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HYDERABAD I WEDNESDAY I 1 MAY 2024 Vol. 87 No. 121 Established 1938 | 20 PAGES | `6.00
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Telangana under ‘RR tax’: Modi

Congress stealing quota from SCs, STs, OBCs to give it to Muslims: Modi
NEERAJ KUMAR I DC
HYDERABAD, APRIL 30
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi said that the people of
Telangana were feeling
ashamed to find ‘RR Tax’
under the Congress govern-
ment in the state, when a
super-hit movie, ‘RRR’,
from the Telugu film indus-
try had brought great
praise for them.
“The RR Tax is the sub-
ject of discussion at every
corner. Contractors and
industrialists have been
forced to cough up the ‘RR
Tax’ by back-door means.
This black money is rout-
ing to Delhi and the
Telangana people are wor-
ried and aware of such
black deeds,” he said.
In an all-out attack on the
Congress at a huge public
meeting in Chilver under
Zaheerabad Lok Sabha lim-
its, Modi said the Congress’
hand symbol symbolised
five evils — false slogans
and false promises, vote
bank politics, promotion of
criminals and mafia, pari-
varwaad (family) politics,
and corruption.
“When the world was
marching ahead, the
Congress landed the coun-
try in corruption with poli-
cy paralysis. The NDA gov-
ernment, with a lot of diffi-
culty, pulled out the coun-
try from the mess. The
Congress once again wants
to take the country in the
same old way,” Modi said,
adding that the NDA gov-
ernment had taken many
decisions to put the coun-
try back on track.
Modi said that people had
seen how a decisive and
strong government script-
ed history by fulfilling 500-
year-old dreams of Hindus
Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a public meeting in Zaheerabad on Tuesday.
WHEN THE Congress
was elected with a
record number of MLAs and
MPs in the united Andhra
Pradesh in 2009, the party
instead of strengthening
BCs, SCs and STs, took
away their constitutional
rights and extended the
same to Muslims and made
the state their laboratory”
— NARENDRA MODI,
Prime Minister
by constructing the Prabhu
Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
When he asked people who
did it, people responded by
shouting “Modi Modi.”
Modi responded saying:
“The vote from each one of
you enabled the construc-
tion of the Ram Temple.
The vote from each one of
you empowers our commit-
ment.” The Prime Minister
also pointed out that the
Congress government in
Telangana state had put a
number of restrictions and
tried hard to prevent the
Shobha Yatra on Rama
Navami festival for its vote
bank politics for the sake of
votes from a section of
people.
“When the Congress was
elected with a record num-
ber of MLAs and MPs in the
united Andhra Pradesh in
2009, the party instead of
strengthening BCs, SCs
and STs, took away their
constitutional rights and
extended the same to
Muslims and made the
state their laboratory,” he
said. When 26 castes, from
the Marathas to the
Lingayats, were seeking
inclusion in the OBC list,
— S. SURENDER REDDY
the Congress was not inter-
ested in their demand, but
included Muslims in the
OBC list, Modi said.
Stating that he would con-
tinue reservations for
Dalits, Adivasis and OBCs
till he was alive, Modi
repeated thrice that “Modi
will not allow giving reser-
vations to Muslims.”
Charging that the
Congress was spreading
lies about reservations,
Modi asked its leaders why
they did not support the
demand for social justice of
the Madiga community.
“Why have they not sup-
ported the categorisation of
SC reservations,” he asked
and reiterated his commit-
ment for the genuine rights
of the Madiga community.
■ Page 2: Nehru to Yuvraj,
all insulted statute: Modi
MODI: INDIA HITS
TERRORISTS IN
THEIR HOMES
SONU SHRIVASTAVA I DC
with agency inputs
MUMBAI, APRIL 30
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on Tuesday said
under the BJP-led govern-
ment “Aaj Bharat ghar
mein ghus ke marta hai
(today, India kills terrorists
on their home turf)”, unlike
the practice during the
Congress regime of sending
dossiers on terror attacks.
The Prime Minister
addressed three back to
back rallies at Malshiras in
Solapur district, Dharashiv
(formerly Osmanabad) and
Latur before heading to
Telangana.
“During the Congress
regime, the news headlines
were about India handing
over another dossier to
Pakistan about terror activ-
ities. It used to be big news.
Some of our friends in the
media used to clap after any
such dossier was sent,”
Modi said at an election
rally in Latur.
But, the headlines in
Naya Bharat are: Mission
LoC, India punishes
Pakistan through surgical
strikes, Modi said.
Modi also claimed that the
I.N.D.I.A. bloc has come up
with a “formula” whereby
the parties in the
Opposition alliance will get
the PM’s post for one year
each if they come to
power.” With such a sys-
tem, the good of the country
cannot be expected, Modi
said.

Will give more quota if

Congress leader Rahul
Gandhi speaks at a rally in
Bhind on Tuesday. — PTI
voted to power: Revanth
L. VENKAT RAM REDDY
AND PULI SHARATH
KUMAR I DC
KARIMNAGAR, WARANGAL,
HYDERABAD, APRIL 30

HOLD CONSTITUTION Chief Minister A. Revanth

Reddy said the Congress, if
voted to power at the
IN RALLIES, RAHUL Centre, will not only pro-
tect reservations of SCs,

TELLS CANDIDATES STs and OBCs but also

RABINDRA NATH
CHOUDHURY | DC
with agency inputs
BHOPAL, APRIL 30
Congress leader Rahul
Gandhi, addressing an
election rally in Bhind on
Tuesday, urged all party
candidates to carry a copy
of the Constitution with
them during nominations
and public meetings.
■ Full report on Page 9
enhance the quota allotted
to these sections in propor-
tion to their population by
conducting a caste survey.
Continuing his tirade
against the BJP on the
issue of reservations,
Revanth Reddy warned
people that if they elected
the Narendra Modi govern-
ment for a third term, they
will lose reservations as
the BJP and the RSS were
keen to make India a ‘reser-
vation-free’ country.
The TPCC chief on
Tuesday was speaking at
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy addressing an election
rally at Balapur in Chevella on Tuesday. Congress
candidate G. Ranjith Reddy is also seen. — P. SURENDRA
public meetings in Displaying a mock-up of a
Karimnagar, Warangal big egg on which ‘Gadida
and Chevella Lok Sabha Guddu’ (donkey’s egg) was
constituencies in support written, Revanth Reddy
of party candidates said the contribution of
Velichala Rajender Rao, Modi’s BJP to Telangana in
Kadiyam Kavya and last 10 years was equal to a
Gaddam Ranjith Reddy ‘gadida guddu’.
respectively. He alleged
that Modi had done noth- ■ Page 2: Modi gave state
ing for Telangana state. nothing, says Revanth

PRAJWAL’S DRIVER, BJP SC GRILLS ED ON TIMING ADMIRAL DINESH TRIPATHI

LEADER TRADE CHARGES
DC CORRESPONDENT
with agency inputs
BENGALURU, APRIL 30
Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna’s for-
mer car driver Karthik and BJP
leader G. Devaraje Gowda accused
each other of leaking the alleged
obscene videos of the now suspended
JD(S) leader.
■ Full report on Page 9
OF KEJRIWAL’S ARREST TAKES OVER AS NAVY CHIEF
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on
Tuesday questioned the
Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the
timing of Delhi Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest ahead of
the general elections and sought a
reply from the agency. The bench
noted that life and liberty are exceed-
ingly important, you can’t deny
that.
■ Full report on Page 8
New Delhi: Admiral Dinesh K.
Tripathi shortly after assuming
charge as the 26th Chief of the Naval
Staff on Tuesday said that the exist-
ing and emerging challenges in the
maritime domain mandate the
Indian Navy to remain operationally
ready to face any adversities. Adm.
Tripathi succeeded Admiral R. Hari
Kumar.
■ Full report on Page 8

SHINING | STARS Record 8,883 students score perfect 10 GPA

SSC pass percentage jumps

RACHEL DAMMALA I DC
HYDERABAD, APRIL 30
The TS Secondary School
Certificate (SSC) results for
2024 have shown a signifi-
cant increase in pass per-
centages, climbing from
86.60 per cent in 2023 to
91.31 per cent this year. The
results were released by
principal secretary (educa-
tion) Burra Venkatesham
and commissioner, school
education, A. Sridevasena
on Tuesday.
This year also saw a
record-setting 8,883 stu-
2024 SSC ACHIEVEMENTS
TOP THREE
99.05
Nirmal
district top Siddipet 98.65
performer Rajanna Sircilla at 98.27
dents scoring a perfect
10/10 GPA, the highest ever
since the GPA system was
introduced in 2012.
Among regular candi-
dates, girls achieved a 93.23
that of boys by nearly seven
GIRLS percentage points.
93.23% pass Nirmal district was the
top performer with a near-
BOYS
perfect pass percentage of
89.42% pass 99.05, followed by Siddipet
English-medium (98.65) and Rajanna Sircilla
at 98.27. The lowest percent-
students ages were from Vikarabad
achieved a at 65.10, Jogulamba Gadwal
93.74% pass (81.38), and Komaram
Bheem Asifabad at 83.29.
per cent pass rate compared English-medium students
to boys' 89.42 per cent. The achieved a 93.74 per cent
trend continued among pri- success rate.
vate candidates, where
girls' pass percentage stood ■ Page 7: Six schools
at 54.14 per cent, exceeding record zero passes
 LOK SABHA Modi neither told the people what he
did for TS in the past 10 years nor did
2024 GENERAL ELECTIONS
he tell people what he wants to do for
— A. REVANTH REDDY, Chief Minister
DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 1 MAY 2024
Nehru to Yuvraj, all insulted statute: Modi
EVENTS
TODAY
TODAY
Saalabhanjika Arts annual FROM PAGE 1
day celebrations
Time: 5 pm Stating that was is making
Venue: Sri Thyagaraja Gana an important announce-
Sabha ment from the land of
Telangana, Modi said that
Cauldron Potpourri: his government in its
Monthly literary third term would celebrate
convergence in a grand manner the dia-
mond jubilee of the
Time: 7 pm Constitution (in 2025) by
Venue: Ikea exposing at every street
Telugu comedy open mic corner “the sins of the
Congress and its leaders”
Time: 8 pm by listing out how they
Venue: The Hashtag Cafe played fraud with the
KPHB Constitution.
Giving a case-by-case ref-
Workshop on photography erence of how the
basics Congress leaders violated
Time: 4.30 pm the Constitution, Modi
said that Jawaharlal
Venue: Kalyan Cricket Nehru had removed the
Academy images from the
Kalakari Band Live Ramayana and the
Time: 8 pm Mahabharata from the
Constitution. Nehru inten-
Venue: Tabula Rasa tionally disconnected all
the links which connected
Summer camp for kids the rich heritage of the
Time: 8 am country with the
Venue: Ministry of Kids Constitution and insulted
Secunderabad Dr B.R. Ambedkar.
He said Indira Gandhi
Phantasm: Art Exhibition By had imposed the
Lakshmi Nambiar Emergency and curbed
Time: 11 am press freedom and jailed
nationalists. Rajiv Gandhi
Venue: Shrishti Art Gallery did a big sin against the
REACH US AT Constitution by bringing a
law to curb media rights.
eventsatdc@gmail.com “The Yuvraj (referring to
The BJP government in its third
term will expose at every street
TS in the next five years
corner “the sins of the Congress
and its leaders”.
— NARENDRA MODI, Prime Minister
Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during the public
meeting at Zaheerabad on Tuesday. (Right) BJP leaders
and contestants join hands on stage with Modi.
(Bottom) Crowd present at the venue.
—S. SURENDER REDDY
Rahul Gandhi) committed to extend reservations on
the fourth sin by tearing the basis of religion. But
up the papers of Cabinet Yuvraj and his team, for
decisions, thereby insult- vote bank politics, have
ing the Prime Minister eaten away the rights of
and his Cabinet,” Modi Dalits, Adivasis and OBCs
said, referring to the and extended the same to
Congress leaders tearing Muslims by back-door
up an ordinance to save method,” Modi explained.
convicted legislators from Asking the Congress to
disqualification. hear him, Modi
“The Constituent announced that the
Assembly discussed the Constitution was a holy
issue threadbare for three book for him to run the
long years and decided not government.
“As Chief Minister of
Gujarat, I celebrated 60
years of the Constitution
(in 2010) when no other
Chief Minister in the
country did so. The
Constitution was placed
on the top of an elephant. I
walked along with it,” he
recalled.
“After being elected
Prime Minister in 2014, I
bowed before Parliament
and then entered
Parliament Hall. In the
second term in 2019, the
Constitution was placed in
the Central Hall of
Parliament with all
respect and I bowed before
State has no money for BJP won’t abolish
welfare schemes: Etala quotas: Konda
DC CORRESPONDENT
HYDERABAD, APRIL 30
The Congress government
in the state has no
reserves except huge debt.
It can neither fulfil any
poll promise nor take up
any welfare activity and
any vote for the Congress
is of no use, said Etela
Rajendar, the BJP candi-
date from Malkajgiri Lok
Sabha.
Taking part in a Rythu
Sammelanam in Old
Bowenpally, Rajendar said
Chief Minister Revanth
Reddy had himself admit-
ted that he expected huge
surplus reserves but
found empty coffers after
coming to power.
“The state government
has no other resource to
raise funds except income
from liquor sales. The
Congress with hardly 40
seats in the outgoing Lok
Sabha has no scope to
cross the halfway mark in
the upcoming Lok Sabha
polls. The Revanth gov-
ernment cannot fulfil any
of the poll promises made
to farmers, women, youth,
old aged persons etc,” said
Rajendar.
The Congress promised
many sops to people
including Kalyana
Modi promised nothing Bhatti: Vote Cong.
to Telangana: Revanth to save democracy
FROM PAGE 1
Revanth Reddy’s dig at
Modi using the donkey’s
egg attracted instanta-
neous response from peo-
ple. The Chief Minister
alleged that Modi has
given a ‘chembu’ (empty
pitcher) to Karnataka,
matti (sand) to Andhra
Pradesh and a big don-
key’s egg to Telangana.
Referring to Modi’s
Tuesday’s public meeting
at Zaheerabad, Revanth
Reddy said Modi has
promised nothing to the
state. "Modi neither told
the people what he did for
Telangana in the past 10
years nor did he tell peo-
ple what he wants to do
for Telangana in the next
five years. He confined
himself to cheap politics
and uttered lies," he said.
Revanth Reddy also
came down heavily
against BRS chief K.
Chandrashekar Rao, who
sought votes in
it," he recalled.
“On the other hand, the
Congress is not ready to
respect their own party
constitution. Then AICC
president Sitaram Kesri
was humiliated and Sonia
Gandhi took over the
chair. Is it not against your
party ethics and princi-
ples," Modi said that
‘Yuvraj’ was not ready to
accept the fact.
Giving examples of how
Congress leaders violate
parliamentary principles
when they are not in
power, Modi asked them
not to fool the people by
shedding crocodile tears.
He said that Congress MPs
had not allowed
Parliament to run and also
often spoke against EVMs
and the decisions of the
Election Commission of
India. Stating that con-
ducting elections was a
major festival in democra-
cy, Modi referred to a fake
video of home minister
Amit Shah's speech at an
election meeting at
Siddipet recently. He
charged that the Congress
BJP Malkajgiri LS candidate Etala Rajendar speaks at
Rythu Sammelanam in Old Bowenpally on Tuesday. —DC
Lakshmi scheme where in
`1 lakh would be given to
newly-married bride and
10 grams of gold, `2,500
pension for women,
extend pension scheme to
old aged persons by
adding new members,
waive farm loan up to `2
lakh among others. But,
the government had not
started any one of them
even after four months of
coming to power, he said.
“On the other hand, the
Modi government has
taken up several initia-
tives for the welfare of the
poor. It has taken up the
responsibility to con-
struct houses for all poor
people under Awas
Yojana, provide free
health care up to `5 lakh
CM A. Revanth Reddy
holds donkey’s egg
(Gadida guddu) at meet-
ing Bhupalpally. —DC
Khammam by stating that
BRS candidate Nama
Nageswara Rao would
become Union minister if
they vote for him.
“How can N become a
Union minister? Does
KCR want to say that he
will join the Union gov-
ernment led by the
Congress or the BJP? On
the one hand, KCR says
leaders were not ready to
allow proper functioning
of the system.
“They have made fake
videos of a person holding
a constitutional post to
mislead people and create
unrest in society.” Modi
under Ayushman
Bharat,” he said.
Rajendar said the
Congress misled the poor
by making false promises.
“Farmers have realised
how they have been cheat-
ed by the Revanth govern-
ment. The farmers are not
to trust the Revanth gov-
ernment for its evasive
tactics in fulfilling the
poll promises.”
He also pointed out the
BJP workers are getting
good response when they
are reaching out to voters,
which reflects their trust
in Narendra Modi’s work.
The victory in this largest
constituency gives a feel-
ing of the party’s victory
in 15 Assembly segments,
he said.
the Congress will not get
even 40 seats. On the other
hand, he says his party
MP will become the Union
minister. This means KCR
wants to join the BJP-led
government. This itself is
proof that he has a secret
pact with Modi,” Revanth
Reddy said, adding, “Even
if KCR wants to join the
Congress-led government,
we will not allow him to.”
Revanth alleged that
Modi and home minister
Amit Shah were conspir-
ing to end reservations
and their slogan of “Ab Ki
Baar 400 Paar” was to
enable this. “As soon as
elections are completed,
Modi will announce a sur-
gical strike on Dalits and
other weaker sections.”
“In the 10 years of rul-
ing, Modi has done noth-
ing for Telangana and not
even fulfilled the promises
that were given by the
UPA government in 2014
at the time of bifurcation
of Telangana,” he said.
said that not a single polit-
ical party in the “INDI
alliance” was contesting
270 Lok Sabha seats; the
Congress had fielded the
fewest number of candi-
dates in any general elec-
tion since 1951-52.
DC CORRESPONDENT
HYDERABAD, APRIL 30
The Congress was dis-
seminating misinforma-
tion on reservations after
reducing the OBC quota
by four per cent and pass-
ing it onto Muslims in
Karnataka and Telan-
gana, Konda Vishwesh-
war Reddy, BJP candidate
from Chevella, said on
Tuesday.
“Dr B.R. Ambedkar had
vehemently opposed
reservations on the basis
of religion. Their actions
indicate an attempt to dis-
mantle the reservation
policy established by Dr
Ambedkar," he said at a
public meeting at Parigi.
Vishweshwar Reddy
said the Congress deliber-
ately humiliated Dr
Chevella BJP candidate Konda Vishweshwar Reddy
during an election campaign in Parigi on Tuesday. —DC
P. SRINIVAS I DC
KHAMMAM, APRIL 30
Deputy Chief Minister
Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka
on Tuesday asked the peo-
ple to vote for the
Congress in the ensuing
Lok Sabha elections for
the protection of democ-
racy and Constitution.
Speaking at a meeting
with Congress party lead-
ers. Bhatti said that the
BJP government was try-
ing to weaken the demo-
cratic system and con-
spiracing to create divi-
sion among the people in
the name of religion.
He accused the
Narendra Modi govern-
ment of giving free hand
to the Adani and Ambani
groups to loot the wealth
of the nation.
“Rahul Gandhi walked
from Kashmir to
Kanyakumari to explain
the failures of the Modi
government to the peo-
ple,” he said.
pg 2
Modi said that the only
answer for the country’s
problems was the BJP and
appealed to voters to elect
party candidates B.B. Patil
from Zaheerabad and M.
Raghunandan Rao from
Medak.
Ambedkar during his life-
time by actively cam-
paigning against him in
the Bombay East seat,
contributing to his defeat
on two occasions.
“On the other hand, the
BJP holds Dr Ambedkar
in the highest regard,
venerating the "Panch
Dham" associated with
him, these include his
birthplace, the location
where he spent his forma-
tive years, the place in
England where he pur-
sued higher education,
and the house where he
resided while drafting the
Constitution.”
The commitment of the
BJP towards reservation
is evident in the party's
leadership as PM
Narendra Modi hails
from the OBC community.
Referring indirectly to
the comments made by
BRS president K.
Chandrashekar Rao dur-
ing his road show at
Khammam, the Congress
leader said that the con-
struction of pucca houses
for poor and permanent
measures to avoid the clo-
sure of hostels of the uni-
versities would be taken
up by the state govern-
ment after the completion
of the code of conduct of
Lok Sabha elections.
Minister Ponguleti
Srinivas Reddy said that
Khammam has been a
stronghold of the
Congress for the last 10
years due to the commit-
ment of the party work-
ers in the district. “The
wave of the Congress
would continue in the
ensuing Lok Sabha elec-
tions,” he said.
He asked the Congress
rank and file to strive for
party candidate win in
Khammam.
 LOK SABHA I will allocate funds under MPLADS to
address flooding issues in the con-
Development of all sections of people
was possible only with the Congress

2024 GENERAL ELECTIONS

DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 1 MAY 2024

stituency. I will also get adequate
funds from the state government.
— DANAM NAGENDER, LS member
in power. I urge voters to elect me
with a big majority.
— G. RANJITH REDDY, LS member
pg 3

WEATHER
Max: 41.9OC
Min: 28.6OC Congress plans to take Ranjith pledges economic
development for Chevella
‘Paanch Nyay’ to people
RH: 24%
Rainfall: Nil
Forecast: Partly Cloudy sky. DC CORRESPONDENT
Max/Min HYDERABAD, APRIL 30
temp. 42/29 ºC
Congress Chevella candi-
ASTROGUIDE Charts out crucial winning strategies at booth level in state date G. Ranjith Reddy said
that the development of
Krodhi; Uttarayana L. VENKAT RAM
Tithi: Chaitra Bahula Ashtami till 4 am REDDY I DC
11-DAY ACTION PLAN household with the distri-
bution of Congress ‘guar-
all sections of people was
possible only with the
(Thursday) HYDERABAD, APRIL 30 ● Party workers at booth ● It wants the party antee cards.’ Congress in power, and
level were asked to workers to interact with The party leadership urged voters to elect him
Star: Shravana till 3.09 am (Thursday)
After tasting success with reach out to every voter voters, explain the had focussed on public with a big majority in the
Varjyam: 7.58 am to 9.30 am the distribution of ‘guar- meetings, roadshows, May 13 Lok Sabha elec-
Durmuhurtham: 11:48 am to antee cards’ to every
in the next 11 days and implementation of 5 out street-corner meetings tions. If they voted for the
distribute guarantee of Six Guarantees in 100 Congress Chevella candidate G. Ranjith Reddy with
12.39 pm household during since the elections were BJP, it will cancel the Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar during a rally
Rahukalam: 12 noon to 1.30 pm Assembly, the TPCC lead- cards. days and the promise notified, and the focus Constitution as well as in Vikarabad, on Tuesday. — BY ARRANGEMENT
ership has decided to ● To give them that the rest would would turn to booth-level reservations, he cau-
HIJRI CALENDAR
replicate the same in application papers put into play after outreach activities. tioned voters. Speaking at a road show mayor Bontu Rammohan,
Shawwal 21,1445 AH forthcoming Lok Sabha the model code of It wants the party work- Ranjith Reddy said `500 along with Vikarabad senior Congress leaders
PRAYERS for availing the
election. This forms part
benefits promised by conduct ended. ers to interact with voters, crore had been sanctioned MLA and Assembly and activists participated
Fajar: 4.46 am of the 11-day campaign explain the implementa- for the development of the Speaker Gaddam Prasad in the roadshow.
strategy to win 14 out of 17 the Congress as part of ● Congress party has tion of 5 out of Six Vikarabad segment after Kumar, Ranjith Reddy He urged Congress
Zohar: 12.23 pm ‘Paanch Nyay’ and also decided to take up
Lok Sabha seats in Guarantees in 100 days the Congress came to said that the Congress workers to campaign like
Asar: 4.39 pm Telangana state, party ‘Pachees Guarantee,’ aggressively, the and the promise that the power in the state. It deserved the credit of a soldier from house to
Maghrib: 6.42 pm sources said. after the Congress-led promise of the rest would put into play would sanction more making a big push for the house and explain the wel-
Isha: 7.53 pm Party workers at booth- I.N.D.I.A. bloc forms the government waiving after the model code of funds to Chevella if the women's welfare. He said fare schemes of the
SUNRISE TOMORROW 5.49 AM level were asked to reach government at the crop loans of farmers up conduct ended.It has also people ensured his victo- Former MLC Yadava Congress government to
SUNSET TODAY 6.36 PM out to every voter, every Centre in June. to `2 lakh by August 15. decided to take up aggres- ry. Reddy, former GHMC the people.
household in the next 11 sively, the promise of the
MOONRISE 12.35 AM government waiving crop
days and distribute guar- ● Ministers and MLAs were asked to that the

Danam to prevent flooding

MOONSET 11.56 AM antee cards, and give them
application papers for
POINT
availing the benefits
COUNTER promised by the Congress
as part of ‘Paanch Nyay’
and ‘Pachees Guarantee’,
after the Congress-led
I.N.D.I.A. bloc forms the
government at the Centre
in June.
During a virtual meet-
ing, TPCC president and
loans of farmers up to Rs 2
margins secured in the Assembly segments would be lakh by August 15.
retained for the Lok Sabha polls.
Ministers and MLAs
were asked to that the
Chief Minister A. Revanth the “11-day action plan” margins secured in the
Reddy, along with AICC till May 11, the last day for Assembly segments would DC CORRESPONDENT
Telangana affairs in- campaigning. be retained for the Lok HYDERABAD, APRIL 30
charge Deepa Das As part of its strategy, Sabha polls.
Munshi, AICC secretary the party aims to focus on Their performance was Congress candidate from
P.C. Vishnunadh and Chief stepping up campaigning linked to future opportu- the Secunderabad LS con-
Minister’s adviser Vem activities at booth-level nities to be given in the stituency Danam Nagen-
Narender Reddy finalised and reaching out to every party and government. der on Tuesday said that
he will focus on prevent-
ing flooding by undertak-

Will develop Malkajgiri into ing nala development wor-

ks in the city on a war
footing, if he was elected
as the MP. “I will allocate

model constituency: Sunitha

funds under MPLADS to
address flooding issues in
the constituency. I will
also get adequate funds
Amit Shah from the state government
DC CORRESPONDENT to create necessary infra-
HYDERABAD, APRIL 30
SHAH TO HOLD structure to prevent flood-
ing in the city," Nagender
Congress Malkajgiri Lok
Sabha candidate Patnam ROAD SHOW IN said, while campaigning
Congress Secunderabad candidate Danam Nagender
greets a tea vendor during his road show on Tuesday.
in Sanathnagar and bad is witnessing frequent
Musheerabad Assembly flooding due to failure of
constituencies which previous government in
come under the Secunder- creating
abad LS constituency.
a proper
stormwater drainage sys-
Nagender said Hydera- tem

IN BRIEF Sunitha Mahender Reddy

HC to close from
May 6 to 31
Hyderabad: During the sum-
mer vacation of the
Telangana High Court from
May 6 to May 31, the weekly
vacation court will be held
on May 9, 16, 23 and 30 on
which days a division bench
and a single judge bench will
hear urgent cases.
On May 9 and 16, the divi-
sion bench of the vacation
court will be held by Justice
Sujoy Paul and Justice J.
Srinivas Rao.
The single judge bench will
be held by Justice C.V.
Bhaskar Reddy.
said that she would trans-
form it into a ‘model con-
stituency’ with the sup-
port of Chief Minister A.
Revanth Reddy and
appealed to voters to give
her an opportunity to
serve them.
She said Revanth Reddy
had a special affection for
Malkajgiri which had
elected him in 2019, and
was keen to undertake
development programmes
after the election code
ended in June.
Sunitha Reddy is under-
taking a hectic campaign
in the constituency, navi-
gating through the streets
in the blistering heat,
accompanied by local
leaders.
She shared her vision
CITY TODAY
DC CORRESPONDENT
HYDERABAD, APRIL 30
Ganesh backs SCB merger
Home minister Amit
DC CORRESPONDENT
HYDERABAD, APRIL 30
Shah will take part in a
road show from Maha- Congress candidate for
nkali Temple in Lal Dar- S e c u n d e r a b a d
Congress Malkajgiri Lok Sabha candidate Patnam waza to Sudha Talkies in Cantonment byelection
Sunitha Mahender Reddy meets people during her road Shalibanda at 5 pm on Sri Ganesh said that Chief
May 1. He will be accom- Minister A. Revanth
show in Malkajgiri, on Tuesday. — BY ARRANGEMENT
panied by Telangana Reddy was keen on the
State BJP president G. merger of Secunderabad
for the constituency with ised to complete the pend- Kishan Reddy and top Cantonment area with
the voters, and promised a ing flyover works and ease leaders along with Hyde- GHMC. If he was elected
brighter future. traffic congestion in rabad Lok Sabha candi- to the Assembly in the Congress candidate for Secunderabad Cantonment
Highlighting the failure Medchal and Malkajgiri. date K. Madhavi Latha May 13 bypoll, he said that byelection Sri Ganesh campaigns on Tuesday. — DC
of BRS government in the Sunitha Reddy said the will also take part dur- he would ensure a speedy
state and the Bharatiya previous government had ing the road show. merger of SCB with SCB with GHMC several make this a reality soon
Janata Party (BJP) gov- delayed the flyover works The Hyderabad police GHMC. times earlier but failed to and appealed to voters to
ernment at the Centre in which caused causing is strengthening its pres- He said that BRS and implement it. He said that elect him as MLA to take
developing the constituen- severe hardships to com- ence in the Old City and BJP leaders had made tall the Congress government this merger forward and
cy, Sunitha Reddy prom- muters. placing barricades. claims on the merger of led by Revanth Reddy will complete it.

SRIDHAR BABU:
CM PLANS TO GO
ORGANIC WAY
DC CORRESPONDENT
ADILABAD, APRIL 30

IT minister D. Sridhar
Babu on Tuesday said
Chief Minister A.
Revanth Reddy was
making plans to
encourage organic
farming and promised
that a food processing
unit would be set up in
Mancherial for the ben-
efit of local farmers as
well as an industrial
park.
Land will be acquired
for both facilities after
the LS elections.
He insisted on crop
rotation and cultiva-
tion of three crops in a
year. He said crop rota-
tion would bring prof-
its to the farmers and
appealed to them to
stop importing vegeta-
bles from other states.
Sridhar Babu was
addressing a kisan
mela in Mancherial. He
said eating organic
vegetables and fruits
will help the people
maintain good health.
He said the demand for
organic products had
gone up. Mancherial
MLA K. Premsgar Rao,
Chennur MLA Gaddam
Vivek and senior
leader Gone Shyam
Sundar Rao also spoke.

Minister D. Sridhar
Babu at a kisan mela in
Mancherial town on
Tuesday. — DC
 CRIME/LEGAL
DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 1 MAY 2024
pg 4

IN BRIEF Oath taking ceremony LEOPARD ON

Illicit gambling
racket busted
Hyderabad: The Madhapur
special operations team raid-
ed an illicit gambling ring
operating by one Madhavi
Latha of Raidurgam and
seized `62,000 in cash from
nine gamblers present there.
Each game required a fee of
`1,000, police said. Police
also seized 11 mobile phones
and five sets of playing
cards from the suspects.
Poll code violation
RGIA PREMISES
STILL ELUSIVE
PRATHYUSH
NALLELLA I DC
HYDERABAD, APRIL 30
The leopard that entered
the Shamshabad airport
premises past midnight
on Sunday could not be
captured in camera traps 10th ANNIVERSARY UTHAVANA
on Monday. The cameras ... and whoever lives by believing in
Chief Justice Alok Aradhe administers the oath office to Justice J. Srinivas Rao (left) and Justice have been set up by the me (Jesus) will never die. John 11:26
forest department.
Namavarapu Rajeswar Rao as permanent judges of the Telangana High Court, in Hyderabad on
Tuesday. Justice Srinivas Rao and Justice Rajeswar Rao were appointed additional judges of the High According to a forest
Court in August 2022 and were elevated as permanent judges. — BY ARRANGEMENT divisional officer, no visu-
al of the leopard was cap-

case against V-C tured on the trap cameras Our beloved

No TS unit provides
on Monday night. They SHRI VINOD K DESAI
Warangal: A Hanamkonda have set up 5 cages to trap Left us for his heavenly abode on
28th April 2024.
native, Dr Prasad, has filed a the leopard. An additional Prayer meeting will be held at Sindhu
case of violation of the elec- 15 cameras have been Bhavan, P.G. Road, Secunderabad on
installed at strategic loca- Wednesday, May 1st 2024 between 5.00
tion code against Kakatiya pm and 5.30 pm.
tions in the 1,900-acre

info during disaster

University Vice Chancellor Fondly Remembered By:
Prof. Thatikonda Ramesh space. Late GANDHAM VINAYA KUMAR Sudha Desai (Wife)
and registrar Malla Reddy for You left us but your memories are Ricken & Sonal Desai
imbibed in our thoughts. (Son & Daughter-in-law)
giving permission for a In grief: Premila Gandham (wife). Arnav Desai (Son)
meeting at the Senate Hall Daughters: Betty & Neethi. Tanisha and Mysha Desai
on the campus. The meeting Sons-in-law: Sharon & Johnson. (Grand Daughters)
Grandchildren: Sherlyn & Solomon. and entire Desai Family.
was organised by the
Secular Writers Forum, (CA-4217)
where Malla Reddy spoke.
There was an attempt to
PCB, DRF, fire, factories point fingers at each other 5th ANNIVERSARY
pass it off as an academic
BALU PULIPAKA I DC
meeting but it was not.
HYDERABAD, APRIL 30
WHAT HEALTH EXPERTS SAY advice in an emergency
According to sources

Man held for ● EFFECT OF in the fire services An image of the leopard
In case of an industrial ● WHOEVER inhales department, the indus-
CHEMICAL the moke or fumes captured on a camera.
stealing ear studs
or a factory fire, there trial areas in the
is absolutely no one FIRES mostly will get affected in Rajendranagar-

Hyderabad: The east zone

that people living in the
vicinity can turn to for
task force and Osmania
University police arrested
advice on their safety
when dangerous gases
one Orsu Giri, 38, for steal- could be billowing
ing gold ear studs, weighing
about 10 grams and worth
about.
Inquiries revealed
`70,000, from an elderly that none of the ‘line’
woman. Police said Giri met
departments has a sys-
the woman on April 27 at tem that ensures inter-
the Lalapet toddy com-
departmental commu-
pound. They decided to go nication in a crisis that
to the Adikmet toddy com-
pound. On the way, he can aid in taking
stopped at the main gate of prompt action and
the cycling velodrome, issue safety advice or
directives. Each depart-
pulled off her ear studs and
went away. ment leaves it to the
others.
seen on skin, lungs,
digestive system,eyes;
some way.
● THOSE with
Katedan belt,
between Patancheru
and DCA SEIZES MEDS
● TOXIC
contamination of food
respiratory problems
such as asthma or
and Sangareddy, a
major pharma hub, are WITH MISLEADING Maj. Gen. PREM KUMAR (Retd.)
the worst hit with fires.
likely;
● FIRST LINE of
COPD, should be
particularly careful;
There is a fire almost
every other day in the
ADVERTISEMENT Your life was a blessing. Your memory a
treasure. You are lived beyond words and
missed beyond measure.
defence could be using ● IF POSSIBLE, Katedan area, an offi- DC CORRESPONDENT Inserted by: Wife- Kiran Prem Kumar
Son- Nayan Kumar
a wet cloth as a mask, people should go as cial said. HYDERABAD, APRIL 30 Daughter-in-law- Ronica Kumar
“Just like the fire
preventing direct far away as possible
Grand Daughter- Nidhi Naidu
Grand Son- Pranay Kumar
services, the PCB needs The Drugs Control
exposure to chemicals. from the fire source. to rush in. We have a Administration (DCA)
and All Family Members
(S/2425/D00098)
— DR VYAKARNAM — DR M.
24-hour fire call control officials seized three
NAGESHWAR RAJEEV,
room and PCB too Ayurvedic medicines with 3rd ANNIVERSARY
pulmonologist should have one and misleading advertise-
MD, Pulmonology then the two can be ments in Balapur and
TS Medical
Council linked up,” the fire S a r o o r n a g a r .
services official said. “Orthojoint” was claimed

Three arrested for

According to sources, The fire services to treat rheumatism and
the TS Pollution should educate the peo- Even worse, was an department is in the paralysis, Ayurvedic cap-

fake oxytocin jabs

Hyderabad: The south-west
zone task force and
Manghalhat police raided
Banwarilal Suresh Kumar
Bansal's establishment in
Old Mallepally for the sale of
fake oxytocin injections
meant for cattle and arrest-
ed three persons: Suresh
Kumar Gupta, Lala Babu
Yadav and Abdul Haji. Police
said Yadav had thought up
of the plan to prepare the
fake injections, Abdul Haji
fetched phenol and Gupta
distributed the fake injec-
tions to unsuspecting farm-
ers and dairy owners.
RECORD `820 CR
Control Board (PCB),
the Disaster Response
Force (DRF) and the
Fire Services depart-
ment and the depart-
ment of factories, for
all practical purposes,
have no clue of what
the other would do dur-
ing an industrial fire,
even when it involves
chemicals as in the
case of the blaze that
gutted the Allen
Homoeo and Herbal
Products Ltd at Nand
igama of Shadnagar in
Rangareddy district
last Friday.
The PCB, it is learnt,
believes that the prob-
lem is that of the
department of facto-
ries, while the latter
ple. The fire services admission that if a sit-
says the PCB and facto- uation developed dur-
ries officials should ing an ‘non-working
rush to assist it in help- day’, then all bets could
ing people. be off with respect to
Though the PCB any immediate, or even
boasts of a ‘task force’ delayed response.
to attend to such Every factory, as per
events, it takes around law, must have sign
two to three hours to boards outside their
get to the accident site, premises that can be
but does not have any easily read on what
equipment to measure they manufacture,
or identify gases on a what they use, and
real-time basis, or mon- what needs to be done
itor wind direction so during an accident.
advice can be provided “Practically no factory
to people who may be or a plant using any
the most affected. kind of a chemical has
“We have been very done this,” a govern-
fortunate so far that ment official said.
something very serious No official was will-
has not happened. But
a disaster is just one
ing to go on record stat-
ing that they just are
process of procuring sules claiming to treat
multi-gas detectors menorrhagia, dysmenor-
which will provide a rhea and uterine bleeding
basic idea about com- and “Obekar” for obesity.
monly found gases During a raid on Life
such as carbon monox-
Slimming and Cosmetics
ide, or sulphur dioxide Pvt. Ltd in Banjara Hills, Smt. SUMATHI RAVI KUMAR
and a few others, which DCA officials found the D/o Late JUDSON KAVOORI
will enable firefighters unit to be running with- D.O.D: 01.05.2021
Your touch was our comfort
to determine if they out a licence and seized 15 Your presence was our strength
need to use face mask varieties of unauthorised Your memories are now our treasure
with oxygen cylinders. stocks of medicines and Inserted By: K. Ravi Kumar (Husband),
Brothers, Sisters, Near & Dear
“This is a start,” the drugs, including botox
official said. injections. The DCA also (S/2425/D00107)
With respect to the raided two quacks’ out- THIRD DEATH ANNIVERSARY
department of facto- lets, Sanjay Shesherao
ries, officials said that Pandey’s “Gajanan First
it was the responsibili- Aid Clinic” in Patancheru
ty of the respective fac- and Shaik Aziz’s HKGN
tory “to educate people First Aid Clinic in
living in its vicinity on Serilingampally, and
disaster preparedness seized different varieties
and action to be taken.
We hold regular mock
of medicines.

YIELD FROM EARLY says it is the factory

management that
fire away,” an official
said.
not capable of provid-
ing possible life-saving
drills along with fire
services.”
● DURING A raid on Life
Slimming and Cosmetics
BIRD TAX PLAN Pvt. Ltd in Banjara Hills,

DC CORRESPONDENT
HYDERABAD, APRIL 30
The GHMC collected `820
crore property tax till 9 pm on
Tuesday, the last day of the
early bird scheme. This marks
an increase of `34 crore over
Commercial tax levies `54.5 cr
GST on excise dept holograms
G. RAM MOHAN I DC
DCA officials found the
unit to be running without
a licence and seized 15
varieties of unauthorised
Goods and Services holic liquor for human inform that an explana-
stocks of medicines.
Smt. HEMALATHA KONDIPARTHI
DOB: 25.02.1955 DOD: 01.05.2021
We all miss you, though you are not
with us, your love shines in our heart.
Your loving family:
Husband: Nageswararao
Kondiparthi, Sons, Daughter-in-laws
& Grandson
(S/2425/D00105)

2023-24 when the early bird HYDERABAD, APRIL 30
scheme yielded `785.84 crore.
So far, 7.27 lakh taxpayers The commercial tax
have availed of the scheme department has issued
that offers a five per cent a notice to the excise
rebate. On the last day, proper- department seeking
ty owners paid `96.61 crore in the payment of `54.53
cash. crore, intensifying an
GHMC commissioner D. i n t e r- d e p a r t m e n t a l
Ronald Rose appreciated the controversy in the state
efforts of bill collectors, tax government. The
inspectors, assistant munici- demand was raised
pal commissioners, deputy over the sale of holo-
commissioners, and zonal grams or HEALs
commissioners, and thanked (Holographic Excise
the taxpayers for their cooper- Adhesive Labels)
ation. affixed on liquor bot-
● SO FAR, 7.27 lakh taxpay- tles.
A notification issued
ers have availed of the by the Union ministry
scheme that offers a five per of finance, department
cent rebate. On the last day, of revenue, on
property owners paid `96.61 September 30, 2019,
crore in cash. under sub-section (2) of
section 7 of the Central
Act, 2017, stipulates consumption.” tion on the issue has
that “service by way of Similar to other prod- been sent to the govern-
grant of alcoholic ucts that go into the ment along with the
liquor licence, against making of a liquor bot- commercial tax depart-
consideration in the tle like bottle, cork, ment.
form of licence fee or label on the bottle, When Deccan
application fee or by among others, the Chronicle sought the
whatever name it is excise officials say GST department’s response
called” shall be treated on holograms is paid on the issue, commer-
neither as a supply of for by Uflex Private cial tax department
goods nor a supply of Limited, that makes commissioner T.K.
service. The explana- the hologram. Sreedevi said, “Every
tion in the notification They explain that the department endeav-
adds, “This notification excise department only ours to increase rev-
is being issued to facilitates the process enue for the govern-
implement the recom- of hologram-making ment. The notice
mendation of the 26th between the distilleries issued by the assess-
Goods and Services and Uflex and pays the ment officer is a pre-
Tax Council meeting company 30 paise per assessment one issued
held on March 10, 2018, label which also after the assessing offi-
that no GST shall be includes 18 per cent cer suspected suppres-
leviable on licence fee GST to be paid by the sion of tax. A final
and application fee, by company. decision will be taken
whatever name it is Sources in the excise based on the depart-
called, payable for alco- department further ment’s response.”

HC dismisses independents’ pleas

L. RAVICHANDER
HYDERABAD, APRIL 30
A two-judge panel of the
Telangana High Court
comprising Chief Justice
Alok Aradhe and Justice
J. Anil Kumar dismissed
three writ petitions chal-
lenging the rejection of
nominations of independ-
ent candidates.
Veerabrahma Ravi filed a
plea against the returning
officer rejecting his nomi-
nation paper for the
Nalgonda parliamentary
constituency. Senior coun-
sel Avinash Reddy, appear-
ing for the Election
Commission of India,
stated that the petitioner
was in the electoral roll of
the Musheerabad
Assembly segment, and
filed a defective electoral
roll. An opportunity was
offered to the petitioner
which he failed to avail.
Neither the petitioner nor
his representative was
present during the scruti-
ny of the nomination
papers. Avinash Reddy
said the extract of the cer-
tified electoral roll filed
by the petitioner did not
contain the serial number
and EPIC number. In a
similar matter the panel
dismissed a writ plea filed
by Kallu Narsimulu Goud
challenging the rejection
of his nomination for the
Medak parliamentary
constituency. He said was
a resident of the
Patencheru Assembly seg-
ment which fell in the
Medak constituency and
his nomination was
rejected on the ground
that names of the 10 pro-
posers did not tally with
the electoral rolls. Senior
counsel appearing for ECI
LEGAL STORIES
stated that the serial num-
ber and the ward number
mentioned by the pro-
posers did not tally with
the electoral rolls. In
another matter, the panel
dismissed the writ peti-
tion filed by Shaik
Toufeeq challenging the
rejection of his nomina-
tion as an independent
candidate for the
Malkajgiri parliamentary
constituency on the
ground that the serial
number of Proposer No. 6
was incorrect. He con-
tended that by an over-
sight instead of Serial No.
719 the proposer wrote
Serial No. 791. The ECI
said that neither the peti-
tioner nor his representa-
tive was present during
the scrutiny of the paper.
JAIL FOR TN OFFICIAL
FOR CONTEMPT
Justice Sree Sudha of the
Telangana High Court
sentenced the assistant
director, requirement,
Mount Road, Tamil Nadu,
to one month of civil
imprisonment for violat-
ing a court order. The
judge was dealing with a
contempt petition filed by
TM Inputs and Services
Private Limited. Earlier,
the court directed the
Union of India to make
the payment as per the
award passed by the
Micro and Small
Enterprises Facilitation
Council (MSEFC) along
with interest. The Centre
paid the principal amount
and refused to pay inter-
est stating that the High
Court had directed them
to deposit only the bal-
ance. It also contended
that they had filed an
appeal before the
Supreme Court which was
pending. Mayur Mundra,
counsel for the petitioner,
said a clarification was
sought in the High Court
which confirmed the
order of payment of bal-
ance amount along with
interest within two
months. The court was
informed of the appeal
filed before the Supreme
Court being dismissed.
Full report on
deccanchronicle.com
cmyk cmyk

DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 1 MAY 2024 pg 5

 EDIT
DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 1 MAY 2024
pg 6

Subhani

1 MAY 2024

Take strict action against

K’taka MP in sex scandal
T
he allegations that have been surfacing against Prajwal Revanna, the Lok
Sabha member from Hassan in Karnataka and the National Democratic
Alliance’s candidate in the constituency, appear to be unparalleled in
terms of their criminal nature and hence call for immediate action.
As per the allegations which have surfaced after the polling in the constituency
was over, the 33-year-old Janata Dal (Secular) leader has shot as many as 3,000
videos in which he allegedly sexually assaulted women, elected members of local
bodies and even some minors who went to seek help from him. The victims are
estimated to number around 1,000 and one of them has come forward to lodge a
police complaint against Revanna. The victim also alleged sexual assault by H.D.
Revanna, the MP’s father and an MLA. The Karnataka government has formed a
special team to investigate the case against the MP, who is also the grandson of for-
mer Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda. It is alleged that the accused has fled the
country and is in Germany at the moment.
The story so far reveals all the hues of a typical episode about a spoilt brat fed on
power and pelf and hence has all the chances of an ending in a sham investigation
and the man coming back into limelight to “serve the nation and the people” again.
The MP, as expected, has pleaded innocence and alleged that the videos are mor-
phed. It is for the government of Karnataka to ensure

Disenchanted voters bad

The BJP cannot that the cases are investigated thoroughly and prose-
also be said to be cuted with a view to serving justice to the victims. LETTERS
very alert to Political equations and expediency should not
allegations of become an impediment in the process. It is under-
stood that the National Commission for Women has
PRAJWAL REVANNA
sexual abuse by its also taken cognisance of the case and has asked for a Prime Minister Narendra
rank and file as report from the Karnataka police. Every entity man-
evidenced with dated to serve the cause of women must
regard to Brij chip in.
The JD(S) has announced that it has suspended the
Bhushan Sharan leader and he will remain suspended until the inves-
Singh, former tigation is over. It cannot be that the antecedents of
news in ‘wave-less’ polls The continuing trend The problem is with capa-
Modi should address the
sex scandal involving
Prajwal Revanna, a BJP-
JDS candidate, and also a
WFI chief. the leader who is facing allegations of serial sexual bilities and the efficiency of product of nepotism,
of lower voter organisations; the BJP has which the PM keeps criti-
Shikha Mukerjee
abuse of hundreds of women are a secret unknown to
the party leadership. That only speaks to the immunity such people enjoy. Given turnout indicates that it; the Congress does not.
the nature of allegations, the party must at least now expel the man until such time the magic of Regional and smaller par-
cising (JDS to expel
that he has proved his innocence. Hindutva is not as ties come in between; these Prajwal: HDK, April 30).
The NDA cannot wash its hands of the developments fully. Reports suggest that parties have competence in Ganti Venkata Sudhir
BJP’s local leaders had indeed warned the leadership against the candidature of
powerful as some getting out the vote even if
Revanna from the alliance platform. But they did not bear down strongly enough felt; in fact, it can be the organisations appear to Secunderabad
interpreted as a
which resulted in Prime Minister Narendra Modi sharing the stage with him and
in fact seeking votes for him. The party cannot wash this “taint” away saying it malignancy on India’s
be shambolic. No matter
how good regional parties VIKSIT BHARAT

T
acted out of the compulsions of coalition politics. he forecast for
The choice of alliance thus reflects poorly on the BJP. the 2024 Lok
The BJP cannot also be said to be very alert to allegations of sexual abuse by its Sabha election,
rank and file as was evidenced with regard to Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the for- till it was actually
mer chief of Wrestling Federation of India and Lok Sabha member from the party. called, was it
A sexual harassment case against him is currently being heard by a Delhi court. would be a triumph for the
Narendra Modi-led
Bharatiya Janata Party. In
Clear up Pannun row swiftly
his last speech at the con-
cluding session of the 17th
Lok Sabha, the Prime
I
ndia has vented its ire at an American newspaper out of Washington for pub- Minister predicted that his
lishing a report linking retired RAW officials to an alleged assassination plot side would win 370 seats
against the Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York. and with the allies the total
India’s anger amounts to taking it out on the messenger rather than reading the would top 400 seats out of
message and responding to it in an open and transparent manner at least with the the total 543 seats.
US government with which India has built very strong strategic ties. Obviously, the machin-
Strenuous as objections are to being linked to the murder of a Sikh leader in ery of the BJP and the
Canada and to the plot to kill Pannun, dual citizen of Canada and the US, it might resources available to the
do better to have the high-level committee probing the issue of possible extraterri- Modi government antici-
torial killings for over five months since November 2023 finish its review quickly pated a wave of support
and share its findings with allies to clear the country’s name. that would top the 2019 one.
The Indian people would like to believe that their government, unlike many oth- It became apparent by the
ers in the world including the US that have been thought to be guilty of getting rid
of unwanted personalities in secret service ops or by outsourcing such murders to
first phase on April 19 that
there was no wave. After
hit squads, does not support such a policy or practice of carrying out killings in the second phase of the
clandestine operations. mega seven-phase election
The US has been open about seeking accountability from India on the Pannun and votes cast in 190 con-
case. And in view of the vigorous diplomacy that has brought the two countries stituencies, the drop in
closer than ever before in history, it is India’s duty to come clean and share all find- turnout clearly indicates
ings and facts in the Gurpatwant plot in the US and the Hardeep Singh Nijjar voter disenchantment.
killing in Canada. That is bad news for the
India has also taken strong exception to the Canadian Prime Minister playing up ruling party, according to
to Sikh separatist sentiments by encouraging elements dreaming of a homeland on conventional wisdom. It is
Indian soil to the extent that slogans favouring Khalistan were aired at a meeting also bad news for the col-
that Justin Trudeau addressed and spoke of supporting the Sikhs. lective Opposition that is
It is known that Trudeau has been persistently baiting India for his political sur- contesting against the BJP,
vival while encouraging known separatists wishing to disrupt the Indian state. It in alliances and seat adjust-
is India’s right to protest such parochial behaviour of an elected head of state, but ments in some states, sepa-
the foreign office would do well to remember that an embattled Canadian PM is rately in others.
growth, rising inflation
and a tangible drop in the
quality of life of the over-
whelming majority of
Indians, the lower voter
turnout, significantly in
Uttar Pradesh, Madhya
Pradesh, Bihar, Kerala and
West Bengal, indicates that
voters are feeling let down.
Estimates point to a 9.41
per cent drop in voter
turnout in Madhya
Pradesh, a 6.9 per cent drop
in Uttar Pradesh, a 6.8 per
cent drop in Kerala and a
4.5 per cent drop in West
Bengal.
This is anti-incumbency.
The 4.5 per cent drop in
voter turnout in the first
phase was a signal that the
BJP read as requiring a rev
up; its message between
the two phases was so obvi-
ously an exercise in rous-
ing “Hindus” by raising
the “Muslim” flag, by falsi-
fying the content in the
Congress manifesto and
ranting about confiscating
“mangalsutras” to redis-
tribute to Muslims that it is
reasonable to draw the in-
ference the party was shak-
en by what it perceived as a
decline of support in its
core base. The Congress hit
back by lodging a com-
plaint against Narendra
body politic that is
putting off voters
sumption that would put
such voters in the broad
category of the middle
class.
Not pundits and no poll-
ster can pinpoint the rea-
sons why voters have cho-
sen to opt out of making a
choice. The changes in the
speeches of the BJP leader-
ship, however, point to vot-
ers who have been a core
support base for the party:
the traders, the salaried
middle class, those with
assets and incomes and
wealth to lose, exactly the
category of voters who
should have been electri-
fied by the dazzle, albeit in
the distant future, of
“Viksit Bharat” by 2047.
The continuing trend of
lower voter turnout indi-
cates that the magic of
Hindutva is not as power-
ful as some felt; in fact, it
can be interpreted as a
malignancy on India’s bo-
dy politic that is putting off
voters. The Centre for the
Study of Developing Socie-
ties survey before the elec-
tion revealed that 79 per
cent Indians were not en-
are in mobilising their vot-
ers, the 2024 election is not
about parochial issues.
Regardless of Modi and the
BJP campaign team’s
efforts to turn the Lok
Sabha election into a “us”
versus “them” contest in
Opposition-ruled states by
focusing on mismanage-
ment by governments, cor-
ruption, appeasement, in-
filtration and vote banks,
the voter is fully aware that
the choice they have to
make is about Modi contin-
uing as Prime Minister.
Since 2014, all elections,
state, municipal, panchay-
at and Lok Sabha included,
have been about Modi and
the narrative he wove to
appeal to the majority
defined by its religious
identity on the one hand,
and against the other side
defined by a different kind
of identity, that is family or
“parivarvaad”. The multi-
layered meanings of “pari-
var vaad” have been useful
in transforming the Op-
position into anti-nationals
and Hindu haters by equat-
ing political legacy with
promoting self-interest.
The mandate the voter
will deliver will be about
Modi as the only alterna-
tive; the lack of enthusiasm
Eighty crore Indians need free
rations, electricity and bus rides
(Modi is trying for Viksit Bharat:
Nadda, April 30). In this situation,
Viksit Bharat cannot be even a dis-
tant dream. Instead, let’s try first
for ‘financial self-sufficiency.’
Dr O. Prasada Rao
Hyderabad
GOVERNANCE FIRST
Pakistan’s economy has turned
from bad to worse. Countries
which give importance to religion
over the governance are not grow-
ing economically. In India, the gov-
ernment has to take all precautions
to isolate religion from policies to
make India a leading country.
Surisetti Pankaj Kumar
Secunderabad
PROTESTS IN U.S.
Students are supporting the
Palestinian cause (White House
urges ‘peaceful’ campus protests,
April 30). But the prime cause for
the war is the massive attack by
Hamas on Israel. However, the US
cannot ill-treat students.
Venkat Rudra
Hyderabad
Email your letters to
info@deccanmail.com,
editor@deccanmail.com.

50
hardly worth venting spleen on. When voters don’t feel Modi’s Banswara “hate chanted by visions of Hin- therefore puts the partners
inclined to take the trouble speech” but that has not du Rashtra; on the con- of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc, espe- YEARS AGO IN
DECCAN CHRONICLE in the searing heat to halted the flow of malign trary the 79 per cent felt the cially in Opposition-ruled
queue up to press the EVM misinterpretations. country was for people states, and the Congress
KAUSHIK MITTER K. SUDHAKAR button, it reflects low The narrative has from all religious under increasing pressure
Editor Printer & Publisher expectations from the polit- acquired more layers on communities. to mobilise support and Hyderabad AIR office
ical establishment, as well how the Congress will The absence of a “Modi ensure voters actually turn
DECCAN CHRONICLE offices are located at: as dissatisfaction with the introduce “inheritance wave” and the drop in up at the polling stations. becomes “dead letters box”
political leadership of the tax”, by talking non-stop on voter turnout does not As the BJP works to con- HYDERABAD, April 30.
Hyderabad: 36, Sarojini Devi Road, Secunderabad - 500 003, Ph: 040-27803930-4; Fax : 040-27805256
Vijayawada: No.C-3 & 4 Patamata, Industrial Estate, Auto Nagar, Vijayawada (A.P.), Ph: 0866-2555284. ruling party. The low voter how wealth will be automatically point to a solidate its vote banks, its The office of the All-India Radio,
Visakhapatnam: Survey No.1/3A Beach Road, Near Kailasagiri Ropeway, Sector-9 MVP Colony, turnout in the second snatched by the Congress if pro-Opposition or pro- narrative is likely to pivot Hyderabad seems to have become
Visakhapatnam - 530 017 (A.P), Ph: 0891-2552333/2552334; Fax: 0891-2755285 phase, 66.7 per cent, accord- it comes to power. Modi Congress wave. There is no to match the expectations a “dead letters box” for the Postal
Rajahmundry: Vemagiri, Dhawaleswaram Rd, Rajahmundry, Ph: 0883-2417618/2417208; Telefax: 0883- ing to the Election Com- and the BJP are inadver- wave at all. of specific sections of vot- authorities since some time, as let-
2417208 mission’s numbers, which tently revealing who they The Opposition needs a ers. ters addressed to any place inside
Anantapur: Thapovan colony, Bangalore By-Pass Road, Anantapur - 515004, Ph: 08554-276903; Fax: indicates a drop of just over think may be disenchanted boost to succeed in its mis- The Opposition has a or outside the country are being
08554-276904 three per cent, implies that voters. For 80 crore Indians sion of bringing down the choice: to pursue its own ‘dumped’ here. One letter is
Karimnagar: H. No. 1-21-12/1, Cheralabhutkur Road, Mugudhumpur Village, Karimnagar-505186, PH. Narendra Modi govern- agenda or get distracted by
there is, similarly, no great subsisting on the 5 kg of addressed to AIR Sri Lanka,
NO. 9121181123.
Nellore: Survey No.527/2, Burranpur Village, Venkatachalam (M), Chemmudugunta Panchayat, Nellore, Ph: enthusiasm for the organ- free foodgrains, there is no ment and defeating the the BJP’s infinite capacity Ceylon, another to an employee of
0861-2348581/82; Telefax: 0861-2348580 ised anti-BJP Opposition surplus and no wealth that BJP. How the Congress and to make noise. AIR, Vijayawada and two other
Chennai: SP-3 Developed Plot, Industrial Estate, Guindy, Chennai - 600 032, Ph: 044-22254747/ 48/50/51; under the Indian National could possibly attract an the Opposition raise voter letters for the addressees working
Advt Fax: 22254765/22254766/42305325 Inclusive Developmental inheritance tax. The gold enthusiasm will unfold Shikha Mukerjee is a at the FCI and the Cancer
Coimbatore: Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited, No. 2/22 Sengalipalayam Road, N.G.G.O Colony Post, Alliance either. and the “mangalsutras” over the remaining five senior journalist in Hospital, Hyderabad.
Kurudampalayam village - 641 022 After 10 years of jobless indicate a level of con- phases of the election. Kolkata

T
here was a time when socio-economic
desperation relegated foreign policy to
the backburner during election season.
Not any longer. Today, India’s purport-
ed “arrival” on the world stage as a “Vishwa
Bhopinder Guru” has ignited imagination to stratospheric
Maldives (India’s latest nemesis, Maldivian
President Mohamed Muizzu, has just won a
“super majority” in Parliament by securing 70
of the 93 seats) is deliberately ignored. In the
ensuing melee of alternative reality, everyone
is seeking India’s hand and with the current
electoral campaign trail where nothing is too
sacred any more to be afforded any restraint —
however, “China” remains an ominous excep-
tion. The ruling party’s manifesto (with the
insistence on the word “guarantee”) finds no
specific mention of the Chinese “transgression”
parties to point concern on matters pertaining
to the tenure of the ruling party (whilst remain-
ing silent of their own prior missteps) as part of
competitive partisanship — the virtual obliter-
ation of “China” in the dominant discourse is
worrying. This is tantamount to downplaying

Singh
levels, where calls from New Delhi can ostensi-
bly halt wars in distant lands! Events like the
hosting of the G-20 summit are emblazoned
across all visibility platforms, speeches, with
creative suggestions that belie actual outcomes
and functional technicalities like rotational
methodology to host the same, as irrelevant.
The political dividends of positing the newly-
minted “muscular” foreign policy seem elec-
torally obvious, as the social media is on over-
government anything is “mumkin” (possible)!
But perhaps the most deafening and telling
silence amidst such a high decibel of foreign
policy “success” is in the absence of China, in
the postulated admixture. This despite the fact
that China has emerged as the undisputed
“enemy number one” given the wounds (intru-
sion?) in the summer of 2020, and thereafter.
The stakes against China entail concerns of ter-
ritorial sovereignty and integrity, which ought
in Ladakh. Neither the “guarantees” in the sec-
tion titled “Vishwa Bandhu Bharat” nor of
“Surakshit Bharat” bear any specific concern
and redressal on Chinese expansionism.
Instead, the foreign policy/security guarantees
of “following the Neighbourhood First policy”,
“strengthening the maritime vision” and
“ensuring robust infrastructure along the bor-
ders” find tepid mention.
Obviously, the manifesto of the principal
the threat or even the recent past to suggest that
there much to hide, and that cannot augur well
for the nation.
It is not that the nation seeks braggadocio,
chest-thumping, or any more fantastic “guaran-
tees” as afforded in other spheres, but at least
an acknowledgement of the seriousness and
specificity of concern that is emanating from
China. But it is always conflated and contextu-
alised to the larger realm of security or neigh-

Amid talk of India’s drive with the external affairs minister “taking
down” journalists who dare question the Indian
government about any of its decisions.
to be above everything else. However, since the
violent flare-up on the India-China borders in
2020, the highest executive office of the land,
Opposition party is most explicit (though they
too have much to account for in the past) with
their section of “defence” matters with the
bourhood affairs, which disallows specific
queries on the same. The question on the
restoration of the status quo ante after four

rising global role, The common street refrain is “poori duniya

mein waah-waah ho rahi hai (the entire world is
praising India)”.
which is normally very explicit, brazen, and
voluble on most matters, tended to remain inex-
plicably and unusually reticent and guarded.
statement: “The Chinese intrusions in Ladakh
and the Galwan clash in 2020 represented the
biggest setbacks to Indian national security in
years remains blurred. While certain caution
and restraint on the specificities of security
matters (like in the case of sensitive social mat-

not even a whisper

But is it really so? There is obviously much The Opposition parties routinely probed the decades. On June 19, 2020, PM Narendra Modi ters that could potentially tear up, divide and
exaggeration and also a lot of sweeping under outcome arising from the Indian Prime gave a clean chit to China that considerably polarise societies) is always prudent, it is
the carpet of some unsavoury commentary, in Minister personally meeting Chinese President weakened our negotiating position. Despite 21 strange that caution is thrown to the wind on
parallel. Many uncomfortable statements and Xi Jinping 18 times (since assuming office in rounds of military-level talks, Chinese troops almost all matters, but not so for China. Yet in

on China intrusion global indexes about the state of democracy, a

free press, personal freedoms, hunger, are
instinctively slammed as the knee-jerk reaction
of “enemies” who are jealous of India’s march
to “superpower-hood”! That those in the imme-
diate neighbourhood (beyond Pakistan and
China) are indeed nursing their own grouses
against New Delhi like Nepal, Sri Lanka or the
2014), 21 military-to-military engagements after
the standoff, and the spiking of Chinese imports
by 45 per cent. However, the topic was deferred
to the external affairs ministry to handle and
comment on, who then subjected the same to
platitudinous generalities or guarded
assurances.
Cut to the ensuing shrill, bite and clutter of the
continue to occupy Indian territory and deny
Indian forces access to 26 out of 65 patrolling
points, equivalent to an area of 2,000 square km
in eastern Ladakh. A Chinese buildup in
Doklam threatens the Siliguri Corridor that
connects Northeast India with the rest of the
country.”
While it is indeed easier for the Opposition
opinion polls, the foreign policy-centric “rais-
ing India’s global stature” has emerged as the
second biggest achievement in recent times,
after the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
The writer is a retired lieutenant-general and
a former lieutenant-governor of the Andaman
and Nicobar Islands and Puducherry
 CITY
DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 1 MAY 2024
IN
Cops probe hostel
BRIEF
privacy breach
Hyderabad: The Madhuranagar
police booked a case against
unidentified persons for filming
a woman taking bath at a hostel
in Vengalraonagar. Inspector D.
Madhusudan Reddy said, “The
incident was discovered when
the victim noticed a phone on
the ventilation window. It’s
impossible for any boy to enter
the premises which is attached
to her room. It’s highly likely
that her roommates are respon-
sible,” the complaint stated.
Man unconscious
in Hyd lodge
Hyderabad: A 29-year-old busi-
nessman, Hemanth, from
Jadcharla, was found under sus-
picious circumstances at a
lodge in SR Nagar on Tuesday.
He had come to the city with a
girl from his native village to
attend a wedding and checked
into the hotel on Monday. He
had dinner and went into the
washroom but never returned.
The girl broke open the door
and found Hemanth uncon-
scious. She called her friends
who called the police, said SI
Ch Sravan Kumar.
Haj panel holds
Rubath draw
Hyderabad: The TS Haj
Committee said that the Wakf
Committee H.E.H. Nizam Trust
had conducted the draw of lots
(Qurrah) for the Rubath accom-
modation for pilgrims for Haj.
The list of selected pilgrims is
available on the committee’s
Telegram channel. Committee
members said they were trying
to increase the seats in the
Rubath. Pilgrims have to pay
full amount to the Haj
Committee of India and they
shall be refunded after the pil-
grimage. The committee said
pilgrims must join the official
Telegram channel, and can con-
tact between 10.30 am and 4
pm on 040-23298793 or at Haj
House, Nampally, Hyderabad.
SCR TO RUN 2,000
MORE TRAINS TO
U.P., BIHAR
SANJAY
SAMUEL PAUL I DC
HYDERABAD, APRIL 30
The South Central Railways
(SCR) said it would run app-
roximately 2,000 additional
trains for summer travellers.
These trains operate at full ca-
pacity. Among the busiest
routes in the summer is the
one connecting Telangana sta-
te with Uttar Pradesh and
Bihar. SCR ran 689 special tra-
ins in April, and has scheduled
919 for May, and 647 for June.
SCR has also introduced 22 un-
reserved special trains bet-
ween Secunderabad and Dana-
pur. These weekly services,
starting from both Secun-
derabad and Danapur, will run
for two more months, stopping
at all major stations along the
route. Similarly, there is con-
siderable traffic between Tela-
ngana and Odisha and West
Bengal during the summer
season. To address this, SCR
has launched 20 unreserved
weekly summer specials bou-
nd for Howrah. These services
will operate every Sunday
from Secunderabad and every
Tuesday from Santragachi.
HIGH COURT
NOTICES TO BRS
DEFECTOR MLAs
VUJJINI VAMSHIDHAR I DC
HYDERABAD, APRIL 30
Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy of
the Telangana High Court
issued notice to BRS MLAs
Tellam Venkat Rao and Kad-
iam Srihari, who defected to
the Congress and directed the-
m to respond by June 5. BRS
MLA K.P. Vivekanand sought a
direction to the Speaker to act
on the disqualification peti-
tions that were sent by regis-
tered post and e-mail on April
10. At earlier hearing, the
judge had directed the Advo-
cate General to ensure that the
petitions reached the Speaker.
The court was informed on
Tuesday that the petitions had
rached the Speaker’s office,
and acknowledgment was also
furnished to the counsel for
the petitioner. Senior counsel
Gandra Mohan Rao, appearing
for Vivekanand, cited Supreme
Court judgments which had set
a timeframe for Speakers to
take a decision on disqualifica-
tion petitions. Sudershan Red-
dy, Advocate General, said the
Speaker had three months to
act upon the petitions. In
another petition seeking dis-
qualification of Danam
Nagender, Sri Raghuram, sen-
ior counsel said the petition
was not maintainable.
OU hostels to remain
open during summer
Board, power distribution firm deny lack of service in OU
PRATHYUSH
NALLELA I DC
HYDERABAD, APRIL 30
Osmania University on Tu-
esday announced that its
hostels would remain open
during the summer vaca-
tion to help students who
would be preparing for co-
mpetitive and recruitment
exams. The decision came
a day after the university
announced summer vaca-
tion to hostels from May 1
to 31, which sparked a
political row. The govern-
ment had immediately
rescinded the order.
A statement issued by
the university on Tuesday
said, "In response to the
representation received
from students, the univer-
sity administration is
pleased to announce that
the university hostels will
remain operational dur-
ing the summer vacation
period. This decision is
intended to accommodate
those students who wish
to stay back on campus
and leverage the available
facilities for their exami-
nation preparation and
academic endeavors."
The letter, signed by the
Registrar, states that tradi-
tionally, this period is a
time when students go
back to their homes or
engage in extracurricular
activities off-campus, and
the university administra-
tion takes up minor
repairs and renovations.
“However, a group of
students approached the
university administration
with a desire to utilise the
summer vacation period
for competitive exam
preparation. Recognising
their request and commit-
ment to their academic
pursuits, the university
has decided to keep the
hostels open, it said.
It may be recalled that on
Monday, university chief
warden G. Srinivas had
issued a circular inform-
ing students about closure
of hostels and messes
from May 1 to 31 citing
shortage of water and
electricity owing to severe
summer, which sparked a
BRS president K. Chand-
rashekar Rao along with
Mahbubabad BRS candi-
date Malothu Kavitha at
a roadshow on Tuesday.
KCR ASKS MODI
TO PROBE ‘RR
TAX’ IN STATE
P. SRINIVAS I DC
KOTHAGUDEM, APRIL 30
BRS president K. Chand-
rashekar Rao on Tue-
sday demanded that Pr-
ime Minister Narendra
Modi order an inquiry
into the ‘RR Tax’ that
industrialists were for-
ced to pay in the state.
Modi had spoken about
the ‘RR Tax’ earlier in
the day.
He asked why the en-
forcement directorate
and income-tax depart-
ment were not swung
into action to probe it
yet. Speaking during his
roadshow in Kothagu-
dem, Rao said both the
Congress and the BJP
were working with an
understanding in the
state and were enacting
such dramas for the Lok
Sabha elections.
“A vote for the Congress
or the BJP would have no
difference and would be
of no use,” he added. He
asked the people to vote
for BRS candidates as
only his party could fight
for rights and self-respect
of Telangana. He alleged
that Modi had conspired
to divert the water of
Godavari river to Tamil
Nadu and Karnataka at
the cost of Telangana’s
interests.
BRS Khammam candi-
date Nama Nageswara
Rao and Mahbubabad
BRS candidate Malothu
Kavitha participated in
the roadshow.
Representatives of The All India Students Federation
speak during a press conference on Tuesday.
Revanth likens
KCR to Goebbels
RACHEL DAMMALA I DC
HYDERABAD, APRIL 30
Chief Minister A. Rev-
anth Reddy likened BRS
president K. Chandr-
ashekar Rao to Goebbels,
Hitler’s propaganda min-
ister, for spreading “false
narratives” about the
administration of
Osmania University. He
accused Rao of mislead-
ing the public with erro-
neous statements at gath-
erings in Suryapet and
Mahbubnagar with
regard to the operational
challenges at the universi-
ty.
Referring to the univer-
sity’s chief warden declar-
ing the hostels closed on
Monday, Revanth Reddy
said on X: "Even in May
2023 when KCR was Chief
Minister, the Chief
Warden of the University
issued a similar notice
regarding the closure of
hostels and messes for a
month in connection with
summer vacations. (dated
12-05-2023 to 05-06-2023).”
Attaching a picture of
the memo issued during
the BRS government’s
tenure, Revanth Reddy
political row between rul-
ing Congress and opposi-
tion BRS.
Both the water board
and the power distribu-
tion company said there
had been no break in serv-
MSMEs ATTEND DRDL INDUSTRY PARTNERS’ MEETING
Hyderabad: Over 70 mi-
cro, small and medium
enterprises (MSMEs) att-
ended the DRDL Ind-
ustry Partners & Associ-
ates Meet (Dipam-2) at
the Defence Research
and Development Labor-
atory in Secunderabad to
discuss advancements
and collaborations in mi-
ssile systems and
defence technologies.
The meet was inaugurat-
ed by DRDL director
G.A. Srinivasa Murthy.
He spoke about the lab-
oratory’s vision to evolve
a robust partnership
UNBEARABLE | HEAT
First time in year, day temperatures cross 46°C
RACHEL DAMMALA I DC
HYDERABAD, APRIL 30
In an unprecedented surge
of heat, the day tempera-
ture soared past the 46°
Celsius mark for the first
time this year.
According to data from
the Telangana State Deve-
lopment Planning Society
(TSDPS), some places in
the districts of Jagtial,
Nalgonda, and Karim-
nagar recorded tempera-
tures of 46.2°C.
Additionally, temperatur-
es in other areas also esca-
lated dramatically with
Siddipet, Mancherial, Mul-
ugu, Jogulamba Gadwal,
Nirmal, Warangal, Jang-
aon, Pedapalli, Jayashan-
kar, Komuram Bheem and
Mahabubabad showing
temperatures above 45°C.
— DC
wrote: “It also mentioned
about shortage of electric-
ity and water. KCR's
depravity is at the zenith
by spreading the absurd
bankruptcy campaign
that the university will be
closed as soon as the
Congress comes (to
power)."
The sharp rebuke came
as the university annou-
nced the annual closure of
hostels and mess facilities
for the summer vacation
from May 1 to 31, attribut-
ing the decision to a sig-
nificant shortage of water
and electricity, exacerbat-
ed by the intense summer
heat. The notice — that
has been rescinded —
sought the cooperation of
the students during the
vacation period.
The boarders, particu-
larly around 6,000 female
students, have reported
extreme distress. Their
plight has gained atten-
tion on social media plat-
forms, where pleas for
serious attention to the
issue have been made,
highlighting alleged inef-
ficiency and corruption
by the hostel's administra-
tion.
ice to the university cam-
pus. Following this, the
university issued show-
cause notice to the chief
warden. It stated that that
there was no such short-
age of water and electrici-
CITY BRIEFS
Experts attend the DRDL Industry Partners &
Associates Meet at the Defence Research and
Development Laboratory in Secunderabad.
with established and
emerging industries.
Scientists including,
Dr B.V.N. Charyulu, Dr
R. Krishanmurthy, Dr
J.V.R. Sagar, Dr S.
Krishna Mohan, and L.
Srinivasa Rao, experts in
Every district in Telangana recorded maximum temperature exceeding 42°C
Every district recorded a
maximum temperature
exceeding 42°C. Even in
the typically cooler loca-
tions, the mercury did not
dip below significant hig-
STUDENTS SLAM
POLITICISATION
OF PROTESTS
DC CORRESPONDENT
HYDERABAD, APRIL 30
Students groups of Osm-
ania University on Tue-
sday voiced frustration
over the politicisation of
the water and electricity
shortages, claiming that
“political maneouvers are
overshadowing their gen-
uine hardships.”
The All India Students
Federation, OU Council,
held a press conference at
the university's political
science department and
specifically criticised BRS
leaders for exploiting the
issue of closure of hos-
tels— declared on Monday
by the chief warden and
reversed by Deputy Chief
Minister Mallu Bhatti
Vikramarka — for politi-
cal gain.
N. Satya, research scho-
lar, refuted the allegations
that OU’s problems began
with the Congress govern-
ment taking over, and
spoke of the long-standing
promises made by the
BRS government to ele-
vate the institution to
international standards.
They also denounced
Rao for his absence from
important events, includ-
ing review meetings and
the centennial celebra-
tions. They held the BRS
government responsible
for a variety of issues
plaguing the institution,
such as “insufficient fund-
ing, staffing shortages,
neglected infrastructure,
and fee hikes, which have
collectively deteriorated
the quality of education
and campus life at OU.”
ty supply in the university
premises and termed the
circular ‘unwarranted’
and ‘misleading’. The
chief warden was asked to
submit explanation for
issuing such a circular.
various facets of defence
technology, from propul-
sion systems to smart
materials and artificial
intelligence applications
in missile design also
were present at the meet-
ing.
Polling staff for
the Lok Sabha
election getting
training at Sarojini
Naidu Vanita
Maha Vidyalaya,
Nampally in
Yakutpura
Assembly seg-
ment, part of
Hyderabad
Parliamentary
constituency on
Tuesday. — DC
hs. For instance, the lowest
temperature recorded was
in Hyderabad's Kukatpally,
which still reached 42.4°C.
As the region grapples
with these severe condi-
Six schools in Telangana
record zero pass in SSC
FROM PAGE 1
They surpassed their
Telugu and Urdu-medium
counterparts, who logged
80.71 and 81.50 per cent,
respectively. Students
studying in other media
also performed well, with
an 88.47 per cent pass rate.
Telangana State
Residential Schools led
with an exceptional 98.71
per cent pass rate. In con-
trast, schools categorised
under Ashram, Aided, ZP,
and government sectors
reported pass rates below
the state average.
Six schools, which
include two aided ones
and four private ones,
recorded zero passes
against the 3,927 schools
where students achieved a
perfect 100.
Supplementary exams
for those, who couldn't
clear the exams, will be
held from June 3 to June
13. The last date for sub-
mitting applications for
the supplementary exami-
nations at the respective
schools is May 16, while
the last date for applica-
tions for recounting and
re-verification of answer
scripts is May 15.
A total of 6,332 students
appeared for the public
examination from 83
Gurukul institutions this
March, and 6,178 students
cleared the examination.
Remarkably, 33 students
secured 10 CGPA, while 38
institutions achieved a 100
per cent pass percentage.
Hari P., who achieved a
9.8 percentile from a
TSWREIS school, high-
lighted the community's
role in his success. “I owe
my achievements to my
family. My parents worked
tirelessly for my well-
being and my sister was
always there to help clari-
fy any doubts,” Hari
remarked.
Anjali Devi B., from
ZPHS, Nizampet, who
scored 9.4, shared her rou-
tine and aspirations. "I've
always wanted to serve
the public and have kept
my options open between
pursuing engineering or
entering administration."
She credited her success
to normal school atten-
dance, revising lessons
regularly, rising early, and
adhering to a simple
timetable, supplemented
by tuition. “I didn't do
anything extraordinary,
just stayed consistent,”
she added.
Above: Girls cover their heads with the shawls to pro-
tect themselves from the temperature in the afternoon
in the city on Tuesday. Left: A labourer finds resort in a
temporary shed while engrossed in work due to intensi-
ty of heat on the eve of May Day.
tions, the India Meteoro-
logical Department (IMD)
has issued a yellow alert,
forecasting that the heat-
wave conditions are
expected to persist for the
Burra vows to address
cap on fee hike soon
DC CORRESPONDENT
HYDERABAD, APRIL 30
Burra Venkatesham, edu-
cation principal secretary,
expressed a strong com-
mitment to expanding the
educational focus beyond
traditional academics to
include cultural and
sports activities, such as
poetry and essay writing
competitions, etc., he said
at an interaction with the
media following the
announcement of the SSC
results on Tuesday.
He also announced that
a decision on a cap on
school fee hikes would be
implemented soon. “Due
to the model code of con-
duct, we've postponed this
decision to avoid disrupt-
ing the admissions
already underway” he
explained, promising
swift action within the
next six months.
The initiatives were at
enhancing the holistic
growth of students, he
said. “Our goal is not just
academic excellence but
also to nurture well-
rounded individuals who
are confident and capable
Her principal
Raghunath said that being
P.
a person with dwarfism,
she never let anything bog
her down. “With little
encouragement from
nothing but at a govern-
ment school, she aimed
for the skies. She wants to
pursue engineering while
preparing for civil servic-
es to become a district col-
lector as her heart was
always drawn to public
service,” he told Deccan
Chronicle.
Sreehasini Avatapally,
who scored a perfect 10,
emphasised the impor-
tance of self-paced learn-
— DC
next five days.
The persistently high
temperatures, are notably
remaining above 40°C even
at 6 pm, with might tem-
peratures showing not less
pg 7
Above: Class X
SSC students who
passed in merit
celebrate their
success at Abids
on Tuesday. Left:
Class X SSC stu-
dents who
achieved high
marks gather with
friends and cele-
brate their suc-
cess in Manikonda
on Tuesday.
— R. PAVAN
Physically-
challenged
B. Anjali
Devi, left,
got 9.4 GPA
from ZPHS
Nizampet.
— K.
DURGA RAO
Burra Venkatesham
in various arenas.”
Reflecting on his person-
al experiences, Venkate-
sham shared, “I remem-
ber a time when I couldn't
even walk onto a stage. We
want to change that for
our students, to give them
the confidence that I
lacked.” He revealed plans
to bolster educational
infrastructure and
resources. “We are expect-
ing 11,000 new teachers to
join our schools once the
clarity on the Teacher
Eligibility Test is estab-
lished post-polls. This
influx will support our
vision for enhanced edu-
cational offerings and
enable our plans to come
to fruition,” he stated.
ing. “I followed a timetable
tailored to my needs, not
worrying about scoring
less sometimes. I often
asked doubts and revised
the concepts taught by
teachers on the same day,"
Sreehasini explained.
“I want to crack JEE and
be an aerospace scientist,”
she added, noting that she
was not the typical topper
and avoided overburden-
ing herself with studies.
She credited the recent
satellite launches by India
and late president APJ
Abdul Kalam as the inspi-
ration behind her interest
in aerospace.
than 35-36°C. The same has
led to deserted streets, par-
ticularly during midday
when the heat peaks.
In response to the relent-
less heat, the medical and
health department had
earlier issued a stern
warning advising the pub-
lic to stay indoors between
1 pm and 4 pm unless
absolutely necessary.
Special precautions are
advised for vulnerable
groups such as young chil-
dren and the elderly.
The recommended meas-
ures to mitigate the effects
of the heat include using
umbrellas, blacks ones
preferably to block UV
rays well, wearing sun-
glasses, donning light cot-
ton clothing, and staying
hydrated with energy
drinks.
 NATION
DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 1 MAY 2024
pg 8

IN

NEET aspirant dies

BRIEF
India slams unwarranted Be operationally ready:
by suicide in Kota
Kota, April 30: A 20-year-old
NEET aspirant allegedly hanged
himself here days before
Washington Post report New Naval chief Tripathi PAWAN BALI | DC
NEW DELHI, APRIL 30
collective quest for ‘Viksit
Bharat’,” said Adm
appearing for his third attempt
at cracking the exam. “Sorry
Says irresponsible comments on Pannun case not helpful Admiral Dinesh K.
Tripathi.
He said that his priority
DC CORRESPONDENT networks of organised Tripathi shortly after will be to upskill our

India to grant full cost

papa, I couldn’t do it this year
as well,” a note found in the
room said. This is the ninth case
of suspected suicide by a
coaching student in Kota since
January. The number of student
suicides in the coaching hub
stood at 26 in 2023. Rajasthan
native Bharat Kumar Rajput was
found hanging from the ceiling
fan on Tuesday morning, police
said. They said a one-line sui-
cide note was recovered from
the room saying, “Sorry papa,
me is saal bhi nahi kar paya’
(Sorrypapa, I couldn’t do it
this year as well)”.
Three killed in
Jammu landslides
Jammu, April 30:
Three people died, and two are
feared dead in separate inci-
dents after they fell into the
swollen streams due to multiple
landslides between the Ramban
NEW DELHI, APRIL 30
India on Tuesday lambast-
ed a media report in lead-
ing US newspaper The
Washington Post for mak-
ing “unwarranted and
unsubstantiated imputa-
tions on a serious matter”
pertaining to an alleged
plot to assassinate US citi-
zen and pro-Khalistan ext-
remist Gurpatwant Singh
Pannun.
In a statement, New
Delhi said, “The report in
question makes unwar-
ranted and unsubstantiat-
ed imputations on a seri-
ous matter. There is an
ongoing investigation by a
high-level committee set
up by the government of
India to look into the secu-
rity concerns shared by
the US government about
criminals, terrorists and
others. Speculative and
irresponsible comments
on it are not helpful.”
The periodic leaks in
various US media publica-
tions on the Pannun case
in the past few months
have triggered feverish
speculation that the US
may be getting impatient
with the pace of progress
of the Indian probe.
The “Indian government
employee” who was
accused by the United
States last year of alleged-
ly masterminding the plot
to kill Pannun on Ame-
rican soil was identified
as Vikram Yadav, who was
working then in India’s
external intelligence age-
ncy Research and Ana-
lysis Wing (RAW), accord-
ing to media reports. The
of Lanka port works
Colombo, April 30: The
Sri Lankan Cabinet has
decided to implement the
renovation of the Kanke-
santhurai Port in the
Northern Province with
India agreeing to grant
the entire cost of the proj-
ect, a statement said on
Tuesday.
The Kankesanthurai
Port with an area of
approximately 16 acres, is
foreign ministry spokes-
person Randhir Jaiswal
had said last week, “We
have set up a high-level
located at a distance of 104
kilometres (56 nautical
miles) from Karaikal Port
in Pondicherry.
The direct passenger
ship service connecting
Nagapattinam in Tamil
Nadu to Kankesanthurai
port near Jaffna covers a
distance of 111 kilometres
(60 nautical miles) in
approximately three and a
half hours. — PTI
committee. The panel is
looking into information
that was shared by the
American side.”
assuming charge as the human resource “that is
26th Chief of the Naval the men and women of
Staff on Tuesday said that our Navy and provide
the existing and emerging
challenges in the mar-
itime domain mandate the
Indian Navy to remain
them with the best arma-
ment, training, profes-
sional environment and
administrative support.”
operationally ready to Admiral Tripathi was
face any adversities. Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi the Vice Chief of Naval
Adm. Tripathi succeed- Staff, prior taking over
ed Admiral R. Hari when various strategic helm as Chief of the
Kumar, who retired on waterways, including the Naval Staff.
superannuation after an Red Sea and the Gulf of Before taking charge,
illustrious career in the Aden, are witnessing Admiral Tripathi paid
Indian Navy. security challenges, espe- tributes to the fallen
The new Navy Chief cially with Houthi mili- heroes at the National
said that over the years tants targeting merchant War Memorial. He was
the Indian Navy has
evolved into a combat
ships in the region.
“I will also strengthen
accorded a ceremonial
guard of honour at the
ready, cohesive, credible,
and future proof force.
the ongoing efforts of the
Indian Navy towards
lawns of the South Block
at the Raisina Hills. He
“That will remain my sin- Aatma Nirbharbharta, also took blessings from
gular focus and endeav- towards new technologies his mother Rajni
our,” he added. and becoming an impor- Tripathi, who was present
The admiral took charge tant pillar of nation’s at the South Block com-
of the Navy at a time development towards our plex.

SC questions time gap in Kejriwal’s case, arrest South Asia to see

and Banihal stretch here, offi-
cials said on Tuesday.
Mohd Shafi (65) and Mumira
Bano (17) accidentally fell into
the fast-flowing waters on
Monday while crossing the
Deval and Dunga streams in
Reasi, officials said. Shafi’s body
was retrieved from the river, and
efforts are being made to locate
Bano, who had come to attend
a marriage function in Mahore in
Reasi, they said. Meanwhile,
another man, K.K. Sharma
drowned while crossing a
stream at Gadhi Garh in Jammu.
DC CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, APRIL 30
The Supreme Court on
Tuesday questioned the
Enforcement Directorate on
the timing of Delhi Chief
Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s
arrest ahead of the general
elections and sought a reply
from the agency. Noting that
“life and liberty are exceed-
ingly important, you can’t
deny that,” a bench of
Justices Sanjiv Khanna and
Dipankar Datta asked
Additional Solicitor General
S.V. Raju, appearing for the
ED, to reply on the next date
of hearing on May 3.
The bench, which posed
several questions to Raju,
was hearing Kejriwal’s plea
challenging his arrest in the
money laundering case relat-
ed to the excise policy
“scam”. The top court also
asked the ED to respond and
explain the time gap
between initiation of pro-
ceedings and action of
arrest. The ED will also have
to respond on whether crim-
inal proceedings can be initi-
ated without any adjudicato-
ry proceedings.
“Without there being adju-
dicatory proceedings, can
you have criminal proceed-
ings initiated? There are no
proceedings of attachment
in this case so far, and if
there are, then show how
Kejriwal is involved,” the
bench asked. SC said, “Thre-
shold under Section 19 of
PMLA, which casts onus on
prosecution and not on
accused, is fairly high,
whereas under Section 45,
onus shifts on accused. So
how do we interpret it? Do
we make the threshold much
higher and ensure that the
standard is the same?”
above-normal
monsoon rainfall
New Delhi, April ember) over most
30: Above-normal parts of south Asia,
rainfall is expected except some areas
during 2024 sout- over northern, east-
hwest monsoon sea- ern, and northeast-
son over most parts ern parts of the
of south Asia, the region, where belo-
South Asian Clim- w-normal rainfall is
ate Outlook Forum most likely,” the
said on Tuesday. South Asian Clima-
The forecast fol- te Outlook Forum
lows the prediction (SASCOF) said.
of above-normal Above-nor mal
rain in the monsoon maximum and mini-
season in India on mum temperatures
back of favourable are predicted over
La Nina conditions, most parts of south
expected to set in by Asia during the sea-
August-September. son, except a few
“Above normal areas over the sout-
rainfall is most like- heastern part of re-
ly during the 2024 gion where normal
southwest monsoon temperatures are
season (June-Sept- most likely. — PTI
 LOK SABHA
2024
GENERAL ELECTIONS
DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 1 MAY 2024
SHORT
LS POLLING IN
TAKES
ANANTNAG SEAT
ON MAY 25
YUSUF JAMEEL | DC
SRINAGAR, APRIL 30
The Election Commission of
India (ECI) has, while accept-
ing the plea of the BJP and
some other parties, deferred
the polling in Anantnag -
Rajouri Lok Sabha constituen-
cy till May 25, owing to “vari-
ous logistic, communication
and natural barriers of con-
nectivity”.
The polling for the seat was
to be held in the third phase of
elections on May 7 and former
chief ministers Omar
Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti
had opposed any change in the
schedule.
The ECI said on Tuesday that
various representations were
received by it from different
political parties of the Jammu
and Kashmir for shifting the
date of the polling in
Anantnag-Rajouri constituen-
cy “due to various logistic,
communication and natural
barrier of connectivity turn-
ing out as hindrance in cam-
paigning which in turn tanta-
mount to lack of fair opportu-
nities for the contesting candi-
dates in the
Parliamentary Constituency
said
which may affect poll process.”
While reacting to the ECI’s
decision Mufti’s daughter and
media advisor Iltija Mufti
wrote on microblogging site
‘X’, “Anantnag - Rajouri elec-
tions postponed only because
they fear Mufti will win over-
whelmingly. Only because they
don’t want a fearless voice in
the Parliament. But we accept
this challenge & will make
sure she wins by a bigger mar-
gin Inshallah (God willing).”
TEN MAOISTS
KILLED IN
ENCOUNTER
DC CORRESPONDENT
RAIPUR, APRIL 30
In the second major strike on
the Leftwing insurgents in
Bastar in Chhattisgarh in the
last fortnight, security forces
on Tuesday gunned down ten
Maoists including
women in a forest in
three
Abujhmad, a Naxal stronghold
in the western tip of the state.
An encounter took place
between the security forces
and Maoists at around six in
the morning in a forest across
Narayanpur and Kanker dis-
tricts falling under Abujhmad
area of Bastar, leading to the
killing of ten Maoists, Bastar
inspector general of police P
Sunderraj told this newspaper.
TRINAMUL MLA,
SECURITY HURT IN
CLASH WITH CPM
Kolkata, April 30: Trinamul
Congress MLA Arunabha Sen
and his security personnel Raj
Kumar Majhi were injured
along with 10 others in
Howrah of West Bengal during
a clash allegedly with CPI(M)
workers on Monday night.
While Sen’s injuries were
minor, Majhi was admitted to a
local hospital where he rece-
ived three stitches on forehead
and treatment on eyes.
A group of TMC workers was
having tea at a stall at Bagnan
More in Howrah following a
rally of party national general
secretary and Diamond Harb-
our MP Abhishek Banerjee th-
ere on Monday evening.
Suddenly some people atta-
cked them with rods and
sticks.
U.P. POLICE BOOKS
KHURSHID, NIECE
FOR ‘VOTE JIHAD’
Farrukhabad (UP), April 30:
The Uttar Pradesh Police
Tuesday booked Congress
leader Salman Khurshid and
his niece Maria Alam after she
called for a “vote jihad” in
favour of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc
candidate from Farrukhabad
Lok Sabha seat. Seeking votes
for I.N.D.I.A bloc candidate
Naval Kishore Shakya on
Monday, Alam, a Samajwadi
Party (SP) leader, made an
appeal for “vote jihad”,
terming it as necessary in the
current situation for the
minority community to drive
away the BJP government.
Taking cognisance of the
remarks made by Maria Alam,
a case was registered against
her for violating the provi-
sions of the IPC and
Representation of People Act
following a complaint made by
the Flying Squad and
Surveillance Team, police
said, and added that a case was
also registered against
Khurshid, who was the chief
guest at the election meeting
in Kaimganj.
The Congress a sinking ship.
The developments in Surat and
Indore showed the people’s
affection for BJP.
— RAJNATH SINGH, BJP leader
Modi asks leaders to inform
people about Cong.’s agenda
Says Oppn wants to snatch ‘reservation’ from SC, ST, OBC communities
New Delhi, April 30:
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi has asked the BJP-
led NDA candidates in
the Lok Sabha polls to
spread awareness among
voters about the
Congress’s intention to
snatch “reservation from
SC, ST and OBC commu-
nities and give it away to
their vote bank”.
In a personal letter writ-
ten to them, Modi acc-
used the Congress and its
allies of having divisive
and discriminatory mot-
ives, even though reser-
vation on basis of reli-
gion is unconstitutional.
“They are also bent
upon taking away the
hard-earned wealth of
the people and giving it to
their vote bank. The
Congress has also made it
clear that they will bring
in dangerous ideas like
inheritance tax. The
nation must unite to stop
them,” he said. In the let-
ters sent to every candi-
date, the prime minister
stressed that this is not
an ordinary election.
In his letter to Union
home minister Amit
Shah, Modi hailed him as
one of the most valuable
party worker besides
being a successful minis-
ter at the Centre and ear-
lier in Gujarat. Modi
noted that Shah began
his public life by support-
ing those campaigning
against the Emergency
when he was 13 and
recalled their association
since the 1980s.
As the BJP president,
Shah realised their dre-
am of making it world’s
largest party, Modi said,
praising his role as a min-
ister in the abrogation of
Article 370 and the pas-
sage of three criminal
Prajwal’s former car driver
is sex scam whistleblower
DC CORRESPONDENT
with agency inputs
BENGALURU, APRIL 30
Hassan MP Prajwal
Revanna’s former car
driver Karthik and BJP
leader G. Devaraje
Gowda accused each
other of leaking the
alleged obscene videos of
the now suspended JD(S)
leader.
While Karthik claimed
that he had given the
videos and photos to
Devaraje Gowda seeking
his help, Gowda refuting
those claims alleged that
Karthik was working in
cahoots with Hassan
Congress candidate.
In a video message on
social media, Karthik
said that he worked with
Prajwal for the last 15
years but it has been a
year since he was not
working for him. “The
reason (for distancing
from Prajwal) was that
my land was taken away
and my wife was beaten
up. I was mentally tor-
tured. Because my land
was taken away, I came
out of the job and started
my fight (to get back
land),” Karthik said in
the message.
The driver said he had
approached G. Devaraje
Gowda due to the rivalry
between the families.
Gowda had fought the
SHAMEFUL | ACT
Women paraded naked, cops deny help
DC CORRESPONDENT
with agency inputs
NEW DELHI, APRIL 30
The Manipur Police per-
sonnel allegedly drove
the two women from the
Kuki-Zomi community,
who had sought refuge in
their official gypsy, to a
mob of around 1,000
Meiti rioters in
Kangpokpi district, the
CBI charge sheet has
said.
The two women were
subsequently stripped
naked and paraded before
being brutally gang-
raped during the ethnic
violence in the state, the
charge sheet added.
BJP is more into protecting
rapists and helping them
get away.
— TEJASHWI PRASAD
YADAV, RJD leader
LOK SABHA POLLS 2024
CANDIDATES WITH CRIMINAL RECORDS
PHASE-III
Seats polling:
Date of poll: MAY 7
95 1,352
Total
candidates
82
79
68
26
22
14
14
7
6
Cong
BSP
BJP
laws, which replaced Bri-
tish era statutes, in
Parliament among other
issues. In the letters to
the candidates, he said,
“Families across India,
especially the senior
members, would remem-
ber the difficulties they
have gone through in the
last five-six decades. In
the last 10 years, the qual-
ity of life of every section
of society has improved,
with many of these trou-
bles removed. Yet, a lot
more is still to be done
and this election will be
decisive in our mission to
ensure a better life for
everyone”. Every vote
that BJP gets will impart
momentum in India’s
journey to become a
developed nation by 2047,
Modi said, adding the
“encouraging trends” of
the first two phases show
that people of India have
made up their minds to
support this vision and
are leading the way in
this election. — PTI
2023 Assembly election
from Holenarasipura
Assembly constituency
on the BJP ticket and lost
to Revanna.
In the meantime, Praj-
wal had brought a stay
order to prevent me from
releasing any photos or
videos, Karthik said.
Following which, Gowda
told me to hand over the
photos and videos which
he promised to hand over
to the judge to help
vacate the stay. Trusting
him, I gave him a copy,
which he used, the driver
said. The driver claimed
that other than Devaraje
Gowda, he did not give
the video to Congress
leaders or anyone else. “I
did not give the videos
and photos to Congress
leaders because they
were quite close to Praj-
wal. Hence, I approached
Devaraje Gowda, but he
too cheated me,” Karthik
alleged.
However, refuting
Karthik’s claims, Deva-
raje Gowda told repo-
rters here in Bengaluru
that Karthik had been
hanging around with the
Congress Lok Sabha can-
didate from Hassan con-
stituency Shreyas Patel.
He said that neither the
JD(S) nor the BJP would
release the videos as it
would go against the
NDA alliance’s candi-
CBI files charge sheet against six in Manipur violence case
The charge sheet said
the mob had attacked a
third woman, belonging
to the same family, too,
and tried to strip her but
failed in the attempt
because she was clutch-
ing her granddaughter
tightly. She managed to
escape after the group
attacking her went
towards the first two vic-
tims who were being tor-
mented in the paddy
fields. The women, one of
whom was the wife of a
Kargil war veteran, des-
perately asked the police
personnel to drive them
to a safe location but were
allegedly told by them
that “there was no key”
CANDIDATES | 1,352
CANDIDATES WITH DECLARED CRIMINAL CASES | 244
CANDIDATES WITH DECLARED SERIOUS
CRIMINAL CASES | 172
10
6
5
3
1
1
Trinamool 1
1
SHIVA
SENA
SP
JD
Source: Association for Democratic Reforms
Rahul says BJP will
scrap Constitution
DC CORREPONDENT
BHOPAL, APRIL 30
Congress leader Rahul
Gandhi on Tuesday said
that if elected to power
the BJP will tear apart
and throw away the
Constitution that guaran-
tees some special privi-
leges to SC, ST and the
OBC. Addressing an elec-
tion meeting in Bhind
under Chambal region of
Madhya Pradesh, Gandhi
said that the 2024 LS poll
is not a normal election,
but a battle between two
ideologies.
Gandhi also urged all
party candidates to carry
a copy of the constitution
with them during nomi-
nations, public meetings
and outreach pro-
Why Cong. not acting
against Prajwal: Shah
MANOJ ANAND | DC
with agency inputs
GUWAHATI, APRIL 30
Union home minister
Amit Shah on Tuesday
said that the Congress
government in Karna-
taka was answerable for
delay in acting against
complaints of alleged
sexual misconduct agai-
nst NDA candidate Praj-
wal Revanna. Asserting
that the BJP’s stand was
clear on the issue, Shah
told reporters, “The
BJP’s stand is clear that
we stand with the ‘Matri
Shakti’ of the country.”
Advocating a probe into
the scandal that rocked
Karnataka, Shah said,
“It is very serious, we
cannot tolerate it. We
want to ask the Congress
that despite being in
power, why hasn’t the
government acted yet?
Priyanka (Gandhi
date. “If there was some-
one benefiting from this,
it was Congress. Only for
his political gain, the
Congress candidate
(of the vehicle) and did
not provide any help, the
charge sheet said.
A video showing two
women being paraded
naked surrounded by a
mob of men went viral
last year in July, nearly
two months after the inci-
dent that took place on
May 4. The CBI filed its
charge sheet against six
accused and a report aga-
inst one Child in Conflict
with the Law (CCL)
before the Special Judge,
CBI Court at Guwahati
on October 16 last year.
It has been alleged that
the two women were run-
ning away from a mob of
around 900-1,000 persons
I.N.D.I.A.
1,093
candidate
Varsha
Gaikwad
during a
rally elec-
174
tions in
128
Mumbai.
3
23
1
1
CPM
RJD
OTHERS
grammes, and tell the
people that as long as the
Congress is there, let
alone the BJP, no power
in the world can snatch
away the constitution. “A
boon for the poor, respect
for the deprived and
pride of every citizen our
Constitution! I request all
Congress leaders to keep
sacred Constitution with
them during nomina-
tions, meetings, speeches
and public outreach,”
Gandhi said in a post in
Hindi on X.
Gandhi said the BJP is
against reservation and
sought an explanation
from BJP as to why they
ate privatising public sec-
tor units if it is not inter-
ested in throwing away
the constitution.
Vadra) ji should ask
their Chief Minister and
Deputy Chief Minister.”
Shah also alleged that
the Congress was spread-
ing lies that the BJP
intends to change the
Constitution and end
reservations if it returns
to power for a third term.
Asserting that the BJP
was heading towards its
goal of 400-plus Lok
Sabha seats with the
blessings and support of
the people, he said, “The
Congress is spreading
lies about the saffron
party changing the
Constitution and ending
reservations… We do not
see voters as minority or
majority; the BJP will
win 12 of the 14 Lok
Sabha seats in Assam.”
He also attacked the
Congress for practising
the politics of appease-
ment since the very
beginning.
(Shreyas Patel) has mort-
gaged the modesty of
women seen in the
videos,” Devaraje Gowda
said.
carrying sophisticated
weapons like AK rifles,
SLR, INSAS and .303
rifles. All three women
were part of the group of
10 people who ran into
the Haokhongching for-
est to hide from the mob.
The women, along with
other victims, ran into
the forest to escape from
the mob but were spotted
by the rioters. The mob
swelled up on the way as
rioters from another vil-
lage joined the group and
all started beating the
victims.
Some members of the
mob told the women to
reach the police vehicle
parked on the roadside to
pg 9
LOOKING FOR SOMETHING?
We have it
for you
DECCAN
CHRONICLE
PAWAR: RESTLESS
FOR FARMERS,
COMMON PEOPLE
BHAGWAN PARAB | DC
MUMBAI, APRIL 30
A day after Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi’s Bhatakti Aatma
(wandering soul) jibe at
NCP (SP) chief Sharad
Pawar, the veteran leader
hit back saying he will
always be restless for the
cause of farmers and
common man. His
alliance partners Shiv
Sena UBT and Congress
also criticised the PM for
disrespecting Mr. Pawar.
“It is correct that the
soul is restless. But it is
not for personal objec-
tives, but to highlight the
hardships faced by farm-
ers. I am restless to put
forward the plight of the
common man suffering
from inflation. I am ready
to be restless 100 times to
highlight the woes of the
people,” Pawar said in
Pune on Tuesday.
“Modi is angry with me
of late. But there were
times when he had stated
that he (Modi) had come
into politics by holding
the finger of Pawar saheb.
Now he is saying I am a
wandering soul,” he
added.
Pawar’s remarks came
on the backdrop of Modi’s
criticism of the NCP
founder without taking
his name at an election
rally on Monday. “There
is a ‘bhatakti aatma’
(wandering soul) in
Maharashtra. If it does
not manage success, it
spoils others’ good work.”
DIDI CALLS OUT
SHAH’S ‘LIES’ ON
STATE FINANCES
H a r i s c h a n d r a p u r,
April 30: West Bengal
Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee on Tuesday ac-
cused Union Home Min-
ister Amit Shah of “ped-
dling lies” on the state
government’s submissi-
on of utilisation certif-
icates for central projec-
ts and urged the BJP lea-
dership to hold the mir-
ror to themselves.
Addressing a meeting
at Harischandrapur in
Malda Uttar LS con-
stituency, Banerjee alle-
ged that 32 Central gov-
ernment departments h-
ave not submitted utili-
sation certificates of
`52,000 crore spent by
them. “Amit Shah has
claimed at a meeting in
Memari that we have
not sent utilisation cer-
tificates for `2.32 lakh
crore spending by our
government. The money
sent by Centre since
2011 before they blocked
all funds to the state
three years back. I chal-
lenge him to prove it,”
she said.
Mamata Banerjee
seek help, the officials in
the know of the develop-
ment said. The two
women managed to get
inside the vehicle, in
which two police person-
nel and the driver were
sitting. Three to four per-
sonnel were outside the
vehicle.
The CBI also alleged
that driver of the police
gypsy drove the vehicle
towards a mob of around
1,000 people and stopped
it in front of them. The
perverted assault and
gang rape of the two
women victims started
after the rioters dragged
them out, stripped them
of their clothes.
 WORLD
DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 1 MAY 2024
SHORT TAKES
4 LAW OFFICERS
KILLED, 4 INJURED
IN U.S. SHOOTOUT
Charlotte, April 30: Four po-
lice officers serving a warrant
for a felon wanted for possess-
ing a firearm were killed and
four other officers were wound-
ed in a shootout on Monday at a
North Carolina home.
Some of the officers who rus-
hed to the Charlotte neighbour-
hood to rescue the first wave of
downed officers were wounded
as a second shooter began firi-
ng on them. “Today we lost
some heroes who were out sim-
ply trying to keep our commu-
nity safe,” Charlotte-Meckl-
enburg police chief Johnny
Jennings said.
CHARLES BACK TO
DUTIES, VISITS
CANCER CENTRE
London, April 30: Britain’s
King Charles III, who was diag-
nosed with cancer earlier this
year, on Tuesday resumed his
public-facing duties with a pla-
nned visit to a cancer centre in
London where he held hands
with a number of patients.
The 75-year-old monarch, still
undergoing treatment which
Buckingham Palace earlier
said has been rated as very en-
couraging by his medical team,
was also named Cancer Resear-
ch UK’s new patron as he join-
ed wife Queen Camilla at the
Macmillan Cancer Centre, Un-
iversity College Hospital.
3 ASTRONAUTS
FROM CHINA
BACK TO EARTH
Beijing, April 30: China’s Sh-
enzhou-17 spacecraft returned
to Earth on Tuesday, carrying
three astronauts who have
completed a six-month mission
aboard the country’s orbiting
space station.
The three, Tang Hongbo, Tang
Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin,
landed at the Dongfeng site in
north China’s Inner Mongolia
Autonomous Region in the
Gobi desert shortly before 6:00
pm (1000 GMT). It comes rough-
ly four days after the Shenzhou-
18 mission docked with the sta-
tion with their three-member
replacement crew onboard.
UK TO DEPORT 6K
MIGRANTS TO
RWANDA IN 2024
London, April 30: The UK
expects to deport nearly 6,000
migrants to Rwanda this year, a
senior minister said on Tues-
day, after the government pub-
lished new details on the con-
troversial scheme.
The figures come days after
the plan aimed at deterring
migrant arrivals on small boats
from northern Europe became
law following months of parlia-
mentary wrangling.
Rwanda has “in principle”
agreed to accept 5,700 migrants
already in the United Kingdom,
the interior ministry revealed
late on Monday.
WALMART TO
SHUT 51 HEALTH
CENTRES IN U.S.
Washington, April 30: Walm-
art plans to close all 51 of its
health centres across five states
in the United States as well as
its telehealth operations, the
company said on Tuesday, cit-
ing lack of profitability.
The big-box retailer said that
reimbursement from insurers
and other payers has been chal-
lenging, which along with esca-
lating operating costs made the
businesses unsustainable.
It is at a time when the health-
care sector has seen stiff com-
petition from Walgreens Boots
Alliance, CVS Health Corp and
even Amazon.com.
Covid virus sequence scientist
protests after eviction from lab
Shanghai, April 30: The fi-
rst scientist to publish a seq-
uence of the Covid-19 virus in
China staged a sit-in protest
outside his lab after authori-
ties locked him out of the
facility — a sign of the Beij-
ing’s continuing pressure on
scientists conducting resear-
ch on the Coronavirus.
Zhang Yongzhen wrote in an
online post on Monday that
he and his team had been sud-
denly notified they were bei-
ng evicted from their lab, the
latest in a series of setbacks,
demotions and ousters since
the virologist published the
Teenage boy killed in
London sword attack
4 others injured; cops taser, arrest attacker abuses in W. Bank: US
London, April 30: A
sword-wielding man on
Tuesday smashed a vehi-
cle into a home and then
went on a stabbing spree
in a “serious incident
near an east London Tube
station, killing a 14-year-
old boy and wounding
four people, before being
arrested, the Metropolitan
Police said.
The police said the inci-
dent did not appear to be
linked with “any act of te-
rrorism and that two oth-
er members of public and
two police officers who
sustained stab wounds in
the serious incident rem-
ain in hospital after the
attack in Hainault area of
the city. The police initial-
ly said the boy who suc-
cumbed to his injuries in
hospital was 13 years old,
but later clarified his age
as 14.
“The child’s family are
being supported firstly by
my local officers and now
with some specialist offic-
ers and everyone across
the Met is keeping them in
our thoughts at this uni-
maginably difficult time,”
Chief Superintendent St-
uart Bell, who leads local
policing for the Met Polic-
e’s East Area Command,
said in a statement.
“A 36-year-old man is
Maldivians-Indians
fight injures 2 people
Male, April 30: Amid the
ongoing political tensions
between India and Mald-
ives, a fight broke out be-
tween a group of Maldi-
vians and Indians on Mo-
nday night near Central
Park in Hulhumale isla-
nd, about 7 km northeast
of Male, Maldives.
Two people sustained
serious injuries and were
taken to the Hulhumale
Hospital. One suspect has
been detained in this con-
nection who, according to
the police, is a Maldivian.
The fight took place at
around 9:00 pm on
Monday, news portal
Adhadhu.com reported.
The police said that the
clashes broke out
between a group of
Maldivians and Indians
inside the park and that
further investigations
were underway.
The police have not dis-
closed the nationality of
Star-struck
This image of the Horsehead Nebula from Nasa’s James
Webb Space Telescope focuses on a portion of the hor-
se’s mane that is about 0.8 light-years in width. — AP
sequence in January 2020 Chinese social media platfo-
without state approval. rm Weibo, later deleted.
When Zhang tried to go to
the lab over the weekend, gu- Shanghai Public Health Cli-
ards barred him from enteri- nical Centre said that Zhang’s
ng. In protest, he sat outside lab was being renovated and
on flattened cardboard in dr- was closed for safety reasons.
izzling rain, pictures from the It added that it had provided
scene posted online show. Zhang’s team an alternative
News of the protest spread laboratory space.
widely on Chinese social me-
dia and Zhang told a collea- his team wasn’t offered an
gue he slept outside the lab — alternative space until after
but it was not clear on Tue- they were notified of their
sday if he remained there. eviction, and that the lab
“I won’t leave, I won’t quit, I offered didn’t meet safety
am pursuing science and the standards for conducting
truth! he wrote in a post on their research.
Israeli Army committed
GUNMAN KILLS 6
Handout footage from a
police officer’s doorbell
camera tasering a sword-
wielding man in Hainault,
on Tuesday. — AFP
currently in custody. He
was tasered and arrested
22 minutes after the first
call to police was received
shortly before 7am. I want
to reiterate that at present
we do not believe there is
any ongoing threat to the
wider community, we are
not looking for more sus-
pects and this incident
does not appear to be ter-
ror related,” he said.
The police chief said the
other two members of the
public injured in the truly
horrific incident remain
in hospital, their injuries
not believed to be life-thre-
atening. The suspect is at
the hospital and police
have been unable to ques-
tion him.
A statement from Buc-
kingham Palace said King
those injured.
The two people who sus-
tained serious injuries
were taken to Hulhumale
Hospital. They were later
released after treatment.
The relations between
India and the Maldives
have nosedived ever since
Mohamed Muizzu assum-
ed office last year.
In mid-January this
year, Muizzu asked the
Indian government to
withdraw the Indian tro-
ops from the island nat-
ion before March 15.
The removal of Indian
troops in the Maldives
was the main campaign of
Muizzu’s party.
The Muizzu-led Maldiv-
ian government is seen to
be closer to China than
India. Muizzu has sought
to move the Maldives
away from dependence on
India in crucial sectors
such as food security and
defence. — Agencies
In an online statement, the
But Zhang wrote online that
— AP
INSIDE MOSQUE
IN AFGHANISTAN
Islamabad, April 30: A
gunman stormed a mosq-
ue in western Afghanist-
an, opening fire and killi-
ng six people as they were
praying, a Taliban official
said on Tuesday.
Local media reports and
a former president of Af-
ghanistan said the mosq-
ue was targeted because it
was a place of worship for
the country’s Shiite Musl-
im minority. The attack
happened on Monday nig-
ht in the district of Guza-
ra in Herat province, said
Abdul Mateen Qani, a sp-
okesman for the Taliban
interior ministry. — AP
Charles III’s “thoughts
and prayers” are with tho-
se affected by the attack. It
said the King has asked to
be kept “fully informed”
as details of the incident
become clearer.
PM Rishi Sunak descri-
bed it as a shocking inci-
dent, saying that such vio-
lence has no place on the
country’s streets. — AFP
Donald Trump
TRUMP FINED
$9,000 IN HUSH
MONEY TRIAL
Washington, April 30:
The judge overseeing
Donald Trump’s crimin-
al hush money trial fin-
ed the former US presi-
dent $9,000 for contempt
of court on Tuesday and
said he would consider
jailing him if he
continued to violate a
gag order.
In a written order,
Justice Juan Merchan
said the fine may not be
enough to serve as a de-
terrent for the wealthy
businessman-tur ned-
politician and lamented
he did not have the au-
thority to impose a high-
er penalty.
“Defendant is hereby
warned that the Court
will not tolerate willful
violations of its lawful
orders and that if neces-
sary and appropriate un-
der the circumstances, it
will impose an incarcer-
atory punishment,” Me-
rchan wrote.
Merchan had imposed
the gag order to prevent
Trump from criticising
witnesses and others
involved in the case.
The judge fined Trump
$1,000 for each of nine
online statements that
he said violated his ord-
er not to criticise witnes-
ses or other participants
in the trial. Prosecutors
had flagged 10 posts as
possible violations.
The posts, made betw-
een April 10 and April
17, included an article
calling his former law-
yer Michael Cohen a “se-
rial liar.” Another post
quoted a Fox News pun-
dit who claimed “under-
cover liberal activists”
were trying to sneak
onto the jury. — Reuters -
DETOX | MENU Officials banned ultraprocessed foods from schools this year
Brazil tests childhood obesity recipe
Rio de Janeiro, April 30:
Chicken with potatoes,
carrot-and-cabbage salad:
It looks like a detox meal,
but it’s the menu at a sch-
ool cafeteria in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil, which is
seeking new ways to fight
childhood obesity.
Nearly one-third of chil-
dren in Brazil are obese,
an epidemic city health of-
ficials and community lea-
ders are seeking to addre-
ss in innovative ways, enl-
isting school cafeterias
and taking their message
of healthful eating to the
street. “Cake? There’s no
Netanyahu pledges Rafah incursion ‘with or without a deal’
Washington, Jerusalem,
April 30: The United
States has concluded that
five Israeli security force
units committed serious
human rights violations
against Palestinians in
the West Bank before the
Hamas attack in October,
the State Department said
on Monday.
Israeli PM Benjamin Ne-
tanyahu vowed on Tuesd-
ay to go ahead with a long-
promised assault on Raf-
ah, whatever the response
by Hamas to the latest pro-
posals for a halt to the
fighting and a return of
Israeli hostages.
Expectations that a truce
deal could be in sight have
grown in recent days follo-
wing a renewed push led
by Egypt to revive stalled
negotiations between Isra-
el and Hamas.
However, Netanyahu
said that with or without a
deal, Israel intended to
pursue the operation.
Israel has taken remedi-
al measures with four of
these units, making US
sanctions less likely. Con-
sultations are under way
with Israel over the fifth
unit, State Department
deputy spokesman Vedant
Patel told reporters.
He declined to identify
the units, give details of
the abuse, or say what me-
asures the Israeli govern-
ment had taken.
A US official speaking on
condition of anonymity
said the fifth unit is part of
the Army.
Press reports have iden-
tified a battalion called the
Netzah Yehuda, composed
mainly of ultra-Orthodox
Jews, as being accused of
abuses.
It is about 1,000-strong
and since 2022 has been
stationed in the West
Bank, which Israel has
occupied since 1967.
“After a careful process,
we found five Israeli units
responsible for individual
incidents of gross viola-
tions of human rights,”
Patel said. All the inci-
dents took place before the
October 7 Hamas attack
and were not in Gaza, he
added. — Agencies
Global students in Canada
to work only 24 hrs a week
Ottawa, April 30: Inter-
national students, includ-
ing those from India, in
Canada, will be able to
work off-campus for only
up to 24 hours per week
starting in September,
according to a new rule
that will come into effect
from Tuesday.
“The temporary policy
allowing students to work
more than 20 hours per
week off campus will
come to an end on April
30, 2024, and it will not be
extended,” Marc Miller,
minister of immigration,
refugees and citizenship,
said in a press release
issued on Monday.
“This fall, we intend to
change the number of ho-
urs students may work off
campus per week to 24
hours,” he said as the
Canadian government cla-
mps down on a surge in
international student enr-
olments across the coun-
try. The Liberal Party-led
government of Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau
temporarily waived the
20-hour cap on work hours
for international students
during the Covid-19 pand-
emic in a bid to ease la-
cake here,” laughs cook
Neide Oliveira as she cho-
ps onions for the 650 stu-
dents of Burle Marx pub-
lic school in the Curicica
neighbourhood on Rio’s
west side.
Additive-packed snacks
and cookies are also out,
after city officials banned
ultraprocessed foods from
schools this year.
Instead, students are dis-
covering classic Brazilian
fruits and vegetables that
are often overlooked these
days, like yams, okra and
persimmons — which
many kids initially mis-
A demonstrator holds up flares during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in the court-
yard of the Institute of Political Studies building in Lyon, on Tuesday.
ICC QUESTIONS GAZA HOSPITAL STAFF
PROSECUTORS FROM
the International
Criminal Court have
interviewed staff from
Gaza's two biggest
hospitals, two sources told
Reuters, the first confirmation
that ICC investigators were
speaking to medics about
possible crimes in
the Gaza Strip.
REPRESENTATIVES
of rival Palestinian
groups Hamas and
Fatah made “encour-
aging progress” in
recent talks in the Chinese cap-
ital on promoting reconcilia-
tion, China’s foreign ministry
said on Tuesday.
ANY ICC ARREST WARRANTS WOULD
BE HISTORIC SCALE SCAM, SAYS BIBI
Jerusalem, April 30: PM
Benjamin Netanyahu said
that if the International
Criminal Court issues ar-
rest warrants for govern-
ment officials on charges
related to the conduct of
Israel’s war against Ha-
mas it would be a scandal
on a historic scale.
● CANADA IS one of the
most sought-after desti-
nations for Indian stude-
nts. According to a 2022
report of the Canadian
Bureau for International
Education, there were
3,19,130 Indian students
in Canada.
bour shortages facing the
country. That waiver
expires on Tuesday, CTV
News reported.
Canada is one of the
most sought-after destina-
tions for Indian students.
According to a 2022 report
of the Canadian Bureau
for International Educa-
tion (CBIE), there were
3,19,130 Indian students in
Canada. In both colleges
and universities based in
Canada, Indians hold the
majority of seats among
international students.
Miller said students who
come to Canada must be
here to study. As such,
allowing students to work
up to 24 hours per week
will ensure they focus pri-
marily on their studies,
while having the option to
work, if necessary.
took for tomatoes.
Judging from how stude-
nts devour their lunch, the
programme is having an
impact. “I like everything
they make here, and it’s
good for my health. At
home I eat a lot of junk
food, like pizza and hamb-
urgers,” says 15-year-old
Guilherme. “Childhood
obesity is an epidemic, not
in Brazil, but worldwide,”
says Marluce Fortunato,
nutritionist for the Rio
city government. The city
is responding with a pro-
gramme at public and pri-
vate schools. — AFP
THE UN’S TOP
court on Tuesday
threw out Nicara-
gua’s request for
emergency meas-
ures to stop Ger-
many sending mil-
itary supplies to
Israel becuase of
its action in the
Gaza war. Intern-
ational Court of
Justice presiding
judge Nawaf
Salam said the
circumstances
presented to
the court
did not war-
rant “provi-
sional measures”.
Israeli officials have exp-
ressed concern in recent
days that the ICC is prepa-
ring warrants for senior
government officials, in
what would be the most
serious global legal action
taken against Israel since
the Gaza war erupted in
October. — Reuters
“Working off campus
helps international stude-
nts gain work experience
and offset some of their
expenses. As internation-
al students arrive in Ca-
nada, we want them to be
prepared for life here and
have the support they
need to succeed. However,
first and foremost, people
coming to Canada as stu-
dents must be here to st-
udy, not work. We will con-
tinue working to protect
the integrity of our stude-
nt programme,” he said.
Recent studies conduct-
ed in the US and Canada
have shown that there is a
considerable decline in
academic performance for
students working more
than 28 hours per week,
and that working more
than 24 hours per week
increases the chances that
a student will drop out of
their programme, the
press release underlined.
Most countries that wel-
come international stude-
nts set limits on the num-
ber of hours they may
work. Australia recently
changed its policy to allow
a student to work 48 hours
every 2 weeks. — PTI
Sliced watermelon is set out for the students dessert at
the municipal Burle Marx school, Rio de Janeiro. — AFP
pg 10
— AFP
PROTESTERS TAKE
OVER COLUMBIA
VARSITY BUILDING
New York, Paris, April
30: Pro-Palestinian activi-
sts occupied a building at
Columbia University on
Tuesday, escalating a bat-
tle with administrators
who have begun suspend-
ing students for refusing
to dismantle tents set up
on the New York campus.
Protesters entered Ham-
ilton Hall — the site of st-
udent protests dating back
to the 1960s — and susp-
ended a banner reading
“Hind’s Hall” from an
upper floor. Others out-
side blocked the doors
with outdoor tables and
linked arms to form a bar-
ricade in front.
“This building is liberat-
ed in honour of Hind, a
six-year-old Palestinian
child murdered in Gaza.”.
Meanwhile, the Paris re-
gion authority sparked co-
ntroversy on Tuesday by
temporarily suspending
funding for Sciences Po,
one of the country’s most
prestigious universities,
after it was rocked by
tense pro-Palestinian de-
monstrations. — Agencies
FB, INSTAGRAM IN
EU CROSSHAIRS
FOR POLL DISINFO
Brussels, April 30:
Meta Platforms’ Facebo-
ok and Instagram have
failed to tackle disinfor-
mation and deceptive ad-
vertising in the run-up
to European Parliament
elections, the European
Commission said on Tu-
esday as it opened an
investigation into suspe-
cted breaches of EU on-
line content rules.
The move by EU tech
regulators came amid
concerns about Russia,
China and Iran as poten-
tial sources of disinfor-
mation, but also inside
the EU, with some politi-
cal parties and organisa-
tions seeking to attract
voters with lies in the
June 6-9 vote to select
the next five-year
Parliament.
The Digital Services
Act which kicked in last
year requires Big Tech
to do more to counter
illegal and harmful con-
tent on their platforms
or risk fines of as much
6% of their global annu-
al turnover.
The probe will focus in
particular on a Russia-
based influence operati-
on network dubbed Dop-
pelganger. — Reuters
 HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 1 MAY 2024
quick
Core sectors grow 5.2%,
BITES outlook stays positive
INDICATORS %
Sensex 74,482.78 -0.25
Nifty 50
S&P 500*
22,604.85 -0.17
5,096.64 -0.38
Dollar (`)
Pound Sterling (`)
83.44 0.04
104.66 -0.05
Euro (`)
Gold (10gm)* (`)
89.49 -0.06
70,780▼822 -1.15
Brent crude ($/bbl)* 87.50 -1.02
IN 10-Yr bond yield 7.195 -0.001
US 10-Yr T-bill yield* 4.618 0.006
* As of 8:30 PM IST
Worldline arm
gets nod from
RBI for online PA
Digital payment processing
firm Worldline ePayments India
on Tuesday said that it has
been granted authorisation by
the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
to operate as an online pay-
ment aggregator (PA) under
the Payment and Settlement
Systems Act of 2007. A pay-
ment aggregator provides pay-
ment services to merchants
and e-commerce sites by
accepting payment instruments
from customers.
Printed & Published by
K. Sudhakar on behalf of Deccan
Chronicle Holdings Limited, Printed at
Deccan Chronicle Press at Deccan
Chronicle Holdings Ltd. #563/9/D&9/E,
Behind Andhra Bank Pet Basheerbagh,
Kompally, Ranga Reddy Dist.
Editor: Kaushik Mitter,
RNI Reg No.APENG/2008/24282.
© All rights reserved. Reproduction in
whole or in part without written
permission of The Editor,
Financial Chronicle ® is prohibited.
GAMES
PREVIEW
RUTURAJ IN
IPL
FOCUS AS CSK
FACE PUNJAB
C. SANTHOSH KUMAR | DC
CHENNAI, APRIL 30
Few transitions carry as much
weight as a new leader stepping
into the colossal void left by an
iconic predecessor. Ruturaj
Gaikwad, the new skipper of
Chennai Super Kings, found
himself in precisely such a
position at the beginning of
this IPL season, succeeding
M.S. Dhoni. It’s a role that
comes with a lot of expecta-
tions, where every decision is
scrutinised against the back-
drop of Dhoni’s captaincy acu-
men. Yet, Ruturaj has managed
to establish himself as a
dynamic leader in a short time.
He quickly recovered from a
disappointing start as a top-
order batter before scoring
three half-centuries and a ton
in the last five innings. In a
team grappling with an incon-
sistent batting lineup, Ruturaj
has been the pillar of stability,
anchoring innings with class
and authority. His adept han-
dling of the bowlers has also
earned him accolades.
Ruturaj will once again be in
the hot seat at the M. A.
Chidambaram stadium when
CSK take on Punjab Kings on
Wednesday. With 10 points in
nine games, Chennai are
locked in a chaotic mid-table
battle, while Punjab (six points
in nine games) are desperate to
climb from the bottom half.
Punjab’s unpredictability is
glaringly evident from the fact
that they suffered four consecu-
tive defeats at their new home
in Mullanpur before pulling off
a record-breaking chase
against Kolkata Knight Riders
at the Eden Gardens.
Jonny Bairstow, who was
dropped for a couple of games,
has made a roaring comeback
with a match-winning hundred
against KKR. Middle-order bats
Shashank Singh and Ashutosh
Sharma have been the finds of
the season. Shashank averages
65.75 and strikes at 182.63, while
Ashutosh boasts an impressive
strike-rate of 189.28. Pacers
Harshal Patel and Arshdeep
Singh are leading the attack
with 14 and 12 wickets, respec-
tively.
Indian economy could grow over 7% during current fiscal year
FC CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, APRIL 30
The government on
Tuesday said that India’s
eight core sectors posted a
growth of 5.2 percent in
March this year as the
production of cement,
coal, electricity, natural
gas, steel and crude oil
recorded positive growth
in the same month.
The index had grown by
7.1 per cent in February
2024 and 4.1 per cent in
January 2024, while it
stood 4.2 per cent in
March 2023.
The output of the eight
core sectors was 7.5 per-
cent in 2023-24 lower year-
on-year as against 7.8 per-
cent in 2022-23.
As far as the perform-
ance in March is con-
cerned, coal output
IOC Q4 PROFIT HITS
`5,488 CR ON LOW
REFINING MARGINS
FC CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, APRIL 30
Indian Oil Corporation
Ltd (IOC) on Tuesday
reported consolidated net
profit of nearly `5,488 cr
for the fourth quarter in
the financial year 2023-24,
a decline of 49 percent
from the year-ago period.
IOC estimated its net
profit of `4,837.69 cr in
March quarter compared
with `10,058.69 crore a
year ago and `8,063.39
crore in the preceding
quarter.
Lucknow Super Giants allrounder Marcus Stoinis (third from left) and captain K. L. Rahul (facing camera) celebrate
the wicket of Mumbai Indians batsman Suryakumar Yadav during their IPL match in Lucknow on Tuesday.
Lucknow Giants whip MI
Lucknow, April 30:
Marcus Stoinis made a
composed fifty to comple-
ment the splendid effort of
the bowlers as Lucknow
Super Giants strength-
ened their chances of a
play-off berth with a
nervy four-wicket win
over Mumbai Indians in
the IPL here on Tuesday.
Mumbai Indians’ top-
order came a cropper as
they stuttered to a below-
par 144 for 7, riding on
contributions from Nehal
Wadhera (46), Ishan
Kishan (32) and Tim David
(35 not out).
In reply, Stoinis scored a
45-ball 62, studded with
seven hits to the fence and
two maximums but once
he was gone LSG survived
some anxious moments
before getting home with
four balls to spare.
With their sixth win in
10 games, LSG climbed to
the third spot in the IPL
standings. MI, on the
other hand, slumped to
their seventh loss in 10
games.
LSG made a watchful
start to their chase after
Nuwan Thushara struck
with his fourth ball to
remove impact sub Arshin
Kulkarni for a duck on his
showed a growth of 8.7
percent as against 11.6
percent in February. “The
natural gas output stood
at 6.3 percent as against
11.3 percent in February,
while refinery products
output was down by 0.3
percent as against growth
of 2.6 percent in
February,” the ministry
data said.
“Similarly, the fertiliser
output was down by 1.3
Insurance regulator may
up special surrender value
FALAKNAAZ SYED
MUMBAI, APRIL 30
To ensure fair treatment
to policyholders, the
Insurance Regulatory and
Development Authority of
India (Irdai) is in discus-
sions with life insurers to
raise the final surrender
value paid to policyhold-
ers. According to industry
sources, the regulator
could look at increasing
the special surrender
value (SSV) or could
define a principle on how
it should move. Special
POINTS TABLE
Teams P W L N/R
RR 9 8 1 0
KKR 9 6 3 0
LSG 10 6 4
CSK 9 5 4 0
SRH 9 5 4 0
DC 11 5 6
GT 10 4 6
PBKS 9 3 6 0
MI 10 3 7
RCB 10 3 7
IPL debut. Stoinis cracked
two back-to-back bound-
aries off Gerald Coetzee,
who ended up conceding
15 in his first over. K. L.
Rahul (28 off 22) too joined
the party, slamming three
fours and a six to take 20
runs off Thushara.
Stoinis then whacked
Bumrah over long-off as
LSG reached 52 in the
powerplay.
Mohammed Nabi held
on to a skier at the bound-
ary line as Hardik Pandya
produced a breakthrough,
removing Rahul.
Stoinis, however, kept
going strong as he and
Deepak Hooda (18) added
● Projected accelera-
tion in global growth
and trade volumes,
forecast of an above-
normal monsoon indi-
cate that the Indian
economy can grow
higher than 7% during
the current fiscal year.
percent as against a con-
traction of 9.5 percent in
February and steel output
up 5.5 percent as against
9.1 percent in the previous
month. Cement output
stood at 10.6 percent as
against 9.1 percent in
February, while electricity
output rose 8.0 percent
against 7.5 percent in
February,” the data said.
Meanwhile, the Indian
economy could grow more
surrender value reflects
the value of investments
and depends on factors
like sum assured, bonus-
es, policy term and premi-
ums paid.
“Life insurance is a long
Points Net RR
16 +0.694
12 +1.096
0 12 +0.094
10 +0.810
10 +0.075
0 10 -0.442
0 8 -1.113
6 -0.187
0 6 -0.272
0 6 -0.415
another 40 runs off 35
balls to take LSG close to
100. Hooda was then
removed by Hardik but
Stoinis reached his fifty
off 39 balls in the 14th
over and then dispatched
Mohammed Nabi for a
four and a six. Coetzee
bowled Ashton Turner,
while Ayush Badoni was
run out to give hopes to MI
before Nicholas Pooran
(14 not out) knocked off
the remaining runs.
Earlier, MI dug in a big
hole for themselves by los-
ing four wickets in the
powerplay. The visitors
just couldn’t recover from
the hiccup. — PTI
than 7 per cent during the
current fiscal amid a
benign global outlook and
expected above-normal
monsoon, economic think
tank NCAER has said.
In its April 2024 monthly
economic review, NCAER
said high-frequency indi-
cators reveal
resilience of economy
the
with the Purchasing
Managers' Index for man-
ufacturing at a 16-year
high and UPI, the digital
payments system, touch-
ing the highest volume.
“Projected acceleration
in global growth and trade
volumes, forecast of an
above-normal monsoon
indicate that the Indian
economy can grow higher
than 7 per cent during the
current fiscal year,” said
NCAER director general
Poonam Gupta.
term contract. There
could be a situation such
as a medical emergency
where the policyholder
may require funds. So, the
long-term contract should
provide liquidity. Irdai
could look at raising the
SSV or define a principle
on how it could move,”
said a source.
“Regulator’s stand is
clear that insurers should
not make undue profits
from surrenders and poli-
cyholders should be paid
appropriate surrender
value,” added the official.
— AFP
SCOREBOARD
Mumbai Indians: Ishan Kishan c
Yadav b Ravi Bishnoi 32, Rohit
Sharma c Stoinis b Mohsin
Khan 4, Suryakumar Yadav c
Rahul b Stoinis 10, Tilak Varma
run out 7, Hardik Pandya c
Rahul b Naveen-ul-Haq 0,
Nehal Wadhera b Mohsin Khan
46, Tim David not out 35,
Mohammad Nabi b Yadav 1,
Gerald Coetzee not out 1.
Extras (lb-2, nb-2, w-4) 8. Total
(for 7 wickets in 20 overs) 144.
Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-18, 3-27,
4-27, 5-80, 6-112, 7-123.
Bowling: Marcus Stoinis 3-0-
19-1, Mohsin Khan 4-0-36-2,
Naveen-ul-Haq 3.5-0-15-1,
Mayank Yadav 3.1-0-31-1, Ravi
Bishnoi 4-0-28-1, Deepak
Hooda 2-0-13-0.
Lucknow Super Giants: K. L.
Rahul c Mohammad Nabi b
Pandya 28, Arshin Kulkarni lbw
b Thushara 0, Marcus Stoinis c
Tilak Varma b Mohammad Nabi
62, Deepak Hooda c Bumrah b
Pandya 18, Nicholas Pooran not
out 14, Ashton Turner b
Coetzee 5, Ayush Badoni run
out 6, Krunal Pandya not out 1.
Extras (lb-4, w-7) 11. Total (for
6 wickets in 19.2 overs) 145.
Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-59, 3-99,
4-115, 5-123, 6-133.
Bowling: Nuwan Thushara 4-0-
30-1, Jasprit Bumrah 4-0-17-0,
Gerald Coetzee 3-0-29-1,
Piyush Chawla 3-0-23-0,
Hardik Pandya 4-0-26-2,
Mohammad Nabi 1.2-0-16-1.
Gold demand
up 8% despite
prices hitting
new highs
SANGEETHA G
CHENNAI, APRIL 30
Despite gold prices touch-
ing new highs in the
March quarter, demand
for the yellow metal was
up 8 per cent and the
investment demand went
up 19 per cent.
Gold demand in Q1 2024
was 136.6 tonnes, up by 8
per cent as compared to
126.3 tonnes in Q1 2023.
Due to higher prices, gold
demand in value terms
went up 20 per cent in Q1.
Jewellery demand was
up 4 per cent at 95.5
tonnes and investment
demand went up 19 per
cent to 41.1 tonnes. In
value terms, investment
demand was 32 per cent
higher.
“Q1’24 also saw healthy
levels of gold bar and coin
demand in India, up 19
per cent at 41 tonnes. The
price correction in Feb.
sparked investors’ inter-
est, with anticipation of a
rebound driving purchas-
es,” said Sachin Jain,
Regional chief executive
officer, India, World Gold
Council.
The Reserve Bank of
India grew its gold
reserves by 19 tonnes dur-
ing the March quarter
and it was higher than
last year’s annual net pur-
chases of 16 tonnes.
Cummins optimistic
about rest of season
Captain hopes Sun will shine bright
RESHMI AR | DC
HYDERABAD, APRIL 30
In an exclusive interview,
Australian cricketer and
Sunrisers Hyderabad
(SRH) captain Pat
Cummins opens up about
the dynamic strategies
behind T20 cricket, the
electrifying support of
SRH fans at Rajiv Gandhi
International Cricket
Stadium, and the evolving
landscape of the sport in
Australia. From manag-
ing workload to analysing
bowling techniques,
Cummins shares insights
into his approach both on
and off the field, shedding
light on the challenges
and triumphs of profes-
sional cricket.
You had success in Test
cricket, ODIs. How do
you actually work out
your bowling strategy
for T20s?
It’s a funny format.
Some things work one day
that won’t work the next
game. It’s tough, but it
involves a lot of problem
solving, which I love. You
got to think on your feet.
So it feels like with each
game, it’s getting slightly
better.
How do you assess the
SRH batting lineup?
And what do you think is
the biggest advantage
for you this season?
Batting line-up has been
awesome so far. I think
they are playing with real
freedom, which is hard to
come up against. So I
think that’s been a point
of difference. The guys
are just going out there,
they want to go and show
off how good they are.
And you have seen that in
three matches, totals that
have been above 260,
which is just insane.
How do you manage
your workload and pre-
vent injuries, especially
during a gruelling tour-
nament like IPL?
It’s a long tournament.
In some ways, as a fast
bowler, it’s a little bit easi-
er than, say, Tests or One-
dayers, because you are
Sales of luxury
houses up 10%,
Hyd, Pune lead
SANGEETHA G
CHENNAI, APRIL 30
Sales of luxury homes
priced `4 crore and above
witnessed 10 per cent
growth in the March quar-
ter, while Hyderabad saw
the highest growth of 110
per cent.
With demand for luxury
homes being robust, the
market share of large res-
idential property develop-
ers has doubled since the
pandemic.
According to CBRE, new
launches in the luxury
segment saw 64 per cent
growth during the quar-
ter.
In terms of sales,
Hyderabad and Pune saw
sales activity increasing
by more than 2x and 4.7x
respectively.
Sales in Hyderabad went
up from 380 units in the
year-ago quarter to 800
units and in Pune, it rose
from 150 to 700. Mumbai
sales grew 15 per cent to
1,330.
“Several reasons point
to this performance of
luxury real estate, such as
the increase in the num-
ber of high-net-worth
individuals due to rapid
wealth creation and pent-
up demand, limited avail-
ability of location, and
neighbourhood prefer-
ences,” said Rohit Gupta,
chief executive officer,
Mantra.
Meanwhile, large listed
residential property
developers may see 10-12
per cent volume growth
this fiscal after an esti-
mated growth of 14 per
cent in FY24.
According to Crisil,
their market share is seen
Pat Cummins
only bowling four overs.
But you have got to make
sure that you are looking
after yourself and don’t
get burnt out. So outside
of games and training, I
try to relax as much as I
can. Even during training,
I try and make it short and
sharp rather than spend-
ing hours there, knowing
that the ground games,
that’s where I want to con-
centrate my energy.
How do you think the
SRH fans have support-
ed the team, and what’s
the atmosphere like
playing at the Rajiv
Gandhi International
Cricket Stadium?
The stadium’s great. It’s
been as loud as I have ever
played in, really. It just
feels like it’s been packed
out every home game and
the fans cheer for every-
thing. I think the way
they’ve responded to, par-
ticularly, some of those
high totals that we
scored... that Mumbai
game here at the stadium
was huge. The fans have
been awesome.
How has cricket evolved
in Australia from when
it started till now?
I think T20 cricket’s get-
ting bigger and bigger
everywhere around the
world. So we have the Big
Bash league in Australia,
which every summer gets
really big, but in some
ways it stays the same.
Test cricket’s really well
pg 11
● INCREASING PER
capita incomes, slowing
inflation, stable com-
modity prices, lower fis-
cal deficit, and decline
in global policy rates
should lay the ground
for interest rate cuts
and this will support
demand.
doubling to 30-32 per cent
in FY25 compared with
FY19 before the onset of
the pandemic. The top 11
developers account for
one-third of the residen-
tial property sales in the
country.
In housing, the shift
towards the mid-to-premi-
um and luxury segment
continues while launches
in the affordable segment
remain muted.
The share of launches in
the mid-to-premium and
luxury segment is esti-
mated at 55-60 per cent for
FY24 compared with 30-35
per cent before the pan-
demic.
Increasing per capita
incomes, slowing infla-
tion, stable commodity
prices, lower fiscal deficit,
and decline in global poli-
cy rates should lay the
ground for interest rate
cuts and this will support
demand, finds Crisil.
supported. So you go out
to a Test match, big
crowds, that’s what it feels
like a lot of Australia are
watching throughout the
summer, which is the
same as when I was a
child, which is great.
How do you see the rest
of the season unfolding
for Sunrisers?
Very well, hopefully. You
know, we won four games
in a row, lost the last two,
but it feels like we don’t
have to change too much
before getting back on the
winning streak and, you
just got to get yourself in
that top four. And once
you are in that top four,
anything can happen in
those finals. So I’m feeling
really confident.
What was the mood
exactly in the dressing
room when you were tak-
ing on India in the
World Cup final,
because they had won
every single match?
Oh, it’s exciting, really.
We knew it was going to
be tough, but in some
ways felt like we had noth-
ing to lose. You know, we
had done really well to
make that final and you
don’t get many chances
like those in your life. So
you just wanted to go out
and take it on. And if it
didn’t work out, then
that’s fine. But we just
want to make sure that we
put everything into that
final and we did.
 GAMES
DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 1 MAY 2024
ROHIT TO LEAD, HARDIK NAMED VICE-CAPTAIN;
SAMSON, CHAHAL IN; GILL, RINKU AMONG RESERVES OF
INDIA SQUAD FOR T20 WORLD CUP IN USA & WEST INDIES
CUP
FLOWS
OVER
New Delhi, April 30:
Sanju Samson and
Yuzvendra Chahal on
Tuesday made it to India’s
provisional squad for the
T20 World Cup thanks to
strong IPL performances
but Shubman Gill and the
big-hitting Rinku Singh
were relegated to the
reserves group as selectors
went with the tried and
tested for the marquee
event in June.
The BCCI announced the
Rohit Sharma-led squad
after a meeting between
secretary Jay Shah and
chief selector Ajit Agarkar
in Ahmedabad. Rohit and
Agarkar are expected to
address the media in
Mumbai on Thursday.
All-rounder Hardik
Pandya was retained as
vice-captain despite his
poor recent form after tak-
ing over Mumbai
Indians leadership
in the ongoing IPL.
Hard-hitting bat-
ter Shivam Dube
also made the cut
following a strong
IPL showing for
Chennai Super Kings.
“There was a lot of debate
over Hardik’s place in the
squad while Samson was
not debated much. Rinku
was just unlucky. It was a
toss-up between (Dube and
Rinku with Hardik also in
the squad,” a BCCI source
said.
Samson, who has had a
good IPL both as a batter
and captain for Rajasthan
Royals, was included as the
second wicketkeeper-batter
behind Rishabh Pant, pip-
ping the likes of K. L. Rahul
and Ishan Kishan.
Leg-spinner Chahal, who
last played for India in
August 2023, is the second
wrist spinner in the team
alongside Kuldeep Yadav.
However, Gill, who is
enjoying a good run in the
IPL as Gujarat Titans cap-
tain, found himself among
the standbys along with
Kolkata Knight Riders’ big-
hitter Rinku Singh.
The selectors decided to
show faith in Yashasvi
Jaiswal, who had a slow
start in the IPL but
regained his touch with
swashbuckling hundred
recently for Rajasthan
Dube will make an
impact: Fleming
Chennai, April 30:
Shivam Dube’s enhanced
game understanding and
completeness have
impressed Chennai Super
Kings head coach Stephen
Fleming who is confident in
the lefthanded allrounder’s
ability to make an “impact”
in the upcoming World Cup.
The 30-year-old, who is the
second leading run-scorer
for the defending champi-
ons in the ongoing IPL,
made the cut to the 15-mem-
ber Indian squad for the
T20 global showpiece in the
USA and West Indies begin-
ning on June 1.
“He is a lot more complete
in terms of what he is try-
ing to do, understanding
his game, and that comes
from experience,” Fleming
said ahead of their match
against Punjab Kings.
“We have worked hard on
areas he wasn’t so strong,
but also continuing to
develop his strength. So, if
that form continues, he is
going to be an impactful
player for India (at the
World Cup),” he added.
Dube has 350 runs in nine
Regd. No. HQ/SD/509/2024-26
Printed and Published by K. Sudhakar on behalf of
Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited. Printed at Deccan Chronicle
Press situated at Plot No. 9 Alwal Village, Vallabh Nagar Taluk,
Medchal Malkajgiri Dist. Telangana and Published at 36, S.D. Road,
Secunderabad-3. RNI Registration No. 3081/1957.
Editor: Kaushik Mitter
Royals. The redoubtable
Virat Kohli completed the
Indian top order after
pulling off strong batting
performances in the IPL.
The T20 World cup begins
on June 2 in the USA and
the Caribbean. India will
open their campaign
against Ireland on June 5 in
New York.
IPL’S BATTING STARS
ARE REWARDED
India, who have had disap-
pointing campaigns in the
previous two World Cups
due to their conservative
batting approach, needed to
make a few bold calls to
stake a claim for an elusive
ICC trophy.
Picking Dube ahead of
Rinku Singh is a bold call
in that aspect considering
the latter had done no
wrong since making his
India debut in August last
year.
Before the IPL,
Rinku, who has a
strike rate of 176.23
in 15 T20Is, was con-
sidered a certainty in
the India squad but
selectors have preferred
the six-hitting skills of
Dube in the middle-order.
To be fair to the left-han-
der from Mumbai, he has
been in sensational touch
in the IPL and also flaunted
his power hitting prowess
in India’s last T20 series in
January.
On the wicket-keeper bat-
ters’ front, India were spoilt
for choice and eventually
the selectors picked Pant
and Samson.
Pant being chosen was on
expected lines after the
match-winner proved his
form and fitness in the IPL
after coming back from a
horrific car accident in
December 2022. His come-
back to the game has been
nothing short of sensation-
al after being on crutches
for several months.
It will be interesting to see
how the management uses
Samson, who has been play-
ing in the top-order for
Royals. Should he turn up
for India, Samson will need
to move down the order.
India’s top-order has come
under a lot of criticism for
its outdated approach in
previous editions. — PTI
outings at a strike rate of
172.41, including three half-
centuries. “He has been fan-
tastic. He has proven this
year that there is a lot more
to him than just playing
spin (better),” said the for-
mer Kiwi skipper.
CSK skipper Ruturaj
Gaikwad, who is their lead-
ing scorer with 447 runs
including one century and
three fifties, missed out in
the squad. Asked if it was
harsh to Gaikwad, Hussey
said: “No... I understand the
quality of players India
have to try and select, (it) is
very difficult. Ruturaj has
done what he can, and he
must be close,” he said.
“We hold him in the high-
est regard. I love the craft
that he shows, and his (last)
two performances have
been quite majestic. It’s not
just wham-bham, but he
has displayed the mastery
of batting. And the form
that he is right now and the
control that he has, it’s
quite outstanding. It’s not
now, but there will be
another chance for him,”
Fleming said. — PTI
The Indian team for the T20 World Cup is displayed at the Times Square in New York.
Impact Player rule hit Rinku
New Delhi, April 30: The
‘Impact Player’ rule, which
has made IPL contests quite
literally a “12-a-side affair”,
has dealt a raw deal to
power-hitter Rinku Singh
who couldn’t make the
Indian main squad for T20
World Cup as he simply did
not have enough game time
to his credit.
The 26-year-old Aligarh
left-hander, who captured
the cricketing world’s imagi-
nation with five sixes in an
over during the previous
IPL, made way for Shivam
Dube in the main national
squad while his name ended
up being among the
reserves.
Those who were privy to
the selection meeting unani-
mously agreed that Rinku
became an easy omission for
the panel because he could-
n't be fitted alongside
Hardik Pandya and Dube in
the same 15.
“No doubt, Rinku paid the
price for the Impact Player
Rule. He is plain and simple
unlucky. Hardik might be in
poor form but he is still
India’s best seam bowling
all-rounder and it would
have been a risk dropping
him considering he is the
only one who has bowled,” a
BCCI source said on condi-
tions of anonymity.
So how did the Impact
Player Rule become Rinku’s
undoing? Kolkata Knight
Riders treated Rinku as a
finisher and he never got a
chance to bat in the top five.
In eight innings before
selection, he played merely
82 balls, which is just about
10 balls per innings.
The two Iyers — this month being
Venkatesh and skipper
Shreyas — along with
Angkrish Raghuvanshi,
who is anything but a
power-hitter got a majority
of the overs, leaving Rinku
with very little to do in the
end. One can’t blame KKR
for not promoting Rinku but
truth be told, the two Iyers
were never in contention for
national selection. Their
names weren’t even up for a
discussion. — PTI
pg 12
WORLD CUP-BOUND
PLAYERS IN THIS
SEASON’S IPL SO FAR
ROHIT SHARMA: He has been among the standout
batters for Mumbai Indians in what is turning out
to be a forgettable season for the five-time cham-
pions. In 9 matches, he has scored 311 at an
excellent strike-rate of 160.30 with a top score of
105 not out against Chennai Super Kings at the
Wankhede Stadium.
HARDIK PANDYA: A debatable selection as he is
enduring a disastrous IPL. Appointed MI’s captain
under controversial circumstances, Hardik has
scored 197 runs, which includes 10 sixes, in nine
IPL matches so far. When it comes to bowling, he
has taken four wickets at an economy of 11.95.
YASHASVI JAISWAL: The
Rajasthan Royals opener had a
string of low scores before a
59-ball hundred against
Mumbai Indians brought him
right back into contention.
VIRAT KOHLI: In the run-up to
the Indian team selection, there
was a lot of chatter around the
strike-rate of the game’s all-
time great in T20s, but he
silenced his detractors by
amassing 500 runs at a strike
rate nearly 150 in 10 matches.
RISHABH PANT:
Returning to top-flight cricket
after recovering from injuries
SURYAKUMAR YADAV:
sustained in a horrific car
One of the highlights of
accident, he displayed
Surya’s campaign this sea-
tremendous form and struck
son is his belligerent 78-run
371 runs in 10 matches at a
knock against Punjab Kings.
fine strike rate of 160.60. Playing in his first competi-
Additionally, he has also
tive tournament after
impressed with his keeping
recovering from twin sur-
while captaining Delhi geries, he also has a
Capitals. 19-ball 52 to his credit.
SANJU SAMSON: The Rajasthan KULDEEP
Royals captain has been going YADAV: In
great guns and has scored nine matches,
385 runs at a strike rate of he has
161.08. He has to his credit impressed
four half-centuries, with his with 12 wick-
highest being an unbeaten 82. ets, including
best figures of 4/55,
SHIVAM DUBE: In nine matches and was a certainty in
so far, Dube has totalled 350 T20 World Cup squad
runs for CSK at an average of considering his form
58.33 and a stellar strike-rate of over the past 12 months.
172.41. He, though, hasn’t
ARSHDEEP SINGH:
bowled.
RAVINDRA JADEJA: In
nine matches, the CSK
YUZVENDRA
CHAHAL: The
leg-spinner
has been a
The left-arm seam- standout per-
er has picked 12 all-rounder has scored former with
wickets in nine 157 runs with a best of 57 13 wickets in
games, with the not out. He has also taken nine matches.
four-wicket burst five wickets. Recently, he also
against Sunrisers became the first bowler
Hyderabad earlier AXAR PATEL: This spin to claim 200 wickets in
bowler-cum-handy batter the tournament’s
the high point of has scored close to 150 history.
his campaign. runs including a half-cen-
tury and has also taken MOHAMMED
nine wickets with his eco- SIRAJ: He has
nomical bowling, enough been off-
to impress the national colour and
selectors. has gone for
plenty of runs,
JASPRIT BUMRAH: The forcing the
pace ace has been having RCB think tank
a fabulous season and is to even drop him
leading the wicket’s col- for a match. He has
umn with 14 scalps in nine taken six wickets in nine
games at an economy rate matches.
of just 6.63.
 hyderabad matinee
I’m not going
to opt for an
arranged

CHRONICLE
LE WEDNESDAY | 1 MAY 2024
marriage’

8 >>

SREELEELA DECLINES ITEM

SONG WITH VIJAY IN GOAT?
Rumour is she doesn’t want her debut in Kollywood to be with an item number
BVS PRAKASH industry with an item song, so politely Kesari, her star rating is high,
refused the offer from the makers of so it’s understandable if she’s
DECCAN CHRONICLE
GOAT,” says a source from Chennai. choosy when accepting new offers.
Though Tollywood sensation “Sreeleela’s dancing talent has Vijay is a super dancer too, his dance
Sreeleela has been trying for been acknowledged worldwide as numbers like Abhi Abbhibo (Beast)
good roles in Kollywood, news her recent song Kurichi Madathapetti Ranjitha Me (Varisu) and Naan
is she has reportedly declined an offer with Mahesh Babu has been Varava (Leo) enthralled his fans
for an item number in Tamil superstar trending all over,” the source adds. worldwide.
Vijay’s film GOAT. “She didn’t want to After making waves in Tollywood with Did Sreeleela miss an opportunity to
start her career in the Tamil film hits like Dhamaka and Bhagavanth match steps with a super dancer?

SREELEELA IS A GREAT DANCER, HAS HAD A

SUCCESSFUL RUN SO FAR IN TOLLYWOOD SO IT’S
UNDERSTANDABLE IF SHE’S CHOOSY ABOUT THE
FILMS SHE WOULD LIKE TO WORK IN

‘FAMILY IS TOP PRIORITY’

RESHMI AR Says SRH captain
DECCAN CHRONICLE Pat Cummins who
Between signing
endorsement deals and
is enjoying his stay
relishing Hyderabadi at Hyderabad,
Biryani, Australian cricketer
and Sunrisers Hyderabad which he describes
skipper Pat Cummins seems
to be having a gala time in
as a ‘chilled city’
the city. Talking about what
he loves most about
CREDIT: PAT CUMMIN'S INSTA

Hyderabad, he says, “One,

the fans are amazing; and the
team, obviously. I have been
out for a couple of biryanis, Doting dad: Pat
so I love that part of it. The Cummins
his son
with
city just seems like it’s a good
balance. There’s enough buzz going on, but it’s
not over the top, where it feels like it’s all over
you. It’s just a nice, chilled city. Yet, there’s
plenty of things to do if you want to go out.”
The Aussie cricketer was spotted enjoying a
day out at a city mall with his family yesterday,
taking a break from the hectic IPL season.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, he outlined how
he manages to balance his time between family
and work. “It’s hard. But family is number one pri-
ority. So that takes up most of my time. And obvi-
ously, cricket and brand endorsements take up the
rest of it. But I always try to devote time to my fam-
ily – like, I wake up my son or put him to bed every
night,” the proud dad said.

WHAT HE LOVES ABOUT HYDERABAD

“The fans are amazing, and the team, obviously. I have been out
for a couple of biryanis, so I love that part of it. The city just
seems like it’s a good balance. There’s enough buzz going on, but
it’s not over the top, where it feels like it’s all over you. It’s just a
nice, chilled city. Yet, there’s plenty of things to do if you want to
go out.”
— PAT CUMMINS, Sun Risers Hyderabad Team captain

the buzz
RESHMI AR
DECCAN CHRONICLE
In an exclusive conversation
with Deccan Chronicle,
renowned Japanese voice
artiste Natsuki Hanae, the famous
voice of Tanjiro in Demon Slayer,
shares insights into Tanjiro’s growth
through the series. As anticipation
builds for the release of Demon
Slayer Season 4 on Crunchyroll on
May 12, Hanae also gives fans sneak
peeks into what to expect from the
upcoming Hashira Training Arc.
Q A lot of fans think Tanjiro has
grown through the stories,
from Unwavering Resolve Arc to
Swordsmith Village Arc. How do
you think Tanjiro has grown?
His basic personality hasn’t changed,
but there are parts of him that are
stronger now because of the daily
training and everything he’s been
through. I consider that to be his
growth.
In Mugen Train Arc, Tanjiro could-
n’t do anything when Rengoku and
Akaza were in a battle. But in
Entertainment District Arc, he was
able to fight alongside Uzui to battle
against Gyutaro and Daki. And final-
ly, in Swordsmith Village Arc, Tanjiro
could take on Hantengu,
Upper Four, by himself.
I can feel that little by
little, as he continues
to train every day, he
grows and learns
from the Hashira.
Q With the sup-
port of the
Indian fans, we have
decided to bring Demon
Slayer to Mumbai. How
did you feel when you
first heard you
would be tak-
ing to the stage
in Mumbai?
To tell you the
truth, I didn’t
quite know
what kind of
city Mumbai
was, and I’d
never been to
India either.
So, the fact Natsuki
that I’d be on Hanae
stage in
Mumbai did-
n’t really click
for me when I
On-field rivalries are
forgotten once the
match is over
S tar-gazers at the iconic Eden
Gardens cricket ground in
Kolkata were in for a treat apart
from superb sport recently — they
were witness to some cute by-play
between two greats — Bollywood
biggie Shahrukh Khan and former
Team India captain Sourav Ganguly.
SRK was at the grounds as co-
owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders
(KKR), who faced Delhi Capitals in
the encounter. Ganguly, now the
Delhi Capitals’ director of cricket,
was an erstwhile KKR skipper.
While taking a lap of the grounds at
the end of the match, Shahrukh
Wednesday 1 May 2024 2
Deccan Chronicle
Demon Slayer : zimetsu no Yaiba—To The Hashira Training
Arijit Singh
THE HASHIRA
ARE COMING....
Cross-border
…and Natsuki Hanae stokes Indian fans’
excitement over Demon Slayer Season 4
camaraderie
first heard about it. I was also unsure sei thought deeply about and chose
if anime was popular in India, and
how many anime fans would be
carefully, is truly refined, and there’s
not even a hint of cheapness to it.
Arijit Singh-Mahira Khan
there. But gradually, I learned that They perfectly fit each character, and exchange charms fans in
Japanese anime was extremely popu- that’s one of the reasons for the pop-
lar here, so I was looking forward to ularity. When I voice Tanjiro in both India and Pakistan
meeting the fans in India. anime, I pay attention to the real
messages and meanings that Gotoge- Dubai witnessed a rare display of genuine
Q What do you think has sensei put behind the lines and try to
made Demon Slayer so express them.
popular around the world?
rapport, grace and respect between tradi-
tional antagonists India and Pakistan, when
Indian singer Arijit Singh addressed Pakistani
I think the biggest appeal is Q A new episode, Hashira
Training Arc, will start in
actress Mahira Khan impromptu at a concert in
the Gulf nation.
the theme of love for siblings May. What would you like to tell
and family, and the bond fans who are looking forward to
between friends. Another fac- this?
The Bollywood singer who was performing on
stage realised after a time that the actress, who
he had sung for in an Indian movie, was among
tor is the dialogues of the the audience, and he had failed to recognise her
characters. Every In the World Tour of ‘Kimetsu no straight away.
single line spo- Yaiba —To The Hashira Training’, Arijit led up to the revelation about the
ken by the the first episode of the Hashira celebrity in the audience, saying “I was trying
characters, Training Arc was screened. Anyone to recognise this person, then remembered I had
w h i c h who saw that must be excited to sung for her.” Asking the camera to focus on the
G o t o g e - watch the rest, and I’m looking for- actress, he then announced, “Ladies and gentle-
sen- ward to seeing them together with men, Mahira Khan sitting right in front of me.”
everyone. Admitting that “I was trying to recognise this
“WHEN And to those who haven’t person, then remembered I had sung for her,”
I VOICE seen the first episode, I the singer continued with humility, “I was
hope you watch the singing her song Zaalima, and it’s her song, and
TANJIRO IN ANIME, series to see how cool she was singing too, and I couldn’t recognise
I PAY ATTENTION TO and amazing the her. I am so sorry, ma’am. Gratitude and thank
THE REAL MESSAGES Hashira are! Who you so much.”
AND MEANINGS THAT knows, maybe the char- Matching his grace,
GOTOGE-SENSEI PUT acters might be dancing Mahira shouted “It’s
BEHIND THE LINES to Bollywood songs! okay” from the
AND TRY TO (Laughs) Anyhow, please audience.
EXPRESS continue to support The footage
THEM.” Kimetsu no Yaiba! of the
exchange,
which has
SRK’S
since gone
viral, was
shared by
Shahzadi
HUG FOR
Sipra.
SOURAV
GOES
VIRAL
spotted Sourav talking to some DC returned the hug with feeling, much
players, and crept up behind him to to the delight of the spectators. Mahira Khan
enfold him in a tight hug. The crick- The video of the encounter is
eter, who was caught unawares, going viral on social media.
 Wednesday 1 May 2024 3

glam sham Deccan Chronicle

Ibrahim Ali Khan’s Materialistic life

goals don’t

Insta debut hold much

significance any
more, says the
The young star actor-politician
embraces social media
with a splash, starting Screen grab of the video ‘Legacy of Love’
with a bold message
and a sports partnership
KAMAL TURNS
PHILOSOPHICAL
Budding actor Ibrahim Ali Khan, who is
the son of former actor couple Saif Ali
Khan and Amrita Singh, on Tuesday
made his debut on social networking service
Instagram. The 23-year-old has so far garnered
over 560,000 followers on the app, on which he What’s on Kamal Haasan’s wish list?
already has a private account. Not much really, according to the iconic actor himself.
On his new Instagram page that is public, as of Kamal and his daughter Shruti Haasan recently released a
now Ibrahim follows 41 personalities, including video titled Legacy of Love, in which they discussed a wide
his mother, sister Sara Ali Khan, aunt Soha Ali range of topics, including dreams and desires.
Khan, and stepmother Kareena Kapoor Khan. When his daughter asked him to name an unfulfilled wish,
“Legacy? I’ll make my own,” the upcoming the actor-politician first said, “There are a lot of those, a
actor captioned his first post, while also lot.” But as he processed the answer further, he acknowl-
announcing his collaboration with a foreign edged that perhaps the list wasn’t as long as he’d first imag-
sports brand. ined.
Ibrahim is the grandson of former India crick- Sharing an old memory, Kamal told his daughter, “at
et captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and veter- Eldams Road (his old family home), my father
an film star Sharmila Tagore. He most recently gave me a small room that could perhaps fit
served as an assistant director on Karan Johar’s two pianos. It was on the top floor… so, the
2023 film Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. heat! The restroom was three floors down.
According to reports, he is set to make his act- My father’s attitude was, ‘You know a lot so
ing debut soon. — PTI stay here. When you think you can’t go on
like this, tell me and I will buy you a cow
that you can rear’.”

Neetu’s social media ode

Continuing to reminisce, he said, “So, I
used to lie down and think, all I want is
Rs 10,000 per month. I would make a list
of things I would want to do with that
Actress shares a
V
eteran actor Neetu Kapoor money. I don’t even remember the
touching tribute on marked her late husband Rishi
Kapoor’s fourth death anniver-
things on that list. But those wants
helped me sleep.” He remembered that
Insta on the fourth sary, reflecting on life without him.
Rishi, famed for iconic films like Bobby
he had wanted to buy a scooter, and then
a car. “Now, when I have the wealth to buy all
anniversary of Rishi and Kapoor & Sons, passed away in 2020 of those things, I wonder what do I want? A
after battling cancer. Neetu shared an plane?” he said. Kamal realised he no longer
Kapoor’s passing Instagram tribute, featuring a photo desired possessions. Though not seeking
from their film collaborations, cap- asceticism, he questioned the value: “Where
tioned “Four years for us... life can never does it end? If I want a plane, how often will I
be the same without you.” use it? A large house in
The post played the instrumental Kodaikanal—maybe a month
theme from Rishi’s movie Karz. Their “I there, then back. Why buy a
daughter Riddhima Kapoor Sahni WOULD THINK, bungalow?” Kamal is set
shared a touching childhood photo, ALL I WANT IS RS for Indian 2 and Thug
quoting Alex MacLean: “Those we love 10,000 PER MONTH. I Life, plus a cameo in
don’t go away, they walk beside us every WOULD MAKE A LIST OF Kalki 2898 AD. Shruti is
day.” THINGS I WOULD WANT in Salaar Part 2:
Rishi’s final film, Sharmaji Namkeen, TO DO. I DON’T EVEN Shouryaanga Parvam
released in 2022, capping his illustrious REMEMBER THE with Prabhas and Dacoit
career. The Kapoor family continues to THINGS ON THAT with Adivi Sesh.
honour Rishi’s memory, cherishing his LIST.”
legacy in cinema and life. — PTI

LIGHTS, CAMERA, FAMILY…

Nicole Kidman’s daughters join her on AFI red carpet
Nicole Kidman and Keith
Urban’s daughters made
their red-carpet debut at the
49th AFI Life Achievement
Award gala. Kidman, hon-
oured at the event, was joined
by Urban, daughters Sunday
Rose and Faith Margaret, and
niece Sybella Hawley.
Kidman dazzled in a gold
sequin gown, while Sunday
Rose, 15, donned a strapless
white and floral gown, and
Faith, 13, wore coral. In an
Keith Urban, Faith Margaret Urban, Sunday Rose Kidman-Urban, KIdman’s niece interaction with People,
Sybella Hawley and Nicole Kidman at the AFI Life Achievement Award — AFP
Kidman shared her daugh-
ters’ excitement, saying,
“They want to get started on
their own careers.”
During her speech, Kidman
expressed gratitude to her
family, calling Urban and
their
DURING
HER SPEECH,
KIDMAN EXPRESSED
GRATITUDE TO HER FAMILY,
CALLING URBAN AND THEIR
DAUGHTERS THE “LOVES OF
MY LIFE.”
daughters the “loves of my
life.”
She also cherished having
her Australian family pre-
sent, noting her father’s spir-
it despite his absence.
Friends like Naomi Watts,
Meryl Streep, Reese
Witherspoon, and Morgan
Freeman showed support.
Kidman highlighted the rari-
ty of family attending
events like this, especially
with her father’s memory
close at heart.
 C M Y K C M Y K

Wednesday 1 May 2024 5

fashion Deccan Chronicle

COOL & CALM

BY PURNIMA GOSWAMI SHARMA

It is the time of the year when the sun is at its

peak and the weather is hot and sultry so one
must dress in comfortable fabric. Soaring tem-
peratures along with high humidity can make you
Ralph Lauren’s
sweat a lot so it is important to wear clothes that
allow for air circulation to keep you cool and relaxed.
fall/holiday 2024
FABRIC FACTS
Tight-fitting and synthetic fabrics during the swelter-
ing summer months can cause skin-related ailments

collection
such as heat rash and bacterial infections. From
breezy cotton to crispy linen, there is a fantastic
range of fabrics to choose from to dress up in summer
for both women and men. So here is the list of fabrics
that are perfect for hot weather to dress up in style.

COTTON COMFORT From breezy cotton to sophisticated linen, there Timeless elegance
Cotton is one of the most comfortable and natural is a fabulous range of cool fabrics for men and Collection by Shilpi Gupta (linen) meets modern
materials for summer. It is breathable and soft on the
skin. Cotton, the natural fibre, has water-absorbing women to beat the summer heat in style minimalism
capacity that helps in the absorption of perspiration.
Cotton has many variants such as cotton lawn, cam- Ralph Lauren’s
bric cotton chambray, cotton, poplin Flannel, etc. 6800(5'5(66,1*7,36 Fall/Holiday 2024
Cotton is a fibre that is woven, knitted, or felted to cre- collection took a mini-
ate a vast variety of fabrics which can be styled in
shirts, dresses, sarees etc. India boasts of rich cotton 1 Avoid wearing polyester, velvet, raw silk,
and nylon as they trap heat and can make
you feel hotter
malist turn, by his stan-
dards, with an intimate
weaves, handcrafted prints, colourful embroidery, show in his NYC design
and the treasure of traditional designs and weaving studio.
techniques. There is plenty to select for both Indian
and Western wear from Kota Doria, Tant, Bagru,
2 Refrain from wearing tight-fitting garments
to allow free circulation of air Inspired by his
first women’s
Ralph Lauren walks the runway
at the conclusion of his Ralph
Bandhini, Ikat Sangneri, and Maheshwari,
Kalamkari designs. Then there is also Madras cotton,
a lightweight cotton woven in various colours to
3 Lighter colours reflect sunlight, keeping you
cooler than darker shades
show in 1972,
the presenta-
tion exuded
Lauren FallHoliday 2024
presentation
Natural fibres (like bamboo cotton or clothes
make checks.
4 made from banana fibre) absorb moisture better
than synthetics, keeping you dry and comfortable
timelessness.
Super model
THE LINEUP FEATURED
SOOTHING NEUTRAL TONES
LINEN EFFECT C h r i s t y IN TAILORED JACKETS,
T u rl i n g t o n , SWEATERS, AND SLINKY
Linen is apt for summer wear due 55, opened in SEQUINED GOWNS, ACCENT-
to its breathability and tempera- a sleek beige ED WITH WESTERN FLAIR
ture regulation. Made from flax coat. The LIKE FRINGES AND COWBOY
fibres, it keeps you cool and dry lineup fea-
HATS. THE STAR-STUDDED
in hot weather. “Linen’s popular- tured sooth-
ity in offices stems from its com- ing neutral GATHERING INCLUDED
fort factor and its shift from casu- tones in tailored GLENN CLOSE, JESSICA
al wear to more sophisticated tai- jackets, sweaters, and CHASTAIN, LAUREN BUSH,
loring, making it ideal for both slinky sequined CARRIE COON AND KERRY
men and women seeking an ele- gowns, accented with WASHINGTON.
Shilpi Gupta
gant yet comfortable look. Western flair like
Moreover, linen has antibacterial properties that fringes and cowboy
ensure you will not get any rashes after wearing it. hats.
The versatility and durability of the fabric make it The star-studded
easier to style from casual outings like being on the gathering includ-
beach to office wear,” says fashion designer Shilpi Chocolate Fondue ed Glenn Close,
Gupta from Delhi. Pair a linen cotton Jessica Chastain,
blazer with pants or a pencil skirt for for- Lauren Bush,
mal wear in summer. “To uplift the look, Carrie Coon and
team it with a crisp linen white K e r r y
shirt, style it with high-waisted Raga Hamsadvani Kerry Washington Washington.
pants,” suggests Shilpi. Close, in a
c u s t o m
COOL RAYON w h i t e

‘‘
pantsuit,
Rayon, the man-made fabric is also MULMUL IS INCREDIBLY reflected
a good summer choice as is flowy LIGHT AND FINE on quali-
and has a soft feel. It is comfortable with the weather conditions. Indian women love Lemon Cream and Cheese ty and
COTTON FABRIC IS WOVEN
on the body and does not trap heat chikankari especially on rayon as it is most WITH A PLAIN WEAVE, l o n g ev i -
says Lucknow-based Smita comfortable. The colours to wear this MAKING IT UNBELIEVABLY ty: “You
Agarwal, co-founder, Akheri summer are pastels, turquoise, and b u y
(chikankari designer wear) “Rayon greens. Teaming a rayon kurta with a BREATHABLE.” s o m e -
Tranquil Dil and Limitless Aasman
stays uncrushed for longer as com- flowy chikankari dupatta and churi- — TANIYA BISWAS, t h i n g
pared with linen and other cotton dar/ palazzo makes it elegant.” co-founder, Suta great and
variants. Chikankari embroidery is wear it
ideally done on fabrics which are MULMUL MAGIC apt for elegant silhouettes in until it
light and sheer, Rayon comes good on sarees and suits,” states Taniya. and it does not irritate the skin or stick to the skin. wears out.”
both. Chikankari, though mostly a Mulmul, a treasure of Indian textiles, Therefore, it is suitable for sensitive skin. It can Post-show, guests joined
summer wear, is an all-year favourite is a dream wear for hot summers. ORGANZA ELEGANCE absorb moisture and sweat, making it an ideal choice Lauren at his Polo Bar for
now. Chikankari is a delicate hand Mulmul, also known as muslin, is a for summer. Today designers create a variety of gar- signature burgers. David
embroidery which enhances fabrics lightweight cotton fabric that has prints. Chiffon has a Organza is a super lightweight ments for both men and women in khadi. Lauren discussed the
like cotton, chanderi, muslin, and been used for centuries in clothing. translucent look and is made from woven material which is also label’s evolution, focusing
silk. The colour palette and the fabric Taniya Biswas, co-founder of Suta a blend of silk, cotton, and artifi- summer-friendly. Organza is COOL MR & MRS on new fabrics and silhou-
type may be different to harmonise (which works with weavers and cre- cial fibres. Its delicate soft texture known for its sheer, and crisp ettes while maintain-
ates handwoven and handcrafted prod- and flowy drape are ideal for sum- texture. Organza is a breath- A genuine cool piece of dressing advice for brides and ing the brand’s time-

‘‘
ucts) says, “Mulmul is incredibly light
RAYON and fine cotton fabric is woven with a
STAYS plain weave, making it unbelievably
UNCRUSHED FOR breathable. Imagine “woven wind” —
LONGER AS COMPARED that’s how delicate and airy Mulmul
WITH LINEN AND OTHER feels. This allows sweat to evaporate
COTTON VARIANTS.” quickly, keeping you cool and comfort-
able throughout the day. No wonder it
— SMITA AGARWAL, remains a favourite for centuries!”
founder, Akheri Akheri This fabric is now used for suits,
dresses, and shirts with beautiful
mer wear as sarees and kurtis. able fabric, which allows grooms who are tying the knot during the Great less philosophy. He Lauren
air to pass through it. It is Indian Summer. Select light flowing lehenga and hinted at upcoming Bush and
CHIC CHANDERI perfect for sarees, kurtis, sarees in net, chiffons, and light silks such as crepe, projects, including Carrie
Coon
gowns and lehenga in the summer season. Kota silk munga and satin silk. The brides can opt for outfitting Team
A blend of cotton, silk thread and zari results in love- a georgette saree or lehengas as this lightweight fab- USA for the Olympics
ly chanderi fabric. “Chanderi cotton’s popularity for KHADI STATEMENT ric fluidly drapes and adds an ethereal touch. and a men’s show in
summer wear is due to its lightweight, breathability Georgette is a versatile fabric that allows you to work Milan.
and luxurious drape. Chanderi fabric is light and airy. Khadi, is a hand-spun cloth and easy-care-for fabric with its subtle sheen and soft texture. Grooms can — AP
This allows for excellent airflow, keeping you cool and that keeps the body cool in the heat. This eco-friendly also enhance their wedding ensemble with a geor-
comfortable during hot summers. Despite its light- fabric is usually handwoven using cotton, silk, and gette, silk sherwani or cotton kurta with subtle
weight, Chanderi cotton drapes beautifully which is wool. The khadi cotton fabric is light and breathable, embroidery and adornments.

coffee-break
Your day today
By Dr C.V.B. Subrahmanyam
Aries: If you’ve been awaiting a
job offer, prepare for potential
disappointment. Advancing
through early interviews
doesn’t ensure reaching the final stage.
Taurus: Stay adventurous, be
open to new experiences.
Romantic opportunities for sin-
gles may soar. News of a fami-
ly wedding leads to travel plans.
Gemini: Expect career gains,
financial support from parents.
Stay open with your partner to
avoid separation. Favourable
twist in legal matters.
Cancer: Embrace your passions
and excel. Mundane chores won’t
burden you. Practice understand-
ing to avoid arguments. Some
may inherit property from ancestors.
Leo: Focus on what brings you
happiness. Long-term projects
may seem daunting. Avoid being
judgmental. Be prepared for challenges.
Consider supplementing your diet with
natural vitamins.
Virgo: Stay open to important
decisions. Unexpected visitors
may disrupt plans. Prepare for
temporary setbacks. See clear
opportunities for business advancement
and good dividends in the share market.
You share your b’day with
Anushka Sharma, an
Indian actress. Rising
to fame with Rab Ne
Bana Di Jodi. Co-
founder of Clean Slate
Filmz, she’s also a
brand ambassador and
fashion designer,
supporting causes like
gender equality and
animal rights.
Libra: Today offers a friendly
atmosphere at work and home.
Consider supporting mentally
challenged or old people.
Complete tasks easily and reap rewards.
Reflect on the importance of family.
Scorpio: Support your family,
who have been there for you in
tough times. Invest in their
future security. Experience
growth and advancement in your work.
Sagittarius: You might spend
some income on religious pur-
suits. Feel enthusiastic and
energized for work, approach-
ing each task with vigour and interest.
Capricorn: Expect unexpected
growth. Prepare for a business
trip to sign deals or attend
conferences for product expan-
sion. Embrace life fully with love,
money, and fun coming your way.
Aquarius: Anticipate higher
monetary gains. Relax with
your loved one. Your
enthusiasm will skyrocket
today, driven by your intellect. Today is
crucial for your progress.
Pisces: Trust experienced
friends and advisors for
investment advice. Research
well for a successful
investment plan. Dedicate yourself to
work, possibly working round the clock.
QUICK CROSSWORD
bridge
PHILLIP ALDER
F ootball coach Vince
Lombardi said, "I firm-
ly believe that any man's
finest hour, the greatest
fulfillment of all that he
holds dear, is that moment
when he has worked his
heart out in a good cause
and lies exhausted on the
field of battle -- victori-
ous."
One bridge deal should
not be that exhausting, but
many, especially in no-
trump, are battles for suit
establishment -- as we saw
yesterday and will see
today.
How should the play go
in three no-trump after
West leads the spade six?
There are five scenarios.
First, East wins with his
spade ace and returns the
spade jack, covered by the
queen and king. South
takes the third spade and
plays three rounds of dia-
monds, losing the last of
SU◆DO◆KU
YESTERDAY’S ANSWER
WHAT
TO DO
Fill in the grid
so that every
row, every
column, and
every 3x3 box
contains the
digits 1 to 9.
Every puzzle
has only one
correct
solution.
SETTING UP A SUIT: THE
BATTLE CONTINUES
those but taking the rest
for an overtrick.
Second, West ducks at
trick two, giving South the
trick he is due and retain-
ing communication with
his partner. Then, when
East gets in with his dia-
mond trick, a third spade
gives West three tricks in
that suit to defeat the con-
tract.
Third, South does not
cover the spade jack at
trick two. This saves the
contract whenever it can
be made.
Fourth, East plays his
spade jack at trick one.
(Since East can anticipate
gaining the lead in dia-
monds, this is not far-
fetched, trying to make
South burn up his one
spade stopper immediate-
ly.) If South does win the
trick, he will fail. But,
fifth, if he works out to
duck, he will get home.
SU◆DO◆KU 2
Did you think the
SU◆DO◆KU
on the left was easy?
Try this. Check the
solution tomorrow.
Tips available at
www.sudoku-xls.com
DC-AGE SU DO KU
FORUM: Discuss the
SU DO KU puzzles
printed and con-
tribute mind teasers
of your own at
www.sudexel.com/
forum
Wednesday 1 May 2024 6
Deccan Chronicle
Across 4. Astound (4)
5. Thwart (9)
6. Rival (10) 7. Renovate (9)
8. Incident (5) 9. Female relation (5)
10.Puts right (5)
11.Be (5)
13.Financial backer 12.Night flier (3)
(11) 15.Mast (4)
14.Two-footed animal 16.Plummet (4)
(5) 17.Ooze (4)
17.Dark beer (5) 18.Pledge (4)
19.Hotel suite (anag)
(10) YESTERDAY’S ANSWER
Across: 1. Exempt, 3. Calm, 7. Skit, 8.
Down Prying, 10. Diverse, 13. Assured, 16.
Choosy, 17. Sill, 18. Seem, 19. Adhere.
1. Relocate (4) Down: 1. Ease, 2. Elixir, 4. Avid, 5.
2. Petty quarrel (4) Mugger, 6. Brusque, 9. Persist, 11.
Precis, 12. Petite, 14. Mope, 15. Flee.
3. Tiny particle (4)
Word Mine
D
EUS
LSCLO
TODAY’S RATINGS: 22 AVERAGE; 24 GOOD; 26 OUTSTANDING
How many words of four or more letters
can you make from the letters shown in
today’s puzzle? In making a word, each
letter may be used once only. Each word
must contain the letter at the top of the
pyramid. There should be at least one
nine letter word. Plurals, foreign words
and proper names are not allowed.
What a battlefield of pos-
sibilities!
Copyright
United Feature Syndicate used
cussed, dole, doll, dose, douse, duel, dull, lode, loud, loused, scold, sled, sold, soled, sued,
(Asia Features) ANSWERS : clod, closed, cloud, CLOUDLESS, code, cold, collude, could, cued, culled,
scrabble brand | G2 R1 As Ms S1
DIRECTIONS: Make a 2 to 7-letter word from
the letters in each row. Add points of each
word, using scoring directions at right. 7-
letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks”
YESTERDAY’S ANSWER used as any letter have no point value. All
Judd’s words are in the Official Scrabble
Players Dictionary (Merriam-Webster) and
OSW Official Scrabble words (Chambers).
JUDD’S Solution on Monday
YESTERDAY’S ANSWER
 Wednesday 1 May 2024 25
7

coffee-break Deccan Chronicle

CALVIN AND HOBBES|Bill Watterson Dennis the Menace

THE WIZARD OF ID|Parker and Hartsd

ARCHIE|Bill Henry Scarpelli & craig boldman hocus focus

BLONDIE|Dean Young and John Marshall

ANDY CAPP |Reg Smythe

jumble

POPEYE | Bud Sagendorf

 Wednesday 1 May 2024 8

matinee Deccan Chronicle

I’m not going to opt for an

arranged marriage’
Actress Faria Abdullah talks about
marriage, movies and more
AJULI TULSYAN Aa Okkati Adakku explores soci-
DECCAN CHRONICLE
etal pressures around marriage,
reflecting on unrealistic expecta-
Faria Abdullah tions in partner selection.
opens up about “Arranged marriages still prevail in
her role in the our society,” Faria notes.
upcoming
entertainer
Okkati
family
Aa
Adakku,
“Matrimony sites now dominate the
matchmaking landscape.”
Discussing her views on marriage,
Deol duo delights
slated for release
soon. Known for
Faria candidly expresses a prefer-
ence for love marriage.
Sunny and Bobby to get candid
her breakout role “Companionship is beautiful,” she on The Great Indian Kapil Show
in Jathi reflects. “I am surely not going to
Ratnalu, Faria opt for an arranged marriage. My Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol will appear on an
describes her parents have approved of my wish.” upcoming episode of The Great Indian Kapil
character as Despite her rising stature, Faria Show. In a teaser clip, Sunny emotionally reflects
“free-flow- values diverse roles, even in cameo on the family’s success in 2023, highlighting
ing,” con- appearances. “Sometimes, I don’t Dharmendra’s film Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem
trasting mind a film with less screen time,” Kahaani, Sunny’s Gadar 2, and Bobby’s Animal.
with Allari she shares. “In Ravanasura, I didn’t The clip showcases heartfelt moments as Sunny
Naresh’s play the lead man’s love interest. I expresses gratitude for the blessings of that year,
d i s c i - did it because I wanted to work with including his son’s wedding and the success of
plined Ravi Teja sir.” their films. Bobby affectionately refers to Sunny
persona. as “Superman,” emphasising his strength, while
“ S h e Sunny humorously compares himself to
doesn’t like ‘Bahubali.’ This episode hopes to be filled with
to lead her life laughter and brotherly banter, offering a glimpse
in a structured, into the Deol brothers’ personal and professional
planned way,” Faria journey.
explains. “I relate to
the character since I go

Shabana at NYIFF:
with the flow in life. But
sometimes, you have to plan
things in advance.”
Faria highlights that the
film’s humour arises natural-
ly from the protagonist’s situ-
A half-century
ations rather than relying on
slapstick. “Expect a tragicomic
style of comedy,” she hints,
of iconic cinema
promising an engaging narra- The New York Indian Film
tive.
Festival celebrates Azmi’s
50-year cinematic odyssey
‘Audience appreciates me Celebrating 50
years in cine-

for my choice of scripts’

ma, veteran actor
Shabana Azmi
will be honoured
at the New York
Suhas says that his upcoming film Prasanna Vadanam, Indian Film
Festival (NYIFF).
explores a unique storyline about face blindness The festival,
renowned for
AJULI TULSYAN trailer and poster of Prasanna Vadanam showcasing Indian
DECCAN CHRONICLE
have created a good buzz,” he shares, cinema, will
describing the film as a survival thriller. screen 49 films,
Actor Suhas, known for breaking Reflecting on his success, Suhas i n c l u d i n g
industry norms, emphasises values gripping storytelling A m i t a b h
performance over looks with “I’M over traditional protago- Bachchan and
hits like Colour Photo, Writer FORTUNATE nist looks. “I’m fortu- N a s e e r u d d i n Veteran actor Shabana Azmi
Padmabhushan, and THAT ALL MY FILMS nate that all my films Shah’s works.
Ambajipet Marriage have done well,” he Azmi’s milestone will be marked with a special
Bureau. His upcoming film HAVE DONE WELL. notes. “People appreci- event featuring her film Fire directed by Deepa
Prasanna Vadanam, direct- WORKING WITH ate my choice of films.” Mehta. Azmi, 73, will attend, reflecting on her
ed by Arjun YK, explores a DEBUTANTS ALWAYS Each project’s unique career’s evolution and social activism. From her
unique storyline about face PUSHES ME TO EXPLORE genre drives Suhas to seek debut in Ankur to recent roles in Rocky Aur Rani
blindness. fresh storytelling. Kii Prem Kahaani and Ghoomer, her impact spans
“It’s a niche plotline we
NEW IDEAS.” “Working with debutants borders, collaborating on projects like Shekhar
haven’t explored,” Suhas — ACTOR always pushes me to explore Kapur’s What’s Love Got to Do with It? and Steven
remarks. His character, suffer- SUHAS new ideas,” he concludes. Spielberg’s Halo. NYIFF, presented by the Indo-
ing from face blindness, adds Suhas’s journey exemplifies a American Arts Council, showcases contemporary
depth to the contrasting title. “In the shift toward narrative depth in Indian cinema in various languages. Festival
film, I cannot recognise faces properly.” cinema, highlighting the power director Aseem Chhabra highlights cultural diver-
Suhas underwent a two-week workshop of compelling storytelling sity and cinematic narratives, making this edition
to prepare for this challenging role. “The over conventional aesthetics. unparalleled in its appeal. — PTI