It was his fa-
ther who broke the news to him
that he had walked into history.
The new poster boy of Indian
chess, known for his deadpan
expression, would confesstobe-
ing “completely emotional”.
“I am so relieved and so
happy. I was following this crazy
game (Caruana vs Nepomnia-
chtchi), and I was completely
emotional, but now, after the
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Man linked to Headley held for recce
of TMC MP Abhishek’s house: cops
SWEETY KUMARI &
MOHAMED THAVER
KOLKATA, MUMBAI, APRIL 22
KOLKATA POLICE said Monday
that they have arrested a person
from Mumbai, whose name had
cropped up during the probe
into the 26/11 terror attack for
links with accused David
Headley, for allegedly conduct-
ing a recce around the residence
and offices of TMC MP Abhishek
Banerjee.
Identifying the suspect as
Rajaram Rege, 53, the police said
he was “planning something
Cong rejected, others
big” against the MP. Sources in
withdraw, BJP wins
SC allows 14-yr-old rape survivor Surat seat ‘unopposed’
to terminate 30-week pregnancy
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
THESUPREMEcourton Monday
allowed a 14-year-old rape sur-
vivortoterminateheralmost30-
week pregnancy, terming it as a
“very, very exceptional case
where we have to protect her”.
A bench presided by Chief
Justiceof IndiaDYChandrachud,
which perused a report submit-
ted by thedeanof theLokmanya
TilakMunicipalGeneralHospital,
Sion, Mumbai, said the report
“has clearly opined that contin-
VOTE SHARE (%)
■ BJP ■ Cong ■ JD(S)
UDUPI CHIKMAGALUR*
56.2 38.63 1.44 62.46
2014 2019
DAKSHINA KANNADA
53.23 41.33 57.57
2014 2019
REITERATES ‘WEALTH DISTRIBUTION’ CLAIM
Day after, PM outreach
in Aligarh: ‘Ended triple
talaq, raised Haj quota’
Targets Cong, SP
for ‘appeasement
politics’, says
they did nothing
for community
DHEERAJ MISHRA
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
A DAY after his remarks that the
Congress, if voted to power,
could distribute the nation’s
wealth among “infiltrators” and
“thosewhohavemorechildren”,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
on Monday listed his initiatives
for the Muslim community —
from doing away with triple ta-
laq to increasing the Haj quota.
Addressing an election rally
in Aligarh, he said: “Parties like
the Congress and Samajwadi
Partyalwayspractisedpoliticsof
appeasement butneverdidany-
thing for the political, social and
economic uplift of Muslims.
When I talk about Pasmanda
Muslims, they get spooked.
Because people at the top took
the benefits and forced
Pasmanda Muslims to live in
such conditions.”
“Thelivesof manydaughters,
who were victims of triple talaq,
were ruined. Due to this, the
whole family would face prob-
lems. Modi has secured their
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
EXPRESS NETWORK
BENGAL: HCSCRAPS
APPOINTMENT OF
TEACHERS, MAMATA
PROTESTS PAGE 12
the police said they suspected a
possible “terror attack” and
“threat” to Banerjee’s life.
“Today, our officers arrested
Rajaram Rege from Mahim in
Mumbai.He hadvisited Kolkata,
stayed here, and conducted a
recce of TMC MP Abhishek
Banerjee's offices and residence.
He had obtained the mobile
uation of the pregnancy against
thewillof theminormayimpact
negatively on the physical and
mental well-being of a minor
who is barely 14 years old”.
Whilethemedicalboardsaid
that “a certain degree of risk is
involved in every procedure for
medical termination”, it has
“opined that the threat to life of
the patient if termination of
pregnancy is carried out at this
stage is not higher than the risk
of delivery at full term of preg-
nancy”, said the bench, also
comprising Justice J B Pardiwala.
The Medical Termination of
32.09
Phase2
*Note: JD(S) allied
with Congress in
37.15 2019 and did not
contest the seat
Source: Election
Commission
`7.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
PM Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath
with party candidates in Aligarh on Monday. ANI
Hold PM accountable, it’s
CPM also seeks action
MANOJ CG
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
REFERRING TO Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s remarks that
the Congress could distribute
the nation’s wealth among “in-
filtrators” and “those who have
more children”, the Opposition
party on Monday asked the
Election Commission (EC) to
take action against him for his
“divisive, objectionable and ma-
licious” speech, saying he lev-
elled “blatantly defamatory”,
phone numbers of Banerjee and
his PA, and tried to contact
them,” said Additional
Commissioner of Police (I)
Murlidhar Sharma.
The arrest comes a day after
West Bengal Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee accused the
BJPof conspiringagainstherand
nephew Abhishek Banerjee, and
said they were “not safe”.
Rege was taken to Kolkata
Monday afternoon and booked
under various IPC sections, in-
cluding criminal conspiracy and
criminal intimidation, and un-
der provisions of the IT Act and
theWest Bengal Maintenanceof
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Pregnancy (MTP) Act allows ter-
mination of pregnancy up to 20
weeks on the advice of a doctor.
The right to seek abortion is de-
termined by two registered
medical practitioners as an ex-
ception if a pregnancy is 20-24
weeks under certain categories
such as rape survivors.
Exercising its powers under
Article 142 of the Constitution,
whichempowersittopassanor-
der necessary for doing com-
plete justice in a case, the bench
allowed the relief to the peti-
tioner, and asked the dean of
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Chikmagalur briefly after Hegde
won it in a 2012 bypoll necessi-
tatedbyDVSadanandaGowda’s
resignation as MP following his
appointment as Karnataka chief
minister. ButHegde lost the seat
two years later in the 2014 elec-
tions and the party failed again
in 2019. It is an even bigger story
of BJP dominance in Dakshina
Kannada that was formed after
delimitation in 2008.
Support for Congress
guarantees
In Chikmagalur, some
Congressworkersconcededthat
the fight was a tough one. “The
support for the BJP is reminis-
“false” and “unverified allega-
tions” against it.
Stating that it was a “trial of
theEC”too,theCongresssaidthe
poll panel “risks tarnishing its
legacy and abandoning its
Constitutional duty by setting a
precedent of helpless inaction
that will go down in infamy”.
By evening, the CPI(M) and a
groupof civilsocietyactiviststoo
approached the EC to demand
action against Modi. The CPI(M)
asked the EC to immediately
launch proceedings against
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
BJP’s Mukesh Dalal receives the certificate of election after
he won unopposed from Surat Lok Sabha seat, Monday. PTI
KAMAAL SAIYED
& MANOJ C G
SURAT, NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
A DAY after the nomination of
the Congress candidate from
Surat was rejected, the BJP’s
Mukesh Dalal was declared
elected uncontested from the
LokSabhaseat,aftertheeightre-
maining nominees withdrew
one by one.
While four of them were
Independents,threebelongedto
little-knownpartiesandonewas
a candidate of the BSP. Surat City
BSPpresidentSatishSonavneal-
leged the hand of the BJP in the
withdrawal of its nominee,
centof theCongressinthe1980s
and 1990s. Around 40% of the
votersarewiththeBJP.Changing
that is a huge task," said a local
party worker.
At a recent campaign event,
Poojary said people were with
the BJP as they wanted to see
Narendra Modi return as the
prime minister. He also prom-
ised them better roads between
Udupi and Chikmagalur and the
extension of rail connectivity in
the region.
For the Congress, the choice
of Hegde — he was expelled
from the party in 2015 and re-
joined from the BJP only in
March—isamoveaimedatcon-
AMU gets its
first woman
V-C: Naima
Khatoon
Naima
Khatoon
Gulrez
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
NAIMA KHATOON Gulrez, the
principal of Aligarh Muslim
University’s Women’s College
since 2014, has been appointed
as the university's first woman
Vice-Chancellor.
She is learnt to have taken
charge as the new V-C Monday
evening.
The AMU Court had short-
listed three candidates for the
post and forwarded the names
to President Droupadi Murmu
forfinalselectionlastNovember.
Professor Muzaffar Uruj
Rabbani,formerDean,Facultyof
Medicine, AMU, and Professor
Faizan Mustafa, V-C, Chanakya
National Law University, Patna,
were the other frontrunners for
the post.
Sources said Gulrez's ap-
pointment was cleared by the
Election Commission (EC) with
the condition that it would not
be publicised and no political
mileagewouldbedrawnfromit.
The EC's go-ahead was commu-
nicated to the Education
Ministry on April 9.
A PhD in psychology from
AMU, the new V-C was ap-
pointed as a lecturer in the same
department in 1988, before be-
ingelevatedasprofessorin2006.
She continued there before join-
ing as principal of the Women’s
College in 2014.
She also taught at the
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Pyarelal Bharti. Monday was the
last date for withdrawal of nom-
inations.
Itisrareforcandidatestowin
uncontested in Lok Sabha elec-
tions, with only 23 such known
instances before this since
Independence (notcounting by-
polls) as per the Election
Commission website. Of these,
10 won in the first two elections,
1951-1952 and 1957, when the
pool of candidates was small.
Dalal is the first ever BJP leader
to win uncontested.
BeforeDalalwasdeclaredthe
winner, the Congress moved the
Election Commission, seeking
that it postpone elections on the
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
solidating its position with the
help of the former state minis-
ter’s support base in Udupi dis-
trict.“Peoplestillrememberthat
Udupi was carved out of
Dakshina Kannada district dur-
ing my tenure as minister. The
programmes launched for fish-
ermen in the regionandtheout-
reach I did as an elected repre-
sentative will help me," Hegde
told The Indian Express.
The Congress is mostly rely-
ing on the guarantee schemes
that propelled it to power in the
state last year. In rural
Chikmagalur, the schemes are
popular, especially among
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
 2 THE SECOND PAGE
● Denying women child care leave
is violation of Constitution: SC
provisions consistent with the
RighttoPersonsWithDisabilities
(RPWD) Act to mothers with
children with special needs.
The court asked the state
chief secretary to constitute a
committeeconsistingof thestate
commissioner appointed under
the RPWD Act, secretary of
Women and Child Department
and secretary of Social Welfare
Department to look into all as-
pects of the matter. It directed
that the panel's report be placed
before competent authorities so
thatapolicydecisionistakenex-
peditiously.
The woman had approached
the state seeking childcareleave
as her son is suffering from
Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a rare
genetic disorder,and had under-
goneseveralsurgeries.Duetohis
continuous treatment, she had
exhausted all her sanctioned
leave.
But her application was de-
clined on account of non-adop-
tion of theprovisionof child care
leave -- as provided under Rule
43-C of the Central Civil Services
(Leave)Rules,1972—bythestate
government.
The woman moved the High
Court, which dismissed her plea
on April 23, 2021, on the ground
that the state has not adopted
Rule 43 (C).
Appealing against the ver-
dict, the woman in her plea in
● SC allows pregnancy termination
Lokmanya Tilak Municipal
General Hospital to constitute a
team to undertake the medical
procedure.
The court said this was nec-
essary “bearing in mind the exi-
gencies of the situation and the
welfare of the minor, which is of
paramount importance and her
safety...”.
The girl’s mother had moved
the Supreme Court after the
Bombay High Court declined to
grant relief on April 4.
Setting aside the High Court
order, the Supreme Court
recorded in its order that the
state has agreed to bear all the
expensesof theprocedure.Italso
said that if after the procedure
any further medical care is re-
quired, it may be ensured in the
interest of the minor.
The apex court noted in its
order that the FIR — under vari-
CLARIFICATIONS & CORRECTIONS
22.04.24, PAGE 13
THE REPORT on ITC’s food delivery business that was carried on
the Economy page of the edition dated April 22 went with a
wrongheadline.Thecorrect headline should haveread ‘ITCscal-
ing up food delivery business, eyeing more cities’.
The error is regretted.
theSupremeCourt,filedthrough
Advocate Pragati Neekhra, con-
tended that the selective adop-
tion of the rules by the state is
against the spirit of concept of a
welfare state, Constitution and
the India’s obligation under var-
ious international conventions
on women and child rights.
Taking up the plea, the
Supreme Court had issued no-
ticetothestateonSeptember15,
2022,andthecommissionerun-
der the RPWD Act was asked to
placeonrecordthepoliciesordi-
rections with regard to grant of
leave to parents of children cov-
ered by statute.
In reply, the commissioner
said no such policy or direction
has been formulated.
OnMonday,CJIChandrachud
said, “I am not saying you adopt
central rules. But you must give
some child care leave.”
The court gave the woman
liberty to make the Centre a
party to the proceedings and
asked Additional Solicitor
General Aishwarya Bhati to as-
sist it in the matter. It said the re-
port of the state committee shall
be prepared before July 31.
On the request of the appel-
lant, the bench also directed: “In
the meantime, pending further
orders, application by the peti-
tioner for the grant of special
leave... be considered by the au-
thorities”.
ous provisions of the Indian
Penal Code and Protection of
ChildrenfromSexualOffences—
in connection with the crime
was itself recorded on March 20,
2024, beyond the period of 24
weeks as required under the
MTP Act.
Hearing the petition on April
19,theSupremeCourthadnoted
that the medical report relied on
by the High Court did not con-
tain an evaluation of the physi-
cal and mental status of the mi-
nor, particularly regarding the
background leading to the preg-
nancy, including the sexual as-
sault.
It had then asked the
Lokmanya Tilak Municipal
General Hospital to constitute a
medical board to examine her
afresh. Accordingly, the hospital
set up a team of six doctors,
which examined her again.
EXPRESS EDUCATION
Contact for Advt. Booking: M/s Friends Publicity Service
(M): 9212665841, 9212008155
FROM PAGE ONE
Day after, PM outreach in Aligarh
lives by making a law against
triple talaq,” he said.
“Earlier,thereusedtobefights
duetolessHajquota.Briberywas
prevalentandonlytheinfluential
gotthechancetogo,”hesaid.“Ire-
questedtheCrownPrinceofSaudi
Arabia to increase the Haj quota
for Indian Muslims. Today, not
only has India's Haj quota in-
creased, but visa rules have been
made easier. Earlier, Muslim
mothers and sisters could not go
alone for Haj. The government
gavepermissiontogotoHajwith-
outMahram.Thousandsofsisters,
whosedreamof goingforHajhas
been fulfilled, are blessing me,”
Modi said.
OnSunday,speakingatarally
in Rajasthan’s Banswara, Modi
hadsaid:“Earlier,whenthey(the
Congress)wereinpower,theyhad
said Muslims have the first right
to the wealth of the nation. This
● Man held for recce of TMC MP Abhishek’s house
Public Order Act.
Rege’snamehadfirstemerged
during the 26/11 attack probe for
links with Lashkar-e-Taiba oper-
ative Headley ahead of the attack
thatkilled174peopleinMumbai.
Inhisdepositionasaprosecution
witness in a Chicago court,
Headley had said he visited Shiv
Sena Bhavan in Dadar in central
Mumbai, and met Rege.
“RegewasaffiliatedtotheShiv
SenaandhadbeenusedbyDavid
Headley who came to India to
conduct a recce of the sites that
were to be targeted in 26/11 at-
tacksof 2008.Togetaccess to the
Sena Bhavan, which was on the
list of targets of the LeT, Headley
was in touch with Rege from the
US,” a senior officer of Mumbai
● Gukesh scripts history, youngest challenger to world chess champ
gameisfinished,I’mfeelingquite
good,” he said.
So were the many Indian fans
attheTorontovenue.Therewasa
rush for selfies and autographs.
Eventhosewhowereagainsthim
were now taking a U-turn.
Before the tournament, chess
world’s rockstar Magnus Carlsen
hadnotgiventhethreeIndiansin
the fray – R Praggnanandhaa and
ViditGujrathibeingtheothertwo
– any chance. He had predicted
that Gukesh would face heavy
losses.Carlsenrevisitedhisassess-
ment after Gukesh’s triumph.
“Gukeshisprobablyabitstronger
than myself and others realised,”
he said. “But he’s proven in this
tournamentthathe’sverystrong.”
For a player who has con-
stantlywooedhistorybutmissed
his chance, this could be a break-
through win. Gukesh became
India’s youngest grandmaster
ever at the age of 12 years, seven
months, 17 days, missing the tag
oftheworld’syoungestby17days.
Last year, he overtook five-time
FULL REPORTS ON
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
means they will distribute this
wealth to those who have more
children, to infiltrators.” His re-
marks had prompted a backlash
from the Opposition, with
Congress president Mallikarjun
Kharge calling it “hate speech”.
On Monday, Modi reiterated
thattheCongresswantedtoredis-
tributewealth.“TheCongressand
INDIAblochavetheireyesonyour
earnings, on your property. The
shehzaadaofCongresssaysthatif
his government comes to power,
he will get an investigation done
into who earns how much, who
hashowmuchproperty...Notonly
this,healsosaysthattheirgovern-
mentwilltakepossessionofthese
propertiesanddistributethemto
everyone.Thisiswhattheirman-
ifesto says,” he said.
“Ourmothersandsistershave
gold... Voh stree dhan hai (that is
streedhan).Itisconsideredsacred
Police said. The police had then
said that Rege was unaware of
Headley’s intention.
A senior Kolkata Police officer
said Rege was spotted in Kolkata
earlier this month. “Rege tried to
get in touch with the PA of
AbhishekBanerjee.FromApril18
to 20, he stayed at a hotel in
Kolkata’sShakespeareSaraniarea
beforereturningtoMumbai,”the
officersaid.AnFIRwasregistered
on Sunday. “We have inputs of
whoRegewasincontactwith.All
ofthemareunderthescanner.We
are checking whether he was
keeping any contact with any
party,” the officer said.
In its chargesheet filed in
Septemberlastyearagainst26/11
terror accused Tahawwur Rana,
world champion Viswanathan
Anandasthecountry’stopranked
player, a first in 36 years.
Now, Gukesh has added an-
other feat to that list. He broke a
40-year record held by Garry
Kasparovastheyoungestwinner
ofthetournament.Kasparovwas
aged 20 when he won in 1984.
While Carlsen and Mikhail Tal
wereaged22whentheywonthe
Candidates, Anand was 25 when
he won it for the first time.
Gukeshisaoneofakind,once
a generation player. While most
young players heavily bank on
chess engines – computer pro-
grammes that factor in countless
games and suggest which moves
to pursue – to learn the ropes,
Gukesh took the less-travelled
path.His chesstacticsweremore
intuitive and his tutoring was
more off-line. It was only after he
reached the elite level that he
went overly online.
Anand, the only other Indian
towinthetournament,toowould
talk about Gukesh’s unique
● BJP wins Surat seat ‘unopposed’
seat. It urged the EC to use pow-
ersunderArticle324“forsetting
aside the order passed by the
Returning Officer cancelling
Nilesh Kumbhani’s nomination,
directing restoration of his can-
didature from the Surat Lok
SabhaConstituency;orintheal-
ternative, (accepting) nomina-
tion of the backup candidate for
the INC, Suresh Padsala”.
Congress leader Rahul
Gandhi posted in Hindi on X:
“The dictator's real 'surat (face)'
is before the country again.
Takingawaytherightsofthepeo-
pletoelecttheirleaderisanother
step towards ending the
Constitution framed by
Babasaheb Ambedkar.”
In all, 15 candidates had filed
their nomination for the Surat
seat. The papers of four were re-
jectedearlier.Afterpapersof the
Congress candidate and the
party's substitute were also re-
jected, for “discrepancies in ver-
ification of signatures” of their
proposers, at a special hearing
heldonSundayattheCollector's
office, nine were left in the fray.
Barring the BJP's Dalal, eight
candidates then gave in writing
to the election officer that they
did not want to contest. Surat
District Election Officer (DEO)
and District Collector Saurabh
Parghi subsequently declared
Dalal the winner. Soon after,
Gujarat BJP president C R Paatil
posted:“Surathaspresentedthe
first Lotus to Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.”
The BSP's Sonavne claimed
the party came to know only af-
ter their candidate Bharti had
submitted his withdrawal letter
to the DEO. He told The Indian
Express: “The BJP used all means
to pressure candidates to with-
draw their forms, and was suc-
cessful.” He added that the BSP
feared something like this after
the Congress candidate's nomi-
and the law also protects it. But a
gameisbeingplayedtosnatchthe
propertyofmothersandsistersby
changingthelaw.Theyareeyeing
your mangalsutra. They want to
survey the employed class; fixed
depositsmadeforchildren'sedu-
cation and marriage will also be
investigated,” said Modi.
“If youhaveahouseinthevil-
lageand youtakeaflatinthecity,
theywilltakeawayoneandgiveit
tosomeonewhodoesnothaveit.
This is Maoist thinking, this is the
thinking of Leftists. How many
countries have they already ru-
ined by doing this? The Congress
and INDIA bloc want to imple-
ment this policy in Bharat too.
Congresswantstogetitsclawson
your property. Aapka stree dhan
lootnachahtihai(theywanttoloot
your stree dhan),” he said.
The Congress manifesto
makes no specific mention of
the Mumbai Police crime branch
hadincludedanemailHeadleyal-
legedly sent him. In the email,
Headley had asked what is to be
done about Rege, whose help he
had sought by claiming to be a
tourist.Inasecondemail,Headley
had added the address of ‘Major
Iqbal’ from ISI, asking Rana to
check with him regarding Rege.
“Rege was instrumental in
connecting Headley with a polit-
ical party. As there is a similarity
betweenthetwoinstances,there
isapprehensionofsomeconspir-
acy of sabotage and threat to the
life of the TMC MP. We are inves-
tigatingallpossibleangles.Weare
trying to find out if Rege has any
links with terror groups,” said a
senior officer of Kolkata Police.
methodoftraining.“I’mguessing
that Gukesh is in a minority with
that approach. It is a very healthy
approach.Whatwaskeyisthathe
didn’t use engines himself but
nonethelessbenefitedthroughhis
trainer. That’s how it should be,”
he told The Indian Express. Coach
VishnuPrasanna,themanbehind
the radical idea for Gukesh not to
use engines early on in his career,
admitted it was a risky decision.
“Our aim was to be very precise
with calculations and to develop
intuition and assessment skills. If
you’re always checking with a
computer if the move is good or
bad, things become easy.”
It wasn't just the coach, even
Gukesh's parents had taken a big
punt on their son's chess. For fa-
ther Dr Rajnikanth, an ENT spe-
cialist, chess was a mere board
game that the family played in
free time. Gukesh, while waiting
for his school pick-up, would get
initiated into chess. His rise was
phenomenal and this meant his
fatherhadtoaccompanyhimnot
nation was rejected and had
henceshiftedBhartitoVadodara,
along with his children, given
him a new mobile number, and
toldhimtoswitchoff hisregular
number so that he could not be
tracked.
ClaimingthattheBSPhadgot
the support of the AAP after the
Congress leader's candidature
wasrejected–theAAPisfighting
two seats in Gujarat in alliance
with the Congress – Sonavne
said: “I last spoke with Pyarelal
on Monday at 4.30 am and he
said a lot of people had sur-
rounded the location where he
was kept in Vadodara.”
Sonavneaddedthattheirsus-
picionsrosewhentheycouldnot
getintouchwithBhartiMonday
morning onwards. “Later, we
came to know that Pyarelal had
reachedSurat,presentedhimself
before the Surat election officer
andhandedinanapplicationthat
he did not want to contest, and
thathewasnotunderpressure.”
The BJP had picked Dalal, 62,
as its Surat candidate in place of
DarshanaJardosh,itsthree-time
MP from the seat and Union
MinisterofStateforRailwaysand
Textiles.
Dalal, who is from the OBC
Modhvanik community, is the
Surat city BJP general secretary
and a chairman of the Surat
MunicipalCorporationStanding
Committee.Hehasbeendirector
of Surat People's Cooperative
Bank for the last 20 years.
Dalal’selectionagentDinesh
Jodhani first raised an objection
to Kumbhani's nomination, al-
leging the signatures of his pro-
poserswerebogus,adayafterhe
hadfiledhisnomination,onApril
19.TheCongresslegalteam'srep-
resentation to the DEO against
this on Sunday was rejected.
Apart from the BSP's Bharti,
those who withdrew from the
raceMondaywereShoebShaikh
wealth redistribution but prom-
ises that, if voted to power, the
party will “address the growing
inequality of wealth and income
through suitable changes in poli-
cies”.Thefirstchapteroftheman-
ifesto titled “equity” talks about
“caste discrimination” as a “real-
ity” and argues that “while OBC,
SCandSTconstitutenearly70per
cent of India’s population, their
representation in high-ranking
professions, services and busi-
nessesisdisproportionatelylow”.
Modi said terror attacks were
commonearlier,buthadstopped
now. He also praised Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath. “I want to open the
eyes of those who keep identify-
ing Yogiji only with bulldozers.
Industrial development that did
not happen in UP since
Independencehashappeneddur-
ing Yogiji’s rule,” he said.
● AMU V-C
National University of Rwanda,
Central Africa, for an academic
year, and was appointed the
Director, Centre for Skill
Development & Career Planning,
AMU,inOctober2015.Shehasau-
thored/ co-authored/ edited six
booksandpublishedanumberof
papersinjournalsofnationaland
international repute.
Herappointmentcomesafter
a controversy over the selection
procedure adopted. As first re-
ported by The Indian Express on
November3lastyear,complaints
were raised pertaining to a con-
flict of interest in Gulrez being
shortlisted, as her husband, the
acting V-C Prof Mohammad
Gulrez, chaired the meeting that
included her in the list.
just in India but even abroad.
DrRajnikanthquithispractice,
using his life savings to fund his
son’s career. There was a time
when the father and son slept at
theairporttosavehotelexpenses
abroad. He once said they spent
Rs 50-60 lakh in just a six-month
phasewhenGukeshwaschasing
GM norm. Mother Padma, a mi-
crobiologist, would be the lone
earnerinthisperiod.Thatwould-
n't be enough, the father said.
Theyhadtoselltheirpropertyand
mortgage the family jewellery.
Gukesh, too, is known to ven-
ture out of his comfort zone.
Vishnu said his ward is always
willing to do the “unpleasant
things”. “He’d never shy away
fromthingslikegoingtothegym,
waking up early. I don’t think he
enjoyedthosethings.Iftherewas
anythingrequiredforhimtoplay
betterchess,hewoulddoit.That’s
what his obsession with success
in chess is,” he said.
And that obsession has now
booked him a place in history.
(Log Party), Abdul Hamid Khan
(Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Party),
Jayesh Mevada (Global
Republican Party), and
Independents Bharat Prajapati,
Ajit Umat, Kishor Dayani and
Baraiya Ramesh.
DEO Parghi said the eight
came to the office and an-
nouncedtheirintentiontowith-
draw.“Wetooktheirvideostate-
ments and their applications in
writing... BJP Surat candidate
Mukesh Dalal was the only one
remaining,soasperrules,wede-
claredhimuncontestedwinner.”
Congress communications
in-chargeJairamRameshposted
on X: “Aap chronology sama-
jhiye: Surat District Election
Officer rejects @INCIndia’s can-
didateforSuratLokSabha,Nilesh
Kumbhani’snominationfor'dis-
crepancies in verification of sig-
natures of three proposers'. On
similar grounds, officials reject
the nomination of Suresh
Padsala,theINC’ssubstitutecan-
didatefromSurat.CongressParty
is left without a candidate. All
othercandidateswithdrawtheir
nomination except BJP’s candi-
date, Mukesh Dalal. BJP candi-
date declared 'elected unop-
posed'...nearlytwoweeksbefore
polling on May 7th, 2024.”
Ramesh said the BJP is so
“spooked” that it is resorting to
“match-fix” the Surat Lok Sabha
elections,despitehavingwonthe
seat consistently since 1984.
Senior Congress leader
AbhishekManuSinghvi,wholed
apartydelegationtomeettheEC,
told reporters: “In James Bond
parlance,thefirsttimeishappen-
stance,thesecondtimeiscoinci-
dence and the third time is en-
emyaction.InSurat,theCongress
candidate who was nominated
by four proposers... suddenly all
fourstandupanddenytheirsig-
natures...allfourtogether.Thisis
no coincidence...”
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2024
● Cong, CPM seek EC action on PM
ModiandtheBJP.“AnFIRneedsto
be lodged for inciting communal
passions and hatred. ECI’s failure
totakesuitableactionwillfurther
undermineitscredibilityasanau-
tonomous institution and lead to
further vitiation of the environ-
ment for a free and fair poll,”
CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury
said.
Yechury also hoped the
Supreme Court would take suo
motu cognizance of Modi's “in-
cendiaryspeech”andissueacon-
temptofcourtnoticeforviolating
its pronouncements on hate
speech,followedbystrictestpun-
ishment.TheCPI(M)saiditsought
to register a complaint against
Modi, but the SHO at the Mandir
Marg police station in the capital
refusedtoacceptit.Thecomplaint
has been sent to the Delhi Police
Commissioner, it said.
Arguing that the speech has
the potential to tear apart the so-
cialfabricofIndia,thecivilsociety
activists urged the EC to censure
Modi and “impose a ban on his
campaign as has been done ear-
lier for violations of this nature”.
Among the signatories were
Apoorvanand,ShabnamHashmi,
Anjali Bhardwaj, Harsh Mander,
John Dayal, Kavita Srivastava,
Najeeb Jung, Prashant Bhushan
and Santosh Mehrotra.
The Congress filed 16 com-
plaintsinall,includingoneagainst
theBJPoverits“continueduse”of
religiousfigureslikeRamandcon-
struction of the Ram Temple in
Ayodhyainitspoliticaladvertise-
ments, and another “seeking an
inquiryintoDoordarshanNewsin
light of its decision to change the
colourofitslogotosaffronduring
theelectionperiod”.TheCongress
said the saffron colour is “univer-
sally associated with the BJP in
Indian politics.”
WhileanECspokespersonde-
clined to comment on the
Congress'scomplaints,aseniorEC
sourcesaidallthecomplaints,in-
cluding the one against the PM,
were being “examined” by the
poll panel. The BJP’s complaint to
the EC on Monday against West
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee was also being exam-
ined, the EC source said.
“This is not only the trial of
thoseagainstwhomwehavefiled
acomplaint.ItisatrialoftheECit-
self.ItisatrialofourConstitutional
spirit and ethos... hope that no-
body fails that trial,” said senior
CongressleaderAbhishekSinghvi,
who led the delegation to the EC.
The Congress said Modi's re-
marks were malicious to an “un-
precedented degree” and
amounted to committing of-
fences punishable under the
Representation of the People Act
and the IPC, besides violation of
provisionsundertheModelCode
of Conduct. “These alarming and
brazen violations committed by
the PM…call for the immediate
exercise of the Commission’s
powers under Article 324 of the
Constitution,” the Congress said
in its 11-page petition. It said the
gravity of the offence was even
more “serious and egregious” as
it was the PM who was making
these “false and reckless state-
ments”.
Asked to specify the action
soughtagainstModi,Singhvisaid:
“What would you do in other
cases… Did you see what
Randeep Surjewala suffered?
Does the EC have to be educated
aboutwhatitwilldo?Theyknow
very well…You can give a stop-
● Cong banks on welfare schemes
women. At Mudigere, about 30
km from Chikmagalur city,
Arunakshi,ahomemaker,saidshe
was supporting the Congress be-
causeoftheguarantees."Rs2,000
per month, free power, and other
schemes are helping us,” said
Latha M, who runs a small shop
near the village of Kottigehara,
about 17 km from Mudigere.
A new BJP face
The BJP’s dominance in
DakshinaKannadastretchesback
even further. Before the con-
stituency came into existence af-
ter the 2008 delimitation, it was
known as the Mangalore LS seat.
In 1991, it became one of the first
constituencies in south India to
elect a BJP MP and since then has
been sending a BJP leader to
Parliament. In the last three Lok
Sabhapolls,formerstateBJPpres-
ident Nalin Kumar Kateel won
from Dakshina Kannada. But this
time, in search of a ninth consec-
utive victory, the party dropped
KateelandfieldedstateBJPsecre-
tary Captain Brijesh Chowta.
In the past in Dakshina
Kannada, the BJP benefited from
its Hindutva plank overshadow-
ing caste factors in what is a de-
mographicallydiversedistrict.But
this time, a section of the OBC
Billavacommunity, which isesti-
mated to have around four lakh
voters,issaidtobeunhappywith
the party for not fielding one of
them. Like Kateel before him, the
42-year-old Chowta is from the
Buntcommunity,aforwardcaste
page for one day, two days, three
days...accompaniedbyawarning.
Thesearesmallthings...thestate-
ment is much more serious.”
The Congress said Modi and
senior BJP leaders have “deliber-
atelyandrepeatedly,invokedreli-
gion, religious symbols and reli-
gious sentiments in its election
campaign… These actions have
been further bolstered by the
Commission’s inaction in penal-
ising the PM and the BJP for their
blatant and direct violations of
electoral laws.”
Modi’s remarks “are clearly
aimed at creating enmity be-
tweengroups,farworsethanany
ever made by a sitting PM in the
history of India (and) this cannot
go unchecked, unanswered and
unpunished,” the Congress said.
He has made “false and divi-
sive insinuations, targeted at a
particular religious community
andaclearprovocationtothegen-
eral public to act out and breach
peace, potentially against such a
religiouscommunity,triedtomis-
lead the voters by making these
falseandunverifiedallegations…
There is no nuance here and the
PM,whilemakingtheseclaims,is
clearly aware of what he is trying
to achieve to malign, defame and
perpetuatefalsehoodsagainstthe
Congress,” it said.
“The PM has to be held ac-
countable by the ECI for the
brazen trampling of the Model
Code of Conduct as well as the
whole gamut of offences -- elec-
toralandotherwise--committed
by him and his party. If this
Commission fails to rise to the
challengeof upholdingthelawin
the face of these defiant, deliber-
ate and brazen violations being
committed by the PM and his
party, the ECI risks tarnishing its
legacy and abandoning its
Constitutional duty by setting a
precedent of helpless inaction
that will go down in infamy,” it
said.
ThepartysaidModi’sremarks
were in violation of various sec-
tionsof theRepresentationof the
People Act, which labels such
speechandmaliciousattemptsas
corrupt practices, and attracts of-
fences under various sections of
theIPCincluding“promotingen-
mitybetweendifferentgroupson
ground of religion, race, place of
birth, residence, language, etc.,
and doing acts prejudicial to
maintenance of harmony”,
defamation, undue influence at
elections and making false state-
ments in connection with elec-
tionsbesidesvariousprovisionsof
the poll code.
Statingthatitwasnotthefirst
timetheBJPoritsleaders,includ-
ing the PM, had invoked religion
to make divisive and hate-filled
statements in this election cam-
paign, the Congress said the EC
has not even issued a showcause
notice despite numerous com-
plaints filed by it. “The
Commissionmustaskitself if the
sameleewaywouldbegrantedto
any other candidate if they so ar-
rogantlyandrepeatedlydefiedthe
laws of our country,” it said.
“The only available remedy
compatible with the principle of
zero-tolerance towards allega-
tions of corrupt practices, is the
disqualificationof thecandidates
who try to create a divide... We
hopethatthisCommissiontreats
this situation with the gravity it
deserves. This is not a candidate
who will be silenced by a simple
censure,” the Congress said.
that is estimated to have around
2.25 lakh voters.
Hoping to take advantage of
the situation, the Congress has
fielded 53-year-old Padmaraj
Poojary, an advocate from the
Billavacommunity.TheCongress
ishopingthatconsolidationofthe
Billava vote along with that of
Muslims and other smaller com-
munities will work in its favour.
Poojaryisalsoplayinguphistwo-
and-a-half-decade association
with the Kudroli Gokarnana-
theshwara Temple to project his
pro-Hindu image.
"Caste should not be an issue.
Wearenotseekingvotesbasedon
it. We are seeking votes in the
nameofPrimeMinisterNarendra
ModibecauseModimeansdevel-
opment, Modi means progress,”
Chowta told The Indian Express.
According to Poojary, getting
ridofthe“communallysensitive”
tag is the key to the region’s
progress.HeallegedthatBJPMPs
had worked only to sustain that
label and had done little to de-
velop the region. “Hindutva has
been a factor during polls. But, it
will not be enough for the BJP to
win this time," he said.
With Muslims said to be the
largest group in the constituency
—aspersomeestimates,thereare
4.5lakhMuslimvoters—andthe
banned Popular Front of India’s
political front Social Democratic
PartyofIndianotfieldingacandi-
date, the Congress is expecting
morethanitsusualshareof votes
from the minority community.
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2024
St Stephen's gets
Delhi HC nod to
admit minority
students in PG
courses through
interview, CUET
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE
NEWDELHI,APRIL22
THE DELHI High Court Monday
said that St Stephen's College is
“permitted to subject minority
students”, seeking admission to
PostGraduate(PG)coursesinthe
college, to an interview and to al-
locate15%markstointerviewand
85% to the Common University
Entrance Test (CUET) score of the
students.
TheHCpassedtheorderwhile
disposing of a 2022 petition
moved by St Stephen's College,
whichhadclaimedthattheDelhi
University is allotting a "dispro-
portionately small number of
seats" to it for admission to PG
courses affiliated to the varsity.
Asingle-judgebenchofJustice
CHariShankar,initsorder,further
said, “Non-minority students
would,however,notbesubjected
to any interview for admission to
PG courses in the petitioner col-
lege.Theiradmissionwouldsolely
beonthebasisoftheirCUETscore.
TheDUwouldensure,henceforth,
that allocation/allotment of PG
seats in the petitioner-college is
not disproportionate.”
The HC also said that DU may
consider,whiledecidingthenum-
ber of PG seats to be allotted, the
“infrastructureavailable”withthe
college concerned, and the num-
ber of Undergraduate students
admitted there in that course.
JusticeShankar,however,said
that this is merely a suggestion,
adding the DU is at liberty to
“adopt any objective criterion as
it deems fit”.
“In order to avoid further
heartburnonthisscore,theDUis
directedtoconsiderframingofan
appropriate policy or guidelines
to govern allocation/allotment of
seats in PG courses amongst var-
iouscolleges,”theHCsaid.Justice
Shankar noted that not having a
guideline governing such alloca-
tion is “not an acceptable situa-
tion”andaddedthatthe"grantof
uncanalized and absolute discre-
tion is an invitation to arbitrari-
ness".
The petitioner college had al-
leged that there are no objective
guidelines, whatsoever, govern-
ing the allotment of PG seats, as a
result of which DU enjoys “ab-
solute and hegemonic control
over the decision” of the number
of PG seats to be allocated to any
particular college affiliated to it.
The college alleged that DU had
been allotting very few PG seats
to it “with no due justification”.
Meanwhile, DU said that it
takes a “serious exception” to the
petitioner college subjecting the
students, who had already been
shortlisted by the varsity for ad-
missiontoPGcourses,to“anaddi-
tional round of interview and, on
thatbasis,refusingtoadmitsome
of the students”. It said this was
the main factor which provoked
DUtoreducethenumberofseats
allocatedtothepetitionercollege.
St Stephen’s College
Water leakage visible on the road inside the Pragati Maidal Tunnel on Monday. Praveen Khanna
Water leakage, bumpy surface: Pragati Maidan
Tunnel’s woes persist despite claims of repairs
GAYATHRIMANI
NEWDELHI,APRIL22
TWO DAYS ago, Public Works
Department (PWD) officials
claimedthatpersistentproblems
of water leakage and seepage
have been fixed in the Pragati
Maidan Tunnel.
However, during a visit to the
spot,watercouldstillbeseenleak-
ing and dripping from several
points in the 1.2-km-long
structure.
When The Indian Express vis-
ited the stretch on Monday, it
found that though a lot of repair
work has been carried out, water
leakagecouldstillbeseenatsome
ofthespotsofthestretchgoingto-
wardsSupremeCourtfromNoida.
Hours before her
wedding, 24-year-old
Faridabad woman
dies in road accident
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
GURGAON, APRIL 22
EARLY ON Monday morning,
around 3am, Faridabad resident
Ankita, 24, set out for her uncle's
house along with her brother, a
cousin and a friend. It was her
wedding that day and she
wanted to visit a temple with
members of her extended fam-
ily. However, before they could
reach her uncle's house in Vinay
Nagar, their car rammed into a
stationary truck on Bypass road
in sector 37. Ankita died of her
injuries while her co-passen-
gers are undergoing treatment
at a hospital.
Said her father Chandan
Singh, “My son Sumkit, my
daughter Ankita, her friend
Anshu, and my nephew Ishaan,
were traveling in the car. As they
reached near KR Hospital on the
Bypass Road, there was a truck
parked on the road. In the dark-
ness, my nephew's car collided
with the truck. Due to the in-
juries, my daughter Ankita
passed away while my son,
Ankita's friend, and my nephew
are undergoing treatment at a
hospital in Delhi.”
Speaking to The Indian
Express, Singh said Ankita was
supposed to get married in a
few hours. “She was rushing to
reach a temple on time and
since it was pitch black at night,
Atthreepoints,thewaterleak-
age was relatively less but at the
parking, which also connects the
BhaironMargunderpasswhichis
currently not open to the public,
waterloggingcouldeasilybeseen.
On the other side though, which
connectsNoida,therewasnovis-
ible leakage problem.
Afewdaysago,thebarricades
placed around the spots facing
seepage were removed.
APWDofficial,workingonthe
repairs,hadsaid,“Therepairwork
inside the tunnel has been com-
pleted and problems such as wa-
terleaking,seepageoverthewalls
andceiling,whichwereobserved
earlier, have also been fixed.”
Responding to the leakage is-
sue, another official said: “Repair
work has been going on for more
The woman, Ankita, along
with 3 others, had left her
home at 3 am to visit a
temple.
they could not spot the truck
parked on the roadside. The
driver had left the vehicle on the
road negligently,” he alleged.
An FIR has been registered
under IPC sections 283 (danger
or obstruction in public way),
337 (causing hurt by negligent
acts), and 304A (death by negli-
gence) at Sarai Khwaja police
station.
SHO Kuldeep Dahiya said
that the condition of Ishaan (20)
is still serious. “We have identi-
fied the vehicle that was parked
on the roadside and will nab the
driver soon,” he said.
Gurgaon Police had earlier
said that trucks parked on the
roads will invite FIRs against the
drivers.
than a month. Improvements
have been made to the tunnel to
fixthewaterleakageissue...grout-
inghasalsobeendoneanddrains
have been cleaned as well...some
minor leakages will be fixed.”
Besidestheseepageissue,the
surface on this stretch was found
bumpy at several points while
cracksontheroadwerealsoseen
on different sections. At some
places, surfaces were also found
broken,givingasuddenjolttothe
commuters,especiallythosetrav-
elling on bikes.
BilledasDelhi'swidestunder-
ground tunnel along with five
other underpasses, the stretch
was constructed as part of the
Pragati Maidan Integrated
CorridorRedevelopmentProject.
It was inaugurated by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi in
2022.
However, seepage and water
leakage started within a few
months after the inauguration,
due to which the tunnel was
closed several times for repair
work,includingaperiodlastyear
when it was closed for a month
thanks to heavy waterlogging.
Repairworkonthetunnelbe-
gan on March 20.
Last month, the department
alsoformedanexpertcommittee
tovetthemethodologytoresolve
thewaterleakageissuesinsidethe
main Pragati Maidan Tunnel.
InFebruary,thePWDissueda
noticetotheL&T,flagging“design
deficiencies” and a “potential
threat to the life of
passengers”.
THE CITY 3
VICTIM A GOODS TRANSPORTER
Tillu-Gogi gang rivalry
leaves 1 dead on streets
Four armed men on bikes allegedly gunned down a
tempo driver and injured a co-passenger in Alipur
EXPRESS NEWS
SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
MULTIPLE SHOTS rang out on
the crowded streets of Outer
Delhi’s Alipur market as four
armed men on bikes allegedly
gunned down a tempo driver
and injured a co-passenger on
Monday afternoon. Police sus-
pect the victim was a member
of the Jitender Gogi gang and
the assailants were from the ri-
val Tillu Tajpuriya gang.
Police officers had said Tillu (R) and Gogi were once friends,
but the two became rivals during a student union election at
Delhi’s Swami Shraddhanand College.
DCP (Outer North) Ravi
Kumar said they had received
information around 2 pm inside, waiting for a delivery of the Outer district have been
about a firing incident near person to pick up a parcel. formed to trace the accused
Mini Stadium in Nehru Said a senior police officer, persons.
Enclave’s Dayal Market. “The bikers opened fire at the The gang rivalry between
“It was reported that four tempo’s occupants... they first the Gogi and Tajpuriya gangs
people had fired at three men shot Narender at least five-six dates back to 2010 and has
sitting inside a Tata Ace vehicle. times in the chest, following claimed more than 20 lives, in-
The deceased was identified as which they shot Tarun in the cluding those of the gang lead-
Narender, a resident of Dhulia foot... They tried to shoot at ers. Gogi was gunned down in-
Colony; he was shot six to Amit but he escaped... the as- side the Rohini court in 2020;
seven times and declared dead sailants then fled.” Tajpuriya was the alleged mas-
on arrival when taken to a hos- The DCP said Narender, who termind, planning his rival’s de-
pital. His co-passenger, Tarun, belonged to the Gogi gang, had mise from inside jail. Two years
was shot three times in the foot. previously been involved in a later, in August 2023, Tajpuriya
The third person inside the ve- robbery case in 2017 and an was stabbed to death, allegedly
hicle, Amit, fled the spot after Arms Act case in 2019. The ac- by members of the Gogi, inside
the firing.” cused persons are suspected to Tihar jail.
According to a senior officer, be members of the rival Tillu Police officers had said Tillu
CCTV footage showed the ac- gang. Police added that and Gogi were once friends, but
cused on three bikes approach- Narender was a goods trans- the two became rivals during a
ing a parking lot where the porter. student union election at
tempo was parked. Narender Police said a case of murder Delhi’s Swami Shraddhanand
and his two friends were sitting has been lodged and six teams College.

Model code, procedural complexities:

Cloud hangs over MCD mayor polls
SAMAN HUSAIN
& JATIN ANAND
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
DAYS AHEAD of its proposed
election date on April 26, signifi-
canthurdleshaveemergedinthe
way of MCD mayoral polls.
Due to the Model Code of
Conduct(MCC)beinginforcefor
theLokSabhaelections,theMCD
needs permission to hold the
election from the Election
Commissionof India(ECI)andL-
G VK Saxena, who will appoint a
presiding officer for the polls.
However, nods from both are
currently awaited.
To receive permission for
elections, with the MCC in place,
the corporation’s Municipal
Secretary first writes to the
Commissioner. This request is
then forwarded to the screening
committee of the Delhi Urban
Department, then to the Chief
Electoral Officer of Delhi and fi-
nally the ECI.
“According to the Delhi
Municipal Corporation (DMC)
Act, polls need to be held in the
firstassemblymeetingof April.If
the EC denies permission due to
theLokSabhaelections,theMCD
polls might have to be pushed to
May-end,” a senior MCD official,
associatedwiththeprocess,said.
The MCD also needs permis-
sionfromL-GSaxenaaswellasa
presidingofficernomineetocon-
ductthepolls.“Themayorisgen-
erally the presiding officer, but
accordingtotheact,anycouncil-
lor with good knowledge of the
workingsoftheMCDanditselec-
tion process can be nomi-
nated…permission is generally
sent from the Chief
Minister…theabsenceof Arvind
Kejriwal due to his arrest can be
valid grounds for refusal of per-
mission,” the official stated.
Sources in the bureaucracy
said the L-G Secretariat was yet
to receive the file related to the
internal civic body polls, which,
they said, needs to be routed
throughtheUrbanDevelopment
department and the Chief
Minister's office.
Responding to a query on a
possible delay in conducting the
polls, Delhi government sources
said: “The government has an
obligation to complete the
processof MayorelectioninApril
2024. There have been some de-
lays on the part of officers who
were processing the NOC from
theElectionCommission.Thefile
has been sent to the Election
Commission and we are waiting
for the NOC.”
Urban Development depart-
ment Minister Saurabh
Bharadwaj, sources said, was
“personally monitoring and fol-
lowinguponadailybasis”devel-
opments related to the polls.
If it comes to it, this will not
be the first time that the MCD
elections are postponed; previ-
ouslytherehavebeendelaysdue
to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and
thenin2020and2021duetothe
Covid pandemic.

4 THE CITY
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2024
Journo Soumya COURT REJECTS KEJRIWAL’S PLEA FOR DAILY CONSULTATION
Vishwanathan’s
mother files plea
against bail to
killers; SC notice
to Delhi govt
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
THE SUPREME Court Monday
issued notice to the Delhi gov-
ernment and four convicts on a
plea by the mother of slain jour-
nalist Soumya Vishwanathan
challenging bail granted to her
daughter’s killers who were
sentenced to consecutive dou-
ble life sentences for the 2008
murder.
A bench of Justices Bela M
Trivedi and PankajMithal issued
notice to the government and
the convicts on the plea by
Madhavi Vishwanathan chal-
lenging the February 2024 order
of the Delhi High Court granting
theconvictsbailandsuspending
their sentence till their appeals
against conviction are decided.
TheHC had granted therelief
noting that convicts have been
in custody for 14 years.
The bench initially appeared
reluctanttoissuenoticeand said
to let the appeals be decided.
Vishwanathan’s counsel,
however, pointed out that they
were slapped with a double life
sentence to be undergone con-
secutively. He submitted that
they were involved in organ-
ised crimes and if given bail,
would continue to remain so
for a long time.
Finally, the bench issued
the notice returnable in four
weeks.
WITCH-HUNT, SAYS AAP
DJB consultant was
‘active’ despite removal;
matter referred to ACB
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
NOTING THAT a consultant in
the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) was
“giving instructions and partici-
patingactively”initsaffairseven
after his services were done
away with last year, and that
such activities compromise the
“safety, security, and integrity”
of the DJB, the Directorate of
Vigilance has referred the mat-
ter to the Anti-Corruption
Branch (ACB). The Aam Aadmi
Party (AAP) government called
the move a “witch-hunt.”
In a communication on
Monday to the Joint
Commissioner of the ACB, the
Special Secretary (Vigilance)
wrote that Ankit Srivastava, who
was engaged as a consultant in
theDJB“withouttheapproval”of
the L-G, continued to be part of a
“high-profile WhatsApp group,
namely‘Minister(Water)Group,’
whereimportantpolicydecisions
are taken,” even after he was re-
moved from the post of consult-
ant(hydraulicsandwaterbodies).
In July last year, L-G V K
Saxena had directed that the
services of around 400 private
persons appointed as fellows,
consultants and advisors by the
Delhi government be termi-
nated, on the grounds that the
provisions of reservation were
not followed or that they did not
meet the eligibility criteria.
In his communication to the
ACB, the Special Secretary
(Vigilance) referred to the re-
Inspect govt schools, identify infra gaps & rectify deficiencies:
Delhi education dept orders all its officials to hit the ground
ABHINAYA HARIGOVIND
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
WITH THE Delhi High Court ob-
serving earlier this month that
state government schools in
NortheastDelhiwerein“terrible
condition”, Secretary (Educa-
tion) has directed all officials of
the Directorate of Education
(DoE) to be “in the field” from
April 20-30 to inspect schools,
identify gaps in basic infrastruc-
ture, and rectify deficiencies.
The HC had made the obser-
vation while hearing a matter
that flagged issues of infrastruc-
tureandlackof facilities,likefur-
nitureandbooks,intheseschools.
At a meeting by the Secretary
(Education) with DoE officials
‘Set up board of AIIMS docs
to decide if CM needs insulin’
NIRBHAY THAKUR
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
REJECTING CHIEF Minister
Arvind Kejriwal’s plea seeking
dailyconsultationswithhisdoc-
tor through video conferencing,
Special Judge Kaveri Baweja
Monday directed the Tihar jail
authorities to constitute a med-
ical board composed of doctors
from AIIMS which will decide
whether he needs insulin or not.
The CM has been lodged in
Tihar Jail since April 1, following
his arrest in the Delhi excise pol-
icy case by the Enforcement
Directorate (ED) on March 21.
The court was hearing an ap-
plication moved by the CM to al-
low him to have insulin inside
thejailowingtohisdiabeticcon-
dition.Hehadalsorequestedon-
line consultation with a private
doctor every day for 15 minutes
in the presence of his wife.
The court Monday said
home-cooked food can be pro-
vided to Kejriwal but it must
strictly adhere to the diet chart
givenbyhis doctor onApril1. Jail
authoritieswerealsodirectedby
the court to ensure there was no
deviation from the medically
prescribed diet. Earlier,the court
had noted certain deviations in
the prescribed diet and home-
cooked food eaten by Kejriwal.
“... the food items provided as
home-cooked food are quite dif-
sponse sought and received
from the Vigilance Department
of the DJB which said that
Srivastavacontinued to “actively
participate as a member” of the
WhatsApp group till October 5,
2023, when he left it.
“It is established from the
vigilance report of DJB that
Srivastava is giving instructions
and participating actively to the
extent of even bulldozing the
Chief Engineer... Suchkindof ac-
tivities... amounts to nothing but
compromisingwithsafety,secu-
rity, and integrity of the DJB.
Several matters are being inves-
tigated by CBI and ED with ref-
erence to DJB,” the communica-
tion from the Directorate of
Vigilance to the ACB read.
While Srivastava refused to
commentonthematter,theAAP
government has said that the
Centre is “witch-hunting these
professionals for political rea-
sons” and the “ultimate aim is to
paralyse governance in Delhi.”
“The Vigilance Department
under BJP-ruled Central govern-
ment is witch-hunting every
consultant or advisor or domain
expertwhohasworkedwiththe
elected government of Delhi. All
secretaries, OSDs, advisors, con-
sultants, are being constantly
hounded to force them to stop
working for the welfare of the
people. Being a transparent gov-
ernment, the Delhi government
had started multiple policies to
attract young professionals and
experienced domain experts to
work with the government,” the
government response stated.
Saturday,theywereaskedtotake
actionimmediatelytocorrectde-
ficiencies spotted during the in-
spections. It was directed that
wherestudent-classroomratiois
more than 1:40, the head of
school must report to officials if
there may be extra space in the
school to build classrooms. In
schools where there is no space,
options like adding another floor
with “light-gauge steel-framed
structure” may be considered in
consultation with PWD.
“Clubbing” more than one
classinaroomisnotasolutionto
space crunch; rooms blocked as
“sports/NCC/NSS/admission/etc”
mustbevacatedtomakespacefor
classes if there is a shortage of
classrooms,aspertheminutesof
the meeting. Officials have also
Delhi Minister Atishi along with AAP supporters holding
vials of ‘insulin’ during a protest outside Tihar jail, Sunday. PTI
ferentfromthedietprescribedby
his own doctor of WHEALTH,
CentreforExcellencein Diabetes
andWeightManagement,”noted
Baweja in the order, adding that
mangoeswerenotmentionedin
the prescribed diet either.
Thecourtnotedthatfromthe
responseoftheEDandjailauthor-
ities, it emerged that the CM had
never requested insulin in Tihar.
At the same time, the court
also pulled up Tihar authorities
for allowing food items not part
of Kejriwal’s diet to be sent to
him. “... this court is also unable
tofathomastowhythefamilyof
applicant (Kejriwal) has been
sending various articles against
his medically prescribed diet i.e.
mango, sweets, aloo puri etc...,”
said the judge.
Ghazipur landfill blaze ignites political Congress unveils
firestorm; Delhi govt, MCD seek report Lok Sabha poll picks
Plume of smoke continued to rise over the Ghazipur landfill on Monday. Amit Mehra
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
A MASSIVE fire that broke out at
the Ghazipur landfill on Sunday
sparked off a political firestorm,
with the BJP accusing the AAP of
failing in its promise to clear the
dumpsite.
The blaze raged for over 17
hours before it was brought un-
der control on Monday. A thick
plume of smoke continued to
cover the area. According to the
Municipal Corporation of Delhi
(MCD), 90% of the fire has been
extinguished and around 40-50
smallisolatedflamesremain.“Itis
hoped that the fire will be extin-
guished completely by night to-
day,” it said. The MCD also an-
been directed to look for vacant
land and use “surplus infrastruc-
ture in adjoining MCD schools”.
In 2022, a PIL in the HC had
raisedtheissueofirregularclasses
in government schools in
Northeast Delhi due to a space
crunch.TheDoE,initsresponseto
thematterlastyear,hadsaidsome
schoolshaveover100studentsin
a classroom.
A report submitted to the HC
by advocate Ashok Agarwal, ap-
pearing for the petitioner, NGO
Social Jurist, earlier this month,
hadpointedtoissuesofinfrastruc-
tureandlackoffacilitiesatschools
inNortheastDelhi—KhajuriKhas,
Gokalpuri, Johripur, Bhajanpura,
Sabhapur, Dayalpur, Yamuna
Vihar, and Badarpur Khadar.
The HC, in itsApril order, said
PUSA
Moderate
156
AQI
0 PM 10
0-50 Good
The ED Thursday alleged that
the CM was deliberately eating
mangoes and other food items to
raisehisbloodsugarlevelsandcre-
ate grounds for bail. In Tihar,
Kejriwal’sdietincludeseggs,poha,
namkeen,banana,upma,uttapam,
roti, puri sabji, salad, rajma, rice,
tea,mango,papayaandsweets,as
per the ED’s submissions.
The CM had on Friday in-
formedRouseAvenueCourtthat
mangoes were sent from his
homeonlythriceafterhewasar-
rested. Besides, Kejriwal said, he
had sugar-free sweets six times.
Whilehisapplicationwasbe-
ingheardincourt,thecounselfor
the jail authorities submitted
that the CM’s sugar levels would
dropdrasticallyif hetookinsulin.
He added that Kejriwal’s sugar
nounced an inquiry into the fire.
Delhi Environment Minister
GopalRaisoughtadetailedreport
within 48 hours from the
PrincipalSecretary,Environment
and Forest, on the blaze and the
steps taken to douse it. Rai asked
forthereporttoincludethecause
ofthefire,immediatestepstaken
toputitout,andcompliancewith
guidelines issued in previous
yearstopreventsuchlandfillfires.
Delhi minister Atishi said,
“We will definitely carry out an
investigation on how this fire
started... who started (it).”
After visiting the Ghazipur
Landfill Monday morning, MCD
Mayor Shelly Oberoi said in a
statementon‘X’,“...Thesituation
isundermypersonalsupervision
since last night. There is nothing
This comes after the HC
observed NE govt schools
were in terrible shape. Archive
a detailed affidavit must be filed
bytheSecretary(Education)and
that the official “shall also fix re-
sponsibilityonofficialsremissin
performing their duties.”
ITO
Satisfactory
84
AQI
500 0 PM 10
51-100 Satisfactory 101-200 Moderate
HC to hear CM’s
plea against ED
summons in May
NewDelhi:TheDelhiHigh
Court Monday granted
time to CM Arvind
Kejriwaltorespondtothe
ED’s reply filed in his plea
challenging the sum-
monses issued to him by
the agency and the valid-
ity and interpretation of
certain provisions of the
Prevention of Money
LaunderingAct.Adivision
bench of Justice Suresh
Kumar Kait and Justice
Manoj Jain granted two
weekstotheCMtofilehis
rejoindertotheED’sreply.
The matter is next listed
on May 15. ENS
levelswerenormalonmostdays.
Recently, a jail official said that
during a 40-minute video con-
sultationbyAIIMSseniorspecial-
ists, “neither the issue of insulin
was raised by Kejriwal, nor was
it suggested by the doctors.”
Meanwhile, the AAP said it
welcomed the court order. AAP
leader and minister Atishi said:
“We hope this medical board
will sit down to do (the CM’s)
checkup and start giving him in-
sulin from today...”
to worry about, the fire is under
control. There is no loss of life or
property, we are in constant
touchwithpeoplelivingnearby.”
Hitting out at the AAP-ruled
MCD, Delhi BJP president
Virendra Sachdeva, who visited
the landfill Monday, termed it a
case of “criminal negligence” on
part of the civic body. “It is re-
grettablethatneither theMayor,
the Environment Minister nor
any minister considered it nec-
essary to come here. Yesterday’s
accident is a result of the crimi-
nal negligence of the Arvind
Kejriwal-led Delhi Municipal
Corporation,” Sachdeva alleged.
Meanwhile, Delhi Congress
president Arvinder Singh Lovely
said the fire had become a “huge
health hazard” for the people of
Intheaffidavit,datedApril22,
the Secretary (Education) stated
that show-cause notices have
beenissuedthroughthevigilance
branch to 18 officials, including
Deputy Directors of Education,
Principals and Vice-Principals.
The DoE, in its affidavit, listed
measures it is taking to deal with
the space crunch in Northeast
Delhi schools — from asking the
MCDforuseofspaceinitsschools
to shifting students from some
schools to a new building.
■ At a double-shift school in
Johripur, with over 700 students
in each shift and only 12 class-
rooms,theDoEsaidinitsaffidavit
that there is no possibility of fur-
ther vertical expansion.
■Atthedouble-shiftschoolin
SoniaVihar,wherethepetitioner’s
SIRI FORT
Moderate
130
AQI
500 0 PM 10 500
201-300 Poor 301-400 Very Poor
‘Tihar jail lying under political
pressure’: CM on insulin issue
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
DELHI CHIEF Minister Arvind
Kejriwal on Monday wrote to
TiharJailauthoritiesallegingthat
he was not being administered
insulindespiteflagginghispeak-
ing sugar levels, AAP sources
said. He accused the prison au-
thorities of lying over the issue
under “political pressure”.
AAP supremo Kejriwal, who
is suffering from diabetes, has
been in Tihar jail since April 1 af-
ter being arrested by the
Enforcement Directorate in con-
nection with a money launder-
ing case in the now-scrapped
Delhi liquor policy.
Referring to newspaper re-
ports, the AAP national con-
vener wrote that he was
“pained” that the prison author-
ities had made “false and mis-
leading statements” regarding
his health. He alleged these in-
cluded his flagging his concern
regarding the administration of
insulin as well as doctors from
AIIMS assuring him that there
was “no serious concern” re-
garding his health.
“Statement No. 1: ‘The issue
of insulin was never raised by
Kejriwal’... This is false. I have
raised the issue of insulin for 10
days, every day, multiple times. I
showed my high sugar levels to
every doctor who came to see
me. I showed them that there
were three peaks in the sugar
level every day — between 250-
320,” Kejriwal wrote.
“I also showed them that my
fasting sugar level was in the
Delhi, as toxic fumes were still
emanating from the smoulder-
ing landfill, and added that the
central government and the
MCD “should coordinate to
douse the fire immediately”.
During the day, Delhi Fire
Services Chief Atul Garg said the
fire was still on and was brought
under control only after 11 am.
The Delhi Police lodged a case.
The landfill had witnessed a
blazeinJunelastyearandin2022.
In 2023, CM Arvind Kejriwal had
said the Capital would be made
landfill-freebythisyear.Thedead-
line to clear the city’s three land-
fills, however, would not be met.
As reported by The Indian Express
inFebruary,Ghazipur,whichwas
to be cleared by December 2024,
now has a deadline of 2026.
report had said students of two
sections were accommodated in
a single classroom, the DoE said
over200studentsineachshiftare
being moved to a newly opened
school in Khajuri Khas.
■ AttheschoolinDayalpur—
with 42 classrooms, and over
2,400 students in the girls’ shift
and over 2,300 students in the
boys’shift—theDoEwrotetothe
MCD earlier this month asking if
a “big ground area” and class-
rooms of the MCD's primary
school at Dayalpur can be used.
■ At the Sabhapur school,
wherethegirls’sectionhasastu-
dent-classroomratioof87.55,the
DoE has written to the MCD ask-
ingifahallintheadjoiningMCD’s
primary school can be used as
classrooms.
ROHINI
Moderate
114
AQI
0 PM 10 500
At 6 pm
401-500 Severe
Kejriwal has been in judicial
custody at Tihar since Apr 1
range of 160-200 every day.
Almost every day, I demanded
insulin. Then how could you
make such a statement that I
never raised the issue?” he de-
manded.
Challenging the jail authori-
ties’ statement to the effect that
AlIMS doctors had, during a 40-
minute teleconsultation with
him, assured him that there is
“no serious concern”, Kejriwal
stated that the doctors never as-
sured any such thing.
“They said they will see all
the data and then give their ad-
vice. I am pained that you have
issued false statements under
political pressure. I hope that
you will follow the law and
Constitution,” he added.
On Sunday, prison sources
had stated that after a 40-
minute “detailed consultation”
CM Kejriwal was assured that
there was no serious concern
and was advised to continue
with prescribed medicines,
which will be evaluated and re-
viewed regularly.
amid workers’ stir
against ‘outsider’
SAMAN HUSAIN
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
THE DELHI Pradesh Congress
Committee (DPCC) Monday of-
ficially introduced its three Lok
Sabha candidates from the
Capital — Jai Prakash Agarwal
from Chandni Chowk, Kanhaiya
Kumar from Northeast Delhi,
and Udit Raj from Northwest
Delhi — amid protests by a sec-
tion of workers challenging Raj’s
candidature.
Gathering outside the Delhi
Congress office, the workers
raised slogans of “Bahari umeed-
war nahi chalega (an outsider
candidate will not be allowed),”
criticising Raj for his past affilia-
tion with the BJP till 2019. Party
sourcessaidasimilardemonstra-
tion had taken place outside the
AllIndiaCongressCommitteeof-
fice Sunday as well.
Of Delhi’s seven seats, the
Congress is fighting three and its
ally, the Aam Aadmi Party, four.
Agarwal, a Congress stalwart
emphasised his familiarity with
theChandniChowkconstituency,
citing his multiple terms as a
member of both the Lok Sabha
andRajyaSabha.“It’smyluckthat
the party has allowed me to be a
candidatefortheLokSabhapolls
for the 10th time...”
Claiming the constituency
hasbeenneglectedforthelast10
yearsundertheBJP, Agarwalsaid
if he wins, he would ensure he
raises the voice of his people
from the very first day.
Kanhaiya Kumar criticised
the current government, citing
inflation, unemployment, and
widening economic disparities:
“I feel that not only has the BJP
decreased the pace of develop-
ment that the UPA government
had increased but they have
The party officially introduced its three Lok Sabha
candidates — Jai Prakash Agarwal from Chandni Chowk,
Kanhaiya Kumar from Northeast Delhi, and Udit Raj from
Northwest Delhi — Monday. Praveen Khanna
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
S K Y WA T C H
April 23
Mainly clear sky. Strong
surface winds (speed 25-35
kmph) during the day
MAX: 38 MIN: 22
0.3°C abovenormal 0.3°C belownormal
HC junks PIL on
interim bail for
Kejriwal, imposes
Rs 75,000 costs
New Delhi: The High Court
Monday dismissed a PIL seeking
“extraordinary interim bail” for
CM Arvind Kejriwal in all crimi-
nal cases registered against him,
and imposed Rs 75,000 costs on
the petitioner.
The PIL was moved by a
fourth-year law student, under
the title ‘We, the People of India’,
stating that he used the title as
he did not want any fame, gain
or money. The plea sought in-
terim bail for the CM in all cases
including those by the ED pend-
ing inquiry or trial, till comple-
tion of his tenure or till comple-
tionof trials,whicheverisearlier.
A division bench of Acting
Chief Justice Manmohan and
Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh
Arora said, “This court is of the
viewthatthepresentwritpetition
isnotmaintainableasrespondent
no. 5 (Kejriwal) is in judicial cus-
tody in pursuance to judicial or-
ders which have not been chal-
lenged in present writ petition...”
It was of the view that the peti-
tioner claims to be the custodian
and representative of people of
Indiawhichisnothingbuta“fan-
ciful claim... devoid of any basis”.
Meanwhile, Senior Advocate
Rahul Mehra, representing
Kejriwal, said the PIL is an “am-
bush” and that the AAP chief is
taking steps to enforce and pro-
tect his legal rights in accordance
with the law. ENS
transferred the country’s wealth
into the coffers of the rich and
elite.”
Talking about his previous
tenure as a BJP MP from 2014-19,
Udit Raj said, “... I got many proj-
ects approved in 2018, but since I
was a part of the BJP at the time,
they could never see the light of
theday.Iraisedtheissueoflackof
Metro connectivity, stating that
the public transit system should
reach areas like Narela, Bawana,
andNajafgarh.Theprojectwasap-
proved during my tenure, but till
now,noprogresshastakenplace.”
Raj, who joined the Congress
in 2019, said if he is elected, his
prioritywouldbetoresume“un-
finished” work
However,workerspartof the
protest claimed that Raj is a “BJP
agent” and is deliberately trying
to make the party lose the polls.
“He is a dummy candidate of
the BJP... it’s been a week since
theticketwas announced but he
has not stepped out to cam-
paign,” alleged Rajesh Rathore, a
Congress worker.
The demonstrators main-
tained that they would continue
supporting the party. “The mo-
tivebehindprotestingisthatour
concerns should reach Rahul
Gandhi,”saidworkerAminKhan.
On the protests, Delhi
Congress Chief Arvinder Singh
Lovely said: “The internal ma-
chinery of the Congress is demo-
cratic in nature... we do not re-
strictpartyworkersfrompublicly
criticising the leadership.”
Raj, meanwhile, met the
demonstrators later and asked
them about their issues.
Reactingtothedevelopment,
Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen
Shankar Kapoor said “discon-
tent” among Delhi Congress
leaders and workers was now
out in the wide open.
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2024
AFTER IMD FORECAST
Eye on turnout, EC sets up task force to
DELHI CONFIDENTIAL review heat wave impact before polling
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
FOLLOWING A decrease in
turnout in the first phase of
polling last week, the Election
Commission(EC)on Monday set
up a task force to review the im-
pactoftheheatwavefivedaysbe-
fore polling for the remaining six
phasesoftheLokSabhaelections.
Thetaskforcecomprisesoffi-
cials of the poll panel, the India
SERIAL OFFENCE Meteorological Department
(IMD), National Disaster
SOLICITOR GENERAL Tushar Mehta Monday cited a “recent ManagementAuthority(NDMA)
serial in Hindi concerning the legal profession” to drive home andtheUnionHealthandFamily
his contention that the film Aankh Micholi, which has been WelfareMinistry,theECsaidina
sued for allegedly being derogatory to people with disabili- statement.
ties, is after all a work of art and there are limits to interfering. The decision was taken at a
Arguing before a bench presided by Chief Justice of India D Y meeting that the EC held on
Chandrachud,whichishearingappealsagainsttheDelhiHigh
Court order dismissing the challenge to the film, the SG refer-
ring to the Hindi serial said “it’s not even laughable. It says HOME MINISTER IN CHHATTISGARH, DAYS AFTER 29 MAOISTS KILLED
somebody in Delhi is contesting elections so that he can be-
comeAdvocateGeneral,thereafterSolicitorGeneralandeven-
tuallyAttorneyGeneral.Thatishiskindof amanifestoforcon-
ducting elections. It’s stupid but how do you prevent them”.
Shah to Maoists: Surrender
or get uprooted in 2 years
Though he did not name the serial, the reference was appar-
ently to Mamla Legal Hai which was released on Netflix.
STRATEGIC VISIT EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
THERE WAS a surprise visitor at BJP headquarters on Monday RAIPUR, APRIL 22
in Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut, who is the party's candi-
date from Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi Lok Sabha seat. With DAYS AFTER security forces
most of the leaders busy campaigning, the party office is rel- killed 29 Maoists in
atively deserted these days, but Ranaut could meet national Chhattisgarh’s Kanker, Union
general secretary Tarun Chugh and national media co-head Home Minister Amit Shah
Sanjay Mayukh. This was Kangana’s first visit to the party of- Monday warned the rebels dur-
fice since her candidacy was announced and she happily ing a speech in the same district
posed for pictures with the staff and mediapersons. Sources that they would be “uprooted”
said Ranaut is in Delhi to strategise with senior leaders how to within two years if they failed to
take on her opponent Vikramaditya Singh of the Congress, surrender.
considered to be a formidable candidate. “If you make (Narendra)
ModijiPrimeMinisterforathird
term we will uproot and throw
2022 terror plot case: NIA away Naxalism in two years.
Today, I say to those (Naxals) re-
raids 9 places in Srinagar maining, surrender or the fight’s
outcome is certain. We will end
Naxalism,” he said.
Srinagar: The NIA Monday forces, raided at least nine spots Kanker district is part of the
raided multiple places in based on the First Information Lok Sabha constituency of the
Srinagar city in an alleged terror Report (FIR) registered by the same name which goes to the
conspiracy case registered in NIA in 2022, they added. polls on April 26 in the second
2022, officials said. The sleuths “Searches are going on at phase along with two more
of the central agency, assisted by nine locations in Srinagar in RC seats, Rajnandgaon and
the teams of Jammu and 5/22. Details (will) follow,” NIA Mahasamund.
Kashmir Police and paramilitary spokesman said. ENS Security forces had carried
Phase 1 voter turnout was
estimated to be around 66%,
down from 70% in 2019. File
Monday with officials of the
IMD,NDMAand health ministry
to discuss ways to mitigate the
Shah in Chhattisgarh’s
Kanker district Monday. ANI
out the Kanker anti-Maoist op-
eration — among the largest in
the Bastar region — on April 16.
Shah said: “Former Chief
Minister Bhupesh Baghel took
no action against Naxalism. But
within four months of Vishnu
DeoSaibecomingChief Minister
and Vijay Sharma Home
risks of heat wave conditions
duringtheremainingsixphases.
TheECwasinformedthatthe
weatherforecastforthe13states
going to polls in the second
phase on Friday was normal.
“There is no major concern with
regard to heat wave for Phase 2,”
the poll panel was told.
The EC told health ministry
officials to issue instructions to
statehealthauthoritiestobepre-
pared in case of a heat wave. It
will also hold a meeting with
statechief electoralofficerstoen-
sure that polling stations have
adequate arrangements, includ-
ingtents,drinkingwater,fansetc.
“The Commission has been
closely monitoring the weather
reportsandwillensurethecom-
fort and well-being of voters,
Minister… The BJP government
haskilled90Naxals,arrested123
and another 250 surrendered.”
As per police figures, 80
Maoists have been killed so far
in2024—thehighestsince2019.
Before ending his speech,
Shah said: “Till Naxalism is here,
tribal brothers and sisters will
not be able to live in peace and
get roads, electricity, gas, educa-
tion, jobs medical treatment or
food. You people tell them
(Maoists) to surrender. Don’t
worry if they do not surrender,
we will uproot the Naxals from
the face of Chhattisgarh.”
In his speech, Shah spoke of
the Ram Mandir inauguration
andrenovationof otherreligious
places,sayingChhattisgarhisthe
maternal home of Lord Ram. He
recounted Modi’s work in the
last ten years like providing free
ration and abrogation of Article
370, while comparing the ex-
penditure done by Congress in
tenyearswithexpendituredone
by BJP since 2014.
GOVT & POLITICS 5
along with polling personnel
and security forces, candidates
and political party leaders,” the
EC said.
The turnout in the 102 Lok
Sabha seats that went to polls in
the first phase on April 19 de-
creased by around 4 percentage
points as compared to the
turnoutinthesameseatsin2019.
While the EC is yet to release the
final figures, the turnout was es-
timated to be around 66%, down
from 70% in 2019.
According to EC sources,
Monday’s meeting was sched-
uled before the first phase
turnout was known. The heat
wave conditions are expected to
be afactorfromthe fourthphase
of polling, which is on May 13,
sources said.
Cong’s Vishal
Patil revolts in
Sangli, likely
to be expelled
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
PUNE, APRIL 22
MAHARASHTRA’S SANGLI Lok
Sabhaconstituencyisheadedfor
a three-cornered contest as
Vishal Patil, a Congress leader,
has refused to withdraw his
nomination despite being asked
by his party to do so. Monday
wasthelastdayforwithdrawing
nominations for the election to
be held on May 7.
“Vishal Patil did not with-
draw his nomination papers to-
day.Hewasaskedtodosobythe
party, yet he has refused.
Maharashtra PCC chief Nana
Patole will soon announce ap-
propriate action to be taken
against him,” a Congress
spokesperson said . “Vishal Patil
might be expelled from the
party,” he added. Patil has filed
his form as an independent can-
didate. Patil will now be locked
in a three-cornered contest with
sitting MP Sanjaykaka Patilog
the BJP, and Chandrahar Patil of
the Shiv Sena (UBT).
KARNATAKA LS POLLS
BJP suspends
Eshwarappa as
he files papers
against BSY son
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
BENGALURU, APRIL 22
THE KARNATAKA BJP Monday
suspendedseniorleaderandfor-
mer deputy chief minister K S
Eshwarappa from the party for
six years after he filed a Lok
Sabha nomination as an
Independent against BJP MP B Y
Raghavendra, the son of former
chief minister B S Yediyurappa.
In a letter to 75-year-old
Eshwarappa, BJP’s state discipli-
nary panel chief Lingaraja Patil
said: “Ignoring the orders of the
party, you are contesting as a
rebel candidate from
Shivamogga Lok Sabha con-
stituency. This has caused em-
barrassmenttothepartyandhas
violated the disciplinary code.
Startingfromnow,youhavebeen
relieved from all responsibilities
and have been suspended from
the party for six years.”
Eshwarappa said he was ex-
pecting the action. “For the last
three days, Raghavendra and
Vijayendra said Eshwarappa
would withdraw the nomina-
tions. But when I did not do it on
the last day, they expelled me
from the party. I have got a
farmer with two sugarcane
sticks as the symbol. I will win
and help make Narendra Modi
the Prime Minister again. BJP is
likemymotherandIwillbeback
in it after the Lok Sabha elec-
tions,” he said. Raghavendra is
alsothebrotherof KarnatakaBJP
unit chief B Y Vijayendra.
The party’s decision to re-
move the senior leader came on
the last date for withdrawal of
candidature for the second
phase of Lok Sabha polls, sched-
uled for May 7. The BJP has also
filed a complaint with the
Election Commission against his
The former deputy CM was
suspended for 6 years
useof PrimeMinisterModi’sim-
age while campaigning in
Shivamogga.
The party had made several
unsuccessful attempts to placate
Eshwarappa.Vijayendra,inoneof
hispollralliesinShivamoggadis-
trict, said he and his brother had
the senior leader’s “blessings”.
The rift between
Eshwarappa and Yediyurappa
arose over the denial of a ticket
to the former’s son Kantesh.
Union Home Minister Amit
Shah, during his visit to
Karnataka, had called
Eshwarappa to Delhi but no
meetingtranspired.Atthattime,
Eshwarappa said: “There is no
questionof withdrawalfromthe
contest.AfterreachingDelhiIgot
a call from Shah’s office that he
wouldnotbeabletomeet,which
means he wants me to contest
and defeat Raghavendra.”
The Congress has fielded
Geetha Shivarajkumar, the wife
of Kannada film
Shivarajkumar and daughter of
star
former CM S Bangarappa, from
Shivamogga. She will be hoping
for a split in the BJP votes be-
tween Raghavendra and
Eshwarappa. After the 1999 win
by Bangarappa, Congress has
never been able to win the
Shivamogga LS segment.

6 DECISION
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2024
WAR OF WORDS
PM says Cong
is ‘eyeing your
wealth’. What
does party’s
manifestosay?
Congress talks of addressing income
inequality not redistribution of wealth
MANOJ C G
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
A DAY after he triggered a politi-
cal backlash by saying that a
Congressgovernmentwoulddis-
tributethenation’swealthamong
“infiltrators”and“thosewhohave
morechildren”,indicatingthathe
meant Muslims, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi repeated on
MondaythattheOppositionparty
andINDIAblocwere“eyeingpeo-
ple’s earnings and property”.
At a rally in Aligarh, he said: Congress leader Rahul
“The Congress shehzaada says Gandhi releases the party’s
they will get investigated who manifesto in Hyderabad. File
earns how much, how much
property you have... He says the
government will take possession cio-economic conditions” and
of this property and distribute it says “based on the data, we will
to everyone... Our mothers and strengthen the agenda for affir-
sisters have gold. This is stri dhan, mative action”.
consideredsacred...Theireyesare It adds “the economic em-
on your mangalsutra.” powermentofminoritiesisanec-
TheCongress,whichhascon- essary step for India to realise its
testedthePM’sclaims,hassaidits full potential” and promises to
chief Mallikarjun Kharge has “ensurethatbankswillprovidein-
sought an appointment with stitutional credit to minorities
Modi to “educate him” on the without discrimination”.
Congress manifesto. Besides, it says, “we will en-
Senior Congress leader P sure that minorities receive their
Chidambaram, the chairman of fairshareofopportunitiesinedu-
theparty’smanifestocommittee, cation,healthcare,publicemploy-
flayed Modi’s remarks as “outra- ment,publicworkscontracts,skill
geous”.“Eachsentenceoutdidthe development,sportsandcultural
previous sentence in its absolute activities without
falsehood. Will the BJP tell the
world... when and where did the WhydidModisuggestRahulis
Congress say we will distribute talkingof people’sassets?
people’sland,goldandothervalu- Rahulhasoftenspokenabout
ables among Muslims?” he theneedtoholdacastecensusfol-
posted on X. lowedbyeconomicmapping.On
Chidambaram said Modi had March 9, he put out a tweet say-
also falsely quoted PM ingthecastesurveyconductedin
Manmohan Singh’s speech of Bihar revealed that 88% of the
December 2006 as saying poorcomefromDalit,tribal,back-
Muslims had “the wardandminority
first right on the communities,
country’s re- adding: “The fig-
sources”. “Dr Singh ures that have
had said the first
claim on resources DECODE
come from Bihar
are just a small
lies with SC, ST, glimpse of the real
OBC, minorities, POLITICS pictureofthecoun-
women and chil- try...Thatiswhywe
dren,” he said. aregoingtotaketwohistoricsteps
–castecount,economicmapping,
What does the Congress on the basis of which we will up-
manifesto say? root the 50% cap on reservation.”
It makes no specific mention On April 6, he reiterated the
of wealth redistribution but promise.Headded:“Wewillhold
promises that, if voted to power, a financial and institutional sur-
the party will “address the grow- vey after that. We will find out
ing inequality of wealth and in- who holds the country’s wealth.
come”. The first chapter of the Andafterthishistoricstep,wewill
manifesto titled “equity” talks take revolutionary measures...
about “caste discrimination” as a Whatisyourright,wewillensure
“reality” and argues “while OBC, we get it for you.”
SCandSTconstitutenearly70%of
India’spopulation,theirrepresen- HasRahulearliertoospoken
tationinhigh-rankingprofessions, of incomeinequality?
servicesandbusinessesisdispro-
portionately low”.
The Congress leader con-
stantlytalksofwealthgettingcon-
Itthenpromisesto“conducta centrated in the hands of a few in
nation-wideSocio-Economicand
Caste Census to enumerate the
castesandsub-castesandtheirso-
thecountry,particularlytheAdani
and Ambani Groups, under the
Modi government.
I Hereby Declare
YSSHARMILAREDDY,50, Congress’s Andhra Pradesh chief
and Kadapa candidate, and CM Y S Jagan’s sister
TOTAL ASSETS
`181.82 cr (2024)
Movableassets `168.46cr
Immovableassets `13.36cr
Liabilities `1118.59cr,
includingRs82.58croretobrother
andCMYSJaganMohanReddy
Education MBA,OsmaniaUniversity
Pendingcriminalcases 8FIRs
YSAVINASHREDDY,39, YSRCP’s sitting Kadapa MP
and cousin of Sharmila and Jagan
TOTAL ASSETS (2014)
`40.43 (2024) `18.7 cr
Movableassets `7.58cr
Immovableassets `32.85cr
Liabilities `11.56cr
Education MBA,Universityof
Worcester,UK
Pendingcriminalcases 2FIRs
IMAGEOF THE DAY
BSP supporters during a public meeting of party chief Mayawati at Sikandrabad in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh. PTI
In Mysore royal debutant vs Cong
battle, Siddaramaiah ups the ante
KIRANPARASHAR
MYSURU,APRIL22
THE MYSORE Lok Sabha seat in
the Vokkaliga-dominated South
Karnataka is heading for a fierce
contest on April 26 as the BJP has
fielded the scion of the erstwhile
Mysore royal family, Yaduveer
KrishnadattaChamarajaWadiyar,
32, from the constituency, which
is part of Chief Minister
Siddaramaiah’shometurf.TheBJP
dropped its sitting MP Pratap
Simha to bring in Yaduveer
Wadiyar.Simhahadwontheseat
in the 2014 and 2019 polls by de-
feating the Congress by over
31,000 votes and about 1.38 lakh
votes, respectively.
Making his debut, Yaduveer
Wadiyar will take on Congress
candidate Lakshman M, the 59-
year-old engineer-turned-politi-
cian and Vokkaliga face.
While the BJP, allied with the
JD(S) for the Lok Sabha polls this
time, is going all out to retain the
seat, the Congress also seems to
be leaving no stone unturned to
wrest it in what has become a
prestige battle for Siddaramaiah.
In the 2023 Assembly polls,
whentheCongressoustedtheBJP
frompower,theCongressbagged
five of the eight Assembly seats
falling under the Mysore Lok
Sabhaseat.Oftheremainingthree
Assemblyseats,theJD(S)gottwo,
HasanuruandChamundeshwari,
while the BJP won Krishnaraja.
Siddaramaiahhasbeenexten-
sively campaigning in the Old
Mysuru region over which he
holdssway.Hehashimselfunder-
lined the significance of the
Mysorepolloutcomenotonlyfor
this parliamentary election but
also for the state politics in the
coming days. He has indicated
that a loss or a narrow win in
Mysore and the neighbouring
KEY COMMUNITIES
The five groups behind Kerala perennial power play
The interests of these communities
are factored in by Kerala’s parties
during all major political decisions
SHAJU PHILIP
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM,
APRIL 22
VARIOUS CASTES and commu-
nities in Kerala play a crucial role
indrivingthepoliticsof thelead-
ing parties and their alliances
and are part of their strategies to
retain vote banks and expand
bases. Who are they?
Ezhavas
Ezhavas, an OBC community,
are estimated to make up about
23% population of the state. The
Ezhava community belonging to
theOBCcategoryhastraditionally
been a part of the ruling CPI(M)-
led LDF’s vote bank.
Thecommunity’slargestout-
fit SNDP Yogam floated a politi-
cal party, Bharat Dharma Jana
Sena (BDJS), in 2015. The BDJS
YaduveerKrishnadatta
Wadiyariscontestinghis
firstelection. PTI
Chamarajanagar constituency
may have a bearing on his chief
ministership ahead.
“Ifyougivemealeadof60,000
(in both these two seats), only
then will I be happy. Nobody can
do anything to me then. Do you
want me to continue?” he said.
Siddaramaiah
was apparently
hinting that the
Congress leader-
ship may replace
him with his
deputy, D K
Shivakumar, if the
SWING
partydoesnotper- STATES
form well in his
stronghold belt.
The Congress has fielded a
Vokkaliga face from Mysore for
the first time in 47 years after
party leader Tulsidas Dasappa
wonthe 1977polls fromthecon-
stituency. Castearithmetic is said
to play a crucial role in the rural
and semi-urban belts.
On the other hand, Yaduveer,
a non-Vokkaliga face, is the first
member from the royal family to
contest from the seat in 20 years
afterSrikantadattaNarasimharaja
Wadiyar, who contested the seat
has been an ally of the BJP-led
NDA in the state since the 2016
Assemblypolls.However,theBJP
has not been able to make in-
roads into the Ezhava commu-
nity. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elec-
tions, the BDJS contested,
unsuccessfully, 4 seats out of 20,
but got only 1.88% of votes. This
time, the BDJS is again contest-
ing 4 seats as compared to the
BJP’s 16 seats.
Muslims
Muslims make up 26% of its
population and the commu-
nity’s politics in Kerala has been
traditionally dominated by the
IUML,anallyof theCongress-led
UDF. The churning in the com-
munity in the last two decades
have led to formation of several
parties, but they have remained
behind the IUML. The Muslim
voters play a decisive mainly in
2024
VOTE SHARE (%) IN MYSORE
■ BJP ■ Cong
43.46 40.73 11.95
2014
Note: JD(S) did not contest in 2019; Source: Election Commission
six times and won four times. In
2004, which was Srikantadatta’s
last election, he came in third be-
hindCHVijayashankarof theBJP
and A S Guruswamy of the JD(S).
On April 14, Prime Minister
ModiflewdowntoMysurutoat-
tendarallyinsupportofYaduveer
withJD(S)supremoandex-PMH
D Deve Gowda in attendance.
Vokkaligas are the numeri-
callydominantcommunityinthe
Mysore with about 4 lakh votes,
followed by
Muslims with 2.8
lakh votes,
Lingayats and
Kurubas with 1.8
lakh votes each,
Kodavas with 2.3
lakh votes, and
Brahmins with 1.1
lakh votes.
The BJP is rely-
ingonModi’spopularitywhilere-
mindingpeopleoftheworkdone
by the Mysuru royal family over
centuries. On the other hand, the
Congressisbankingontheimple-
mentation of its five guarantees.
AtarallyinMandyaSaturday,
SiddaramaiahquestionedtheBJP
overdenialof ticketstoVokkaliga
leaders and sitting MPs, Simha
and former Union minister D V
SadanandaGowda.TheCongress
is also trying to portray the
Mysore contest as a “king versus
PM Modi with Thrissur Archbishop Mar Andrews Thazhath. X
the North Kerala constituencies
of Wayanad, Malappuram,
Kozhikode, Vadakara, Kannur,
Ponnani and Kasaragod.
The CPI (M) has been trying
to make inroads into the com-
munity, mainly targeting Sunni
Muslims.
Christians
The other minority commu-
nity, Christians, which form 18%
of thestate’spopulation,hasalso
■ JD(S)
52.27 41.75
2019
common man” battle.
Meanwhile, insiders from
both the camps admit they are
facing challenges. A BJP leader
saidYaduveerwasnotgettingthe
expected support from alliance
leaders,especiallyfromtheJD(S).
A Congress leader points to
Lakshman’s “limited visibility”.
Lakshman had contested the
LegislativeCouncilpollsfivetimes,
but is yet to win. Another
Congress leader complained
Lakshman was “not receptive to
suggestions”. “There were other
aspirants too but Lakshman
seems overconfident,” he said.
A BJP insider said, “There is a
BJP-JD(S) alliance but you do not
seemanyVokkaligaleaderscam-
paigningforYaduveerwithinter-
est. For instance JD(S) MLA from
Chamundeshwari, G T Deve
Gowda, who is the most influen-
tialleaderwithinthecommunity
isnotmakingmuchof animpact.
Also, Simha does not seem to be
working for the BJP victory.
Yaduveerwillbeunbeatableifthe
BJP and JD(S) fight unitedly.”
However, the BJP leader was
quick to point out that the Modi
factor will boost the alliance’s
prospects, adding that the
Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway
and introduction of many trains
hadearnedthepeople’sgoodwill
for the party.
been traditionally with the
Congress. However, the decline
of the exits of the Congress's key
Christian faces have led to the
BJP launching an outreach to the
community.
The Manipur ethnic strife
raging since May last year has
dealt a blow to the BJP’s bid to
connect withKerala'sChristians.
The state’s Churches as well as
dioceses seem to be divided on
their approach towards the BJP
FOR MORE LOG ON TO
INDIANEXPRESS.COM/ELECTIONS
‘I take PM attack as
a compliment... He
is afraid of me
returning as MP’
LALMANIVERMA
NEWDELHI,APRIL22
THE AMROHA Lok Sabha seat in
westernUttarPradeshisperhaps
the only constituency that has
seencampaignstopsbytoplead-
ers of all parties in the state’s poll
fray. Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief
Minister Yogi Adityanath for the
BJP, Rahul Gandhi for the
Congress, Akhilesh Yadav for the
Samajwadi Party, and Mayawati
for the BSP, have all come calling.
The reason appears to be one
candidateinthefray:BSP-turned-
Congress leader Kunwar Danish
Ali, the sitting MP from Amroha,
which votes on April 26.
In their rallies, Modi and
Mayawati even singled out
DanishAli,thoughwithouttaking
hisname.Ali,whohadfoundhim-
self the target of communal slurs
byBJPMPRameshBidhurionthe
floor of Parliament in the outgo-
ing House, was expelled by
Mayawati after he was seen as
inching close to the Congress af-
ter the episode. In her speech,
Mayawati accused Ali of “betray-
ing” the party and the people of
Amroha, the first time she spoke
on the issue after his expulsion.
ModiattackedAlifor“turning
down” the invite for the Ram
Temple consecration ceremony
and for objecting to the slogan
“Bharat Mata ki Jai”, adding:
“Shouldsuchapersonbeallowed
to enter Parliament?”
Ali speaks about the remarks
of ModiandMayawati,theirpos-
sible impact, and the state of the
BSP. Excerpts:
HowdoyouseethePM’s
attackagainstyou?
Basically, the Prime Minister
and the entire BJP are in trouble
because in the 17th Lok Sabha, I
wasamongthefewparliamentar-
ians who vexed them. I always
tried to show them the mirror
whentheirgovernmentandparty
worked against farmers, women
and youth. And that was the rea-
son I was abused on the floor of
the House by their party people.
After that episode, a lot of their
MPs and leaders came out and
saidthatDanishAlialwayscaused
the PM and Home Minister trou-
blewhentheycametotheHouse
and spoke... exposed them when
theyintroducedanti-peopleBills.
That is the reason they are at-
tackingme.Itisshamefulthatthe
PMwhocomesfromanorganisa-
tion (the RSS) which did not ac-
cept the national flag for 52 years
In Central Kerala’s con-
stituencies where the Christian
vote is pivotal, the Congress and
CPI(M) have vied with each
other to take over the commu-
nity vote bases.
Nairs
The upper caste Hindu Nair
community, which accounts for
about14%of Kerala’spopulation,
is an influential group. The com-
munity's outfit Nair Service
Society (NSS) had a political
wing,NationalDemocraticParty,
which had been part of the UDF.
It was dissolved in 1995 when
the Congress was in power. The
NSS has since officially stuck to
its position of being “politically
equidistant” from the parties.
In the current Pinarayi
Vijayan Cabinet, seven out of 21
ministers areNairs.Recently,the
NSS leadership hailed three-
time MP Shashi Tharoor as an
“original Nair”.
Tharooriscontestingagainas
the Congress’s candidate from
Thiruvananthapuram, where
the Nair vote is considered a key
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
● SWING STATES
BIHAR BUZZ: MODI
LEADING LIGHT,
NITISH SUNSET,
TEJASHWI SONRISE
THE EXPRESS
INTERVIEW
WITH
DANISH ALI
INDIA BLOC’S
AMROHA CANDIDATE
is questioning my patriotism. My
forefathers laid down their lives
for the freedom struggle.
WhydidMayawatiattackyou?
People have understood why
the BSP did not join the INDIA al-
liance. I stood for the ideological
base of the founder of the BSP
(KanshiRam).Butnow,duetovar-
ious reasons, the present leader-
ship has come under pressure to
compromise. Mr Prime Minister
is not able to polarise (voters).
Tomorrow(Tuesday)isthefourth
meeting of the CM in Amroha in
twoweeks.Whyaretheysoafraid
in this seat?
Youcontestedin2019asaBSP-
SPalliancecandiate.Nowyou
area Congress-SPnominee.
Whatdifferencedoyoufind?
My ideological commit-
ments are the same. The BSP has
gone ahead and helped the BJP.
There is no difference between
the BSP and BJP... it’s an open al-
liance now...
Do you see their attacks
hurting you in the elections?
I am getting the vote of every
community. Muslims are not go-
ing to vote for the BSP candidate
here. Some good non-Muslim
candidateswantedtheBSPticket,
ButtheBSPleadershipdecidedto
fieldaMuslimcandidatewiththe
goal of defeating Danish Ali.
I take it (the PM and
Mayawati’sattacks)asafeatherin
my cap, that the PM is personally
monitoring my election. I am
among the few people in the
countrywhoseentryintotheLok
SabhaagainmakesthePMafraid.
factor. The state Congress lead-
ership also has other prominent
NairfacessuchasKCVenugopal,
Ramesh Chennithala and K
Muraleedharan.
Dalits
The SCs form about 9% of the
state’s population, who have
been mainly associated with the
CPI(M) and the Congress
through various organisations.
Alalthur and Mavelikkara are
two SC-reserved seats.
Six-time Lok Sabha member
Kodikunnil Suresh, who is con-
testing from Mavelikkara, is the
prominent Dalit politician from
the Congress. In Kollam,
Pathanamthitta and Kottayam
seats too, the Nair community
playsadecisiveroleindetermin-
ing the poll outcome
State minister K
Radhakrishhan, who is contest-
ing from the Alathur seat, is a
leading Dalit face in the CPI(M),
while Suresh is an invitee to the
Congress Working Committee,
RadhakrishanisaCPI(M)Central
Committee member.

7 DECISION
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2024
JDS to EC: Cong ‘WE ARE THE YOUNGEST, LATEST, AND FASTEST GROWING PARTY’
guarantees
amount to voter
inducement
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
BENGALURU, APRIL 22
THE JD(S) in Karnataka has writ-
ten to the EC and the CEO of
Karnataka,seekingtorestrainthe
Congress from publicising poll
guarantees scheme and distrib-
uting guarantee cards terming it
“a form of bribery of voters”.
TheletterdatedApril22,2024
toCECRajivKumarfromstateJDS
president H D Kumaraswamy
wassignedbyseveralJDSlegisla-
tors.Initsletter,theJD(S)saidthey
sought “to restrain the Congress
from disseminating and distrib-
uting Guarantee Cards aimed to
promoteelectoralbriberyandin-
ducement of voters” in the 2024
Lok Sabha polls.
Theletteralsostatedthe“Con-
gressmanifestofortheLokSabha
polls with five promises and 25
guarantees for youth, women,
farmers, workers and socially
backwardcommunitiesamounts
to corrupt electoral practices”.
“The Congress has tried to
reach (out to) various groups in
the society by announcing vari-
ous promises and assurances
which amount to allurements
and inducements resulting not
only in non-implementation of
related promises but also carry-
ingheavyburdenontheexcheq-
uers of the state and central gov-
ernments,” the letter states.
“...Further, the Congress has...
distributed guarantee cards to
households across India bearing
promissory signatures of promi-
nent Congress leaders – Rahul
GandhiandMallikarjunKharge–
and these guarantee cards carry
official endorsements purport-
edly containing QR code and also
an application form,” it said.
“Theseassurancesandprom-
ises are not mere declarations in
the Congress manifesto but have
been propagated as government
schemes of a political party in
power.Theseallurementsandin-
ducements to voters are in clear
violation of Model Code of Cond-
uctandviolationofvariousprovi-
sionsundertheRepresentationof
People'sAct1951,”itsaid. Iturged
ECtotakeswiftandstrongaction
to restrain the Congress from
distributing guarantee cards.
Sideshow in Surat P A R T Y H O P P E R S
walkover to BJP: 50 years a Congressman, Kay Pee
A ‘missing’ Cong joins Akali Dal, gets Jalandhar ticket
candidate, dummy
KAMAAL SAIYED
SURAT, APRIL 22
SINCETHEsequenceofeventsbe-
ganwiththerejectionofhisnom-
inationpapers,totheBJPwinning
the Surat LS seat unopposed
Monday, Congress candidate
Nilesh Kumbhani remained un-
available to his party and media.
All calls to the 44-year-old
Leuva Patel leader who rose to
prominence during the Patidar
reservation agitation but who
hadatbestwonamunicipalelec-
tion before he got the LS ticket
from the Congress went unan-
swered.
Originally from Amreli dis-
trict,Kumbhanimadehisfortune
inSurat,prosperinginrealestate
and land brokerage. What got
him involved in politics was his
proximity to Hardik Patel, the
posterboyof thePatidarAnamat
Andolan Samiti (PAAS) that
spearheadedthereservationag-
itation for the community.
PAAS leaders say Kumbhani
played an active role in protests
that began in 2015, seeking
quotaforPatidarsingovernment
jobs and education. He is said to
have helped organise the mas-
sive Surat rally, which made the
BJP government in the state take
notice.
Later,PAASstruckadealwith
Congress for Surat Municipal
Corporation polls held in
December 2015, fielding its can-
didates in different wards on the
Congress ticket. Many won in
wards dominated by the
Patidars. Kumbhani was among
them.
PAAS leaders said in the 2017
Assembly polls, Kumbhani tried
to convince Hardik to get him a
CongressticketfromKamrejseat.
However, the Congress didn't
‘If people miss this time, India will be
like Russia, there won’t be any Opp’
‘BJPwantshim
(Kejriwal)tostay
awayfrom
canvassing,Iwill
doitonhisbehalf’
FOR PUNJAB Chief Minister
BHAGWANT SINGH MANN, the
LS polls are doubly important.
First,hebelievestheyarealitmus
testforfutureofcountry’sdemoc-
racy. And, second, he thinks it
would be a reality check for his
two-year-old government. In a
freewheeling interview with
MANRAJGREWALSHARMA,CM
Mannspeaksonarangeofissues,
includingtheAAP’splanstoover-
come the arrest of Delhi CM
Arvind Kejriwal and the
Opposition INDIA bloc’s face-off
with the BJP. Excerpts:
How important are these Lok
Sabha elections?
Thiselectionisnotaboutwin-
ning or losing, it’s an election to
savedemocracyandConstitution.
Two-three top leaders have said,
whetherbymistakeorintention-
ally, thatgiveus400seatsandwe
will change the Constitution.
Howdarethey?Asitis,theydon’t
followtheConstitution.Supreme
Court is supreme, but they don’t
obeyitsdirections.Theapexcourt
ruledinfavourofKejriwal5-0,but
they brought an ordinance at 6
pmandchangedtheruling.They
don’t listen to the EC either. CBI,
and ED are their ‘kamaoo bete’
(earning sons). First conduct an
EDraidandthengetthecompany
to buy electoral bonds.
How come the Governors of
only the non-BJP states ask so
many questions. They are trou-
blingMamatadidi,Stalin,Hemant
Soren, Naveenji. Dilli mein LG ne
keher hi macha rakhha tha (In
Delhi it was the LG's high-hand-
edness).Inmycase,theGovernor
refused to let me summon the
budget session till I approached
theSC.TheBJPpolicyisthatwhere
youarenotelected,yougetthese-
Nilesh
Kumbhani.
File
agreeandfieldedanotherPatidar,
Ashok Jirawala, who lost to the
BJP.
When the Surat Municipal
Corporation elections came
aroundagainin2021,Kumbhani
again contested, but lost.
Onhowthepartydecidedon
him,SuratCongresschief Dhans-
ukh Rajput said the BJP had cho-
sen a “Surati” candidate, and the
party had chosen a Patidar, “as
there are over 6.50 lakh Patidar
voters in this seat of a total of 18
lakh voters”. “We found Nilesh
Kumbhani competent as he is
alsofinanciallysoundandpopu-
lar within the community.”
Kumbhani filed 3 nomination
forms,toapparentlybeonthesafe
side, with a different proposer for
each–JagdishSavaliya(hisbrother-
in-law), Dhruvin Dhamelia (his
nephew) and Ramesh Polra (his
businesspartner).
Congresssourcessaidhealso
arranged the dummy candidate
who would substitute him in
case his papers got rejected,
Suresh Padsala, an acquaintance
who had worked for him when
he was a corporator. The poll of-
ficersfounddiscrepanciesinsig-
natures of all 4 proposers. Like
Kumbhani,Padsalahasalsogone
“missing”,withCongressleaders
admittingtheyhadnotbeenable
to find him.
However,SuratCityCongress
leader Naishad Desai said:
“Nilesh Kumbhani has gone to
GujaratHCandwillfileapetition
against the decision of the Surat
election officer. If he does not...
we will take steps against him.”
lected to trouble the elected.
These polls are very impor-
tant. Agar log chook gaye, to
Russia ki tarah, Putin ki tarah bas athought.Youcanarrestaperson
main, main, main hoga, aur
vipaksh khatam (If people miss
this time, India will be like
Russia, Putin, and there won't be
any Opposition).
What is the
feedback you are
getting about the
INDIA bloc?
I am getting very THE EXPRESS
good feedback from
states. Mamata ji is INTERVIEW
fighting from West
WITH
Bengal,IdaretheBJP BHAGWANT MANN wants him to stay
to defeat her. I am CHIEF MINISTER, PUNJAB
fightingfromPunjab,
Akhilesh ji from UP,
Tejashwi from Bihar, Thackeray
and Pawar sir from Maharashtra, and fastest growing party. Jana
StalinisfightingfromTamilNadu. Sangh was born in 1958 and got
We (INDIA) will defeat them two MPs after 26 years in 1984.
roundly. BJP has become jittery.
Areyoulookingtowardsan
alliancewithCongressin
Punjab?
No, we have declared all the all the 13 seats of Punjab, one in
13 candidates who have already Kurukshetra, all in Delhi, Assam.
done one round of their respec- AAP is the future of the country.
tiveconstituencies. Congresshas
also declared some candidates.
What will happen to AAP if
ANJU AGNIHOTRI CHABA
JALANDHAR, APRIL 22
THE CONGRESS in Punjab suf-
fered another blow Monday as
its former state unit chief
Mohinder Singh Kay Pee (67)
joined SAD and was immedi-
ately rewarded with party ticket
from Jalandhar (SC) LS seat.
The departure of Kay Pee, a
prominent Dalit leader, with an
overfive-decadelongassociation
withtheCongress,islikelytohurt
theCongressintheDoabaregion
as it comes just two days after
Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary, the
wifeof lateCongressMPSantokh
Chaudhary, and its national sec-
retary Tajinder Pal Singh Bittu
joined the BJP in Delhi.
Earlier in the day, SAD chief
Sukhbir Singh Badal visited Kay
GROUNDREPORT
Inside Chamarajanagar forest hamlets, poll rays don’t enter
KIRAN PARASHAR
CHAMARAJANAGAR, APRIL 22
A CONSTITUENCY reserved for
SCs, most of it forested, includ-
ing hundreds of remote tribal
hamlets where the only mark of
“development” is tap water sup-
plythatreachedrecently,andlo-
catedinthethirdleastpopulated
district of Karnataka, has be-
comeoneof thekeenestfightsin
the state in this LS election.
CM Siddaramaiah’s native
place, Chamarajanagar has be-
comeacontestbetweenhisgov-
ernment’s guarantees and those
promised by the Narendra Modi
government.
While Modi is a factor in ur-
ban regions of Chamarajanagar,
the fact that the Siddaramaiah
government has made at least
some progress on its promises is
Arvind Kejriwal is not
released soon?
Kejriwal is not a person, he is
but nothisthought. AAPis notan
NGO,it’sanationalparty,wehave
five legislators in Gujarat, two in
Goa, we have 13 people in the
RajyaSabha,wehave
two mayors. Kejri-
wal has been sent to
jailonafalsecasebut
AAPisstandinglikea
rock behind him.
Yesterday Sunita ji
(Kejriwal’swife) had
also gone to Ranchi
with me. The BJP
away from canvass-
ing, I will do it on his
behalf.
We are the youngest, latest,
Congress was conceived in 1885,
but it was in 1930 they got two
councillors.Wewerebornin2012,
andwealreadyhavetwogovern-
ments in two states. We will win
IsitlegallytenableforKejriwal
tohavehisofficeinjail?
LateSubrataRoyoftheSahara
Mohinder Singh Kay Pee (second from left) with SAD chief
Sukhbir Singh Badal in Jalandhar, Monday. PTI
Pee'sresidenceinJalandharwel-
comed him into the party fold.
He also announced Kaypee's
candidature from Jalandhar.
On his part, Kay Pee said he
quit the Congress over “differ-
ences”withtheparty.KayPeehad
been seething for some time and
had expressed disappointment
Chamarajanagar is CM
Siddaramaiah’s native place
helping it in rural areas.
Like with Devamma, a tribal
who lives in the Karemala ham-
let inside the Bandipur Tiger
Reserve, among the lakh or so
like her living in these parts (out
of the constituency's 17.78 lakh
voters). She says her husband,
whoworksasaforestwatcherin
the reserve, spends most of his
earnings on alcohol. The Rs
2,000 she gets under the
Congress government's Gruha
2024
(Group) was arrested in the chit
fundscam,yettheylethimsetup
office in jail. Where is it written
thatif asittingCMisbehindbars,
he will have to resign.
Do you see a national role for
yourself?
I will do whatever job is as-
signed to me. Earlier too, I used
to accompany Arvind ji to many
places.Wecanvassedtogetherin
Gujarat. I’ve gone to Madhya
Pradesh,Chhattisgarh. He treats
melikeayoungerbrother,what-
everdutyisassignedtome,Iwill
perform it. we don’t have a high
command like the others. Our
bond is that of a family.
Who will take over the party
if Kejriwal is not allowed to
run his office from the jail?
It’s a hypothetical question.
There is no rule that he has to re-
sign. By that yardstick they can
arrest me, Mamata ji. They can
arrestapersonandsaywearein-
vestigating and an investigation
can carry on for years. Does only
BJP have a washing powder? It
has taken such corrupt politi-
cians into its fold, and to others
they say, “Na khaunga, na khane
doonga” (we won’t tolerate cor-
ruption).
The person on whose com-
plaint Kejriwal has been jailed
that his family’s contributions
werenotrecognizedbytheparty,
in allocation of tickets for LS as
well during 2022 state elections.
Meanwhile, Badal named 5
more candidates for Punjab and
1forChandigarhseat,fieldinghis
wife and ex-Union minister Har-
simratKaurBadalfromBathinda.
VOTE SHARES (%) IN CHAMARAJANAGAR
BJP Cong
37.65 50.11
JD(S)
5.19
2014
Note: JD(S) did not contest in 2019;
Lakshmi Scheme helps her and
her two children. The ration
from the state government's
Anna Bhagya Scheme is a bonus.
The Congress government
'guarantee' schemes, including
Gruha Jyoti and Gruha Lakshmi
have been a success story in
terms of votes. For the coming
polls,thepartyhaspromised“25
guarantees”, including Rs 1 lakh
annually for poor women.
Chamarajanagar has other-
couldn’t give any proof against
him. But the same man bought
electoral bonds worth Rs 55
crore for BJP. Shouldn’t there be
a case against BJP president JP
Nadda? First ED, CBI raids a per-
son, then he gives money (to the
ruling party).
Theseelectionsareseeinga
largenumberof turncoatsnot
justinPunjabbuteverywhere.
Leadersseemtobechanging
partiesfortheirpersonal
benefits.Doesthissignifya
changeinpoliticalmorality?
See,Ican’tsayanythingabout
thecircumstancesunderwhicha
person switches parties. But our
party is born out of volunteers. I
call them moths (bhamakkars). I
amabulbandtheyarelikemoths
drawn to me. The brighter I burn,
the more they come. And if I dim
my light, they vanish. I trust my
bhamakkars, they trust me. I will
nevermistreatmyvolunteers.Yes,
some of our leaders have also
jumped ship but where are they
now?Sangathanwadahundahai,
vyaktiwadanahinhundahai(An
organisation is bigger than an in-
dividual). Big leaders have left
theirpartiesbutwithwhatresults.
Chaar din ki chandni, phir andheri
raat. They either return to their
mother party or became irrele-
vant. This politics of party-hop-
ping won’t work for long. Look at
Capt (Capt Amarinder Singh), I
have seen him in Akali Dal,
Congress,hisownpartyandnow
withBJP.Ourvolunteersmayhave
grousesbuttheydon’tjumpship.
Are these elections a reality
check for the AAP in Punjab?
Itshouldbearealitycheckfor
us. We have done in two years
what Opposition couldn’t in 70.
Firstisfreeelectricity.Opposition
used to say where will they get
moneyforit.Evenouropponents
aregettingzerobills.Anyonewith
less than 600 units is getting no
bills.No2,itisthecontrolovercor-
ruption.No3,itis43,000govern-
ment jobs without any lobbying
or corruption. FULLINTERVIEW
www.indianexpress.com
Sons of party’s
Bihar chief, JDU
minister in list of
Cong’s 5 names
SANTOSH SINGH
PATNA, APRIL 22
BIHARCONGRESSMondayanno-
uncedfivemorecandidateswhich
includedthesonsof party’sBihar
chief Akhilesh Prasad Singh and
JD(U) minister Maheshwar Haz-
ari. Congress is yet to announce
candidate for Patna Saheb seat.
Akash Prasad Singh, son of
Akhilesh Prasad Singh, would
contestfromMaharajganj,Sunny
Hazari,sonofMaheshwarHazari,
fromreservedseatofSamastipur.
Ajay Nishad, BJP Muzaffarpur
MP, who recently moved to Con-
gress,willfightfromMuzaffarpur
while Manoj Kumar from Sasa-
ramreservedseat.CongressWest
Champaran candidate is ex-MLA
Madan Mohan Tiwari. Sources
saidLSex-SpeakerMeiraKumar’s
son Ashul Abhijeet’s name is do-
ing the rounds for Patna Saheb.
BJP Cong
44.74 44.6
2019
Source: Election Commission
wise, too, been a Congress
stronghold, with 2019 the only
time the BJP won the seat. Its
candidate then was influential
DalitleaderSrinivasPrasad,who
hadmoved from the Congressto
the BJP in 2018. Prasad won by
less than 2,000 votes.
With Prasad announcing “re-
tirement” from politics, the BJP
has fielded S Balaraju, a former
MLA from Kollegal, in
Chamarajanagar district. The
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
SP line-up stacked
with Mayawati
former aides, BSP
founder members
Gautam, who belongs to the Pasi
ASAD REHMAN
LUCKNOW, APRIL 22
SC community, joined the BSP in
1989. He joined the SP in 2020.
Ram Shiromani Verma
OF THE 57 Lok Sabha candidates (Shrawasti): He is the sitting MP
the SP has announced so far, at and recently joined the SP. In
least 14 are from the BSP. Among 2019, when the SP and BSP were
them are former close aides of in alliance, Verma, who hails
partychiefMayawatisuchasBabu from the Kurmi community,
SinghKushwahaandLaljiVerma. won the seat as a BSP candidate.
“The BSP has a good sway Bhima Shankar ‘Kushal’
among the backward and Dalit (Domariyaganj): Kushal began
communities. With the BSP his career with the BJP. As a BSP
weakening in the state, their candidate, he won the Sant Kabir
leaders wanted to join us as we NagarLSseatina2008bypolland
are a party most likely to defeat then in 2009 but lost in 2014 and
the BJP,” said an SP leader. 2019. He is the son of gangster-
Babu Singh Kushwaha turned-politician Hari Shankar
(Jaunpur): He was the Tiwari, who died last
Minister of Health and year.HejoinedtheSPin
Family Welfare in the 2021.
Mayawati Cabinet from Ram Prasad
2007-12.In2011,hewas Chaudhary (Basti): He
expelled from the party was a minister in the
overhisallegedinvolve- Mayawati government
ment in National Rural in 1997. He unsuccess-
Health Mission scam. fullycontestedthe2019
Kushwaha joined LS polls for the BSP. The
BJP a year later but was partyexpelledhimlater
expelled.In2016,heflo- that year and he joined
atedtheJanAdhikarPa- the SP in 2020.
rty.Heisinalliancewith Rama Shankar
SP this time and is con- Rajbhar (Salempur):
testing on its symbol. He was elected as
LaljiVerma(Ambe- Babu Singh Salempur MP on a BSP
dkar Nagar): He was Kushwaha; ticket in 2009. Rajbhar
amongtheBSPtopbrass (below) Ram was denied a ticket in
whenhewasexpelledin Prasad 2014 and was expelled
2021 for “anti-party ac- Chaudhary from the party. He
tivities”duringthepan- joined the SP in 2017.
chayat elections. Verma Afzal Ansari
joined the SP in November 2021. (Ghazipur): He was first elected
Narayan Das Ahirwar MP from Ghazipur in 2004 as an
(Jalaun):AcloseaideofBSPleader SP candidate. Five years later, he
Kanshi Ram, he was among the contestedtheseatasaBSPcandi-
BSP founder members. A mem- date and lost. In 2019, he was
berofMayawati’sCabinetin2007, electedMPfromtheseatonaBSP
Ahirwar,whoisOBC,wasexpelled ticket. Ansari has been elected
in 2010. He joined the SP in 2022. MLAfourtimesonaCPIticket.He
R K Chaudhary (Mohanlal- quit BSP to join SP in February.
ganj):AnotherBSPfoundermem- Sunit Verma (Meerut): Elec-
ber and a confidant of Kanshi tedMeerutmayoronaBSPticket
Ram, Chaudhary was a minister in2017,theBSPexpelledVermain
in the SP-BSP government led by November2019andshejoinedSP
MulayamSinghYadavfrom1993 in January 2021.
to 1995. Amarnath Maurya (Phul-
Chaudhary quit the BSP in pur):HewasanactiveBSPleader
2001 and floated the Rashtriya since the 1990s and unsuccess-
Swabhimaan Party. Ahead of the fully contested Allahabad West
2014 LS elections, he returned to Assembly constituency in 2002
theparty.HejoinedtheSPin2017. against don-turned-politician
RajaRamPal(Akbarpur):He AtiqAhmed.Mauryalaterquitthe
was elected BSP MP from Bihaur BSPandjoinedtheBJPin2016and
in 2004 but quit the party a year moved to the SP in 2022.
later and joined the Congress. Pal Neeraj Maurya (Aonla): He
won the 2009 LS polls as a is a former two-time BSP MLA
Congress candidate from Akbar- from Jalalabad. Maurya quit the
pur. He joined the SP in 2021. BSPin 2017 andjoinedthe BJP.In
RameshGautam(Bahraich): 2022, he switched to the SP.
Ballotin
FIR against SP candidate
Lucknow: An FIR was lodged against a resident of UP’s
Shahjahanpur district and the SP candidate from Aonla LS seat
followingallegationsthattheformerfalselyclaimedtobeBSP’s
nomineefromthe seat byforgingsignaturesand stampsonhis
nomination papers. The case was filed based on a complaint of
AbidAli,BSPcandidatefromtheconstituency.WhileSatyaveer
Singh of Shahjahanpur allegedly submitted unauthorised pa-
pers,SPcandidateNeerajMauryaisaccusedofbeinginvolvedin
the conspiracy. Satyaveer’s papers were invalidated. ENS
Repoll in 8 stations in Arunachal
Itanagar: EC has ordered repolling in 8 polling stations in
Arunachal Pradesh where EVM damage and violence were re-
ported during simultaneous LS and Assembly polls on April 19,
anofficialsaid.TheECinanorderSundaydeclaredthepollingin
8pollingstationsasvoidandorderedrepollingonApril24from
6 am to 2 pm, Deputy CEO Liken Koyu said. PTI
Congress candidate is Karnataka ButtoJayalakshmi,wholives
PWD Minister H C Mahadeva-
ppa's son Sunil Bose.
in the tribal hamlet of
Chennikatte within the
The Congress has been Bandipur Tiger Reserve, this
reaching out to beneficiaries of means little. Her hamlet has 34
the Gruha Lakshmi and other 'Soliga community houses', less
schemesof thegovernment,and than 200 sq feet in area, built by
distributing handbills detailing the district administration
the 25 guarantees promised by nearly a decade ago. With most
the party for LS polls. of the pucca houses now dilapi-
Top leaders of the BJP are so dated, her extended family of 15
far missing from the campaign, preferssleepingintheopendur-
withformerCMBSYediyurappa ing summers despite fears of
and his son and Karnataka party wildlife attack. When it rains,
chief B Y Vijayendra expected to they have no choice but to
drop in for day. squeeze into the space.
For Mahendraswamy, a Jayalakshmi, 30, is a benefici-
youth in Chamarajanagar town, ary of the Gruha Lakshmi and
"the Assembly elections were a GruhaJyotischemes,butlikepre-
setback for the BJP but one vious elections, no politician has
should see where the country is comecallingtohamletslikehers,
heading.Economicallythecoun- accessibleonlyafterawalkof5-6
try has done well because of kminsidetheforest.Neitherhave
Modi. The borders of the coun- thetribalsfiguredinthepromises
try are safe." made by the candidates.
 8 EXPRESS NETWORK WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2024

SALUTE THE SOLDIER
SI(GD) Bhupal Singh
23rd April, 2009
"Sashastra Seema Bal" fondly remembers
the selfless and the valiant act of SI(GD)
Bhupal Singh, who made the supreme sacrifice
for the Nation. On this day, he attained
martyrdom while fighting bravely in an
operation against insurgents in Assam. In recognition of his
heroic deed he was posthumously awarded the "Kirti Chakra"
on Republic Day-2010. He will always be remembered for his
courage, valour and supreme sacrifice for the Nation.
"SASHASTRA SEEMA BAL"
CT/GD SHISHU KUMAR MISHRA
ONGC JORHAT 23-04-1999
CISF proudly remembers the supreme sacrifice
of this brave-heart. On this day, he laid down
his life for the nation while fighting with
militants. His courage and bravery would
remain an abiding source of inspiration for
the force. The force will remain eternally
indebted to him for his noblest deed.
Bank accounts frozen after protest
against port: Kerala Latin church
SHAJU PHILIP
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM,
APRIL 22
DAYS AHEAD of Lok Sabha elec-
tions in Kerala, the archdiocese
of Latin Catholic Church in
Thiruvananthapuram has re-
vealed that their bank account
was frozen by the Union
Government.
Themovecameafterthefish-
ermen’s protest against Adani
group’s under construction sea-
port at Vizhinjam near
Thiruvananthapuram,apastoral
letter said Sunday. Vizhinjam
witnessed strong protests
against the seaport, which also
resulted in violence in
November 2022.
The community is one of the
prominent vote banks in the
Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha
seat,whereunionministerRajeev
Chandrasekhar is contesting.
Archbishop Thomas J Netto,
in a pastoral letter read out in all
churches on Sunday said the
archdioceseisstrugglingtomeet
its routine expenses and cost of
training seminarians after the
accounts were frozen in the
wake of protest against the sea-
port in 2022.
“Astheaccountswerefrozen,
the archdiocese is facing diffi-
culty to receive even ordinary
aids for mission work. The situa-
tion remains unchanged,’’ he
said, in the letter urging people
to contribute to meet the ex-
penses of the diocese.
In2022,duringtheVizhinjam
protestof fishermen,demanding
implementationof rehabilitation
package facilities for the coastal
community,thearchdiocesehad
also locked horns with local BJP
leadership.
Lingayat seer, who
wanted to take on
Pralhad Joshi in
Dharwad, pulls out
Bengaluru: Prominent Lingayat
seerFakirDingaleshwaraSwami,
who had decided to take on BJP
candidate and Union Minister
Pralhad Joshi, Monday withdrew
his nomination as an independ-
ent candidate from the Dharwad
Lok Sabha seat. Speaking to re-
porters, the seer said that leaders
frombothBJPandCongresswere
in touch with him since he filed
his papers to contest.
Dingaleshwara said he would
“continue his dharma yuddha
(crusade) against injustice in the
constituency”. ENS

Actor Ranveer
Singh files
complaint over
deepfake video
Mumbai: Bollywood actor
Ranveer Singh Monday filed a
police complaint after an al-
leged deepfake video of him
supporting a political party's
ideology surfaced on social me-
dia platforms.
Issuing a statement, Singh’s
spokesperson on Monday said,
"We have filed the police com-
plaintagainstthehandlethatwas
promoting the AI-generated
deepfakevideoofRanveerSingh.”
While thevideo,fromtheac-
tor’s recent visit to Varanasi, ap-
pears genuine, the audio is al-
legedly an AI-enabled voice
clone of Ranveer, the statement
said.Theactoralsopostedames-
sage on X, “Deepfake se bacho
dostonnnn .” ENS
Ajit Pawar releases
manifesto, supports
caste-based census
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
MUMBAI, APRIL 22
NATIONALIST CONGRESS Party
chief Ajit Pawar on Monday re-
leasedthemanifestoof hisparty
for the forthcoming Lok Sabha
elections, promising to support
a caste-based census, classical
language status to Marathi,
Bharat Ratna to Yashwantrao
Chavan and MSP for farmers
among other issues. The mani-
festo, based on the theme of
'Nationalist for the Nation', ex-
plains the party's role and its re-
solvetowardseconomicprogress
throughpublicserviceandinfra-
structural development.
"In the manifesto, the party
has emphasised on all crucial is-
suesfromlocaltogloballevellike
support to a caste-based census,
grantingclassicallanguagestatus
to Marathi, Bharat Ratna to
Yashwantrao Chavan, MSP for
farmers, promotion of non-con-
ventional sources of power gen-
erationtomaintainenvironmen-
tal balance and curb global
warming,increaseinthescopeof
Agricultural Crop Insurance
Scheme, increase in Shetkari
Sammanfunds,increaseinMudra
loan scheme, water reservoirs in
forest areas and demand for
India's permanent membership
in the United Nations Security
Council," said Ajit Pawar, who is
Maharashtra
Deputy CM
Ajit Pawar
also the Deputy Chief Minister of
Maharashtra.Healsoemphasised
on rural development through
health, education, sanitation, en-
vironmentandemployment.
“Our party believes in the
righttoliveasahumanirrespec-
tive of caste, creed and religion.
Itbelievesinequalityandunity...
Wemustbringthedeprivedand
backward sections of society
into the mainstream. We will
demand for a caste-based cen-
sus," the manifesto stated.
The manifesto has been pre-
paredunderthechairmanshipof
senior NCP leader Dilip Walse-
Patil. “We are contesting the Lok
Sabha elections as part of
MahayutiunderPMModi'slead-
ership,” Pawar said. He attacked
the Opposition saying, “there is
nocompetentfaceinOpposition
... against Modi.”
Pawarinsistedthattheparty
has not given up on its ideology
despite joining the Mahayuti.
He said, “This is very
important.If you look at the
shift...inrecenttimesfromlead-
ers such as Mayawati, Mamata
Banerjee, Farooq Abdullah, you
will realise it.”

Plea against inaction

on Bill to replace
varsity chancellors:
SC seeks Bengal
Governor response
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22

THE SUPREME Court on Monday sought the re-

sponse from the office of West Bengal Governor C
VAnanda Bose on apleaalleging inactionin giving
assent to the West Bengal Universities
(Amendment) Bill 2022, which was passed by the
state legislature in June 2022.
The West BengalAssemblyin 2022 had passed
a bill to replace the governor with the chief minis-
ter as the chancellor of all the state-run universi-
ties.
A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and
Justice J B Pardiwala issued notice to the principal
secretary to the governor and the Union of India,
seeking reply within four weeks.
“Issue notice, liberty to serve the central
agency,” the bench said.
The top court was hearing an appeal filed by
one Sayan Mukherjee against an order of the
Calcutta High Court which stayed its own earlier
directions seeking response from the governor on
the issue and said it would examine the maintain-
ability of the petition.
Initially, on September 12 last year, the high
court had sought affidavits from the office of the
West Bengal governor on the PIL challenging his
alleged inaction.
The plea filed in the high court had submitted
that even though the West Bengal Universities
(Amendment) Bill 2022 was pending considera-
tion since 2022, the governor kept on making ap-
pointments of vice-chancellors (VCs) in his capac-
ity as the chancellor of the state universities.
The Centre, however, submitted before the
high court that under Articles 212 and 361 of the
Constitution, the governor is immune from an-
swering the subject issue and the PIL was politi-
cally motivated and not genuine.
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2024 EXPRESS NETWORK 9
FROM PAGE ONE FULL REPORTS ON
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
40-year-old man
Amid India’s chip push, Taiwan flags talent gaps, high import tariff
●

structureanditwouldrequirefor
the Indian government to look at
thattoo,tostreamlineallkindsof
lawsandregulationstohelpsemi-
conductorinvestorscomingtothe
country,” Wu said.
“In order to get the major
semiconductor production to
move to India, we need to think
about the whole supply chain
coming together… a whole clus-
ter,ratherthanjustonecompany.
If it is only one company and no-
bodyelse,thatisnotgoingtohelp.
We need to have IC design, test-
ing, packaging and material sup-
ply,” he said.
Taiwanishometosomeofthe
leadingnamesinchipmaking,in-
cluding the likes of Taiwan
Semiconductor Manufacturing
Company (TSMC) which counts
Apple and Nvidia among its
clients, and United Micro-
electronics Corporation (UMC).
More than 90 per cent of the
world’s most advanced chips re-
quired for almost all electronic
equipmentsuchassmartphones,
car components, data centres,
fighter jets and AI technologies,
are made in Taiwan.
Since the escalation in US-
Chinatensions,anumberofcom-
panies, including from Taiwan,
have been looking to diversify
from Beijing and consider alter-
natedestinationsfortheirsupply
chains.India,whichhasrolledout
a $10 billion chip incentive
scheme, has found some success
inattractingafoundryinvestment
from Tata and PSMC, but bigger
names have stayed away so far.
In conversations with
Taiwanese government officials
and industry executives about
India’schipambitions,theunder-
tone was clear: Taiwan is looking
at India as a potential investment
destination,especiallyintheelec-
tronicsspace,butbusinessesfrom
theislandnationhavesomereser-
vationswhichhavestoppedthem
from coming to New Delhi so far.
EveninPSMC’scase,whileitisof-
feringitstechnologytoTataforthe
foundry,ithasaverymarginalrole
in the financials of putting to-
gether the plant, The Indian
Express has learnt.
“PSMC is also moving in with
a technological cooperation with
Tata(tosetupafoundryinIndia).
There are other companies in
Taiwanwhicharethinkingabout
possibilitiesofsettinguptheirop-
erationsinIndia,butthedifficulty
forthesemiconductorindustryto
start work in a new site is that
there need to be some good con-
ditions,” Wu said.
The Indian government has
created a dedicated task-force
called the India Semiconductor
Mission, which aims to serve as a
focal point for an efficient imple-
mentation of New Delhi’s chip
ambitions. All land-related clear-
ancesforthefoursemiconductor
facilitiesthathavebeenapproved
sofar–threeassemblyoperations
that include Micron’s packaging
plantandonefab–weredoneex-
peditiously,astheCentreworked
with the state governments of
Gujarat and Assam where these
operations are being set up. The
ground-breakingceremonyofthe
Tata-PSMC fab happened within
two weeks of getting clearance.
Taiwanese chip companies
havered-flaggedIndia'slackofad-
equate infrastructure needed to
supportthetaskof makingsemi-
conductors. Infrastructure is the
backbone of Taiwan’s Hsinchu
Science Park, which is home to
TSMC, UMC and others, dotted
withtheirsuppliersforgases,wa-
ter and equipped with schools,
colleges, residential complexes
and a thriving night-life to incen-
tivise engineers from around the
world to stay there.
“Infrastructurehastobethere.
This is an area that our (semicon-
ductor) industry is not quite cer-
tainabout(intermsofIndia)--re-
liable supply of water and
electricity.Otherthanthat,trans-
portation has to be there,” Wu
said.Forexample,in2007,thebe-
ginningoftheTaiwanHighSpeed
Rail (THSR) enabled TSMC engi-
neers in Hsinchu, Tainan and
Taichungtogobackandforthina
day to provide frequent cross-fab
support.
Taiwan’s Deputy Minister of
the National Development
Council (a government planning
bodysimilartoIndia’sNitiAayog),
Kao Shien-Quey, said she too has
received similar feedback from
Taiwanesebusinesses,andcalled
for the two countries to sign an
FTA. “What I’m hearing from
someTaiwanesebusinesseswho
areconsideringinvestinginIndia,
the regulations there differ from
state to state and sometimes it is
difficultforbusinessestonavigate,
whichdoespresentacertainlevel
of difficulty.TheotherthingthatI
hear is that the infrastructure
couldbebetter,IknowtheIndian
governmentisdoingalottomake
it better,” she said.
“Accordingtomyunderstand-
ing,thenegotiation(forFTA)isstill
going on and the Taiwanese gov-
ernmenthasverystrongintention
to sign that agreement with the
Indian government,” she said.
Foreign Minister Wu said the
FTA will be crucial in attracting
suppliers from Taiwan to set up
operations in India. “If we are
thinking about attracting a large
number of hi-tech companies to
India, we need to think about a
very simple architecture called a
free trade agreement (with
Taiwan), because they need to
move material, machines, goods
toIndiaand if the taxrate or tariff
is very high, those are going to be
impediments,” he said.
“So if the Indian government
isseriousaboutputtingallthisto-
gether, I’m sure it is going to be
veryattractivetothesemiconduc-
torindustrytothinkaboutinvest-
ing in India,” he added.
Another key challenge that
Indianeedstoaddress,asperWu,
is trained semiconductor engi-
neers.WhileIndiahasabigtalent
pool of chip designers who work
atallmajorglobalsemiconductor
companies,ithaslittletoshowin
termsofengineerswhocanwork
on chip factory floors. Wu said
Taiwan and India can collaborate
on that.
“In Taiwan, we have a suffi-
cient number of engineers who
arereadytoworkinthesemicon-
ductor industry — we not only
have universities training good
engineers but also dedicated
semiconductor academies,” Wu
said.
“In the case of India, I know
thereisalotoftalent,buttheymay
notbefallinginthecategoryofex-
periencedengineersforthesemi-
conductor industry, and that is
how Taiwan can start working
withIndia--inviteengineersfrom
there to work in Taiwan. Right
now we have 2,700 very high
quality engineers from India
workinginTaiwan’shi-techcom-
panies,” he added.
Privately, Indian government
officials also confirmed that their
Taiwanese counterparts have
flagged India's lack of semicon-
ductor engineering talent who
can work on foundry floors as
among the reasons that are stop-
ping Taiwanese chip companies
from coming to India.
(Thereporter wasin Taiwan at the
invitation of the East-West Center,
an educational institution
founded by the US Congress.)
shot dead in Rajouri,
area cordoned off
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
JAMMU, APRIL 22
A 40-YEAR-OLD man was killed
late on Monday evening after
unidentified persons opened fire
in the Shahdra Sharief area of
JammuandKashmir’sRajouridis-
trict.
Police identified the man as
Mohammad Raziq of Kunda Top
village. According to a PTI report,
he was shot as soon as he came
out of a mosque. He was rushed
tohospitalincriticalcondition,but
succumbed to injuries.
Raziq’sbrotherisreportedlyin
the Territorial Army.
Theincidenttookplaceunder
the jurisdiction of Thanamandi
policestation.Securityforceshave
sentreinforcementsandhavecor-
doned off the area to conduct
searches for the culprits.
Thanamandi is part of
AnantnagLokSabhaconstituency,
which goes to the polls on May 7.
In view of a number of mili-
tancy-relatedincidentsinthebor-
derdistrictsofRajouriandPoonch
in recent months, police and se-
curity forces have launched joint
combing and search operations
ahead of the coming election.
OnSunday,securityforceshad
apprehended a school headmas-
ter from Poonch district’s Hari
Buddha area and seized a
Pakistan-made pistol, along with
ammunition and two Chinese
grenades,fromhishouse.Theyal-
leged that he was a militant over
ground worker, and was part of
preparations to disrupt the elec-
tion.
Earlier in the day, at a security
officers’meetinginAnantnag,J&K
Director General of Police R R
Swain reviewed preparations for
the election. Discussion at the
meeting focused on election pre-
paredness, addressing all logisti-
calandadministrativeaspectsre-
lated to the process, facilitating
seamless coordination with the
forces, and addressing any chal-
lengesorconcernsthatmayarise
as the election process unfolds, a
police spokesperson said.

EU eases norm to offer Indians multiple 4 SP workers arrested for

entry Schengen visa with longer validity
said.
DIVYAA European Union’s ambassa-
NEWDELHI,APRIL22 dor to India Herve Delphin de-
scribedthenewvisaregimeasan-
IN A major reprieve for Indian other step towards enhancing
travellers seeking to visit Europe people-to-people contact be-
duringtheupcomingholidaysea- tween the two sides. “Travel to
son,theEuropeanUnionwillnow Europe made easy,” Delphin re-
offer multiple entry Schengen marked.
visas with longer validity. As EU “On April 18, the European
eases the visa norms, frequent Commission adopted specific
Indiantravellers willnowbeable rulesontheissuingofmultipleen-
toapplyforfive-yearmultipleen- tryvisastoIndiannationals,which
try visas, which puts them at par aremorefavourablethanthestan-
with “visa-free nationals”. dardrulesofthevisacodethatap-
As per a statement issued by plied to date,” said the EU state-
the European Union on Monday ment.
tothiseffect,Indiannationalscan “According to the newly
now be issued long-term, multi- adopted visa 'cascade' regime for
entrySchengenvisasvalidfortwo India,Indiannationalscannowbe
years after having obtained and issued long-term, multi-entry
used two visas in the past three Schengenvisasvalidfortwoyears
years.“Thetwo-yearvisawillnor- afterhavingobtainedandlawfully
mally be followed by a five-year used two visas within the previ-
visa, if the passport has sufficient ous three years,” it said.
validity remaining,” the readout “The two-year visa will nor-
mally be followed by a five-year
visa, if the passport has sufficient
validityremaining.Duringtheva-
lidity period of these visas, hold-
ers enjoy travel rights equivalent
to visa-free nationals,” it said.
Thechangesinthevisanorms
came in the context of “strength-
ened”relations under the EU-
India common agenda on migra-
tion and mobility, which seeks
comprehensive cooperation on
migrationpolicybetweenthetwo
sides, it added.
During the holiday season,
Indiantravellerstypicallyfacein-
ordinate delays in securing visa
appointmentstocountriesunder
the Schengen region, sometimes
lastinguptotwotothreemonths.
This became particularly worse
during the pandemic, when the
visaappointmenttimesextended
up to several months.
Even as Schengen visas —
along with the US visas — are the
most sought-after among Indian
travellers,whiletheUSoffersa10-
yearvisatoIndiansseekingB1/B2
category(visitandtourismvisas),
the Schengen countries typically
offer travel date-specific visas.
Schengen visas allow the
holder to travel freely in the
Schengen area for short stays of a
maximum of 90 days in any 180-
day period. The visas are not pur-
pose-bound,buttheydonotgrant
the right to work.
TheSchengenareaconsistsof
29 European countries of which
25 are EU states. These include
Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Germany,
Estonia, Greece, Spain, France,
Italy, Latvia, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta,
Netherlands, Austria, Poland,
Portugal, Romania, Slovenia,
Slovakia, Finland and Sweden,
alongwithIceland,Liechtenstein,
Norway and Switzerland.
‘assaulting’ UP minister
MANISH SAHU
LUCKNOW, APRIL 22
UTTAR PRADESH Fisheries
Minister Sanjay Nishad was al-
legedly assaulted by a group of
men at a wedding function in
Sant Kabir Nagar district's
MohammadpurKatharvillageon
Sunday evening, police said.
Fourpersons,purportedlyaf-
filiated with Samajwadi Party,
have been arrested. Nishad is
chief of Nirbal Indian Shoshit
Hamara Aam Dal, or NISHAD
Party, a constituent of the NDA.
Hesustainedinjuriesonhisnose,
it was claimed.
His son Praveen Nishad, who
represents the Sant Kabir Nagar
Lok Sabha seat, is the BJP candi-
datefromtheconstituencyinthe
ongoing elections.
The incident occurred when
agroupoflocalresidentsaccused
the minister and his MP son of
failing to complete the construc-
tion of a road besides blaming
themoverotherissues,itislearnt.
Avideoofthealtercationhassur-
faced on social media.
"Those arrested are middle-
agedfarmers.Weareconducting
raidstoapprehendothersuspects
involved in the incident," said
Sant Kabir Nagar Circle Officer
Brijesh Singh.

FSSAI asks states to

test branded spices
amid quality concerns
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
THE COUNTRY’S apex food regu-
lator Food Safety and Standards
Authority of India (FSSAI) has
asked states to collect samples of
different brands of powdered
spicesfortest.Thiscomesafterau-
thorities in Hong Kong and
Singaporeorderedthatfourspice
mixes from two of India’s top
spice manufactures — MDH and
Everest — be withdrawn follow-
ingdetectionofhighlevelsofeth-
ylene oxide.
The food regulator has also
startedcollectingsamplesofbaby
formula to check whether they
conformtoIndianstandards.This
comesafteraninternationalbody
highlighted that food and bever-
age giant Nestle was selling baby
formula with higher sugar con-
tent in South Asian, African, and
Latin American countries.
Earlier, the FSSAI had said
that the lab reports of the sam-
ples from India will be sought
and placed before the existing,
in-house subject expert com-
mittee for examination. A con-
solidated report on spices is
likely to come out in 25 days, ac-
cording to officials in the know
of the matter.
“Samplesof spicemixesfrom
all brands will be tested for the
presenceof ethyleneoxide—the
compoundisnotallowedinfood
products as per the regulations,”
the officials said. The
InternationalAgencyforResearch
on Cancer (IARC) classifies ethyl-
ene oxide as carcinogenic.

Row over Cong GOVERNMENT OF ARUNACHAL PRADESH

candidate’s
‘Constitution
forced upon
Goans’ remark
PAVNEET SINGH CHADHA
PANAJI, APRIL 22
CONGRESS CANDIDATE from
South Goa Captain Viriato
Fernandes on Monday said that
the Indian Constitution was
“forced” upon Goans after the
coastal state was liberated from
Portuguese rule in 1961, draw-
ing criticism from Goa CM
Pramod Sawant.
Addressing a corner meeting
in South Goa, Fernandes — a re-
tiredNavalofficerandKargilwar
veteran— alsorecalledaconver-
sation he had with the Congress
leaderRahulGandhiontheissue
in 2019.
Fernandes'scommentsdrew
sharp criticism from Goa chief
minister Pramod Sawant, who
said that the Congress leader
had “undermined” the
Constitution with his remarks.
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR
TOMO RIBA INSTITUTE OF HEALTH &
MEDICAL SCIENCES (TRIHMS)
GOVERNMENT OF ARUNACHAL PRADESH
NAHARLAGUN – 791110: ARUNACHAL PRADESH
Phone: 0360-2350331 FAX: 0360-2350791 Email: trihmsap@gmail.com
No.TRIHMS-67/2017(Vol-V) Dated Naharlagun 22nd April, 2024
ADDENDUM
In continuation to earlier Advertisement no. TRIHMS-67/2017(Vol-V), Dated
Naharlagun 15th March, 2024, published on 16th March, 2024 the following posts will also
be interviewed on 3rd and 4th May, 2024.
Sl. Department Name of the Required Positions
No post
1. Microbiology Professor 1(one) post
Contractual for period of 2(two) years.
2. Orthopedics Professor 1(one) post
Contractual for period of 2(two) years.
Eligible Candidates may submit application with CV and other relevant documents as per
NMC norms to TRIHMS Director Office or may mail at trihms.hr@gmail.com
The other terms and conditions of the post is unchanged. For any updates may visit
trihms.com
Sd/-
(Dr. Moji Jini)
Director, TRIHMS
DIPR/ARN/046-48 Naharlagun
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL23, 2024

10 THE EDITORIAL PAGE

WORDLY WISE
That government is the strongest of which
every man feels himself a part.
— THOMAS JEFFERSON

FOUNDED BY
The cost of health
§

§
RAMNATH GOENKA
Capping costs in private sector is important but
BECAUSE THE TRUTH INVOLVES US ALL
healthcare can’t do without adequate state investment

NO, PRIME MINISTER Sanjay Nagral

From ‘beauty of diversity’ to ghuspaithiye, zyada bachche, IT’S A SCARY EXPERIENCE that you have cer- healthcareislucrative.Theywerealsounwit- partlyasaresponsetotheseneeds.Itseeksto
tainly heard of. A sudden health crisis results tingly bailing out the state by establishing bring a semblance of order by registering all
mangalsutra — this plunge doesn’t rally voters, it divides them

A
inhospitalisation.Severaltests,drugsandpro-
HEATEDELECTIONcampaignison,butalliscertainlynotfairinelectoralwar. cedures later, the patient and family are fac-
AtarallyinRajasthan’sBanswara,PrimeMinisterNarendraModiframedpol- ing crises on two fronts — the illness and hu-
mongous costs. After discussing the patient’s
itics as a zero-sum game and communities as adversaries. He bracketed the
condition with an anxious family member,
Muslim minority with “ghuspaithiye (infiltrators)”, resorted to prejudiced there is another inevitable gloomy interac-
stereotyping, “jinke zyada bachche hain (those who have more children)”, and (mis)used tion: “Doctor, we have exhausted our re-
theemotivesymbolismofthe“mangalsutra”topaintaspectreinwhichthemajoritywould sources. Can you do something about the
be deprived of their “mehnat ki kamai” or hard-earned money. This is divisive speech and bill?” Out-of-pocket costs and impoverish-
does grave disservice to his high office. The PM was countering former Prime Minister mentduetoillnessareamongourgravestso-
cietal tragedies. Resentment towards costs is
ManmohanSingh’sremarksin2006onthemarginalised,includingminorities,havingthe
abigfactorinthegrowinghostility,including
“first claim on resources”. But this was not just an attack on Manmohan Singh or Congress, violence, against healthcare workers.
which, the PM also said, was driven by “Urban Naxal ki soch (thinking)” (a coinage that has This is why, when the Supreme Court re-
oftencomeinhandyfortherulingestablishmenttolabeldifferenceanddissentassubver- centlyspokestronglyonthisissueitresonated
sive).WhatthePMsaidconstitutedaloweringof thepoliticaldebateinawaythatalsogoes withmany.TheBenchwashearingaPILbyan
against his own efforts to send out a more expansive and encompassing message that ad- NGO praying for direction to determine
dresses everyone as a stakeholder in democracy and celebrates rather than berates India’s charges in hospitals across the country in
terms of Rule 9 of the Clinical Establishment
diversity. After the first phase of polling, he urged people to step out and vote “for anyone”
Act. The Court threatened to impose the
becauseitisimportanttosecurethefutureofthecountry.“Bharatekbahuratnavasundhara Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS)
hai,”hesaidinaninterviewtoANIjustdaysago,celebratingthebeautyof itsdiversity.And, ratesonallhospitalsasaninterimmeasure.It
on Monday, a day after Banswara, in Aligarh, the PM reached out to Pasmanda Muslims gavethestatesixweekstoact.Isitpossiblefor
talking of his government’s interventions on triple talaq and the Haj quota. the top court to intervene effectively where
Of course, there can be legitimate political and electoral debate about the linking of governments have failed? What exactly is it
wading into?
welfare and identity. It is also true that PM Modi’s own political pitch has insistently un-
If there is one policy which should be pri-
derlined the fact that his government’s welfare schemes are caste and community blind, oritisedbyanationthatgenuinelycaresforits
that they do not discriminate between beneficiaries. From free rations to Ayushman citizens,it’stheeliminationofmoneyasapre-
Bharat, from Ujjwala to PM-Kisan, the benefits touch all, including the Muslim minority condition to relieve suffering in an illness.
substantially, given the socio-economic indicators of the community. But by painting an Whatcomesclosesttothisaspirationisapub-
entire community into a corner and framing it as an adversary, the PM does not widen liclyfundedhealthsystemwhichgivestimely,
effective and free care, irrespective of social
or deepen the debate — he shrinks and narrows its possibilities.
class.Countrieswithuniversalhealthcareen-
PMModihasmuchtotalkabout,ashepitchesforathirdterm.Largeaudiencesathome, sure that no one pays at the point of care.
andabroad,listentohimcarefully.Whoeverwinsorlosestheongoingelection,hehasmade Fundingcomesfromtaxes.Thus,therichsub-
aplaceforhimselfasaleaderandprimeministerwhohasbeenabletostraddleandriseabove sidisethehealthofthepoorandeveryoneuses
several fault lines in India’s multi-layered polity. A speech like the one he made Sunday is a thesamefacility.So,if youareknockeddown
disturbing and unfortunate step back from that trajectory. And, dispiriting for the 18-year- on the road or suffer a heart attack, needing
old Indian (whatever her faith) who will vote this summer for the first time in her life. instantlifesavingcare,whetheryouliveordie
is not determined by money or social status.
FollowingIndependence,India’sprofessed
policy was to attain universal health care.
However,deliberatelyorthroughbenignneg-
Previous efforts to control
private sector costs have
failed. The Supreme Court’s
intervention is potentially
powerful but it is entering
territory which is the
outcome of a historical social
process. Any intervention
will face resistance not only
from industry, but also
influential doctors, many of
whom are entrepreneurs. If
the Court wishes to promote
affordable healthcare,
capping private sector costs
high-endcurativeserviceswhichhadbeenig-
noredinthepreoccupationwithprimarycare.
Thisprocesstookabigleapafterliberalisation
whenfor-profithospitalchainsfundedbyin-
vestors and global capital entered the fray.
Privatehospitals provided efficient, sanitised
and high-tech care compared to public hos-
pitals. The middle class shifted to them.The
poor also soon began to prefer private care.
India now has the distinction of having the
largestprivatehealthcaresectorintheworld.
But that’s only part of the story.
There are other characteristics crucial to
understanding private healthcare in India.
First, a universal truth: Healthcare does not
followmarketrules.Itinvolvesunpredictabil-
ity,distressandreliesonempathy.That’swhy
even dominant market economies insulated
healthcare.Secondly,healthcareinIndiaisone
of theleastregulated.Anyonecanstartahos-
pitalanywhere,promoteirrationaltreatment
andthrivewithoutaccountability.Finally,itis
characterised by a deep co-option of medical
professionals. Doctors’ own hospitals and in-
comearelinkedtoprofits.Hospitalisation,pre-
scriptions, tests and procedures, even if un-
necessary, are rewarded. There can be no
more dangerous conflict of interest for citi-
zens seeking care. Thus, ordinary Indians are
caught in a pincer of costly, excessive care in
the private sector and crowded, slow, subop-
timal care in state facilities.
The situation became embarrassing for
politicalparties.Whatcouldtheydo?Thetask
ofreinvigoratingthepublicsectorseemeddif-
ficult and too long for quick electoral divi-
dends. The next best policy was to buy care
from the private sector through mass insur-
ance schemes for the poor. The early starters
wereAarogyasriinAndhraPradeshandRajiv
Gandhi Jeevandayee Arogya Yojana in
Maharashtra.Itscurrentnationalversion,the
ambitious flagship AB-PMJAY, covers almost
halfofthepopulation.Butforsuchschemesto
health establishments, setting minimum
standardsandevenrationalisingcostsbyset-
tingranges.Predictably,itmetwithresistance.
Many state governments have not yet imple-
mented it or done so half-heartedly.
It is naive to think that private healthcare
willagreetocostcontroloutof anotionof so-
cialresponsibilityif businessisboomingany-
way. Even during Covid, irrational charging
wasrampant.Itisarguedthatforcingthepri-
vate sector is unfair when it is the govern-
ment’s job to provide healthcare. Whilst this
may seem in intuitive its disingenuous be-
cause governments subsidise private health-
care in more ways than one. Besides training
ofhealthcareworkersinstateinstitutions,this
also includes several infrastructural conces-
sions.Inasense,privatehealthissubsidisedby
public money.
Previous efforts to control private sector
costshavelargelyfailed.TheSupremeCourt’s
intervention is potentially powerful but it is
entering tricky territory. Any effective inter-
vention will face resistance not only from in-
dustry, but also influential doctors, many of
whomareentrepreneurs.If theCourtwishes
to promote affordable healthcare, capping
costs could be a small step. But no nation has
improvedsubstantivelyinhealthequitywith-
out adequate state investment. And India’s
state share in health funding continues to be
one of the lowest in the world. Can the court
address this fundamental issue?
Ournationisintheprocessofchoosingthe
next government. Manifestos of all parties
havemadetokencommitmentstohealthcare.
One would have thought that with Covid in
recentmemory,thestateofhealthcarewould
occupy centre-stage. But politics seems busy
with personalities, identity and emotive is-
sues. With the poor internalising suboptimal
healthcare as their destiny and the middle
class no longer having a stake, activists seek
legal remedies to what should be a political

POLITICS OF THE DAY lect, the state underfunded public facilities,

makingspaceforanalternativetoemerge.The
elite, desiring healthcare designed for their
could be a small step. But no
nation has improved in
be viable, the health sector had to play by
some rules and costs had to be rationalised.
The growing private health insurance sector
battle.Milords,theburdenonyouisimmense,
if not unfair.

India must take changes in politics in Maldives in stride. Delhi needs, started building big hospitals. Some health indicators without also demanded regulation. The Clinical Nagral is a Mumbai-based surgeon who
must continue to engage with Male despite its anti-India stance startedascharity,butmostsoonrealisedthat adequate state investment. Establishment Act was introduced in 2010 writes on health policy and ethics

T
HERE WAS MUCH at stake for Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu in the
country’s parliamentary elections. First, it was a test of his popularity: Muizzu
beat his predecessor Mohamed Solih in the competitive second-round poll in

PAYING THEIR FAIR SHARE

September last year. Muizzu has also faced some dissension from within the
ruling alliance and party, especially from supporters of former President Abdulla Yameen,
who was under house arrest on corruption charges. In addition, the fact that Muizzu’s
People’s National Congress (PNC) did not have a majority in the Majles (or parliament)
meant that the Opposition had considerable room to scupper the executive’s plans. The
ruling party’s comprehensive win in the parliamentary elections, then — the PNC has won
Amendments to India-Mauritius treaty aim to plug tax loopholes
70 of 93 seats and its allies three more — has given it the “super majority” and political
capital it desired moving forward. Suranjali Tandon
There is little doubt that their anti-India stance is one of the pillars of the politics of
Muizzu and the PNC. Muizzu had campaigned for the presidency on an “India Out” theme TAXTREATIESAREintegraltocross-borderin- anti-abuse rules that will enable tax admin- avoidancerulethatwasintroducedin2017to
and in office, his government has asked for the minuscule number of Indian troops in the vestment relations as they define the treat- istrationstodenytreatybenefitsincertaincir- ensurethatthespiritofthelawisrespected.To
country to be withdrawn. He has scrapped the 2019 agreement under which India could mentof incomesthatariseinonecountryac- cumstances.Inmorethan1,100treatiessigned allay fears that it would lead to overreach by
carry out hydrographic surveys in Maldivian waters. Muizzu has also drawn Male closer cruing to a resident of another country. Their by countries, a broad anti-avoidance rule or the tax department, a series of backstops in-
design is also a reflection of the underlying principal purpose test (PPT) has been opted cluding a panel-based approach to trigger
to Beijing, including through his maiden visit soon after being elected president. China
power equation. Developing countries often for. India is among the signatories to the MLI GAARwasoperationalised.Therarityofitsin-
has received contracts for infrastructure projects. However, it is important to remember negotiate treaties that cede greater taxing andinlinewithitsposition,therecentamend- vocation suggests that the authorities have
that the Maldives Majlis election is a domestic issue. It was fought on issues of corruption, rights in the hope of higher investments. menttotheIndia-Mauritiustreatysignalsthe beenreasonable.Thus,fortreatymattersnow,
theeconomy,housing,employmentandshiftingpoliticalalliances.Theacquittalof Yameen, Whether it is legitimate for third countries to keenness to plug the well-known loophole. the concern may be if a similarly restrained
for example, likely helped firm up the ruling coalition. avail of such benefits by routing investments The amending protocol to the India- approachmaybeadopted.Thisisparticularly
The Indian government has done well not to overreact and to treat the attempts to dis- throughthepreferentialjurisdictionhasbeen Mauritius treaty may ensure that treaty ben- important since the principal purpose test
discussedwidely.IntheUnionofIndiavAzadi efits, which include lower withholding rates, (PPT) in the treaty expands the situations to
tanceMalefromDelhiwithsofthands.Ithasn’toverreactedtoprovocativestatementsfrom
Bachao, the Court was of the view that treaty willnotbegrantedwhereitcanbereasonably whichtheanti-avoidanceruleisapplicablein
members of Muizzu’s party in the recent past. A neighbour’s domestic politics are its own shopping is a necessary evil for a developing concludedthatobtainingthebenefitisoneof treaty-related transactions. Moreover, when
affairandasthepreeminentregionalpower,IndiamusttakethechurnsinMaldivianpolity economy. Two decades on, the norm and le- theprincipalpurposesof thetransaction.The the amendments to the Mauritius treaty and
in stride. If “India Out” is Muizzu’s calling card today, Solih was criticised often by his de- gal frameworks have changed dramatically. One of the key reforms it languageensuresthatthetaxadministration GAARwereintroduced,theinvestmentsmade
tractors for his perceived “India First” policy. Delhi must, of course, draw red lines on mat- The Base Erosion and Profit Shifting pro- initiated was the inclusion of canprobebasedonintent.Thishasbeenapar- prior to 2017 were grandfathered. There is
ters that undermine its security and core interests. Just 70 nautical miles from the Indian gramme was to end the use of low-tax juris- ticularlythornyissuewithrespecttofinancial doubt if that is also true for the PPT.
dictions for tax avoidance. Since then the a provision for prevention of flowsfromMauritius.Itisoftensuggestedthat Internationaltaxlawisturninganewpage
coast, the Maldives is and will be an important part of India’s Neighbourhood First policy
OECD — tasked with the redesign of interna- treaty abuse as a minimum taxpayersfromotherjurisdictionsroutetheir as treaties with serious revenue implications
and the government’s SAGAR initiative. No matter the government of the day in Male, it
tional tax laws to push forward such reform standard and an amendment investments through Mauritius. arebeingreformed.Thereisalsogrowingsup-
must continue to engage with the country. That is the surest way of making bilateral ties —hasdevelopedasetofbestpractices.Among The question often posed before courts is portfortheglobalminimumtaxthatincludes
“politics proof” in the long run.
of the preamble to the
these was the multilateral instrument (MLI) whether the tax residence certificate is a proposal on the subject to tax rule (STTR).
thatallowedcountriestheoptiontoselecttax treaties. The latter is to enough to grant the benefit. Legal changes STTRisatreaty-basedrulethatensuresatop-
treatiesandprovisionsthereinthatwouldbe prevent non-taxation or were necessary to examine the purpose of a uptaxonlow-taxedintra-grouptransactions
amendedsuitablyandswiftly.Theinstrument reduced taxation through tax transaction. It is expected that the amend- that are subject to corporate tax rates below

THE FIGHTER
received wide support.
Oneof thekeyreformsitinitiatedwasthe
inclusionofaprovisionforpreventionoftreaty
abuseasaminimumstandardandanamend-
Vinesh Phogat didn’t flinch in her fight against Brij Bhushan ment of the preamble to the treaties. The lat-
Singh. Her toughness will be on display at Paris Olympics teristopreventnon-taxationorreducedtax-
evasion, including treaty-
shopping arrangements that
provide benefits to residents
of other jurisdictions and
ments to the treaty allow the authorities to
movebeyondtheresidencycertificateandas-
sesstheprincipalpurposeofanarrangement.
Given that 16 per cent of FDI inflows in 2021-
22 were from Mauritius, the reform will im-
pact the composition of flows, as was ob-
the minimum of 9 per cent. These changes
could further impact the current practices of
using treaties to avail benefits. As India
changes its tax treaties, this amendment is
proof that the BEPS programme has indeed
shiftedthedirectionofpolicytoensureinvest-

V
ation through tax evasion, including
anti-abuse rules that will served after the amendments in 2017 when ment decisions are not all about tax.
INESH PHOGAT DIDN’T allow her far-from-ideal preparation to come in treaty-shopping arrangements that provide enable tax administrations to capital gains became taxable at source.
the way of her bagging the quota for the Paris Olympics later this year. benefitstoresidentsofotherjurisdictionsand deny treaty benefits. Indiantaxlawtooincludesageneralanti- The writer is associate professor, NIPFP
While her opponents had been sweating it out in training arenas around
the world, Vinesh was on the streets fighting a different battle. She was the
face of the protest over the removal of BJP MP and former wrestling chief Brij Bhushan

APRIL 23, 1984, FORTY YEARS AGO

Sharan Singh, who stands accused of sexually harassing six wrestlers. Remaining stead-
fast in the face of threats and slander, sleeping on footpaths to keep the flame of protest
burning, Vinesh now gets one more shot at her dream — an Olympic medal.
Receiving scarcely any support from the rest of the sporting community, she took the
case to the courts, demanding safety, dignity and respect for wrestlers, even as Brij
VIOLENCE IN PUNJAB besiegedLibyan Embassy in London.Thede-
cision was announced by Home Secretary
Both the central government and the Akali
circles now feel that there is a possibility of
Bhushan’s men continued to loom over the federation and make life difficult for her. THREE PERSONS WERE shot dead by terror- Leon Brittan after six days of intense negoti- an early settlement if the terrorists would
Proving her sporting credentials meant regaining mat sharpness and readying herself in ists, a man was beaten to death by some per- ations between the two countries failed to not create more complications for the
sons in the Golden Temple complex and 32 break the deadlock at the embassy where Akali leadership.
the trimmest weight categories while staying mentally sturdy. She endured health risks
passengers of a bus were looted near about 30 to 40 Libyan diplomats and others
from starving and dehydration, faced blackouts and dipping blood pressure in the mid-
dle of a bout, and underwent two knee surgeries and lonely rehabs to fight on the mat.
MukerianinHoshiarpurdistrictinthelast24
hours in Punjab. According to reports, a state
have been under police siege following the
killing of a British policewoman by gunfire
HIGH SEA ENCOUNTER
An injury would crop up at the worst moments, followed by surgery. She had to start transport bus from Patiala to Jammu was allegedly from inside the embassy. THIRTEEN TAMIL “TERRORISTS” and “terror-
from scratch with sceptics giving her no chance to return to peak power. stopped by four armed persons. ist recruits” were killed when a naval patrol
Vinesh was also painted as a villain who took others’ competition spots. At the event TALKS WITH MILITANTS openedfireonaboatloadofyouthswithinthe
where she secured the quota, she was still fighting to get her coach and physios accred- UK-LIBYA STANDOFF THE CONGRESS (I) high command has
surveillance zone set up along Sri Lanka’s
northern coast, an official release said. It said
ited.ButVineshhasmadeitclearthatsheremainsundeterredaboutpursuingherOlympic BRITAIN IS BREAKING off diplomatic rela- started consulting partymen from Punjab the naval patrol opened fire when the boat
dream. Cornered, the fearless wrestler took on the politically powerful Brij Bhushan. tions with Libya immediately and expelling to find an early solution to the Punjab prob- carrying the “terrorists” refused to stop even
Imagine what a tough competitor she will be at the Paris Olympics. all Libyan diplomats who are now inside the lem and restore popular rule in the state. after being intercepted.

THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2024
11 THE IDEAS PAGE
Climate’s new normal
Each generation’s understanding and acceptance of their environmental conditions are
constantly being lowered. It is an unacceptable inheritance to pass on
Bijal Vachharajani
WHENEVER WE RUN out of things to say, it’s
customary to turn towards the weather to
rescue us.
“So hot.”
“Too stuffy.”
“Look, it’s raining cats and dogs.”
Idiomsandanecdotesrolloff ourtongues,
andsuddenlywefindourselvesinterrafirma
in awkward social situations.
But now, the weather is awkward — a
rollercoasterof the climate crisisandour ac-
tions. We constantly seem to be vying to
break the hottest-year record annually, so
much so that even the Guinness World
Records might not be able to keep up with
this extraordinary feat.
Warmest January on record already.
Warmest 2023 since “global records began
in 1880” (NASA). 2024 seems to be all set to
beat this unenviable record. Delayed snow
in the Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions.
Indiaemergedas atopcontenderforclimate
hotspot in a study conducted by researchers
from the Indian Institute of Technology and
the University of Augsburg, Germany. Yet
again, we are witnessing a tsunami of heat
waves that the IMD has warned about.
Hottest days. Increased daytime tempera-
tures. And worse, rising death tolls, with so
many Indians not having the means or the
access to adapt to soaring temperatures.
That is the planet we are all set to
bequeath to the next generation. We pass
on many things to our children — property,
genes, traits, et al. But we are also
the generation that passes on a
climate-changed planet.
What would our last will and testament
look like? To me, it’s one that offers them an
inheritance of a better climate future.
Because a clean future is a right. One that the
Supreme Court of India recognised in March
—adistinctright “tobefreefromthe adverse
effects of climate change”.
While working on the picture book We
Hope: Children on Climate Change (Pratham
Books), my (former) colleague Smit Zaveri
and I combed through hundreds of forms
and letters written by children living in dif-
ferent habitats of India. From Agumbe, a
place that was once known as the
Cherrapunji of the south for its abundant
rainfall, 15-year-old Sathvik wrote, “There is
a lake near my house which has water only
duringthe monsoon. The restof thetime it is
dry due to the heat.” Thirteen-year-old Dilip
Mashya from Dahanu noted, “Our village
usedtolooklikeaforest.Nowitdoesnotlook
like a forest.”
Every entry was a cause for heartbreak.
Like when 15-year-old Atharva Raut from
Mumbai wrote, “My lungs are tired” and
MehranShafifromJammuandKashmir,allof
12, said, “I feel upset about my future on this
planet, because children have to face it the
mostandIamalsofeelingsorryfortheEarth.”
R G Chandramogan
KUMARASWAMI KAMARAJ SERVED as the
Chief Ministerof TamilNadu—MadrasState,
as it was then called — for nine-and-a-half
years, from April 13, 1954 to October 2, 1963.
Thatthedateof hisdemittingofficeandpass-
ingaway(onOctober2,1975)coincidedwith
Gandhi Jayanti perhaps encapsulates the
personality of this man who truly “served”
as CM of the state.
Kamaraj had no “parivar”, apart from his
widowed mother Sivagami Ammal, who
continued to stay in their hometown of
Virudhunagar even after he became CM. An
oft-told story recounts him visiting her and
seeing a pipeline with a tap installed at their
modest home by overenthusiastic officials.
Sivagami Ammal, like most others in
Virudhunagar, used to collect water in a pot
from a theru kuzhai or street pipe. A furious
Kamaraj ordered the disconnection of the
line. The municipality’s job was to provide
public, not private, water connections — and
Kamaraj was clear that his family wasn’t en-
titled to any special privilege.
Another story is of him going to
Courtallam and deciding to bathe in the fa-
mous waterfalls there. Kamaraj went with
twoconstablesandaninspector,whohadal-
ready cleared all other visitors out of the
place. Noticing the large number of people
beingforcedtostandoutside, Kamarajasked
the inspector to allow them in and attend to
hisworkatthepolicestation.Theideaof hav-
ing the Courtallam Falls all to himself and
making others wait till he had had enough
was repugnant to him.
But Kamaraj embodied not just personal
integrity and simplicity in public life. What
Burningfossilfuelshasmadeusallpyromani-
acs, culpable in our individual and collective
way, but especially to the next generation.
As we read, a pattern began to emerge.
We realised that while the concepts of cli-
mate change might not always be coherent
to students, they were keen observers of the
weather around them, ticking off “more
rain”, “more hot”, “flooding”, “water short-
age”, “animal extinction”, “pollution” and
“change in the time that flowers bloom”.
What made my heart sink was that, in-
creasingly, as research underscores across
theworld, their relationship with nature has
degenerated into something that’s either
transactional — as the provider of food, air,
water etc — or is anxiety-ridden. In the sec-
tion where thechildren wrote letterstoDear
Earth, most were apologetic about human
action and promised to do better. That’s not
thesortof burdenthathomework-grappling
children should have to deal with. Algebra’s
scary enough.
In 2023, UNICEF estimated that “76 per
cent of children in South Asia are exposed to
extreme high temperatures where 83 or
more days in a year exceed 35°C.” That’s 460
million children under the age of 18. And
that,“3in4childreninSouthAsiaarealready
exposedtoextremehightemperaturescom-
pared to only 1 in 3 children (32 per cent)
globally.” Additionally, each unprecedented
weather event is embedded with trauma
and stress. Our children are one of the most
vulnerable to the climate crisis.
Their present is already at stake, it’s a sad
fact that we’re already getting to witness the
adverse effects of climate change. As grown-
ups, we remember our weather heritage
from when we were children. The MRF Rain
Day predicting ads. The snowfall-time
holidays. The changing of the seasons,
heralding festivities, seasonal foods, and
wardrobe planning.
Buteachgeneration’sunderstandingand
A legacy to remember
What the modern, developed Tamil Nadu of today owes to K Kamaraj
also stood out were his common sense and
concernforpeople’swelfare,amplyreflected
in his governance approach.
Once,hewasgivenafiletoselectfivecan-
didates for admission to the government
medicalcollegesunderaspecialCMquota.He
returned the file within a couple of hours to
the then-chief secretary’s astonishment.
When the latter asked him how he had cho-
senthefivenamessofast,Kamarajrepliedthat
he initially looked for the parents’ signatures
in the applications. He then selected the first
fivecandidatesonlyfromtheapplicationsthat
hadthumbimpressionsinsteadof signatures
—knowingthattheseapplicantsrepresented
the first generation to receive education and
were, therefore, deserving of admission.
Onanotheroccasion,afilewaspresented
to him, seeking budget approval for a foreign
tour by officials to “study” town planning in
the US. Kamaraj’s response was that the of-
ficials concerned should first go to Madurai.
He wanted them to study how that city was
built during the 13th and 14th centuries by
thegreatPandyankings,withtheMeenakshi
Temple at the centre and all the streets radi-
ating from it. For him, the temple town of-
fered more valuable lessons than New York
or Chicago.
Kamaraj ran a tight administration to en-
surethatpublicmoneywaswellspent.There
were just eight ministers, including himself,
in each of his three terms. They were all peo-
ple of impeccableintegrity and competence.
Kamaraj barely had Rs 200 at the end of his
life. K Kakkan, who held the Agriculture and
Worksportfoliosunderhim,livedinarented
house, travelled only by bus and died in the
That is the planet we are all
set to bequeath to the next
generation. We pass on many
things to our children,
property, genes, traits, et al.
But we are also the
generation that passes on a
climate-changed planet.
What would our last will and
testament look like? To me,
it’s one that offers them an
inheritance of a better
climate future. Because a
clean future is a right. One
that the Supreme Court
of India recognised in March
— a distinct right ‘to be free
from the adverse effects of
climate change’.
verandaof agovernmenthospitalinMadurai
where he was admitted.
Kamaraj’s Cabinet also included the likes
of R Venkataraman, C Subramaniam and M
Bhaktavatsalam. Venkataraman went on to
be President of India, Subramaniam the
Union Food and Agriculture Minister (with-
out whom the country would not have had
aGreenRevolution) and Bhaktavatsalamthe
CM who succeeded Kamaraj.
Subramaniam was, incidentally, a pro-
tégé of Kamaraj’s arch rival C
Rajagopalachari.Butthatdidn’tstopKamaraj
from inducting Subramaniam as Finance
Minister in his Cabinet.
There is another incident that points to
him putting the interests of TN above every-
thingelse.Oncewhenacentralteamcameto
surveypotentialsitesforestablishingaboiler
plantofBharatHeavyElectricalsLtd(BHEL),its
members weren’t happy with the places
showntothembylocalofficials.Theywanted
a location that had enough water, was near a
railwaylineandnotfarfromacity,wherethe
familiesofemployeescouldlive.Theteamhad
practically decided to leave when Kamaraj
suggested a place — Thiruverumbur, on the
outskirts of Tiruchirappalli — that fulfilled all
the requirements. The BHEL factory complex
finallycameupthere.Kamarajcouldwellhave
insisted that the prestigious project come up
in Virudhunagar or Madurai!
It wasn’t BHEL alone. A host of other pub-
lic sector undertakings — the Integral Coach
Factory at Perambur, Heavy Vehicles Factory
at Avadi, Neyveli Lignite Corporation,
Hindustan Photo Films at Ooty and even IIT
Madras — were founded during his tenure.
C R Sasikumar
acceptance of their environmental condi-
tions are constantly being lowered — a phe-
nomenoncalledShiftingBaselineSyndrome.
That means a child in Delhi comes to con-
sider the soaring AQIs as a regular part of
winter, the donning of smog masks as much
a ritual as the airing of woollens and the eat-
ing of gajak and other winter foods. Or, a stu-
dent in Assam or Chennai expects frequent
school disruptions because of flooding. And
walking further and further for water in
Maharashtra is part of a daily routine for
some. In Bengaluru, children squint at pur-
ple skies heavy with smog when looking for
stars. Little wonder that I continuously have
classroom interactions where children sen-
soriallydescribetheircitywithnegativecon-
notations — suffocating like a grave, a pol-
luted chamber that’s claustrophobic, too
loud with horns and people complaining, it
reeks of cement, smoke, and garbage.
Thisisanewnormal.Anunacceptableone.
Last year, when I spoke to a groupof mid-
dle graders in Ahmedabad, I asked them
which passage from my book, A Cloud Called
Bhura (Talking Cub) in which a group of
tweensgoonaclimatequestagainstabrown
cloud of pollution, I should read from. They
had already read the book, so they began to
offer suggestions. The overwhelming one
was from the chapter, “When it Rains, It
Pours”, where the protagonists find them-
selves wading through a flash flood. As I fin-
ished,therewasanoutpouringfromthechil-
dren sharing their experiences of the floods
that year. Sometimes, as the grown-ups in
the room, what they expect us to do is listen.
So, I did.
Like, listen to 10-year-old Bethany from
Dimapur, for instance, who wrote, “I will try
to protect you, Earth, from this changing
weather.” Let us.
The Bengaluru-based writer is a children’s
author, editor and climate worrier
The industrial estates of Guindy, Ambattur
and Tiruvottiyur near Chennai — where TVS,
MRF, TI Cycles, Ashok Leyland, Enfield India
and other big private corporations set up
plants — were started or conceived when he
was CM. Kamaraj couldn’t have had a better
Minister of Industries than Venkataraman
and a Finance Minister like Subramaniam. It
was teamwork at its best.
The Kamaraj rule also saw 13 major irri-
gation dam projects being built — including
Lower Bhavani, Vaigai, Parambikulam,
Krishnagiri and Sathanur. No less were the
investments in the social sectors. During his
time, TN’s literacy rate rose from just about 7
per cent to 37 per cent. The nationwide mid-
day meal scheme for schoolchildren was in-
troduced first in TN by Kamaraj’s govern-
ment in 1960. He, in turn, got the idea from
his own Nadar community, which had initi-
ated such a programme to boost enrollment
at its Kshatriya Vidhyasala school
in Virudhunagar.
As irony would have it, Kamaraj and
Bhaktavatsalam both lost the 1967 Madras
State Assembly elections from their respec-
tive Virudhunagar and Sriperumbudur con-
stituencies. Subramaniam also suffered
defeat from his Gobichettipalayam
Lok Sabha seat.
But the deeds of great men are remem-
bered even after their time. The foundations
of what TN is today were laid by Kamaraj,
Venkataraman and Subramaniam. And they
cannot be forgotten.
The writer is chairman of the Chennai-based
Hatsun Agro Product Ltd
WHAT THE OTHERS SAY
“Mr Macron will step down in 2027, after serving two terms as president, and
the future of the centrist political movement he founded appears increasingly
unclear. Progressives need to find a way to make common cause, and through
doing so, a way to win.”
Myth of the
caged parrot
Investigative agencies are functioning according
to due procedures. They are not working at the
behest of the government
Gourav Vallabh
IN INDIAN POLITICS, accusations often fly
thickandfast,shapingpublicdiscourseand
perceptions. One particularly persistent
allegation levelled against the ruling party
is the notion that individuals associated
with it are granted immunity from legal
scrutiny, insinuating that joining the party
is a means to exoneration. However, such
claims are baseless and threaten the in-
tegrity of India’s legal system and demo-
craticprinciples.Thisarticleaimstocontest
theseallegationsbyhighlightingtherobust-
nessof India’slegalframeworkandprovid-
ing factual evidence regarding the opera-
tions of investigative agencies like the
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and
the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
TheCBI,oftenunderscrutinyforalleged
political bias, operates within a framework
of independence and impartiality.
According to official data, a small fraction
of the agency’s workload pertains to polit-
ical figures. Over the last 11 years, out of
10,622 preliminary inquiries and regular
cases, only a handful have involved politi-
cians. This statistic, representing approxi-
mately 1/1.5 per cent of the total cases, un-
dermines the claim of a politically
motivated modus operandi.
Moreover, many high-profile cases in-
volving politicians were not self-initiated
but were entrusted to the CBI by constitu-
tional courts. The agency operates within
theconstraintsofinternationalcooperation,
judicialstays,andthetechnicalnatureofev-
idence, which may extend investigations
over prolonged periods. This reality high-
lights the agency’s dedication to diligence
rather than political motivations.
Similarly, the ED, tasked with combat-
ingeconomiccrimes,operateswithacom-
mitment to upholding the law. Despite ac-
cusations of selective or politically driven
investigations, official data paints a differ-
entpicture.Outof almost6,260Prevention
of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) cases,
only149pertaintopoliticians,representing
a mere 2.3 per cent.Notably, investigations
into these cases have led to the identifica-
tion and attachment of proceeds of crime
worth over Rs 27,000 crore.
Investigations by the ED also extend to
high-profile bureaucrats, resulting in the
identification and attachment of proceeds
worth over Rs 16,000 crore. These figures
underscore the agency’s dedication to
impartiality and effectiveness in combat-
ing economic offences, irrespective of
political affiliations.
The data provided by both the CBI and
theEDdebunksthemythof politicalbiasin
theworkingof theseinvestigativeagencies.
These agencies operate within the frame-
work of the law and are guided by the prin-
ciples of impartiality and accountability.
Accusationsofpoliticalinterferencenotonly
underminethecredibilityof theseagencies
but also cast aspersions on the integrity of
India’s legal system.
Criticsof thejudiciary,apillarof democ-
racy, have also been unfair. Such criticisms,
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
EDUCATE AND ENROL
THIS REFERS TO the article, ‘The cost of
voter apathy’ (IE, April 22). India has a
significant number of young voters but
less than half are on electoral lists.
Factorssuchasvoterapathyandadmin-
istrative challenges are contributors to
low enrollment rates. To remedy this,
sustained enrollment efforts through-
outtheyear, particularly targetingtran-
sient populations, are necessary.
Politicaleducationandawarenesscam-
paigns that focus on raising awareness
and facilitating voter enrollment have
shown promising results.
Dattatray S Giri, Thane
A DELICATE BALANCE
THIS REFERS TO the article, ‘Cures, care,
competition’ (IE, April 22). The patents
of “novel” medicines have been plagia-
risedovertheyearsnotbecauseof alack
ofinnovationbutbecauseofthelaxlaws
governing patents around the world.
WhilethenewlawsinIndiaprotectintel-
lectual property, they do so at the ex-
pense of patients and public health. The
challenge for the policymakers here is
carefullystrikingabalancebetweenpro-
moting innovation and ensuring equi-
table access to affordable medicines.
Anirudh Singh, Bangalore
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
— THE GUARDIAN
regardlessoftheintentionsbehindthem,do
notalignwiththeaspirationtopropelIndia
towards greater prosperity and well-being.
Thejudiciary–givenitsroletosafeguardthe
ruleoflawandupholdjustice--isfundame-
ntaltoourdemocraticfabric.Whileconstru-
ctive criticism is essential for progress, un-
warranted attacks on the judiciary
undermine its independence and integrity.
Those truly committed to India’s advance-
ment recognise the importance of respect-
ing the judiciary, ensuring that justice pre-
vails for all and the nation’s sovereignty
remains unshaken.
Questioning the nation’s sovereignty in
pursuit of narrow political agendas is not
only irresponsible but also detrimental to
the unity and integrity of the nation. India’s
sovereignty is sacrosanct, safeguarded by
the collective will of its citizens and en-
shrined in the Constitution. To dispute this
sovereignty in pursuit of partisan gains is a
disservice to the democratic principles on
which the nation stands.
Individuals’ decisions to join political
parties stem from a variety of factors, dis-
tinct from any pending criminal cases they
may have. Ideological alignment, aspira-
tions for change and disillusionment with
current political affiliations often serve as
primary motivators. While legal matters
can influence public perception and polit-
ical viability, they rarely serve as the sole
determinant for joining or leaving a party.
People’s political choices are nuanced and
multifaceted, shaped by personal values,
socioeconomic considerations and
perceptionsof partyintegrityandeffective-
ness. Therefore, attributing party
affiliations solely to pending criminal
cases overlooks the intricate interplay of
individual motivations and the broader
sociopolitical landscape.
One such example of an individual
changing political parties due to a per-
ceived lack of vision and direction in their
former political party, and not because of
any criminal case, is this writer. He was at-
tracted to the party to which he was for-
merly affiliated because of its purported
ideals and promises for societal progress.
However, as time passed, this writer grew
increasingly disillusioned with the party’s
leadership and its inability to articulate a
coherent vision for the future. This transi-
tion was driven solely by his desire to align
with a political platform that offered
clearer direction and better-reflected val-
ues and aspirations. This example under-
scores the importance of visionary lead-
ership and ideological inclinations in
shaping political affiliations, distinct from
any legal considerations.
Allegations against the ruling party and
investigativeagenciesmustbeevaluatedon
factsandevidence.Thedataprovidedbythe
CBI and the ED paints a picture of agencies
dedicatedtoupholdingthelaw,irrespective
of political affiliations. Accusations of polit-
ical bias undermine the integrity of India’s
legalsystemanddemocraticprinciplesand
pose a threat to the fabric of democracy. All
stakeholders must uphold the sanctity of
India’sdemocraticinstitutionsandworkto-
wards the common good of the nation,
without succumbing to divisive rhetoric or
political opportunism.
The writer is professor of finance, Xavier
School of Management, Jamshedpur.
He joined BJP from Congress in the
first week of April
NETANYAHU MUST GO
THIS REFERS TO the editorial, ‘Arabia &
Persia matter’ (IE, April 22). For a
Palestinian state to exist, a continuous
geographical connection between the
West Bank and the Gaza Strip is neces-
sary. The October 7 attack has almost
ruled out this possibility as Israel can ill
afford to trust any outside agency for its
futuresecurity.Forameaningfulforward
movement, the right-wing Netanyahu
government must go. The theocratic
power structure in Tehran must also be
replaced by a more moderate entity.
Shubhada H, via email
IMMORAL VS ILLEGAL
THIS REFERS TO the editorial, ‘Playing
toanxieties’(IE,April20).Thecourtem-
phasisedthatunderHindulaw,anillicit
live-in relationship while one’s spouse
is alive contradicts legal provisions. In
another important case, S Khushboo vs
Kanniammal & Anr, SC observed
“Though theconceptof live-inrelation-
ship is considered immoral by the soci-
ety,itisnotillegalintheeyesof thelaw”.
By seeking to curb the freedom of the
individual, a few BJP-ruled govern-
ments imperil the larger freedoms of
constitutional democracy.
S S Paul, Nadia

12 EXPRESS NETWORK
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2024
BRIEFLY
NEW DELHI
Govtmustshift
fromregulator
tosupporter:
PKMishra
New Delhi: Principal
Secretary to the Prime
Minister Pramod Kumar
Mishra Monday said the
government has to be-
come a “supporter”
rather than a regulator. In
a virtual address, Mishra
said while the govern-
ment has been focusing
onfulfillingbasicneedsof
the people, since a large
section of the population
was living below the
poverty line,the expecta-
tion from the govern-
ment is very different to-
day. “For today’s
aspirational India, the
government has to be a
facilitator. From a regula-
tor we have to become a
supporter. And for this,
the deep-rooted beliefs
and attitudes have to be
changed. As custodian of
a vast human resource,
for the government of
India, this is the biggest
challenge”, he said. ENS
BIHAR
Womanfound
hanginginpolice
stationpremises
Bettiah: A woman, ar-
restedinconnectionwith
a murder case, was found
hanging inside the prem-
ises of a police station in
Bihar's West Champaran
district on Monday, anof-
ficer said. The accused
was arrested in connec-
tion with a dowry death
case and she was lodged
inthewomen'sbarrackat
Shikarpur police station
in Bettiah, the district
headquarters of West
Champaran. PTI
UTTAR PRADESH
2suffocateto
deathwhile
cleaningdrain
Muzaffarnagar: Two
labourers suffocated to
death while they were
cleaningadraininKidwai
Nagar locality here
Monday, officials said.
Those killed have been
identified as Sameer (70)
and Wajid (25), City
MagistrateVikasKashyap
told reporters. He said
their bodies have been
sent for a post-mortem
examination. PTI
Mumbai cops fish out gun used by Salman
residence shooter from Tapi river in Surat
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
SURAT, MUMBAI, APRIL 22
A 12-MEMBER team of the
Mumbai Crime Branch Monday
recovered a firearm — allegedly
usedinthefiringoutsideSalman
Khan’s home earlier this month
— from the Tapi river in Surat af-
ter a search operation, said offi-
cials. The search will continue
Tuesday to find another firearm
carried by the accused.
Senior police inspector Daya
IN BIHAR VILLAGE, MD. IRFAN, 34, IS KNOWN FOR SOCIAL WORK. HE ALSO FACES 19 CASES IN SIX STATES
‘Robin Hood of Bihar’ held after robbing Kochi house – of Robin Hood director
SHAJU PHILIP
& SANTOSH SINGH
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM,
PATNA, APRIL 22
HAVING DRIVEN all the way to
Kerala, the man known as the
“RobinHoodofBihar”reachedthe
neighbourhood of Panampally,
which he chose after Googling
“posh areas in Kochi”.
Armed with just a screw-
driver, he tried to break into two
houses at around midnight on
Friday, unsuccessfully. On his
third try, he emerged with gold
and diamond jewellery worth
around `1 crore.
But what Mohammed Irfan,
(Clockwise, from above) Former Vice President Venkaiah Naidu is conferred with the Padma
Vibhushan award by President Droupadi Murmu in the presence of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah; actor Mithun Chakraborty is awarded
the Padma Bhushan;singer Usha Uthup gets the Padma Bhushan; and Bharatnatyam
exponent Padma Subrahmanyam is conferred with the Padma Vibhushan. PTI
■ The Padma Vibhushan
was also awarded to Sulabh
International founder, the late
Bindeshwar Pathak.
Karnataka man hires
Rajnath
TEEN AMONG 4 MURDERED IN GADAG
hails bravery, ‘iron
gang to kill family but will’ of soldiers in Siachen
they murder guests;
cops nab him, 7 others
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
BENGALURU, APRIL 22
KARNATAKA POLICE claimed to
havecrackedtheApril19murder
of four people in Gadag town
with the arrest of eight suspects,
including the alleged kingpin of
the plot that went awry, Vinayak
Bakale,whoisthehalf-brotherof
oneofthevictims,KarthikBakale.
Police said a dispute over
property between Vinayak and
his father Prakash Bakale was at
thecentreofthe“contractkilling”,
inwhichthreerelativesofKarthik
losttheirlivesduetomisidentity.
Karthik, Parashuram
Hadimani (55), his wife Lakshmi
(45),andtheirdaughterAkanksha
(16), were hacked to death in the
earlyhoursonApril19atBakales’
house in Dasara Oni in Gadag
town. Police said the Hadimani
family had come to attend
Karthik’s engagement ceremony
andtheygotkilledastheassailants
presumedthemtobeBakales.
Karthik, 27, was the son of
Gadag-Betgeri city municipal
council vice-president Prakash
Bakale and his second wife
Sunanda; and the alleged king-
pin, Vinayak, 31, police said, is
Hanif Malek
The search team on Monday
Nayak also travelled to Surat for
thesearchoperation.Apartfrom
police officers from Surat, local
34, didn’t know at the time was
that the house belonged to
renowned Malayalam movie di-
rector Joshiy, whose 2009 film
Robin Hood, starring Prithviraj
Sukumaran,alsotoldthestoryof
a clever thief.
Irfan was arrested within 15
hours of the burglary, with the
Kochi police tracking him to
Karnataka’sUdupi,wherethelo-
cal police detained him. On
Monday, he was brought back to
Kochi, and a magistrate court
sent him to police custody for
three days.
Kochi City Police
Commissioner S Syamsundar
said police were able to track
him after his vehicle, with
PADMA AWARDS CONFERRED
■ UP ex-governor Ram Naik
and industrialist Sitaram Jindal
were among those conferred
with the Padma Bhushan.
Vinayak
Bakale had
a property
dispute with
his father
Prakash’s son from his first wife
who allegedly hired contract
killers to eliminate the three
(Karthik, Prakash and Sunanda),
IG (Northern Range) Vikash
Kumar said.
TheIGsaidVinayak, a realtor,
with the help of one Jishan
struck a deal with a gang from
Miraj, Maharashtra, to eliminate
his kin over a property dispute
by promising them Rs 65 lakh
‘supari’, of which Rs 2 lakh he
paid in advance.
Besides Vinayak, others ar-
rested have been identified as
Fairoz (29), Jishan (24), Sahil
Ashpak Khaji (19), Sohail Ashpak
Khaji(19),SultanJilaniSheikh(23),
Mahesh Jagannath Salunke (21),
and Waheed Liyaqat Bepart (21).
Police said they arrested the
accused from Maharashtra, Goa,
and Karnataka. “Vinayak had
sold some properties without
consulting his father, leading to
differences,” apolice officer said.
divers and fishermen helped the
team in the operation.
VickyGupta(24)andSagarPal
(21), the two accused who were
arrested last week from a temple
inBhujforallegedlyfiringoutside
theBollywoodactor’shouseatthe
GalaxyApartmentinBandraarea
ofMumbai,carriedtwoweapons
tocommitthecrime,saidofficials.
According to police officials,
the search operation was initi-
atedafterGuptaandPalsaidthat
they disposed of the weapons in
the river while escaping to Bhuj.
Maharashtra registration, was
spottedbyanautomaticnumber
plate recognition (ANPR) cam-
era installed in the city.
“He used a screwdriver to
break into the house through a
window without crossbars. The
safe at the house was open, so it
was easy for him to take the or-
naments,” he said. “He uses only
a screwdriver... his car did not
have any weapon when it was
seizedinUdupi.Asperourinfor-
mation, Irfan is involved in 19
cases in six states. He had been
jailed on a few occasions, most
recently in Goa,” the commis-
sioner said.
At his native Garha Jogia vil-
lage, in the Pupri area of Bihar’s
■ Padma Shri awardees
included tennis player Rohan
Bopanna and philanthropist
Kiran Nadar.
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
IN HIS second visit to Siachen
since 2019, Defence Minister
Rajnath Singh Monday assessed
the security situation at the gla-
cier and told soldiers that their
acts of bravery and “iron-clad
will” in the icy-cold heights will
be remembered with pride.
Singh was scheduled to visit
theglacierlastmonthduringHoli.
The visit was postponed due to
poor weather. Subsequently, he
visitedLeh,fromwherehespoke
to soldiers in Siachen over the
phone and told them that he
would soon come to visit.
OnMonday,hecalledSiachen
the capital of courage, grit and
determination. “In the times to
come, when the history of na-
tionalsecurityiswritten,theacts
of bravery and iron-clad will of
oursoldiersintheicycoldglacier
will be remembered with pride.
It will forever be an inspiration
for future generations,” he said.
Siachen — referred to as the
world’s highest battlefield — is
marked by extreme weather
with frequent avalanches and
temperatures dipping to minus
50 degrees Celsius in winters.
Karnataka CID to probe college student
murder, special court to take up case: CM
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
BENGALURU, APRIL 22
THE KARNATAKA government
Monday handed the probe into
the murder of a Congress corpo-
rator’s daughter on a college
campus to the Criminal
Investigation Department (CID).
This came amid protests by BJP,
with Muslim outfits too observ-
ing a bandh against the murder.
Karnataka Chief Minister
Siddaramiahtoldmediapersons
in Shivamogga that the investi-
gation into the “Hubballi inci-
dent will be handed over to the
CID. We will form a special court
to ensure a chargesheet (is filed)
Irfan was arrested in
Karnataka’s Udupi, within
15 hours of the burglary
Sitamarhidistrict,Irfanisknown
to engage in social service by
Rajnath at Siachen base camp in Ladakh on Monday. PTI
Around35,000troopsarede-
ployed in high-altitude areas
across the Army’s eastern and
northern commands together.
Over2,000soldiersarepostedin
Siachen and surrounding areas.
More than 1,100 soldiers have
died defending it over the years.
Singh’s first visit to the area
came in 2019, soon after he took
Dharwad-based Anjuman-e-Islam during a protest against
the murder of Neha Hiremath, on Monday. ANI
and trial of the case is concluded
in a time-bound manner”.
Neha, 21, the daughter of
Congresscorporatorof Hubballi-
DharwadMunicipalCorporation
helping the poor with wedding
expenses and medical bills.
According to local residents,
he has also helped repair roads
anddrainsatseveralvillages,and
served as the mukhiya of Pupri’s
Manikpur Mushaharniya pan-
chayat between 2016 and 2021.
In 2021, his wife was elected to
the Zila Parishad from Pupri.
“Irfan faced several cases of
gold theft in other states, but he
was not involved in any major
caseinBihar.Heusedtoselljew-
ellery at the local level,” a
Sitamarhi police officer said.
Ahead of Friday night’s bur-
glary in Kochi, Irfan drove to the
city from Bihar in a car that was
marked “District Panchayat
over as Defence Minister.
The second visit comes close
on the heels of the 40th anniver-
sary of Operation Meghdoot,
which the Army launched in
SiachenonApril13,1984,totake
control of the glacier. “The suc-
cess of Operation Meghdoot is a
matter of pride for all of us,” the
Defence Minister said.
Niranjan Hiremath, was a first-
year Masters student at BVB
College, Hubballi. She was
stabbed to death on April 18 al-
legedly by former classmate
President”.
Police found a blurry CCTV
imageof acarinthelocalityafter
the theft at Joshiy’s house was
reported to a local police station
Saturday morning, said Kochi
Deputy Commissioner of Police
K S Sudarsan.
“Later,anANPRcamerainthe
city provided the car number...
Investigation showed that this
particular car had crossed the
Kerala-Karnataka border at
Thalappady near Mangaluru at
2.25 pm on Saturday. On being
alerted by the Kerala police, the
Karnatakapoliceinterceptedthe
car at Kota, near Udupi,” he said.
The DCP said Irfan left Bihar
a week ago, and reached Kochi
HC cancels
appointment of
25K teachers,
CM says illegal
ATRI MITRA
KOLKATA, APRIL 22
ADIVISIONbenchof theCalcutta
HighCourtMondaycancelledthe
appointment of 25,753 teachers
and non-teaching staff made
throughthe StateLevelSelection
Test (SLST) 2016 in schools spon-
sored and aided by the West
Bengal government. The court
alsoorderedthemtoreturntheir
salaries with interest, and asked
the state’s School Service
Commission (SSC) to initiate a
fresh appointment process.
More than 23 lakh candi-
dates had appeared for the SLST
2016 for 24,640 vacant posts.
Thebench,formedbytheChief
Justiceof theHighCourtondirec-
tionsoftheSupremeCourt,heard
350petitionsandappealsrelating
to the selection of teachers of
classes 9, 10, 11 and 12 and group
CandDstaffersthroughSLST2016.
The CBI had earlier arrested
former state education minister
ParthaChatterjeeoverallegedir-
regularities in recruitment.
At a rally in Raiganj, Chief
MinisterMamataBanerjeecalled
the court order “illegal” and said,
“Our government will stand for
those who lost their jobs and we
willappealbeforeahighercourt.”
The Bench, led by Justice
Debangsu Basak, observed that
the OMR sheets were manipu-
lated, making the recruitments
illegal. “We have no other way
but to cancel the whole recruit-
ment panel,” Justice Basak said.
The Bench, also comprising
Justice Md Shabbar Rashidi, said,
“All appointments granted in the
selectionprocessesinvolved,being
violativeofArticles14and16ofthe
Constitution of India, are declared
nullandvoidandcancelled.”
“We would rather have per-
sons of integrity appointed as
teachers through an untainted
selection processratherthanex-
posestudentstoelementssecur-
ing appointments through an
unscrupulousselectionprocess,”
the Bench observed.
“Persons who had been ap-
pointed outside the panel after
expiry of the panel, as also those
who submitted blank OMR
sheets but obtained appoint-
Fayaz Khodunaik for rejecting
his advances.
The parents of the accused
Monday demanded “stringent
punishment” for their son.
The incident on the college
campus has given ammunition
to the BJP to corner Congress
aheadof theLokSabhapolls. BJP
leaders in Karnataka termed it a
case of “love jihad”.
Muslim organisations called
for bandh over the killing.
Dharwad-based Anjuman-e-
Islam chief Esmail Tamatgar said
allbusinessmenfromtheMuslim
community will observe a bandh
from10amto3pmMonday.
BJP student wing ABVP held
protests in Bengaluru.
just hours before the burglary.
His car had passed the toll plaza
in Thrissur, around 80 kilome-
tres from Kochi, at 11.20 pm on
Friday.
“He was involved in another
theft in Thiruvananthapuram in
2021. Police had identified him
as the culprit. At that time,
though, he could not be ar-
rested,” he said.
Sudarsan said the police
wouldquestionIrfantoascertain
whether he had local support.
“There was no particular reason
for targeting Joshiy’s house. He
had made two unsuccessful at-
tempts in the same area that
night before the attempt at
Joshiy’s house,’’ the DCP said.
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee
at a rally in in North Dinajpur
district on Monday. PTI
ments, must return all remuner-
ations and benefits received by
themtothestateexchequeralong
with interest calculated at 12 per
cent per annum within a period
of four weeks,” the Bench said.
“The CBI will interrogate all
persons who received appoint-
ments... CBI will undertake fur-
ther investigations with regard
to the persons involved in the
stategovernmentapprovingcre-
ation of supernumerary posts to
accommodate illegal appoint-
ments,” the court said.
Highlightingtheillegalitiesin
therecruitmentprocess,thecourt
stated, “SSC had appointed an
agency namely M/s NYSA for the
purposeofscanningandevaluat-
ing the OMR sheets by a closed-
door tender process, in violation
of Articles 14 and 16 of the
Constitution. Such agency had
engagedanotheragencynamely
Data Scantech to scan the OMR
sheets. Although scanning was
doneattheofficepremisesofSSC,
it is claimed by SSC that they had
never engaged Data Scantech to
scan the OMR sheets or autho-
rised M/s NYSA to engage Data
Scantech or any other agency.”
It added, “SSC had destroyed
the original OMR sheet... without
thescannedmirrorimagesbeing
preserved in the server...
Appointments higher than the
declared vacancies had been
given in respect of all four cate-
gories. Appointments had been
given to persons who were not
even in the panel and to persons
who submitted blank OMR
sheets. Persons placed lower in
rankhadbeengivenappointment
in preference to persons placed
higher in rank in the merit list...”
Delhi HC seeks
CBI stand on
Harsh Mander
plea against
FCRA case
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
THEDELHIHighCourtonMonday
sought the CBI’s stand in a plea
moved by Harsh Mander and an
organisationledbyhim,Centrefor
Equity Studies (CES), seeking the
quashing of an FIR registered
againstthem,forallegedviolation
of the Foreign Contribution
(Regulation)Act(FCRA).
AsinglejudgebenchofJustice
VikasMahajanissuednoticetothe
Central Bureau of Investigation
(CBI), sought a status report from
the agency and listed the matter
for hearing on August 29.
During the hearing, the CBI’s
counsel said that no coercive ac-
tion would be taken against
Mander and the CSE till the next
date of hearing. While making
the oral submission, the counsel
requested the court not to take
the same on record.
On January 31, the CBI regis-
tered a case against the organi-
sation and Mander, chairperson
of the organisation.
In the FIR, complainant
InspectorVishalhassaidthepre-
liminary inquiry was registered
on April 13 last year on a written
complaintreceivedfromDirector
(MHA)JeetendarChadhaagainst
Aman Biradari Trust, Delhi; CES,
Delhi; Oxfam India, Delhi and
Action Aid Association, Delhi re-
garding violation of the FCRA.
Theorganisationhasclaimed
before the HC that the FIR is
vague and seems to have been
filed “without any application of
mind to the ingredients of the
penal provisions.”

13 ECONOMY
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2024
SENSEX: 73,648.62 ▲ 560.29 (0.77%) NIFTY: 22,336.40 ▲ 189.40 (0.86%) NIKKEI: 37,438.61 ▲ 370.26 HANG SENG: 16,511.69 ▲ 287.55 FTSE: 8,036.74 ▲ 140.89 DAX: 17,851.48 ▲ 114.12
BRIEFLY
Insolvency
proceedings
against Chandra
New Delhi: The National
Company Law Tribunal
(NCLT) on Monday ordered
insolvency proceedings
againstmediabaronSubhash
Chandra on a plea filed by
IndiabullsHousingFinance.A
two-member Delhi bench of
theNCLTdirectedinitiationof
personalinsolvencyproceed-
ings against Zee
Entertainment Enterprises
Ltd Chairman Chandra, who
was a guarantor for a loan
given to Essel group firm
Vivek Infracon Ltd. PTI
FSSAItocheck
qualityofspices
soldinIndia
New Delhi: Food safety regu-
latorFSSAIhasstartedtaking
samples of spices in powder
form of all brands, including
MDH and Everest, in view of
quality concerns flagged by
Singapore and Hong
Kong.PTI
CCItoconduct
detailed
studyonAI
New Delhi: Competition
Commissionof India(CCI)on
Monday invited request for
proposals from entities to
carry out a detailed market
study on artificial intelli-
gence and its impact on
competition that will cover
various aspects. PTI
Vodafone Idea FPO:
Subscribed 6.36 times
amid market volatility
ENSECONOMICBUREAU
MUMBAI, APRIL 22
VODAFONE IDEA’S (VIL) Rs
18,000crorefollow-on-publicof-
fer (FPO), the largest in the coun-
try, was oversubscribed on
Monday amid volatile market
conditions.
The FPO was subscribed 6.36
times on April 22, the final day of
bidding.Investorsofferedbidsfor
8,012.29 crore equity shares as
against1,260croresharesoffered
by the telecom player in the FPO,
asperthedataavailableoftheex-
changes. The retail portion of the
FPO was subscribed 0.92 times.
Retail investors picked 576 crore
shares as against their allotted
quota of 630 crore shares.
The qualified institutional
buyers (QIBs) portion, which in-
cluded foreign institutional in-
vestors (FIIs), domestic financial
institutionssuchasbanks,finan-
Sebi finds Adani offshore Need de-bottlenecking, structural changes
investors in disclosure for India’s solar sector: Vikram Solar CMD
rules violation: Report AMITABH SINHA
REUTERS
MUMBAI, APRIL 22
MARKETS REGULATOR
Securities and Exchange Board
of India (Sebi) found a dozen
offshore funds invested in
Adani group companies were in
violation of disclosure rules and
in breach of investment limits,
two people with direct knowl-
edge of the matter said on
Monday.
They declined to be named
as they not authorised to speak
to media. The Sebi and the
Adani Group did not immedi-
ately respond to emailed re-
quests for comment.
Reuters had first reported
that Sebi has uncovered viola-
tion of rules on disclosures by
listed entities and limits on the
holdings of offshore funds in
August last year.
The regulator was also look-
ing into Adani Group’s ties with
one of the funds to determine
whether it could be seen acting
“in concert” with the conglom-
erate’s key shareholders, an ac-
cusation Adani has rejected in
the past. The regulator earlier
this year sent notices to a dozen
CONSOLIDATED ANNUAL REVENUE CROSSES `10 LAKH CRORE MARK
Reliance Q4 profit stays flat,
recommends `10 dividend
ENS ECONOMIC BUREAU
MUMBAI, APRIL 22
WITH TAX expenses rising
sharply, Reliance Industries Ltd
(RIL) on Monday reported a flat
growth in consolidated net
profit at Rs 21,243 crore for the
quarter ended March 2024
(Q4) as against Rs 21,227 crore
in the same period of last year,
showing a marginal growth of
0.1 per cent. The net profit at-
tributable to the owners of the
company declined by 1.80 per
cent to Rs 18,951 crore during
the latest quarter from Rs
19,299 crore a year ago.
Gross revenue rose by 10.8
per cent to Rs 264,834 crore
during the March quarter as
against Rs 238,957 crore last
year.
The company’s consoli-
dated revenue for the full FY24
crossed the Rs 10 lakh crore
mark from Rs 9.74 lakh crore in
FY23. It also became the first
Indian company to cross the Rs
100,000-crore threshold in
pre-tax profits. Tax expenses
increased sharply by 138.8 per
cent year-on-year to Rs 6,577
crore due to availing of tax
credits in the corresponding
quarter of the previous year.
The RIL board also an-
nounced a dividend of Rs 10 per
share for FY24.
RIL’s digital arm Jio
Platforms Ltd posted a 12 per
cent increase in net profit at Rs
5,583 crore for the Q4 as
cial institutions (FIs) and insur-
ance companies, got oversub-
scribed 17.56 times, with in-
vestors bidding for 6,321 crore
equitysharesasagainst360crore
on offer. Non-institutional in-
vestors (NIIs) bought 4.13 times
of their allotted quota of shares.
The FPO opened for public
subscriptionfromApril18toApril
22. The price band was set at Rs
10-11 per share. The shares
VodafoneonMondayendedatRs
12.89apiece,down0.23percent.
Last week, the telecom oper-
atorraisedRs5,400crorefromin-
stitutionalinvestorsfromthean-
chorbook.Thecompanyallotted
490.9 crore shares to 74 funds at
Rs 11 apiece, which was the up-
per end of the price band.
Of the total allocation to an-
chorinvestors,79.52crorestocks,
or 16.2 per cent of the total, were
allocatedtofivedomesticmutual
funds through a total of 11
schemes.
REPORTINGFUNDS
■ Earlier this year, Sebi
sent notices to a dozen
Adani group’s offshore
investors outlining the
charges and asking
them to explain their
positions on the
disclosure violations
and breach of
investment limits
Adani group’s offshore in-
vestors outlining the charges
and asking them to explain
their positions on the disclosure
violations and breach of invest-
ment limits, the sources said.
“The offshore funds were re-
porting their investment in
Adani group companies at indi-
vidual fund level. Regulator
wanted the disclosure of hold-
ing at offshore fund group
level,” said the first of the two
sources.
Eight of these offshore funds
have approached the regulator
via written request to settle the
charges by paying a penalty
without admission of guilt, the
sources added.
Gross revenue rose by 10.8 per cent to Rs 264,834 crore. File
against Rs 4,984 crore a year
ago. Revenue rose by 13.3 per
cent to Rs 33,835 crore from Rs
29,871 crore in the March 2023
quarter.
Reliance Retail recorded an
11.7 per cent rise in net profit at
Rs 2,698 crore for the march
quarter as against Rs 2,415
crore a year ago while revenue
increased by 10.6 per cent to Rs
76,627 crore from Rs 69,267
crore.
“Initiatives across RIL’s busi-
nesses have made a remarkable
contribution towards fostering
growth of various sectors of the
Indian economy. It is hearten-
ing to note that alongside
strengthening the national
economy, all segments have
posted a robust financial and
operating performance. This
has helped the company
‘Surge in searches for spiritual,
offbeat destinations’
Indians are travelling more frequently, with
growing searches for spiritual destinations, as per
a MakeMyTrip report
SPIRITUAL DESTINATIONS
SOARING, ESPECIALLY IN TIER-2
AND TIER-3 CITIES:
Ayodhya:
Ujjain:
Badrinath:
TRAVELLING INTERNATIONALLY
■ Dubai,Bangkok,and
Singaporeremainthetopthree
mostsearcheddestinations
■ London,Toronto,and
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
INDIA HAS the potential to ab-
sorb even 1,000 GW of installed
solar power capacity, but struc-
tural changes, de-bottlenecking
of processesandeasyavailability
of low-cost finance are essential
for the rapid growth of solar sec-
tor in the country, Gyanesh
Chaudhary, chairman and man-
aging director of Vikram Solar,
one of India’s largest solar pho-
tovoltaicmanufacturers,hassaid.
In an interview with The
Indian Express, Chaudhary said
Indiawouldhavetoinstall“hun-
dreds and hundreds” of GW of
solar power in the coming
decades to reach net-zero (car-
bon emissions) target (by 2070),
butitwouldnotbepossibleatthe
current pace of solarisation.
“In fact, 2070 is beyond our
lifetime. I guess, we will have to
reachnetzeromuchsoonerthan
that. And there is going to be a
huge demand for electricity,
mainly solar power. We are a
growing nation with a very low
per capita energy consumption
level. It has to increase. We are
just beginning to industrialise.
The energy demand is going to
shoot up rapidly. I think we
achieve multiple milestones,”
said RIL Chairman and
Managing Director Mukesh D.
Ambani.
“Performance of the digital
services segment has been
boosted by accelerated expan-
sion of subscriber base, sup-
ported by both mobility and
fixed wireless services,” he
added.
On its oil business, Ambani
said, “strong demand for fuels
globally, and limited flexibility
in refining system worldwide,
supported margins and prof-
itability of the O2C (oil-to-
chemicals) segment.
Downstream chemical indus-
try experienced increasingly
challenging market conditions
through the year.”
The KG-D6 block has
achieved 30 MMSCMD of pro-
585%
359%
343%
NewYorkholdthefortfor
long-haultravel
■ Offbeatdestinations
likeHongKong,Kazakhstan,
Gyanesh Chaudhary,
Chairman and MD of
Vikram Solar. File
shouldbelookingat1,000GWof
installed solar capacity itself.
India would be able to absorb
that much, may be more,”
Chaudhary said.
Indiahasjustabout75GWof
installed solar power capacity
rightnow,andhasfallenwaybe-
hind its initial target of reaching
100 GW of solar power capacity
bytheyear2022.Thenexttarget
is to achieve 450 GW of installed
renewable energy capacity by
the year 2030. The targeted con-
tribution of solar energy to this
450GWisnotspecifiedbutisex-
pected to account for a bulk of it.
Chaudhary, whose company
E
E X P L A I NE D
Crossing
`1 lakh-cr
● mark
RELIANCE Industries be-
came the first Indian
company to cross the Rs
100,000-crore threshold
in pre-tax profits. Tax ex-
penses increased sharply
by 138.8 per cent year-
on-year to Rs 6,577 crore
due to availing of tax
credits in the correspon-
ding quarter of the previ-
ous year.
duction and now accounts for
30 per cent of India’s domestic
gas production, he said.
Akash M Ambani, Chairman
of Reliance Jio Infocomm said,
“continued acceleration in
growth of JioAirFiber sub-
scriber base and ramp-up of
digital services will sustain in-
dustry-leading growth for Jio.”
On Reliance’s retail venture,
executive director Isha M.
Ambani said the company con-
tinues to invest and innovate
across formats and products to
improve customer value
proposition and serve evolving
consumer needs.
“Robust expansion and
growth of our retail business
signifies our commitment to
customer centricity and confi-
dence in India’s consumption
story,” she added.
25% Increaseinthe
numberofpeople
takingoverthreetripsayear
64% Familytravel
bookings
23% Solo
travel
97% Increaseinsearches
forspiritualtourism
■ Thereportalsofindsthat
weekendgetawayscontinue
tobeafavourite,withJim
CorbettNationalPark
witnessinga131percentrise
insearchesin2023ascompared
to2022.
■ HillstationslikeOoty
andMunnararealsopopular
choices,especiallyforthose
fromthesouthernpartofthe
country.
Source: MakeMyTrip/PTI
Bhutan,Azerbaijan,
Vietnam,andGeorgiahaveall
seensignificantgrowthlast
year
isheadquarteredinKolkata,said
whatIndiahadsofardoneisonly
to demonstrate its potential.
“Wehavedonewellsofar,but
to get to where we need to be, a
lot of structural changes would
needtohappen.Rightnow,there
are a lot of controls that have
been set up, of which only a few
are useful. Many of them are not
in keeping with the needs and
timesof today.Thereisalotof de-
bottlenecking that has to hap-
pen,” he said, adding that the
changes were required more in
the processes than in policies.
Asked to identify some of
these changes that are required,
Chaudhary said, “There is a lot of
government intervention, gov-
ernmentinvolvementinthebid-
ding process, for example, or in
creating this demand for solar
power. I think rather than inter-
vening, and getting closely in-
volved, the government should
restrict itself to being just a facil-
itator. It should only be creating
the appetite.”
Chaudhary said the solar in-
dustry was unlike many other
power producing facilities that
wereinfrastructure-heavy.Solar
was more about getting the eco-
nomic model right.
“When you are setting up a
thermalpowerstation,forexam-
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
GOLD USD RATE OIL SILVER
`73,650 `83.37 $87.77 `85,500
Note: Gold, silver rates at Delhi spot market, gold per 10g, silver per 1 kg; Crude oil (Indian basket) as of April 19
International market data till 1900 IST
INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION REPORT:
‘Over 70% workers globally
exposed to excessive heat,
India’s manual labour at risk’
AANCHALMAGAZINE REPORTED DEATHS GLOBALLY: 1970-2019
NEWDELHI,APRIL22
By weather By country income
OVER 70 per cent of all workers
event classification
globally are exposed to excessive
Lower-
heat due to rising temperatures Extreme Flood Landslide Low income
andagrowinglabourforce,mark- Temp 16% 2% middle- 29%
9% income
inganincreaseof 34.7percentin
53%
exposureestimatesinthe20-year
period between 2020 and 2000,
as per a report titled ‘Ensuring
safety and health at work in a
changing climate’ by the High- Upper-middle-
InternationalLabourOrganization
(ILO) released Monday.
Drought
34%
Storm
39%
income
6%
income
12%
In hot and rural regions of
countries like India, epidemics of
chronic kidney disease of un-
known aetiology (CKDu) are af-
(DALYs)areattributabletoexces-
siveheatalone,theILOreportsaid.
18,960work-relateddeathsannu-
ally due to non-melanoma skin
fectinglargenumbersof workers Out of a total global workforce of canceralone,theILOsaid.Around
conductingheavymanuallabour, 3.4 billion workers, at least 2.41 1.6 billion outdoor workers face
the UN-agency said in its report billionworkersareexposedtoex- increased risk of exposure to air
citing data from a study. cessive heat every year, report pollution, it added.
Lastweek,theUnionMinistry added. The deaths from other occu-
of Labour and Employment had “Billions of workers are ex- pational hazards are higher: pes-
issuedanadvisorytoallstatesand posedeveryyeartohazardsexac- ticide poisoning (over 300,000),
union territories to safeguard erbated by climate change, and workplace air pollution
workers at factories, mines, con- these figuresare only likely to get (>860,000), solar UV radiation
structionsitesfromtheheatwave
citing the recently issued alert on
worse…As climate change haz-
ardsevolveandintensify,itwillbe
(>18,960 due to non-melanoma
skin cancer alone) and parasitic
anupcomingheatwaveinvarious
parts of the country by the India
necessary to re-evaluate existing
legislation or create new regula-
and vector-borne diseases
(>15,170), the ILO said.
Meteorological Department
(IMD). The Ministry has asked
tionsandguidance.Someworker
populations may be especially
Climate change can have a
negativeimpactonemployment,
states/union territories to ensure vulnerabletotheeffectsofclimate including job losses, damage to
availability of drinking water, change and could therefore need business assets and business in-
reschedulingof workinghoursof extra protections,” the ILO said. terruptions,decreasedlabourpro-
the workers, and other suitable In 2020, there were an esti- ductivity and forced migration.
measurestoprotectthelabourers mated26.2millionpersonsliving The ILO said climate change
from the scorching heat. with chronic kidney disease due threatensecosystemsandthe1.2
Everyyear,anestimated22.85 to exposure to excessive heat at billionjobsthatdependonthem,
million occupational injuries, work. Around 1.6 billion workers suchasfarming,forestryandfish-
18,970 deaths and 2.09 million are exposed annually to solar ul- ing. FULLREPORTON
disability-adjusted life years traviolet(UV)radiation,withover www.indianexpress.com
‘Sustained
growth of
7% feasible
for India’
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
SUSTAINING THE economic
growth momentum of 7 per
cent in 2024-25 and beyond is
feasible on the back of favorable
monsoon, higher farm produc-
tivity and improved global
trade, RBI Monetary Policy
Committee (MPC) member
Shashanka Bhide said on
Monday.
During 2023-24, the econ-
omy is likely to record a growth
rate of near 8 per cent on ac-
count of good performance of
manufacturing and infrastruc-
ture sectors.
“(India’s economic) Growth
in the current year is likely to be
supported by agriculture with
a favourable monsoon and im-
proved global trade. Sustaining
the growth momentum of 7 per
cent seems feasible,” he told PTI.
ple,youneedtocreatethewhole
infrastructurearoundtheturbine
boiler genset process. It is like a
largescale industry. The deploy-
mentof solarisnotlikethat.Solar
is more about a finance model
thatworks.Itneedsaverydiffer-
ent kind of treatment,” he said.
“A 1,000 MW solar power
plant, let’s say, requires about
3,000 acres of land. The govern-
ment needs to make sure that
thisprocessof landacquisitionis
simplified as much as possible,
and the approvals are fast-
tracked.Therearemanyotherar-
eas where things need to move
quickly,” he said.
Chaudhary said the pace of
solarisationinIndiahadtomove
in a different trajectory.
“We are doing about 10-12
GW of solar installations every
year. Right now, there are about
30-35 GW of projects that have
already been awarded, but are
yet to come onboard. So, just to
clear this backlog, our rate of in-
stallation has to increase about
bythreetimes.Butwehavetodo
much more, at least 40-50 GW
installation every year. Look at
China. It is doing about 150 GW
of solar every year. Our total in-
stallationsofaris75GW,”hesaid.
FULLREPORTON
www.indianexpress.com
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2024
Classifieds
PERSONAL
I, Chowdhary Zahida Kabir D/o
Shri Kabiruddin Choudhary R/o
313/73-L (New No-133), 3rd
Floor, Anand Nagar, Delhi-
110035 have changed my name
to Choudhary Zahida Kabir for
all purpose.
0040725104-1
I SARWESH KUMAR SINGH S/O
BHANU PRATAP SINGH
R/O RZ-25 B/4 GALI NO-3, INDRA
PARK PALAM COLONY NEW
DELHI-110045 HAVE CHANGED
MY NAME TO SARVESH SINGH.
0040724580-1
I, BAIJAYANTI, spouse of No.3974
AIR CMDE LATE SURAPATI
BHATTACHARYA VrC VM,
resident of EC-315, MAYA
ENCLAVE, HARI NAGAR, NEW
DELHI-110064, have changed
my name from BAIJAYANTI to
BAIJAYANTI BHATTACHARYA
DOB 19-07-1936 vide Affidavit
dated 10.04.2024 at New Delhi.
0040725052-1
I, Ajay Pal S/o Yashpal, R/o-WZ-
1549, Arya Samaj-Road
Nangalraya, ND-46,in the
school record of my minor
daughter’s Manasvi (DOB-
02/10/2012),name has been
wrongly-mentioned as
Manesvi instead Manasvi, both
the same name of one person.
0040725097-1
I, Adarsh Mani Tripathi S/o Ajay
Shanker Mani Tripathi R/o
H.No. 97, Mawai. Vijay Nagay
Colony, Sector 9, District-
Ghaziabad, inform that my
certificates of 10th Class
passed the year 2023 roll No. is
1234775/48 in my father name
is Ajay Shanker Mani wrongly
mentioned. My father actual &
correct name is Ajay Shanker
Mani Tripathi.
0070899753-1
I am Kirti Pandey, daughter of
Sandeep Kumar Pandey,
address Basupur, resident of
Rampurkala P.O. Pawai,
Phulpur, District Azamgarh
Uttar Pradesh. In my Kisan
Vikas Patra No.44C, E, 694300,
my name was written wrong as
Pragya Devi Pandey, date of
birth 15/02/2004. Whereas my
real name is Kirti Pandey, date
of birth is 01/05/2005, which is
also recorded in the Aadhar
card. So in future too, I should
be called by my real name Kirti
Pandey and correct date of
birth 01/05/2005.
0040725065-1
I Tek Chand S/o Sh. Ghasi Ram
R/o RZ-210/M, Railway Road,
Palam Colony, Raj Nagar Part-2,
Bagdola, South West Delhi,
Delhi-110077 have changed the
name of my minor son from
Tarun to Tarun Singh for all
purposes.
0040725043-3
I Surya Pratap Singh son of Shri
Mangu Singh Chauhan
resident of F 216/A, Street No.1,
Pandav Nagar, Delhi-110091
have changed name of my
minor son HAVISH PRATAP
SINGH to HAVISH SINGGH for all
purpose.
0040725058-1
I Shwetank Kumar S/o Sh.
Pawan Kumar R/o 52F, Pocket
B-5, Mayur Vihar Phase-3, PO:
Mayur Vihar Ph-III, Dist: East
Delhi, Delhi-110096 have
changed my name to Shwetank
Kumar Thakur for all purposes.
0040725043-4
I Richa alias Richa Nagpal alias
Richa Chawla D/o Sh. Surender
Nagpal W/o Sh. Rohit Chawla
R/o G-172, Naraina Vihar,
Naraina Village, South West
Delhi, Delhi-110028 have
changed my name to Richa
Chawla for all purposes.
0040725043-5
I Rahul Kadri s/o Bittan Miyan
r/o F-136 New Extn Raghuvir
Nagar Delhi,have changed my
name to Rahil Qadri.
0040725127-1
I Parkash Vir alias Parkashvir
Khatri alias Dr. P V Khatri alias
Dr. Parkash Vir Khatri alias PV
Khatri S/o Late Sh. Dharamvir
R/o H.No.A-208, A-Block,
Sector-14, Rohini, North West
Delhi, Delhi-110085 have
changed my name to Dr.
Parkash Vir Khatri for all
purposes.
0040725043-2
I MUDASSIR NAZAR S/O ABDUL
MAJEED R/O FLAT NO-1302,
TOWER-12, LOTUS PANACHE
SECTOR-110, NOIDA, G.B.
NAGAR U.P. HAVE CHANGED MY
NAME TO MUDASSIR NAZAR
KILLEDAR FOR ALL THE FUTURE
PURPOSES.
0070899742-1
I, Baby Rani Sharma W/o Ram
Babu Sharma R/o,92-E, Pocket-
4,Mayur Vihar-Phase-I, Delhi-
110091, have changed my name
to Vandna Sharma.
0040725123-7
I Kaushlaya Devi W/o Sh.
Chander Bir Singh D/o Late
Randhir Singh R/o A-40,
Kaushambi, I.E, Sahibabad I.e.
Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Uttar
Pradesh-201010 is also known
as Kaushal, Kaushal Raghav,
Kaushal Chandel. All names
are of one and the same
person.
0040725043-6
I Anjali Sharma D/o Sh. Pawan
Kumar Sharma R/o GF-20,
Vardan Apartments, Abhay
Khand-3, Indirapuram, Shipra
Sun City, Ghaziabad, Uttar
Pradesh-201014 have changed
my name to Yahhve Sharma for
all purposes.
0040725043-1
I Chetanya Bansal,S/o-Shiv
Charan Bansal R/o-Khasra
No.349/2, First Floor,Block-G,
Punjabi Colony,Narela, Delhi-40
have changed my name to
Chetanaya Bansal for all
purposes.
0040725056-1
I AMARJOT KAUR W/O GURDEV
SINGH SETHI R/O H.NO.125, IST
FLOOR, MUKHERJEE PARK,
BEHIND PACIFIC MALL, TILAK
NAGAR, WEST DELHI, DELHI-
110018, HAVE CHANGED MY
NAME TO AMARJOT KAUR
SETHI FOR ALL FUTURE
PURPOSES. I AMARJOT KAUR
w/o GURDEV SINGH SETHI R/o
H.NO.125, Ist FLOOR,
MUKHERJEE PARK, BEHIND
PACIFIC MALL, TILAK NAGAR,
WEST DELHI, DELHI-110018,
have changed my name to
AMARJOT KAUR SETHI for all
future purposes.
0040725059-3
Earlier my name was SHAHNAZ
CHOUDHARY, now I have
changed it to SHAHNAZ NAIEM
W/O NAIEM AHAMD B-32 Police
Colony New Friends Colony
South Delhi, in future I will be
known by this name.
0040725099-1
It is for general information that
I,GIRIJA KUMARI,D/o
Chandeshwar Mandal,R/o
H.no-E-547,Navjeen camp
Govind puri
kalkaji,South,Delhi-
110019,declare that name of
mine and my Father has been
wrongly-written as Girja and
chander Shekhar in my class-
10th and class-12th marksheet
and certificate educational.
The actual name of mine and
my Father are Girija kumari and
chandeshwar mandal.
0040725106-6
I,hitherto known as SONU
YADAV,D/o Shambhu Dayal
Yadav,Residing at,E-97 Aastha
kunj,sector-18,Rohini,Delhi-
110089,have changed my name
and shall hereafter be known
as Sheen Rao.
0040725106-9
I,Veena Rani Agrawal W/o Sajjan
Kumar R/o A-8,Plot
No.23,Sangam Apartment,
Sector-9,Rohini,Delhi-
110085,changed my name to
Veena Devi Aggarwal.
0040725113-9
I,Vedant Raj Singh,S/o Varun
Kumar Yadav,R/o Mahagun
Mywoods, 5004,T-18,Greater
Noida-West,Uttar
Pradesh,have changed my
name to Vedant Singh Yadav.
0040725106-3
I,VIJENDER KUMAR JINDAL,S/O
BHAGWAN DAS
JINDAL,ADDRESS:JINDAL PIPE
AND MACHINERY STORE,WARD
NO-19,BARODA ROAD,GOHANA,
SONIPAT,HARYANA-
131301.changed my name to
BIJENDER JINDAL.
0040725117-2
I,Usha Kumari,D/o Shri Sube
Singh,W/o-Madan Lal
Yadav,R/o-H.No.721,Mata
Mohalla,Kapashera, Gurgaon-
Road,South West-Delhi-
110037,have changed my name
to Usha Yadav. 0040725123-4
I,TEENA GOYAL W/O PRADEEP
GOEL R/O 4279-A/5,JAI MATA
MARKET,BUDH NAGAR,DELHI-
110035.HAVE CHANGED MY
NAME TO TEENA GOEL.
0040725113-3
I, Sindhu W/o Kapil Kumar
Chawla R/o F-3/49, 2nd Floor,
Sector-11, Rohini, Delhi-110085
have changed my name to
Sindhu Chawla. 0070899758-1
I,TEENA GOEL W/O PRADEEP
GOEL R/O 4279-A/5,JAI MATA
MARKET,BUDH NAGAR,DELHI-
110035.HAVE CHANGED MY
NAME TO TEENA GOYAL.
0040725113-2
I,Sikender Singh Rajput,S/o
Rajpal Singh,H.No
2927,Ward.No-1,Vishnu Garden
Gurgaon (Haryana)-
122001,have changed my name
to Sikender Singh.
0040725122-3
I,Shalar Husain,S/o- Shaddey
Husain, Address-D-45,sawak
park Dwarka more uttam
nagar,New Delhi-110059,
changed my name to Salar
Hussain. 0040725117-7
I,Sandeep Kumar S/o Vijay
Kumar Arora R/o E-37A,Flat No-
5,E-Block,Rajouri Garden,Delhi-
110027 have changed my name
to Sandeep Arora permanenty.
0040725113-5
I,GURPREET KAUR,W/O
PAMINDER SINGH GABA R/O-
159 HARGOBIND ENCLAVE
DELHI-110092, HAVE CHANGED
MY NAME TO GURPREET KAUR
(SURNAME) 0040725106-5
I,GOBIND MUTREJA,S/o
HARVINDER SINGH MUTREJA,
R/o 10-A, COMMISSIONER
LANE,CIVIL LINES,Delhi-
110054,have changed my name
to GOBIND SINGH MUTREJA,for
all future purposes.
0040725131-1
I,DOCTOR SARDAR BACHAN
SINGH,S/o Amar Singh R/o
238,Aitmadpur, Mawana,
Meerut(UP)have changed my
name to BACHAN SINGH.
0040725117-6
I,Bhupinder Pal Bhalla,S/O-Late
Shri Sardar Singh,R/O-B-
75,Chetak Apptts.,Secto-
9,Rohini,Delhi-110085,inform
that Bhupinder Pal and
Bhupinder Pal Bhalla is same for
all Purposes. 0040725127-2
I,SUKHVINDER S/O DAYAL SINGH
R/O H.N-8,A-BLOCK RAJ PARK
SULTANPUR DELHI-110086,
HAVE CHANGED MY NAME TO
SUKHMINDER SINGH MAKKAR.
0040725127-5
I,SAROJ SINGH,W/o PRABODH
SINGH,ADD:K 357/8 SAURABH
VIHAR,JAITPUR,
BADARPUR,NEW DELHI 110044,
changed my name to SAROJ
DEVI. 0040725117-3
I,S. S. MANDAKINI D/O-S.
R.SHIVA KUMAR R/O-RZ-
25B/4,THIRD-FLOOR,GALI
NUMBER-33,PALAM
COLONY,INDRA PARK, DELHI-
110045,have Changed my name
to MANDAKINI IYER.
0040725117-8
I,Ramesh Kumar,S/o Jagdish
Prasad Verma,R/O Dhani
Kumharan VPO.Patharwa(2)
Mahendergarh -123024,Have
changed my Name to Ramesh
Kumar Verma,Permanently.
0040725122-1
I,Rakesh Chander Malik S/o
Sardari Lal Malik R/o D-144,
Sector-20, Noida(U.P) inform
that R.C. Malik & Rakesh C
Malik & Rakesh Chand Malik all
name are same as one person.
That Rakesh Chander Malik is
only correct name.
0040725062-1
I,RAJEEV NASSA S/O RATTAN
LAL NASSA R/O.H.N.-1061,
FLOOR-2 SEC-12 SONIPAT
HARYANA-131001,HAVE
CHANGED MY NAME TO RAJEEV
KUMAR NASSA. 0040725123-5
I,Punit Goyal,S/o Bal Kishan
Goyal,R/o Shiv Colony,Near
Shiv Mandir,Ward No -
5,PO:Sohna Gurgaon
(Haryana),have changed my
name to Punit Goel.
0040725122-5
I,PRADEEP GOYAL S/O RADHEY
SHYAM R/O 4279-A/5,JAI MATA
MARKET,BUDH NAGAR,DELHI-
110035.HAVE CHANGED MY
NAME TO PRADEEP GOEL.
0040725113-1
I, POULINGAI DINESH
RUANGMEI, S/o T. R. Sagandai,
R/o- H.No.56, Paira Colony, Vill-
Paira, Colony, Dimapur Sadar,
PO- Dimapur, Dist, Dimapur,
Nagaland-797112, have changed
my name to POULINGAI
RUANGMEI, for all future
purposes. 0040725113-4
I,Neetu Rani,W/o Sandeep
Kumar,R/o Flat G 0010,Ireo
Grand Arch,Tower- G,Sector-
58,Gurgaon (Haryana) -
122011,have changed my name
to Neetu Beniwal.
0040725122-4
I,Naresh Dua Alias Naresh
Kumar Dua,S/O-Jiwan Dass
Dua,R/O-B-262,MIG
Flats,Suvidha Appartment,
Ashok Vihar, Phase-4,Delhi-
110052,have changed my name
to Naresh Kumar.
0040725127-3
I,NAMAN SINGH ROKA S/O-
NARENDER SINGH R/O-RZ-
25B/4,THIRD-FLOOR, GALI
NUMBER-33,PALAM
COLONY,INDRA-PARK, DELHI-
110045,have Changed my name
to NAMAN SINGH.
0040725117-9
I,MOHD MURTAZA, S/O MOHD
YASEEN, ADD-E-6-A/229
SANGAM VIHAR, SOUTH-DELHI-
110062, CHANGED MY NAME TO
MOHAMMED MURTAZA,for
all,future purpose.
0040725127-4
I,MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI,S/O
DEVI DUTT TIWARI R/O
1324,SECTOR -3,
VASUNDHARA,GHAZIABAD(UP)
HAVE CHANGED MY NAME TO
MANOJ TIWARI.
0040725117-5
I,KRITI SINGH D/o RAKESH
KUMAR SINGH, R/o-C-268
Millenium Apartments Sector-
18,Rohini North,West Delhi-
110089,declare that name of my
father has been wrongly,written
as RAKESH SINGH in my all
educational documents.The
actual name of my father is
RAKESH KUMAR SINGH
0040725113-8
I,KRISHNA RANA,wife of
BIJENDER SINGH,residing
at,SMQ-3-B,TEJAS CAMP, AIR
FORCE STATION,NEW DELHI-
03,have changed my name
from KRISHNA RANA to
KRISHANA DEVI,vide-Affidavit
dated-22-Apr-24.
0040725106-8
I,Joseph Manoharan Isaiah,S/o
Late Sadanandam Isaiah,R/o
33A, Vijay Mandal
Enclave,Hauz Khas, New Delhi-
110016,have changed my name
to Isaiah Joseph Manoharan.
0040725098-1
I,JASMAN SINGH
MALHOTRA,S/O AMARPREET
SINGH MALHOTRA,R/O
ROADNO.1,HOUSENO.9,PUNJAB
I BAGH EXTENSION, DELHI-
110026.HAVE CHANGED MY
NAME TO JASMAN SINGH.
0040725106-1
I, SONI TIWARI W/O JC-673692A
SUB MUKESH KUMAR TIWARI
R/O WZ-123 D/59 GALI NO-2,
RAJ NAGAR-2 PALAM COLONY,
BAGDOLA, SOUTH WEST DELHI,
DELHI-110077, in my husband’s
service records my date of
birth is wrongly mentioned as
08/02/1980 instead of my
correct date of birth as
01/03/1983 and my name is
wrongly mentioned as SONY
TIWARI instead of my correct
name SONI TIWARI.
0070899743-1
I,Kavita Mahavar W/o,Vikas
Kumar Mahavar R/o,A-26S,
Delhi-Police Apartments,
Mayur-Vihar Phase-I, Delhi-
110091,have changed my-
minor daughter’s name Aditi to
Aditi Mahavar. Aged-14-years.
0040725123-6
I,BISHAN DEVI,W/O SUSHIL
CLASSIFIEDS & TENDERS 14
KUMAR RAJWAN,R/O KH.NO-
18/2,GROUND-FLOOR,QUTAB-
VIHAR E-BLOCK,PHASE-
2,CHHAWLA
DELHI-110071,HAVE CHANGED
MY NAME TO BEENA RAJWAN
0040725123-2
I, Seema Kumari W/o Sandeep
Khanna R/o-2655 IInd floor
Sector-16, faridabad, have
changed my name to Seema
Khanna
0040725060-1
I,BAL KRISHAN KANSAL alias
BAL KRISHAN KANSWAL S/O
KALI RAM R/O E-31, Ist
Floor,Avantika Sector-1,Rohini
Delhi-110085,have changed my
name to BAL KRISHAN
KANSWAL.
0040725113-6
I,Attar Singh S/o Hazoor Singh
R/o A-2/146, TF, Paschim Vihar
Delhi-63 have changed my
name to Atar Singh.
0040725121-1
I,Abdul Hakeem S/o Abdul Moiz
R/o-2110,Kucha Nahar Khan
Kucha,Chalan Darya Ganj
Delhi-110002,have changed
my,minor son name Mohd.
Umar Sheikh alias Mohammed
Umar Sheikh aged 13 years to
Mohammed Umar Sheikh
0040725123-3
I,ABHISHEK JINDAL,S/O
BIJENDER
JINDAL,ADDRESS:JINDAL PIPE
AND MACHINERY STORE,WARD
NO-19,BARODA ROAD,GOHANA,
SONIPAT,HARYANA
131301,changed my name to
ABHISHEK.
0040725117-1
I, hitherto known as HARIKESH
ALIAS HARIKESH SHARMA S/O
RAVI SWAROOP R/O FLAT NO.
203, PLOT NO. 301, NEAR SURYA
PARK, SHALIMAR GARDEN
EXTN.-1, SHAHIBABAD,
GHAZIABAD, U.P. 201005 have
changed my name and shall
hereafter be known as
HARIKESH SHARMA.
0070899673-1
I, Vishaka Vinod Mishra D/o
Vinod Mishra R/o GF-4/133,
Gyan Khand-2, Indirapuram,
Ghaziabad, U.P-201010 have
changed my name to Vishakha
Mishr for all future purposes.
0070899754-1
I, Vansh (Name as per 10th Class
Certificate), S/O Amit Vaid, R/O-
878/33, 1st Floor, Ward No.6
Near Yogmaya Hospital,
Mehrauli, Delhi- 110030
Changed my name to Vansh
Vaid (Name as per Aadhar card,
Voter ID, Driving License) for All
future purposes.
0040725053-1
I, Urmila W/o Lalit Gupta R/o-B-
4/122, Paschim-Vihar, Delhi-
110063, have changed my name
to Urmila Gupta.
0040725122-7
I, Tejendra K Gogna S/O Badri
Dass Gogna, R/o 66, Inder
Enclave, Rohtak Road, Paschim
Vihar, Sunder Vihar, S.o, West
Delhi, Delhi-110087, have
changed my name and shall
hereafter be Known as Tejendra
Gogna. 0070899687-1
I, Tamanna Kathuria R/o 4533,
Main Bazar Paharganj New
Delhi-110055 have changed my
minor daughter’s name from
Angel to Angel Kathuria for all
purposes.
0040725110-1
I, Sushil Kumar,S/O Raghu Nath
Parshad R/O-F-4/26 Krishna
Nagar, Delhi-110051,Have
Changed My Name To Sushil
Kumar Jain,For All Purposes.
0040725106-4
I, SUSHIL KUMAR,S/O BISHU
RAJWAN, R/O KH.NO-
18/2,GROUND-FLOOR,QUTAB-
VIHAR E-BLOCK, PHASE-
2,CHHAWLA, DELHI-110071,
HAVE CHANGED MY NAME TO
SUSHIL KUMAR RAJWAN.
0040725123-1
I, Ramesh Garg S/O Jagdish
Prasad Aggarwal, R/o C-161 A,
Third Floor Block-C, G.T, Karnal
Road, Mahendru Enclave,
Derawal Nagar, North West
Delhi, Delhi-110009, have
changed my name and shall
hereafter be Known as Ramesh
Chand Aggarwal.
0070899695-1
I, MEHBOOD HASAN, S/o Allah
Rakha, R/o 3227, Phatak,
Teliyan, Turkman Gate, Delhi-
110006, have changed my name
to MEHMOOD HASAN, for all
purposes.
0040725083-1
I, Ram Prasad Sharma S/o
Vidhyadatt R/o RC-788, Street
No-4, Geetanjali Vihar, Tiwari
Chowk, Khora Colony,
Ghaziabad, UP-201001 have
changed my name to Ram
Prasad Naudiyal for all my
future purposes
0070899761-1
I, RAJPATI W/o No.JC 338230W
Rank SUB Naresh Kumar
Dahiya R/o Barona(22-A)
Baroda Sonipat HR-131402 have
changed my name to RAJPATI
DAHIYA VIDE AFFIDAVIT DATE
23.4.24 before Delhi.
0070899746-1
I, Mahesh Sharma S/o Ram
Prasad Sharma R/o RC-788,
Street No-4, Geetanjali Vihar,
Tiwari Chowk, Khora Colony,
Ghaziabad, UP-201001 have
changed my name to Mahesh
Naudiyal for all my future
purposes
0070899763-1
I,Gaurav Aggarwal S/o Sajjan
Kumar Aggarwal R/o A-8, Plot
No.23,Sangam Apartment,
Sector-9,Rohini,Delhi-110085
changed my name to Gaurav
Kumar Aggarwal.
0040725113-10
I, KM. MANISHA,W/O Raudas
Kumar, Plot.no-146, niti-khand
1, indirapuram, Ghaziabad,
uttar Pradesh 201014,have
changed my name to MANISHA
KUMARI,for all future purpose.
0040725122-2
I, JEETU KUMAR S/o Munesh
Kumar R/o E-484, Street No. 22,
Khajuri Khas, Delhi-110094
have declare that in my
Passport my name mentioned
as JEETU instead of JEETU
KUMAR. In future I will be
known as JEETU KUMAR for all
purposes, which may be
amended accordingly.
0070899751-1
I, Furkan S/O,Sarif Ahmed
R/O,H.No.4286,Street.No.19/3,
Near-Water Billing
Office,Shanti Mohalla, Gandhi-
Nagar, East-Delhi-110031,Have
Changed My Name To Furkan
Ahmed,For All Purposes.
0040725122-6
I, Ex-No- 12964127K,Hav
Ishtiyaq Ahmad Masoodi,161
Inf Bn TA JAKLI. In my service
records name of my wife has
been wrongly mentioned as
Nowshada Shafi instead of
Nowshad Akhter as in school
records. It needs correction.
Objections be filled to Zaila
Saink Welfare Board
Baramulla. 0020475176-1
I,Rakesh Kumar alias Rakesh
Kumar Singh S/o Rameshwar
Dayal Singh R/o-C-
268,Millenium Apartments
Sector-18, Rohini North,West
Delhi-110089 have changed my
name to Rakesh Kumar Singh
0040725113-7
I,HUMA REHMAN W/O ZABAD
AHMED ANSARI R/O
1007,KADAM-A,SHALIMAR
CITY,SAHIBABAD,GHAZIABAD
(UP) HAVE CHANGED MY NAME
TO HUMA REHMAN ANSARI.
0040725117-4
I,MD HUSAIN,S/O MOHAMMAD
HANIS,A- 44/45,BHALSWA
DAIRY,DELHI-42,HAVE CHANGED
MY NAME TO MOHD HUSSAIN
PERMANENTLY. 0040725106-2
I, No- 18008578M,NK Akhilesh
Kumar,S/O- Banshidhar
Singh,R/O- Raisenpur,Tehsil-
Zamania ,District-Ghazipur UP.
In my service records, the name
& D o B of my son has been
wrongly mentioned as Arush
Kumar Yadav(25-07-2020)
instead of Arush Kumar
( 25-07-2019). It needs
correction. Objections be filled
to concerned authorities.
0020475177-1
LOST & FOUND
Lost of lease deeds of property
number B-11 residential plot,
site c, surajpur, Kasna Gr.
Noida in the name of Veena
Ratra w/o Sanjeev Ratra
residence of 32/1 Srinivaspuri
New Delhi. 0070899672-1
I, Amit Chauhan, S/o- Sharwan
Chauhan, R/o: G-1, 13 Second
Floor, Uttam Nagar, New Delhi-
110059 Have Lost My SBI Card
I’d Number-908445, Issued by
JNS Consultancy Services.
Finder Contact: 2151/3B, First
Floor, New Patel Nagar, New
Delhi-110008 # 9999980212.
0070899749-1
I,Vivek Dahiya,S/o Dharam
Prakash Dahiya,R/o 1447,
Sector-2, Bahadurgarh Distt-
Jhajjar Haryana-124507, have
lost my Original Marksheet &
Certificate Class-Xth
Roll.No.2122722 passout
(2003), Class-XIIth
Roll.no.6229544 passout(2005),
MBBS Marksheet & Certificate
Registration.no.4-2-417-62-
2005. Tribhawan University
Kathmandu Nepal & certificate
of registration Delhi Medical
Council. Finder
Contact#9896662780.
0040725122-8
PUBLIC NOTICE
PUBLIC NOTICE
It is hereby informed to all General
Public at large that my Clients Sh.Suresh
Kumar Pachar S/o Sh.Ram Singh and his
wife Smt.Shakuntla Pachar Both R/o
H.No.100, Type- 2, Police Colony,
Shalimar Bagh, Delhi-110088 have
severed all their relations and connection
with their Son “NILESH KUMAR”
due to his disobedient behavior,
misbehaving, unsocial activities, drug-
addiction, accompanying with anti-social
elements, and also deprived him from
inheriting any kind of movable of
immovable properties. My clients shall
not be responsible for his any kind of
acts, omissions and overt-acts in any
manner whatsoever.
Sd/-
Rahul Kumar Verma (Advocate)
Ch. No. 625, Western Wing
Tis Hazari Courts, Delhi-54
PUBLIC NOTICE
It is for general information that I,
SUSHIL KUMAR S/O LATE SH.
RAMJI LAL R/O Q-157, VIKAS
VIHAR, UTTAM NAGAR,
WEST DELHI, DELHI-110059
declare that name of mine has been
wrongly written as SUSHIL in my
minor son KRISH aged 17 years in
his 10th class marks-sheet,
certificate and birth certificate no.
MCDOLR06151272. The actual
name of mine is SUSHIL
KUMAR, which may be amended
accordingly.
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PUBLIC NOTICE
BE IT KNOWN TO PUBLIC at large that
my client/s Sh. Ganesh Chander & Smt.
Urmila Devi, both R/o 19-20, G Block,
Bhagwati Garden Extension, Uttam Nagar,
New Delhi-110059 have severed all their
relations with their son Sh. Ajay Chander &
his wife Ritu Banduni. They have become
disrespectful and disobedient towards my
client/s and are indulging in untoward
behaviour towards my client/s, therefore my
client/s disowns them from all their movable
and immovable properties. Anybody dealing
with them shall be dealing at his/her own
risk, cost and consequence. My client/s will
not be responsible for any act, deed and
dealing done by them.
Sd/-
SUNIL KUMAR KAUSHIK
(ADVOCATE)
Enroll No. D/1118/2018
Chamber No. 1509, 15th Floor,
Lawyers Chamber Block,
Rohini Court Complex,
Delhi-110085
PUBLIC NOTICE
It is hereby informed to public at large that
my client Smt. Savita Rani W/o Late Sh.
Charanjeet Singh R/o A-34-A, Surya
Nagar, Chander Nagar, Ghaziabad, Uttar
Pradesh- 201011 and her late husband Sh.
Charanjeet Singh S/o late Sh. Teja Singh
have got sweet family relations with their
daughter Ruchi Arora and they have got no
difference with her in any stage of life till
today and my client Smt. Savita Rani
hereby declare that she and her husband
never executed any document of what-so-
ever nature may be regarding disownment
and severing their relationship with their
daughter Ruchi Arora and they have got no
differences with her till today. If anyone
produces any document in this respect
showing that my client have debarred and
disowned her daughter before any
authority, the same shall be treated null
and void and not signed and executed by
them out of their own free will and choice.
Ms. Ruchi Arora shall be entitled to all
rights to which a daughter is entitled in the
Hindu/Sikh Family in the moveable and
immovable properties of my client Smt.
Savita Rani and her late husband Sh.
Charanjeet Singh.
Sd/-
Parveen Kumar Garg
Advocate
Enrol. No. D/674/1989
Ch No. 700, Western Wing Tis Hazari
Courts, Delhi-110054
PUBLIC NOTICE
It is hereby informed to the public at large that
my client; SMT. RIZWANA BEGUM, W/o
LATE SH. NASEER AHMAD, SH. TAHIR
KHAN S/o LATE SH. NASEER AHMAD
AND SMT. SHAMIM NAAZ D/o LATE SH.
NASEER AHMAD ALL R/O H. No. B-4/174,
YAMUNA VIHAR, BHAJANPURA Delhi-
110053 have disowned/debarred their
son/brother namely SH. ASIF KHAN S/o
LATE SH. NASEER AHMAD R/O H. No.
B-4/174, YAMUNA VIHAR, BHAJANPURA
Delhi-110053 aged about 46 years and his
former wife namely SMT. MOWASHRA
KAUSAR D/O SH. WASIF QAYUM R/O
B-104/2022 SUBHASH MOHALLA DELHI
110053 from their life, movable and
immovable properties due to their atrocities
and inhuman behavior. My abovenamed clients
shall not be responsible for any act, deeds, and
things done by them with anybody since today.
Sd/-
V. A. Farooqui (Advocate)
Ch. No. K-35, Tis Hazari Courts Delhi-54
PUBLIC NOTICE
General public is here by informed that my
clients Sh. Deepak Kumar Mandlay, S/o Late
Sh. Devi Das, R/o House No. 20, 3rd Floor,
Moti Ram Road, Ram Nagar, Shahdara,
Delhi-110032 have severed all his relations
with his son Sh. Jatin Kumar and his son’s
wife Smt. Tanvi Ahuja and Grandson Master
Madhav due to their misconducts and ill
treatment to my client. My client has also
disowned and debarred his son and son's
family from all of his movable and
immovable properties.
Interactions with the mentioned individuals
are undertaken at one's own risk, absolving
my client of any responsibility for their
actions or dealings.
Sd/-
Nipun Jain (Advocate)
Enrol No. D/10551/2023
Chamber No. 148, Western Wing,
Tis Hazari Court, Delhi-110054
PUBLIC NOTICE
Be it known to all that my client Mr.
Ashish Sharma s/o Sh. Vijay Sharma
R/o S-205, 2nd oor, Gali No. 3, School
Block,Shakarpur, Delhi-110092 has
entered an Agreement to Sale &
Purchase for Flat No. 414, Mavilla,7
Mayur Vihar Phase-I, Delhi-110091
w i t h M r. J o s e p h G e o r g e P s / o
Chirakaikaran Joseph George R/o Flat
No. 414, Mavilla,7 Mayur Vihar Phase-
I, Delhi-110091 to purchase it. Original
Property Document s i.e. Share
Certi cate and allotment letter of the
above said at stated to have lost by
Owner, for which FIR LR
No.1441721/2024 dated 13/02/2024
was lodged. Any person (s) or
entity(ies)/ institute (s)/Bank (s)/ NBFC
(s) having any right / title / claim or
interest in the said property by way of
sale, inheritance, possession,
succession, mortgage, lien, lease, gift,
relinquishment, decree or order of any
Court of Law or otherwise howsoever
in respect of the same shall intimate the
objection in writing to the undersigned
with the supporting document thereof
within 15 days from the date of
publication of this notice or else any
such claims by any one shall not be
considered and shall deem to have
been waved and or abandoned,
surrendered, relinquished, released,
forfeited and/or waived and it will be
deemed that the Property as described
is free and clear of all claims, charges,
encumbrances. and my client shall
proceed to conclude the negotiation
and no claim shall be entertained
t h e r e a f t e r. S a n j e e v A g g a r w a l ,
Advocate 463, Civil Wing, Tis Hazari
C o u r t s , D e l h i - 11 0 0 5 4 M o b i l e
No.9999741474 E-mail :
sj301268@gmail.com

15 E EXPLAINED
EXPLAINED AI
Llama 3, Meta’s new,
most capable LLM yet
BIJIN JOSE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
META LAST week introduced its latest
large language model (LLM) — the back-
bone of artificial intelligence (AI) chat-
bots that can comprehend and generate
human language text — called Llama 3. It
has been integrated into the company’s
virtual assistant Meta AI, which can be
usedonFacebook,Instagram,WhatsApp,
Messenger, and a standalone website.
What is Llama 3?
Llama or Large Language Model Meta
AI is a family of LLMs introduced by Meta
AI in February 2023. Llama 3 is the latest
iteration, which has been based on the
Llama 2 architecture. The new LLM has
been released in two sizes, 8 billion and
70 billion parameters — a measure of the
size and complexity of an AI model.
Both sizes come with a base model
andaninstruction-tunedversionthathas
been designed to augment performance
in specific tasks. The instruction-tuned
versionismeantforpoweringAIchatbots
that can hold conversations with users.
Allmodelsof Llama3supportcontext
lengths of 8,000 tokens. This allows for
more interactions and complex input
handling compared to Llama 2 or Llama
1. More tokens mean more content input
orpromptsfromusers,andmorecontent
as a response from the model.
How good is Llama 3?
Meta claims that the 8 billion and 70
billion-parameter Llama 3 models are a
giant leap over Llama 2, as the company
made major improvements in pre-train-
ing and post-training of the models.
“Our pre-trained and instruction-
fine-tuned models are the best models
Plastic treaty talks: What
do countries, firms want?
GLOBAL LEADERS will gather in Ottawa,
Canada, this week to discuss progress in
drafting a first-ever global treaty to rein in
plastic pollution by the end of the year.
The hoped-for treaty, due to be agreed
at the end of this year, could be the most
significantdealrelatingtoclimate-warm-
ing emissions and environmental protec-
tion since the 2015 Paris Agreement, in
which 195 parties agreed to keep global
temperatures from rising beyond 1.5 de-
gree Celsius.
Why are the talks happening?
AttheUNEnvironmentalAssemblyin
2022, nations agreed to develop a legally
binding agreement by the end of 2024 to
addresstheworld’splasticpollutioncrisis.
The treaty is meant to address plas-
tics through their entire lifecycle — from
when they are produced, to how they are
used and then disposed of.
What do nations want in the treaty?
Many plastic and petrochemical-pro-
ducing countries including Saudi Arabia,
Iran,andChinahaveopposedmentioning
production limits.
They blocked other countries from
formallyworkingonproposedtreatylan-
guage calling for production caps, chem-
ical disclosures or reduction schedules
after last year’s Nairobi session.
Why a survey was held to devise a new footwear sizing system for Indians
ANJALI MARAR
BENGALURU, APRIL 22
A PAN-INDIA survey on the foot sizes of
Indians was recently carried out as part of a
larger project for developing an Indian siz-
ing system for footwear. Proposed to be
named ‘Bha’ to represent Bharat, it could
form the basis for manufacturing footwear
in India in the future. Upon itsimplementa-
tion, Bha will replace the existing
UK/European and the US sizing systems.
What were the findings of the survey?
Initially, the hypothesis was that at least
five footwear sizing systems would be re-
quired for Indians to be inclusive of various
ethnicities. A survey was conducted be-
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2024
Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta launched
Llama in 2023. Wikimedia Commons
existing today at the 8B and 70B param-
eter scale,” the company said on its web-
site.Thepost-trainingprocesseshaveen-
hanced capabilities like reasoning, code
generation, and instruction making
Llama 3 more steerable, according to
Meta.
The company claims that in bench-
mark evaluations, Llama 3’s 8 billion pa-
rameters surpassed other open-source
AIs like Mistral 7B and Gemma 7B. Llama
3outperformedGoogle’sGemma7B and
Mistral’s Mistral 7B, Anthropic’s Claude
3 Sonnet, in benchmarks such as MMLU
5-shot (Massive Multitask Language
Understanding), GPQA 0-shot (a gradu-
ate-level Google-proof question and an-
swer benchmark), HumanEval 0-shot (a
benchmark for evaluating the multilin-
gual ability of code generative models),
GSM-8K 8-shot and Math 4-shot, CoT
(maths and word problems).
Although Meta has not officially
stated the use cases of Llama 3, consider-
ing that it is similar to existing AI chat-
bots, Llama 3 can be used to create differ-
ent forms of texts such as poems, code,
scripts, and musical pieces. It can sum-
marisefactualtopicsandcanalsobeused
to translate languages.
Sixty countries, including EU coun-
tries, island nations, and Japan, want to
end plastic pollution by 2040. They have
calledforcommon,legallybindingprovi-
sions to “restrain and reduce the produc-
tion and consumption of primary plastic
polymerstosustainablelevels”.Theyalso
are proposing measures such as phasing
out“problematic”single-useplasticsand
banning certain chemical additives.
What do the petrochemical industry
and corporate brands want?
The trade group Global Partners for
PlasticsCircularityrepresentsmajorpetro-
chemical producers including members
of the American Chemistry Council and
PlasticsEurope.Thegrouparguesthatpro-
duction caps would lead to higher prices
for consumers, and that the treaty should
address plastics only after they are made.
More than 200 consumer-facing
companies including Unilever, PepsiCo,
and Walmart have joined the so-called
Business Coalition for a Plastics Treaty.
These companies, which rely on plas-
ticpackaging,havebeenamajorpresence
in the negotiations. They support a treaty
that includes production caps, use “re-
strictions and phase-outs, reuse policies,
product design requirements, extended
producer responsibility, and waste man-
agement”. REUTERS
tween December 2021 and March 2022,
covering1,01,880peopleacross79locations
infivegeographicalzones.3Dfootscanning
machines were deployed for understand-
ing the size, dimensions, and structure of
an average Indian foot.
It found that the growth of the foot size
of an average Indian female peaked at 11
years, while that of Indian males peaked at
around 15 to 16 years.
Overall, Indians’ feet were found to be
widerthanthoseofEuropeansorAmericans.
Duetothenarrowfootwearavailableunder
Western systems, Indians have been wear-
ing footwear that are one size larger.
Many Indians were found to be wearing
extra-long and ill-fitted and tight footwear.
In the case of high-heeled women’s
footwear,wearingabiggersizewasbothin-
Health insurance for all ages
IRDAI has lifted the age ceiling of 65 years for buying a medical insurance policy, a move that widens the
insurance net and provides huge relief to senior Indians. Here’s what you must know about the decision
GEORGE MATHEW
MUMBAI, APRIL 22
SENIOR CITIZENS, even if they are 80 or 90
years old, will now be able to buy health in-
surance,irrespectiveof existingmedicalcon-
ditions. This is a huge relief for all Indians
above the age of 65.
The insurance regulator, Insurance
Regulatory and Development Authority of
India (IRDAI), has asked insurance compa-
nies to offer their usual health policies to
everyone,includingseniorcitizens,students,
and children.
This comes after the ruling BJP said in its
election manifesto that “everyone over the
age of 70 years” would be brought under the
government’s Ayushman Bharat health in-
surance scheme.
What is the new health insurance
provision, and how will it help?
Theregulator has told insurers to “design
products specifically for senior citizens, stu-
dents, children, maternity and any other
group as specified by the Competent
Authority (IRDAI)”. The insurers “shall en-
deavour to offer coverage for persons with
all types of existing medical conditions,” the
IRDAI said in “Specific provisions applicable
to health insurance products” published in
the Government of India Gazette.
India is a predominantly young country
currently, but the share of the population
above the age of 60 is projected to reach 20%
by 2050. Following the IRDAI instruction,
“companies can build new products or en-
hance existing products offering compre-
hensivecoveragetotheentirefamily,includ-
ing parents, instead of the current approach
of restrictiveofferingforseniorcitizens,”said
Rupinderjit Singh, Vice President-Retail
Health, at the insurtech company ACKO.
Sharad Mathur, MD & CEO, Universal
SompoGeneralInsuranceCompany,saidthe
move will benefit both senior citizens and
working adults who are caring for aging par-
ents. “Notonly willitimproveaccess toqual-
ity healthcare services, it will also encourage
more Indians to secure their loved ones
against serious medical conditions and ill-
nesses,” Mathur said.
Insurance companies mobilised Rs 1.09
lakh crore in all as premium in the year
ended March 2024. Government schemes
accounted for Rs 10,577 crore, retail cus-
tomers Rs 42,200 crore, and group policies
Rs 55,020 crore, according to General
Insurance Council data.
What was the age limit for health
coverage until now?
IRDAI norms put the ceiling for buying
health insurance at age 65. Thereafter, insur-
ance cover came with tougher conditions,
Why HC upheld Karnataka’s ban on hookah
AJOY SINHA KARPURAM
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
THEKARNATAKAHighCourtonMondayup-
held the state government’s ban on hookahs
as being in the interest of the general public,
and ruled that hookah bars were an illegal
“service” under India’s anti-tobacco law.
On March 11, a single judge Bench of
Justice M Nagaprasanna had reserved its
judgment on the challenges by several
restaurant owners to the government’s
February 7 notification.
Article 47 and Article 19(1)(g)
Thegovernmentargued thatArticle47of
the Constitution places a duty on the State to
“raise the level of nutrition and the standard
of living and to improve public health”,
which includes the “prohibition of the con-
sumption except for medicinal purposes of
intoxicating drinks and of drugs which are
injurious to health”.
convenient and a cause for potential in-
juries.
For men, shoelaces were tightened
much more than ideal to ensure the shoes
werenotloose-fitting.Thisaffectedthenor-
mal flow of blood for the wearer.
By wearing footwear not
designed according to their
feet’s specifications, the sur- EXPLAINED
vey found that Indians have
been vulnerable to injuries,
POLICY
shoe bites, and compromised
foot health — especially among elderly
women and diabetics.
Ananalysisof thesurveydataconcluded
thatanIndiansizingsystemcanbe devised.
What is the current system?
The British introduced UK sizes in India
EXPLAINED ECONOMICS
HEALTH INSURANCE: POLICIES, LIVES COVERED, PREMIUM
Class of No. of policies
Business (lakhs)
2021-22 2022-23
Govt 0.001 0.001
sponsored (0.00) (0.00)
Group 7.00 6.50
Business (–36.30) (–7.07)
Individual 219.25 219.92
Business (–3.96) (0.31)
Total 226.25 226.42
(–5.20) (0.08)
Note: Figures in parentheses indicate growth (in per cent) over previous year. Source: IRDAI
SENIOR CITIZENS’ INSURANCE FAQS
Are check-ups needed to renew?
Insurers should not ask for medical
examinations, a new proposal form, etc.
at the renewal stage if the sum insured
does not change, IRDAI has said. Insurers
should try to recognise improvements in
risk profile to remove loadings at the
point of renewal. Insurers currently rou-
tinely ask senior citizens to submit med-
ical reports at renewal, and raise the pre-
mium if more medical conditions are
detected. Insurers should also establish a
separate channel to address the health
insurance related claims and grievances
of seniors, IRDAI has said.
Can an insurer
refuse renewal?
IRDAI has said
insurersshouldnot
refuse to renew a
health insurance
policy on the
ground that the in-
sured had made
one or more claims
in the preceding
policyyears,except
forpoliciesthatter-
minate after the
paymentof thebenefitcoveredunderthe
policy,suchasacriticalillnesspolicy.There
havebeencomplaintsthatinsurersrefuse
torenewafterthecustomercrossesapar-
ticular age. Policies should be renewable
except on grounds of established fraud/
non-disclosure/misrepresentationbythe
insured, IRDAI has said.
What about premium demands?
Article 47, along with the rest of the pro-
visions in Part IV of the Constitution, is a “di-
rective principle of state policy”. According
to the Constitution, directive principles are
not “enforceable by any court, but the prin-
ciples therein laid down are nevertheless
fundamental in the governance of the coun-
try and it shall be the duty of
the State to apply these prin-
ciples in making laws”. EXPLAINED
The HC held that Article
47 was intrinsically linked LAW
with the right tolife with dig-
nity under Article 21.
“The paramount duty is cast upon the
States and its authorities to achieve appro-
priate level of protection to human life and
health which is a fundamental right guaran-
teed to the citizens under Article 21,” it said.
The petitioners argued that the govern-
ment’s notification violates the fundamen-
tal right to “practise any profession, or to
carry on any occupation, trade or business”
guaranteed by Article 19(1)(g).
beforeIndianindependence.Accordingtoit,
an average Indian woman wears footwear
sizesbetween4and6,andtheaverageman
between 5 and 11.
Since there existed no data on the feet
structure,size,anddimensions,developing
anIndiansystemwasdifficult.
With Indian users now
owninganaverageof 1.5pairs
of footwear each, and given
the population size, India is
one of the world’s biggest
markets and manufacturers of shoes. With
Bha, both the users and the footwear man-
ufacturers could benefit.
What are the recommendations?
Bha proposes eight footwear sizes: I –
infants(0to 1year),II– babies(1to3 years),
@ieExplained
#ExpressExplained
If there are questions of current or contemporary relevance that you would like
explained, please write to explained@indianexpress.com
No. of lives covered Gross premium
(lakhs) (` crore)
2021-22 2022-23 2021-22 2022-23
3,065.08 2,977.48 6,075.87 8,480.28
(–10.62) (– 2.86) (41.63) (39.57)
1,622.88 1,993.97 36,890.58 46,245.87
(36.73) (22.87) (31.25) (25.36)
516.23 528.91 30,085.07 34,765.61
(–2.85) (2.46) (16.43) (15.56)
5,204.19 5,500.36 73,051.52 89,491.76
(1.10) (5.69) (25.44) (22.50)
IRDAIhasprohibitedraisingpremiums
becauseofhigherclaims.Butithasallowed
insurerstoraisepremiumsonportfolioba-
sis,andhasaskedinsurerstoofferdiscounts
to individual policy holders with good
claim experience. “Premiums usually in-
creasewithageduetotheincreasedhealth
risks.Premiumsincreasebyabout10-20%
on average for every five-year age bracket
based on the experience of insurers, and
the health inflation in India, which is
around 15%,” Rupinderjit Singh of ACKO
said.
Currently,insurersoftenraiserenewal
premiums arbitrarily, mainly for senior
citizens, even if
they have not sub-
mitted any claims.
All retail health
policies have seen
premium hikes
overthelastcouple
of years.
What is the
waiting period?
Thewaitingpe-
riod for pre-exist-
ing diseases dis-
closed by the
customer should not be more than 36
months in case of continuous coverage
underthepolicy,IRDAIhassaid.“Insurers
may endeavour to have smaller pre-ex-
isting-disease waiting periods and spe-
cific waiting periods in health insurance
products,” the regulator has said. This
meansthatdependingontheirprofitabil-
ity, insurance companies can cut the
waiting period to even six months.
However,thecourtheldthatthisfreedom
can be subject to certain reasonable restric-
tions including the prohibition of certain oc-
cupations, trades and businesses, if it is “in
the general interest of the public”.
The court also held that a directive prin-
ciple such as Article 47 can be used to justify
a restriction on citizens’ rights
under Article 19(1)(g).
Illegal ‘service’ under
tobacco law COTPA
Under Section 31 of the
Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products
(ProhibitionofAdvertisementandRegulation
of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply
and Distribution) Act, 2003 (COTPA), the
CentrecanmakefurtherRulestocarryoutthe
provisionsof theAct.In2008,theProhibition
of Smoking in Public Places Rules were
brought into force.
Justice Nagaprasanna relied on Rule 4(3)
which, after an amendment in 2017, states
“No service shall be allowed in any smoking
III–smallchildren(4to6years),IV–children
(7 to 11 years), V – girls (12 to 13 years), VI –
boys (12 to 14 years), VII – Women (14 years
and above) and VIII – Men (15 years and
above).
Forcommercialpurposes,initiallyman-
ufacturingfootwearranginginsizesIII–VIII
would be sufficient. Footwear manufac-
tured as per Bha could give nearly 85% of
the country’s population the right fit and
comfort.
The biggest advantage of adopting Bha
isthatfootwearmanufacturerswouldneed
to develop only eight sizes, as against the
present10sizes(Englishsystem)andseven
sizes (European system). Half-size shoes
wouldalsonotbeneededanymore.TheBha
system will generally be wider at its girth
than the footwear currently available.
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
including compulsory pre-insurance health
check-ups, and no cover for pre-existing ail-
ments. This is because susceptibility to ill-
nesses increases after a certain age, regard-
less of how healthy an individual customer
may be.
Also, premiums increased with age, so
customersolderthan50wereforcedtomake
do with limited cover, and accept the re-
moval of certain insurance riders. “A large
number of senior citizens have no coverage,
or coverage that is not enough to foot their
hospital bills. This is a great opportunity to
innovate and penetrate the underserved
market,” said Sumit Bohra, president of the
InsuranceBrokersAssociationof India(IBAI).
What should senior citizens look for
when buying health insurance?
In general, those with no medical condi-
tions should look to buy the most compre-
hensive cover, with 100% bill payments, and
small or no waiting periods.
“Customers with existing health issues
should evaluate options from various insur-
ers, and choosethe bestbalanceof cover and
cost. They should consider the network cov-
erage, room rent limit, disease sub-limits,
consumable cover, and other policy terms
and conditions which may curtail payouts at
the time of claim, ACKO’s Singh said.
Mathursaidtheamendmentshould“ulti-
mately serve the interests of senior citizens
and take India a step closer to the goal of
achievinguniversalhealthcareforallby2030”.
What issues could possibly arise in the
implementation of IRDAI’s idea?
Insurers may not be enthusiastic about
catering to the65-plusage bracket, and even
if they do, the terms and conditions of such
insurance policies may not be favourable to
the customer.
A 70-year-old individual who may now
have the opportunity to buy health insur-
ance for the first time, will likely encounter
stringentterms,exclusions,andpossiblyhigh
premiums. Since people in the 65-plus age
groupoftenhave pre-existingconditions,in-
surers will carefully evaluate the profitabil-
ity,sustainability,andscalabilityof theirpoli-
cies for this demographic.
“Individuals seeking health insurance
post-retirement may find it advantageous to
continue with employer-offered health in-
surance if possible, where insurers can pro-
vide more competitive premium rates and
favourable policy conditions,” Anuj Parekh,
Co-founder and CEO, Bharatsure, said.
Ultimately,whileIRDAI seekstopromote
access to insurance for older age groups, its
move also underscores the importance of
aligning insurer interests with customer
needs to ensure comprehensive and equi-
table coverage across all demographics,
Parekh said.
area or space provided for smoking”. The
court asked whether hookah smoking “is
plain smoking which can be permitted in a
designated area or it is a product of service
that needs to be rendered”.
To answer this question, the court com-
pared hookah smoking to smoking a ciga-
rette.Itfoundthatwhile“smokingzonescre-
ated in designated places do not give any
other service except creation of a smoking
zone”, hookah smoking “needs rendering of
services in the designated area, as it requires
externalhumanhandtoplacealltheappara-
tus on the tables like food or alcohol would
be served on those tables”.
Thus, the court held, “the very act of
preparation to smoke hookah tobacco, can-
not but be held to be a service”, and the state
is only implementing a prohibition against
“service” that is already in place. The court
held that the notification would also apply
to“herbalhookah”,whichtoorequiresan“in-
strument”,andthusqualifiesasaserviceun-
der the Rules.
What is Bha’s current status?
The Chennai-based Council of Scientific
and Industrial Research–Central Leather
Research Institute (CSIR–CLRI) conducted
the survey.
Itsubmitteditsrecommendationstothe
Department of Promotion of Industry and
Internal Trade (DPIIT), under the Union
Ministry of Commerce.
The DPIIT has forwarded them to the
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the au-
thority which would implement this sizing
system, for approval.
Since Bha will completely overhaul the
existingsizingsystems,thegovernmentde-
partments have suggested that footwear
based on it should be given to users for trial,
testing, and feedback. Bha is expected to be
implemented some time in 2025.
 16 CALENDAR WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2024

OVER THE HEDGE by Michael Fry & T Lewis

CROSSWORD 5345 DAY TODAY BY PETER VIDAL

ARIES (Mar 21 - Apr 20) LIBRA (Sep 24 - Oct 23)

ACROSS
1 Permit a chap on the
base (5)
4 Leader apt to give murderer
a break (7)
8 Name written in italics (3)
9 Well below the normal
size (9)
10 Australian employees of
mine? (7)
11 They may tear up verbal part
of a contract (5)
13 Fool put back on the dole
perhaps (6)
15 It stands out for help for the
poor (6)
18 A number holding no end of
wood (5)
19 Cartographer for hire? (7)
21 Fails to be made of use in
rescues (9)
23 One about to show anger (3)
24 Lies in an open sort of way (7)
25 A game by the fireside (5)
Solutions Crossword5343Across: 1Spaceprobe,8Crown,9Penates,10Atheart,11
Buyer,12Button,14Astern,17Right,19Plateau,21Network,22Truss,23Putinorder
Down:2Prophet,3Conga,4Pipits,5Omnibus,6Entry,7Astronauts,8Clambering,13
Outpost,15Execute,16Spoken,18Get-up,20Actor
JUMBLED WORDS
You seem to have
quite a good
business sense,
not to mention
an uncanny ability to see
the right way through the
sort of financial maze which
often confuses other people.
You should understand
that it’s all a question
of distinguishing fact
from fantasy.
TAURUS (Apr 21 - May 21)
The key to the
moment is pleasure.
CALVIN & HOBBES by Bill Watterson This doesn’t mean
that life should be
one endless party, but that
you should make a point of
enjoying everything you
do, including the most
routine chores. This is not
an impossible dream,
DOWN and it’s also one of the best
1 Leave a catch up river (7) ways to increase your
2 One may be prone to take quality of life.
things so (5,4)
GEMINI (May 22 - June 21)
3 Refuse to wither away (5) Some people
4 Gentle touch worries the around you seem
skinhead (6) far too lively at the
5 Such display gives a god pain (7) moment, but
6 The sum Capone left (3) they’re living in the past, not
7 Records music (5) the present. It’s about time
they woke up and realised that
12 One who is may not
the correct question to ask is:
understand it’s unreasonable
‘where do we go from here?’ If
(1,3,5)
14 Was it used in operating a big
MARVIN by Tom Armstrong a dialogue is necessary then it
may be up to you to start.
fiddle? (7)
16 Dread going round globe and CANCER (June 22 - July 23)
therefore don’t (7) You must
17 Fights are things dogs enjoy understand that
(6) once you have got
your own way a
18 Counts and recounts (5)
certain number of times, it is
20 A reflective attitude taken by up to you to encourage others
a storyteller (5) to take first place. The
22 Just having lost a Christmas difficulty is judging when it is
tree (3) the best moment to make the
switch and, for this,
impeccable timing is needed.
LEO (July 24 - Aug 23)
Not everything is as
it appears. In fact,
surprising as it may
seem, to some
people, your sense of self-
DifficultyLevel2s esteem can suffer as much as
SOLUTION SUDOKU 5539
It’s all very well
imagining that you
can compromise
for ever, but if you
don’t act to secure your
happiness, nobody else
will. Romantically, it’s up to
you to take the initiative as
soon as possible. There may
be hidden costs, but that’s
always a risk.
SCORPIO (Oct 24 - Nov 23)
If you’re planning
activities for the
future, go for
anything which is
guaranteed to be sociable.
Bear in mind that as the
months pass your desires
will change, and what makes
sense now will be very
different indeed, so build in
a little flexibility.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 24 - Dec 22)
It looks as if you are
about to reach a
point of no return
professionally, or
in any major ambition, even
a leisure activity, which is
designed to secure praise
and recognition. It all now
depends on what you know,
and you can no longer rely on
personal contacts.
CAPRICORN (Dec 23 - Jan 20)
The very fact that
your planetary
aspects are so few
and far between is
enough to convince anyone
that what is important now
is that you begin to shape
your own future. Start to
make long-term plans,
allowing daily details to
sort themselves out.
AQUARIUS (Jan 21 - Feb 19)
There are strong
suggestions that
your social life
is set for some
improvements. This
time around, a friend or
acquaintance is also due to
boost your financial prospects,
but you must be prepared

Instructions anybody’s. Now is a good to take the lead. There’s

moment to look at ways in nothing to be gained from
Given below are four jumbled words. Solve the jumbles to make proper words and move TosolveaSudokupuzzle, which family members have sitting at home waiting for
them to the respective squares below. Select the letters in the shaded squares and everydigitfrom1to9 eroded your confidence, and the phone to ring.
SUDOKU 5540

jumble them to get the answer for the given quip. mustappearineachofthe do something about it.
People have motives and thoughts of which they are ___. - Albert Ellis (7) nineverticalcolumns,in PISCES (Feb 20 - Mar 20)
eachoftheninehorizontal VIRGO (Aug 24 - Sep 23) The emphasis
There are right in emotional
BGNAE ROTUND rowsandineachofthe
decisions and there relationships is
nineboxes. are wrong decisions. now moving on.
Sometimes there is a You are bound to feel more
grey area in the middle, but at intense but, at a superficial
ACTAR AGIKNW DifficultyLevel the moment the choices seem level, money could also be a
1s=Veryeasy;2s=Easy; to be polarised, and you may pressing issue. It’s vitally
3s=Medium;4s=Hard; have to come off the fence and important to determine who is
5s=VeryHard; commit yourself. Some people responsible for what, in all
would say that it’s about time. joint financial connections.
Answer: People have motives and thoughts of which they are unaware. - Albert Ellis 6s=Genius
SOLUTION: BEGAN, CARAT, UNTROD, WAKING

PROGRAM— VISION IAS
Vision IAS, India’s premier research and training institute, is set to
conduct the most awaited Abhyaas, an All India Prelims (GS & CSAT)
Mock Test Series for students attempting the UPSC Prelims 2024 sch-
eduled on 16th June. Attempted by toppers Aditya Srivastava, AIR 1, U-
PSC CSE 2023 & Ms. Ishita Kishore, AIR 1, UPSC CSE 2022, Abhyaas
Prelims has carved a name for itself in the UPSC Prelims preparation.
PROGRAM— KIET
The most talked about Annual Inter-Institutional Cultural Fest at KIET
Group of Institutions, Delhi-NCR, Ghaziabad came to an end, with
the soulful and musical night by Jubin Nautiyal. This fest, known
as EPOQUE@Prastuti was a 3-day cultural program, wherein 150
country-wide inter-institute teams registered for different events,
namely Group Dance, Beat Boxing, Open Mic,Rap Battle & etc.
EVENT — AMITY UNIVERSITY
DST -Amity Technology Enabling Centre, Amity University Noida, hosted a
product launch ceremony for the device ‘Ami Aqua Tester for Detection of
Chromium in Water’, developed by Dr. VK Jain Distinguished Scientist &
Professor, Amity Institute of Advanced Research & Studies (Materials &
Devices) & his team. DST-Amity TEC facilitated transfer of this device to a
Ghaziabad based Startup, M/s Glorisa Technovation Pvt. Ltd. recently.
CONTEST — NDIM
NDIM in partnership with DMA, is delighted to announce the
successful conclusion of the 2nd edition of the esteemed Biz-Champs
contest. With an impressive turnout of 27 teams spanning academia
and the corporate landscape, the competition showcased the
intricacies of real-world business challenges. This event owed its
success to the strong backing of LearnBiz Simulations.
PROGRAM — VITEEE
The Vellore Institute of Technology Engineering Entrance Examination
(VITEEE)-2024 has officially begun at the VIT-AP campus in Am-
aravati. The computer-based entrance exam, conducted annually, aims
to facilitate admissions to B.Tech programs offered at VIT’s campuses
in Vellore, Chennai, Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh), and Bhopal. Sharing
his insights on VITEEE 2024 Dr. S.V. Kota Reddy –VC highlighted that
the entrance examination will continue at various exam.
CORPORATE BRIEFS
EDUCATION
PROGRAM—NDIM
NDIM presented a unique opportunity for its students to
gain invaluable insights into Japan's business landscape
and immerse themselves in its rich culture. The international
program was combined with academic rigor with real-world
experiential learning, offering the students a holistic
understanding of Japan's economic, technological, and
managerial paradigms.
PROGRAM— I.T.S DENTAL COLLEGE
An informative & Hands-on 5th module of “2nd Advanced
Facial Aesthetics Course” was organized by the Dept of
Periodontology, I.T.S Dental College, Muradnagar recently
which was part of a six-module course of two days each.
The Programme on Facial Aesthetics was attended by
around 35 participants including private practitioners,
college alumni, dentists, post-graduate students & Interns.
EVENT — GL BAJAJ GROUP
Playback singer Sukhwinder Singh, who has made a place in the
hearts of crores of Indians with his magical voice, created such an
atmosphere in GL Bajaj Group of Institutions Mathura on Friday
evening that everyone was forced to dance. In GL Bajaj's annual
event 'Toonav-2024' on Friday evening, there was such a musical
gathering that thousands of students present in front of the stage
were seen singing and dancing in fun with singer Sukhwinder Singh.
PROGRAM— VIT
The VIT Engineering Entrance Exam, the entrance
examination conducted by Vellore Institute of Tec-
hnology for admission to B.Tech. programmes of
VIT Group of Institutions—VIT-Vellore, VIT-Chennai,
VIT-AP (Amaravati) & VIT-Bhopal, is scheduled from
April 19th to 30th, 2024 as Proctored Computer
Based Test at 125 cities in India & six cities abroad.

17 SPORT
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2024
Two draws, board drama, an Indian victor
After splitting points
with Nakamura,
Gukesh’s fate hung in
the balance till Fabi and
Nepo played a stalemate
AMIT KAMATH
APRIL 22
FABIANO CARUANA and Ian
Nepomniachtchi sat on their chairs like ex-
hausted boxers whose legs had given way
from the sustained effort of flitting around
in the ring, duckingand evading each other’s
haymakers. They had battled for 109 moves,
withstanding each other’s hardest punches.
Then, eventually Caruana’s facade cracked
as he realized victory was beyond both of
them tonight. He offered a draw. Nepo had
anticipated this coming, yet he could not
bring himself to accept.
“This was very bad,” muttered Caruana
as he sat on the table, seeing his fifth
Candidates campaign end with a heroic, al-
beit fruitless, slugfest.
“I’mvery…I’m very sorry,”chokedNepo,
hardly able to look at his opponent after his
inability to convert his third Candidates ap-
pearance into a victory for the third consec-
utive time.
Adrawmeantboththeirchancesof qual-
ifying for World Championship were done
and it would be 17-year-old Gukesh, a cub
from the land of the Madras Tiger, who
would be taking on China’s Ding Liren.
When the day began, Gukesh, Nepo, Fabi
and Hikaru Nakamura had a chance to win
the Candidates.
Only Gukesh could have qualified even
with a draw against Nakamura (as long as
the other game between Nepo and Fabi was
drawn too). The other three simply had to
win, and even then they weren’t guaranteed
a spot at the World Championship.
Bothgamesendedindraws,butitwasthe
most dramatic day of the Candidates in three
weeks. For Gukesh, who will become the
youngesteverworldchampionshipchallenger,
most of the drama that would decide his fate
was happening on a board next to his own.
Here is a timeline of the most notewor-
thy moments from both boards:
Gukesh springs a surprise
The teenager makes the first attacking
decision on the board, playing bishop to e7
with his fifth move. It’s an out-of-syllabus
move that raises a few eyebrows.
"I’ve never seen this move played in
Queen's Gambit Accepted, despite playing
this opening my whole life," says GM Irina
Krush on FIDE's commentary stream. "I’ve
not known of this move's existence. This has
beenmymain opening since mychildhood."
Magnus Carlsen, doing analysis on the
Chess24stream,says:"I’veseenGukeshplay
this line before in the Queen's Gambit. So
Hikaru would have anticipated this (from
Gukesh), and it wouldn't be a surprise for
him. Gukesh has clearly studied this.
Grzegorz Gajewski (Gukesh's trainer) is re-
ally good at finding these lines. Gukesh
knows what he’s doing."
Caruana takes advantage
In the board next to Gukesh and
Nakamura, as early as the 24th move,
Caruana has a chokehold on this game,
thanks to Nepo moving his pawn to b6,
INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE
Why Kohli's dismissal wasn’t given no-ball Sandeep’s five-fer, Jaiswal's ton ensure
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
Rajasthan leave Jaipur in pink of health
What happened at Eden Gardens?
In the first couple of overs of their run-
E
chase,Virat Kohli wasoff to a fine start. Then,
first ball of the
thirdover,Harshit
EXPLAINED
Rana delivered a
high full-toss that
deceived him.
The RCB star was
taken by surprise
and only man-
● aged to guide the
ball back to Rana
in his follow-
through. He immediately signalled for a re-
view, but this particular mode of dismissal
doesn't come under batsman's purview to
ask for a referral. But given the ambiguity in-
volved, the on-field umpires sent it to the
third umpireto checkwhether it wasno-ball
or not. There wasn't much doubt that when
Kohli hit the ball, it was above his waist
height. But there's more to it.
What was the review process?
WithallthecontroversiessofarinthisIPL
over umpiring, the one area where there
should be no ambiguity are waist-high no-
balls.Givenhowthesedecisionsoftengo,the
row over the dismissal was perhaps under-
standable because Kohli met the ball quite
high. But one thing that the review system
in IPL has done this year is that – like offside
with VAR in football – there is no subjectiv-
itytowaist-highno-balls.Itisnotajudgment
CANDIDATES 2024: HOW THE FINALE PLAYED OUT
Indian grandmaster D Gukesh speaks after winning the Fide Candidates 2024 as fans and media look on in Toronto. (Below)
Gukesh glances at the other board where his main rival Iain Nepomniachtchi was in action. FIDE/Michal Walusza
which allows Caruana to push his rook to d7
on his 25th move. Now the Russian has an
option: to capture the American’s infiltrat-
ing rook with his own rook or the queen or
his knight. Either way, that piece will soon
be conquered by Caruana’s bishop on the f
file or the dangerous pawn on c6.
The move leads to two rooks and two
pawns being sacrificed. But more impor-
tantly, Caruananow holds an overwhelming
advantagewhichhecarriestothe40thmove.
If Caruana wins, Gukesh must win to avoid
tiebreaks against the American.
Caruana has brief trouble passing time
control,needingtomake10movesinaround
10 minutes. But he does that without too
much drama.
And then, infused with an additional half
an hour on his clock, the American walks
headfirst into drama, blundering on the 41st
movebymovinghiskingtoa1squareinstead
of placing it on a2. Themove instantly allows
Nepo a window to escape for a draw.
Gukesh,whoisstillplayingontheadjoin-
ing board, sees his hopes soar. Even a draw
against Nakamura will seal his victory now.
Nepo spends eight minutes on his next
move. He needs to find the move, queen to
c2. He does! As it happens, Gukesh is stand-
ing next to their board, observing this mo-
ment. For once in 15 rounds, he’s allowed
Virat Kohli in talks with the umpire. PTI
call, it is simply a yes/no decision.
Before the start of the IPL, Hawk-eye
measured the waist height for every player
andallthedataismadeavailableintheSmart
Replay System. Unlike last season, the third
umpire has no role this IPL, with the meas-
urements being done by Hawk-Eye through
an automated system.
So as the graphic showed, Kohli's regis-
teredwaistheightis1.04mandtheballwould
have been at 0.92m at the crease. The deci-
sion made by the TV umpire was indeed fair.
What's the actual rule?
Amongmanywhoweredebatingthede-
cision, former Australia captain Aaron Finch
said in the Star Sports studio that he origi-
nally thought that it was not out because
Kohli's point of contact was evidently high,
butchangedhismindlaterafterheheardthe
explanation. The rule, while contentious in
the past, is not ambiguous.
Playing conditon 41.7.1 states that any
delivery which passes or would have
himself tobedistractedbyanothergame,be-
cause this game will decide whether he has
to fight it out via tiebreakers or qualifies for
the World Championship directly.
More blunders
Withthegameinhisfist,Nepomniachtchi
messes up four moves later by playing
44…Nb3; Caruana is winning again. Nepo
neededtoplay44...Ka6tomaintainthestatus
quo. Somewhere in the middle of this swing-
ing yo-yo of fortunes, Gukesh and Nakamura
haveagreedtoadrawandaresittingatthejoint
pressconference.Gukesh’seyesandminddrift
on the game that’s still raging and is past the
50th moves. Little does he know that’s only
half the number of moves the American and
the Russian are about to play today.
Gukesh is asked at the press conference
how he will tackle the tiebreak tomorrow
because Caruana holds a massive advantage
according to the computer. Gukesh starts of-
fering a noncommittal reply, but before he
can finish a journalist announces the mo-
mentum has swung. Now it’s heading for a
draw again. Nakamura laughs. Gukesh
smiles,thengrimaces.Bymove59,there’san-
otherblunderasCaruanapusheshisambitious
rook to c7 to threaten a check on Nepo’s king.
That’samistake.Thoseareabouttooccurvery
frequently now.
passed, without pitching, above waist
height of the striker standing upright at the
popping crease is to be deemed to be unfair.
So how high Kohli (who was quite forward)
met the ball doesn't matter. The calcula-
tions shown on screen were clear too, the
ball 'would have passed' below Kohli's
waist, given the dip that Rana got, inten-
tional or otherwise.
Was the dip natural?
ThetrackerhasbeenusedintheWPLand
IPL to review waist-high no balls. Before the
new calculation system came into place, it
was just the line provided by Hawk-Eye. And
quite a few decisions had to be overturned
because the dip invariably showed the ball
going below the batter's waist height at the
popping crease. Is it feasible to use it for no
ball decisions? That is a question for tech ac-
curacy in the future, and within the existing
rules, this seems the best bet to get the deci-
sions consistently accurate.
What happened after?
Kohli was livid as he walked off the Eden
Gardens. He even stopped once, turned to
his left, and went to the on-field umpires to
express his displeasure. One didn't need to
be a body language expert to know that he
was angry. On Monday, Kohli was fined 50
per cent of his match fees for breaching the
IPL Code of Conduct. Without mentioning
theincident,the statementsaid:"Kohlicom-
mitted a Level 1 offence under Article 2.8 of
theIPL'sCodeof Conduct.Headmittedtothe
offence and accepted the Match Referee’s
sanction. For Level 1 breaches of the Code of
Conduct, the Match Referee's decision is fi-
nal and binding."
‘Gukesh stronger
than we realised’
D Gukesh proved former world
champion Magnus Carlsen — who
had said Gukesh was ‘not quite ready
yet to make the leap. It’s more likely
that he has a bad event’ — wrong.
Speaking on Chess24, Carlsen said on
Sunday: “Gukesh is probably a bit
stronger than myself and others re-
alised. The thing about Gukesh is that
he can lookreally vulnerable at times.
Then he’s also not very good at speed
chess. That can confuse (people’s as-
sessment about him). And he’s not as
high-profile as some of the other
youngsters, which is confusing. But
he’s proven in this tournament that
he’s very strong.” ENS
Punches minus power
Move 61, blunder: Nepo.
Move 66, blunder: Caruana.
The American’s time has thinned down
to just over a minute. We’re in the 70s, and
Caruana’s queen is chasing Nepo’s king. The
king darts from one square to another, hid-
ing behind a pawn. The herd on the board
has thinned considerably now. Caruana
holds one additional pawn. But his advan-
tage has disappeared. Now it’s Nepo’s
queen who’s making overtures at
Caruana’s king.
Both players are still fighting on, throwing
punches at each other without any power or
conviction. They have, after all, been jousting
foralmostsixhoursnowinthe14thsuchgame
they have played in the span of three weeks.
After the 109th move, Caruana bites the bul-
let. “Draw?” he asks Nepo over the board.
Nepo turns away. It takes him 30 seconds
to accept his fate.
After the game, Nepo and Caruana turn
up at the press conference together. “It's
amazing not to win this position,” says
Caruana at some point. “I feel like an idiot.”
SYNOPSIS
Roaring comebacks from Sandeep
Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal help
Rajasthan Royals end their Jaipur
leg on a high.
LALITH KALIDAS
APRIL 22
Jaiswal’s smashing return
TheRajasthan Royals calledaremarkable
night to mark an end to their home stretch
at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium with a nine-
wicket drubbing of the Mumbai Indians -
their fourth win in five games at the venue
this year. That might also fortify their spot in
the play-offs before they move bases to
Guwahati for the rest of the season.
There were no rain signals on the radar
but Jaiswal picked the perfect hour to sum-
mon a deluge of boundaries together for the
first time this season. Riding a string of low
scores,Jaiswalremainedguardedagainstthe
slinging debutant Nuwan Thushara and
Jasprit Bumrah before pouncing on Gerald
Coetzee’s menial pace. In a flash, he meted
out five fours and a six and waltzed back to
his best. Jaiswal and Jos Buttler propelled
Rajasthan to 61 in the powerplay before the
heavens opened up for nearly 40 minutes.
TherainbreakputButtleroff hisgame,but
the hungry Jaiswal was not tossing this one
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
Playing toight
INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE
CSK vs LSG, 7.30 pm, Live on Jio Cinema and
Star Sports Network
Future of country’s
chess is in safe hands
AMIT KAMATH
APRIL 22
“WHAT IS the most unstable thing in the
world at the moment? Number 1 chess
player of India.”
Tweet from Azerbaijani grandmaster
TeimourRadjabovinJanuarythisyearpoint-
ing out how volatile the position of India’s
top-ranked players can be.
In the four months of 2024, the position
of India’s top ranked chess player in the live
ratings has switched constantly between In the women's section, 22-year-old
five players — Viswanathan Anand, first-timer Vaishali finished joint
Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi second on points. FIDE/Michal Walusza
and Vidit Gujrathi.
It's a far cry from the previous 36 years
when Viswanathan Anand was ensconced online chess classes from some of the best
as India’s top-ranked chess player, mostly in the business who are based in metropol-
unchallenged. Radjabov’s tweet, in fact, had itan cities.
come right after Vidit had been dethroned The rise of online tournaments in the
as India No.1 in the live ratings after a 24- post-pandemic era also led to a lot of Indian
hour stint there. youngsters taking on super grandmasters
It was in little signs like these that India’s and even former world champions. These
growth on the 64 squares was starting to re- contests were crucial to make these elite
flect. Then came the recently-concluded players seem less formidable.
Candidatestournament,aneliteeight-player “The growth of Indian players was partly
field — both in the open category and for due to them playing online competitions.
women—thathasprovenridiculouslytough Playingnotjustwithtopplayersbutalsoget-
to crack for Indians. ting accustomed to playing
That was, of course, be- Magnus or other top stars.
fore a group of five Indians Another thing that Thisismorethanaboom.It’s
qualified for the Candidates India has done right a trend,” Emil Sutovsky, the
this year, three in the open DirectorGeneralatFIDE,the
event and two in the is that there is a global governing body of
women's event. generation of elite chess, had told The Indian
Gukesh's victory, which players who chose to Express last year.
makes him the youngest Another thing that India
man ever to make the cut for branch out into has done right is that there
the World Chess coaching to help out is a generation of elite play-
Championships, will obvi- ers who chose to branch
the next generation
ously garner attention. But out into coaching to help
there were other signs of out the next generation.
India's growing stature in the sport as well: This includes grandmaster RB Ramesh,
inthewomen'ssection,forexample,thevet- who counts Pragg and Vaishali among his
eran Humpy Koneru and the 22-year-old wards, GM Vishnu Prasanna, who shaped
first-timer Vaishali both finished joint sec- Gukesh from the age of 11, and GM Srinath
ond on points. Narayanan, who worked as Arjun Erigaisi's
InFIDE’srankingslistforApril2024,there trainer and also shaped Nihal Sarin. At the
are five Indian men among the top 25. In the recently-concluded Candidates, there was
women’s ranks, there are three Indians GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly who was in
among the top 15. But it’s when you look at Vidit’s corner while GM Sandipan Chanda
the rankings for top juniors in the world that was Vaishali’s trainer.
India really starts to assert its dominance: Sutovsky had also pointed out that there
there are seven Indians among the top 20 was a group of over 50,000 players in India
and, if you zoom out a little, one-third of the who he classified as “really good players, but
top 30 juniors in the world are Indians (two not grandmasters”. “These players are vital
of whom played at the Candidates, of which to the growth of the chess ecosystem as they
one is headed to the World Championship). are or can become chess coaches, arbiters
It should come as no surprise then that etc,” he tells The Indian Express.
last year former world champion Magnus The final link in the chain was the inven-
Carlsen had proclaimed: “I think India is do- tion of cash-rich, franchise-style tourna-
ing a lot of right things so far, and it is a mat- ments like the Global Chess League where
ter of time before it is clearly the leading players like Gukesh, Pragg and Arjun were in
chess nation in the world.” the same team as Carlsen. The league was
So what are the things India is doing funded by Tech Mahindra in collaboration
right? with FIDE. All of these aspects were leading
A combination of factors has led to this to India becoming more assertive on the 64
rapid explosion of the sport in India. With squares. But with Gukesh making it to the
cheap internet data packs and chess apps World Championship, thatchess movement
easily available on mobile phones, there is a finally has a poster boy.
rapidly growing grassroots base. As Women Grandmaster Tania Sachdev
The reach of the internet also has made tweeted after Gukesh's win on Monday,
chess coaching more accessible for kids in "GUKESH WINS THE CANDIDATES! The fu-
tier-2 and tier-3 cities, who can now take ture is here. It’s today."
landed in Samson’s gloves.
STANDINGS The returning Sandeep preyed on Ishan
M W L T Pts NRR Kishan’sconcernsagainstthemovementand
found a feeble outside edge, picked up by
RR 8 7 1 0 14 0.698
Samsonbehindthestumpswithasuccessful
KKR 7 5 2 0 10 1.206 review. Sandeep then stepped up to dismiss
SRH 7 5 2 0 10 0.914 the menacing Suryakumar Yadav. He struck
with an ingenious delivery - a dipping, cross-
CSK 7 4 3 0 8 0.529
seamed slower ball - that slid in to trounce
LSG 7 4 3 0 8 0.123 Surya’stiming,endingwithatamechiptothe
GT 8 4 4 0 8 -1.055 mid-onfielder.TheearlydamageleftMIwith
MI 8 3 5 0 6 -0.227 theirsecondsub-50powerplayof theseason,
both of which have come against the Royals.
DC 8 3 5 0 6 -0.477
PK 8 2 6 0 4 -0.292 Sandeep’s five-star comeback
RCB 8 1 7 0 2 -1.046 IttookaspecialeffortbyTilakVarma(65)
and Nehal Wadhera for MI to hint at a sem-
blance of a comeback. The left-handed pair
away.Counteringcontrastingspinfromveter- added99forthefifthwicketthroughthemid-
ans Mohammad Nabi and Piyush Chawla, dleovers,takingdownYuzvendraChahaland
Jaiswal sped to his first half-century of this IPL Avesh Khan while leaving R Ashwin wicket-
in31ballsbeforedoublinguptoablistering59- less for a sixth consecutive game.
ball ton, laced with 15 boundaries. Aided by However, the Royals curbed their profli-
sloppyfieldingandMI’swaninggripontheball, gacytremendouslyatthedeath.WhileChahal
JaiswalandcaptainSanjuSamsoncompleteda dismissed Wadhera on 49 in his maiden out-
180-runchasewithoutbreakingasweat. ing, a wavering Avesh’s low full-toss trapped
an out-of-sorts Hardik. Sandeep then capped
MI's powerplay roadblock off his comeback from a five-game injury lay-
MI skipper Hardik Pandya was content off with his maiden five-wicket haul. He lay-
withhischoicetobatfirstonadrypitch,iron- ered Tilak (65), Tim David and Coetzee with a
ically citing a relative absence of dew. gentle spread of slower deliveries as MI en-
However, it hardly took Trent Boult and duredasecondmeltdownwithintheinnings.
Sandeep Sharma twenty minutes to disrupt BRIEF SCORES: Mumbai Indians 179/9
the Mumbai batting order. Boult zapped in 20 overs (Tilak 65, Wadhera 49; Sandeep
Rohit Sharma in the first over again, his in- Sharma 5/18) lost to Rajasthan Royals 183/1
decisiveness against the left-armer paving in 18.4 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 104 not out,
the way for a rash slog that lobbed high and Sanju Samson 38 not out) by nine wickets
 18 SPORT WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2024

INTERVIEW: VINESH PHOGAT

‘There were so many moments when I cried’

A gamble to shift to 50kg category after an ACL
surgery paid off for Vinesh Phogat but with 12
hours to go for weigh in for the Olympics qualifier in
Bishkek, she was in a race against time to cut weight
MIHIRVASAVDA
MUMBAI,APRIL22
IT’S LATE night in Bishkek. Less than 12 hours
beforeherquestforaParisOlympicsquotabe-
gins. And Vinesh Phogat is at the home of the
friend of her coach’s friend.
She’ssittinginasauna.Thetemperatureis
set at 98 degrees Celsius. Her coach, Woller
Akos,isslappingabunchofdriedbranchesand
leaves on her body to generate more heat.
Waiting for beads of sweat to surface. But in
vain. After two sessions of 15 minutes each,
Akos steps out of the sauna. He is drenched,
faceredandskinburnt.Buttheentireexercise
has little impact on the person it was meant
for – Phogat.
In desperation, Akos turns to Phogat’s
physiotherapist,AshwiniPatil,andinallseri-
ousness,asksforapairof scissors.”Hewanted
tocutmyhair,”Phogatlaughs.“Inhismind,if
that helped reduce even 50 grams, it was
worth it. Thankfully, it didn’t come to that.”
Last Saturday, the wrestler competed in
her first international tournament since
September 2022 and, without conceding a
single point, secured a Paris Olympics quota
place for India. Phogat needed less than six
minutes to win her three bouts and get the
job done. To be ready for that, the 29-year-
old had to endure an hours-long ordeal.
Therealdramaunfoldedthenightbefore,
on Friday, when she had to reduce at least
700 grams to meet the weight criteria to
compete in the 50 kg category. ”Weight cut
was the main issue,” she tells The Indian
Express. “Match kisi k saath he kara lo, uska
darr nahi tha.”
Indeed, she had fought tougher bouts in
the last 15 months, after accusing former
Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij
BhushanSharanSinghof sexualharassment:
leading the protests against the BJP MP,
sleeping in tents on footpaths, getting
dragged on the streets of the Capital by the
Delhi Police, returning national awards and
fighting a battle in the courts.
Returning to her natural environment
and facing wrestlers on the mat must have
felt like a less daunting challenge.
Back after ‘an eternity’
It’s the second week of December 2023.
Phogat is stepping on the wrestling mat
after what feels to her ‘like an eternity’.
BesidesherisWayneLombard,theSouth
Africansportsscienceguruwhotransformed
the Indian women’s hockey team’s fitness
levels at the Tokyo Olympics.
Lombard has a simple task for Phogat:
to walk on the mat. “It was our first mat ses-
sion; ahead of what the doctors originally
said but it was important we pushed
quicker than originally planned,” Lombard,
who had overseen Phogat’s rehab after her
injury at the Rio Olympics, had told this pa-
per earlier this year.
One step, two, three and she collapses.
The painpiercesthrough herbody.Herknee,
still stiff from the surgery performed in
August following an ACL tear had ended her
first jab at a comeback post the protests.
Right there, Phogat breaks down. “I cried
also because it had been four months (since
the injury) and still, there was no clarity as
to when I could wrestle,” she says. “There
were so many moments when I cried. Ro, ro
kar he uthe hai.”
A seven-strongteamof experts–a coach,
a doctor, a physio, a sports scientist, a
strength and conditioning expert, a nutri-
tionistandamanager–providedbyOlympic
Gold Quest works 24x7 behind the scenes to
get Phogat in shape to wrestle.
All this while, Phogat wrestles with her
insecurities and doubts.
Antim Panghal, one of the finest young
wrestlers in the country, had already won a
quota place in the 53 kg category, which is
also Phogat’s pet weight class.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI)
(Clockwisefromtop)VineshwithBajrang Puniaonher
arrivaltoIndiaaftersecuringanOlympicberth; Vinesh
training with strengthand conditioningspecialist
Wayne Lombard;Duringthe protestatJantarMantar.
Pics: Instagram-@bajrangpunia60/Express file
has kept the selection criteria for the
Olympics vague. In the past, those who won
a quota also went for the Games. This time,
there have been talks about a selection trial
at the end of May or early June. But no con-
firmation so far.
A selection trial would mean the two 53
kg wrestlers, Phogat and Panghal, facing off
in the winner-takes-all bout for a spot on the
Paris-bound team. But the decision rests in
the hands of Sanjay Singh, the close aide of
Brij Bhushan who is now the WFI president.
“I didn’t want to give power to someone
else to decide my fate. I’d die of that stress,”
Phogat says. “If thereweretrialsin 53,then it
would be the best scenario. But I wanted to
compete in the 50 or 57 kg category and win
a quota myself.”
A difference of opinion emerges. Doctors
and physios advise Phogat to jump to 57 kg.
Bajrang Punia, the Tokyo Olympics bronze
medallistandafaceof theprotestsalongwith
PhogatandSakshiMalik,callstogivehistwo
cents as well.
“Bajrangalsotriedtoconvincemetocom-
pete in 57,” Phogat says. “Everyone thought
that it wasn’t ideal to cut so much weight
coming out of an injury.”
But Phogat, her husband and India
wrestler Somvir Rathee, and Akos think dif-
ferently.“Weweresidingmoretowardscom-
peting in 50 kg,” she adds. Their reasons are
twofold:Tocompetein57,Phogatwouldhave
to increase her power to match the strength
of the wrestlers in that weight and the fact
that she was familiar with most of the
wrestlers who competed in 50 kg.
“Our target wasn’t just qualifying for the
Olympics. We were thinking about winning
amedal,too.Therewasriskinbothcategories,
but it was worth it in 50. I went by my in-
stincts even though I knew weight cut mein
jaannikaljaegi.(Itwouldbereallydifficultto
go through a weight cut).”
Panic mode
It’s April 19, the night before her opening
boutinthe50kgcategoryattheAsianOlympic
Qualifiers in Bishkek.
Phogat stands on the weighing machine
she carries to every competition. “It showed I
was 700 grams overweight,” she says. When
she began mat training in December, she was
nearly 10 kilos over. By April 17, she’s brought
it down to 52.
The final few grams, however, prove most
difficult to shed even though she has eaten
nothingthewholedayanddrankonly500ml
water–300mlontheflighttoBishkekand200
during the training session that evening.
Panic creeps in. From the training venue,
Akos takes her to the hotel in the car of his
friend, a local wrestler. But the sauna at the
hotel is as hot as Akos wants. “It was around
60 degrees,” Phogat says. “And we wanted
above 90.”
So, they drive around 45 minutes in the
night and knock on the door of the coach’s
friend’s friend.
“Coach also stepped into the sauna with
me, and started tapping me to generate more
heat.Healsodippedabranchandleavesinhot
waterand startedslappingmewithittoseeif
that could help,” Phogat says. “But I wasn’t
sweating. It has happened before that if I get
intoasaunaimmediatelyaftertraining,Idon’t
sweat much. After a while, I told the coach, I
was feeling suffocated. My skin was burning
but I wasn’t sweating.”
After30minutes,shestepsout.Ontheway
back to the hotel, Phogat stops over at the
venue where the weigh-in is to be held
Saturday morning to check her weight on the
scale. “I had burnt 300 grams.”
It’s only then Akos – who along with the
rest of the team was down with ‘Bishkek
belly’ – breathes easy. The Hungarian knew
Phogat’s body pattern was such that she lost
200-300gramswhilesleeping.Therest,how-
ever, were still panicking.
“By the time I reached the hotel, the word
had spread that I was a little over. So, Bajrang
called and advised me to train at night, keep
the heater on in the room and do everything
to ensure I had the weight under control be-
foreIslept.Itoldallofthem,‘Haveyouallgone
mad! And I stopped answering their calls.”
After barely a few hours of sleep, Phogat
and Akos leave for the venue at 6.30 am. They
areamongthefirstonestoreachtheweigh-in
venue,togivethemselvesenoughtimetoshed
the extra grams if she was still overweight.
Phogatstandsontheweighscale.Thenee-
dlestopsat49.9kg.Phogatgetsoff it,textsher
team,gulpsdowna‘1-litrebottleofelectrolytes
waterin40-45seconds’andwolfsdownacou-
pleofbananasalongwithajamsandwich,her
first meal in more than 24 hours.
Bytheendoftheday,theOlympic-medal-
hungrywrestlergobblesdownherthreeoppo-
nents to seal a Paris quota.

BRIEFLY Simranpreet, Bhavesh cause

Ghosalretiresfrom
professionalsquash mild upsets, clinch 2nd trial
New Delhi: Saurav Ghosal, the tena-
cious flag bearer of Indian squash for

Sensex at 75000
over two decades, on Monday an-
nounced his retirement fromthe pro-
fessional circuit having etched his
name in the annals of the sport's his-
tory with some remarkable achieve-
ments. India's finest men's squash
Where is it headed?
player,the37-year-oldGhosalthough
would continue to represent the
country at multi-discipline events.
Goshal won two gold medals in team
events of Incheon and Hangzhou
Asian Games. PTI

Nadalpoisedfor
LaverCupswansong
Berlin: Rafael Nadal said Monday he
will play at the Laver Cup in Berlin in
September in what may be one of the
22-time Grand Slam champion's last
tournaments. Nadal has signaled
2024 may be his last year on tour and
said last week that his second-round
loss to Alex de Minaur at the
BarcelonaOpen,whichhehaswon12
times, was “probably my last match
here.” “At this stage in my career I re-
allywanttogooutthereandmakethe
most of every opportunity I am
given," Nadal said in a statement. AP
SimranpreetKaurBrar(centre)beatfavouriteManuBhakerin25mpistol.
NAMIT KUMAR
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22
AFTER THEY picked up comfortable wins in
the first trial and topped qualification for the
next, Manu Bhaker and Anish Bhanwala
lookedoncourseforasecondsuccessivewin
In conversation
with
NRAI
Prashant Jain Sandeep Singh
Anish was put on the backfoot from the first Founder and CIO, 3P Investment Managers Resident Editor, Mumbai, The Indian Express
round itself.
Bhavesh was not quick to drown in pride
after the performance though. "Happy with
the result today but I didn't feel like there What does Sensex@75,000 signify for young investors?
was a performance worthy of the Olympics
by any of the players. Too many mistakes. I
think we all need a little more work," he said. Should you be worried about valuations and wait for corrections?

Liverpoolstayin at the olympic shooting trials. Mild upsets,

however, would take place in New Delhi on
"I can say I have more belief after today, hope
to keep it going in Bhopal."
huntforEPL title Wednesday.
Bhavesh Shekhawat edged Anish 34-29
Anish, evidently not down after the loss,
would not hesitate to reveal that Paris is al-
Does the rise of the Sensex reflect overall economic activity and growth?

London: Liverpool stayed in the hunt
forthePremierLeaguetitleandmoved
levelonpointswithleaderArsenalwith
a 3-1 victory over Fulham that was il-
luminated by a brilliant free kick by
Trent Alexander-Arnold. Liverpool
bounced back from Thursday's exit to
AtalantaintheEuropaLeaguequarter-
finals and last weekend's home loss to
Crystal Palace by winning at Craven
Cottage after Jurgen Klopp dropped
MohamedSalahandAlexisMacAllister
to the bench. AP
to win the second trial in the men's 25m
rapid fire pistol category, while quota winner
Vijayveer Sidhu finished third with a score of
22 points. Adarsh Singh (17) and Ankur Goel
(13) followed in fourth and fifth.
In the 25m women's pistol category,
Simranpreet Kaur beat Bhaker in a tight race
that went to the wire, her two extra hits in
the final two rounds taking her to a score of
37, two more than Bhaker's 35. Esha Singh
was third with 30 points, and quota winner
Rhythm Sangwan (24) finished fourth.
This was the second of four trials - the
next two take place in Bhopal between May
ready on his mind.
"It's on everyone's mind - federation, Are Indian stock markets at risk from geopolitics and global concerns?
SAI, shooters, coaches, the media," he said,
gleaming. "I prepared really well, and had
some good results, can't say anything went Which sectors will lead the next phase of growth in India?
badly. We have got four trials so I'm looking
forward to the next one." Simranpreet's vic-
tory would come in a more nervy fashion.
With five consecutive rounds of 4s, she was
showing consistency after recovering from
For answers to these questions, log on to the
the first trial in which she finished fourth, next edition of The Indian Express explained.Live
20 points behind Bhaker's remarkable
score of 47, which is six higher than the
world record.

WoodsaddsHoma,
Kim,Kisnertoteam
New York: Tiger Woods said that Max
Homa, Tom Kim and Kevin Kisner will
join him on his four-man Jupiter Links
GolfClubteamthatwillcompeteinthe
indoorsimulatorgolfleaguescheduled
to begin in January 2025. The TGL, a
primetime golf league featuring six
squads of four PGA Tour players com-
petinginafast-pacedformofteamgolf,
isrunbyTMRWSports,atech-focused
sportscompanyestablishedbyWoods
and Rory McIlroy in 2022. REUTERS
10 and May 19 - that are set to determine the
Indian shooting contingent for Paris 2024.
The average of three best scores will be taken
into account, and the top two will represent
the country at the Olympics.
Bhaker and Anish, both world champi-
onshipmedallistsandquotawinnersintheir
respective categories,are odds-on favourites
to prevail from the trials with a place in the
Paris 2024 squad. Even though they remain
incomfortablepositions ontheoverallchart,
the depth of the domestic competition was
ondisplayonWednesday,notallowingthem
to sail through even when having off days.
Four of Bhavesh's eight rounds saw
scores of perfect 5s, allowing him to take a
three-point lead by the midway point as
252024
Join us on
But after a slow start, Bhaker had begun
dragging it back, and honours were even go-
April
06:00 PM ZOOM
ing into the final two rounds, where
Simranpreet stayed consistent and the more
experienced Bhaker would blink.
"I was only focused on myself, didn't To register, SMS - IEEXP <space> “IE” <space> “Your name and email ID” to 56161
know what was going on around me so
there was no real reason to feel any pres- Confirmation SMS will be your registration
sure," Simranpreet said after the match.
"There was a lot to learn between the first
and the second trial, so I did my best to take
as many lessons as I could." Associate
Bhaker, Esha, and Rhythm will all return Partner
this week to take part in the first two trials of
the 10m air pistol category, while the others
will look towards Bhopal for confirmation of
their place in the Olympic team.

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